《Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince》 Chapter 1: Prologue Darkness settled over what was once a beautiful field of flowers and farnd. Its beauty had long since been adulterated by ash, smoke, and blood. The same irrigation trenches that once fed crops were now filled with crimson and the homes that once housed hopes and dreams were splintered by the aftermath of war. The observer of such a scene felt both a part of it and separate from it at the same time. They could feel the wind on their face and taste the soot permeating the surroundings, yet they knew that nothing they tried would allow them to intervene and end the chaos. Men and womeny along the road; many struggled to breathe, and many others were covered hastily with tarps. These scenes felt as though they had been ripped directly from hell. Among those resting were people in long, green robes who ran from person to person, trying desperately to save as many lives as they could. "It''s HIM! They did not tell us that a monster like that would join the field." "I thought he was in the elven kingdoms what is he doing here!" "Help me! Please! I can''t feel my arms someone, please save me" "Don''t worry, I''ve got you! [Lux: Heal]!" A bright golden light erupted from the hands of one of the men in green. The light slowly enveloped a soldier''s stump of an arm and stopped the bleeding as it sealed the wound. He would live, but he would never be the same. All those who wore green slowly began to cast simr spells among the injured and dying. A few even cast darker magic. "[Umbra: Numbness], there. I can''t help youbut maybe this will keep you from suffering in yourst moments" Metal rattling against metal approached from the north. The first to approach the patients was a massive man who stood at least seven feet tall. His chest was as broad as two men, and his longsword, held by any other, would be considered a greatsword. Emzoned on his chest was a red shield with a golden eagle, the symbol of the kingdom of Arcadios. This man was clearly a high-rankingmander, but what confused the strange observer was that they had seen this person somewhere before "Status report," the man ordered. Several minutes passed in silence, only being interrupted by moans of anguish. "I said a status report, damn it! You might be dumb, but you aren''t dead, so someone answer me! What happened here?!" Red veins threatened to burst from the sides of his head. A small woman in green stepped forward, trembling. "SirI don''t knowthemander of the southern garrison shedidn''t make it." "And? Who''s in charge now?" "I don''t know" "Well, since you are the only one who grew enough of a spine to answer me, it''s you. So tell me what happened." The woman''s teeth chattered as she ryed the events of thest hour. The rebel army had advanced quicker than expected, but themander was already prepared for this possibility. They hadid traps in advance in the hopes that it would slow the enemy down long enough for reinforcements to arrive. However, the rebel army stopped directly in front of the hidden traps as if they knew where they were. At that moment, a strange ball of fire erupted above their heads and showered the fields with sparks. It was a signal, and several people amongst the garrison turned on their brethren with a crazed look in their eyes. It was as if they weren''t in their right minds; something was controlling them. Brother shed brother without regard for bonds. One of the traitors under the control of the enemy was the vicemander, but she failed to execute her target and was beheaded instead. Around the moment of the vicemander''s death, HE showed up. The entire mage battalion fired spell after spell at the targetbut nothing happened. It was as if the magic was being swallowed up before it could even reach him. "Where is the rebel army now? Did you cowards let them pass by instead of fighting to thest man as you were ordered?!" "No sirthe army did not advance. The army never engaged" "What?" The massivemander looked down the road past the temporary battlements that were now nothing but charred and shattered wood. She was not wrong. Just beyond where the traps had beenid, there was no sign of advancement. It was as if the enemy showed their presence and then retreated instead of advancing. While the man stood there pondering why such a thing would happen, his own second-inmand ran up to him, panting and wheezing. "SirI have a message for you. Someone has infiltrated the eastern garrison! Our forward tower has fallen!" "What do you" "Sir! News from the west! The western tower has fallen!" "Sir! The imperial gates have reported an unknown intruder! There are heavy casualties amongst the men but no sign of damage to the interior." "What is happening? These people cannot possibly move around the battlefield this quickly! Let alone without me seeing them!" Themander was enraged. It took every ounce of willpower in his body to maintain some form of calm, though it was mediocre at best. He began to gather the highest-ranking soldiers from the southern garrison and his highest-ranking personnel for a strategy meeting. Everything inside him told him that he needed to return to the capital; however, it could easily be a ruse to pull him from the battlefield. Clearly, they had some sort of objectivebut what was it? Why did they cease moving after destroying the forward defenses? By this point, the rebels could have advanced on the capital from three directions without much effort yet all they did was send a small force to disrupt the gates, but nothing further "You! Marked. Come here." A disheveled man in tattered gray clothes quickly approached themander before kneeling on one knee in the muck. Rain began to fall on thendscape, quickly turning the dirt roads into mud. Themander saw a demonic rune on the Marked One''s left hand, as usual, but he could not quite make it out due to the cloak partially covering it. "Present your left hand." The disheveled man trembled and hesitated momentarily. "Well?! Present your hand or your head, your choice!" Themander''s voice rose to an inhuman volume. The man continued to quake in his boots but managed to shakily present his hand. Themander nodded at his second to move the sleeve up the arm and fully reveal the mark. His second paused and gave a quizzical look to her superior. "I don''t recognize it. He''s an Unknown." "Let me see, dammit," themander mumbled. He approached the Marked One. While most of the rebels were Marked Ones, not all of the rats had betrayed the kingdom. However, under his orders, they kept a running list of the names and types of marks assigned to each garrison to avoid anyone slipping in unnoticed. It would have been wiser to simply execute the bastards, but they had their uses as either weapons of war or forcedbor to save the real warriors'' strength. In front of themander''s face was a strange-looking mark. He was not very well educated in the Demon Language that these marks were derived from, but this one looked a little like an upside-down mountain Suddenly a chill ran down themander''s spine. He slowly looked into the eyes of the Marked in front of him. Meeting his gaze were a set of glowing eyes. One was silver, and the other gold, but both had feline-like slits for pupils. The man was smiling broadly, though it never reached his eyes. His exposed teeth showed off extended fangs next to the canine teeth. "You," themander said with his voice trembling. "Everyone! Now! Fire every offensive spell now! Don''t worry about friendly fire! Kill him now even if it takes us with it!" The robed man slowly removed his hood, showing off his ck hair which glistened in the moonlight that began to illuminate the battlefield. He slowly looked around and locked eyes with the mysterious observer. He was the first person to even notice their presence, but when the man did, he gave a wide, terrifying smile that made the observer''s heart shudder. "[mma: Lance]!" "[Tempestas: Lighting Strike]!" "[Umbra: Darkness bolt]!" Dozens upon dozens of spells fell upon the group of people. Every remaining member of leadership was in the target range of this onught of spells, but they epted their fate in the hopes that their sacrifice would make the world a better ce. A world without this monster in it. The cloaked man''s smile grew as he looked away and pulled the right sleeve of his robe up his arm, revealing another Demonic symbol. A second mark. The observer gasped. A person should only have one, yet this man He locked eyes with the invisible observer once more, his smile never wavering. He then waved his hand at the spells and whispered "[Devour: Spellbreaker]" In an instant every spell that had beenunched at them fizzled out and vanished, like a candle dunked in water. The man held his left hand forward, shifting his gaze to themander who had fallen backwards on his ass. Themander trembled in fear. Every human in the area fell to their knees, unable to move, unable to speak. The man looked proudly at his handiwork. Before he whispered again. Despite the quiet, his voice echoed in the mind of everyone, including the observer. "[Abyss Break: Endless Nightmare]" --------------------------------------------------- A/N: Interested in Discord? Here you go! Chapter 2: The Oracle A beautiful blonde woman threw herself to a sitting position on her bed. Her sheets were soaked with sweat, and her normally gorgeous hair fell like strings around her shoulders. A momentter, nausea overtook her, and she quickly leaned over the side of the bed to release her stomach contents into a bucket she kept by her bedside for such an asion. Two men in armor opened the door with a loud m and entered the room, followed by a tiny woman in a maid uniform. The woman''s eyes were glistening, and her face was painted with worry. "Lady Adellia, are you okay? Please speak to me. What is wrong?" The kind maid looked rapidly between Adellia''s face and her swollen belly. Adellia put on a brave face and rested a hand on the maid''s shoulder tofort her. "Fear not, my dear. Just a bad dream. Also, I am afraid it will soon be time for the twins to make their appearance." Adellia ced a hand gently on her stomach and felt a pulsing, squeezing sensation near her pelvis. It did not quite hurt at the moment, but there was a rather intense pressure. These feelings had been urring for a few days, but they had be steadily worse since yesterday. "Oracle. We shall fetch the midwife. Until the time of the birth, she shall stay with you." One of the armored men stated tly. He waspletely unphased by the woman''s beauty. In fact, he would often nce at her left hand, which held a demonic symbol that one could easily mistake for a tattoo. Every time he looked at it, his expression would momentarily contort in disgust. Adellia smiled lightly at the guard and nodded her head in understanding. She did not miss his nces but could do nothing about it. Such was her fate as a Marked One. Even though the Kingdom of Arcadios relied on her ability, granted by the Mark of Prophecy, she was still treated like a stain on her race. She was the current Oracle, descended from a long line of Marked Ones who held the Mark of Prophecy. The very reason she was pregnant now was that the King had ordered her to attempt to start raising the next in line for her position. Every Oracle''s job was to grant Arcadios prophecies that would help it avoid disaster. In addition to that, it was also their job to sire at least one child who shared the Mark of Prophecy so that the kingdom would always have an Oracle to rely on. "I am sorry to bring you into a world where, even though you are relied upon, you are despised," she whispered to her belly. The maid looked on in sadness and sniffled. "Mydy." The maid paused and looked to ensure that the guards were not paying attention. One had left to fetch the midwife, while the other had already stepped back out of the room. "What will we do if they don''t have your mark" "The kingdom will do what they have always done. Any children without my mark will becleansed," Adellia said while squeezing the sheets. She had specifically identified the father of her children as someone who had the highest likelihood of helping her produce a child with the same abilities. Something she had not expected was to conceive twins. It was not that her visions were wrong but that it simply did not show her the second child. When she identified the beastman who would help her give birth to a child with her power, she simply saw herself pregnant and feeding an infant with her mark on their hand. She was never shown a second child, and this terrified Adellia. "Mylene" Adellia said in a hushed whisper. "I need you to do me a favor. It is the most important and likelyst one I will ever ask of you." "Anything, mydy." "You have family who serve in the Petra house, yes?" "I do. My husband''s cousin is a head maid there and her husband is a guard." "When my child is bornI need you to use your dark magic on my baby. One will share my mark. I have seen thisbut the otherI never saw them in my visions. What I need you to do is to curse them with sleep, blind, and paralysis." Mylene gasped as she struggled to contain a small yelp. She quickly looked towards the door to ensure the guard had not heard her or their conversation. Once she verified they were in the clear, she spoke, "Mydythat could kill the infant. Maybe even permanently disfigure them." "I know. But there is a chance they could survive, and if they do, then we can make it seem like they died in childbirth. Maybe, just maybe, they can survive and live some kind of life elsewhere." Tears fell freely from the woman''s face as she thought about losing one of her unborn children. She had quickly fallen in love with the life inside her and wanted nothing more than to experience the joys of motherhood. Though this life was far from ideal, her children had be a light in her life, a future worth seeing. Adellia locked eyes with her maid who looked conflicted. "If it fails, and my child dies, I will not me you, because, if we do not try, the Kingdom will execute them anyway. I would like to give them a chance. Of course this is on the basis that your husband''s cousin would be willing to actually care for a Marked One." Mylene gulped and thought in silence for a moment before steeling her resolve. "Don''t worry mydy. My husband''s uncle was Marked and he was very close with his daughter and my husband. She will no doubt take on this child. She cannot have one of her own anyway." "Thank you, Mylene, thank you." Adellia continued to weep until there was a knock at the door. An elderly woman with a sour face entered and behind her was an elderly man in white robes. He was one of the many people who attended to the Oracle and wrote down her prophecies. Adellia never cared to learn anyone''s names other than Mylene because of how she had been treated her entire life in the castle. "Oracle. I hear you had a ''bad dream''. I came to make sure that, if you saw a prophecy, it is recorded," the elderly man grumbled. He had a collection of parchment under his arm and ced them on a desk next to the entrance of the room. Adellia thought back to the dream she had and remembered the terrifying smile on that unknown man''s face. She remembered the mes of war and the deadying in the mud. The Oracle then thought about her sad life in the castle. A life full of solitude and devoid of love, kindness, andmon decency. She looked at the elderly robed man and gave him a gentle smile. "Fret not. It was only a dream." Chapter 3: Escape Plan "Lady Adellia!" Mylene shouted. "Please hang in there. Breathe, breathe. Slowly. In. Out. In. Out. Please remain calm." She held her charge''s hand tightly in support. The midwife had several steaming buckets of water and clean towels beside her. She was positioned between the blonde woman''s legs while Adellia screamed in pain. "Mylene! I can''t do this, I can''t" She begged. "Please" "Come on now! You have to push Oracle." The midwife growled. Adellia''s silver eyes shed brightly, and she became silent for a second. They faded quickly, and she returned to shouting. Mylene noticed that the woman was motioning for her toe closer, so she leaned her ears closer to the oracle''s mouth. "I sawthe firstyou must take the first child." Mylene gulped and moved away from herdy''s hands to where the midwife was and prepared to take the first infant when they were born. Several agonizing minutes passed as sweat began to bead on the maid''s forehead. Several thoughts passed through her mind: ''Can I do this, will the child survive, what if I failmy life will be in dangernoI will do this, I can do this. Mydy requested to be told the child had died regardless of the oue. She asked to never be told the truth so she can live in ignorance and hopefully let the child live a life safe from persecution for his origins.'' The midwife shouted for a wet towel. She held in her hands a small creature. It was a boy, and he was easily half the size of a normal newborn. Mylene quickly grabbed a towel and soaked it in warm, sterile water. She grabbed the baby from the midwife before any of the assistants could. The newborn had yet to make a sound, which worried the mother and the maid. Mylene turned her back to the group and walked to the desk to keep the appearance that she was cleaning the child. She whispered, "[Umbra: paralysis], [Umbra: numb], [Umbra: Silence]" Three motes of light appeared in Mylene''s hand and floated into the infant''s small chest. The spells took effect just as the baby opened its mouth to cry. Instead, its mouth was stuck open, and no sound came out. The chest rose so slightly that it appeared not to move at all. Mylene continued to clean off the child. He was a boy, and on his hand was a mark. Mylene did not know a lot about marks, so she did not know what it was, but the child indeed had something on his hand different from his mother''s. "MydyIam sorry. He did not make it," The maid stated, tears falling freely from her face. "Does it have the Mark of Prophecy?" A guard asked coldly. "No, he does not." Mylene red at the man who spoke, who seemed to recoil under the pressure of her anger. She shifted her gaze onto herdy, who was screaming and sobbing. "Do you wish to name him before" "There is no need." The elderly man from before walked into the room. "The creature was to be executed for not bearing the Oracle''s mark anyway. Dispose of the corpse, it is of no use to us." Mylene nced at Adellia and nced back at the elderly man. "As youmand, my lord." The maid quickly left the room to ''dispose'' of the body. She ran down the curved stairs that led down from the tower where the Oracle resided. She was eager to avoiding into contact with other people, but she also needed to rush to her husband to try and cure the curses she ced on the boy''s tiny body. She could ce the curses, but she could not remove them, and if she were to wait until they were dispelled on their own, the child might not survive. Mylene quickly checked the child and noticed that, though faint, he still breathed. She rounded multiple corners as she ran past the pce gardens and quickly located one of the many servant tunnels. One such tunnel was right off the garden and was essentially abandoned. In fact, it was usually covered up by a bookcase for use in emergencies. Thanks to her husband the bookcase was no longer in the way. He was also standing next to the tunnel entrance, waiting for his wife. Her husband was off duty today and was wearing his inclothes. He quickly stepped forward and embraced his lover. "Derrik please, quickly. Light magic." Mylene huffed, pushing her husband away momentarily. "Right! Sorry. You just...never mind. [Lux: Cure], [Lux: Heal], [Lux: Enhance Vigor]." Three motes of bright light jumped from Derrik''s palm and settled in the child''s chest. A momentter, the child began to cry. Mylene cried some more and gave the infant a small kiss on the forehead. "Pleasetake him to Rubellia and Martin. The boy is marked, but he deserves a chance at life. Please, my love." Mylene begged. Derrik cradled the baby in his arms, wrapping him in a dry cloak to keep him warm. He then grabbed up a bag which contained bottles of goat''s milk and slung it over his shoulder. "Of course, love. Marked or not, he deserves a chance, just as you said." Derrik whispered gently to his wife, pecking her on the cheek. "I will return in a few days. Stay by Lady Adellia''s side. She will need you more than ever." Mylene nodded gratefully and watched her husband vanish down the tunnel. It had a path that led outside where he had a horse waiting for him to travel to the Petra domain. Mylene listened to the infant''s cries slowly quiet and vanish, every second shattering her heart. "Back to mydy, but first" The maid wiped her tears, grabbed a sack that her husband had left for her by the entryway to the room, and left to head towards the pig pens outside the castle. On the way she quickly wrapped the sack in the same towel she had the infant in before. Normally nobility, let alone royalty, would never deign to allow such smelly animals to live so close to their residences. However, the King of Arcadios was obsessed with a rare species of pig from the beastman kingdom of Eroa after having visited once. Due to this, he imported a few breeding pairs from the kingdom for his personal consumption. This time, Mylene made sure that people were able to see her rush towards the pig pens. When she finally arrived, she purposefully stepped into the muck and threw the sack and towel into the pen. Pigs were voracious eaters and would eat anything down to the bones, leaving nothing left. "With this, the young boy will certainly be believed deceased." Mylene turned around to finally return to Adellia. She locked eyes momentarily with the herder in charge of the pigs. He quickly rushed off, likely to report his sightings to his superiors. Mylene was not worried because this would only help sell the story to her superiors. When the maid finally returned to the top of the spire where Adellia lived, she saw something that once again tore at her heart. The beautiful woman was cradling a small child, with tears dripping upon the baby''s face. "Ah, maid, you have returned. I trust you have properly disposed of the failure." The same elderly man stated. Mylene clenched and unclenched her fist opposite of his view. "Yes, my lord. I have disposed of the child in the royal pig pens." "Ah yes, free sustenance for his majesty''s prized pets." The man praised as he stroked his beard. "Well, the Oracle has given birth to a girl who also bears the Mark of Prophecy. So take care that you provide for the Oracle and help her raise the next generation." He quickly left, taking with him the midwife, her assistants, and the guards. Left in the room was only Adellia, Mylene, and a crying baby girl. "Her name is LyrahShe has my eyes." Adellia whispered between sobs. Mylene looked at the child. Her eyes did not open much, but she was able to see hints of silver. Lyrah had a full head of jet ck hair. "She''s beautiful mydy" Mylene whispered as she stepped forward and embraced Adellia, allowing her to cry into the maid''s shoulders. Chapter 4: A New Life Rubellia nearly leaped into her husband''s embrace. Hisrger frame towered over her as he held her closely yet gently within his arms. The woman, a short brte, pulled her gaze from her husband and looked lovingly down at the infant in her arms. He could not seem to open his eyes, so she could not see their shade, but he had a full head of jet-ck hair. Rubellia leaned down and kissed the baby on the forehead. The baby happily snoozed away, feeling warm and safe in her embrace. The man gently stroked the child''s cheek with a single finger. "What will we name him?" The man asked gently. "How aboutLucius." Rubellia said with a smile. "Wonderful choice. Wee to your home, little one. I hope you will like it here." Neither of the two seemed to care that the infant in their arms had a mark on his left hand. They seemed overjoyed to simply have him with them. "You''re a father now, Wayne. Make sure you shape up, mister! No morete nights at the bar anymore!" Rubellia scolded, her eyes ring with anger. Wayne sheepishly looked around the room as if she were not talking to him and let out a low whistle. "So ... anyway what will we tell his lordship?" "That''s simple. We found an infant abandoned in the woods. Likely because he is marked. As a couple who could not have children, we took the only chance to be parents we hadEven if" Rubellia nearly gagged. "It''s marked." Wayne knew what his wife meant by her statement. The disdain she held was not for the boy being marked but for the fact they had to put on a farce that this was a difficult decision. In truth, when Wayne''s cousin came to them the day before, drenched in rain and holding a small child, they did not know what to think. Derrik declined to exin where the child came from or what happened, but he warned that they shoulde up with a story that did not include him. ording to Wayne and Rubellia, they never saw Derrik. Rubellia looked back at her husband once more and gave him a kiss. "Thank you. I love you, Wayne. And I love you too, my little Lucius. More than life itself." ***** Inside a lovely little cottage, a young boy sat in front of a table, his legs dangling off of the stool he sat upon as he slowly began to draw on a sheet of bark. The family had a stand of trees outside their home that shed a soft, pliable bark that was easy to draw on with charcoal. It was difficult to use, and they could never get bark in any sort of usable size to do anything important with, but they were perfect for providing entertainment for a small child. The boy hummed happily to himself while doodling the image of a bear eating honey. asionally he would stop and check his work before returning to it. After a few, he appeared to grow bored and hopped down from the stool and wandered around the home. It was notvish by any means, but it was cozy. There were only two rooms: a small one with a child-sized bed and a single trunk, which belonged to the boy. Then there was arger one with a two-person bed, some shelves and tables, and a few other odds and ends. That room belonged to his parents. Neither of them was home at the moment, which was strange for the young boy. Normally his mother would have been home by now. She worked from early morning to about the afternoon, when his father normally left for his job. It was rare to have both his parents at home at the same time, but it was even rarer for neither of his parents to be present. Soon enough, the door to the home rattled and opened. In stepped a tired-looking woman in herte twenties, beautiful with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes. "Momma!" "Oh, my little Lucius! I am sorry I''mte, my love. How are you? You were such a good boy to stay inside while I was gone." Rubellia rushed to embrace her son in a tight hug and showered him with kisses, eliciting giggles from the boy. "Momma, momma! I drew''d a bear and he eated hummy!" Lucius beamed as he showed off his creation. His two eyes glowing with excitement. "Oh, how sweet, my love. That is definitely a bear eating ''honey,''" Rubellia smiled as she stressed the right pronunciation. She stood and began to prepare dinner for her son and herself. Her husband Wayne received a meal as part of his work as a guard for the Petra estate, so they really only had two mouths to feed with their ie. This lets them live a little better than those around them, though not by a lot. Rubellia looked at her son with pride and joy while she started a simple venison stew. She started a simple fire by casting a small spell: "[mma: Embers]" and poured water from one of their basins, which Wayne filled with his water magic every morning when he arrived home from work. "Mommy! When can I go work with you!" Lucius asked. His beautiful eyes stared up at the woman who regarded him with some sadness. "My loveI don''t knowI know I can; it''s just" "Momma? I''m a really good boy! I''ll be good extra, extra good!" Lucius stared at his mother, begging to have her take him to work with her. His pleading gaze slowly began to melt her heart. Her will was wavering already at the thought of being able to take her sweet son to work with her, but this was really wearing on her resolve. Somehow, she managed to push through it ande to apromise with her sonby letting hime to work with her tomorrow. Lucius jumped for joy at the possibility of seeing therge mansion where his parents worked. "Yay, momma! I''ll be so good! What do I do?" "Tomorrow, it is my turn to tend the garden, so you will join me in that. Do not worry about much; just stay by my side and behave!" Rubellia advised. Lucius immediately went and hugged his mother''s leg. "Thanks, momma!" Chapter 5: Garden Encounter Rubellia quickly walked to the gates of the manor where she worked with a tired four-year-old boy. He limply held on to her right hand with his left while wiping his eyes with his free hand. The guards recognized the wife of one of theirrades and allowed them entry into the estate without issue. Normally, servant staff would reside in servant quarters; however, Wayne was a guard captain and had been rewarded for saving the lord''s nephew in a bandit attack by being granted the home they now lived in. As such, Rubellia was allowed to move out of the servant quarters to live with her husband. "Miss Rubellia, Wayne is still sparring with one of the new recruits at the moment, if the young man would like to see his father in action?" one of the guards called out as the pair passed. "Momma! I wanna watch Papa!" Rubellia gave her son a gentle smile. "Of course, my love." They quickly walked away from the gardens and to the training area next to the guards'' barracks. It was just inside the gates along the massive fence that enclosed the enormous estate. The house itself upied a massive portion of the fenced-in area, easily holding over a hundred different rooms. The grounds around the manor included the front gardens, with a massive cobblestone pathway leading from the gates directly to the mansion''s double doors. Behind were the rear gardens, where the estate held outdoor parties amongst well-manicured shrubs and fields of flowers. As they approached the barracks, sounds of metal against metal and shouting filled the air. A once sleepy Lucius suddenly snapped to attention, miraculously gaining energy. He began to rush ahead to where his father was sparring. Wayne was in the center of arge, square arena. Around him were four other men. All five of them were wearing light leather armor with metal studs and wielded wooden swords. The four men slowly moved in arge circr pattern around Wayne. Wayne simply stood with his sword held downward in a rxed position. By all counts, he was wide open, but his men knew better than to fall for such a trapor so Wayne believed. The youngest and smallest of the four lunged forward, swinging his sword in a downward arc. Another two of the four took the opportunity to attack as well, leaving only one to continue holding back. Wayne easily parried the first soldier, then countered with a fist into his gut, quickly knocking the wind out of him. Wayne allowed him to copse on the ground as he prepared to take the other two attacks. Wayne raised his sword to block another overhead strike. The moment the attacker recoiled, he spun and kicked the other attacker in the gut. Both men took steps back, while Wayne returned to a rxed state, and the fourth man stayed outside of striking range, simply observed. The second and third attacker recovered. They stayed back and silently locked eyes with man number four. All three men then lunged forward, with man number four moving a few seconds faster. With one target a few steps ahead, Wayne moved to meet man number four first. The moment Wayne made his move towards him, man number four changed pace and jumped backward, messing up Wayne''s timing. Wayne attempted to recover by moving to meet men two and three, but the moment he turned to face either of them, they also jumped back. Taking advantage of his surprise, man number four shouted, "[cies: Ice Spear]!" a two-foot-long spear of ice shot out of the man''s hand and sped right for Wayne''s side. Wayne moved to dodge, but the other two also cast spells. "[Aqua: Water Ball]" and "[Terra: Stone Bullet]" Three different magic spells surged towards Lucius'' father. Not realizing that this was simply a sparring match or really understanding what sparring even meant, Lucius shouted out in fear. "Father! No!" He did not know what was happening, but he felt like those spells were bad. Rubellia moved tofort her son but noticed something strange. The pupils of his eyes turned from normal ck circles to feline-like slits. His canines elongated, and the teeth before the top canines had fallen out and turned into a third set of canine teeth, though these new ones were now twice as long as normal "Lucius! Lucius, my love, please calm downYour father is okay." Rubellia snapped out of the sudden daze her son''s appearance left her in. She knew that the boy had to be special in some way, but she did not expect him to be half-beastman. Wayne heard his son''s cries and shouted, "[Lux: Enhanced Leap]!" In an instant, he jumped twenty feet into the air,nding outside the ring and leaving a massive dust cloud in his wake. He ran quickly up to his family and checked on his son. He, too, saw his son''s eyes and teeth. However, he was not surprised. Up until now, Lucius had been a normal boy, but if he truly were just that, then his cousin would not have brought him to them. Wayne quickly removed his gloves and patted his son gently on the head to calm him. His men rushed up to make sure everything was fine. One of the four in the ring, man number four himself, to be exact, looked at the boy with disdain. "Sir, I knew you were unlucky enough to find a Marked One, but to think you were so unfortunate for it to be a half-bloodhwuuugh!" Just as the man finished his sentence, he found a massive fist meeting his face. Wayne spun around and struck the guard so fast that no one was able to see what happened until it was over. Man number four''s feet lifted off the ground, and he flew back about five feet beforending on his back with a solid thud. "Any otherments? No? Good. Tenps around the perimeter. Wake the idiot and have him do twenty." Lucius sobbed and hugged his father''s leg, d that he was okay. Now that he was calm, his canines shrank in size, but his pupils were stuck in the same feline slits. He also now had six canine teeth; four on top and two on bottom. Rubellia checked her son from top to bottom to make sure everything else was fine with him. Thankfully nothing else was the matter. "Are you going to be okay with him continuing to stay with you today? He might receive morements than we originally expected" Wayne asked his wife carefully. "Yes, I''m tending to the rear gardens all day, and his Lordship is out of the manor today at the capital. It will be fine." Wayne nodded slowly, patted his son on the head, kissed both his family goodbye, and went home. He was clearly exhausted after working all night, so he did notin when he was told he would not have to care for Lucius in the meantime. Lucius and Rubellia left the area quickly and headed to the back gardens, where Lucius was met with the most beautiful sight he had ever witnessed. The rear garden was filled with gorgeous flowers he had never seen before, and in colors, he could never have dreamed of. There were so many different shades of blue and purple than he ever thought could existand yet, here they were. "Wow! Momma! It''s so pretty! Can I y!" "Of course, but stay within my eyesight and do not pick any of the flowers," Rubellia warned. Lucius nodded and smiled widely at his mother before scampering off to y among the flowers. After several hours he began to grow tired of the flowers and found himself looking at the fun shapes of the hedges. Some were cut to look like people, others like animals, and still others like the monsters his parents told him to avoid. Many of them resided in forests and magical ces called ''dungeons'', but sometimes they would venture near towns. However, Lucius is not scared of these monsters because he knows his father will protect him. While looking among the bushes, Lucius found a small gazebo hidden among the taller shrubs. Sitting inside the building was a young girl, maybe a little older than Lucius. She had deep, crimson hair and wore a long, beautiful dress. With her stood two maids wearing uniforms simr to his mother''s. They refilled the girl''s cup with some sort of drink and served her small, fluffy-looking food on a tiny te. Lucius did not know what it was, but it looked very tasty and made his mouth water. A few momentster, the girl looked over and locked eyes with the boy. Her eyes shot wide, and she began to open her mouth. Lucius was terrified she was going to yell at him for staring at the food, so before she could say anything, he quickly ran back to his mother. "Momma! I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" Rubellia stopped her pruning and turned to her son. "What''s the matter? What happened?" "I found this weird building, and in it was a girl, and she had red hair, and she looked at me, and I think I made her mad, but I ran away before she could say anything" Lucius rambled. Rubellia pulled her son in for a hug. "Don''t worry, you are not in trouble. You are allowed to be here, so do not fret. However, make me a promise." "Yes, momma?" "Anyone you see here with red hair. Do not speak to them. They are the masters of this house, and while they let me bring you here, they do not want you to interact with them. Am I clear?" "Why, momma?" "Just do as I say and promise, or I will never bring you again." Lucius nodded quickly. He definitely wanted toe back. So far he had seen two scary things, but they were something different than the inside of his home. He felt like these were valuable experiences, even if they were not the most fun. Lucius resolved to listen to his mother. He also thought back to his father''s fight. ''Papa is so cool,'' he thought, ''I want him to teach me to do that.'' Chapter 6: A Trip to the Woods Lucius woke up earlier than he had ever done before. The morning sun''s light had not even risen, yet the boy moved quietly about his home, full of energy and excitement. After three years of begging and pleading with his father to teach him, today was the day that he would finally learn how to fight with a weapon. He was still too young to earn the right to be taught magic, but the sword could be taught at any time. Wayne had cautioned his son that while he could teach many weapons, his specialty was with a sword and shield. As such, his Weapon Arts only worked for those items. If Lucius did not possess his natural Compatibilities with swords and shields, then he would never be able to progress further than an average person. Wayne had other men under hismand with different Compatibilities, but whether or not they would help train Lucius was another story. While they respected Wayne as their leader, he could not force them to change how they felt about Marked Ones or half-bloods. Unfortunately, Lucius was both. Wayne groggily stepped out of his bedroom and proceeded to use the coals still heating the home overnight to boil some water for a quick cup of coffee. He and Rubellia used to work opposite shifts from each other, but since Lucius started going to the manor with them, they no longer needed this exception. Lucius had also been extremely careful to avoiding into contact with anyone with red hair. A few times, he almost ran into the girl he saw in the gazebo, but he managed to run away before she found him. On a handful of asions, he had almost run into a scary-looking man with red hair as well. His eyes seemed to pierce through anyone he deigned to look upon. Lucius managed to avoid this man every time as well. Talking with his mother, he learned that the scary man with red hair was the lord of the house. He also learned that while he was allowed on the property, now that it wasmon knowledge that he was a Marked One, he should never interact with the lord. It seemed to the Lord that he was content to ignore that which he could plead ignorance of. "Lucius. Come." Wayne had finished his cup of coffee and dawned a set of hunting gear. Lucius was already dressed in his own hunting clothes and eagerly followed his father outside. The trees had begun to turn their leaves beautiful shades of oranges and reds, though not many had started to fall upon the ground. The beginning of autumn had started to arrive, which meant that monsters were going to start bing more active in their territories as food sources became more scarce. This was exactly what Wayne was waiting for, though, since he needed an example to show his son the dangers of the world. Lucius had witnessed his father''s sparring and felt fear at the time, but even Lucius had learned over time that it was nothingpared to what the real world had to offer. His father told him that at the beginning of Autumn, the parents of the viges around the Petra domain would walk their children into the wilds, leave them, and wait for them to find their way home. It was a right of passage in the Petra domain, one that ensured only the best warriors would make it. Not every child went through this. However, only those interested in learning Weapon Arts or Magic took this test. This was true for any child who turned nine years old by the day of the ceremony. Lucius had only turned seven just a few days ago, so he had time, but he knew his father was resolute in getting him started so that he could survive. "Do you know why I wanted to bring you to the woods?" Wayne asked to break the silence. They had been walking for a few miles by now, and the question broke Lucius out of his own little world. "So I can know what monsters are like and know what I will face in the test," Lucius answered proudly. Wayne''s face became grim, though Lucius was walking a little behind him and was not able to see his father''s expression. "Something like that." As they continued walking, the edge of the forest grew closer and closer. Something ominous hung in the air, and the feeling made Lucius''s hair stand on end. The back of his neck and all of his arms almost bristled. His pupils darted back and forth and his sense of smell seemed to improve. Wayne noticed his son''s demeanor change and nodded approvingly, "Good. You sense trouble. That will keep you alive. It must be the beastman instinct you were born with." Lucius looked to his father, who now held out the handle of a weapon for him. Lucius'' instincts were in overdrive at the moment, but he slowly began to breathe to try and settle them a little before grabbing the sword from his father. It was more like a dagger to Wayne, but in the hands of a seven-year-old boy, it might as well have been called a sword. The boy fastened the sheathe to his hips and had his father double-check to ensure it was secure. When Wayne was satisfied with Lucius'' equipment, he led them past the tree line and into the forest proper. Lucius''s ears seemed to twitch at every sound. Every branch snapped, every rustling de of grass, each sound felt like it could be the source of untold horrors. Wayne simply observed the boy, but said nothing to correct his behaviors. They continued on for a few more hours before they came across a corpse. It was older and had already been swarmed by insects. The mass was ck and gray and twice the size of a normal wolf. Yet it still possessed a wolf-shaped face and paws. Its fangs seemed as long as Lucius'' weapon. "Father, what is that?" "A Dire Wolf. It is a C-Rank threat normally. Rathermon in the woods, though rarely this far out. This one is just a pup, so it was probably more like a D or E-Rank threat at its level." Lucius gulped. He could not believe his father had called this monstrosity a ''pup.'' To the boy, this was an insurmountable wall of power. Despite his trepidation, he moved to the other side of the corpse to inspect it. The belly had several different kinds of wounds in it, and so did the head and neck. Even to Lucius'' untrained eyes, he could tell the beast was swarmed by something. "It''s the trial participants. Seems the ones that took down this beast all survived. I don''t see any human corpsesand if it''s this close to the entrance of the woods, then they likely already made their way out." Lucius felt fear grip his heart at the possibility of having to fight a monster like this himself in two years. He did not know if he could do it, but he would have to if he wanted to be like his father. "Come on, Lucius. I have more to show you deeper in the woods." "Are we not going to train with the sword? And should we be here? What if we run into kids taking the trial?" Wayne locked eyes with his son. "I''ll teach you to use the sword once you learn its purpose. Come on." Chapter 7: Monsters Lucius continued to follow his father deeper into the woods. The sun had long since risen and even passed its peak before he finally asked for Lucius to stop again. This time Wayne asked him to stay quiet and motioned for Lucius to crouch down. The constant attention he paid to every sound in his surroundings had begun to overwhelm his senses. After working on overdrive for hours, it seemed they were burning out. Whatever it was that his father wanted to show him, Lucius could not see, smell, or even hear it. Regardless, he did as instructed and crouched next to his father behind the trunk of a massive tree. Now that they were deep into the woods, the trees became taller and thicker, reflective of their advanced ages since humans did not venture in this far to log. Lucius waited quietly, hidden next to his father for several minutes. He was still confused at what it was that his father wanted to show him, but as he was about to finally speak up, his ears twitched. Lucius threw his head to the right where the sound came from. It sounded like shouting. Soon he also picked up heavy breathing and footsteps. Momentster, a group of three children appeared between the trees. One was a girl, and two were boys. All three were a few years older than Lucius at most; they were definitely trial-takers. Another thing they had inmon, aside from age, is that they each had a ck symbol on each of their left hands. They were Marked Ones, just like Lucius. He was tempted to say something since he had not spoken to another person like himself, but he knew that this was not what his father was trying to do. As such, he continued to observe the children. All three of the children were panting and doubled over, gasping for breath. Cuts and bruises were stered all over their faces and arms. Their shirts and pants were also partially shredded. "Are they gone?" "I don''tI don''t knowblugh." One of the boys answered before vomiting from the physical exertion. The girl stepped up and began massaging his back, soothing him. He stood up and began to say thank you, but his voice seemed to catch in his throat. Lucias, who had tuned into their conversation, understood why the boy stopped. A few more children stepped out of the trees, surrounding the first three. These new additions only numbered about five, but they were in a lot better shape. They also had weapons, whereas the first three did not. "Looks like we caught you!" One of the new kidsughed. "Leave us alone!" The girl shouted, her eyes red with defiance. Unfortunately, this only made the new childrenugh. Lucius felt another ominous feeling travel down his spine. He noticed that some of the children gripped their weapons a little tighter as they taunted the injured. Lucius looked to his father, who simply watched the interaction with a nk expression. Lucius did not know what was about to happen, but he could tell it was not going to be good. He was tempted to rush in, but he was smart enough to know that he could do nothing alone. In addition to that, he was making assumptions, but he did not know exactly what was happening in the first ce. Other than the weapons and theck of injuries, the five new children had another simr traittheycked marks. "My papa told me that your things were dangerous. More dangerous than the monsters." One of the unmarked called out. "Dangerous and disgusting. He said that if I met you in the woods, that I should fight. Besides, no adults are here, so we can do what we want." "Why!" The marked girl shouted. "Why are you doing this? We fought together, and you said we could work together to get out of here!" "Ha! I said if you fought with us, WE would get out of here. Not you. You Marked Ones can stay in the woods and die." "No! I''m going home. I''m going to see my mom and my little brother again!" One of the marked boys screamed angrily. "Well, since you don''t wanna stay here and die by yourself, I guess we have to make you!" Suddenly four of the unmarked ran forward with their weapons held high. They were clumsy and could barely swing their weapons properly, but it did not matter much since their targets werepletely unarmed. All three Marked Ones turned and ran away. It would have been good if they had run in different directions, but they did not. Instead, they all ran the same way, hoping to stay together in these woods. This worked against them in the end. The fifth unmarked child smiled and tly called out, "[cies: Ice Spear]" A sharpened spear made of ice formed in his hand andunched forward towards the three Marked Ones. It managed to avoid his allies as it flew. Seemingly sensing her impending doom, the girl turned around while running just in time to have the spell impale her chest. She was hit with such force that it lifted her off the ground before sticking her to a tree. Lucius was able to see as she choked on her own blood, before going still. Her twopanions shouted in anger, before turning around and running at the unmarked children. It was futile since they only had their hands. One of the boys held up his left hand and a strange energy seemed to fill the space. His left hand seemed to glow with a white light, emanating from the mark. The boy who could somehow use magic already, despite his age, smiled. "Looks like the beasts are trying to fight back. You know what we do to rabid dogs like these? We put them down. [cies: Ice Spikes]." Instead of anything leaving the boy''s hand, the ground below the two remaining Marked Ones began to frost over. They looked down at their feet just as several spikes rose from the ground, piercing their vitals and killing them both instantly. "Great job my lord! As expected of a nobleman''s son!" "Yeah! You are so awesome!" While the unmarked continued to smile andugh among each other, Lucius could barely contain his anger and his fear. He did not know which feeling was stronger, but he felt a tightness in his chest and mouth. The world became clearer, every sound and smell became more intense. He felt himself rising from the ground, but before he could get far, his father pushed him back down. "There are more than beasts in this forest son." Wayne whispered, to the background ofughter and praise being thrown upon a murderer. "Be careful of the monsters we don''t expect." Lucius could hear his father speaking, but he was having a hard time understanding him. His emotions were getting the better of him. "Did you learn? The true purpose of a sword?" Wayne asked. He maintained a calm and measured tone that seemed to help calm Lucius just a little. Lucius simply nodded his head and whispered. "The true purpose of a sword is to kill, father." Chapter 8: Truth and Training Wayne led his son back to their home in silence. He used his own skills to ensure that no monsters came close enough to be a threat, so Lucius would not be on edge the whole time. He knew the boy needed some time to process what he had just experienced. Even though he was only seven, a much-needed reality check was in order. Up until now, Lucius was kept safe from the opinions of the world. Wayne had never lied to the boy and quite frequently reminded Lucius to be careful when interacting with people, thanks to his mark. However, they did shelter him so that these actual interactions never urred. After all, it was one thing to hear about something and quite another to experience it yourself. While on the trip home, the man thought to himself if they may have spoiled their son too much. Even though he was so young, he was luckier than most Marked Ones, who started experiencing the horrors that Lucius was only told of from birth. Lucius also had another thing running against him, and that was he was a half-beastman. While half-blooded races were extremelymon in the world, they were not observed much in a kingdom like Arcadios, which was deep within human territories. As such, this led to many misunderstandings about how half-blooded races behaved. "Father" "Yes, son?" Wayne stopped and turned to look at his son. He figured that now, of all times, he deserved his full attention. "Please teach me how to fight. I won''t be like the others." Lucius gripped his hands tightly and looked directly into his father''s gaze. Wayne noticed a slight change in his son. Even though he was no longer stressed, Lucius'' canines had retained their sharpness, and his left eye began to turn from a bright silver to a cloudy gray. His right eye still shone as bright as a treasure despite what the left had done. Wayne had no idea what was happening, but he assumed that his son was not hurt in any way. This allowed him to chalk the situation up to something weird rted to his actual parentage, whoever they were. "I cannot promise that you will survive, but I can absolutely promise to teach you how to fight." "Can we start when we get home?" "It''ll be dark." "Tonight is a full moon. We will be able to see." Wayne gave a resigned smile. "Yes, we can start tonight." ***** Rubellia watched sadly from the window of their home. Her husband and son had returned from the woods hours ago, and it approached midnight. Yet, they still sparred. Arge part of her desperately wanted to rush out and stop them, to allow Lucius to rest. However, Wayne had told her what happened in the woods. In addition, after seeing the look on her baby''s face, she could not bring herself to say no. Lucius swung wildly at his father, trying anything he could to get in a hit. Wayne, however, was a Master Rank swordsman, meaning he could fight toe-to-toe with any C-Rank monster alone. This, of course, tranted to a mere seven-year-old beingpletely incapable of getting past the warrior''s defenses. A single blow could also end the boy''s life, even if he were to block it sessfully. "My little boy isn''t so little anymore I hope that he will be ready in two years. Even if he wasn''t going to be a warrior, the vige would have forced him anyway." Rubellia mumbled. She also could not help but think that was the situation that the dead Marked children were in. Likely, they wanted or attempted to live normal lives but found themselves dumped in the forest outside of the viges. Their hometown of Pelith was thergest town in the Petra domain, and it, too, still participated in the trials despite how frequently it interacted with other areas. Rubellia had hoped that one day, the influence of the travelers to Pelith and visiting Lord Petra would push the locals to do away with such an archaic tradition. It was not to be, though. The trial was a key part of the people''s history here. Not to mention that many other nobles and the kingdom atrge appreciated the talented warriors that the domain provided their armies. Rubellia finished the final additions to the stew she had simmering in the pot. It was done when the boys originally had gotten home, but when they informed her of theirte-night training, she gave them each a small bowl so they would not fight on an empty stomach. However, she kept the stew going and added additional meats to it when they were done. She had hoped to help add more protein to her son''s diet now that he was going to be training with his father. It was filled with potatoes, carrots, and onions, as well as bear, venison, and boar. The stew was extremely gamey at this point; however, it was necessary to use what they had. Once it had reached almost midnight, her boys finally entered the home. Lucius was drenched in sweat and covered head to tail in bruises. Of course, Wayne had not shed a single ounce of perspiration and was perfectly healthy. Both sat down at the table while Rubellia served them each arge bowl. She smiled warmly while watching her son scarf down the food in seconds before asking for another serving. She happily obliged and refilled his bowl a second time and added a piece of bread to sop up the liquid. "Thanks, momma, for the food." Lucius said quietly, making Rubellia leap up and smother him with a hug. After a few seconds, Lucius seemed to tap her arms in a panic, running out of air from his mother''s abundant affection. Wayne simplyughed at the sight. It was clear on his face that he was mostly relieved that some parts of their family appeared to be unchanged despite what he forced his son to witness. Rubellia was against the n entirely at first, but Wayne had worn her down. He warned that Lucius would run into problems the moment he entered the forest. Hell, it was likely he would run into problems the moment the adults took the children into the woods. And while they were not allowed to provide any support on the day of the trial, leading up to it they could give him all the training and preparation he needed. In order for Lucius to survive, he needed to be able to understand the dangers of the trial. He needed to see that humans were sometimes more monstrous than beasts. When Wayne had exined it that way, she reluctantly agreed. Anything to help her baby live. Almost immediately after finishing up his second bowl, and surviving his mother''s love, Lucius fell asleep with his head on the table. Rubellia smiled at him gently, before picking him up and carrying him to bed. The boy wrapped his hands around her neck out of instinct andid his head on her shoulder. His soft breaths slowly turned to deep before he began to snore lightly. Once he had truly fallen asleep, Rubelliaid him down in his bed, kissed him on the forehead, and closed the door to his room. "What exactly did he see, Wayne?" Her husband sat in silence and stared into the fire. After a few minutes he finally answered. "It was bad Rubellia." He stood up and grabbed a mug of wine that they had stored in a keg under the counter. Wayne was not one for drinking, so it was mostly used for cooking. "That bad, huh?" "Worse. One of the Petra boys was there. The lord''s oldest nephew. It seems that he learned his magicalpatibilities before the exam." Rubellia''s eyes opened widely in shock. "He what?!" Wayne nodded slowly after downing the mug in one,rge gulp. "YeahI know, I was surprised too. Kids aren''t supposed to learn that until they finish the trial. It''s their rewardbut what happens in the foreststays there." "What rotten" "It also seemed he was told to hunt down Marked Ones. That was his secondary purpose. The lord''s brother knew his son would survive thanks to the magic and set some sort ofhunting challenge." "You will make sure Lucius survives." Rubellia said coldly. "I don''t care how. You just do it." "I will try, my lovebut the lord''s brother has a second son Lucius'' ageand the lord''s daughter isI will try." Wayne started to exin the situation to her, but Rubellia''s res warranted no arguments. What she said was thew of the world at that moment. "Do you think he has Compatibility for Sword Arts?" "None. Not even a little bit. If the boy has Compatibilities for any other weapon, I don''t know, but it''s not the sword." Rubellia sighed quietly and began to sob. Wayne continued however, since he knew his wife wanted the whole truth. "I already checked with my men. None of them are willing to do it. So if he''s capable of using any weapon skills, we won''t know until after he survives the trial." "Even if he became a master at using the sword in two yearswithout the ability to use their arts, he would still lose to a Novice!" "I knowI know" Wayne quietly held his wife as she sobbed into his shoulders. She quietly hoped and prayed that something, anything, would help her son. Chapter 9: Life Continues Two women sat on a balcony sipping tea. One was an otherworldly beauty with long, blonde hair and silver eyes like those of the moon. She smiled throughout the conversation she was having with her counterpart, a kindly-looking woman dressed in a maid uniform. Despite the smile, the blonde woman''s eyes held a deep sadness that she had carried with her for seven years. "Mydy, I thank you for allowing me to enjoy tea with you again," Mylene said with a slight bow. "Stop it, Mylene. You are my ''maid'' in name only. In reality, you are my only friend, and as such, when it is just us, please just call me Adellia. How many times must I tell you?" Adellia groaned. Though she sounded exasperated, there was a slight tone of amusement behind it. "I know myAdellia. It is a hard habit to break, though." "Please, at least do it for our daughters if not for me," Adellia asked. "They do get along so well, and I would love for their parents to appear that way as well." Mylene let out a small sigh and gave a wide smile. "Of course." Mylene found out she was pregnant not long after Lyrah was born. Derrik and her were ecstatic about the news; however, she quickly found herself concerned about who would rece her when caring for Adellia while she gave birth. It was only for a week or two at most that she would be away since Mylene was amoner and a simple servant, but a lot of damage could have been done in that time. Especially so, given Adellia''s state of mind. Thankfully, that time had long sincee and gone. Over thest few years, Mylene and Adellia had grown even closer, bing the best of friends. Mylene would do anything for Adellia, includingy down her life. When Mylene''s daughter was just turning four, Adellia gave Mylene a warning that she had to return home right away. Of course, she listened to the Oracle without hesitation and headed straight home without dy. When she arrived, smoke wasing from the windows of her home. Derrik and her daughter were nowhere to be seen. Instead, outside her home, a gathering of people was watching her livelihood burn away. Without hesitation, Mylene ran forward and began to hear criesing from inside the building. This made her dash wildly for the door and throw it open. Smoke was billowing out of the windows and the open door, blocking all of her vision and searing her nostrils. The woman had ducked low to the ground and crawled along the floor to stay clear of the smoke. She continued to search wildly for the source of the hoarse cries, which became quieter. After almost a minute, Mylene had located her daughter, who had been trapped inside. She was able to drag her outside and provide her with water and fresh air. Mylene heard Lyrah''sughter, which brought her back to the present. She turned to her dearest friend, the savior of her daughter''s life. "Thank you for this life, Adellia. Without youjust thank you." ***** Lyrah sat and listened for her mother and Aunt Mylene to begin talking again. Once she had determined the adults were properly distracted, she gestured for her friend, Natali, toe closer. "I had a weird dream again, Natali. The one about the scary man." Natali''s ice-blue eyes looked at her excitedly. Her silent friend never said anything, but she was always happy to listen to Lyrah''s fun and exciting stories from her dreams. "Yeah! I had another one. He was fighting people again, but he looked so little! And it looked like the other people were winning!" Lyrah exined in an excited whisper. When Mylene overheard Lyrah telling Natali about the scary man from her dreams, she told her not to tell her mother about them ever. She was allowed to talk about any of her other dreams, but the ones about the man were only supposed to be told to Natali. Natali loved listening to the stories about him, and Lyrah thought that Natali might have developed a little crush on him. She was always extra excited to listen to Lyrah''s stories about him. Natalie especially enjoyed when Lyrah exined what his eyes looked like when he fought. The first time Lyrah had a dream about him, she cried when she woke up. It did not show much in that first dream. The only thing she remembered seeing was a dark, scary cave. Even though she could not see them, she sensed monsters all around her. In darkness, steps had approached her, but still nothing could be seen. Suddenly two glowing eyes lit up the darkness, one silver and the other a striking gold. When the man''s face came into view, it was contorted in anger, like Lyrah had never imagined possible. It was a look that seared into her very soul as if her existence was an abomination to the being who possessed them. If given the choice of falling into the darkness behind those eyes, or the ones of the monster-filled caves, Lyrah would have happily fled into the caves. She would have other dreams about him asionally, but none were as intense as that first one. Natali gently tugged at Lyrah''s shoulders, trying to urge her to continue talking about her favorite character. "Okay, okay! It was definitely the same person, but he was so little! And his eyes were different" Lyrah began. She noticed Natalie''s eyes begin to water because she thought that Lyrah would not tell her about him because his eyes were not the same. "No, no! It was the same person, but his golden eye was not gold yet. It was gray! He still had one silver eye. Kinda like mine! Oh, and his hair was the same, and he still had the six sharp teeth, too, so I know it was him." Natali''s tearful eyes vanished, and she got up onto her knees to sit. She waspletely engrossed in the story now. The excitable girl made Lyrah giggle, so she tousled Natali''s snow-white hair. "Anyway, he was in the woods, and he was standing next to this girl with really, really pretty red hair" Chapter 10: Sword and a Test "Again." "Graaaagh!" Lucius swung at his father. A year ago, he would attack wildly and recklessly. However, nowadays, he learned to conserve his energy between attacks, so he always had stamina left to block, parry, orrun. In fact, that is most of what his father has been teaching him and training him with. Every single day he was tasked with starting training by running ten miles and then another ten miles after training. Most of the time, Lucius passed out or vomited from the effort before being able to finish after training. When that happened, Wayne would simply carry him back home and put him to bed to recover before dinner. However, after a year, Lucius started to be able to finish the running portion of his training. He was in his second week ofpleting the run after training without issue, in fact. Due to the training style''s focus on running, dodging, and parrying attacks, Lucius started to develop light muscture at a young age. At this point, his body was not too different from that of some athletes whopeted in the games at the capital. Lucius was worried that his frame did not resemble a warrior like his father''s and felt concerned that this would hinder his future ability with the sword. "Do not worry about it, son. You have no Compatibility with the sword. I am teaching you enough to survive and flee. Not survive and fight. If I teach you too much now, it might ruin the training you need with any weapons you might have Compatibility for in the future." "Yes, Father" He knew that his father was right. He only needed the basics of the sword to run away. Even if he were a master, an entry-level Novice Sword Arts user would be able to kill him easily in a full-on fight. Unfortunately, Lucius could not find out if he had any Weapon Arts Compatibilities since none of his father''s men had been willing to train with him. Lucius could not figure out on his own without someone to guide him, and there were so many different kinds of Weapon Arts that it would be impossible to simply discover them. You typically found out such things with weapons through training or a life-or-death scenario. Sometimes, these Compatibilities and knowledge of them are gifted by the many gods that govern in the heavenly realm above, Celestia. However, that does not happen frequently. Lucius also knew that if he imed any sudden ''revtions from the gods'' came to him, then he would be executed on the spot. Marked Ones were not allowed to hear the ''blessed word'' of the gods, so the only other alternative was the whisper of the devils of the Abyss. "Father" Lucius began with a measured tone. "Do you think I actually have a chance?" Wayne paused momentarily. "As you are now? Maybe." "And if I keep working at my current pace?" "Then most likely." "But it isn''t certain?" "Nothing is ever certain. Other than the fact that one day we all die. We will never know when or how until the time itselfes." "Never? But what about the Oracle? Doesn''t she know?" Lucius had heard of this person the other day while gathering supplies in town with his mother. Apparently, there was a Marked One in the kingdom that was somewhat respected. She was the Oracle and possessed the Mark of Prophecy. When Lucius heard that because her mark was so necessary to the kingdom, she was treated well, he felt envious. His own mark was unknown. His father and mother tried asking some of the schrs who visited the Lord''s manor, but none had seen it before. Lucius had these thoughts while his father processed his question. "I would say that no, the Oracle doesn''t really know for sure either. After all, the reason she exists is so she can prevent tragedy. To change the future she saw. So in that respect, she won''t know the alternative until we make it happen for her." Lucius thought for a moment as his father''s words seemed to make sense in a way. "That''s enough chatter. Training is done. Run fifteen miles." "What?! Fifteen?" "You''ve adapted finally to the ten. So we are increasing it. Fifteen before training, fifteen after. Go. You might be done by dinner." Lucius groaned and sheathed his sword. His father made him run with his equipment so he could be used to the load when he was in the forest. ''DammitI shouldn''t have been so proud of being able to do the two sets of ten'' He thought to himself. **** A young girl, no more than eight or nine years old, was doubled over from exhaustion in arge square room. There was only one entrance, with a staircase heading upwards. The walls of the room were lined with padding, and the floor was made of stone. This was the basement training room within the Petra Manor. It was specifically designed for use by the Petra family members and their personal guards. Standing in front of her diminutive frame was one of the lord''s guards. Different guards hade in to train her in various different weapon arts in the hopes she had a Compatibility, but after today, they had exhausted all of their options. There were a handful of other Arts that she could have been Compatible with; however, she and her father would rather consider her incapable of Weapon Arts than use those. One such family of Arts was the Forsaken Arts, a series of skills that specialized in using weapons deemed dishonorable for use by a true warrior. Only vagabonds used those, and even then, many of the skills were too much for them to use. "Lady PetraI think we should consider trainingplete for the day. I am sorry. I heard yourst chance was my Spear Arts" The man apologized and bowed deeply in front of the girl. "Itisnomatter" She answered between ragged breaths. Another figure approached them from the stairway on the opposite side of the room. It was another of the Petra family, a young boy with red-orange hair and green eyes. He was a year or two older than the youngdy. Beside him was his father, the youngdy''s uncle. He shared the family traits of the Petra family, but unlike her own father, her uncle was much skinnier and leaner. "Lady Rena von Petra, I, Simon von Petra, greet you." The boy grinned. "I see you have been unable to find your Art. That is unfortunate. Maybe you instead possess skills in magic." "Maybe so, Simon," Rena said coldly. "Where is your brother Thomas?" "Training, of course. He cannot very well fail to pass his trial next year after I passed mine." Simonughed. Rena scowled. It was no secret among the family that some members of their branches had secretly taught their children magic before partaking in the trial. Rena viewed this behavior as cowardly. It was a long tradition that even those who only possessed Compatibility for magic had to survive without it during the trial. As such, Rena''s father forbade her from learning magic so that they may follow tradition. "Coward" Rena mumbled. Simon, who did not hear her, continued to chuckle as he turned to leave. "I apologize, but we must take our leave. I simply wanted to take the time to see if you had any luck with yourst chancebut s, it seems not. I do hope that the main branch does not lose its only heir in next year''s trial." Rena''s grip tightened to the point her nails began to draw blood. Her cousins infuriated her. They picked on her her entire childhood simply because she was smaller than them and a girl. Many branch families believed that because Rena was a girl, she would make a poor heir to the Petra domain. It was difficult to convince reputable noble families to allow their sons to marry into a family and take their name after the woman''s side. As such, they believed that this weakened the family''s position in the kingdom''s political future. Rena''s father held no such opinion. For him, the strong led the family, and there was no exception to that. Rena had no doubt that he would require some great task outside of surviving the trial for her cousins to inherit the domain since he also knew they were cheating in the trials. Her father had no time to give those who were weak. This was why Rena was so adamant about trying every possible Weapon Art, at least among the epted ones. She set her training schedule and ordered various guards to assist in her training. All of the guards were happy toply, hoping that their Arts would match Rena''s. If they were to be her personal tutor, then they would be set for life both in money and honor. One guard, however, declined her invitation. This was none other than their strongest warrior, Wayne. He was a Master Rank Swordsman with Sword Arts and Shield Arts for weapon and defensive skills. He declined saying he was busy teaching his own son how to survive. Rena thought about asking her father to force Wayne''spliance, but he would never have listened to her because Rena was being tested long before the actual trial began. Chapter 11: Foreign Relations Several dozen maids rushed around arge circr room. It was nearly a hundred feet in diameter and was filled with several dozen tables, all filled with chairs. In the center was arge circr table with only five seats spread around it. The maids worked together to prepare the space for today''s meeting, which would start in a short while. The kitchens had started to bring food out to the room and ce them at the serving stations. Special meals would be personally cooked and delivered to the five individuals at the circr table directly, while other attendees would serve themselves from buffet tables. Only the finest wines were selected to be served for tonight''s meeting. Watching over this all was Commander Arturo Hiroth, a powerful warrior and leader within the Arcadian army. The man stood about six feet tall and wore heavy-te armor. Strapped to his side was a longsword, and on his back was a tower shield emzoned with a golden eagle over a red shield. He had watched the preparations for hours, making sure everything was perfect for when his majesty and the guests arrived. Arcadios was part of the Five Kings Union, a coalition of the five human territories united under a single council. The council was made up of the leaders of each nation and would make decisions together on when to go to war and how to enact diplomacy. No outside kingdom could interact with any of these five nations without going through the Union in its entirety. The Union had been around for nearly a century and helped mobilize the human nations against any outside threat, like those presented by the Beastman Kingdoms and the Elven Kingdoms. Individually, humans were weaker than beastmen and elves, but they outnumbered both races by arge margin and used their numbers to their advantage in war. Arturo''s brow furrowed at the news his liege had told him. Apparently, the beast kingdom of Alorek had been making hostile movements against its neighbors. The three beast kingdoms had a tenuous peace, but Alorek was always the one who pushed the lines of these agreements. In fact, thest war that caused the formation of the Five Kingdoms Union was against Alorek, which had annexed the current nation, Eroa. If they were making waves again, it would likely not be good news. "Commander, it is a pleasure." A voice called out. Arturo turned around and was met by the beautiful visage of a woman with long, purple hair. It had subtle curls that fell along the middle of her back and framed her sensuous form. Themander had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat and calm the pounding in his chest. The woman was none other than the leader of one of the Union nations, Lady Voltara al Famyn of the Wisteria Concord. Her beauty was such that she could begin wars if she offered herself as the prize to the winner. Thankfully, she had no such desires. Lady al Famyn giggled at themander''s reaction. She was not so dense as to be ignorant of how others viewed her. "My apologies, Commander. It seems I caught you by surprise. Might I be the first guest to arrive? Where is his majesty Aleksander?" Arturo''s mouth flopped like a fish for a moment before he finally recovered enough to answer, "He is dyed mydy, however, he shall join us shortly. Might I escort you to your seat?" "Why yes, you may." She giggled again while shing her long eyshes. Arturo gulped again and steeled his will to avoid being charmed by the woman. She enjoyed ying with the hearts ofmon men because there were no repercussions like those of teasing nobility or leaders of allied nations. He led her to her designated spot and pulled out the chair for her to sit in. As he did so, another few men walked in with their own entourages. They were the leaders of the kingdoms of Paede, Kainydd, and Docia. The kings found their own ces at the table while their attendants and noble escorts dispersed amongst the room. Several minutester, the final leader of the Union entered the room. Normally, such men would receive announcements when entering rooms; however, other than the food, these meetings had very little fanfare. Instead, the leaders wished to keep things as business-like and direct as possible. King Aleksander Verall von Arcadios took up his ce at the final seat around the circr table. Arturo immediately moved to stand behind his liege, as a goodmander should, and act as the king''s bodyguard. Every leader at the table had one or two guards at their nks for protection. While interactions between the kingdoms were always amicable, one could never be too careful as the leader of a nation. In particr, Lady al Famyn had to be careful since her position was an elected one by the powerful nobles of the Wisteria Concord. It was not an inherited position, being instead something that was voted upon by the noble houses of their nation. It was not umon for the representative to be assassinated by rival families for the purpose of triggering a vote. Thedy, though, was as cunning as she was beautiful. She managed to avoid such problems with ease and kept her seat for thest fifteen years. "Fellow members of the Union, I thank you for your attendance today." King Aleksander began as the guest of honor''s food began to be delivered to the table. "Today''s meeting shall be held immediately after we enjoy our meals and our illustriouspany. Thank you, and may the gods of Celestia bless our nations." The king finished his short speech by lifting a ss of wine. Everyone in the room, other than the guards, lifted their sses in response, shouting, "Cheers! Blessings of Celestia upon us all!" Everyone immediately began a light conversation, doing their best to avoid the heavy topic toe. All of the representatives were aware of the content and purpose of the meeting, but for now, they simply enjoyed their time. After a few hours, the food was cleared, and King Aleksander tapped his knife against his ss. It echoed throughout the room and gathered all eyes on him. "Today we begin discussions concerning movements in the East. I now open the floor to Lady al Famyn." "Thank you, Aleksander," the woman stated while she stood. I have informed King Aleksander of this already, but our spies in the East have confirmed that Alorek has been making concerning movements and aggressive posturing near their borders with Eroa. Despite that, we do not believe this to be a sign of future invasion to Eroa, but rather a warning." "A warning in what way?" A random noble asked. Aleksander stood to answer, "There are also movements at our own borders. The Wisteria Concord shares a small border with Alorek as well, and we have seen simr troop movements in that area. From our intelligence, we believe the troops gathering at the edges of our Union are three timesrger than those near Eroa. "We believe the Eroan border movements are a threat that the smaller nation should not make a move against Alorek or receive retaliation." "Do you believe they will make their move soon?" Lady al Famyn shook her head. "No, we do not. Alorek is aggressive, but they are not stupid. We believe them to be gathering allies amongst the tribes of the Verdant Jungle to the South. We also believe them to be seeking weaponry from the Elven nation Aedrider. Until they secure such support, we don''t believe them stupid enough to invade any of our territories. We are simply too well armed to lose such a defensive war." "Then what do you suggest we do?" "How long do we have?" "What of our allies in Eroa? Will they really not move to assist us?" The nobility began to panic and threw question after question at the council. Arturo grimaced because he understood their fear. A war against Alorek could be won, but it would result in countless deaths and an incalcble amount of damage to their nations'' economies. "Calm yourselves please." King Aleksander pleaded. "We have spoken to the Oracle. With what she said, we believe that the invasion will ur. We also believe it to be within seven years. Our own estimates put our best guesses at about five years from now at the absolute earliest. "What I ask of all the houses of every nation, is to ready your warriors. Increase your training, improve your strength, increase your stores of food and stockpiles of weapons. Of course, gather any and all avable Marked Ones to send to the front." Lady al Famyn nced at King Aleksander who sighed and nodded. Arturo was able to witness the interaction and steeled himself for the inevitable outcry of the nobility at their nned announcement. Arturo himself, was also against their n because he thought it pointless, but if they truly needed to strengthen themselves, it was a good idea to focus on the weakest links. Lady al Famyn stood and took a deep breath. "We also suggest that we return home and improve the quality and fighting abilities of our Marked Ones. The Arcadios and the Wisteria Concord are opening eligibility at all of our academies, training schools, guilds, everything to allow entry of Marked Ones. We must hone even the skills of our cannon fodder if we are to survive this uing war." Chapter 12: The Unions Decision Commander Arturo grimaced at the torrent of shouts and outrage that the noble guests hurled at their leaders. Under normal circumstances, such behavior towards royalty would be met with death. However, the Council was different. Not only were the five leaders of each nation present, but a selection of noble families from each nation also partook in the meetings as a sort of senate. As such, this behavior was excused so long as they did not make actionable threats or continue this behavior outside of the room. "You want to allow those demon-spawns ess to our dungeons? To our guilds? To our children?" "Fodder is always fodder; they serve only as a shield for the true warriors!" "Yeah! What she said!" The shouts continued for several minutes, but the five leaders allowed them to voice theirints. It would not do to have them bottle these thoughts up, or that would breed additional animosity beyond what already existed. ''Can''t say I don''t me them'' Arturo thought to himself. Finally, Aleksander stood and raised one of his hands, a motion for silence. A few seconds were required, but eventually the nobility calmed themselves. Though, looking at their faces, they had plenty more to say. "We of the council understand your concerns. And we share them of coursethe thought of a Marked One fighting alongside a noble son or daughter of my nation in a dungeonor walking the halls of our esteemed academies as students rather than servantssickens me to my very core. "However, it must be done. The Marked Ones have always been our first line, absorbing the attacks our enemies would have caused our actual armies. They serve as a shield to protect those more valuablebutwhat good is a shield if it crumbles too easily. "We wish to strengthen that shield, if ever so lightly. So please inform your towns andnds. Adventure guilds will now allow registration of Marked Ones as members, dungeons will now allow their entry, and our academies and institutions will now ept them as students. "When we finally pass beyond this war, and prevent unspeakable tragedywe will put those creatures cursed with the blood of demons back in their ce. These measures are not intended to be permanent. However, if individual nations find it to have been useful, or helpfulwe will also not stop you from continuing these endeavors. Aleksander sat down eliciting nods of approval from the other leaders. Slowly the angry faces of the nobility softened as they began to understand the purpose of these measures. Once King Aleksander hadid them out so inly, they were able to logically process the idea. The council then put the measures to a vote. All five of the leaders raised their hands in favor. Afterwards, the rest of the ''senate'' were also asked to vote, for which a majority voted in favor. Arturo stood in silence throughout the entire thing, simply observing. He had discussed these measures with the King and several other generals andmanders prior to the announcement. While hepletely agreed with and understood the purpose, Arturo was adamant that his own soldiers would always be unmarked. ***** Natali sat in her small room, alone and stared at the candle burning by her bedside. Her icy-blue eyes reflected the mes as they danced about the wick. She found herself lost in thoughts of her only friend, Lyrah, and her mother and father. Just like Lyrah, Natalie too was born as a Marked One. Her mother and father were not like most parents thankfully and still treated her just as well as they would have if she was born normal. Still, after the house fire her mother and aunt Adellia saved her from, she was not na?ve to how the world viewed her. Natali had never spoken of the incident with her mother, because it was a hazy memory. Truth be told, most people would not have well-formed memories from that young of an age. However, she did remember. And she also remembered that somebody had set that fire. Natali figured her mother had her own suspicions about it, but she never voiced them. Instead her mother and father simply doted on her as best they could. Things were easier now, though, since they had moved into the castle tower where the oracle lived. Since Natali was also a Marked One, those in charge did not hinder her from interacting with the young Oracle. It was even likely that they would have Natali take over as caretaker to the Oracle when Lyrah took the position. Other thoughts also flitted about her mind. Thoughts of a man with jet-ck hair. A silver eye that shone like the moon, and a golden one that rivaled that of the sun. Lyrah always described him as having teeth as sharp as fangs, and a gaze that pierced one''s very soul. Realistically, if Natali had ever met him, she would probably be terrified. However, as a character from a story she found him verypelling. All of her friend''s stories revolved around him fighting others. She had asked Lyrah if he was the savior of the Marked Ones, since he was described as having a mark on his left, and a mark on his rightsomething that should be impossible. Lyrah''s face had gone pale as she had stared off into the distance before she looked back at Natali and answered resolutely, "No." Natali began to stare at the mark on her handthe Mark of Recall. She was told it was an ''Abnormal'' ss mark, but she didn''t know what that even meant. Something she did learn was what it did. As part of her daily practice, she grabbed an empty mug that she kept by her bed for water with her left hand. "Recall" she whispered. It strained her throat horribly to talk louder than a hushed whisper. Damage from the fire. A dull glow emanated from her mark and when it faded, she threw the mug at the wall with her right hand. Just as it was about to smack the wall and cause a ruckus, the girl snapped her fingers. The mug vanished and instantly appeared in her right hand. Natali continued to practice with her mark until she began to experience the beginning of a headache. This was how she knew she was done for the day. Each and every day though, she was able to do more and more throws. "I should have daddy teach me how to fight" She whispered with a small smile. "Besidesif I want to make it through schoolI need to protect myself. I don''t know if serving as a caretaker for Lyrah will keep me from that war Lyrah warned me aboutbut I will need to if I want to have a chance to meet him." Chapter 13: The Hunt "You are to go into the woods and find me an Alpha Deer by midnight two days from now." The words hung in the air. They were an absolutemand, and the tone at which they were said implied negative consequences if not met. Of course, the person who was told these words was none other than Lucius. Only six months remained until the trial would began, and because of that, his training had been exceptionally arduous. He was still struggling to run his thirty miles per day, but he could at least finish it without vomiting. He also managed tond at least one hit on his father over thest several months, something that felt like arger-than-life aplishment. Lucius was not stupid enough to assume he was able to do so without his father holding back so much, but still, the fact that he did it made him happy. "Dearsurely you don''t mean that" Rubellia muttered. "He''s still so" "Rubellia," Wayne interjected. "He turns nine in six months; the trial begins a few days after. He is to head into the woods outside of Pelith, perform his task, and return home. Alone." Lucius gulped. The creature he was tasked with hunting down was an F-Ranked monster, which is the weakest of monsters, however Novice Rank fighters were supposed to be about equal if not a little weaker than their F-Rank monster counterpartsand his father wanted him to hunt one down?! "Yesfather" Lucius muttered. He was terrified but had no choice. If he could not survive this, he had no hope of surviving the trial. Rubellia hugged him tightly and kissed all over his face as if terrified this was thest time she would see her son. Considering the factors, it may well be Lucius shook the sour thoughts from his head. A fierceness settled into his gaze as he looked at the woods. Survive. That was his goal, to survive and make it through this. Then he could get through the trial, and after thatwell, time would tell. Lucius'' options had begun to open up for him. A few months ago, announcements were made all over the domain. The Five Kings Union had unanimously agreed to open up pathways to futures other than just military service for Marked Ones. Before, Lucius had no future other than living with his parents until he came of age for conscription. Others like him would have to suffer on the streets until conscription came, and they were carted away to join the military. However, now he could train and be an adventurer A hero who fights monsters and conquers dungeons for the sake of the world. These dreams were never a possibility before, but nownow it could be something he could actually pursue. Lucius quickly hugged his mother back and separated from her embrace. He also hugged his father before he finally exited his humble cottage home and headed out into the woods. It was extremely early in the morningso much so, that the sun had yet to rise. The moon was partially covered by clouds, so the meadows and farnd between his home and the tree line ahead were dim and hard to navigate. At least they would be if Lucius was not half beastman. He learned his heritage in that respect shortly after an incident when he was four and saw his dad sparring. Thanks to his heritage, he had a few advantages. Most importantly at the moment, he could see quite well in the dark. In total darkness, he could still see better than the average human but would still struggle to spot the finer details. In dim light such as this, it might as well have been daytime. Using his exceptional sight and speed from all of his training, Lucius bolted for the woods without caution. A trip that had taken almost an hour with his father now took only twenty minutes at the speed he was moving. Once at the tree line, he leaned against the side of a particrlyrge trunk to recover the energy he just expended. Though he could continue if he wanted, it was better for him to enter the area with all of his energy and wits about him. Lucius stood and meditated for a few minutes, regaining his energy and clearing his mind. He focused his ears and nose on the sounds and smells around him. Alpha Deer were not typically very deep into the woods, but they were not very close to the edge either. From what he could remember, they were usually in the part of the woods that was about as deep in as the Dire Wolf, his father and him had found a long time ago. Lucius checked his equipment. He had a sword strapped to his hip, a small hunting bow on his back, and a quiver of arrows. He also had a dagger strapped to his thigh for emergencies. "All set, I think Well, let''s get this over with, I guess." Lucius focused his ears and eyes on his surroundings and stepped into the woods. There were plenty of tracks on the ground; it was just a matter of time before he found the ones he was looking for. Alpha Deer were reallymon monsters. They were not all that different from a normal deer, with the exception that they were nearly twice asrge both in body and the size of their antlers. Alpha Deer meat was also highly valued for its vorful taste. That, plus their size, meant a single kill could feed a family of four for a few weeks. If not, a month! Lucius continued deeper and deeper into the woods, paying careful attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, his ears twitched. The sound of rushing feet arose from his front right side. Acting quickly, Lucius ran to a tree with lower branches that allowed him to climb. He flew up the side of the tree, using each branch like the rung of adder until he was almost twenty feet off the ground. Once he found a solid ce among the leaves, he sat very still. asionally, he would shiver, thanks to the air still being rather cold. Other than that, though, he remainedpletely still. The steps grew closer and closer before he was finally able to see the source. It was a group of three men. Their breathing was ragged, and their armor was dented and scuffed. A few cuts and bruises peppered their arms and faces. "Dammit all" One said. "I know! We lost to a fucking deer" The third one, who hadn''t spoken yet, finally recovered enough of his breath to say, "Well, if you had listened to me and stopped moving so close to it before we were ready, then maybe we would have been able to ambush it! Instead, your blundering almost got you, and then all of us killed!" The three continued to argue but moved on towards the forest''s exit. Once they were well out of sight and sound, Lucius finally moved. He figured he was actually quite lucky since they failed to kill the animal, and that he still had a shot. Also, even though they got their asses handed to them by a low ranking monster, then maybe they left it with a few injuries that would make this job easier for him. He quickly and quietly moved the direction they hade from, keeping his senses peeled for any clues to the creature''s whereabouts. That was when he saw it. It was absolutely majestic. Other creatures up to this point could not hold a candle to this one. As expected, it was about twice asrge as a normal deer, but this one had perfectly white fur and deep ck eyes. Its antlers were wider than any that Lucius had ever seen decorating the walls of the Lord''s manor. However, the most beautiful thing about it, had to have been the fur. Despite its beauty, it was also a bit of a warning. It seemed it had fought off those three men and received nary a scratch "Fuck." Chapter 14: A Mysterious Offer [Part 1] Lucius felt the world around him melt away. The only thing that seemed to exist was himself, the Alpha Deer, and the open clearing in between them. He didn''t think that the monster had seen him yet, but he also could not be sure it hadn''t. Cautiously, he moved to the right, to attempt to get more behind the beast. Currently he was facing its right side and he would need any and all advantages to y it. While making his move, he also eyed all of the trees, mentally mapping out the ones that had easily scble branches for a quick escape. As far as he could remember, Alpha Deer only relied on physical strength and had no special skills or magic they could use. Lucius prayed to the gods that he was right. Or this battle was going to get messy. At least messier than it likely already would have. The way the monsters versus humans were ranked in this world were as follows: Monster Ranks--------Human Ranks -NULL------------------ Novice F------------------------Beginner E------------------------Intermediate D------------------------Advanced C------------------------Master B------------------------King A------------------------Empyrean S-------------------------NULL- In general, each gain in rank meant a roughly four times increase in strength. That meant an S-Rank monster was over four thousand times stronger than an F-Rank monster. The same rule applied to human warrior and mage sses. However, they were not equal. An F-Rank monster was supposed to be equivalent to a Beginner Rank human. Since Lucius was not even rankedhe was fighting a nearly impossible battle. ''Maybe that''s the point.'' A quiet, gentle voice whispered into Lucius'' mind. ''Maybe you are being taught to run from a fight you cannot win.'' "What was that?" Lucius whispered in a hushed panic. He looked around furiously, but saw, heard, and smelled nothing other than the monster in the clearing. The sudden rustling of his equipment attracted the attention of the Alpha Deer, and it perked its head up and began to scan the area. Lucius quickly hid behind the trunk of a tree and held his breath. ''Maybe you should prove him wrong.'' A voice whispered again. This one was raspy and had an almost snake like quality to it. ''Prove your father wrong. Take it down. Fuck his lesson, show him. Show him. Show him. Show him.'' The voice began to repeat that phrase again and again, echoing throughout his mind. It overwhelmed his world momentarily before it stopped. Lucius stood still for a few more minutes, both waiting for the Alpha Deer to calm down, and also to ensure that whoever was speaking inside of his head would stop. He took a deep breath and continued to move around the monster. It had calmed down by now and continued grazing as if nothing in the world could go wrong. Though given the kind of being that was attempting to ''hunt'' it, those thoughts were kind of founded in reality. "Wellnow is as good a time as any" Lucius took his bow off his back and slowly drew an arrow. He aimed slowly, moving inch by inch until he believed he had lined up the perfect shot. Alpha Deer had a weak spot right behind the head. It was a nerve that when struck, inhibited their ability to run. Slowly, he exhaled, inhaled, then on the second exhale, released his arrow. It flew straight and true towards the intended target, but the whistle of the arrow zipping through the air caused the Alpha Deer to twitch its head. This minute amount of movement threw the target off, and while the arrow embedded itself into the neck of the beast, it missed the mark. It yelped in pain from the shock and wheeled around in the direction of the pain. Instantaneously, it was able to lock eyes on the boy. "Shit." He couldn''t think of any other reaction than that. Hitting that nerve was his only shot at potentially walking away from this, but now that opportunity was gone. Panic began to set in. He thought about running up the trees, but the charge attack that the monster was known for made that a moot point. Escape into the branches was contingent on hitting that nerve so the power of the charge couldn''t take down the tree itself. Now it could. Lucius screamed as he released arrow after arrow at the charging creature. He was able to hit it with about two out of the six additional arrows he shot, before he tossed the bow aside to run. Lucius drew his sword and dashed to the left. Following him instantly, the monster wheeled on its hind legs and changed direction. Trunks shattered, spraying shards of splinters everywhere. Several hit him, but still Lucius kept running. Despite his long hours of training, running twenty miles a day for a year, 30 for thest few months, stamina wasn''t the issue. No, his problem was speed and it was failing him. The Alpha Deer closed on him. It lowered its head and swung its antlers like a club. They connected with the boy, striking his left side and sending him hurling over a hundred feet into another clearing. Dirt and rocksunched into the air, leaving a human shaped skid mark behind the boy. He finally came to rest at the base of arge boulder. Blood poured like water from his head, arms, mouth, and legs. Consciousness came and went. A nket of white approached Lucius'' limp body. The Alpha Deer leaned down, sniffing at him. Its breath smelled like the inside of a barn and it was hot, and wet. "It stinks" Lucius managed to mumble. ''Ouch. That one hurt, didn''t it?'' The raspy voice from early on stated. There was a hint of amusement in its tone. ''Lucius, do you want to survive? To make it home to your parents?'' The softer, gentler voice asked, which elicited a scoff from the raspy one. ''I can help you. If you let me.'' "Whywho are you?" ''A weakling. I would be much better to help you.'' The raspy one stated. ''Stop. I am your future.'' The kind one whispered. ''Hey! Now, now. Just cus you can help him now, doesn''t mean I can''tterjust wait kid. When I help you out, you will appreciate what I have to offer. For now, I''ll let the other one take over. Ta ta for nowLucius'' Chapter 15: A Mysterious Offer [Part 2] Time slowed to a crawl as the massive beast before Lucius rose onto its hind legs. With every intention of turning his small body into a paste, it brought down its front hooves with every ounce of its strength. Just before the attack met his face, everything stopped. The space around Lucius turned from forest, to a nk white space. No trees, no monster, no leaves, no windit was simply a void. ''Iwe want you to survive, Lucius.'' A calm voice echoed. It was formless, as if the void itself spoke. ''But I cannot help you unless you agree. You aren''t strong enough to use my strength without consequencebut it is better to face those instead of death.'' Lucius looked around in confusion, still not believing that the void was the source of the voice. However, before he could turn around, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He looked down and saw a greenish-gray hand. It looked like a desated corpse had ced its hand on his shoulder. It had long, ck fingernails that looked sharp enough to slit his throat. ''I wouldn''t do that. You aren''t ready to see what''s behind you Lucius. As much as I would love for you to turn to me, I need more from you first.'' The same raspy voice from earlier advised. It chuckled lightly before the hand disappeared as if it was never there. ''You walk between two worlds Lucius and there wille times where you must make hard choices on which path to followbut more on that at ater timeI can grant you ess to your heritage. Your bestial strength given to you by your father''s blood. However, if you ept, those skills will be lost to you forever.'' "What do you mean?" Lucius asked, "Forever?" ''Beastmen have special arts they can use that are gifted to them by their very blood. You too can use these artsbut you are not ready for them. If you wish to survive, I can draw out thistent power, but you will never be able to draw on them again. Such is the price for power beyond your means.'' He had no Weapon Arts. He would not be able to know if he had any Magical Arts until he finished his trialand here was someone telling him he would have ess to Beast Arts. At the moment, they were his only chance at a future he could fight for. To lose his future potential for power in the present seemed like a bad idea. Was he really ready to sacrifice it? Lucius then thought of his mother and father. Their crying faces shed before his eyes. Death was final. There was no returning. What future would there be to sacrifice if he met the reaper''s scythe "I want to live. I want to make it home. Help me kill it. Take what you want" Lucius was met with silence, before the terrifying raspy voice began tough hysterically. ''Kill it? Hahaha! Boy I like you even more, you are so funny.'' "Yes." Lucius growled. He didn''t try to turn around. He was not sure the face of the being would be something he wanted to see. "If I don''t kill it, I will fail my father''s trial." ''What are you on about? You don''t have to kill ithell, you didn''t even have to fight it.'' "Huh?" ''Your orders were to find the Alpha Deer. Well boy. You found it. We are just going to get you out of here.'' The raspy voice exined, clearly still amused at the idea of the boy thinking he could fight the creature. The white void sighed, before a pale blue hand appeared in front of Lucius'' face. It was simply a floating hand attached to absolutely nothing. It moved towards him with a finger pointing out, and touched the center of his forehead. Merely a secondter, intense pain coursed through Lucius'' head and body. Every fiber of his being screamed in pain as if it had been lit on fire from the inside. He screamed, but no sound came from his lips. Knowledge of Beast Arts flooded his mind, skills up to the Beginner Rank of those arts became known to him instantly. Lucius felt his body grow stronger, faster, more energized. At the moment, he was equivalent to a Beginner Rank Warrior, though he knew it was temporary. Even though Beginner Ranks and F-Rank monsters were on the same level, he was still a child facing a fully grown beast. ''This won''tst for long. So I suggest you run. However, your body is your own. I''ve given you the knowledge and enough power to use it, so it is up to you to survive, Lucius.'' Instantly the void faded and the forest returned. Above his face was the hoof of one of the Alpha Deer''s feet. Time was still not moving. ''Good luck! Don''t die, Lucius'' The raspy voice teased in the back of his mind. At that moment, time resumed and Lucius shouted out, "[Beast Arts: Iron w]!" Lucius'' nails instantaneously grew in length and became as hard as metal. He shed at the hoof, creating a shower of sparks and earning a yelp in surprise from the monster. He jumped to his feet and found himself in a battle position he was unfamiliar with, butfortable at the same time. Lucius was low to the ground, two feet and one hand touching the dirt, with his left hand raised and ready for the attack. To put it inly, he looked like a rabid beast. Fangs grew from his mouth and his eyes took on an unnatural glow. "Let''s do this you damn monster." The Alpha Deer looked on with disdain and scraped its hoof on the ground like a bull readying for a charge. Clearly it had underestimated the boy, but it also knew that it was in for an easy win. Every possible opening for a retreat was closed at the moment. Information of his surroundings, escape routes, ambush locations, filled his head. This was even more intense rity than when he would experience when stressed. If an opening was not avable then he would just have to make one. "[Beast Arts: Predator''s Presence]" This skill created an unsettling presence behind someone who was being perceived as prey by the user. Thankfully it worked, since he was able to observe the monster''s fur prickle as it shuddered and looked behind it. Lucius took the opportunity to jump away from the clearing. He could disappear into the woods behind him, but unfortunately thanks to how the fight started, the Alpha Deer happened to be standing in the direction of the exit. The best option would be to run at a diagonal from the monster so he would not have to retreat deeper into the woods to circle around. Something like that would increase his likelihood of running into a monster stronger than this one. Honestly, Lucius thought it was an excellent n, and in truth it was. However, the Alpha Deer recovered quickly from the skill and realized it was a distraction. Dust spewed from the ground where it had been standing and like a blur it essentially vanished from ce before reappearing directly in front of the boy. Just like before, it swiped at Lucius with its horns. However, at the moment, he had the power and speed of a Beginner Rank, so instead of taking the hit, he jumped upwards and out of the swing''s path. Next thing the deer knew, it had a small child sitting on its neck, gripping its antlers. Lucius'' eyes were wide in shock because he had moved on instinct and fully expected for the strike to hit. Even more surprising was the fact he was on the deer''s neck. The shock vanished a secondter and was reced by resolve. He was not going to die. He knew his time was limited, so every ounce of his focus needed to be on getting out of this. Chapter 16: A Mysterious Offer [Part 3] Inside a forest on the outskirts of a town called Pelith, there was arge concentration of monsters. The deeper one went into the woods, the stronger and stronger they became. Eventually, at least for any person who was insane enough to travel as far as the center of the woods, the king of the forest would be found. He was the legendary S-Rank beast known as Fenrir. Normally he slept at the heart of the forest, waking only every few hundred years to cull the monster poption within his home, both to feed and to ensure no creatures could fight their way up to his strength. Despite it not being another few decades before his rest was over, themotion currently near an outer part of the forest had caught his attention. Presences he had not felt in a very long time had suddenly appeared and they were fighting against a weak monster. "Well, this era will be quite interesting won''t itI could nip it in the bud right now butnohe would scold me if I bothered themso annoying" Fenririd its head back down on its massive paws and closed its eyes to return to its long rest. ***** Sweat beaded on Lucius'' forehead. There was a strange calmness as both he, and the monster between his legs tried to understand what happened. Neither could believe how things had progressed. The first to recover was Lucius, who gripped tightly on the deer''s antlers. Thankfully it was just in time to avoid being thrown off by his ''mount'' as it began to jump, twist, and throw its head side to side. Lucius quickly felt like his brain was being turned to mush as it bounced around in his skull. His muscles also screamed and begged for relief from their efforts to keep him from flying off. After failing to throw and buck the boy off, the deer opted for a new option. It charged. Trees cracked and split as it mmed its head, neck, and sides into the trunks of the trees around the clearing. Lucius held fast onto the antler, but moved his body to dodge the iing splinters and branches. Pain was the only sensation that made up his world at the moment, but at least it told him he was alive. Suddenly, he had a moment of rity. Or maybe it was that one of the voices in his head gave him the ideareally he couldn''t know for sure. Lucius leaned to the side of the deer''s head and brought his mouth close to its ear. "[Beast Arts: King''s Roar]!" An inhuman scream erupted from his small frame. Any sounds that were in the forest, were drowned out by the massive, bestial utterance. The roarsted for ten seconds and after it was over, the deer waspletely stunned. Blood flowed from its ears and it wobbled from side to side trying to maintain its bnce. Lucius'' throat screamed at him. He attempted to call out another skill, but all he got for his efforts was a cough with a smattering of blood. Quickly, he grabbed a loose branch from the tree nearest to him. He stood and bnced on the deer''s neck, twisted his body, and using the branch as a club, attacked the antlers of the monster. One of the two massive antlers cracked, so he swung a second time. Then a third. Then, on the fourth hit, arge section of antler cracked off. Lucius quickly picked it up, and jumped into the trees. Hopping from branch to branch, he moved faster than he had ever moved before. Even though a single mistake could result in him losing his footing and falling to the forest floor below, he could not stop. His body moved quickly and naturally through the treetops. A pained cry erupted from somewhere behind him, but instead of getting closer, it seemed to be fading. Either the Alpha Deer decided to give up and stay in the clearing, or it ran deeper into the woods to hide away and recover. It was likely the second option so that it could avoid being taken advantage of by a predator that felt like it now had a chance to take it down. Regardless of why, Lucius was home free, and with a trophy. After nearly twenty minutes of leaping between branches like a primate, the light of day began to break through the leaves, signaling he was almost out. At this point, his body began to give way. The boost he was given by adrenaline, or the mysterious voice in the voidwhatever one it was, started to leave him. His jumps got slower, the distance between them shorter. Until at thest leap, the one that got him free of the forest, everything he had left him all at once. Pain returned to his mind. His muscles screamed. Every fiber of his existence was enveloped by pain, with a singr exception. He had no energy to move. No energy to focus his eyesight. No energy to listen for danger. The one thing he did have left was his sense of smell. Thanks to this he smelled something familiar. "Father." This was thest thing he was able to moan out, though it was scarcely a whisper. "Good job Lucius." Wayne said sadly, although Lucius had long since passed out, unable to hear him. **** Wayne looked down on his son with pride and sadness. Sadness was among the emotions because of two reasons. First, his son was only eight, going on nine, and yet he wasying in the dirt covered in bruises, cuts, and various different kinds of other wounds. Secondly, he was the reason his son was in this state. Death was a very real possibility in this mission, but so was it in his son''s uing trial. He had felt that if Lucius managed to survive this, then his shot of getting out of the forest for his real trial was an actual possibility. However, whatever his ns were, things beyond his understanding urred. Everyone in town heard a cry from the forest. It was as if a monster could shake the heavens itself. People in Pelith had started to panic, worried that a Monster Swarm was going to descend on their homes from the woods. Thankfully, Wayne knew the likely source and was able to calm many people when telling them it was not a monster. He had traveled the world during his youth and spent a long time in the Beastman nation of Eroa. It was the one with the closest ties to the human kingdoms of the Five Kings Union, so his time there was very pleasant. It was because of his time there that he recognized the sound as the Beast Art known as King''s Roar. "Good one sonthough, that is an Intermediate Rank skillhow in the world did you pull that off." Wayne was a Master Rank swordsman and as someone of a higher rank, he was capable of assessing someone''s current abilities. When looking at Lucius, it was clear he had not even reached Novice Rank. Power beyond one''s means was dangerous and there was always a cost. He could not help but wonder what price Lucius had paid. Again that feeling of sadness settled on him as he cradled the small boy in his arms. He noticed the antler of an Alpha Deerying on the ground. "Well son of aI expected you to tussle with it and then escape when you saw it was too muchbut it seems you couldn''t help but take a piece of him with youthat''s my boy." Wayne carried Lucius back to their home. When they entered, Rubellia ran to the doorway with a concerned look. Lucius was back on the same day he had left, though he had a few more days. Of course she was concerned about his well-being. Her concerns appeared to be founded in truth given the state their son was in. "Wayne! What happened!? Why is he so hurtI thought you were nning to step in ifWhy didn''t you" "I only told you I was going to step in so you would agree to let him go. He needed to do this on his own Rubellia or else" His sentence was interrupted with the echo of a p. A red mark appeared on the side of his face and a stinging sensation took over his cheek. "You bastard!" Rubellia muttered with tears in her eyes. She took Lucius from him and carried the boy to his room. Wayne watched from the doorway silently. He was not going to apologize for what he did. It was necessary to give his son a fighting chance. Rubellia came out of the room, grabbed a bucket with clean water and a few rags. She went back into the room and began to slowly clean the wounds on Lucius'' body so they would not get infected. Wayne finally moved from the doorway and headed into town with the Alpha Deer antler still in his hand. As a token of Lucius'' test today, he would have a memento made for him. There were no longer any doubts in his mind. Regardless of the consequence he would face for unleashing mid-ranked arts before he was ready, Lucius would survive this. Wayne smiled to himself. "My kid has to be the strongest one in this year''s trialno doubt." Chapter 17: Preparations Wayne walked through the town center of Pelith, which held most of the shops and artisans of the area. As the main thoroughfare of the town, every noble and merchant hoping to greet Lord Petra had to pass through here. This helped the area grow into a thriving mercantile district. As such the specific artisan he was looking for could be found here. Wayne found a small, unassuming building that was nestled a few dozen yards from the main street. Those who did not know of it, could easily miss it. While it would have been an issue for most other merchants and craftsmen to be so hard to find, this particr individual preferred to choose his customers. His great work basically traveled by word of mouth alone. Wayne had no doubt he would take on the job, since it was his best friend from childhood. "Wee, you ungrateful bastard" a cranky looking man with sandy-blonde hair sneered at Wayne as he walked through the entry door. "Is that any way to treat an old friend?" "Old friends don''t pay bills." "Okay then how about a paying customer." The man''s demeanor changed instantly. A bright smile reced his scowl. "Then wee! How can I assist you?" Wayne couldn''t help but shake his head at his friend''s antics. He had known Kart since they were children, and even back then the man was obsessed with money. This often ran counter to his desire to only work with specific customersso really he was just a hypocrite. "I have the antler from an Alpha Deer. I would like you to turn into a memento for my son." Kart looked carefully at him and then the antler in his hands. Quicker than lightning, his hands darted to a piece of parchment and charcoal. Kart''s hands moved quickly across the page as he drew up several designs. Wayne waited patiently while hepleted his work. Whenever Kart got like this he would vanish into his own little world. So, to kill time while waiting, he simply looked around the shop. Kart''s specialty was in jewelry and every piece he created was a masterpiece. Many of his works actually decorated the necks of nobles across the kingdom, including Lord Petra''s wife. Something with a faint magical presence caught Wayne''s eye as he nced along the disys. It was a small pendant in the shape of a feather. He did not have the ability to use any Ritual Magic, so he couldn''t identify the ne to find out what it did, but he could sense that it was a powerful item. Checking the price tag, Wayne choked on his own spit and began a coughing fit. "What''s wrong?" Kart asked, looking up at themotion. "Seven hundred thousand gold for a fucking ne?! Are you nuts?!" He sputtered. "Oh that, yeah, no it''s worth every copper. Trust me." Wayne stared at his friend incredulously. He had no idea how he got his hands on such a powerful enchanted item, let alone how he imagined he would sell such a creation. A family of three like his own could live veryfortably for a year without working on only a hundred gold coins. "And done." Kart said with a sigh. "Take a look." "No, no, no. What''s with the pendant?" Kart nced up with a smirk pasted on his face. Clearly he was proud of his enchanted item. "That, my friend, is an Ancient ss enchanted ne. It holds the enchantment [Wind Walking]. The user should be able to take up to one hundred steps into the air as though it were as solid as the ground beneath us." Wayne''s expression paled. Ancient ss enchantments were extremely rare. It was only one step away from Divine, which was the most powerful level of enchantment capable of being produced by mortals. The Ranking for enchanted items were as follows: Common, Umon, Rare, Legendary, Ancient, and Divine. If one were topare the same enchantment, like fire damage for example, that enchantment would be twice as strong for each ss of enchantment, meaning a Divine ss fire sword was thirty-two times stronger than a Common ss fire sword. There was onest rank above Divine, which was Primordial, however there were currently no known Primordial ss items, all the ones from legends had long been lost. Primordial ss items were from the Age of Strife when the mortal races rose against the demons and wiped them from this world. "Good luck selling itI guess." "Thanks! Anyway, look at these designs already. Also, you should be grateful I normally don''t work with material as low ranked as an F-Rank beast. Why did you waste the time killing it anyway? I''m sure it took you a few seconds at most. Hardly worth remembering" Kart pointed out. "Like I said, it''s for my son. He was the one who fought it off. He didn''t kill it, but he got away with thisand his life." Kart paused. "Your son that has no Weapon Arts Compatibility? He fought against an F-Rank beast and managed to escape with a trophy?" "Yes." Kart grumbled and closed his eyes while gripping his own arms. He threw his head back and groaned in frustration. "Ughhh Erghh Fine!" He said finally, confusing Wayne. "This one''s on the housebut it''s for the boy, not for you." Wayne smiled and selected his favorite design, a pendant carved in the shape of a deer. ***** "Thankyoudaddy" Natali beamed as she struggled to speak to her father. "Don''t worry about it. And don''t strain your throat talking just to say thank you!" Derrik chastised. Natali was beyond ecstatic that her father had agreed to teach her to fight with weapons. Currently they were in the barracks training area. It was her father''s day off, so he took the opportunity to use that time to spend with her and teach her how to fight. Their first step was to have her try out all the weapons and see if she had any Compatibilities. Derrik handed her a single-handed axe and instructed Natali to take a few swings. She attempted to swing the weapon, but it felt awkward and unnatural, so Derrik quickly took it from her before she could hurt herself. "Nope, nopethat one isn''t ithere, try this." Her father handed her a shortsword to try. Unfortunately, the same result. Next she was given a bow, but she could not even draw the string. "Daddy" "Stop talking Nataliyou''re gonna ruin all your progress if you force yourself." Derrik stated while taking the bow back. "What to try nextspear? Mace? Hammer? Longsword" Natali giggled at how serious her father was in trying to find a good weapon for her. She did not expect him to agree to her request when she asked. She had assumed he would scoff at her and im that she was too young to learn how to fight. Not only did he agree, but he even agreed with great enthusiasm. Obviously her mother was concerned, but Natali maintained a resolute and firm stance. Thanks to that, her mother eventually relented. Natali began to look along the weapon rack for anything that looked interesting. Her eyes settled on a small de. Something called out to her, making her reach out and touch the handle. The next thing she knew she had the weapon in her hand. That feeling she had of something calling out to her was sated, but only partially. Natali continued looking around, trying desperately to figure out what was calling out to her. Panic began to set in. Something felt unnatural to her with the weapon in her hand, yet natural at the same time. These conflicting feelings only served to give her anxiety. Suddenly her eyes locked on a second de simr to the one in her hand. Feeling like it was the answer to her problems, she reached out with her left hand and grabbed it as well. Derrik had turned around and watched the entire situation with an inquisitive gaze. Information flooded into Natali''s head the moment she had both daggers gripped in her hands. Momentster, she began to twirl the daggers in her hands as if she was a circus performer that had been doing it her whole life. She stopped, then shouted, "[Dagger Arts: Rapid Strike]!" Natali made two swings back-to-back at such great speed her hands appeared to be nothing more than a blur. A look of surprise settled on her own and her father''s face. Natali not only had the knowledge of how to use the weapon, but part of her felt stronger somehow, like she was slightly faster and stronger. Somehow the volume and noise that escaped her was clearer than she had been her entire life. It also didn''t hurt! "Well, wellthat was a Novice Ranked skill you just usedCongrattions on your Dagger Artsand wee to the Novice Rank!" Derrik grinned proudly. "Mmm!" Natali confirmed with a smile. She was happy to know that she sessfully found a weapon with which she had a Compatibility. Eventually she would learn if she had any Magic Compatibilities, but for now this was enough. She felt arge hand settle on her shoulder that then guided her to a practice dummy. "Alright, I guess it''s time for you to start practicing. I cannot use Dagger Arts myself, but I can still teach you some things." Derrik advised. "It''s going to be up to you to keep practicingbut promise me one thing." "Mmm?" "I know you have been practicing with your mark, but don''t do it here, okay? I think you have great potential forbining your mark with Dagger Artsjust don''t do it here." She paused and thought about what her father said. It was true she had been practicing a lot with the Mark of Recall. However, it didn''t dawn on her that it could be useful to use with her newfound Weapon Arts. Derrik noticed the look on her face and sighed. "Alright, we are alone in here right nowso one time, okay?" "Mmm!" Natali turned to face the training dummy and whispered, "[Recall]". The mark on her left hand glowed before it dimmed and stopped. "[Dagger Arts: Pierce]!" When she shouted out the skill, the dagger in her left hand seemed to magically sharpen. Using every ounce of strength she had, she threw it at the target. In an instant, it buried itself deep into the chest of the wooden dummy. Not even a secondter, she snapped her fingers on her left hand. Derrik''s eyes widened as the dagger vanished from its spot and reappeared instantaneously in his daughter''s hand. Derrik couldn''t help himself from gulping. "That is going to be quite the deadlybination one day. Alright Natali, once a week I will guide your training. However it is your responsibility to train your mark and practice your forms on your own every day. Understand?" "Mmm!" "Good. Don''t neglect your lessons from your mother either. This will give you the tools to prepare you if the worstes to happen, but in a perfect world, the gods will see to it that you protect the next Oracle." Chapter 18: The Day Before Months passed quickly after Lucius'' test in the woods. His family continued to care for him, but for some reason, he would only regain consciousness every few days to eat, and then he would pass out again. During this time, he had spoken a lot with the voices in the white void. Though, he wasn''t sure if the void was still white where the raspy one was, because it still wouldn''t let him turn around to look at it. While the kind voice seemed to be formless, he knew that the raspy one had a shape. He remembered clearly the hand he had seen ced on his shoulder back in the woods. Because it was getting tiring referring to them as ''kind voice'' and ''raspy voice,'' Lucius decided he would just ask them their names. Of course nothing in life was ever easy, so they declined to provide them, saying that they would just go by whatever he wanted to call them. Since they didn''t seem to care, he readily agreed and named the raspy voice, Grimm and the kind voice, Luz. Thankfully, they seemed rather happy to have names given to them. Grimm was particrly fond of his. "So why have I been asleep for so long." He finally asked the two beings. Grimmughed. "Cus, kid, Luz over there gave you the ability to use BEGINNER Rank Beast Arts. And you went and got all power hungry and pulled an Intermediate Rank skill out!" "What do you mean?" Luz chimed in, "The cost for using the arts before you were ready was keeping you from using them ever again, however you took more than was offered. As such you paid an additional cost, some of your life energy." "Yikeshow many years did I shave off?" "Not sure, but enough!" Grimmughed. "Though you might earn it back." "I can?" "Ehmaybe?" He couldn''t see Grimm, but the tone of voice Lucius just heard told him that it had just shrugged during its response. All that Lucius could do was sigh. "Will I wake up in time for the trial?" "Oh yea, don''t worry about it, kid. You''ll be up in time to run around the woods pissing your pants from monsters in no time!" "Thanks" was all that he could say to the being who seemed to derive joy from teasing the boy. Since he was stuck in thisvoid for several months, he did take time to learn some things from Luz. Grimm still refused to provide any advice on how to use his power, only ever saying ''it wasn''t time yet'' or ''you aren''t ready for it.'' Luz on the other hand was ready to assist and even helped Lucius figure out how to tap into his power in the real world when under duress. Both of them hoped that he would never have to use the technique since it was dangerous for others to see, but it was good to have a trump card prepared in advance. ***** "Rena." A deep, booming voice called out to his daughter. A cute girl with crimson hair and green eyes quickly stood to attention after hearing her father enter the room. The man was none other than Richard von Petra, lord of the Petra domain. His entire being was imposing from his facial expressions to his body, to the way he carried himself. Every aspect of his being demanded respect and awe. "Father, how can I assist you?" "The trial begins tomorrow. I take it you have prepared appropriately." "Yes, father." "Good. Did you learn any magic?" "No, father." "Good." Her father was not a gentle and kind person, and it was hard to know what he was feeling. However, this interaction was his way of showing his worry for his only child. Going on this trial put her close to death''s embrace, so it was natural for even him to be concerned. Rena had been preparing for a long time on how to survive this, because she knew that it wasn''t only beasts that she would be fighting. Everyone knew that she had a target on her back for the children of the Petra branch families who had children participating in this year''s trial. If Rena could be taken out, or somehow failed to leave the forest alive, then one of the branch family''s heirs would take the position as head of the house next. This person would have to pass some sort of test that Richard would provide, but it was a more open path to power than allowing Rena to live. Warmth began to envelop Rena. The sensation wasforting, but alsounfamiliar. She looked up and saw that her father had approached and hugged her. "Father" "Stay alive Renaand stay away from Thomas." "Mmm." Was all she could say to respond. She didn''t want to ruin the moment and took in the once in a lifetime opportunity at physical affection from her father. After a few minutes, he released her and left the room. Rena continued to pack things and prepare for the trial. One of the first things she did was rece her standard dress that she was required to wear as the youngdy of the house. Instead, she put on a set of breathable clothes; a white shirt and tan pants. Her shoes were reced by lightweight leather boots. Over the top of her clothes, she donned a set of leather armor that covered most of her vitals, but not much else. Finally, she ced a shortsword around her hip and then strapped a dagger to her thigh. The goal was to survive, so she wanted to have just enough equipment to fight, but not enough to weigh her down when she ran. A maid handed her a small satchel that she was able to wrap around one shoulder. Inside of it were a few rations and cloth wraps for bandaging wounds. One of thest things she attached to herself was a water skin. "I think that about does itright?" she asked. Three maids had been in the room helping the youngdy, Rena von Petra, prepare for tomorrow''s trial. All of them held back tears due to their fear for her safety. Rena knew they enjoyed herpany, and she enjoyed theirs in return. "Don''t worry. I will be back in a few days'' time. Thank you all for helping me. I suppose I should get going." Most trial participants showed up the day of, however Rena had already decided that she would be staying at an inn on the edge of town. She did not want to risk being ambushed on her way to the trial from the manor. If something dyed her, then she could end up banished from the domain for failing toplete the trial. This would be one of the first times she ever stayed outside of her manor and she noticed a hint of excitement beginning to pound in her chest at the thought of experiencing something new. Even though she was just as equally terrified, she was ready for something interesting to happen in her life that was different than the monotonous days in the manor. Chapter 19: The Trial Begins Arge group of people gathered together outside of the forest outside of Pelith. There were at least a few hundred people. Among that number were twenty-seven children. All of them were nine-years-old and getting ready to take their trial. In the center of the crowd was a group of men who all Advanced Rank fighters or better. It was their job to drop the children off at various locations in the woods. A town elder provided prayers to the children, and blessed them with anointing oilwell at least the ones who were not marked. "The gods who reside in Celestia watch over us all. May they guide your des, quicken your arrows, and fortify your bodies so that you may survive the trial ahead." A number of the gathered crowd said in unison, "So shall it be." When the elder finished, he stepped back into the crowd as another member of the town leadership stepped forward. He gave each child a packet filled with a strangely sweet smelling, yellow powder. Rena recognized this as the drug they used to knock the children unconscious. The men who would deposit them in the woods had the antidotes and fed them to the children the moment they dropped them off. The antidote was extremely fast acting and the person would bepletely alert and awake as if nothing happened only ten secondster. Rena looked around at the other children in her group. She recognized several of them. Among those were her cousins. Thomas was grinning at her while sitting next to a few other cousins; Peter, Marl, Jakoby, and Vik. She quickly turned away from them and locked eyes with a friend of hers. Rena smiled gently at Elena, a daughter of one of the bakery in town that Rena loved to frequent. The final person who caught her eye was a strange looking boy. His head was held low like he was trying to remain inconspicuous, but his eyes darted around from person to person as if sizing them all up. Something about his jet-ck hair seemed oddly familiar, but Rena would have remembered seeing a boy with one silver eye and one gray one. It shocked her to look at him thoughshe had to admit, he had quite a lot of potential if he survived and grew up. His looks put most of the noble children in the capital to shame. This was not time to be ogling farm boys however, so Rena steeled her resolve and swallowed the yellow drug. A secondter, she passed out, copsing to the ground. ***** Thomas woke up from his drugged stuporpletely surrounded by trees. The light from the sun only barely trickled through the leaves above, and most of it never actually made it to the ground. "So. This is what this horrid ce is like. Terrifying." First and foremost, his task was to find an ally, or rather, bait, to use against monsters so that he can increase his chances for survival. They were all ced roughly deep enough into the woods toe into contact with both E and F-Rank monsters. Since his family had already helped him awaken to his magical Compatibilities, he figured he would have a good shot at getting away on his own. Even though he had the magical advantage, he was still only a Novice Rank with those skills and that simply was not enough to fight against an F-Rank monster alone. "All right. Let us see if I can find one of those other idiots from the other branch families and then we will work on finding perfect miss Renamaybe catch myself a few Marked Ones on the way." Moving swiftly, he ran through the woods to find others. Thanks to his training, he had a general sense of the way out of the forest, however that was not his goal. He had also trained to sense other people. Thanks to this ability, he was able to get a general idea of where a few people had gathered. He had no way of knowing if these were his people, but beggars can''t be choosers. Three people were gathered together at the base of a dead tree. One of them was one of his people, Vik. The other two were unknown, but one was a Marked One. Vik gave a wink to him and indicated that they were not quite ready to take care of it yet. "Hold! Friendly. My name is Thomas von Petra of one of the minor branches. I see you already gathered with my cousin, Vik." Vik and the two others greeted themselves, which made Thomas'' skin crawl. It took every ounce of his self-restraint to not cut the Marked One''s head off right there, however, it was still a useful tool for now. "Well, I havepatibilities with Sword Arts and Shield Artsyou all?" The Marked One answered first. "None hereI just had toe because of my mark. I can''t use it either thoughI know how to use a knife a little, so I have this hunting knife." Thomas breathed an inward sigh of relieve. Since it couldn''t use the mark it had, he had one less thing to worry about. After that, Vik and the other child shared their skills, so they held a strategy meeting. Thomas pretended not to know the way out of the woods so that he could continue gathering his allies and searching for Rena. She would be his, and he could not wait to sever her head from its shoulders. The title of Lord of house Petra would be his, and the she-devil will stand in his way no longer. Besides, not only did he have his Sword and Shield Arts, but he also had Fire Magic and Water Magic at his beck and call. Rena had no weapon Compatibilities at all, and she wouldn''t be allowed to learn magic untilter. All of thisbined into making her a perfectly easy target. He just had to be the one to find her before a monster did, so some random beast wouldn''t take away the satisfaction of his first, real kill. Chapter 20: Gathering Allies Rena woke from her slumber, alone and surrounded by trees. The woods were eerily silent. No birds were chirping, no squirrels chittering, not even wind rustling the leaves. Everything was simply still. Being surrounded by such quiet filled her with an extreme sense of foreboding and dread. Blood rushing through her ears soon became one of the only things she could focus on aside from her rapidly increasing heart rate. "Calm down, Renacalm down. You''ve got this." She whispered to herself. Willpower was a trait that she excelled at, but it still took every ounce for her to breathe and calm herself. Once she was able to settle her heart, she looked at her surroundings. Truly there were four real directions to choose from. Two would lead her neither out nor deeper. One would lead out of here, and the final would take her closer to death. Thankfully, even with herck of experience, a general sense of dread was concentrated in one direction which helped tell her that was the area she wanted to avoid. The concentration of magical beasts and monsters deeper in the forest could even be felt by unranked people. Almost an hourter, she continued to stumble around the woods. Wind had started to rustle the treetops above her which helped settle her nerves more, but still there still weren''t any other sounds. That was until she heard a loud scream. It was definitely a girl''s scream, which meant two things. First, it was another living being. Secondly, she was under attack. Since it was clearly a dangerous situation, Rena unsheathed her sword and charged toward the sounds. Screaming and shouting continued, but it was one-sided, which told Rena that the other party was a beast. In short order, she burst into a small clearing which had a young girl, Rena''s age, and a boy standing over the corpse of a wolf. Rena paused for a moment, taken aback by the fact that someone else had beaten her to the scene. However, she was also surprised she did not hear the sounds ofbat. A momentter, the other girl screamed again. "What''s wrong! The wolf is dead, don''t worry!" Rena cooed, trying to calm the girl down. She was a simple girl, clearly amoner. At first, Rena was confused why she was here in the woods, but then she caught a glimpse of something ck on the back of the girl''s left hand. "What''s your name?" "E-E-Edra" the girl whimpered. She looked up at Rena with wet, brown eyes. Tears stained her cheeks. "Why are you still screaming, Edra? The wolf is dead. You are safe now." "N-n-noI''m-m-m screaming cus of tha-a-a-t" Edra squeaked out while pointing her finger behind Rena. She turned around and followed the finger which seemed to be pointing the direction of the strange boy who was quietly observing them. Rena put herself on guard, wondering if the boy had been attacking other participants. Nothing about his demeanor showed any hostility, however. He was in a rxed stance and had put his sword in its sheathe. His hands weren''t even touching the hilt of his weapon. "What is your name?" Rena asked. Even though he didn''t look like a threat, he still took out this wolf without alerting her. And something about him terrified poor Edra. "Lucius." The boy stated. Rena noticed as he talked that he had an extra set of canine teeth. His eyes were very feline in nature. One was a gorgeous silver and the other a dull-gray. "I saw you before the trial." She said to him. "You probably saw a bunch of people." Rena noticed the boy was particrly gruff in his responses, but she could also tell he wasn''t being rude, rather he just seemedshy? "Why is she screaming? What did you do to her?" Lucius simply responded by gesturing to his general face, indicating it was his teeth and eyes. Before Rena could say anything else, the boy called Lucius jerked his head to the side while drawing his sword. Rena also stood at attention and drew her own sword. She gazed in the direction Lucius faced. However after about five minutes of this awkward silence, nothing happened. "Why are you" She was interrupted by a group of people emerging from the woods. They appeared to be other participants and they were all exhausted and terrified. It appeared to be a group of about five people. Each of them was a stranger to Rena, but they appeared to have been through a lot. "Who are you all?" Rena asked. She put her sword away, but her hand still hovered near it. Lucius moved slowly away from the group as they exited near where he stood. She watched as the handsome boy stepped slowly near her. He ced himself just inside her striking range, and kept his back turned partially towards her. Rena smiled since this appeared to be a sign of trust towards her. "We''ve been running for an hourwe were attacked by a monstersome of us didn''t make it" "Okay, who are you all." Rena asked. She continued to rx, but noticed that Lucius was still operatingpletely on caution. One by one, every child introduced themselves. There was Landon, the son of a guard. Michael, the son of a butcher. Maribel, the daughter of the mayor''s concubine and marked. Pavi, the son of a prostitute. Finally, was the de facto leader of their group, Nate. Nate was someone who Rena was able to recognize after he started talking. His current appearance did not make him easily recognizable because of his swollen cheeks. It looked like he may have broken a cheekbone or something. Nate was a noble''s son from the wealthier part of town. Rena interacted with him a fair bit growing up when his parents visited her father. "Lady Rena von Petra, I beg your pardon for my desheveled appearanceand if I maycould we inconvenience you to allow us to travel together" Nate had asked. He had piercing, blue eyes, but only one was really visible at the moment. He was never a prideful boy, like most other nobles, so Rena got along with him okay. Her main concern now was whether the strange boy called Lucius would join them or leave. He did not seem to trust them. "Was it a deer?" Rena blinked. Lucius asked a strange question out of nowhere. "Why do" "No, good sir. We were set upon by a pack of wolves. One of them appeared to have been born as a Direwolf." "Was it grown?" "Nothankfully it was only an infantyet it was still almost asrge as the adults in the pack." Rena watched as Lucius seemed to rx. Why was it so important to know if they were attacked by a deer? ''What a strange boy'' she thought. After a few minutes of figuring out who everyone was in the new group, Rena and Edra finally introduced themselves. The other children made it awkward by attempting to bow or kneel or something strange like that, but Rena quickly put a stop to it. Finally everyone looked at the odd-one-out, Lucius. "I''m Lucius. Son of Guard Captain Wayne. I''m a Marked Oneand half beastman." He pointed to his left hand and his eyes to emphasize thest two points. "What does your mark do?" Rena asked. She knew a handful of marks. Mostly just the dangerous ones though, so she could be careful. She did not recognize this boy''s but that didn''t really mean anything. Lucius thought for a moment. "Dunno. Not really anyway." "Can you use it?" "If I need to." Rena sighed. This boy clearly needed to get out more. She knew who is father was. And since she also knew almost all of the maid staff, she knew who his mother was too. She had heard that Miss Rubellia and Sir Wayne had adopted a child, but her other maids advised her to stay away from him since he was a Marked One. Once again Lucius snapped to attention. This time however, he looked the direction that scared everyone shitless. His gaze was settled towards the center of the forest. "Have you guys fought an Alpha Deer?" Rena looked at the boy like he was insane. She wasn''t the only one either. All of the children stared at him nkly. "No!" They shouted in unison. "Wellthat sucks. Because we are about to fight oneand this one is particrly unhappy." Rena had heard rumors of a child that fought against such a beast a while ago. Their family''s preferred jeweler, Kart, had been talking to their procurement staff regarding a child who had fought against a white Alpha Deer and brough back one of its horns. The story spread like wildfire so almost all of the noble children had heard of the story. Nate''s jaw dropped. "You''re the one that fought off a heard of Alpha Deer? That''s amazing! Your mark must be very strong!" Lucius looked back at the boy like he was the world''s biggest idiot. "I only fought the oneand at great cost. Also, I didn''t use my mark. I couldn''t use it then." "What was the cost?" "I lost ess to one of my arts forever." Rena''s heart sank. For a moment she thought that they would be fine, having heard that the very same person who survived against one of these things, was with them to fight off this one. However, he couldn''t use the same skills asst time. She was well and truly worried about what was going to happen. "Should we run?" "No use. It''s here." Lucius said inly. Exactly at that moment, arge creature with pure white fur stepped out of the woods. It was a magnificent looking beast, but when looking at its head, Rena was able to notice that its normallyrge rack of antlers, was missing on one side. "Did you miss me you bastard?" Lucius said. He sounded confident, but Rena could notice an ever so slight tremble to his voice. It was clear he was terrified. She didn''t know why, but something called on her to step up and put one hand on the boy''s shoulder. "We are with you. You aren''t alone this time." She said confidently. Chapter 21: Finishing the Fight Lucius looked around the small clearing at the other children. All of them were shaking and the girl called Edra had lost consciousness from fear. His best option was to run and exit the woods alone. If he did, he would be out in under an hour. Something kept him there though. There was a hand on his shoulder and connected to it was a cute girl with crimson hair and green eyes. A quiet ferocity stormed behind those eyes and held him in ce. "Alright. I guess we are doing this." Lucius shouted, "Surround him from all sides. Make him have to choose a target!" Rena, Nate, Pavi, and Maribel instantly jumped to action and spaced themselves around the monster. It chose to ignore them ring squarely at the ck, haired boy. The other children gathered around Edra protecting her, but also waiting to be called upon for backup. Nate went to the deer''s left side and held an axe at the ready with a small shield in his off-hand. Everyone else carried a shortsword, with the exception of, Pavi, who was muchrger than the rest of them and was capable of holding a longsword without much effort. Rena had gone to the deer''s right side, while Pavi and Maribel took up the rear. Of course, with being the monster''s chosen target, Lucius had the front. Unfortunately, no one in the group focused on the bow. Rena had one strapped to her back, but Lucius really needed her on the front since she was one of the children brave enough to stand up against the monster with him. Also, something about her presence calmed him somehow. Once everyone had settled into position, the deer finally started to make its move. It tossed its head back in a manner that suggested it was allowing them to get ready because they would need it. Lucius knew he was weaker now than before, and it was more than likely the monster knew that too. He gripped his sword tightly and crouched down into a ready position. His fighting stance was much lower than what was taught by his father. Lucius'' sword hand was ced forward and in front of him, while his off-hand was held back and in the air in a w-like position. Rena side-eyed him with curiosity because she had never seen this fighting style before. Whenpared to the standard sword styles in Arcadios, this looked unrefined and sloppy. Lucius knew that he looked odd, but his time unconscious as well as the short time exposed to the Beast Arts gave him basic knowledge of the instinctual fighting styles that he gained from his parentagewhichever one that was. A snort interrupted his thoughts as dirt was kicked up in the air. The Alpha Deer pawed the ground and charged towards Lucius. He jumped backwards to create a momentary gap. Using this small opening, Nate lunged forward and struck at one of the deer''s legs. Rena followed suit with taking on a second leg, while the two children behind it jumped up to strike the monster''s haunch. It seemed to notice the danger, and wheeled around to block Nate''s axe with it''s remaining antler. This movement also pulled it''s hindquarters out of reach of Pavi and Maribel. Thankfully Rena''s sword was able to make contact, but it left only a shallow scratch due tock of power. Nate flew backwards from the monster''s counter and struck a tree with a dull thud. He groaned, which told Lucius he was still alive. "Michael! Jump in for Nate. Nate, rest for a moment and swap with the next person." Rena shouted. Lucius was shocked, it seemed she was a strategist more than a fighter. He grinned to himself despite the situation. Next, the monster wheeled back around at Lucius, though not before throwing a backwards kick at Pavi. Sparks scattered as he was only barely able to block the hoof from striking his sternum. Despite that, he was still pushed back several feet and his arms visibly shook from the effort. Maribel was able to avoid the attack thanks to Pavi, and attempted to counter by aiming for the beasts more sensitive bits. This proved to be a bad idea, as the monster chose to wheel around and body check the girl with his side. She too was thrown back, though it was a much lighter hit due to the awkward positioning. Both children were still in the fight. Lucius was not hanging back and chose to strike at the monster''s neck. He jumped up and brought his sword down for a powerful strike at the Alpha Deer''s wide-open neck. What he didn''t realize, until it was toote, was that the monster was rather intelligentwhich meant this was a trap. One that the boy had fallen for. Having been waiting for something like this, the monster swung its head around again. It was able to recover from its attack against Maribel because it was waiting for someone to take the opening it had created. Lucius felt all of the air leave his lungs and heard a few unhealthy cracks around his chest before he too was thrown backwards. Memories of his first fight with this monster flooded his mind. Though from his perspective, it felt like it was literally yesterday. Thanks to his time spent unconscious after the first fight, he had feltout of ce. His perception of time a littleloose. Lucius attempted to grab for his weapon next to him, but when he brought it up to his face, the sword was snapped in half. "Fuck. Fuck" He groaned. He moved to grab the simple bow on his back, but it too was broken. "Gods dammit all!" Good news: his bones weren''t brokenmost likely. Bad news: the cracking sounds were that of his weapons breaking. Rena nced his direction, but saw he was still alive and moving. She jumped back into action, assuming that he would take care of himself. Nate also jumped back into the fight, taking over Lucius'' opening. Seeing that he wasn''t needed for a moment, he took advantage to gather his breath. However, the monster had other ns. Chapter 22: Changing Tide Lucius thought that he could take a brief moment to recover and figure out his next move, however, the Alpha Deer had no ns to let that happen. All of the efforts made by Pavi, Rena, Nate, Maribel, and Michael were simply being shrugged off. It appeared none of them had any weaponpatibilities, so the Alpha Deer simply let the attacks hit it. The children started to feel dread set in. Apparently, the monster could have simply shrugged off their attacks any time it wanted. Lucius noticed the monster seem to puff its chest up in pride. This thing could crush them any time it wanted, but let them think they had a chance to work against it. Slowly, the monster walked towards Lucius who was still sitting on the ground. He began to stand, but still had no weapons in his hand. ''Hey kid. Want a hand?'' Grimm whispered into his head. ''What you going to help me now too. Just like Luz?'' Lucius asked him. His heart started to beat faster. "Run! Quickly! It wants me!" He found himself shouting. He didn''t know why he did that. They were just a bunch of strangersthough two of them were marked like he waswas that why? ''Nah, you still aren''t ready for me yet, kid. ButI know the other guy gave you a techniqueI know how to make it stronger.'' Grimm offered. His raspy tone took on deeper and deeper dark undertones. ''What''s the price?'' Lucius gulped. ''Free of charge this time. See it asa thank youfor the name. I like it. Do you ept? It is only a hint, does note with any power from me.'' He shuddered as he could almost feel that the being was smiling. ''Sure. I ept.'' ''Good. No take backsies! Look at the ground behind you, just to the right of the tree you''re slumped against. Use that to fight. Trust mejust this once at least.'' Grimm''s voice faded away, followed by an echoing chuckle that sent shivers down his spine. Lucius of course did what he was told. Even though its prey was moving around, the deer simply let him move. Just to the right of the tree was a weaponof sortssticking out of the dirt. The de was heavily rusted and the cutting edge was beyond dulled by time. It was a machete. Likely one used by a farmer kid that had taken the trial a long time ago. He looked at the rusted weapon incredulously, but at this moment he had nothing to lose. Even the dagger strapped to his thigh was rather pointless given how everyone else had done nothing to really hurt the monster on their own. At least the machete was bigger and had further reach Lucius cleared his head and grabbed the handle of the weapon. He was prepared to use the trick from Luz, so why not listen to Grimm as well. Grimm was creepy as hell, but he seemed to want to keep Lucius alive for some reason. The moment that Lucius wrapped his hand around the handle of the junk de, he felt a rush of knowledge enter his brain. It was simr to when he was granted the knowledge of Beast Arts, though much, much less intense. "[Forsaken Arts: Gouging Strike]!" he shouted while spinning around and swinging towards he beast that had finally reached him. The monster yowled in pain and leapt back. It wouldn''t put it''s front, right leg on the ground and blood dripped from a massive tear just above the knee. Lucius eyed the monster. "Tough luck, huh?" He was only feigning confidence. This still was not anywhere near enough to defeat this monster. Despite the fact he found himself with increased strength, speed, and reaction times thanks to suddenly being granted the Novice Rank thanks to his Forsaken Arts, he had struggled to survive when he had ess to Intermediate Rank temporarily. Lucius also did not fail to notice the confused and concerned looks he was being given by the noble girl, Rena. There was aplicated expression on her face after he used his skill. A few seconds after having backed off from its opponent, the deer''s leg stopped bleeding and it rested it''s hoof on the ground again. Lucius had forgotten that magical beasts and monsters could often heal quickly from smaller injuries. "Alright thenOnest trick" Lucius hissed. He took a deep breath and slowly released it. A pale glow began to erupt from the mark on his hand. His breathpletely visible as if they were in the dead of winter. Rena and the others couldn''t help but subconsciously step back. Lucius looked the deer straight in the eyes before calling out the skill Luz gifted him. "[Celestia''s Grace: Heavenly de]" Rust that was marring the entire de slowly began to evaporate. Starting at the tip, a dull, blue glow spread downward towards the hilt. The entire area was filled with this blue light for several seconds and when it finally dissipated, Lucius stood there with a glowing, single-edged de. Rena''s jaw dropped. Lucius had no idea what this meant for his mark, but Luz told him it had two meanings. One that Luz represented and one that Grimm represented. This ability was from Luz. "Let''s try again." He taunted, "[Forsaken Arts: Gouging Strike]!" Faster than the first time, he swiped at the Alpha Deer''s leg. It was able to jump out of the way, but Lucius did not let up. He continued to press the attack. Swiping once, twice, three times in rapid session, he continued to push it back. None of the strikes connected, but he beat the deer back all the same, creating many openings that Nate, Pavi, Maribel, and Rena attempted to press. Confidence started to build, when suddenly "[mma: Fire Bolt]" "[Aqua: Water Shot]" "[Ventus: Wind de]" Three different spells smacked the deer in the neck simultaneously, knocking it to the side. When the smoke and steam disappeared, Lucius was met with the dying eyes of an angry monster. It seemed the deer was insulted to be taken out by someone who was not its mortal enemy. To be honestLucius felt much the same. "Hello, cousin." A voice called out. He had not noticed their approach before, but a group of six children entered into the same clearing. Three of them were boys who had hair in different shades of red, and looked somewhat simr to Rena. Chapter 23: Pushed Too Far "Oh what a surprise to see you here, cousin." The boy who had cast the fire spell said. "I see you found yourself a few pawns to use." Rena''s face developed a deep scowl. "I just met up with these people. And they are not pawns." "Oh right, my bad." "Renawho is this guy?" Lucius asked. He was very confused, but after hearing they were rted, figured things couldn''t be too bad. Howeverthere was a sense of unease among them. The talkative one continued to speak with Rena, but after a short while, started to stare at him. The boy''s eyes were glued on the glowing sword. Lucius probably could have deactivated it since they were around people Rena knewbut againthat strange sense of unease was there, tingling in the back of his mind. "Wellwhat kind of magic is thatoh waityour handyou used your markwell we know what this means, right Vik; Peter?" "Right you are, Thomasusing your mark in the trial is grounds for death." One of the two other boys, either Vik or Peter smiled. The main boy, identified now as Thomas, turned his smile towards Rena and Lucius. Rena had stepped in front of him and ced a hand on Lucius'' chest to keep him from attacking. It seemed she had noticed he was preparing to jump at her cousins. "[Ventus: Wind de]" There was a small yelp and then a sickening, wet thud that emanated from behind Thomas, Vik, and Peter. One of the other party members tossed a limp body in the direction where Edra and Maribel were standing. When itnded, the body''s handnded palm down, with the back showing an unknown mark. "Eughthought it was time to take out the trash. We had it following us as potential bait if we ran into anything that we needed to distractbut now that I''ve found you Rena, I can just leave. No need to carry it around anymore." Thomasughed. Lucius felt his hands tighten around his machete. Grimm whispered into his mind, ''Oh? Did that make you mad? Interesting'' Lucius knew that Luz was weakened still, so he had no input to offer. Though he could feel the kinder voice give off a feeling of unease at Grimm''s observation. "Now, surrender yourselves vermin. Renayou know why we are here, so youe along too." "You bastards" Maribel who hadn''t talked much up to now looked up at the red-headed boys with a re that could kill. "[Aqua: Water Ball]" "[Ventus: Wind de]" Two spells rapidly shot from Vik and Peter''s hands. Maribel was able to move, but Edra was not. Noticing the terrified girl couldn''t move, Maribel shielded her body with her own. Both spells connected, and instantly ended the girl''s life. Edra began screaming again and was rewarded with an arrow in center of her head. She copsed, unmoving and not breathing. "So annoying" Thomas muttered while shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "Well that leaves two. Oh hey! Nate! I couldn''t recognize you with your wholeface thing going on. Help me take out thisst one will you?" Nate looked at the bodies of Edra, Maribel, and the unknown child that was with Thomas'' group. He then looked at Lucius, who returned his nce with a fierce re. "Ithink I will sit this one out. I believe this to be a family issueso if you will allow me to take my leave with my friends" Thomas began tough harder. Lucius knew all too well after what his father showed him so long ago, that this world was cruel to people like him. But even he could not fathom how a mere nine-year-old child could harbor suchhatred and cruelty. "You''re sick." Those two words escaped the lips of the crimson-haired girl Lucius had fought with. He didn''t expect those toe from someone like hersomeone unmarked by demonsand nobility. All Lucius could do was tilt his head quizzically. ''Ohe on! It was getting goodoh I know!'' Grimm whined. He found himself taken aback by what the voice was saying since it made no sense. Suddenly images of the trial he observed so long ago shed before his eyes. Faster than what he couldprehend, the visuals, smells, sounds of screaming filled his senses. The scenes of the murder of the three Marked Ones in this clearing reyed again. Lucius looked at the three bodiesying near each othernot even fifteen feet from him. His blood began to boil. "Why?" "What?" Thomas asked. He pointed the question at Lucius, who had subconsciously let lose the question in his mind. ''Why do they hate uswhat did we doI couldn''t leave my home except for joining mother at work. I could not train with father properlyI could not buy breadmake friendsmy life was that of a garden and the inside of a hutand yetand YET'' Lucius thought to himself. His left-hand, which didn''t hold his weapon began to bleed from the force of him pressing his nails into his own skin. ''It''s their fault you know.'' A voice burst through his cloudy thoughts. It was deepdarkand terrifying. He only barely recognized it as Grimm. Itcked the signature rasp and instead took on a growl. ''Those boys killed them. People just like youyou know its because of people like them you can''t be normalthat will stop you from ever being normalit is because of them that you will liveand die like a dog. A mere beast.'' Grimmughed evilly causing Lucius'' blood to turn to ice. He opened his eyes, but what he saw caused a primeval fear set into his soul. It was as if his entire being gazed into an unending abyss of darkness. Then the abyss spokewith Grimm''s voice. ''Nice to finally meet you face to face, kidI think you are ready to borrow a tasteof what I can offer you. Ite''s with a price of course, since you aren''t really fully ready for itfor now.'' "Again with the price?" ''Power beyond your means alwayses with a cost, boy. And thankfully I already paid up our debt, so I can exact a new price'' "What abilities will I lose out on in the futurewhat parts of my future self, will I lose to you?" Grimmughed. ''Ha! NoI''m not so kind as Luz to trade potential for powernomy prize is so. Much. Sweeter.'' "What is it?" Lucius obviously couldn''t see anything from the yawning chasm of darkness in front of him, but he couldn''t help but think that itsmiled? ''Pain.'' "Fine. Do it. Make me hurt, I don''t care." ''No takebacks boyI hope it was worth it try not to borrow more than you can handle too muchI might gain weight!'' The voice continued tough, until it faded away into nothingness. Lucius regained his sight, the first thing he saw was his machete still glowing with the radiant blue light from Luz''s ability. Rena was looking at Thomas who was grinning at the two, waiting for their decision. Nate and the others had backed off, but they didn''t really leave. "Well? What''ll it be you two? Gonna try and fight me? Or going to give up and ept the inevitable." "The gods reside in Celestia." Lucius said. He locked eyes with Thomas. The leader, boy stared back with a slightly confused look. "Yea and?" "Mortals reside on the earthen ne." Thomas continued to stare back at him, but did not say anything. "Butwhat resides in the Abyss?" "The what now?" Vik scoffed. He and Peter stepped forward and began to walk towards Rena and Lucius. "That''s enough time. Time for you both to kick it." Lucius smiled. "Since you don''t knowwhy don''t we find out together[Abyss Break: Cloak of Darkness]" Rena, Vik, Peter, and even Thomas all subconsciously took several steps away from him. The very shadows themselves seemed to dance and move before they tore themselves away and surrounded Lucius'' small frame. His one Silver Eye began to glow. The gray one began to turn ckand then slowly took on a golden hue. Darknesspletely enveloped him, but piercing through it all, were those two glowing eyes. Lucius raised his weapon and pointed at the remaining boy standing behind Vik, Peter, and Thomas. It was the one that had killed the Marked One they brought with them. ck Tendrils shot out of the weapon and flew towards the boy. They wrapped around his legs, arms, and throat before yanking him into the darkness. He screamed and begged, wing at the dirt as he was dragged towards Lucius. A secondter, the screaming stopped and Lucius advanced. Rena and the rest of Lucius'' group stared in awe and fear at the mass. Every cell in their body screamed at them to run, but fear froze them in ce. "Where are your strong words now, Thomas? Are you ready to give up?" Lucius'' voice took on a raspy quality, not unlike Grimm. Though, the other children had never heard Grimm''s voice. "[mma: Firebolt], [Aqua: Water Ball]!" Thomas shouted in rapid session. The two spells sped towards Lucius, but before they could reach him, an enormous de erupted from the shadows and sliced both spells in half, forcing them to dissipate. Chapter 24: Nightmare Rena stood still, pinned in ce by her own body. She tried everything in her power to move, but she simply couldn''t. The boy, Lucius, had activated a different abilityit wasn''t magical in natureshe could tell that much. This had to mean that it was from his markbut didn''t he use his mark earlier? Rena had learned a bit about marks recently and apparently they were broken down into sses: Basic, Abnormal, and Lethal. There was also a fourth ss known as "Unknown" but it simply meant that no one had tranted the mark''s meaning and did not necessarily mean they were dangerous. All "Lethal" ranked marks were tracked and not submitting notice of one being found was a crime in the kingdomhoweverit was still possible this mark was unknownwhich would have been fine. Rena decided that if she survived this, she would certainly report this to her father. Such power was unimaginable to her, and yet here it was being wielded by this boy Lucius continued to advance towards Vik, Peter, and Thomas. The shed away spells caused them to wet themselves and a dark spot spread around their pants. This seemed to amuse Lucius as he let out a deep chuckle. Next, he raised his hand and reached out towards the boys again. Tendrils wrapped themselves around Vik and Peter, just as they had done before. Vik wed towards Thomas, who had fallen backwards onto his butt, however, Thomas simply kicked Vik''s hands away, terrified that he would be dragged into the darkness. "No! No! Monst" Peter screamed as he was the first to be enveloped. Vik continued to be slowly dragged into the darkness, crying out "Mommypleasedaddynono!" Their screams turned to silence, and the shadow advanced once again towards Thomas. It was at this moment that Rena finally felt like she could move. However, she locked eyes with her cousin. Her body screamed run, but her head told her that letting Thomas die here was a mistake for some reason. So, gathering what little courage she had, she jumped in front of her horrible cousin, or at least the only one that was left. As much as she hated him for his personality and his scheme to kill her, she needed him alive. He had better potential than his older brother, and that was an asset she could use to her advantage, politically. Suddenly she was struck with a realizationwhat changed? Why could she movehow could she think so clearly? And how did she jump in front of this being? Rena looked at the glowing eyes in the center of a swirling ck storm. She could barely make out a body in the center of it. "Girl." A voice echoed through the woods, it was raspy and bone chilling. "I like youyou havepotential" "Thank you?" Rena mumbled. She couldn''t pinpoint the source of the voice with her ears, but she felt like it came from the ck mass in front of her. "Lucius?" "Keh! Not quiteLucius isn''t with us at the moment. He''s toughbut killing humansoh he isn''t ready for that. He was angry enough for itbut to actually do it, no." "What happened to him, what did you do?" "He''s fineGirl, do you want to live?" Rena gulped. "Y-y-yes" "Protect this boyor you and your family will join your cousins in the Abyss." The voice then seemed to focus its attention on Thomas. "And youboy. I''ll let you live for now. Happy nightmaresThomas." Before Rena could respond the darkness surrounding Lucius disappeared, and the boy dropped to the ground, unconscious. A chillingugh echoed throughout the woods before fading into nothing. Nate and the others came back into the clearing, doing their best to avoid making eye contact with the bodies of Edra, Maribel, and the unknown child. Rena scanned the area, but the bodies of the children taken by the shadows were gone, only small drops of blood were visible on the forest floor. Rena cautiously ced a finger on the boy''s neck and was able to feel a pulse. The machete he was holding was previously a rusty messbut now it had a bright shine to it and almost seemed to hum with some sort of power. "Alright. We are going to leave here. Nate, Pavi, grab Lucius. I''ll get his weaponMichaelkeep an eye on Thomas and make sure he doesn''t start any funny business while we leave." Everyone snapped to attention and did as shemanded. Thanks to her father''s influence on her development, she did have a knack for ordering people around and them listening to her. Though she would also admit that since she was already identified as a member of the Petra family, that they decided to listen to her. The group soon left the area and made their way slowly towards the exit of the forest. The trip took a few hours due to getting turned around, avoiding other monsters, and dragging an unconscious person with them. When they were about to finally exit the trees, seeing shining light increase in brightness, Lucius finally awoke. Rena immediately noticed that his gray eye was still gold in color like when he used that mark "I got him from here, you go on ahead" Rena moved to help support Lucius since he was awake and able to move on his own a little. Nate and Pavi nodded and headed out of the woods with Michael right behind them. "Listen LuciusI don''t know what happened back therebut, you are going toe serve me. In my manor." The ck-haired boy stared at her nkly. "Okay." "Look I know" Rena paused and then blinked a few times. "Okay? Wowdidn''talright then. I will talk to my father, I guess." "Good." Both of them stepped into the light from between the trees. The evening sun had started to set in the sky. It gave of beautiful bursts of oranges and reds which stood in stark contrast to the horrors these children just witnessed. Waiting for them were a handful of guards that were stationed around the perimeter of the woods. They maintained this perimeter non-stop for three days, which was the maximum time allotted for the trial. After those three days, any children who had not returned were simply assumed dead. "Lady Rena von Petraplease allow me to carry that thing for you." One of the guards stepped forward to yank Lucius away. "Don''t touch him." Rena warned. She felt Lucius tense as his hand tightened on her shoulder. The guard didn''t hear her and kept reaching for the boy. This time his eyes widened and start to glow. An ominous aura began to fall off of him. The guard shuddered for a moment before Rena spoke up again, though louder. "It really is for the best if you don''t touch himhe''s likea feral kitten that I found in the woods." Lucius'' threatening aura stopped immediately as he looked at her in shock. "Wha" "I''m going to ask father if I can keep him. He''s just too cute." Chapter 25: Guilty "Absolutely not." Richard von Petra locked eyes with his daughter. She had brought a disheveled looking boy with ck hair and strange eyes. He of course recognized the boy as Wayne and Rubellia''s son. The child had visited the estate many times throughout his childhood and was always careful to avoiding into contact with either him or his daughter, as was requested. From what he knew, the boy was a good child. It was unfortunate that he was marked. His half-beastman lineage wasn''t a concern since that meant the boy had great potential and would have been a great addition to the domain''s militarythough with the recent changes in the kingdom''s policiesmaybe A strange sensation tingled at the back of his mind and it continued to increase in noticeability as he continued to think about the situation. Richard looked around the room to try and find the source of the feeling. His daughter and Lucius looked at him quizzically, and suddenly the situation was gone. The strange anxiety having been exchanged for quiet calm. Soon his thoughts turned to the events of the woods he had been told of. Rena and Lucius admitted to the boy using his mark to defend themselves, a crime worth the punishment of death in his domain. However if one considered how the boy saved his daughterthe sensation came back momentarily. ''No, a crime is a crime and rules like this cannot be bent,'' Richard thought. When that thought passed through his mind, the ufortable sensation dissipated again. "Lucius. You havemitted the crime of using your mark during our sacred trials. Do you know the punishment for this?" "Father!" Rena objected. He silenced her cry with a hand. Thomas was also present along with his father, and the parents of Vik and Peter who were reportedly killed by Lucius'' mark. Standing in the back with solemn looks were also Lucius'' parents, Rubellia and Wayne. Rubellia''s face was surprisingly stoic, just like her husband''s, though his was expected. This told Richard that they were prepared for this to have happened because of the trial. Of course, Marked Ones resorting to using their marks in times of stress was decentlymon As he began to think of leniency for the boy, the ufortable tingle returned. It seemed that some part of him subconsciously would not allow him to pardon the boy. Though, that made sense. He did personally y two of Richard''s nephews inbat, yet another crime punishable by death He was sure that Thomas, Vik, and Peter had attempted to harm his daughter, but at the moment it was Thomas'' word against Rena''s. Richard had attempted to interview the other children present, but all of them imed to have not witnessed the events. ording to them all they saw was a shadow attacking his three nephews. It was strange though, since their eyes would cloud over every time they tried to recall what happened in the clearing, and as such they could not provide an urate ount of what really urred. Of course, Lucius was the used, amoner, and a Marked One, so his word held no weight; leaving this entire situation as Rena''s word against Thomas'' word. No matter how much he wanted to believe his daughter, and knew in his heart that she was telling the truth, the other branch families would rise against him for blindly choosing ''favorites'' in the situation. Since the only thing for certain was that Lucius admitted to the deaths of Vik and Peter, and admitted to the use of his markhis hands were tied. "Rena. Thomas. I am unable to corroborate either of your ounts due to the other children present being unable to exin what they saw. As such, any allegations regarding Thomas'', Vik''s, and Peter''s attacks on Rena are dismissed as hearsay." Richard sighed. "ButI understand father" Rena sighed. She looked indignantly at him, and then red at Thomas who had a slight smile teasing the corner of his mouth. "As for Lucius. Since all three parties confirm that you indeed used your mark in our sacred trial as well as confirmed you were responsible for the deaths of two members of the Petra householdYou are sentenced to death." "Father! No! You cannot do that! I''m sure he did not know of the crime of his markand for my cousins, he acted in self-defense! He had no way of knowing who they were" Rena cried out. Tears fell from her face. He found it strange that the girl seemed so attached to the boy she only met yesterday in the woods, however there was something else therefear? Why would she be afraid? "Rena" Richard said slowly. "Ignorance of thew does not relieve one of the guilt of breaking it." "Yesfather" Once again the look on his daughter''s face was one of abject horror which faded into a strange defeated eptance "Lord Petraif I may?" a voice called out from the back of the room. The source of the words was the boy''s father, Wayne. He stepped forward calmly. Only the sounds of nking metal could be heard in the room as he strode forward. Everyone maintained an almost reverent silence, as if they knew what was about to happen. Wayne was a very aplished swordsman, was the guard captain, and was a Master Rank warrior, which made him one of the strongest fighters in the domain. Richard''s brother began to open his mouth and speak, but one look from the Lord of the house shut him up quickly. "Ignorance of thew indeed does not absolve guilthowever, guilt should be ced upon the source. Especially if someone else manipted him intomitting the crime. For years I have exposed Lucius to the truth. The truth of how people like him are treated. "For years I trained him and groomed him to be a survivor. I told him every day that in his trial he must do anything it takes to survive, no matter what it takes" Everyone listened to the warrior speak. They all knew what he was doing. Even Rubellia, who was still at the back of the room, seemed aware of what was happening. It appeared that they both resigned themselves to this fate as if it were always a possibility. "It is well-known that my father was also marked, and so I have a soft spot for people like him. Of course, Lucius is my only son as well, so I did what I could to give him the best life one like him can have. As suchhis actions were not out of ignorance of thew, but rather a result of maniption by an adult who should have known better." Richard simply stood their and looked at the man who had fought beside him in countless battles. Wayne''s face was that of stone-cold resolution. His words, his posture, and his eyes begged no other options. Wayne was willing, ready, and desired to shoulder the weight of his son''s crimes. "It is as you say, Sir Wayne. Being manipted intomitting a crime does indeed shift the me to the one who did the manipting." He muttered. "very wellmy friend. Lucius shall be absolved of guilt, and instead you, Sir Wayne of Pelith, Captain of the guard of house Petra, are hereby found guilty of inciting violence towards your lord''s family, encouraging a Marked One tomit heinous acts, and viting ournd''s sacred trials." Richard paused and took a deep breath. "You are sentenced to death." Chapter 26: Time to Collect Lucius looked at his father, distraught, tears beginning to blur his vision. "Father, no! Please, no! I did it, take me!" Lucius lunged to grab his father, but felt a sudden force throw him back across the room, only being stopped by the wall at the other end. He was forcefully deprived of all the air in his lungs from the impact. A dull throb began to take over his sternum. When he looked up, Lucius saw his father recovering from a striking position. Right before he had reached his father, Wayne delivered a powerful palm strike to his chest. Rubellia ran up to him and put her hands around him, stroking his ck hair. "It will be alright, my love." "No! Mother, please! I did it, don''t let them! Father didn''tall he wantedI should haveNO!" Despite putting everything into his struggle, his mother managed to hold him back. Whatever kind of strike his father delivered had temporarily paralyzed him. "No sto" "Lucius." Wayne interrupted. "Your mother and I were prepared for this. We discussed all possibilities. I know in ournds, our children must grow up before they are readychildren like you, doubly so. "Despite thatyou are still my son, and I wanted to give you the world if I couldbut since I can''t do that, I can at least give you a chance at life. Rubellia, be well, my love." Wayne turned his back to them and faced the Lord. "Lord Petra. I am ready." "So be it, my friend." Lord Petra drew his sword and waited for Wayne to kneel before him. Lucius could not see his father clearly through the tears streaming down his face. No matter how hard he wailed, sound seemed to note out. He couldn''t hear anything anymore, but he saw Rena desperately trying to argue with her father, tugging at his cloak and arm. She seemed desperate to do anything to stop this from happening. The Lord called for a guard to pull her away. She iled, but could do nothing towards a grown man, so she looked over at Lucius with sad eyes. "Thank you for your many years of service. Anyst words, Sir Wayne." "Yes, Lord Petra. Please continue to provide for Rubelliaand if you can, allow my son to protect the youngdy. On my honor, he will protect her till his dying breath. To break that promise, he would spit on my grave." Wayne looked at his son as his words echoed throughout the chamber. All Lucius could do was nod in confirmation. If his father demanded itthen as repayment for his sacrifice, he would do as requested. "If that is your dying wish my old friendSo be it." Richard von Petra sighed. He raised his sword hand and with one quick sh of light, it disappeared and then reappeared on the other side of Wayne. For a moment nothing happened, but then Wayne''s head slowly slid off his neck and rolled along the floor. There was a wet thud as his body soon toppled. Lucius felt his mother''s hands tighten around him, pulling him closer into his embrace. The entirety of the world turned into a blurry mess. Tears fell onto his hands as he sobbed. His hair became wet as his mother too grieved at the loss of her husband. For an hour the two wailed and sobbed until there was nothing left inside them to cry. They continued to sit there with shaking and trembling shoulders. Life, for a moment, felt meaningless to both of them. Rubellia of course whispered into Lucius ear that she did not me him and that they knew this would happen one day. No, she med the world. Not Lord Petra. Not Lucius. Of course he was inclined to agree with her. It was this world''s fault. All because he was born differentlywith power they fearedthough unlike his mother, Lucius also med himself for not being strong enough to survive this without resorting to his mark''s power. Lord Petra and Rena stood in the room, still as statues. They did not move tofort the grieving duo, nor did they speak. Instead, they simply listened to mother and child break and allowed the weight of what had happened press down on them both. For a moment, everyone felt a simultaneous chill run down their spines. Though for Lucius, he also heard in his head in Grimm''s voice, ''It was time to collectand your payment was oh so sweet. Kekeke.'' "Lucius. You are to report to the manor at dawn in two days. You and Rubellia will be provided rooms here at the estate. Gather that which you value and be here. Lucius, you will serve as my daughter''s protector. Fail, and you will pay with your life, and Rubellia with hers. I am taking the final words of my friend to heart. Do not disappoint." The lord stated before leaving the room with his daughter and staff. All that remained in the room were Lucius and his mother, neither of which were eager to return home and remove all their memories from their quaint little cottage. ***** "Mylenewhat is wrong with Derrik, he seemed out of it this morning when I caught him on his way to his post. Speaking of, you also seemoff today." Adellia pressed. She had been worried about her friend sincest night after they received an urgent letter. Apparently someone paid a pretty penny to put that document in their hand quickly, so it was clear that it was important. Mylene looked at her with sad eyes. "We received poor news. A member of Derrik''s family passed away." "Oh my! Do you need time? Lyrah and I can care for ourselves while you take care of your husband." Adellia touched Mylene''s shoulder, stopping her from continuing to clean the room. "Please, Mylene, tell me." "Do you wish to know, Adellia? Truly?" "Yes." "Wayne passed away." "Oh, MyleneI know that he and Derrik were closeI am so sorry for your loss." Adellia carefully pulled Mylene into a tight embrace and felt small sobs begin to wrack her body. Natali and Lyrah peeked into the door, but closed it gently before leaving after seeing their mother''s hugging and Mylene crying. All she could do to offer her friendfort was to be there as a support. Adellia attempted to focus her thoughts on Wayne''s wife, Rubellia, and activate her mark to see if the woman would be alright. She thought that maybe it could provide some form of constion to Mylene and her husband. However, the moment she attempted to do so, she felt a strange blockage. "Hmm. That''s strange" "What is Adellia?" "OhnothingI just tried to look for something." "Mistress, did you try to look for the dream you had before Lyrah was born? You know you haven''t been able to see it again since that night." A look of consternation stered itself on the woman''s face. It was true. Ever since Mylene had taken the other child away from her that night, she had been unable to repeat the prophetic dream she had prior to their birth. She still remembered every part of the dream and every ounce of fear. The block on trying to see Rubellia felt very simr to when trying to see that dream again. This was something that struck Adellia as very odd. asionally there were things that she was not allowed to see, but it was very rare to ur. "Tell me, Mylene, how is Natali doing in her training?" "OhyesDerrik says she is doing well. She tries to be quiet, but I can hear her practicing every night in her room with her Mark of Recall." Mylene giggled. "I let her think she is seeding with hiding her secret. It''s just too cute!" "Ah, yes. They are adorable at thatageoh" Adellia began to feel faint. She moved to sit on the bed, slowly losing strength in her legs. Her vision clouded over, one of thest things she saw in the room before it with something else, was Mylene rushing over with a concerned look on her face. Once the cloudiness faded away, Adellia found herself watching over a battlefield. There was a beautiful young Lupine-Beastman with blonde hair. She had ''shifted'' to her more bestial form, which was showcased by her teeth having turned into fangs and fur covering parts of her arms and legs. She had had cute wolf-ears on her head and an adorable tail. Though, despite being so cute, Adellia noticed that the girl was covered in blood. Soon, she realized that she was observing a battlefield. The terrain was rocky and barren. Bodies were strewn across the ground. She recognized the symbols on the armor as crest of Alorek, five ck w marks. The girl wore light, leather armor and had a small shield with the face of a roaring bear, which was the symbol of the beastman nation of Eroa. "Where is that boy" the wolf-girl muttered. She was currently alone on the battlefield, surrounded by fallen soldiers. It was in as day that she was a powerful warrior. Suddenly, Adellia felt another presence on the battlefield. It was familiar, yet not, and she could not ce where she had felt it before. The wolf-girl''s ears twitched and she turned around with an excited look on her face running towards the source of the presence. She jumped into the chest of an unknown figure. For some reason, no matter how hard Adellia tried to make out what the person looked like, she could not see his face or body. All the same, the girl squeezed the waste of the boy tightly. "There you are. You were supposed to meet me a while ago." "Sorry." Even with just the one word, Adellia could tell that it was devoid of emotion. The words of a broken man. What had he seen? What had he been through to sound like that? She did not know why, but for some reason the thought of this unknown entity feeling that way, broke Adellia''s heart. A momentter, the vision faded and she opened her eyes again to see Mylene sitting beside her and dabbing her head with wet cloth. "Everything okay?" "YesI just saw a vision of a lupine-beast mana girlmaybe fifteen, sixteen? She was with a boythough I couldn''t make out his face" Adellia exined while Mylene began to write down the exnation to give to the Elders. "They stood in the middle of a rocky outcroppingit was rather barren, though littered with bodies donning the symbol of Alorek. The girl was Eroanshe had been looking for this mysterious figure, though I don''t know why." Mylene nodded along as she wrote down every detail of the vision. She then left the room and pulled a rope that was connected to a bell on a lower floor. This signaled that the Oracle had a vision and the notes from that vision were ready to be retrieved. Adellia had no idea why she had such a strange vision. It was shortand seemed pointless in a way. All it really showed was some powerful girl and a boy she seemed to have a crush onthough she could not help but wonder who that mysterious person was and why she could not make out his features. Chapter 27: New Normal [Part 1] Several weeks after Wayne''s death, Rubellia fell into a new routine. She had returned to living in the manor as she did before she married Wayne. Though now, she had a proper room and was not made to stay in the servant''s quarters. Originally, the n was for her son to stay in the room with her, but apparently the youngdy requested that he be ced in a servant''s room joined to her own. No matter how hard Rubellia thought, she could not fathom why the youngdy took such an interest in Lucius, but it was good for him. The kingdom as well as its ally nations had paused forced conscription into the military for Marked Ones, and opened avenues for them to really participate in society. They could now be adventurers and attend schoolsthough the suddenness of the change was sketchy to say the least. Prior to these changes, all that she and Wayne could have hoped for Lucius was to make it to the age of fifteen where the conscription took effectnow he had other options. Though it was always possible for him to avoid conscription by being directly brought into the service of a noble house, like what ended up happening anyways, that was not a future that she and Wayne could count on for him. Rubellia sat on the edge of her bed. It wasrge enough for two people and every day, it felt more and more empty. Every night, she would sit and think about the pastthe beautiful rose petals that Wayne had scattered on the steps of her parents'' home when he asked for her handhis handsome smile twisted into nervousness, fear, and love when holding Lucius for the first time "I miss you so much" Rubellia whimpered as she once again cried herself to sleep. ***** Richard sat in his study and sighed for the fifteenth time in just as many minutes. The documents in front of him were the same ones that he had read a few times already thanks to him being distracted. Something told him that what happened with Wayne was the wrong solution. In essence he had traded a strong, loyal warrior who was a Master Rank and traded him for a boy with an unpredictable and unknown mark as well as had Compatibility with Forsaken Arts. Ever since the boy''s recruitment as a personal attendant to his daughter he had failed to activate his mark. From the ounts of Rena, Thomas, and Lucius himself, it seems his abilities have two sides. It was very rarebut some marks have multiple abilities. Essentially a mark was a symbol from the ancient demonnguage. That power, ability, or sometimesconceptsthat those symbols represented, told you the power the mark possessed. For example, a mark that said ''fireball'' would allow the user to use that spell, even if they have zero magic capability. Sometimes these symbols had inverse definitions. Like anguage whose letter said one thing when read normally, but said the opposite when read upside down. It was thatst one that seemed to be the mark on this boy''s hand. Everyone present remembered that Lucius had called out an activation phrase for the mark before using it''s ability, which was also unique. Activation phrases were used in magic and skill activation, but not usually with marks. That was why a warrior might say "de Arts" before saying the skill, or a mage might say "mma" before using a fire spell. A mark usually has no requirements, so a mark of fireball, the user would literally just say "fireball" or sometimes, not even say anything at all. Only exceptionally powerful marks required activation phrasesso regardless of what the mark said, it was clear that Lucius had a lethal-grade power. The reason Richard was sighing while thinking about this was that he had settled the boy into a training regimen that was designed to help him activate his mark. Nothing was working though. No matter what they put him through, it resulted in nothing, and it was clear the boy was still trying. Many times he would return from his training pouring sweat and covered in bruises. He certainly did notck for effort. Though, even if he did not awaken his mark''s abilities again, he was at least still getting formal weapon training. Of course, he could not find someone to teach the boy about Forsaken Arts skills and styles. Hiring someone like that would besmirch the Petra family name merely by association. Lucius was exempt from that rule since he was a Marked One. He was not viewed by society atrge as a hireling so much as a possession or a tool, and tools themselves did not inherently possess honor. Another thing that bothered Richard was that his daughter seemed rathertaken with her new attendant. When he was not training, he was by her side. She even demanded he be ced in the servant quarters connecting to her room. There was nothing Richard could really do to stop her, as having quick ess to Rena was certainly something that a personal guard would havebut still it did unsettle him a little. Thankfully the boy did not seem to care one way or another. He seemed rather unsocialized even for amoner and did not seem to take notice of Rena''s behaviors. Rather he seemed to view it as just some quirk of nobility. Rubellia also attempted to assure him that Lucius was a good boy and would do nothing to vite Wayne''s final promise. Being reminded of Wayne''s words and promise of his son''s service did help calm Richard a little. While Lucius was surprisingly hard to read, he was very clearly a fiercely loyal boy and if that loyalty could be redirected to his daughter, it would be great for her. Richard quickly returned to his documents. In front of him was a letter confirming that a messenger from the Royal Academy in the Capital was arriving to test his daughter for her magical Compatibilities "Huhguess I should test the boy too. We only know of his currently useless mark and his Forsaken Artshe might have talent in magic." Richard mumbled Chapter 28: New Normal [Part 2] Rena winced as she watched Lucius get thrown out of the ring again. Today was hand to handbat. He was disallowed the use of his Forsaken Arts during training and was responsible for incorporating his movements with those skills on his own. None of the trainers were willing to put up with being in a match with those skills if they could avoid it. Some trainers took out their dislike of Lucius'' abilities on him while training him. Most did not even want to be in charge of teaching him at all, but were forced to do so by her father. Lucius for thest few months had been training with unarmedbat and swordbat. He also had a random old mane to try and help him activate his mark. The old man was ratherodd. His name was apparently Wace Carmichael and he was a rtive of the Carmichael family, another powerful family equal in strength to the Petra family. Wace wasan odd duck to say the least. To Rena, he looked like your typical great-grandpa with a long white beard, balding head, and too many wrinkles to count. Yet despite his obvious age, he moved around like a young man. He was also quite the aplished mage, being a King Rank magician with Compatibilities with all four Elemental magics; fire, water, earth, and wind, as well as all four Transcendent magics; magma, ice, thunder, and metal. He spent most of his life as a researcher and was absolutely obsessed with marks, especially strange and unknown ones like Lucius'' mark. "You okay?" Rena asked the boy who hadnded on the ground next to her. They were using the training room that she had used since she received special permission from her father. "Eurgh" Lucius groaned and wretched. However, he did not respond and simply got up from the ground. Rena could tell he was starting to get a little mad because his extra canine teeth started to sharpen, and his eyes began to glow. As a half-beastman he could not ''shift'' like a normal beastman could. He also wouldn''t gain any crazy advantages like a normal beastman either, his senses would improve, but his body strength, agility, all pretty much stayed the same or only improved slightly. A full-blooded beastman who shifted would double, triple, or in some cases quadruple all their physical abilities. Lucius had at best a chance to get a fifty percent improvement across the board. Still, the boy got up, jumped back in the ring and resumed his sparring session. The trainer got into a low stance with one palm held out, and his other hand held back in a fist. Lucius matched his stance and waited for the trainer to make the first move. She was barely able to see the trainer leap forward, leaving a cloud of dust where he was once standing. He almost instantly closed the gap between himself and Lucius, leading with a punch towards the boy''s sternum. Lucius then twisted and ducked, making the strike only catch air where he used to be. He used this opening to make an uppercut aimed at the trainer''s elbow. It seemed he was worried about striking a more vital area like the chin or throat for some reason. Maybe there was a false opening or something? Rena was not quite sure. The strike connected and resulted in a strange cracking sound. Unfortunately, the sound did note from the trainer. Rather, it came from Lucius as the unarmed master had taken advantage of Lucius exposing himself for this uppercut by striking with his opposite hand. Hended a sharp jab right into the side of Lucius'' ribcage. Once again, the boy was flung backwards, though this time he managed to recover and roll into a crouched position. He was heaving and wincing at every breath as if he might have broken something. "Ouchthat had to hurt." Rena mumbled. Which earned her a re from Lucius. The trainer grinned and leapt forward again, but even faster than before. This time he nted his foot solidly within Lucius'' sternum which sent him flying out of the ring entirely once again. He again came to a stop right next to his crimson haireddy. Rena smiled slyly and leaned down. "Nice one. I think you almost had him." She had grown ustomed to teasing him and when in private, he would tease her back. Of course, he would never do it around anyone else for fear of being overheard, but Rena did not miss the opportunity to tease him no matter where they were. Whenever they were around other people, Lucius could do nothing about her remarks other than take it. "Pftwhatever." He grumbled before spitting blood onto the ground. A maid who specialized in Light magic came over to tend to his wounds. She was a friend of Rubellia''s and had been Rena''s personal maid for her entire life. "[Lux: Advanced Heal]" Golden light shone from her hand and formed a series of orbs that floated to various parts of Lucius'' body. She made sure to heal the underlying injuries, but she left behind the bruises and scratches. Rena did not understand, but Lucius had directly requested this. Something about reminders of his loss or something like that. "Thank you so much Meriam." Lucius whispered in gratitude. It was about all he could do since he had been holding a majority of his breath so as not to hurt his broken ribs by simply breathing. "Of course. It is a pleasure to assist another of mydy''s servants." Meriam acknowledged in a monotone voice. Rena smiled at her. Even though she showed little emotion on her face or through her voice, Meriam was a very kind and gentle soul. She was happy to learn that Meriam apparently knew about Lucius'' existence for many years and had no issues working alongside him as another of Rena''s retainers. "Welltomorrow you meet up with Lord Carmichael again! Shall we return to our quarters and rest, Lucius? You seem rathertired." Rena said with a wide grin. "Ugh" the boy groaned. "Wally is back alreadythat old fogey is nuts I tell youalways poking and prodding me like I am some sort of caged animal." All Rena could do was giggle. Even Miriam had a small smile tug at her lipsor at least as much as one could on her stone face. It was true, Lord Carmichael demanded that he be called ''Wally'' instead. He had a great interest in Lucius and the fact that he had an unknown mark with inverse meanings. Rena made it a habit to attend all of Lucius'' training and education sessions because she thought it seemed fun. She particrly enjoyed the ones with Wally because he was so sweet and always brought her chocte cookies as a present. Lucius onlyined because he would only get his hands pped with a ruler for not paying attention. While Rena was busy teasing Lucius, a butler entered the room with a strange man in robes following him. "Lady Rena." The butler dered. "and LuciusLord Richard von Petra has requested that the Royal Academy of Arcadios send a representative to determine your magical Compatibilities, if any exist." The robed man produced from his clothes a white orb about the size two adult fists. One could almost mistake it for a pearl that was the color of freshly fallen snow. "Please Lady Rena von PetraI invite you to touch the orb. Nothing else is needed from you." Rena smiled because she had heard from her fatherst month that she was getting herpatibilities tested for magic. She had long given up on finding any weaponpatibilities. She had even secretly held Lucius'' machete on the off chance she did have Forsaken Arts, but that resulted in nothing. Rena eagerly walked up to the man and ced her right hand on the orb. Lucius stood directly to her diagonal, behind her, as required of his position. A moment after making contact with the orb it quickly shed several colors; a deep blue, a pale green, a dull gray, and finally a bright white. "Congrattions. It seems you have Compatibilities in Water, Wind, Metal, and Light magics Lady Rena." The robed man said with a bow. "Yay!" she shouted as she jumped up and down for joy. "Okay, okay Your turn Luciuswhat kind of awesome skills does my personal guard have?!" The robed man rose from his bow and casually offered the orb to Lucius, who casually ced his right hand on it. For a moment nothing happened, then it began to yellow hue before fading into nothing and returning to its original state. "It looks like the boy has Compatibility with one magic, Thunder Magic. Extremely rare for humans, but it appears you have beastman lineage? Still even for them it is rather rare. Congrattions." "Oh my you are so cool Lucius!" Rena said excitedly, momentarily forgetting she was aroundpany. Miriam and the butler gave her a raised brow, but said nothing. Lucius of course shook his head at her, but smiled nheless. As for Rena she could not take the massive grin off of her face that she finally had skills to master. She was also a little sad since she would not be able to spend as much time watching Lucius train though, since she would likely receive tutge from a personal instructor as well. Chapter 29: Tea and History "Mistress, please." Natali whispered. "Oh,e on Natali, can it with the mistress crap! We''ve known each other for our whole lives!" Lyrah stated. She eyed her best, and only, friend with mild annoyance. As per usual, there was no reaction. Her face was as stoic as ever. Natali had a problem with expressing how she was feeling with both her words and her face. Granted the words part was hard for her since she still struggled with her childhood injurybut that did not exin why she couldn''t fix her face. All Lyrah could do was sigh in resignation. They were currently sitting on the balcony of the Oracle''s tower enjoying some tea together and chatting about the same things they always talked about, Lyrah''s dreams and prophecies. She was still receiving training from her mother on how to interpret prophecies appropriately so she was not required to report any of them to the elders like her mother was. However, if in the process of determining what the interpretation of a prophecy was they found out that it was important, they would still provide notice just in case. Unlike her mother, she was also still unable to purposefully trigger her dreams. While neither of them could choose to receive a new revtion, their mark does allow them to see a previous revtion again at will. It was this along with interpretation that her mother was still trying to help Lyrah with. "MistreLyrah." Natali interjected. "Have you had any more ofthosedreams? You knowthe ones abouthim?" Natali maintained her expressionless face, but she began to fidget in ce a little and fumble with her hands. Lyrah could not help but squee in her own mind at how adorable her friend was. "No new ones again unfortunatelyyou know I''m starting to get a little jealousare you developing a crush on the broody bad boy? What are you going to do if you ever meet him?" "Idon''t know" Natali whispered. Lyrah smirked and sipped her tea. They were thirteen now and after all these years, her friend''s interest in the boy had basically developed into an obsession. It would be a few years until it happened, but if her dreams were right, Lyrah already knew what Natali would do after finally meeting this strange boy. "Never mind that now I guess" She said with a dismissive wave of her hands. "How has training with your father been going? "Mmmgood. I broke into the Beginner Rank yesterday. Father thinks at this rate I might make Intermediate before we are eligible for the Royal Academy. My mark pairs amazingly well with my Dagger Arts." Lyrah had learned that Natali not only had Dagger Arts, but it was also found out she could use both water and ice magic. Unfortunately for Lyrah, she had no Compatibilities with any Arts or magic. Granted, Lyrah would never be required to fight anyone since she was the next Oracle, but it still made her pout. "Mistress, you are pouting like a child." Natali pointed out. "I am a child! And so are you!" sheined with her lower lip sticking out even more. At this point, she was d that Natali could still onlymunicate at a whisper level. Around two years ago, when Natali was around eleven still, she started being able to whisper a sentence at a time without pain. Now she could carry on hours long conversations, though increasing volume seemed impossible for her to do. The moment she did try to speak any louder than a whisper, her voice would crack and disappear. Strangely, this did not apply to activation phrases for her Arts or her magic "MistressI believe it is time for us to return to our studies. We have dyed long enough." "NooooI don''t wanna." Lyrah whined. "Mistress. If you wish to ever attend the Royal Academy, then you must keep up with your studies. You were lucky to be granted the opportunity to attend, where your mother was never able. Do make sure to take advantage of your circumstances and do not dither them away." "Ughfine." Both girls looked at each other and giggled before pulling out their notebooks and returning to studying their notes. Their current focus was on ancient religious history, specifically the Age of Strife. This was entry level knowledge that was required to be known by any potential student to any educational institution in the world. From what Lyrah had learned so far, the Age of Strife ended over two-thousand years ago when thest Great Demon fell in battle. For five hundred years before that, the demons ruthlessly ruled over the other mortal races with an iron fist. The other races served one purpose, to be pawns in games of war between other demons, not unlike how Marked Ones are treated today. Demons rose to power over the other races when they tricked the gods into blinding themselves to the events of the earthen ne. No one knows how they did it, but it was believed the demons had ess to a power separate from the mana that empowered Arts and magic that the other races could use. It was originally thought that the demons had gone extinct and were hunted down to thest being, but a few hundred years after thest Great Demon fell, and thest bastions of their civilizations had been overgrown by nature, the Marked Ones first appeared; children born with symbols of the demon''snguage permanently adorning the skin on their left hand. The first children born this way had their hands removed, but the marks would return elsewhere on the child''s body, only being stopped when the child themself was dead. Only at that point was it finally realized that some demons had to have hidden among the other races and spread their seed amongst the popce. Soon the other races began putting Marked Ones to death at birth, but the number born continued to rise. Finally, it was decided that they could be put to use the way the other races were used by the demons; pawns in war. "Do we really have to know all this Nataliit is sooo depressing to have to read all this stuff about our marks." Lyrah whined yet again. Natali simply sighed. "Yes mistress." Chapter 30: The Adventurers Guild "Heywake up." "Mmm" "Dumbass, get out of bed or I''m going to zap you." "as if you could, you useless cat." Rena finally mumbled as she pushed away the finger prodding her cheek. Today was like any other day, she simply wanted to sleep inte, but her annoying, formerly feral cat was once again pestering her for his morning meal. "Assanyway if you don''t get up we will bete getting to the guild, you still wanted to join right? You have been pestering your father for permission for a few years now for itbut I know you noble girl types; so quick to change your mind on a whim." Instantly, Rena shot up and threw off her nkets. The covers softlynded on Lucius'' head, covering himpletely. He did not move to remove it because he was aware that his mistress was currently changing while he was in the room. Rena giggled with excitement as she quickly changed out of her nightclothes and into her adventurer outfit. She put on a in white shirt and skin-tight pants that allowed her a full range of movement while still providing at least some barrier between her skin and the elements. Over the shirt was a lightly padded leather chest piece that protected her chest and abdomen. Her legs had leather shin guards, thigh guards, and simple leather boots. Finishing off the ensemble were a set of bracers, fingerless gloves and a light cloak with a hood. Essentially, she looked like a blend between a mage and a scout. This was her preferredbat uniform since she was a midrange fighter despite only having Compatibilities in magic. Other than magic, her other specialty was strategy and she did her best in the midrange, being able to rapidly respond to problems as they ur and instantly issue orders. When she was finally finished changing, she walked over and pulled the nket''s off of her friend''s head. Underneath it was a pair of shining eyes, an annoyed face, and ruffled, unkempt hair. "You really should be more presentable, you know. You are a servant of the illustrious house Petra." Rena giggled as she teased out Lucius'' hair to put it back into a somewhat presentable fashion. The boy normally kept slightly longer hair that he mostly finger brushed for a few seconds once he got out of bed. "My hair was fine before you covered me with a nket you know." "You preferred that I didn''t cover your face? What a perverted thought about your benefactor." "Shut up." Luciusughed. Rena gave him a small smile. He had served as her bodyguard for the better part of four almost five years. Their current rtionship started off thanks to running into each other during a deadly trial in the woods outside their hometown, and then proceeded to end with his father''s death by her father''s hand Thinking back on things like this gave her a sense of guilt every time.She also had vague memories of being forced into a promise of protecting Lucius by whatever dark entity was in the woods with them that day, but honestly that promise had basically no impact on why she chose to be his friend instead of just protecting him. All of these thoughts passed through her mind as she bid goodbye to several of the staff on her way out of the manor. She followed Lucius as he led the way through town. It was rtively early in the morning for her, but apparently for themon people in town, this was already a booming and active part of the day. The cobblestone street down the main thoroughfare was littered with people visiting stalls, shops, and barsthough for the life of her, Rena could not understand the need to drink at so early in the morning. "Hey, Lucius." Rena asked. "Are you really sure you are okay with joining the Adventurer''s guild?" She was worried about him because despite having shown his strength in the woods so long ago, he had not been able to advance beyond the Novice Rank. Rena had advanced into the Beginner Rank a long time ago and was currently well on the path to Intermediate already. On top of that, even though he had Compatibility with Thunder magic, he had still yet been able to activate a spell of any kind. "Yeah, it should be fine. I canpensate for my rank a little bit thanks to my beastman senses. I make a good scoutbesides I have to follow you around wherever I go, don''t I?" "Aww what a sweet kitty you are!" Rena giggled, which earned her a loud groan. He was not wrong though. Lucius'' exceptional sense of sight, smell, and hearing were a boon to any group wanting to track creatures or people. His body was also built for it since he was tall and lean. Essentially the boy had the perfect build for the job. He could also at least hold his own against Beginner rank fighters long enough to escape or hold out for help. Rena found herself lost staring at his back, tracing his muscles outlined by his clothes that had grown tighter around his upper body "Hey, weirdo, you there?" Lucius'' voice snapped her back to the present. "Huh, wha?" "I said we are here like five times, but you were just zoning out." In front of them was arge, stone building with giant oak doors. One was currently propped open and a number of strange looking people kept walking in and out of it. They varied from massive warriors carrying axes the size of Rena''s whole body, to short and thin mages equipped with only robes. This had to have been the first time that she had seen so many different types of people in one ce. There were plenty of humans and a few elves. She also kind of expected to see beastmen, but apparently they don''t tend to make it this far into human kingdoms due to general racial issues. It made sense though, the same could be said for humans when one got deep into beastman or elf territories. "So this is it, huh?" "Yep. The Adventurer''s guild you''ve been begging your father to let you join for several years. Every bit as grand as you expected?" Rena sighed. "It is actually rather in, though the people seeminteresting." "Wee to reality, Rena." A small blush came to her cheeks. It did not happen often because of their respective positions, but she loved to hear her namee from Lucius'' mouth. ''Thank the gods he isn''t looking at me right now.'' She thought. "Anyway, what was the n again?" "We were going to be adventurers, earn the rights to enter the dungeon between here and the capital, then fight through the dungeon until the next Grand Raid." She nodded in affirmation. A Grand Raid was supposed to be happening in a handful of months. It was a massive raid on a dungeon where arge group of adventurers would band together to fight through the dungeon in an effort to get as deep as possible into its depths. Dungeons were rather strange phenomenon in this world. Many were small, and consisted of only a handful of floors, but some had dozens or even up to a hundred. Those dungeons were named, and no one had ever made it to the bottom. Monsters in the dungeons would regenerate over time, allowing people to constantly fight them for experience and high-quality materials. The Grand Raid that they were trying to get into was for the named dungeon between the Petra domain and the capital of Arcadios. It was known as the Demon''s Stomach thanks to its nightmarish creatures and the unfortunate habit it had of absorbing fallen adventurers'' bodies and equipment. --------------------------------------------------- A/N: Interested in Discord? Here you go! Chapter 31: Entry Exams [Part 1] "Wee to the Pelith Adventurer''s Guild. Are you here to submit a workpletion form or do you need to sell materials?" a in looking woman said who was standing behind a short wooden counter. Then entire first floor of the building was an open concept and at the far end taking about a quarter of the length of the back wall was a wooden u-shaped counter. There were about ten receptionists lined along the counter and each one had a line. Lucius and Rena had to wait for almost a half hour just to get up to the desk. "No, we are here to join up as new adventurers." Rena stated with an equalck of energy as the receptionist had. The woman sighed which was followed by a cacophony of groans from behind them as the others in line shifted to other lines. The receptionist pulled out a few documents and put them in two neat piles next to each other. "First fill those out. If you can''t read, then it will be two copper pieces for me to help you one on one, if you can, then just fill them out here. I will step away to locate a proctor." Lucius and Rena each took a packet of documents as well as a quill each to begin filling out the forms. They asked simple things like name, race, Arts, magic, and also mark. Thatst one was thetest addition they had only been asking for during thest couple of years. Prior to that, Marked Ones were not allowed to register as full-fledged adventurers. Outside of private employment with nobles or extremely wealthy merchant families, Marked Ones of age to be an adventurer were already conscripted. Lucius easily filled out the documents on his own thanks to the fact that his mother and father were adamant that he learn how to read and do basic math, like addition and subtraction. Rena also knew how to fill out the forms because she was a noble. The other pages were filled with the documents only applicable to children of nobles that consisted of a bunch of agreements promising the families of any nobility that died while adventuring would not seek out damages against the institution. These obviously did not apply to Lucius, but they did for Rena, so it took her a few extra minutes to read through them all. While they were working through the paperwork, the receptionist''s ''search'' for their exam proctor consisted of her shouting out several times if someone of Advance Rank or higher was interested in doing it. Lucius hoped that inrger cities, the guild had actual designated staff to do such a thing, but something also told him that was not really a likely scenario. A young, adult womanmaybe just around twenty, ended up being the person to volunteer. She was dressed as your typical adventurer, in a mix of leather armor and a smattering of metal ting over the important bits. The outfit was protective, but still kept many of her joints just clear enough to not hinder any freedom of movement. Honestly, to Lucius, she was a rather attractive young woman, though the massive sword on her back that felt like it was as tall as he was, kept him from having any hormone driven thoughtsmostly. "Heya brats. Looks like I''ll be in charge of your exam. The name''s Jen. As you can tell by the weapon on my back, I use the two-handed version of Sword Arts." "My name is Lucius. And this is Rena." "A pleasure, Jen." Rena acknowledged with a curtsy. "Eh cut that shit out. I recognize the hair from the lords house, but quit it with the manners here. You leave the noble shit at the door. Got it?" Jen huffed. "Right." Rena answered resolutely. Next, they turned in their papers to the receptionist and went to follow Jen into another room, where she exined the ins and outs of the way things work. Were they to pass their exams and be epted into the guild, the rules would be a good thing to be aware of. Apparently, the way ranking worked in the guild was very easy. Your guild rank matched your warrior or mage ranking. Essentially if you were a Master Rank swordsman, you were considered a Master Rank adventurer. Most jobs and quests to hunt down ingredients and monsters were also not locked down by rank. So, if a Novice Rank kid wanted to track down an S-Rank monster, the guild would let them sign up for it. If they wised up and quit before dying, they would pay a fee to the guild, and if they diedwell natural selection took its course. Next, whenpleting a quest, an adventurer was not allowed to ask clients for additional rewards, mary or otherwise, outside what was promised in the initial posting. Such behavior would result in the cement of a bounty for either capture or killing depending on the severity. Gifts of gratitude were an exemption from this rule. Thirdly, any items or resources found or obtained through the process ofpleting a quest belonged to the adventurer and their party. This meant any monster materials, rare alchemical ingredients, or items found belonged to the guild. Of course this did not apply if the quest were to have been for the specific procurement of those items, in which keeping them would result in charges of theft. Thest few things were rtively simple; don''t steal quests, money, or items from other adventurers, don''t attack other adventurers, and don''t ''camp'' on quests. ''Camping'' on a quest was when someone would register for a quest then wait out the deadline to prevent someone else from taking it. Experienced adventurers have done this to bully weaker ones by making them lose out on jobs. "And that about sums it all up. It make sense to you two?" Jen said with a wave of her hand. She sat in a chair across from them at a circr table while exining the ins and outs of how the ce worked. In one hand was a mug of ale that she asionally sipped from and the other she had some strange smelling jerky. Lucius had killed some of his sense of smell to be able to handle being around so many sweaty warriors and dead carcasses that were being harvested, but he could still smell the strange odor wafting from the oddly purple cured meat that Jen was happily munching on. "Yeah that makes sense to methough I do have one question." Rena answered. "Shoot, kid." "What is that you are eating? It looks odd." "Smells like ass" Lucius mumbled. "Oh? You can smell it? Must be part beastman then." Jenughed as she waved the meat around with her hand. "This here is Swamp Rat jerky. The curing process takes away most of the odor of the meat, at least enough of it to not bother humans and elves. Tastes like shit, but you won''t find a better food to restore mana." "Most of the odor?" Rena asked while patting Lucius on the back. He was probably seconds from vomiting if Jen kept waving it around like that. "Yeah for some reason, beastmen hate the stuff. From lupines and felines, to rhino and reptilian beastmen, it drives all of them up the wall." Jenughed again, before she tossed the jerky across the room. It made arge arc andnded right into a garbage container that was set up at the end of the bar on the opposite side of the building. "Thank you." Lucius sighed. "Sure, kid. Shoulda'' guessed ''cus of those freaky eyes you got. Anywayfor your exam you are going to tell me your ranks then you are gonna prove them to me by hunting down a monster of my choosing. Pass, you get a card. Fail, you pay a gold to the guild the next time you waste our time." Chapter 32: Entry Exams [Part 2] "Alright, I''m a Novice Rank warrior. My mark is unknown, but estimated to be Lethal Rank." Lucius said in a heartbeat. "Oh, ho? Lethal, eh? Interesting. Kind of sad that you are Novice though, I meane on, at your age you should be decently into Beginner by now." Jen stated as she put a strange box on the table. "Alright, now you girl." "Beginner Rank mage." Rena answered. "See, kid, that''s normal. Alright, each of you put a hand on the box, one at a time though please." Jen said casually. Rena was the first toply and reached towards the box and ced her hand on top of it. An opaque white mist formed above the center of the table and showed information about Rena''s rank and Compatibilities. "Alright, no Arts, but you got Water, Wind, Metal, and Light magic. Nice going girl, that''s some good shit. Alright, time for the disappointment, go on kid." Jen said with a low whistle, and following up with an insult to Lucius. Rena retracted her hand and stifled a small giggle seeing Lucius'' eye twitch at being bullied by the pretty adventurer. He ced his hand on the box, and waited for the mist to appear. For a few moments nothing happened. "Uh" "Give it a minute, the marks always take a minute for the box to figure out." "Okay" After he acknowledged Jen, the mist started to appear as well and showed Lucius'' skills. "Alright, we gotOh Thunder magic, that''s a rare one." Jen mumbled, reading aloud. "Forsaken Arts, sucks for you but hey if it worksHalf-Beastman from a feline lineage, coulda guessed. And for your markoh? That''s odd" "You''re right, it isn''t showing my markI thought this would identify it for me." He said. "No, not that you idiot. If this could identify unknown marks, we wouldn''t be able to afford one. It only identifies known ones. What''s odd is that it''s showing two sets of question marks instead of the one." "Oh, that''s all? It is an inverse mark. Two abilities. Neither of which I can activateat least not for thest few years." Jen stared at the letters projected by the magical mist for a few moments, pondering something. "Welp, that was fun, but looks like you weren''t lying about your ranks, so how''s about we go and track down a monster for you guysI''m thinking since you came in together you want to form a party?" "Yes." They said in unison. "Cute. Okay then, lets find someoh! Dire rats. They''ve been causing problems in the farms outside of town and the current quests aren''t really able to keep up with the current poption boom. That should be good to see both your skills." Jen said with a grunt as she stood and began to walk away. Rena grabbed Lucius by the arm and dragged him after Jen. The veteran adventurer had no intentions of slowing down just for them to catch up, but guided them through the streets until they reached the outer walls. The gates were open with one side allowing travelers inside the gates after inspection, and the other being a simple exit. Jen casually shed a small, metal te at the guards on the exit side, who nodded and nced quickly and uncaringly at Rena and Lucius who had finally caught up with her. The Dire Rats that Jen requested they hunt were rather weak monsters. In a direct confrontation, they were as weak as fighting amon house dog, which was also about how big they were. However, they were still F-Rank beasts due to their penchant for sneaking up on enemies and their ability to hide. They also dug burrows into the ground for hiding, storing food, and raising their young. Dire Rats came into being as a mutation of amon rat and still asionally pop up in towns now and then because of that, though they were also able to proliferate on their own in grasnds, meadows, and lightly wooded areas. One of the things they were best known for was destroying crops and attacking domesticated livestock like chickens, sheep, pigs, and calves. They were omnivorous and ate basically anything they were able to gnaw on. Just as normal rats spread disease, Dire Rats also carried severalmon infections, so it was important to have items, potions, or mages capable of curing poisons and diseases; something Rena was more than capable of doing. "How far out are we heading?" Lucius asked. "Only a few minutes, the farm facing some issues right now is just a short walk up the road here. Also, get your asses up here, this is your test, so you should take the lead. Do you know your positions?" Jen shouted back to them. She was walking with both hands behind her head and strolling along as if this were a leisurely trip through the countryside. "I''m a scout. I can fight pretty well, but don''t have the power to truly back it up. With support from at least one other person of Novice rank or better, I can hold up against a Beginner Rank. Thanks to my blood though, no one in the Petra domain hold a candle to my eyes, ears, and nose." Lucius said with a smile. Rena also grinned along with him, saying, "And I am a midrange mage. Strategy is my forte, and I''ve trained to cast spells at that range pretty reliably." Jen gave out a low whistle. It was very umon for a mage to fight anywhere but the rear line, something that was as much a result of necessity as it was a result of cowardice. This was something Lucius knew as well, but Rena learned a bit about magic from their shared tutor Lord Wace CarmichaelratherWally. Thinking about the crazy old man sent slight shivers up his spine because it reminded him of his delirious cackles while forcing Lucius to dodge lightning bolts, fire spears, and giant iciclessometimes all at once. Jen gave him a strange look. "Sooo anyway, scout. Get up in front of us and do the scouting thing. Keep an eye and ear out for any Dire Rats. It is possible we make contact with them prior to arriving at the farm since we don''t know where their nest is." "Oh, you don''t? It''s over there." Lucius said with a cocked head. He thought the guild knew where it was and was just testing them. He pointed to a lightly wooded divot on the side of the road filled with reeds and muck that had yet to drain from thest rain. He had heard their squeaks, chitters, and gnawing sounds for thest several hundred feet. Once again Jen gave him an incredulous look. "Right" "Oh hey Rena, do the thing. It should flush them out." He suggested casually. Rena thought for a moment, smiled, then nodded. "[Aqua: Downpour]" At the Novice Rank, that particr spell was good basically only good for getting someone soaked as a prank. It was basically as effective as stacking a water bucket over a slightly open door. That changed though at the Beginner Rank, where the caster could elongate the casting time. It still provided no damaging force, but it was able to fill a space with water rather quickly. Since the burrow entrance seemed to be slightly up the side of the gutter off the side of the road, they needed to fill it quickly with a bunch of water. This would cause water to start filling the burrow and flush out the beasts. "Wait a minute! If you do that, we don''t know how many wille rushing out! If they swarm us that could end badly." "Don''t worry, from the sounds of it there are probably five or six, not including the pups. We can eliminate those after though." Lucius said. "Well alright then" Jen muttered, mildly impressed, which earned another giggle from Rena after showing yet another person how amazing her ''pet cat'' really was. Chapter 33: Adventurers Life Jen watched as the ditch on the side of the road rapidly filled with water. She honestly never thought about using magic to flush Dire Rats out of their dens. Normally when the little shitheads retreated under the ground, that was it. They wouldn''t use that entrance again and would dig a new burrow exit elsewhere. This new revtion on fighting amon pest brought a huge smile to her face. It seemed these newbies had something to offer after all. Though, it still remained to be seen if the boy''s estimates on the number of monsters was urate. If she was being honest, she was more than skeptical. Jen knew that beastmen had excellent senses, but this was a bit much, and that was not including the fact that this kid was only a half-blood. Suddenly, from her peripheral vision, she noticed that Lucius'' head snapped towards the center of the road. His eyes and head seemed to track something under the ground until his eyes once againnded on the ditch. "Heads up, here theye." "Alright, thanks Lucius. I''ll keep the watering to make sure we really drown them out if you can keep them off me?" "Got it." Jen watched as the boy sank into an odd crouching position with his machete drawn in his right hand. His left pulled back and held in a w-like position. She had seen this before as it was a fighting style used by many different beastmen. It was a style based on instinct and not training, so most armies did not utilize it. A few moments after Rena''s orders, two massive gray rats the size of arge dog crawled over the edge of the road. They made loud squeals not unlike a wounded pig when they saw the three humans. The first one that made it onto the road lunged at Jen while the second lunged directly at Lucius. "[Forsaken Arts: Goring Rush]" Luciusunched forward, spraying dirt behind him and almost flew towards the rat charging Jen. His de was held out and had taken on a dull glow as it was enhanced by the mana infused into it from his Art. The Dire Rat he targeted noticed the sword and jumped to the left and out of its reach. However, the moment Lucius flew past it, the glow in the sword vanished and suddenly reappeared around his hand. His fingernails rapidly took on a w like appearance as they dug into the rat''s flesh and rend through fur, skin, and muscle. By the time Lucius finished flying past the monster, it had five massive shes down its side all pouring blood. From the lower two shes, guts began to spill onto the ground. Jen watched as he came to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust before once againunching away, this time back at the rat that he left behind. This time he flew over it''s head, creating an opening for Rena whounched a spell at it. "[Ferrum: Iron Bullet]" Her concentration on the water spell ceased, and a small metal ball the size of a fistunched towards the Dire Rat Lucius flew over. Since it was distracted by its targetunching over its head, the spell connected with the side of it''s face and turned it to mush. "Good one Rena! Three more en route. They should be thest ones, after that there are a handful of pups in the depths." Sure enough, another secondter three more sets of ws reached over the side of the road and ''roared'' with all the ferocity a dog-sized rat could muster. "Lucius, hold ''em for me." "Got it." Once again, he charged at the enemies, though this time he moved at a more normal pace. With all her experience, she could tell the boy wasn''t tired, which meant that he was holding back this time on purpose. All three rats jumped at the boy who made himself a clear and easy target. Without much effort he quickly blocked each wed strike, leaving a shower of sparks with each one. "For a Novice, he fight''s pretty damn good" Jen muttered in appreciation. Rena had been gathering mana in her body for a particrly strong spell, or what she would consider one. Her concentration caused a faint collection of glitter-like particles to hang in the air around her. "Lucius, now! [Ferrum: Spike Field]" The red-headed beauty ce a hand on the ground at the same time her partner leapt into the air. A trail of metal surged from her hand and in a line towards the rats. When it was only a few inches away from them, massive spikes sprouted at every angle from the line of metal. Instantly, all three rats squeaked in pain and twitched on metal spikes for a few moments beforeing still. A few secondster when she was satisfied they were well and truly dead, the girl released the spell, causing the metal to evaporate into mana and vanish. She then went over to the side of the ditch and looked around for a few minutes with Lucius. When they located the actual opening to the burrow, Rena repeated the same water spell from before. She held the spell for a few minutes before following up with an ice spell. "[cies: Freezing Touch]" Pale blue light glowed from her finger tip, which she pressed into the surface of the water filling the ditch and burrow. All of the liquid rapidly turned to ice, and with a satisfied, yet tired look, Rena sat down on the ground. "And that should take care of the pups. One nest down. Did we pass?" Jen smiled at the two. "Sure." ***** Ten people stood around a campsite several miles outside of arge city called Lelvern. It was arge trading city in the kingdom of Arcadios and was, like essentially the entirety of Arcadios, surrounded by forests and farnd. Thomas who had lived in the town of Pelith for his entire life was bored of the constant trees and greenery, having desired for something more exciting once bing an adventurer. Of course, the red-headed boy had no intentions of staying an adventurer, it was simply a request by his father to join his older brother''s party to train and earn entry into the Grand Raid in a few months. He had already been an adventurer for a little over a year how and was very close to being granted entry. Simon, his brother, already had a spot for himself, so if he did not also get one, his brother would remain a step ahead. All of this was for one single purpose though, to gain wealth and power for their branch of the Petra family. They had given up attempts on Rena''s life since the forest trial attempt ended in such spectacr failure. They also could not touch her adopted body guard since the boy''s father, a powerful warrior of the domain, sacrificed his own life to pay for the lives of two young children who, technically, failed their trial. In reality, the domain would have been better off by keeping Wayne over the two boys, Vik and Peter, but since the blood price was paid, and with interest, there was no recourse for going after the marked half-blood. Thomas muttered various profanities under his breath while he chewed on dry jerky and stale bread. This fair was far from what he would prefer, and he still had not gotten used to it. This was the adventurer lifebut why did it have to suck so bad. "Come on everyone, lets move out. We still have a few more Dire Wolves pups to hunt down. Cant let them grow up and pose more of a threat than they already do." The party leader, Simon von Petra called out. Thomas grumbled yet again and readied his sword. "Bunch of bullshit." Chapter 34: Preparations Aleksander Verall von Arcadios was a regal looking man. One look at his facial features, outfit, and general aura and they could recognize him as royalty. He had been bred and raised to be as such, being formed from a young age to inherit the responsibilities of his greatnd. From birth he was given the responsibilities to govern the masses and ensure that his children''s children had a ce to live. Yet, all those decades of experience, education, and drive failed time and time again to steel his nerves against the whispers of war. Years ago, they had announced major changes to thew and incorporated Marked Ones into various aspects of society to ''train them'' to be stronger. The government had to focus their coins on strengthening their true soldiers, fortifying cities, and stocking up weapons and relieve supplies. As such, there was no room left in the budget to spend military funding on supporting those creatures, so it was best to let them train themselves. Despite knowing that, he despised the idea of letting them have the run of his kingdom unchecked. Aleksander sighed and picked up his morning coffee for a sip. He also grabbed a set of documents that had beenid beside it for him to read. They contained information on additional troop movements by Alorek. It seemed that the problematic beastman nation was still maintaining arge ''warning force'' on their border with Arcadios'' ally kingdom of Eroa. It had reached a level that maintained a threatening presence, and since then ceased to grow. The force bordering the Five Kings Union, however, continued to grow year by year. By this point, it had almost developed into a town made up entirely of soldiers and mercenaries. Like Arcadios the other four human nations had been building up their armies and followed the samews. For the most part, themon people seemed to adapt well. The Adventurer''s guild especially seemed to adapt easily to the changes. A few of therger yers in the organization had also sent formal requests to the Union to maintain these policies after the war. Aleksander shuffled to the next set of documents after taking another sip of his coffee. This set discussed some of the ns regarding various requests for entrance into the dungeons. He recently approved the Adventurer''s Guild to host a Grand Raid of about a hundred and twenty adventurers into the infamous Demon''s Stomach. This deadly dungeon was a short way outside the capital of Arcadios and was a great resource for the kingdom to continually harvest rare resources from for the purposes of making enchanted armors, weapons, and various alchemical concoctions. Normally, the guild was allowed free reign to simply allow their parties to enter the dungeon as they will, but for something as lucrative as a Grand Raid, they needed permission. Aleksander smiled because he had been all too happy to agree. The terms were rather good for him since the guild would turn over fifty percent of all resources gathered in the run to the kingdom without him having to worry about losses to his forces. These current documents detailed a few notable people that had been granted passes for entry. About a quarter of the slots were filled by well-known and powerful parties before being made public, and the guild allowed additional parties to fight for the chance to raid it. Even though it was only ny slots, they were filling somewhat slowly due to the dangers of this particr dungeon. It was deadly enough to have been given a name, something most dungeons do not get. "Steward!" Aleksander shouted. A momentter, a scrawny man in a nice suit and sses walked through the door. "My liege, how may I assist?" "Fetch the generals for a war council. I would hear the state of our forces this afternoon." "As youmand." ***** A beautiful, buxom womany in arge, circr bed covered in pure, white silk sheets. From the outside, one could only observe the shadows of her form due to the veil that surrounded the massive bed. A light haze also filled the room due to arge collection of incense burning in the corners of the room. The womanzily climbed out of bed, loosely tightening the waist band on a thin robe she draped over herself. Somehow she managed to disentangle herself from the other two bodies in the bed, a young man and woman who had stayed the night with her. Lady Voltara al Famyn stretched her armszily and walked over to a desk in the corner. A maid stood beside it and bowed while gesturing with a single hand to a cup of tea awaiting her. "Thank you very much my sweet." Voltara cooed while running a finger across the maid''s cheek, which brought a faint blush to her face. The maid bowed even deeper and excused herself quietly from the room and closed the door behind her. Voltara silently sprinkled a special, gray powder into the liquid and around the rim of the cup. After a few moments, nothing happened, so she proceeded to enjoy the drink. Many people were after her life and this poison detecting powder was a personal concoction from her family that she used before eating or drinking anything. She sighed to herself, enjoying quietly the rose tea she requested every morning. After that, she clothed herself and left the room to prepare for the day. Following her from behind, but maintaining a safe distance and hidden in the shadows was her personal bodyguard. He was a powerful assassin specializing in Dagger Arts and Dark magic. He also had a very useful mark, being the Mark of True Sight. Unlike most leaders in the Union, Lady Voltara did not really care much about Marked Ones. She put on a front around nobility of her own and other kingdoms, but for her, they were just as much a tool as everyone else in the world was. Voltara smiled because she even viewed herself as a tool. In truth, every person was a pawn in someone else''s game. It only mattered the skill of the yer to determine which pieces would move and how. At the moment, one of her more favorite pieces was moving in the northern provinces. A mountainous region inhabited by the northern Elven Kingdom of Aedrider. Unlike your typical vision of nature loving, fair skinned beauties the elves of Aedrider were a strong sort. Though they were as limber and lithe as their names would suggest, their thin and tall frames held a surprising amount of strength. The elves of Aedrider specialized in forging powerful weapons and armor. Her favorite piece was currentlyying the groundwork for usurping a shipment of enchanted weaponry bound for Alorek through underground channels and redirecting it to Eroa. She could try to have it sent to any of the Union nations, but were the ploy to be discovered, the me would fall on Eroa. And if the ploy were to go unnoticed, then an ally in their uing war would gain strength in resources. Truly, it was a win-win situation. Chapter 35: Alorek Alorek was a nation of strength. Only the strong could live, and only the truly powerful could lead. Those whocked strength,cked rights. Such was thew of this harshnd. Alorek was a nation covered in sands, rocks, and the asional fertile oasis. Because of this unfortunate geography, most of the poption developed around these rare oases as well as along the only river that ran through thends, the Lion''s Tear. It was at the base of the mountains where the river was sourced, that the capital city of Alorek sat and built into the stone was the pce where the King and his family lived. Inside this massive and imposing building, sat upon an ornate throne was a man that easily stood over eight feet tall. His arms were as big around as a normal man''s chest. His name was Zethis of the Raging Sands. Raging Sands was the n he was born from, and is currently the leader of. His n won the rights to the throne after the death of the previous king twenty years ago. Since Zethis was the strongest of his n, that meant he was crowned king. Zethis looked down the length of his throne room, which lead directly to a balcony through a set of massive stone columns and overlooked his city. The territories of Ranging Sands were vast, and bordered the kingdom of Eroa, but also included the capital city. For thest twenty years he had worked out deals with all of thergest ns in Alorek, and those that did not deal, were forced to bow. Through these dealings he had amassed great wealth and power for the purposes of returning to their possession thends of Eroa, and if things go well, the fertile ins of the Five Kings Union. These dreams were shared by every king and queen of Alorek since their defeat in thest great war. Zethis, was different though, because he would be the one to do it. "Lord Zethis, your entertainment for the evening has been sourced." "Excellent." Zethis grinned. His cruel smile showed his extra set of canine teeth. Like all feline beastmen, he had six canine teeth, four on top, two on bottom. He stood from his seat and walked to follow the servant that had fetched him. asionally he would pass one of his many maids and concubines, giving them wink''s and silent promises of pleasant nights ahead. Despite his massively imposing figure, he was quite the handsome man. His light brown hair, dark skin, and brown eyesbined with his chiseled face to create quite the specimen. A few minutester, he walked out onto a tform that overlooked arge arena that was circr and nearly a two hundred feet in diameter. It was a private arena for noble guests of his and also served to provide himself personal entertainment. Currently standing in the center of the ring was a C-Rank beast known as a Minotaur. Approaching it was a warrior or spy captured from Eroa. It was a young man with gray hair and eyes. Zethis could not tell from this distance exactly what rank the man was, but he was strong enough to be entertaining, though likely not strong enough to survive. The minotaur was ''tamed'' by Zethis'' personal acquisition team of Dark magic users that specialized in taming contracts. He grinned cruelly again as he held up one hand. "Eroan spyfight or die." He shouted. At the word ''die'' he dropped his hand, which signaled for the monster to begin fighting. Zethis simply leaned against the railing of the balcony and watched the fight ensue. The Eroan put up quite a good fight, though it was inly obvious he specialized in speed and not power. The spy quickly darted between the legs of the massive minotaur which stood twice his height, dodging m attacks from its fists repeatedly. Normally with opponents fighting using raw power, his tactics would have been to wear the opponent out by ousting them through stamina. Unfortunately, the minotaur was beyond him in both power and stamina. He had the edge in speed, but that was useless in the long run if he couldn''t keep it up. "[Ventus: Wind de]" Several des of wind sped towards the minotaur, but they were batted away easily by it''s hand. As a follow-up attack, the beastman slid between its legs again and shed at the ankles while casting another spell. "[Ventus: Wind Strike]" That spell created a second cutting edge made of wind magic right in front of the actual weapon which allowed the user to get two shes out of a single swing. Unfortunately, all it did was leave a cut across the skin and did not cut deep enough to cause any real damage. The only thing it actually did was piss the minotaur off even more. It roared in defiance and began to stomp its feet like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Though not a graceful mode of attack, it did close out any chances for the beastman fighter to get close, so he jumped backwards to create distance. "Raaaargh!" The beastman roared and began to shift to his more powerful form. He was a lupine beastman, likely a gray wolf. His speed and strength multiplied over five-fold. "[Beast Arts: Savage w]" The beastman''s fingernails extended into sharpened ws surrounded in the dull glow of mana. He leapt towards the raging monster, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. The man continued to leap past the minotaur, pinging around the arena, stopping on the ground just long enough to make another jump. Every time he passed by the monster, he wouldnd another strike. Several seconds and dozens of strikester, the minotaur was covered head to toe in shes. However, they were barely skin deep and began to rapidly heal thanks to the monster''s powerful constitution. "Ohthat is just too unfortunate. Sad to see an Eroan warrior cannot best a single monster. End this farce. Finish him." Zethis ordered. His voice boomed throughout the arena. The moment the words reached the monster''s ears, its tantrum ended and it ran after the beastman, who was still much faster. Since it was the only tactic that seemed to work, he started his repetitive leaping attacks again. This time, the monster had learned the pattern, so on the fifth leap, it stuck out one hand, and caught the enemy in its grasp. "Fuck!" The beastman coughed. "You will fail, ZethisAlorekwon''twin" At thest word, the minotaur squeezed its hand causing the beastman''s chest to crack and cave. He coughed up blood and his eyes bulged and turned ssy. The minotaur nced at its prey uncaringly before it popped the body in its mouth and began to chew. After all, it expended some energy during the fight, and needed to refill it. Zethisughed at the spy''s final disy of bravery. "We will certainly see now won''t we? I''ll be there to see the truth at the end of this fightbut you won''t." Chapter 36: Warriors Heart "Next!" a deep and gruff voice shouted at people who appeared to be students that were waiting in groups on either side of a rectangr arena. This mock battlefield was designed to help put into practice the lessons these students have been practicing for thest few months. At the age of ten, all children in Eroa were required to join various academies that were pocketed around the kingdom. These academies trained them in the ways of war and battle. Some sses did provide education in reading and arithmetic, but the primary focus was on swordy and magic. Most other kingdoms did not open these kinds of academies up to students until they were sixteen, basically adults. Eroa did it this way because they could also monitor nutrition and training, and tailor it to the growth rate of the individual''s body from a young age. It took quite a lot of effort and funding to get off the ground, but once it had been in ce for a few generations of warriors all the ns understood its value. Sure, at one time the secret family techniques and fighting styles that used to be the only way of passing down the art ofbat were effective, but if everyone in the kingdom had a shared base knowledge, then as an army, the entire kingdom would be more effective. These were things that had been drilled into Kalliope''s head since the age of ten, and now that she was fifteen, she understood and believed in these truths with her entire being. "I said, next! That means you Kalliope!" "Sir!" She walked up to the center of the arena and bowed to her opponent. It was a student from the year above her, as were every person on the opposing team. They were in theirst year of training and soon would leave the academy and join the military or go on to live a normal life as a farmer or merchant, or something else mundane. After raising their respective heads from the bow, both students readied themselves. Today''sbat training was in unarmed fighting, so Kalliope steadied her fists and settled into a slight squat. Her opponent matched her positioning and they stared at each other, waiting for the signal to begin. The proctor for the training whistled, starting the fight. In less than an instant, Kalliope shot forward, cracking the floor beneath her feet. Her opponent jumped backwards while initiating a block in an effort to lessen the impact damage gained by Kalliope''s momentum, but still took a powerful hit to the chest. The other student coughed as the air was forcefully expelled from her lungs, but recovered quickly enough to throw a counter attack. She jumped in the air and came down with an axe kick aimed at Kalliope''s head. It was a rather slow attack, so it was dodged with ease forcing the impact into the ground. Kalliope took advantage of the slight opening to go in for a grapple, but the dust from the kick had lessened her vision and sense of smell, so the effort was in vain. Dust continued to spread with the assistance of the slight breeze and acted as a cloak for both students. Neither one seemed at the advantage at the moment. Kalliope''s ears were very sensitive naturally thanks to her lupine heritage, so they came in handy during this fight. However, the opponent was of reptilian descent so she likely had a general sense of Kalliope''s body heat. Both students appeared to circle each other for several moments before the opponent closed in on Kalliope. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. She managed to dodge a punch, then a kick, then a grapple. When the reptilian student went for the grapple, Kalliope was able to hide her footwork with the dust and trip her up just enough to create an opening for a swift chop to the neck. Without much else fanfare, the opposing student fell to the ground, unconscious. The proctor was able to keep an eye on the entire fight, and the moment one student fell, cleared the remaining dust with a swipe of his fist. Such was the power of a Master Rank Brawler. "Excellent work Kalliope. Next!" Kalliope bowed and left the arena, allowing herself to be briefly examined by a light magic user. She only suffered minor bruising, reminders of her mistakes, so no treatment was provided. After the short evaluation, she returned to the back of the line where a few other students were discussing the fight. "You know, you do pretty good for someone who doesn''t use any Brawler Arts." One said. "Yeah, you''d think you were a natural." Another admired. "Not by any means. Everything I have is because of hard work. Besides, I''m already Intermediate Rank and well on my way to Advanced. It gives me an edge in all fighting, not just those in which I have Arts." "Of course, the great Kalliope of the Gray Wolves, first in our ss to make Intermediate." Yet another student groaned. Theirint earned a few chuckles and jeers from other students. Most of them were annoyed that she had been the first to make Intermediate. Everyone had already caught up for the most part, though they were at the lower end and still getting used to their powers, while she had been in Intermediate for the better part of a year and had limated to her current body strength by this point. Out of all her many siblings and cousins, Kalliope''s heart beat the strongest for battle. From the moment she could walk, she fought. When she was just a toddler she was prevented from ying with other children her age because of her penchant for violence. Of course, now that she was older, she had reined in those tendencies and molded them into the drive to seek out strength and discipline. Luckily for her, she was born in Eroa where she could put that work in from an early age and get a head start on other children her age. Chapter 37: A Game Two unknowable entities faced each other. The space they upied was filled with nothingness; simply an unending void. Despite its emptiness, the void was colored, half in white and half in ck. "Hey, you. Other oneuhhh Luz" the ck void called out. For a moment the call went unanswered, but then the white void replied, "What is it Grimm?" There was a sense of annoyance being projected by the white void, called Luz. This tonality brought joy to Grimm''s ''face'' and if he actually had one, it would be taken over by a toothy grin. "How much longer you going to hold back? I know you''ve been getting in the way of the kid''s ability to use his mark." Grim questioned. "It is for his own good. As long as I can''t make a move, neither can you." "Oh,e on, you know I followed the rules. You let him borrow power first and collected your toll. What was so wrong in me doing the same? Fair is fair, right? That''s what we agreed on after all." He whined. It was true. When they felt a window into their space open for the first time in a millennium, they both felt ted at finally being able to break this stalemate between them. Unfortunately, the window was small, weak, and unable to really ept their power. Over time this window grew bigger, stronger, more stable, until one day they were able to cast their voices through it. On the other side was a boy, young and weak, fighting for his right to survive. Grimm of course saw an opportunity, though it was risky. As per the rules they set, they could only move in turns, at least until the boy could call on them on his own. Grimm and Luz yed a waiting game to see who would be the first to make the opening move. The second one to make a y had the advantage of responding to the opening gambit, so Grimm waited and waited. The boy drew closer to death, fighting against a weak beast. Grimm felt the urge at the time to keep this window open, but then he realized something. If the window opened once, it would open again. It could be millennia before it did, but it would. With that realization he settled in to watch the show and see if Luz hade to the same conclusion. Luckily for him, his counterpart was a softie. It was likely that Luz realized the truth the same as he had, but Luz also knew that this window was connected to a life and for the white void, life was important. "I know you are keeping me from talking to him, Luz. Afraid of what I''ll say?" Grimm teased. Again, he was met with silence. "You know, he''s discovered that I was the one responsible for his father''s death. That his death was my priceand yet, he doesn''t me me. Instead, he realized something much better for methe fact that he was the one who made the choice." Grimmughed. "He did not have to take the deal. He could have run, or died, something other than taking my offer. "Yet he did not. He took it, happily. After all, it was his fault for misunderstanding the kind of pain I desired from him. But I never lied to him. I told him what would happen. That there was a pricejust like you did! So even though he knows I took this as my price, he won''t me me" "You are talkative today." Luz growled. It was clear the white void was extremely irritated, which brough pure joy to the ck void. "But heyLuzwill he feel the same way about you? After all, you are blocking his mark and by extension his growth. You did not let him make a choice in this. No, you made it for him. Will he be happy to learn that you are making him weak? That you are putting him at risk of needing borrowing power he cannot afford to pay for?" Grimm smiled to himself once again at Luz''s refusal to answer. "You know, Luzafter that battle in the forest, I couldn''t help but notice your light dimmed a little. Sure it became brighter for a whilebut all in all, it''s a loss. You still have enough to hold against me, but will it stay that way?" "Shut it, Grimm. You talk too much." Luz sighed. "He needs to make his own choices, grow his own strength without relying on usI am sure that once he is able to realize that" "At least until he breaks through on his own that is." "What?" "Oh,e on! Don''t tell me you didn''t realize it? If he''s filled with enough angerenough hatredI can just slip right on by your little blockage." "The same could be said if he has a strong enough desire to save someoneto protect them." Luz countered. Grimm smiled once again. "Sure, that is truehoweverwhat do you think is more likely in this world? He''s a boy marked by ''demons'' and is the son of a human and a beastmanhe''s amoner in service to a noble. A weak child stuck in the Novice Rankdo you really think that he won''t be struck down by the negativity and cruelty of the world first?" "You don''t know for sure, Grimm." "Of coursebut it''s a risky gamble you are ying, old friend. I do enjoy seeing you y it thoughtime will tell. Oh hey, did you notice?" "Yes." "I wonder how they are doing that. Watchingso interesting! I don''t know who they arewhere they arebut to think, someone can peer in herecan they hear usdo they fear us? Hey Luzwant to make another bet?" Once again, Grimm was met with silence. Luz''s power and concentration at the moment were split between holding him back and blocking his path to the window into the earthen ne. The realization that someone else was able to look into their void made him wonder if there was another exit to use, but he discarded the thought. After all, even if there was a second window, he probably would not want to use it. This one seemed so fun and the game he was ying with his counterpart was just oh, so enjoyable. Chapter 38: Newbies Lucius and Rena approached the reception desk with their proctor. Thanks to Jen''s adventurer card, they were able to bypass the check at the gate. Even though they showcased excellent fighting skills, tracking, and cleanup, both of them had struggled when it came to proper butchering. Jen had to show them both how to skin a monster as well as identify the important body parts that could be used as alchemical ingredients. Apparently, each monster has a body part that they use as a focus for their strength or powers. It was that body part that an adventurer would want to collect. For Dire Rats, their ws and teeth helped them inflict poisons and diseases on their enemies, so it was important to collect those two as ingredients for selling. Dire Rat meat was in abundant supply as an additive in cured meats and such right now, so there was no point in harvesting any of that, also Jen informed them that the hide of a Dire Rat was too flimsy to be desired by anyone. Lucius could not help but sigh to himself. "What''s wrong?" Rena asked him. They were waiting for the receptionist to return from the back where she had long since disappeared with Jen. "Oh nothing, just a lot of stuff to rememberalso I''m sorry." He replied. "Sorry? What for?" "I''m just going to be dragging you down. When I was youngerlife wasrather intense, even before the trial. But since joining your side things have beencalm?" "Is that a problem?" Rena asked. "N-nonot really, I enjoy spending time with you, but I cannot help but wonder if I lost my edgeI train, and train, and trainbut nothing." His friend put aforting hand on his shoulder. It was nice, but did nothing to assuage the tumultuous see of feelings inside him. Given everything he had gone through growing up, the things he had seen, the things he sacrificed, the things he had donehe had hoped that he would be destined for great things as he got older. Sure, as far as technique goes he had begun to master the sword and unarmedbat, but technique, like raw power, only got one so far. It was only when one was able tobine the two that they were truly strong. And for Luciusthis was a strength kept out of his reach. Of course, another thing bothered him that he could not share, even with his friend. That was the fact that since his father''s death, he had not heard even a whisper from either Luz or Grimm. It was strange, but for a while after they stopped talking he felt somewhat lonely. He spent a few months in aa-like state essentially non-stop speaking to them, so it felt natural to worry about losing that connection. The reason he could not talk about this with Rena was pretty obvious too. What could he say? ''Hey, I''m freaking out because two voices in my head that I named have not talked to me for years and I kind of miss them''? Something like that was NOT going to fly. All he could do was sulk and let his friend gently pat his back to soothe him, even though she did not really understand what was happening. After a few minutes of this, Jen and the receptionist returned. The receptionist gave a light cough to get their attention and then passed each of them a small metal card along with a simple metal ring. "This is your guild card. It acts as a form of identification when entering cities and passing over borders between countries. For you, boy it tells people that you are not in the military so they don''t confuse you with a Runner." "Runner?" Rena asked. "Don''t hear much of them anymore since Marked Ones can join the guild now before joining the military, but before, any Marked Ones that skipped their drafting was considered a Runner." "Oh" "Anyway, the ring is a special enchanted storage ring. Its only a basic model so it holds up to two hundred items and each item can be no more than fifteen cubic feet. Every adventurer gets one as a sign on bonus. Jen went over the rules for you,e back to reception if you take a job." With that, their registration waspleted and they were released to do what they wanted. They quickly moved out of the way to allow the other adventurers to continue taking and turning in quests. Rena gestured for Lucius to follow her outside, so he obliged. "Wow! Look at this! We are really adventurers!" Rena shouted gleefully. Lucius could not help but smile at her enthusiasm, it was simply too contagious. "Want to grab" Lucius began before being interrupted by a familiar voice. "Hey you two. Newbies. Come over here." The voice came from their proctor, Jen, who was being followed by two other people. One seemed to be an elf with a sword on his hip and a shield on his back. The other seemed to be a human dressed like amon hunter. His weapon even appeared to be a standard hunting bow. Rena and Lucius looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and walking over to them. "What''s up Jen?" Rena asked. The three other adventurers looked and nodded at one another before Jen finally answered, "We want you to join our party. Weck a mage." "Not without Lucius." Rena answered instantly. "Heh, don''t get your panties in a twist girlie, we want him too. Kid may not have power, but he''s fast and he will make a good scout, of that I can attest." Jen smiled proudly. "What do you think Lucius? Are you okay with thatwe were going to be a duo" Rena asked while twisting her foot into the ground. Lucius eyed the two other adventurers behind Jen that started to snicker amongst themselves, but since they seemed harmless enough, he let it go. Instead he turned to Rena. "Sure, besides if its just us or us in another party, we are still together, so I am good!" "Good line, kid." Jen muttered behind her hand. "What was that?" "Oh nothing, let''s go get some food newbies!" Chapter 39: Meeting the Party Rena and Lucius found themselves being led through town by their new party to a restaurant. It was only a few hours into the evening so some of the inns in town had started serving dinner. It was one of these inns that Jen was taking them to. Apparently, it was well known for good ribs and cheap booze, so it was an adventurer favorite. The outside was rather unassuming and had a simple sign hanging over the door that read: ''Whistling Wolf'' and had a picture of a wolf with a metal whistle hanging out of its mouth. "A little on the nose don''t you think" Lucius muttered towards the sign. "Wee to the best food in town!" Jen said loudly, ignoring him. When they walked inside the two-story, wooden building the entire first floor was filled with circr tables and half of them were filled with people. The smell wasless than pleasant to Lucius'' senses, but did not hold a candle to that awful jerky that Jen had been chewing on when they met. Many of the people inside were clearly the adventuring type and had many different kinds of builds, equipment, and injuries. Some people were missing eyes, other''s limbs. All in all, it was quite the eclectic bunch of people. Jen guided them through the maze of feet and tables to take a spot near the back of the room and right next to a set of stairs that went upwards. It seemed that the stairs led to the rooms that one would stay in if they rented a room. "Oh, hey Lucius do we want to rent a room here?!" Rena asked excitedly. Her eyes shone like they were filled with glitter, which made him feel a little ufortable with the fact that he had to tell her no. The primary reason, they did not bring enough pocket money for dinner and a night''s stay thanks to her excited hurrying out of the manor this morning. The secondary reason is that he did not want to be part of any rumors that suggested the youngdy of house Petra spent the night in some seedy inn with her bodyguard. "Maybe next time, Rena. For tonight, we should return to the manor and speak with Lord Petra regarding our actions moving forward." Lucius said with a sigh. "No fun" Their back and forth brought a lot ofughter to their new friends who were content with watching the two kids bicker. Such events seemed like they would bemonce after joining up with them. Jen ced an order for the table for a round of drinks, and juice for the two younger ones. She also ordered several tes of food. "Alright, tonight''s on me. I know, I know. She''s the lord''s daughter, but as long as you ain''t wearin'' a dress, girlie, I''m gonna treat you like an adventurer. As such, tonight''s celebration is on me." Jen stated with a confident smile. "Whoo!" "Yeah! Drink up!" "Not you two idiots, you pay for your own shit." Jen red at her cohorts who thought they also got a free pass for the night. This response quickly deted their moods, but when a cute serving girl brought over the table''s first round of drinks, their tune quickly changed. "You''ve got a deal Jen." Rena agreed. "Right, so introductions. You know me, Jen. These two beside me are my party. We''ve been a group of three since we joined up a few years ago. The elf is Lethel, prefers the simple sword and shield. Like most elves, got a knack for that wind magic stuff." The elf gave a short wave with his hand since his introduction was given while he was mid-sip of his foul-smelling drink. "The other one is Paul. As you can also tell from his own weapon, man is an archer, and a damn good one. Till now, he was also our tracker. He''s pretty good at that too, but his shooting is better. No offense Paul, but Lucius here is taking over tracking and scouting." Paul simply grunted in affirmation, but he had a slight smile which told Lucius that it was not going to be a problem. "And so that''s us." Jen said with a mock bow, or as good as one could give when sitting down. "So, your turn." "Wait! What about your party name?!" Rena asked excitedly. "Pft!" Paulughed. "You''re too pure kiddo. Parties don''t do the whole name thing. The ones that got ''em were given one. You don''t name it yourself." Rena''s shoulders slumped thanks to the information that had deted her excitement a little. But she recovered quickly and began to exin who they were. "I am Rena! I''m a mage, but I fight midrange. And this is Lucius! He''s my best friend and he fights with a single-handed weapon and a damn good scout and tracker." "We can see the machete you know? Plus, Jen told us. Kiddo uses Forsaken Arts. Might wanna do something about hiding the weapon you carry." Lethen stated. "Right, gives too much away just by looking at you. It''s fine for us, but for you, not so much." Paul agreed. "Right, thank you." Lucius agreed. They were right. He could do a better job of hiding what his weapon of choice was. Honestly it was a dead giveaway to what his Arts were and besides giving him a disadvantage in a fight, it also affected how others would view him from a single nce. The group spent the next couple of hours eating and drinking to their hearts content. Since they were still young, and Rena''s father would literally murder him, they personally only drank juice and water. However, they devoured their own fair share of food. Honestly, for a seedy looking ce the food was fantastic. Even Rena was even enjoying herself and she was raised exclusively on professionally prepared meals. "Anyway, so I guess we should call it a night!" Jen shouted. Lucius had no idea how she was still standing, but that was not really his concern. "Right, meet you tomorrow at the guild? First light?" Rena asked. "If you pull my ass out of bed at first light, I will fight you." Paul groaned. He was a rather quiet man, but as he drank more, he talked more. "Ha, got it. Catch you guys tomorrow." Lucius agreed before heading back to the manor with Rena walking by his side. She had a skip in her step and a huge smile on her face. To be honest, she was rather cute like this. When they were at the estate she was a reserved and quiet girl, someone befitting her station. But in private like this, with Lucius, she was childish and sweet. This was who his best friend really was. Chapter 40: After the Party Rena skipped along the road with her friend, Lucius. The air was still and had a rtive chill to it. Without wind, it was still ratherfortable, though. The stars in the sky twinkled as usual, setting the stage for their friendly stroll. A handful of people shambled through the streets, drunkenly trying to find their way to their rooms or homes. Some guards also patrolled the streets and alleyways holdingnterns and lighting the streetmps down the main road. Pelith was not such arge ce for many roads to have streemps, but the main road did in the event of night time arrivals of important nobles. The town still used slow burning candles to light the lights instead of magic since the cost of purchasing so many enchanted items was a little too costly for now. "Thank you, Lucius, for following along with my whims." "Of course, you tried to fight for my lifeand even begged for my father''salso you are my first, best, and only friend." Lucius said. He reached his finger up to his cheek and scratched it awkwardly. She giggled at his awkwardness. "Seriously though, it''s so exciting that we are adventurers now. Next up is to get a slot on that Grand Raid in a few monthsand then" her voice continued to grow in volume and pitch as her excitement grew. Other people walking began to even take notice of their conversation. "I go to war." Lucius'' words cut through the air like a dagger to the heart. Reality settled onto her shoulders like a sack of rocks. He was right. The only reason Rena was able to enjoy bing an adventurer with her friend was because the kingdom allowed it. Once war broke out, all Marked Ones would be conscripted. There was an agreement in ce that the Adventurer''s Guild would turn over all documentation of registered Marked Ones to the kingdoms and perform the first outreach. Sure, the risk of creating Runners was extremely high, but they could simply be dealt with after the war was over. Really, the greatest benefit was cost free training for the kingdom''s front line. Rena knew this to be true, yet she tried to ignore it. "You might not have to goyou could" she began. "Die in the dungeon." "No! You could" "Be a Runner?" "Stop!" Rena screamed loudly. Her anger filled screech caused a few people to look their way before awkwardly walking away to ignore two children fighting. Lucius turned to face her with a nk expression on his face. "These are my only options Rena. You know that. I go to war, die in the dungeon, or be a Runner. I''m not going to do thosest two. My only real shot is to go to war." Lucius'' words hung in the air. They left a rotten, bitter taste in Rena''s mouth. She hated it. Why? Why were people so unfair to him? The adventurers did not seem to careJen barely noticed itwhy can''t everyone be like that Twenty minutes after their little spat, they walked through the gates of the manor. Only a couple of guards were present and doing patrols. Most of the maid staff were also asleep, though a few did have nightly duties to attend to in the event any members of the household required attending to in the middle of the night. The moment Lucius and Rena entered the gates, he fell back and stayed two steps behind Rena, immediately returning to his position as a bodyguard. "Mydy, your father requests your presence in his office. Please make sure you attend as well Sir Lucius." A maid had approached them from the grand staircase that was directly in front of the entry doors. "Of course. Thank you." Rena responded. She quickly walked up the stairs and followed the maid to her father''s study. The halls were adorned in various paintings of past lords anddies of the house, each framed by fine wood and gold trim. It was a rather audacious disy, even her own father hated it. Rena smiled momentarily at the childhood memory of overhearing her father whine like a petnt child to her mother about having to put his own portrait along the wall. Rena approached the door at the end of the hall and gave a quick series of knocks before entering. "Father, I''ve arrived as requested, Lucius as well. Lucius, please enter." The ck-haired boy stepped inside the door and moved to the left side of it, staying against the wall and at attention. Rena kept her eyes locked on her father, but this was something they had done many times before, so she already knew by heart what Lucius had been doing. "Thank you, Rena. Please sit." Her father ordered. "How was it? Do you still wish to be an adventurer? I am aware of you fighting Dire Rats, joining a party, and eating atthe ''Whistling Wolf''?" "You had me followed?" "Yes, mydy we were followed the entire time. The beginning of the day there were four." Lucius stated from behind her. She turned to look at him and saw her father do the same. Lucius continued, "After we exited the city I noticed that one of the four had vanished, but the other three scents remained. I imagine that the three remaining scents were tails set by your father, and the fourth belonged to a third party." Richard sighed. "You are correct, boy. I always forget you have such a strong nosethe fourth was likely someone from one of my brothers or another branch family. I don''t know who, but yes, you have the right of it." Rena had no idea that it had happened and red at Lucius for not telling her. He simply bowed in response. "I am sorry, mydy. I figured that your father wished for his agents to remain unnoticed, especially by you." The boy apologized. Richard let out a small chuckle, which earned him her ring gaze. "Well, father. I had a great time, and I intend to continue being an adventurer. The head of the house has yet to be selected and I need to gain power. Lucius also needs to gain powerboth for the house and by royal decree. Also, father, I ask your leave to leave the manor during my tenure as an adventurer." To tell the truth, she had no idea if her father would acquiesce to her request. If she were to be an adventurer, she needed to truly fall into the life style. This had no rtion to Lucius whatsoever, none at all. This was purely for being true to the adventurer lifestyle "Fine." "And no agents following me." "No promises." "Lucius, you are to tell me immediately if you sense any of father''s agents or agents of any kind following us." Rena ordered. Her father''s face contorted into frustration. "Yes, mydy." Lucius agreed. "By that Lucius as your lord" "Sir." Lucius responded. Rena saw his head snap up. Suddenly his good natured spirit vanished and his eyes seemed to glow by the reflection of the candlelight in the room. "I follow Lady Rena''s word above all. Above yours. Above the king''s. Above the world. Above the gods. Make no mistake. On my father''s promise and on my own honor, I will make no concessions to this." A long, awkward silence ensued. Rena''s father locked eyes with the young teen who maintained his gaze despite the difference in strength. Yet, despite the aura of power and anger that seemed to start spilling out of her father, Richard gave in. "Very well." Chapter 41: Confrontation in the Night Lucius followed Rena back to her room. While she entered, he merely closed the door behind her. Technically he could enter his own room through hers by using the servant door that connected them, but it was improper to open the service door for any reason than being called to attend to thedy. Instead, he closed Rena''s door behind her and moved further down the hall to enter his own, small room. "How long are you going to stand there?" Lucius asked with one hand on the handle to his door. For some reason, Lucius could smell this person the moment they returned home, but thought nothing of it since he visited quite frequently. However, for him to still be present even at night was a strange circumstance. Lucius turned to face the person he called out to. Standing in the hallway was a short, innocent looking old man. He had a long white beard and a bald head. Normally one could not separate him from any other geezer taking a stroll on the town, but this man was dangerous. He was Wace Carmichael, or Wally, a King Rank mage who mastered all Elemental and Transcendent magic. In other words, he could use Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth as well as their evolved counterparts; Magma, Ice, Thunder, and Metal. "Ohe now young man, can''t you pity this old man for a moment of your time?" "Sir Carmichael, I" Lucius began before being interrupted by a shock. The old man had suddenly appeared right next to him and poked him gently on the shoulder with one finger. His entire arm crackled with electricity. "Come now, boy. I told you to call me Wally, didn''t I?" "Sorry, Wallymy head was still switched into formal mode since I am in the manor. I also just got back from speaking with Lord Richard so" "Bah! Phooey on that. Come with me." Wally dismissed before grabbing Lucius by the wrist. He tried to pull away from Wally''s grip but he felt like his wrist had been pinned in by a vice. Lucius could not help but thing that this must be what people mean when they refer to ''old man strength'', seriouslywhat is this?! All he could do was let himself be dragged around by the feeble looking, possibly senile, old man. The ce he was being dragged to? None other than the private training room meant for Rena and her father, though Lucius was granted special exception to use it, courtesy of Rena''s begging. "What do you want with me this time Wally? Going to torture me again to see if I suddenly awaken any magic?" Lucius teased. Even though he was slightly joking when asking the question, it was not really that far off the truth of how most of his ''training'' sessions with the man went. Wally put one hand on his chin and slowly turned his back away from Lucius. "Hmm, I couldbut nothat''s not what I want[Terra: Earth Wall], [Ferrum: Iron Spikes]!" Wally quickly called out his two spells and spun around. Gray and brown motes of light shone from his hand. Suddenly the single stairway down into the training room mmed close as a solid wall of rock filled the space. A line of metal shot around the walls of the room making aplete circuit before massive spikes formed, pointing outward. BasicallyLucius was trapped. "What are you doing here Wally?" Lucius questioned. His hand had already drawn his weapon the moment the word ''Terra'' left the old man''s lips. "You n to leave my training so soon, boy? Without aplishing anything? Without telling me?" Wally growled. "What a stupid, young pupil you are. [cies: Ice Spike]" A conical spike of ice flew towards Lucius'' face as fast as an arrow. His body prepared for a counter the moment he heard the trigger word activate, so his de managed to barely meet the spike before it met his head. The spell split in two and mmed into the wall on either side behind Lucius. "[Ventus: Wind de], [mma: Fire Lance]" Two more spells shot towards him from his teacher''s hands. These flew faster than the ice spell did, so he could not block. On top of that, these were not the kind of spells that could be blocked by a simple weapon. Instead, he had to opt for dodging these. The wind spell would strike first, though it was hard to see wind magic with the naked eye, those who trained hard enough could see them. Lucius was also blessed with stronger eyes than most, so he could see it in as day. He instantly dropped to the ground on all fours, allowing the Wind de to cut past him. Wally had predicted this response, so the Fire Lance was aimed at the ground where Lucius had gone. Due to all his time spent training with Wally, he figured this is what the bastard would do. Since he had dropped to all fours, he was prepared for this follow-up movement byunching himself up into the air, letting the spell fizzle out into the dirt. Luciusnded on the ground on his feet, weapon up ready for more. "Good one boy." Wally grinned evilly. Lucius was beginning to sweat, not from the effort but from concern about what move his teacher would make next. The best option for him was to press the attack. Lucius gathered all his strength and pushed off the ground with his feet. In his wake he left small cracks in the ground and a cloud of dust. The boy flew towards the old man with his weapon held out to the side, ready for a swing. He folded his arms to his chest and started a spin. Wally had leapt backwards to try and create space to cast another spell, but that simply gave Lucius more room toplete his maneuver. After his spin started, he once again extended his sword arm out. "[Forsaken Arts: Gouging Strike]" Golden mana enveloped the de of his machete. Thatbined with his spin made him look like a golden drill as he bared down on Wally. The old man simply smiled in response, but Lucius was unable to see it given his current state. "[Ferrum: Steel Wall]" A giant, mental wall appeared between the twobatants. Lucius collided with the wall with full force, sparks flying from metal on metal. The attacksted for a few seconds, before Lucius ran out of steam and dropped to the ground. The boy watched as Wally stepped around the wall and investigated the damage. He responded with a low whistle. "Not bad, boy. That was leveled down to an Intermediate Rank spell and you still managed to drill through about a third of it with that attack. Impressive." Wallymended. After that, he waved his hand and dispelled all the spells he cast. The metal wall and spikes ringing the room vanished, and the rock wall that blocked the exit dropped into the earth where it was summoned from. "Alright. You can go." The old man said with a massive, toothy grin. Chapter 42: Start of the Adventure Two, young adventurers walked into the stone building that housed the Pelith Adventurers Guild. No one seemed to particrly pay attention to the two of them since they did not really stand out. They walked through the building till they reached the far right corner where a female adventurer sat with a massive sword strapped to her back. "Wee you two! Gods, kid you look worse than I feel. I thought you stuck to juicest night." Rena looked at her friend and giggled at the massive ck circles under his eyes. Though he had never been drunk, and by extension, never had a hangover, he could not help but wonder if that would be better than the state he was in now. His former master kept him up all night lecturing him on how to use magic and the theory behind activating marks. But that was after he attempted to beat the ever living hell out of him. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest at even the slightest movement. Now that he was out of the manor, he did not need to keep up appearances, so he freely groaned and moaned about his aches. "You sound like a grandfather." Lethen chuckled. "I feel like I wrestled with Fenrir" The dull roar of voices in the guild hall quieted down. It was especially noticeable to Lucius. "What did I say?" "Bad luck to mention the Forest Lord''s name. I''m not really that superstitious, but a lot of adventurers are." Jen advised before mping a hand on his shoulder. Of course it caused a lot of pain, so he yelped a little in response. "Oh right, I can help." Rena remembered. "[Lux: Heal]" Light enveloped her hand then vanished into Lucius'' body when she gently touched his shoulder. A secondter he felt a warm energy envelop his being from the inside out, like drinking a hot tea on a winter night. "Oh that feels nice" Lucius said. "Heywhy didn''t you do that earlier?!" "Revenge." Rena pouted. "For what you saidst night." She puffed her cheeks like a chipmunk and turned her face slightly away from him. Obviously he thought it was adorable, but there was no way he was going to say that. The other members of the party simply chuckled for a moment before Jen brought everyone to attention with a small p. "Alright, since we are all here, I already took a job. I''m registered as party leader so I figured we can do something a little easy to get us limated to working as a team." "Good idea." Paul said. "Agreed, you''re the boss!" Lethen said with a mock salute. Lucius shook his head with a slight smirk. ''Guess this is going to be more fun than I thought. I like these people,'' he thought. "Our target is an E-Rank twin-headed bear. Should be fine since Lethen and I are Advance Ranks. Paul is Intermediate so should be no issue." Everyone nodded in agreement and they started to pack up to leave. Lucius checked his pack one more time like he did before they left this morning to ensure they had the basic supplies. He currently had a few days'' worth of rations, arge canteen for water, spare clothes, and polishing equipment for maintaining his weapon. "Oh, I picked this up for you by the way Lucius, consider it a gift." Paul said while passing him a new weapon sheath. It was simple enough in design, a basic leather sheath by all ounts on the outside. The inside though was where the trick was. It was made to amodate a machete on the inside while looking like a broadsword on the outside. "Oh, for hiding my Arts. Thanks, Paul." He said while swiftly changing out his sheath for the new one. It looked quite nice and would hopefully prevent him from getting crude looks by simply walking through town. Well, at least less than he normally does. A single look at his strange eyes got him all sorts of reactions. "You got it, kid." After that, they gathered their things and made their way out of the building. The day was nice and warm and filled with sunshine, so tons of people lined the streets visiting various shops and doing errands around town. A lot of the working folk were out hunting, logging, or in their workshops doing other forms of menialbor to make their daily bread. The sight made for quite the enjoyable view, foreign to him only a handful of years ago. Even since he had be Rena''s guardian at her request and his father''sst wish, he had not been outside enough to truly enjoy what society had to offer him. While walking to the gates, Rena tugged on his sleeve. "Hey, everything okay?" "Yeah, I just haven''tbeen out much. Since we aren''t returning to the manor until after the Grand Raid is overthe town looks different than it used to." "I take it you didn''t get out much as a kid?" Lethen asked. His only response to that question was holding up his left hand for all to see. "Ah, right, forgot you were one for a second." Rena gave the elf a sideways nce, but quickly turned back to Lucius. "Hey, I haven''t been out on the town a lot either, how about when we get back we go check things out?" "Sounds like a great n." He replied with a smile. "How utterly adorable." Jen teased. Like the first time when they went on their test, the gate had two lines, one for entry with inspections, and one for exits with uncaring guardszily eying everyone who walked past. This time, Rena and Lucius had guild cards to sh, so they hurried in front of the group to be the ones to do it. The fanfare was much less than they hoped for, though Lucius did not know why he expected more than azy wave from the guard in the exit side. Once again their partyughed at the antics of the fresh faces. Oh well, it didn''t matter, as long as Rena was having fun that was all that mattered to him. Chapter 43: Sidetracked "Lucius, out front. Keep us apprised of any approaching monsters or people. It''s going to be about a day or so travel to the small vige where the quest was based." Jen ordered. "Understood." Lucius responded mechanically. His tone surprised everyone, even himself. It seems that the loyal bodyguard act has been so ingrained in him that Jen''s stiff orders brought it out for a moment. All Jen did was smile at him. She seemed rather clever and had a knowing air about her as if she understood everything there was to know about Rena and Lucius. Not that this was a bad thing really; she seemed trustworthy so what was the harm? They had been walking for about an hour before the road from Pelith began to fork. They took a right down a much less traveled path than the main road. In all likelihood, the only traffic this road saw was foot traffic and the asional cart bringing crops at the end of harvesting season to the town. Everything around them smelled so new to Lucius and unlike the woods where the trial urred, there was no ominous sense of foreboding, so he was able to simply enjoy the scenery. Birds chirped happily and leaves rustled in the wind. Essentially, it was a perfect, picturesque day. Something inside him made him feel uneasy despite everything going well. Honestly it was one of those going ''too well'' situations. It was entirely possible that he was imagining it, having never had a peaceful experience like this, but it always paid to be cautious. asionally one of the party members would chat with another regarding various different events and past adventures. Mostly, it was Rena asking the party about things that they had seen. Ever since she came back from the trial, she''s been enamored with adventure, action, and excitement. Her childlike awe of the situation amused Lucius to no end. After a few more hours the sun reached its zenith, so they stopped for a quick rest. It was not time to eat yet as they wanted to reserve rations in case tracking down the monster took more than they anticipated, so it was mostly to sit and drink water. Paul took primary watch, iming the walk was nowhere near enough to wear him out, but Lucius kept his ears peeled all the same. It took little effort for him to be able to monitor the situation like that, so why not? His ears suddenly twitch, and he swung his head toward the woods. "What is it?" Jen whispered, noticing the change in his mood. Even Paul was intrigued because he had not seen anything. "A group of people are traveling through the woods. Sounds like they are heading the same direction we areroughly" "Theying towards us?" "Mmmno, doesn''t sound like it, in fact they might be getting ever so slightly further?" Lethen waved his hand. "Probably just some hunters from a vige nearbye." "Doubt it, there''s a ton of feetmaybe ten or twelve people? More than ten, less than twenty." Lucius answered. He did not take Lethen''s tone to heart as he was way too focused on listening to the people in the woods and ensuring they would not be a threat. He continued to listen as the camp sat in silence. Time passed slowly and it felt like hours, but in reality it was only a few minutes. Finally, "And they are gone. Can''t hear them anymore." He said to Jen. "Thanks, kid. Let''s get moving. No need to be stealthy, but let''s not do anything to purposefully draw attention to ourselves." She answered before ordering them to mobilize once more. The group in the woods concerned Lucius. They were just barely in range for him to hear them moving around, but they were not close enough for him to tell if they were heavily or lightly armored. If they were heavily armored, it was likely arge group of adventurers or mercenaries, which would not be all that big of a deal. Being lightly armored presented more potential issues. Namely the possibility that they weremon bandits. If they were bandits they were probably changing locations to set up along a road. Lucius was unsure how this road moved around and through these woods, so if they were bandits there was no doubt they would see them again soon. The least likely scenario if they were lightly armored would be a group of hunters, but thatrge would only be if they were hunting down something big and dangerous. Since the nearest viges gathered money together to request assistance with the Twin-headed bear, it was unlikely that simple hunters would go and take on the quest alone after submitting payment. These thoughts continued to whirl around his head until he heard a scream. It sounded like a young woman screaming at the top of her lungs. She did not utter any words, it was just a pure, primal scream. "Hmm" Lucius said. "What''s up?" Paul asked. "Oh I heard a woman screaming in the distance. Probably further down the road?" "Wait what? Is she calling for help? Is she being attacked?" Jen asked. "Mmmcan''t tell. She just screamed, probably scared. No words, just a in old scream." "Luciuswhy are you being so calm?" Rena asked. He looked at the party and noticed they were all antsy and had their hands on their weapons, like they were ready for a fight. "Why are you guys prepping for a fight?" "Because we are going to go after the screaming woman!" Jen answered. Lucius could not understand why they wanted to. It was just some random person screaming. She was probably dead now anyway if it was bandits or monsters. Honestly, if they tried to rescue her, it would only sidetrack them from their true mission, which was to hunt the bear monster. "I guess we can go find herbut I already am smelling blood since we are down wind, so I don''t know if we are going to find what you think or want." Lucius stated inly. "Kidjustlet''s go." Jen stated. And with that they all ran down the road. Lucius followed as well since it was his party, but he really did not understand why it mattered to save some stranger. They were adventurers hired for a job. Not heroes in a story. Chapter 44: Bandits As Lucius lead the way to the source of the screaming and apparently blood, Rena could not help but wonder what was going on with her friend. He was rather stoic and monotone when they were in the manor for the purposes of maintaining appearances, but in private he was friendly and warm. So why? Why did he act sowell cold isn''t the right word. She had seen him act cold and malicious a few times. This was simply ack of caring. For some reason that feltworse? She had never seen or heard her friend behave in such a way before, so Rena was extremely unsettled. Before they knew it, she too could hear the screaming that Lucius had referenced. By now everyone in the party had drawn their weapons in preparation for whatever they were going to find. Lethen had his sword and shield drawn, Jen had her greatsword, while Paul had his bow in his hand. Lucius had yet to draw his weapon, but he did seem to be focused on making sure they were maintaining the right direction. "Twelve people overall. There are a handful that seem to be injured. There is a lot of blood. Be ready." He called out before running ahead even further. Rena sometimes forgot how fast he was because in under a second he had tripled the lead he had on the rest of the group. At some point he ducked into the treeline and away from the road. He would periodically leave the safety of the forest to show that they were still following in the right direction and soon enough they began to understand what was happening. In the middle of the path was a collection of wagons. There were at least three of them, each being pulled by an ox. Or they would be if the oxen were still alive. Instead, strapped to each cart was the bleeding out corpse of an animal with its throat slit. The cargo seemed to be simple food and animal goods like grains, fruits, and furs. Scattered around the carts were a handful of bodies of young men in leather armor as well as a few people in tattered furs and ripped underclothes. It was clear now that the people Lucius had heard earlier were bandits and it seemed this caravan of people were their target. A few people were still alive and milling around. Specifically, there was a group of eight men who wore tattered fur armor with a random assortment of weapons surrounding a group of four people, three women and a small child. On second nce, Rena saw that one of the women was also cradling an infant. As they rapidly approached the attack sight, one of the bandits finally noticed them. He yelled out some sort of unintelligiblemand and he and five others ran towards their group of four. Lucius was still in the forested area, likely waiting for his chance to strike. "[Ferrum: Iron Spikes]" A line of metal surged in front of the party and raced towards the oing bandits as Rena cast her spell. Once it reached the bandits, giant metal spikes rose from the ground to catch the enemies. However, it seemed these ones were smarter than they appeared as all six of them jumped to the side and dodged the spell. Jen was the first to reach the enemies so she swung her sword in arge sweeping attack from the right. The attack was so strong that two of the bandits had to work together to block it. A third attempted to catch her unaware, but was met with an arrow from Paul who had stopped and stayed back with Rena to provide cover. The shot was not fatal and only struck the man in the bicep, but it was enough to stop him fromnding a strike on Jen''s nk. Lethen met with another of the attackers as well as the one who had an arrow in his arm. This left two to circle around them and rush after Rena and Paul''s positions. "[cies: Ice Spike]" "[Bow Arts: Twin Arrow]" A conical spike of ice shot towards the two, followed by an arrow from Paul. When the spike was less than three feet away from the two bandits, the single arrow split into two with each targeting one of the bandits. "[Shield Arts: Deflection]" One of the two bandits swung his shield in his off hand towards the attacks. It glowed for a moment with mana, leaving behind a trail of light that solidified for a moment in front of the attacks, preventing them fromnding. The ice spike and the twin arrows shattered against the wall of mana which dissipated right after blocking them. "Shit they have an Arts user." Paul muttered while loosing another set of arrows. "[Bow Arts: Pierce]" One of the arrows he shot glowed with mana and targeted the Shield Arts user. Unfortunately the shot did not connect. "[Sword Arts: Quick Strike]" The bandit''s arm and de glowed and quickly sliced through Paul''s enhanced attack, rendering it useless. "Fuck, another spell Rena!" Paul ordered while jumping backwards to create additional distance. "Right! Here" "[Forsaken Arts: Severing sh]" A ck blur shot out of the woods at the bandits bearing down on Rena and Paul. The first of the two that took the hit was not the Arts user. Lucius'' machete cut through his arm and across his chest, leaving a massive cavity behind and dropping the man to the ground in a heap. The second bandit was able to react and blocked the sh with his shield. Lucius attempted to back away and prepare for another strike, but left himself open for a counter. He received a foot to the center of his chest which sent him flying backwards several dozen feet before he rolled to a stop, coughing. This pissed Rena off, so she took advantage of the distraction to cast another spell. "[cies: Frozen Ground]" Ice formed over the earth underneath the Arts user and up his feet, sticking him to the ground. Paul loosed several arrows one after another, forcing the man to block instead of focus on getting unstuck. "[Ventus: Wind de]" A magical sh of wind sliced at the bandit''s feet, severing one at the ankle. He roared in pain and dropped his shield and sword in response. As he fell forward three of Paul''s arrows sunk themselves into his chest and neck. Chapter 45: Hostages Paul and Rena each quickly moved to distract two of the four bandits that Jen and Lethen were fighting. They were holding their own without issue, but the fight was going to go nowhere and Lucius was still trying to get out of the dirt. It seemed the kick from the Arts user was rather strong and knocked the energy out of him. Rena shot spell after spell at the bandits attacking Jen, but in her caution to not hit an ally, the spells were easy to dodge so none connected. Paul was suffering the same consequences of missing shots because he was working to avoid hitting Lethen in the confusion ofbat. Rena nced over and noticed that Lucius was no longerying in the dirt and had vanished from his spot. When she nced back to Jen, Lucius was behind one of the bandits. "[Forsaken Arts]Erugh!" He attempted to make a strike at his back, but after hearing the trigger word, the man he was going to hit swung around with his fist and nted it solidly in the boy''s face. The hit caused him to stagger back several steps and blood poured from his nose while tears automatically welled up in his eyes. The bandit moved to take advantage of Lucius'' opening, but Rena would not have it. She quickly gathered the mana required for one of her stronger spells. "[Ventus: Wind Spear]" A near invisible spear instantly pierced through the bandit''s chest, right through his heart. Blood spurt from the wound and sprayed Lucius in the face. Jen, now having only one enemy to worry about was able to finally take the advantage in her bout. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]" Her sword began to glow as she swung it in a downward motion using her strength, the weight of the de, and the enhancement provided by the mana for the art to create a devastatingly strong impact. For a second, her foe was able to block the overhead strike with his sword, causing the ground beneath him to crack. However, his weapon was not up to the task and it was broken in two from the force. Jen''s sword bisected the man from head to groin. Lethen and Paul began to finish off their own foes. Paul''s onught of arrows was able to create a spot for Lethen to shield bash and stun one of them before piercing them in the gut. Paul continued to pepper the other bandit with arrows until he looked like a human sized porcupine. Rena looked to Lucius who had his back to them now and was looking calmly at the remaining two bandits that were still next to the captives. They each had one of the women in one hand and a de to another. Rena watched as Lucius'' body began to twitch. He was about to attack. "Lucius, hold!" she shouted quickly. Suddenly all the tension in his muscles rxed and she sighed in relief. She was sure that if he attempted to attack them that those vigers would lose their lives. "Smart girl. Tell you what. You can keep the other woman, the brat, and the baby. Then you let me and my friend here leave with these two." One of them offered. "Okay." Lucius said simply. "No! Not ''okay'', kid. Gods, what is wrong with you?" Jen asked. "This was not our job and by stopping the fight here, Rena is in less danger. There really was not a point in getting involved in the first ce anyway since we were supposed to be hunting down a bear, not bandits." Lucius argued. Again, Rena could not believe what she was hearing. Who was thisit reminded her of when they were in the woodswhen something else was in charge. "Lucius, is that you?" she asked. He looked at her with soft eyes. "Yeah? Who else would I be?" His eyes clearly showed that he was her friend. His bodynguage and facial expression rxed while looking at her and even remained that way while looking at the party, but when he looked at the bandits and hostages, that caring gaze just vanished. "We are going to save them Lucius. Okay?" Rena said. The boy simply nodded in response. The air was still between the two groups. At first the faces of the two bandits were ecstatic that they were going to be able to leave, but now they were frustrated that the two girls talked the boy down. They did not seem too happy with them at the moment, but that was not Rena''s problem. As the two groups stared at each other, she thought frantically about how to fix the situation. If they made a move, then the bandits would slit the women''s throats without hesitation. If they did nothing, then they could be stuck here for hours. If they let the bandits get away, then who knows what would happen to those women. "Rena, if you want to save them, I know you cane up with a n." Rena nced at her friend who offered those words of encouragement. "Mmm," she acknowledged. If he still had the ability to use his mark, then this would not be a problem. Gods, if he could use his thunder magic, this wouldn''t be a problem. It was well known for explosive bursts of power and speed "Paul. I have an idea. Can you use your Art to split that arrow and hit them without hitting the girls?" Rena whispered. Paul thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yea, but I don''t know if they will get their fast enough to stop them from slitting their throats first. Or even putting the girls in the path of the arrows." "I have a n for that. When you are ready to activate your Art, whistle and I will do my part." "They might die if we do this you know?" "They might live too." Paul nodded and waited for a few seconds tightening and loosening the grip he had on his bow several times over. Faster than Rena could almost see he pulled his bow up and drew the string, he let out a sharp whistle before letting the arrow go. "[Bow Arts: Twin Arrow]!" "[Ventus: Tailwind]" Rena and Paul activated their abilities at the same time. The arrows split in two and were boosted by a massive gust of magical wind that multiplied their speed at least three times over. Before the bandits could react, each of their skulls were pierced by the arrows and the copsed to the ground, dead instantly. Everyone rushed up to check on the vigers, that is except for Lucius who kept a watch out for them. The vigers thanked the party profusely over and over again with a the woman with the infant offering to rename her child after Paul. The offer made the man blush and mumble and plead for her to not do that, which made the rest of the groupugh at him. After tending to everyone''s wounds with a few casts of her healing magic, Rena moved to heal Lucius'' wounds. "Take off your shirt please." "Okay." Underneath his shirt, Rena saw his toned muscture and she began to blush a little, however the feelings quickly dissipated as she noticed the severe bruising and one of his ribs being misshapen. She panicked and cast her healing magic multiple times in a row, rapidly healing the wound and repairing the broken bones. Thanks to the speed at which they set themselves and moved, the healing process seemed about as painful as the process in which the injury was obtained. "Sorry." Rena mumbled. "I''m fine." Lucius answered. Things felt a little awkward at the moment, but she did not know what to do to break the tension while Lucius put his shirt back on. Luckily, Jen was able to break the silence when she approached. "Looks like these girls were transporting goods with their husbands to Pelith. They are from the vige that we are hunting that bear, so we are taking them with us back to the vige for now. You good with that kid?" "Not a problem." Lucius nodded. Rena did not miss the curious nce Jen gave her friend, though she could not me her. This felt so odd Chapter 46: Inconsistencies Lucius felt the stares of his friend and his new allies on his back as he lead the way to the vige that requested assistance with the bear monster. He also felt an ufortable intensitying from the three adult women that were saved. He could not really exin it, but when he heard them screaming for help, something told him they weren''t worth it. This was far cry from when his father took him into the woods to observe the trials. It was also different from the anger he felt during his own trial when he saw other Marked Ones being treated like beasts. But something since thenjust has not clicked. There were marks on a few of the bodies in the wreckage of the carts that they had examined after the fight was over, but even then, there was nothing. So, he was able to determine it was not a prejudice against unmarked peopleso what was it? He felt an itch at the base of his skull momentarily, as if something was nagging at him to realize something. There was a small hint of guilt? But then it was reced again by apathy, then hatredwhat is this Suddenly, he vomited. Memories of the fight he just had rushed into his mind. He reyed every second of it, piece by piece. Images of blood and torn flesh filled his vision as he remembered the bodies of the fallen vigers and the look of surprise and fear on the face of the bandit he personally killed. Rena and Lethen ran over to him while Paul took over watching for enemies and Jen stayed,forting the women. They were saying something to him but his ears could not pick up anything. The only sound that filled his ears was that of his own heart pumping, increasing louder and louder. His vision faded away again and filled with darknessthis was the first time he killed someone. Why did it not bother him? Waitnoit wasn''the killed before. In the woods, he killed two boys at least, Vik and Peter. They were Rena''s cousins who tried to kill them weren''t they? More visions flooded his mind as he remembered tendrils of darkness pulling the children closer and closer. They screamed, begged, called for their parents to save them, but Lucius did not hold back. He remembered their bright red hair, how it darkened with blood before the shadows themselves seemed to swallow them whole. "Luciuswhat''s wrong?! Speak to me dammit!" Rena''s voice finally reached his ears. So, he responded with a simple, "I''m fine. I''m fine." The dead calm in his voice startled even him. It felt like something else was controlling his emotions again. Every time he started to feel sick, remembering what he had donecalm washed over him and brushed the feelings aside. "When we get to the vige, Rena. We need to talk." He whispered to his friend. "Understood." Lethen watched the two whispering back and forth, but simply shrugged and assumed everything was fine. It was clear something was up with Lucius for him to be behaving so strange and inconsistent, but it was alsomon for adventurers to have things going on that they did not talk about. Some had pasts they ran from, some had strange curses or illnesses, some had even stranger things going on, but one thing was shared among them all: live and let live. Basically, don''t bother or judge. The vige was still several hours away by the time night began to fall and traveling with the extra baggage was slowing them down even more. In the end they decided to camp out to rest everyone up for the final leg of the trip. With Lucius'' strange behavior, they tasked him to do his watch with assistance. Jen volunteered to do the watch with him. Her reasoning was ''Don''t want him to get distracted by the alternative.'', which confused him and annoyed Rena for some reason. He had noints though since Jen was an aplished warrior. The party started a small fire, enough to give off a little heat and light. The vigers huddled together close to it while the adventurers settled into a ring around them. It was colder for them, but overall saver for the civilians and the infant. When Jen felt that everyone had finally settled down to rest, she turned to Lucius to talk. "What the hell kid?" "Huh?" "First you don''t want to rescue vigers in trouble, then you mercilously behead a bandit without a care, then you vomit for no reason, then you turn ice cold against your best friend right afterToo much at once, Lucius." Jen whined. "I''m sorry. I don''t really know what is going on, but I have some ideasand questionsall things I can only talk about with Rena." Lucius stated. "Why only her? I''ve seen a lot, Lucius. I know more than I let on." "I knowbut we did our trial together and have been together for five years, or soon to be when the autumn hits." "Trial? Oh, that''s that thing the Petra domain does. The one where all the viges send wannabe warriors and mages into the woods to survive and escape?" "That and all Marked Ones. Since we have to be warriors eventually anywaysbut yeah, that''s right. I take it you aren''t from here then?" "No, I''m not. I''m actually from the Wisteria Compact. Small, nameless vige. Came here after serving in the military for a few years, liked the scenery here better. What happened to you two?" "Long story short?" "Sure, that works I guess." "We fought an Alpha Deer that had a grudge out on me for taking it''s horn a few months before the trial. Got our kill stolen from us by a handful of her cousins. I murdered two of those same cousins, then as punishment after, her father sentenced my father to death and beheaded him in front of me." Jen sat in stunned silence for several minutes before finally breaking it. "That''s rough buddy." Chapter 47: Tamers When the morning sun rose, Lucius felt a strange weight on his side. He looked over and wrapped around his arm was a girl, slightly shorter than him with beautiful crimson hair. Heughed to himself because when they traded off watch shifts, he simplyid his things next to where she left her things. He guessed she must have snuck into his bed while he was asleep. He looked around stealthily to see if anyone was looking at them, thankfully no one else was awake other than Paul who must have takenst watch. He locked eyes with Lucius and gave him a knowing smile. In response, Lucius held up a finger to his lips that Paul just gave a nod in acknowledgement to. This let him breathe a sigh of relief as he gently untangled his arm from between Rena''s, but before he could pull it all the way free, the jostling roused her from her sleep. Her eyes blinked open slowly and nced down at her hands that she tangled around his. Her gaze followed the hand up until she finally reached his face. "Ohgood morning." She said quietly. "Yeahmorning Rena. Did you sleep okay?" Lucius put on his best poker face and gave her his gentlest smile. He figured any other response might make her feel embarrassed. He was sure that she was just missing being home and she needed something familiar to cling on to. "Y-y-yeahI slept just fine" she stuttered for a moment before coughing and quickly letting go of his hand. "I hope you were able to sleep okay too, considering yesterday''s events. I trust you still n on talking with meter?" "Yes, when we settle for the night in the vige. We will have time to talk without the need for staying on watch." "Well, good." The girl swiftly got up and moved to gather her own pack. At this point everyone started to move and wake from their own resting ces. Thanks to his great hearing, he did not miss the fact that no one''s breathing changed from sleep to waking, other than the small child and the infant who were actually asleep. This meant that basically everyone was awake before he wasgreatthis could reflect badly on Rena''s reputation. He needed to be more careful in the future. After getting everything together Lucius once again took the lead and stayed several hundred paces ahead of the group to ensure that nothing and no one would get the drop on them. The rest of the trip was rather uneventful until they were about thirty minutes out from the vige. That was when every hair on Lucius'' body stood on end. He heard the milling about of dozens of monsters and beasts. The smell of wolves permeated the air, the scent as thick as soup. He retreated back to the group, eyes clearly wide enough for everyone to notice his concern. "I smell and hear dozens of monsters ahead. I''m worried the vige may have been overrun. The majority of them are wolf type monsters, any closer and they will smell us, unless they already have." Rena''s hands twitched as if she was about to cast a spell in response. Lethen and Paul''s faces became clouded with concern and confusion. He couldn''t me them, the likelihood of a monster attack on a settlement that was thisrge was very rare. When they began to start discussing the next steps, one of the women they had rescued interrupted them. "Um, actually those monsters you sensethey''re friendly." When the woman informed them of that, Jen''s eyes widened. "Wait a minuteis this that vige of tamers?" "Yes, most of our people possess dark magic and specialize in taming monsters. We don''t interact with others in the domain a lot because they look down on partnering with monsters, but its tradition." "Why did you not have any with you on the trip?" Lucius asked. "Like I said earlier, people do not really like that we tame monsters, so we do not bring them with us on trading runs to other towns and viges." Lucius put his palm to his face. "Right, sorry." With that brief moment of confusion out of the way, the party continued forward. This time the boy stayed with the party. He still stayed on alert, but even with his senses, so many monsters in the area threw them off a bit. His built in rm bells were ringing nonstop, so the only real option was to tune everything other than his vision out. Everyone approached the simple entrance to the vige. It was less of a gate and more like an opening in the simple fencing that surrounded the vige in its entirety. The guard seemed to recognize the women and saw what state they were in, so everyone was immediately guided to the vige chief''s residence. Most of the homes were simple cabins, very reminiscent of the one that Lucius had spent his younger years in. The vige chief''s home however was muchrger. It was two stories and could easily house four, maybe five families in it and still have room for the dining room, an office, and a kitchen. Once they arrived, the guard knocked and announced his presence to the household. The door opened and everyone was brought inside by a butler. They were taken to a massive study that had a few luxurious couches and chairs. In one of them was a portly older man with balding hair and a wiry moustache. The firece was lit and hanging over the mantle was a painting of a young, heroic looking man fighting off monsters with a twin-headed bear standing at his back. It looked like they were fighting together. "Please,e in, sit. I''ll have our vigers taken to their homes to rest and try to regain some normalcy in their lives. Please wee." The man said as he rose from his seat. He gave the group a deep bow in gratitude. Everyone moved to find a seat around the firece and began to share what they had happened upon in the forest. Other than the three women, the young child, and the infant, no one else survived. Even the oxen were not spared so the carts had to be abandoned. Per custom, the bodies of the deceased vigers had been burned so as not to attract monsters or allow the bodies to be undead. Undead were very umon outside of extremely mana rich areas like the deepest depths of the forest outside Pelith or dungeons, but it was still possible for any old corpse to turn. "That is awful news. We were relying on that set of wagons to provide us with some extra ie to the vige to support us till the main harvest in a few monthsI will send some of our warriors with other carts and some of our beasts to gather what we can. Of course it is most likely all looted by now, but we might get lucky. Thank you all." "Of course, vige chief." Jen replied. "On to our real purpose though, we are adventurers from Pelith, and we havee to take care of your twin-headed bear problem." "Ah yes! That, thank you. Thank you very much for responding to the request. As you know we have many different beasts and monsters in the vige, in fact you may have seen some of our finer specimens" "Chief, the quest." Jen interrupted. "Oh, right. This painting hereit is of our founder, my ancestor, it is said that he tamed a twin-headed bear as his mount and used that to carve a home for tamers heremy idiot son thought that he could do the same, and sought out one to tame. "These monsters do not normally dwell near human poptions since they do not like humans and tend to hunt other monsters, but my son went to this bear''sir and attempted to form a pact. After it failed, he figured he would have a better chance if it was at a disadvantage, and attempted to lure it into a trap outside of our vige" the chief exined. "I take it he failed." Paul deduced. "Quite badly. He lost his life and now the bear will not return home. It smells all the many monsters we tame here, as well as the abundant poption of weaker beasts in the areait seems to have made itself quite the home hereso please. Rid this beast for us will you?" Chapter 48: The Hunt The vige chief had a few things to discuss with the party regarding the task. It seemed that the target had been staying in the hills just a bit north of the town. Since they approached from the south, that made sense as to why there was no sign of such a creature during their travels. It also was most active during the day as it actually had rtively poor eyesight. At night, it retreated to a small cave in the hills that were a little hard to get to without attracting the attention of other monsters. Their best bet was to wait for it to get hungry and begin hunting. Lucky for them, they arrived around noon, so they would be able to get started on tracking it down. The n was to enter the twin-headed bear''s hunting grounds and wait for it to attack something. They would then wait to strike until after the fight was over so as to avoid having to fight multiple monsters. If they stayed close enough to the bear, then the weaker monsters would avoid the area and they would be able to fight it alone. Also, by attacking it right as it is about to eat, it will have already expended at least some of its energy prior to them having to take it down. It was an E-Rank Beast, so they could manage it well enough. Lethen and Jenbined should be able to manage a D-Rank monster well enough. However, it was important not to get cocky as one small mistake could end everything. As per usual, Lucius was put in charge of tracking. Rena and Paul provided covering fire, and Lethen and Jen would take the front line. They agreed to replenish their stock of supplies in town before gathering at the northern exit to head into the woods. "Everyone have what they need? Once we head out, we aren''ting back till the job is done." Jen informed them. She looked at each member''s face and nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, Lucius, put your nose to the ground and lets go." "You know my the beastman half of me is feline, not lupine, right?" He protested. "Well, the way we rely on your nose, I''m beginning to wonder about that." Jen joked. Everyone had a shortugh, even Rena. In all honesty, it was a funny joke, so he chuckled a little as well. They headed into yet another set of woods, this time to track down a beast that would make the Alpha Deer piss itself. For the most part, the trek was simple. With his sensitive hearing and nose, he was able to avoid most interactions with monsters. His eyesight also helped, but since the area was forested, the other ones were a little more useful. They saw all kinds of monsters just like the ones in the vige. There weremon wolves, as well as monstrous variants, both ranked and unranked, like the Fanged Wolf (F-Rank), a Red-Eye Wolf (unranked), Shadow Wolf (F-Rank) and a few others. Unranked monsters were usually stronger than their non-monstrous counterparts, but were not quite strong enough to contend with Beginner Rank fighters. They were maybe one and a half to two times stronger than their non-monster brethren. There were also a handful of Goblins (unranked) and Hobgoblins (F-Rank) patrolling the woods. They were low in numbers and each group appeared to be separate from the others. Normally they were not threatening because their territorial nature lead to them fighting with other groups rather than joining up with them. On the asion they would band together and present a rather dangerous problem to cities and towns since their breeding members would work together to rapidly produce an army that would outnumber a vige in a matter of weeks. Something like that required a C-Rank variant of a goblin though, and they were extremely rare. While they could easily have thinned the poption of these monsters, since humanoid monsters were much harder to tame, they decided against it. Avoiding all fights was better in the long run for them for both energy conservation as well as preventing their real foe from discovering their whereabouts early. A few hours passed and by this point, Lucius had to guess that it was about four in the afternoon. He could not reliably check the sun''s position in the sky thanks to the treetops filtering all the light through to them, but he felt like he was rtively close. "It''s getting close, but the bear should still be" Lethen started before Lucius shushed him quickly. He thought he picked something up off in the distance, somewhere to the northwest. He waved the group to lower themselves to the ground and wait, while he darted off between the trees. Ever since bing a retainer to Rena, he still maintained his father''s training regimen on top of the one his various trainers had for him. Because of this he was able to maintain a rather lithe form despite all the different workout regimens his trainers put him through. This fact helped him quickly dart in, out, and between different trees and clearings as he tried to pinpoint the source of the sound he had heard. For a little while there was nothing. But then there was a strange roar, as if it was two slightly different pitches opposing one another. "That should be our guy" He muttered to himself before returning to the group. Thanks to him remembering where he left them and the path he had taken, he reached them much quicker than it had taken him to get to the spot where he pinpointed the target. "It''s several hundred feet off in the northwest. I heard it''s strange two-tone roar. I don''t know if it''s attacking anything yet, but I found it." "Good enough, lets go before it tries to flee to it''s den." Jen said with a nod. Lucius turned around and led the party the direction he had identified the bear in. Since he had returned to them it had slightly changed location, but it was still in the same rtive area. Once again he gave the group non-verbal signals to quiet down and let him scout a little bit ahead. Just a few hundred feet in front of him was a small gap between the trees. It was not a natural gap. Several of the trees in the area had deep w marks as if the bear was marking its territory to ward off anything dumb enough to wander nearby. Some of the trees had been snapped at the base orpletely uprooted and there were hundreds upon hundreds of divots in the ground which appeared to be signs of previous battles against other beasts. The monster was nning on making this a permanent home and was cordoning off its little slice of the forest. That vige chief''s son certainly was a fool. Finally, Luciusid eyes on the creature in question. It was easily two or three times the size of a normal bear. Even when down on its four legs, it stood about twice as tall as he did. Also, as the name would suggest, it had two massive heads joined at the neck. It seemed to give it just shy of perfect three hundred sixty-degree vision. There was no way in hell that it could see directly behind its own massive form, but it definitely was close. The beast exuded power spades beyond what Lucius was capable. Every step it took shook the earth around it. He felt a cold sweat run down his back. Chapter 49: Twin-Headed Bear Lucius backed away quickly from the monster before it could catch a sense of him. He was able to circle back to where the party was waiting and informed them of what he saw. Jen formted a n off the information. Essentially, Lucius would circle around to the back of the beast and wait for a few minutes for the party to get into position. He wouldunch a surprise attack on its backside, and when the bear turned around to attack its assant, he would back off and at the same time, Rena wouldunch a spell while Paul shot an Arts enhanced Arrow. Finally, Jen and Lethen would jump into the fray to engage in direct melee with the beast. Lucius would continue to pester it from its blind spots, and Rena and Paul would continue to provide cover. "Sound like a n?" Jen whispered. Everyone nodded in agreement and they moved into their positions. Lucius circled around the opposite direction he originally went and got the bear within eyesight again. He made sure to watch its lumbering movements to ensure that it was not suddenly aware of his presence. Even though he was doing everything he could to keep himself hidden from it, these monsters could be quite clever sometimes or extremely intuitive. Intuition was one thing you could always count on to exist, but you could never guarantee when it wille into y. Every breath and every step was measured and steady so as not to ruin the n. After a few agonizing minutes, Lucius was in position. By this point, the rest of the party would be as well, so he began to focus the mana in his body and forced it to travel into his de and feet. "[Forsaken Arts: Severing sh]!" By siphoning some of the mana from the skill and forcing it into another part of his body, like his feet, instead of the weapon, he would lose some of the damaging power of the strike itself. However, the energy would instead be put into his leap, speeding up the attack faster than he would have been capable normally. He was way weaker than other children his age, physically, so he had to be tricky and learn how to manipte the mana used by his skills as best he could. This was how he had learned to change the weapon focus from his sword to his hands in the Dire Rat battle. It was also how he was able to perform such zing fast strikes. Sure, it weakened the impact and lessened the already middling physical power he possessed, but it enhanced his natural speed that even some Intermediate Rank fighters would struggle to keep up with. Dirt and leaves scatted in the wake of Lucius'' attack and he shot like an arrow at the bear''s backside. The target of the Severing sh was the monster''s hamstrings. It would not be a deadly blow, or even likely a debilitating one considering the terrifying regenerating abilities of monsters, but it would slow it down just enough to provide another advantage to the team. Before the monster could even react to the sound of his voice and attack, Lucius was on top of it. His de, coated in a golden sheen from the mana, shed across the back of the bear''s leg. It was deep, but not deep enough to cause the damage he had hoped for. "[Bow Arts: Piercing Shot]" "[Ferrum: Metal Spikes]" A golden arrow followed by a trail of gray flew towards the bear as it was turning around to face Lucius. From the gray trail, dozens of metal spikes burst from the ground before instantly disappearing. The arrow sunk into the bear''s side and the spikes pierced the hide on its belly, though neither did much other than cause a flesh would. But since this wound was more annoying than his own, it quickly redirected its attention from Lucius and back towards the other attack. It was at this moment that Jen and Lethen ran out from between the trees. Jen had her greatsword held out to the side and made arge swing from the right. Lethen had his shield in front of him and his sword held down and to the left before he made his attack. "[Sword Arts: Overpowering Strike]!" "[Sword Arts: Rapid Strike]!" Jen''s attack instantly became faster and it almost appeared as if the weight of the sword had grown as well. Lethen''s attack also increased in speed to the point that his sword hand was a blur. Both swords shed towards the bear''s front legs, Jen''s cut almost cleanly through while the one from Lethen left over a dozen smaller wounds, though each was twice as deep as Lucius had managed with his one attack. Not one to leave an opening gone to waste, Lucius took the chance given to him to attack the legs once again. Since the two attacks from the front made its front legs unusable for the moment, the bear decided to stand on its hind legs and roar in anger and defiance. This was the moment that he made his attack. Once again using a Severing sh, Lucius sped towards the bear. This time though, he used his natural speed and allowed the mana to be fed into the sword in its entirety. Again, the attack did not do much more than cause a flesh wound, so instead of pressing his luck, he once again retreated into the trees. "[cies: Ice Spike]" "[cies: Ice Spike]" Two spells were activated back-to-back as twin conical spikes of ice appeared between the trees and targeted the bear''s heads. Using the arm that was still somewhat attached, it attempted to swing and strike the attack down. "[Bow Arts: Multi-Strike]" Before the block could stop the spikes, a group of arrows caught the arm right in the shoulder, preventing the movement from urring. Both spikes struck their targets, one eye on each of the two heads. At this moment, Jen took advantage of the situation and leapt upwards before spinning and kicking the back of one of the spikes, pushing it further into the bear''s head. When shended on the ground, the twin-headed bear''s entire body shuddered and twitched. It wentpletely stiff and then fell backwards onto the ground, making a loud thud. "Not bad guys. He went down a lot easier than I expected. Lethen, pierce the second brain just in case." Jen said. "We got lucky that we were able to stop it from using its ws. That''s where its mana infused attacks originate. Let''s get to skinning it. Keep the ws for alchemy ingredients, I''ll collect the heart. Everything else, leave for the other monsters." Jen''smands were set and so the group set about on the corpse. It took everyone to break down the body of therge creature. Even Lucius took part even though he was also monitoring the area around them. After a few hours of tedious work, the deed was done and they had a freshly skinned fur, ten ws, and one massive bear heart. "I''ve never seen a bear heart beforebut that one looksodd." Rena pointed out. "Oh, have you ever seen any sort of monster heart?" Lethen inquired. Both Rena and Lucius shook their heads. The strange thing about the heart was that it wasck with deep red veins surrounding it. "Oh, well the difference between monsters and the base creatures they are descended from, is that monsters can use mana like humans. It flows through their blood. However, its in much higher concentrations and causes strange mutations and gives them powerful abilities. One of the results of that is that all monsters have these strange, ck hearts." Lethen exined on their walk back. They did not have to be as cautious since they smelled like the twin-headed bear. It was the strongest thing in these woods, so none of the other monsters wanted to be anywhere near them at the moment, so it was a rather peaceful trek back. Chapter 50: The Talk The party returned to arge amount of fanfare, it seems one of the vigers had been trying to find a monster to tame and saw the party moving through the woods with the spoils of their hunt. They had run ahead and informed the rest of the vige who gathered near the northern entrance to wee their new ''heroes'' back from the dangerous hunt. "Thank you so much adventurers, you really saved us! And you only did it in a day!" The vige chief came out to greet them upon their return as well. Rena noticed him greedily eye the monster''s pelt for a moment, but he did not say anything since he knew the guild''s rules on spoils. "Oh it was no problem! Honestly it went down a little too easy for a beast of its rank." Jen answered. Rena was about to agree before she heard her best friend mutter under his breath, "For some of us anyway" After hearing Lucius say something like that, she could easily tell that he had a hard time. She was not able to see how things looked from his end. All she knew was that his distraction worked and helped to pull attention away at the right moments for them to attack. Granted, after the first attack he did not participate much. It sounded like he had made a few other attacks, but they did not seem to be all that impactful. That was when it hit herhe must have been feeling a little inferior after the fight. It was so easy for the rest of the party, and yet, for himthe bear must have seemed like an insurmountable wall "Hey Rena? You with us?" Jen''s voice broke through her inner thoughts. "Sorry, I was thinking, what''s up?" "We are going to head over to the vige chief''s house to discuss some financial details rting to the pelt and ws we gathered. He gave us a house on the southern end for the night. It''s just a ways before the gate we came here through when we first arrived. Can you and Lucius go set it up for us?" She nodded in affirmation, then grabbed Lucius by the wrist and pulled him along after her. For a moment he looked a little confused, but soon enough simply went with the flow. It seemed he recognized the look on her face that said something like: ''you''re not getting away from me this time'' or something. Since there was no longer any rush, they were actually able to take in the sights of the vige a little bit. Rena had noticed that there were arge number of monsters and wild animals all around the vige. There were so many kinds of F-Rank and Unranked Wolf monsters that it almost rivaled the amount they saw in the woods. Rena had long known of the existence of tamers in the world. It was a subsect of dark magic. In fact, the same magic was once used to enact ve pacts during ancient times, though, thankfully those spells have long since been lost. However, taming magic has held on. The stigma behind it can be rather hard to shake due to the historical rtion it has to the ancient ve magic. However, it was tempting to wish for the ability to tame monsters. Whenever she thought about being able to cuddle up to a giant wolf every night, her heart nearly swooned. Things in the vige did not look like this was something they just did for fun. Rather, it appeared to be a necessity. The monsters were working on tasks and jobs throughout the vige and it was often side by side with their masters. In truth, it was quite cute to watch. They finally made it to the house that Jen directed them to. The inside was rather in, but workable. There was no furniture, so they would have to make due with their camping supplies and such for sleeping but this was not the time for that. "You said you needed to talk with me, right? So what is going on" she asked him. Rena listened as Lucius exined to her what happened after the fight with the bandits was over. From the outside, he had vomited, and began to groan as though he were in pain. Everyone thought he had been poisoned for a moment, but other than a punch and a kick, nothing hat hit him to suggest he was poisoned. However, after what she heard Lucius tell her about his side of the story, she could not help but pale in the face. She remembered the trial in the forest very well. She even remembered whatever the entity was that took over Lucius'' body tell her that it had blocked his memories of the incident. Now, it seemed like it no longer held those memories backbut why? Did the shadow entity want Lucius to start feeling all of the sudden? That did not make sense, what would it gain from such a situation. If anything, the apathetic Lucius that did not care if innocent vigers lived or died would probably suit whatever nefarious deeds it wantedmitted on its behalf. "Okayso you remember what happened in the forest, that you killed my cousins as well as how you did itbut what does that mean? Did not remembering it make it easy to ignore the cry for help?" "NoI feellike I want to feel bad about it. I also feel like I want to feel bad about your cousins. Hell, I even feel like I want to feel bad about killing banditsbut every time I start to experience those feelings, something gets in the way and pulls it away from me." Lucius admitted. The look on his face was pathetic. Rena had no idea what to do tofort him. What she suspected was the thing that ''pulls away'' his emotions had to be the shadow entity from the trial. Nothing else made sense to her. One thing she knew for sure, was that she was going to be here for him. She promised to protect him, both to the entity in the trial, but also she made another one to herself. "If you ever feel like you can''t decide what is right and what is wrongrely on me. I''m not perfect, I make the wrong choices a lotbut if you need someone to double check your thoughts withrely on me." Rena offered. Her hand was ced over her heart, a sign of her sincerity. "Thank youI will." Lucius said with a slightly sad smile. Rena could not help herself, so she pulled him into a tight hug. There were a lot of unknowns right now for him: his isck of power, the loss of his mark''s activation, the inability to cast magic, and the control that he lost over his own emotionsit was all too much for a single boy to bear, so she would bear it with him. Chapter 51: Allies for the Raid After a short while, Jen and the others entered the borrowed house. Apparently, the vige chief paid a hefty sum for the pelt and ws. Rena was curious why the did not just store the items in their storage rings when they collected them, but apparently it was specifically so the vigers could see the spoils of victory directly as well as do a little advertising. The vige chief clearly had a fondness for his ancestor that had tamed one of the twin-headed bears in the past, so it only made sense he would be interested in at least having the pelt of this one decorating his home. It would probably make a nice rug in the center of the office they first met him in. She and Lucius had a nice long talk before the party showed up and she felt much better after it. The n from now on was that he would rely on her judgement calls when it was needed as it rted to helping those unaffiliated with him. From their discussion, he had no problem with going the extra mile to help people he viewed positively, like his mother, Rena, and the rest of the party to an extent. It did make her feel a little ufortable because it seemed like she was taking away some of his agency, but to avoid future conflict it would be for the best. ''At least this behavior will suit him well when the war starts and he'' She didn''t want to think about it, but she could not help but remember that after the Grand Raid, Lucius would likely be sent off to war. It was not a guarantee, but talk of rising tensions were heard along every street and whispered around every table. It was truly only a matter of time. If they were really unlucky, it would happen before they could partake in the raid "Hey Rena, what made you guys be adventurers anyway?" Lethen asked. He had broken a decently long and awkward silence that had fallen on the group. Paul was busy stoking the fire and preparing some dinner for them. Jen was cleaning the weapons, and Lucius said he needed some air and was meditating outside. "Well, I have always been interested in the idea of being an adventurer since I was a real little kid, but over thest few years that interest developed into a desire." She exined. "Also, House Petra has this thing where the most aplished of the younger generation inherits the head of the house, so a lot of us be adventurers since that is the easiest way to aplish somethingwell that and war." "Oh right, I thought I heard something about that." Jen interrupted. Rena guessed she was listening in, but that confirmed it. "You Petras are really weird. Forcing your own children to y some sort of survival game, making them fight each other to get their inheritancegotta say, never heard of a family like yours." All she could do was nod along, because Jen was right. Rena''s family was quite different. "You''re right, but the Petra domain regrly churns out the best soldiers in Arcadios. Our house heads are also usually some of the strongest warriors and greatest tacticiansit has toe from somewhere." "Just feels like a bit much sometimes. Like the reward is not worth the cost, ya know? Some of those kids who die in your trials could change and go on to be great warriors or artists." Lethen exined. "Again, you aren''t wrong. But other than those who are marked, only those who want to be warriors or mages partake. So it''s not mandatedwell I guess all of the Petra children have to partake too." Rena attempted to exin. However, even she knew her words were empty. She really could not argue for it too well and all she could do was regurgitate the same exnations the adults in her life always gave her. She never really believed in the words. "What about Lucius?" Paul chimed in finally. Silence once again fell on the room before Rena broke it with a sad smile. "He became an adventurer because I did. He is my bodyguard. A promise made by his father with his final breaths." "What about the war? Itsing and even I know all the marked adventurers are tracked. He''s going to be forced into it." Paul continued. His monotone voice was starting to piss her off, but she held in her frustrationsthough only barely. "Yes he willbut to put it in his words" Rena inhaled deeply to calm her rising anger. She remembered what he had said to her on their way back home on the day they joined the guild. "He might die in the Grand Raidso maybe it won''t be a problem." Jen, Lethen, and Paul all looked at her with shocked faces. "You want to join the Grand Raid?" "Yes. If I survive it, it might just be enough to take on the mantle of the heir to house Petra. Lucius will join me becauseif he survives the Demon''s Stomach, he might be able to surviveing back to me. And if he doesn''t, then he won''t die as a pawn in a game of war." With that, she killed the mood. It was not great to begin with, but now it was not only awkward, but somber. Who could me them though? Talking about someone who has a n for death is not a pleasant topic. It was not pleasant for her when Lucius said it, so why would it be different for them? They did not know him for very long at all, only a handful of days at this point, but still; he was a young man who was nning for death. "Kid may not be strong, but he''s fast. Maybe he''s fast enough to outrun death? Who knowsbut you know whatwe wille too." Jen said. Paul and Lethen sat for a moment and then nodded in agreement. With that, the rest of their party agreed to join them on the raid to the Demon''s Stomach. Jen, Paul, and Lethen absolutely already qualified for entry, but their entire party had to qualify for them to take a spot. They would need to get at least nine more quests at Intermediate Rank or above to qualify and with the help of Lethen and Jen, who were Advanced Rank warriors, and Paul who was Intermediate himself, they could probably pull it off. "Alright, sounds like a n!" Rena smiled. "We will pick another one out when we get back. Probably good to take a few lower quests just so you guys can get your sea legs. But before thatyou two kids have a date around town when we get back if I remember correctly!" Jen teased with a sly grin. Chapter 52: Castle Training Natali let out a long exhale. Her breath was visible in the chill morning air. It was early enough that the sun had yet to rise, so the air still felt slightly frigid. With her was her best and only friend, Lyrah who had chosen to join her on this excursion to the training area. Since they were granted the approval to attend the Royal Academy in a few years, they were also gifted a small location to practice their skills from the prying eyes of the public and foreign dignitaries. Lyrah had no Compatibilities to speak of, but that did not stop her from practicing a few simple things that would keep her safe from a mugger or at least buy a little time from an attacker. Most of Lyrah''s training was spent on developing her noble manners. Since this was the first time the Oracle was being allowed to make a public appearance, they wanted to set the example that all who reside in the king''s pce were held to the highest of standards. It also looked good upon the royal family for appearing as though they had such ''kindness in their hearts'' to provide education and resources to a pitiful Marked One, even though the mark that they carried had saved the kingdom from many hardships. Natali on the other hand had Compatibility with Dagger Arts and Ice Magic, which suited her overall appearance very well. She also had the Mark of Recall which would allow her to bind one object to each of her hands, then at will recall that object from any location to instantly appear in her hands. When used in concert with her Dagger Arts, it was a potentially deadly weapon. It was for this special reason that Natali was also granted permission to train with Lyrah as well as attend the academy by her side. Natali was essentially a built in body guard for the Oracle and so very little expense was spared for her training. At first, her father secretly trained her in the barracks, but one day the training sessions were discovered by someone who reported it to the Elders in charge of the Oracle. Instead of anyone getting in trouble, they saw this as a golden opportunity to train a body guard that doubled as a personal maid to the Oracle. That maid was also marked, so they would not have to struggle finding a normal person willing to care for a Marked one. "Nataliiiii" Lyrah whined. "Are you almost done? My arms are tired" The white-haired girl looked at her friend and gave her an exasperated sigh. "[cies: Icicle Lance]" A massivence shaped of ice pierced the target on the other end of the modified archery range they had. The target was wearing beat up and worn out te armor, and even though it was damaged, the armor was still solid and strong in many ces. Yet despite it being thick te, thence pierced it as though it were paper. "Woooo!" Lyrah cooed. "That''s awesome! What rank are you again, Natali?" "Intermediate." She whispered. "Oh that''s so cool! I will never be ranked since I don''t have any Compatibilities, but it''s soooo cool that you got so strong." Lyrah''spliments made her blush a little. This was pretty normal behavior for the excitable Oracle in training, but it was still pretty embarrassing to receive such legitimate praise. "Shall we return to your training? You were supposed to be meditating and trying to call forth a vision if I am correct." "Oh,e on, not you too? I just want to take a little break" "Lyrah if you don''t get back to it, I will inform your mother." She threatened. "Besides, you''ve been taking a break by watching me for thest hour, I think that is plenty of break enough." Natali was in charge of babysitting Lyrah when she got like this. No matter what Lady Adellia tried, Lyrah would just get frustrated and stop listening while trying to train her. Natali''s own mother could not train her because she had responsibilities as Adellia''s caretaker, so Adellia gathered up a bunch of materials to try and have Natali teach Lyrah on her behalf. In truth, activating the Mark of Prophecy was not too different from other marks. The generalfeel that it had was very simr. They had made great progress, but there was one major issue. It was the fact that Lyrah could not tell her mother the visions she had. They had been lying to Adellia about not being able to sessfully induce a vision as Lyrah has been able to do so with regr sess for a few months. The reason they had to hide it was because of a promise that they both made to Natali''s mother, Mylene, years ago. They swore to never tell Adellia about any visions regarding the strange boy with the multicolored eyes. While Lyrah was able to sessfully induce her visions, every single one was about this boy. They were able to determine that he was currently about their age thanks to the variations in age from their dreams. The Oracle could not see into the past, they could only see the present and possible futures, so when Lyrah had seen him fighting as a child when they were both around eight and nine years old, that meant he had to be near their age. "You still have not seen another vision aside from him?" "No! And the ones I do have, don''t make sense! I need help on how to make sure the events I see happen out of orderbut its all jumbled. Like someone took a picture book and bound the pages in a random order. But I cannot tell my mom about these visions because of our promise to Auntie Mylene" Lyrah whined. Tears had started to form on her face, likely from frustration. "Can you tell anything at least from those? At all, even if it is just a feeling, an inkling. Just go with your gut." She advised the young Oracle. "Hrm" Lyrah hummed with one tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. "Something big ising for him. I don''t know what. I don''t know when. But if he might not survive it." Natali''s face grimaced. She really hoped he would. She had been hearing about this mysterious boy her entire life. The only people she knew were Lady Adelia, Lyrah, her own mother, and her own father. Aside from them, she also knew a lot about this nameless person so she was rather invested in meeting him one day. However, whatever was happening was something he needed to deal with on his own. And even if he needed help, there was nothing that she could do. After all, she was stuck in this castle for a while yet. "I hope everything works out" Lyrah mumbled. Natali knew that her friend felt much the same about this person as she did, but there always seemed to be something that Lyrah held back. Natali felt that there was still something that her friend was holding back. Though it did not really matter in the end since they may not ever meet him in the future. "I do too. Hey want to get some tea? We can call it a day." She said to her friend while activating her Recall. Two bright yellow shes glowed in her hands and materialized into a pair of daggers. She stowed them behind her back where there was a set of sheathes to hold them. Lyrah happily agreed and trotted along behind her, thankful for practice for the day to be over. Natali could not help but pat her adorable friend on the head. Technically, the ck-haired girl was older by almost a full year, but you would not be able to tell from the way they interacted. It was almost like Natali was the big sister who spoiled and doted on the younger one. Chapter 53: A Day Out After Lucius and the party returned to Pelith, they turned their quest in to the guild receptionists. It was then that the party expressed their interest in joining the Grand Raid in a few months. Jen, Lethen, and Paul were immediately approved, but the party was not given a pass for entry unless Rena and Lucius left the party, orpleted nine more Intermediate Rank Quests or higher. They were allowed toplete these quests with their party of course, so that made the prospects a little less daunting. The payout for the quest was split evenly five ways and so were the proceeds for selling the materials to the vige chief. Thanks to that, everyone had a good amount of pocket money. Rena had a decent amount at first, gifted from her father, but she ended up donating it to the Church of Celestia after they received their first payment from their quest. She was adamant that she live her life as an adventurer exactly as how a normal adventurer would. Lucius wanted to object because it would mean Rena''s life was harder, but the girl was exceptionally stubborn about some things, so he had no choice but to relent. He could not help but smile to himself at her dedication to being an adventurer though, so that was the only time he provided an objection. As promised, they took the day off and would pick up a quest tomorrow to get a move on for their second Intermediate Quest. Jen had offered to do some lower-level quests to bnce things out a little better for the newbies, but they refused. It was him who was the staunchest in refusal this time though. His argument was a simple one: if I''m a burden on an Intermediate Rank quest, then I''ll just be a burden in the dungeon. When he shared that sentiment, Jen had no choice but to agree. It was a valid point, and he was very d that she agreed with him on it. "Lucius, let''s go!!!" Rena crooned. "You promised me a day out on the town!" The red-headed girl eagerly tugged on his sleeves, pulling him out the door and into the streets. It was the middle of the day so they were bustling with people. Crowds grew thicker as they reached the main road where most of the stalls were. Rena''s eyes sparkled as she looked at the busy shops, restaurants and bakeries. "Do you want to get a cake? That bakery over there seems to sell them by the slice?" He offered. His words were met with the happiest look he had ever seen a person make and it was apanied by vigorous head nodding. Lucius could not help butugh at his friend as they made their way over to a bakery called ''A Crust Above'' with a sign adorned with pictures of bread and cake. They ordered a slice to share since it was rather pricey to buy a single slice. Though it made sense because the store advertised itself to nobles and merchants. Lucius decided to be the one to pay for it this time as a thank you for Rena always being there for him, and it just felt like the right thing to do now they stood on an equal ying field, financially speaking. "Aw! Thanks so much Lucius!" Rena said in between mouthfuls. The cake was a tripleyered cake with a bottomyer of chocte, then vani, then finally strawberry and the icing was a simple vani icing, but the top was decorated beautifully with shaved chocte pieces and arge strawberry. It was a little too rich for his taste, but Lucius enjoyed the happiness it seemed to bring Rena. They had chosen to sit at the back of the restaurant with Lucius'' left side facing the wall. This way any other customers would not see his mark and they would not be kicked out of the establishment. Sure, Rena could use her position as the lord''s daughter, but he did not want that to happen. She wanted to live as normal a life as possible away from the manor until the Grand Raid was over, so he wanted to ensure that happened no matter what. "Where to next?" He asked Rena when she finished thest bite of cake. "Oh! I know a ce! Come on!" She eagerly dragged him along outside of the bakery and down the street. She turned down a small street that was basically an alleyway, but for some reason there was a simple shop sitting, hidden from in view. "Let''s go inside!" "Umthis ce looks a little" "A little what? You annoying little shit." An annoyed voice called out to them as they entered the building. Apparently he had heard the beginning part of Lucius'' sentence, so he decided to shut up before finishing. "Sorry" he apologized with a deep bow. "Hmph. Take a look around, can''t promise I''ll sell to you though." Lucius raised one eyebrow. He was always under the impression that a shop owner would want to sell his wares, but this one appeared like he could not care if they bought anything or not. In fact, he almost appeared like he would prefer if they just left "Mr. Karl! Hi, it''s me, Rena!" "Yeah, nice to see you, Lady Petra. Who is the brat?" The shopkeeper grumbled. Lucius was starting to get annoyed at the man''s attitude and started to turn around, however when he grabbed Rena''s sleeve to bring her with him, but she pulled a reversal on him and yanked him back around so suddenly that he almost lost bnce. Rena put her hand on his chest and held up his pendant, a gift from histe father. It was the shape of an Alpha Deer and was carved from the very horn he had taken from the beast. "Recognize this, Karl?" The merchant, apparently named Karl, leaned forward and eyed the pendant suspiciously. "What are you doing with that, kid?" He growled. "It was a gift. From my father. He had it made from the horn of an Alpha Deer I fought." Lucius answered simply. He had just about enough of the grouchy man''s attitude at this point and was more than ready to leave. "I see." Karl stated inly. "So you are Wayne''s kiddo, huh? Good friend of mine. Tell you what, I''ll let you buy something if you want to." "Um, thanks?" Lucius had no idea why he phrased it as ''let him'' buy something. "But you knew my dad?" "Yeah, good friend. Shame he was killed by the Lord. Heard it was for betrayal or some other bullshit. In fact, I''m the one he asked to make that pendant there." Lucius eyed the jewelry on his chest and gripped it tightly with his hand. He kept this ne on day and night, even sleeping with it. The only way someone would take it from him would be from his cold, dead body. "Thank you. I keep it with me always." He finally muttered after a long pause. Karl simply huffed, "Sure. Looks like you''ve taken good care of it, so it has a good owner at least. Anyway, you wanting to buy something? Oh, Lady Petra, I have a delivery for your father here somewhere" Rena jumped in to stop him before he could grab the package. "No! Actually, I''m not affiliated with the estate at the moment. I''m working as an adventurer, separately from my family name, so I will not return to the manor until I aplish something worthy of bing heir." "Oh right, fine then. I guess you just came to introduce the boy to the creator of his treasure then?" "Yes." Rena answered with a gentle smile. "Thank you both. I hope I will have enough funds in the future to visit your shop and actually purchase one of your many beautiful wares." Lucius said with an even deeper bow than before. Karl simply dismissed them with a wave and they left the shop. After all the touring of the city and visiting the bakery, Karl''s shop ended up being thest stop before the evening set in. The day was nearly perfect in every way and it was nice to take time away from fighting and protecting. Unfortunately, the day was still marred by many angry and disgusted stares andments made towards him and his mark. It was illegal for him to wear anything to cover it, so unless he was being blocked by an object or person, his mark was free and clear for all to see. "Hey, want to go get some dinner and stay at an inn? I''ve never stayed in one before, this is so exciting!" "Don''t get your hopes up, it is likely nothing like what you are used to." He warned. "Yeah, I know that! Let''s go to that Whistling Wolf ce! We will rent a room with double beds!" "Wait, we are sharing a room?" "Um, yeah? The only difference between that and how we used to sleep is there''s no door separating us, besides you or I could have opened the door between our rooms at any time, it is not that different" "Umokay, sure. Let''s get something to eat and get a room." Lucius felt a little bit of a headacheing on. He knew that none of her father''s men had been following them or trailing them since they left the manor for Rena''s trip, but if this were to ever get back to him, he was sure that Richard would kill him. Chapter 54: War Plans "It what?" Zethis growled at the messenger who delivered him terrible news. "The shipment of enchanted weaponryit has been lost." The messenger whimpered. They were an impish looking individual and whenpared to the massive frame of the king of Alorek, Zethis, they looked even smaller. Zethis stared at the impish looking creature like a wolf would to a baby. "Cage him with the minotaurno better, the Sand Wyrms. If he survives the night, he can live." Zethis ordered. The messenger screamed and begged for his life as a pair of guards dragged him away by his arms. No amount of kicking and screaming could break him free from their clutches. Not only were they much stronger, but the guards knew they would be the ones locked away with the terrifying beasts known as Sand Wyrms. Sand Wyrms were rtives of dragons. They did not have any wings and instead would burrow under ground to rest as well as ambush prey. They did not haverge teeth, but instead hundreds upon hundreds of tiny, razer-like teeth meant for ripping. They could only eat food in small chunks, so it was in their nature to tear prey apart with abination of teeth and ws. They were also C-Rank beasts like the Minotaur, except they were slightly easier to control due to a lower level of intelligence whenpared to the bull-type monster. "Anyone care to tell me why our shipment from Aedrider was lost? What does it mean to be lost?" Zethis roared. His yell echoed through the almost cavernous throne room. All of his retainers cowered momentarily as an automatic reaction to his fury. He was not known to be a patient man, and his patience had already been worn out by the messenger. Knowing this, one of the retainers stepped up to speak so that way none of them would end up in a cage with one of his pets. "We do not have a lot of detail on what happened. But it appears the caravan was attacked by an unknown group of elves. Aedrider feels it may have been perpetrated by a pro-human faction of rebels." The retainer managed to choke out. "A pro-human faction? InterestingI did not know they struggled with such a thing." He responded. Zethis knew very well that Aedrider was an equipment manufacturer through and through. They held no allegiances to other nations and freely sold and traded during war time and peace on a firste, first serve basis. "Yes, apparently some among their younger generation as well as a fringe faction of their elders are part of a pro-human faction. Though the name suggests they wish to ally themselves with the Union, it would be more urate to say they oppose Alorek''s aggression more than anything." "This has that bitch''s scent all over it." Zethis growled. His eyes began to glow fiercely and the arm of his chair began to groan from the pressure his hand was exerting on it. "Your majesty?" "Lady al Famyn from the Wisteria Concord. I would bet my left nut on her hand being involved in this mess." "Your majesty, shall we mobilize ahead of schedule then? Retaliate for Wisteria''s hand in this theft of our property?" the retainer asked carefully. His tone was measured so as not to offend Zethis. "No. We are not ready to strike. My insiders say that their kingdom is participating in a series of dungeon raids across their kingdoms. I want to wait until those begin. That is when we will strike." Hemanded. "Sire, I read those reports as well, but are the particpants not just simple adventurers and Marked Ones? How will waiting for that" The retainer stopped talking because his words were interrupted by a hearty and terrifyingughter from Zethis. "That is truehowever, I have some people nning on providing someassistance when those dungeon raids begin. Even if they do not have any of their own resources sunk into them, the Adventurer''s Guild will have its hands full trying to clean up the mess that they will not be able to devote resources into managing monster quests, which in turn will require the human kingdoms to devote more personal resources into protecting their own towns inside their borders." Once again, he let out a greatugh. The retainers nervously began to chuckle alongside him, but no one got carried away. "As youmand, your majesty." Zethis gave the retainer a curt nod of acknowledgement. "By the way" He began before pausing to look at the others in the throne room. Seeing that the necessary people were all still present, he continued, "How goes our shadow enforcement of our border with Eroa?" "Sir, the cities and towns near the Eroan border are nearlypletely reced with inclothes fighters. The citizenry of those towns have also been relocated further into our borders. So far there have been no reported issues with their integration and resettlement." Zethis nodded with a happy smile. Many of the former leaders of Alorek believed that strength was all that was needed to takemand of the nation. And while they were correct, it was not what was necessary to keep thatmand. A truly powerful leader needed strength and cunning. He long had a n to quietly disce the poptions of the cities near the Eroan border to make it seem like the actual garrison was simply a threat to stay put, rather than an actual invading force. It would temporarily keep Eroa from making moves against him when he begins the invasion of the human territories. With that pause, he wouldunch a surprise attack with forces that suddenly tripled or quadrupled in size out of nowhere. Eroa had reinforced its own borders topensate for the amount of troops they knew about, but it would not be enough to fight off the actual size of the army that was hidden in reserve. He could not contain his glee and began to chuckle once more at his own cleverness. "We will not have time to rece that shipment from Aedrider before the war begins, but its loss, while great, does not mean much in the long run. Continue pouring a minor amount of resources into the search. If Wisteria is behind this, we want them to think we care. If we act like it was not important to begin with, then it will tip our enemies into realizing we have other contingencies that we view as more important." Hemanded. ""Yes, your majesty!"'' the entire room erupted in a singr affirmation of his orders. Once again, he smiled. Alorek''s greatness will rise again and it would be because of him. His name will go down in history as the greatest Warrior King to lead this great nation. He will be the one who brings thends of Eroa back under their control, and they will be the ones to subjugate thends of the humans, once and for all. Chapter 55: The Second Quest "Finally! Did you guys decide to sleep in or something?" Jen teased as Rena and Lucius walked into the guild the morning after their day out on the town. Lucius rolled his eyes at her because the sun had literally just started to rise as they entered the guild hall. Honestly, they had figured they would be hanging out in the guild for a few hours before Jen dragged herself out of bed. "I''m surprised you are up so early. I seem to remember you threatening us to not wake you up this early when we first met" he mumbled under his breath. "I heard that, kid." Jenughed. "Anyway, I got a new job for us. You remember those bandits we ran into on the way to the tamer vige? Well, I reported the incident to the guild and it seems we''ve been issued an emergency quest. They are considering it an Intermediate Rank." "Yep, seems like they have be a bit of a problem for a number of viges and the city is getting tired of its shipments of food, goods, and taxes being hit, so we get to go bandit hunting." Lethen finished. "Okay." Lucius answered. For a moment he felt a twinge of panic at the thought of fighting humans again, but then that sensation of it being taken away from him appeared again. It was like a deep chill at the base of his skull. Rena seemed to have noticed the rapid expression change that must have colored his face because she looked at him with concern for a moment. Jen and the party did not seem to notice, or if they did, they did not let it affect them. "Any data on numbers?" Rena asked a momentter. "Six less than there used to be?" Paul answered from his seated position behind Lethen and Jen. "No matter, I should be able to scout it out before we approach the camp and assess the numbers, then we can decide if we want to continue with the attack." Lucius offered. "Sounds like a n, let''s get going!" Jen shouted with her fist pumped in the air. Lucius had no idea why she was so excited, but decided to leave it be. If she was in a good mood, then good for her. They assumed that the bandit camp would be rtively close to where they first met them at the ambush site, so that was where they headed. It took them only a short while to get to the spot they had rested at before when Lucius first heard people moving through the woods. It felt logical to assume that those people were the bandits that attacked the caravan since there were too many to be a hunting party. Once arriving at the site, they went ahead and rested for a short while as Lucius patrolled a few dozen feet into the tree line to see if he could hear or smell anything out of sorts. For the moment there were only a handful of normal sounds for a forest like this. In fact, he only heard normal animals like deer, birds, mice, rabbits, and the like and not even a single monster. After about thirty minutes of sweeping the site, he returned to the group to inform them of what he found, or rather, didn''t find. "Paul and I should go a little deeper and see what we can find. I could do it my own, but I think two heads are better than one and he is still a pretty aplished tracker." He offered. Paul nodded his head in agreement while Jen put her hand under her chin, pondering their options. Before she could say anything, Rena spoke up. "If I may, I think this would be a good idea. Lucius is our scout and best tracker, but with Paul they can sweep the area twice as fast. Plus, since Lucius will be able to keep an ear out for Paul, they would be safer working together and would be able to find each other in an emergency." "That''s a fair thought, but what should we do?" Jen countered. "I don''t want to rely on the kid doing things like this alone all the time." "We can help by checking out the ambush site again. It isn''t that far away and we might get lucky to find some sort of signs near where they exited the forest." Rena answered confidently. "Sounds like a n. You two good with that?" Paul and Lucius readily agreed because it was the best way to handle the situation. It was entirely possible the bandits were camp much further away, but this was the only lead they had. Paul gathered his weapon and supplies and vanished into the woods. Lucius dove into the trees behind him. Paul went a little further north, closer to where the ambush had happened while Lucius went to the east. Since they were both patrolling the woods no, he was able to go much deeper. The woods here really were devoid of monsters. He came across families of deer and other small animals, but no signs of people yet. A few hours had passed and still nothing was showing up. Just as he was about to give up, he caught a whiff of blood. It was a little to the north, the direction Paul was in. Concerned for his party member, he quickly leapt through the branches as fast as he could move. He still attempted to be as quiet as possible, but not so much so that he would slow himself down. Any scout worth their salt would be able to hear him instantly. Lucius continued to smell the sent of blood as well as something else. There was another person, different from Paul, nearby. But for some reason, he could not hear them. It felt like whoever this was had hidden every part of their presence except for their scent. It took a lot of effort, but eventually he was able to pinpoint the direction of the person''s scent. It was a little bit to the east again which put Paul out of harms way, so he was able to slow down in his pursuit and maintain silence as best he could. Birds continued to chirp and the rustling leaves echoed through the forest. Lucius did everything he could to calm his breathing and heartbeat, worried that his prey would be able to hear them from his approach. He had tracked the scent to arge tree with a trunk that was easily a dozen feet thick. This area of the forest was filled with old growth trees so many wererge, but this one seemed to be the oldest andrgest of them. Its lower branches were as thick around as the trunks of the trees near the forest edge. Lucius slowly drew his sword and climbed up the tree. He could not see or hear anything, but his nose never lied. He rapidly approached the branch that the person seemed to be hiding in, and though he could not see anything there, he swung his de with all his strength at the area that seemed to be emitting the scent. His sword connected with something solid, but there was no sound from the impact. Instantly, the seemingly empty space shimmered and a person in a dark cloak and mask covering their mouth appeared. She had bright, green eyes and pointed ears. It was an elfno, a half-elf. Her ears were too short to be a full-blooded elf. She held a dagger in her hand and was holding it against the cutting edge of Lucius'' machete, blocking his strike. Her eyes seemed shocked and angry at the same time.Who the hell was this? Chapter 56: The Marks Lucius locked eyes with the half-elf girl for a few seconds. It was clear she was not one of the bandits, so he gave her a proposition. "I''m going to loosen up the pressure and back off. You are going to stay very still and we will both put our weapons away. Deal?" The girl nodded slowly, so after taking a deep breath, he slowly released the pressure and stepped back out of her and his striking ranges. She came to a standing position and they simultaneously put their weapons back in their respective sheathes, though they also both kept their hands on the des, just in case. "Who are you?" he asked. The girl put up a hand, holding up her index finger. The back of her left hand shed momentarily and she let out a deep sigh. Suddenly Lucius was able to pick up her breathing and heartbeat, which was not present before. "I''m Mia, a member of an adventurer party out of the capital. We decided to move down south and stopped through Pelith, but heard rumors of a gang of bandits, so we stopped to help. Who are you?" She finally answered. The sh of light put Lucius even more on edge, but he recognized the feel of the power. It was not mana, it was something else, so he knew she was a Marked One. "I''m Lucius, my adventurer party is based in Pelith and we are on a quest to hunt down those same bandits." "I see. Have you been able to locate their camp yet?" "No, that''s what I was doing when I found you." "How did you do that by the way?" Lucius simply responded by tapping the side of his nose. "However you hid your sound and visuals, it is very hard to hide your scent." A look of mild rm mixed with disgust shed through the half-elf''s eyes before she presented him with an offer. "My group is nearby, we have found the bandit camp, I take it you and that other man in the woods I was watching are together? How about we meet here, together at this tree, introduce our parties and do this together?" "I can''t make that promise on my own, since I''m not the party leader, but I will bring them here. Meet back in twenty minutes?" he asked. "You got it." With that the mark on her hand shed again and her breaths and heartbeat vanished once again. Then he saw a dark glow surround her body and she disappeared into the shadows. Following his nose, he was able to track her as she left. asionally when light shined on her, she would be visible again, so Lucius was able to deduce that however it was she remained invisible had to do with staying in dark or shadowed ces. He waited till she waspletely gone from sight before he went to collect Paul and return to the group. Paul was shocked to have Lucius suddenly appear behind him, but they were able to avoid an incident. "Find anything?" Paul asked when his heart rate settled from the scare. "Something. Come on, let''s get to the ambush sight and talk with the party. I have quite the interesting lead." He answered. Paul nodded and they both dashed through the trees to the meeting site. When they arrived, Jen, Rena, and Lethen were scanning the edge of the woods for any signs or clues that could have been missed. Lucius noted that the carts had beenpletely cleared already and since it had only been a few days since the ambush, the char marks in the grass where they cremated the dead were still inly visible. "What''d you find?" Jen demanded. She sounded frustrated, which was probably because she could not find anything at the investigation site. "I did not find the bandit camp, but I met with another adventurer group in the woods. Well, just one. Her name is Mia, a half-elf. They want to meet us at the tree I found her in and discuss the possibility of working together on the bandit quest." "Wait" Lethen mumbled. "A half-elf named Miadid she have a bow?" "I''m not going to lie, I was more focused on the dagger she had her hands on to pay attention to a bow." He admitted. "Hmm" Lethen trailed off. "Do you know who she might be, Lethen?" Paul asked. "MaybeAnyway, let''s go meet them. Take us there?" Lethen answered. Lucius nodded and guided the group back to the tree he had promised to meet with Mia and her group. He still did not trust her and was making sure to track her scent the entire time, in the event she was going to ambush them, however that proved to be unnecessary as Mia and three other people stood openly next to the massive tree. There was one guy and two other girls standing beside Mia. One appeared to be a warrior, one a mage, and the other might have been a monk or some sort of unarmedbat specialist. "Nice to see you again. Let''s get started on this conversation shall we? To start, I am Mia, leader of the adventurer group lovingly known as ''The Marks'' and it is very nice to meet you." Mia said with a devilish grin. Lethen was unable to hold in his loud gasp so everyone turned to him. "No fucking wayit really was THAT Mia! The Marks are an adventurer group out of the capital that made a name for themselves as a party made up fully of Marked Ones. To think we would meet you all in some random forest!" "Nice to know we have a fan!" Mia said ufortably. "A-a-anyway we should introduce ourselves to each other." Lucius agreed and his entire party introduced themselves to Mia and her group. It felt only right to do so, since she identified their group name first. Also, they were clearly the senior party in terms of experience, so it was only fair. "Nice to meet you all. So you are marked as well Lucius? Unknown and won''t activatestrange. Anyway, we are all marked as well. I bear the Mark of Silence. Anything I touch, including myself will never make a sound for as long as I concentrate on it." The sole guy in the group stepped forward. "I''m Renton, Warrior, Axe Arts, and I bear the Feather Mark. Any single object I touch weighs as light as a feather until I choose another, or cancel the ability." Next up was the unarmed warrior. "My name is Lynn, Unarmed Arts, Fist Arts, same thing. Mark of Blindness. I can make any single target suffer from blindness as if I cast the Dark magic spell." The final person to introduce herself was the mage. "H-h-hi. I''m MariemageI can use all Elemental magics and I have the Mark of Light. I can create and dispel up to three orbs of light that each are about as bright as a torch." "So that''s us!" Mia confirmed proudly. "Anyway, we figure we should work together. That bandit camp is a bit worse than we thought. There are probably thirty or more there that I was able to count." Jen and the party looked at each other and silently confirmed with each other that they were okay with this. They all nodded in agreement. It would be an impossible fight with just the five of them, but with an allegedly skilled party like The Marks, they might stand a better shot. Chapter 57: Assault Plan Mia, Jen, and Rena went over the n and details with each other off to the side while Lucius and the others chatted and prepared their equipment. They went over their abilities with each other as well so they could know what to expect from the other fighters during the battle. It would be bad if someone did something out of the blue and became a target out of panic or surprise. Renton was particrly surprised that Lucius was able to get the drop on Mia or even find out where she was. ording to them, her mark allows her to silence people as well, though unlike the Dark magic spell, it silences the entire being, not just their voice, so she makes no sound as she steps, runs, yells, or breathes. The way she was able to be invisible under shadows or darkness was because of a Dark magic spell called, Invisibility. Because it was a Dark magic spell it is rendered ineffective in the light, but as long as you are touching at least one shadow, it is as though you also be one. It was quite the deadlybination of skills. She was also a user of Bow Arts, so she was an exceptionally effective assassin. However, like Lucius had told them, it was much harder to hide your scent. Without that ability, he would never have known that Mia was even in the woods, let alone watching Paul''s movements to see if he was a member of the bandit camp. The Marks had been in the woods, gathering intelligence on the camp''s movements, fighter count, supply locations, and any hostages. From what they found, there did not appear to be any hostages currently at the camp, which was good for him, because he did not want to get on the party''s bad side again for being too careless. He could not rely on Rena''s opinion since they would be in the middle of a battle. Time to ask thoughts and opinions in a fight only afforded the opportunity for someone to kill you. "Soyou sniffed out our Miacrazyhow did you do it?" Renton asked, giddy that someone had bested the party leader against her stealth skills. "Well, I smelled blood. However, the only animals in this area seem to be passive creatures, there are currently no predators like wolves, bears, coyotes, or even any monsters. So, the smell of blood left only one option. A human." Lucius exined. "Ah that must have been from a scout she took out or something then. She has a habit of collecting her arrows and using them as long as possible instead of one and done. It''s risky because they could be damaged, but she can''t break the habit." Lynn mentioned. "Probably. Though I could also just smell her general location. I could tell there was a person nearby, so even without the blood, I would have found her eventually. She smelled different from Paul anyhow and I knew the others were not in the woods, so by process of elimination" Lucius continued. "What are you part dog?" Renton asked. His question came out a little louder than intended and it made Rena and Jen burst outughing. Rena came over and mockingly pet the top of the boy''s head. "No, he''s not a dog, he''s my pet cat!" She joked. Lucius sighed in resignation. "I''m half-beastman but from a feline lineage. All of us have extremely sensitive noses apparently, regardless of lineage." He mumbled. "Oh, that makes sense that I don''t know that then. Since we are from the Capital of Arcadios, we see basically zero beastmen and only a handful of elves. Though, there are quite a number of half-elves, like Mia." Renton admitted with Lynn and Marie agreeing. "Alright, look alive everyone." Jen shouted. "We have a n formed up so let''s get to work." The bandit camp was about a mile East of their location. They send out regr scouts though they only venture a quarter of a mile away from the camp at most in any given direction. Mia, Paul, and Lucius would take out any scouts actively on patrol before the others moved in. Paul and Mia would try to hide the bodies as best they could, but Lucius could leave some of them alone. With his Forsaken Arts, if he were to use those with his unarmed attacks, it would look like they died from a monster instead of a human. Such was the savage nature of the Forsaken Arts, feature shared with Beast Arts. What Lucius had not shared was that there were more abilities given to him by the Forsaken Artsa lot of thembut he did not use them because they were extremely dishonorable, even in a fight against bandits and monsters After the scouts were dispatched and everyone moved in, Marie and Rena would seal off the entrances and exits of the camp to keep anyone from escaping. Paul and Mia would take positions in the treetops and shoot from above the camp''s walls, while Jen, Renton, and Lethen would jump over the walls with assistance from the mages and take the fight inside. Lucius would join them in the camp as well to take out any stragglers, potential escapees, and anyone trying to catch the fighters from behind. Everyone was in agreement with the n, so they exchanged some basic goodbyes and well-wishes with each other. Rena came up to Lucius, saying, "Be careful out there and don''t get cocky, okay?" "You be safe too Rena. Watch out for anyone trying to get over the walls and take them out before they get too close." Lucius warned. "Isn''t that what you are there to prevent? Do a good job in cleaning out the forest and keep the baddies caged in their own camp and it will all go fine!" Rena teased while gently patting him on the shoulder. "But yes, I''ll be careful." After everyone finished their preparations, Lucius, Paul, and Mia vanished into the forest. Mia activated her stealth skills and vanished like a ghost from view. Paul and Lucius had no such skills, but they were able to sneak around with the best of them thanks to their backgrounds hunting in woods. Everyone else waited for about twenty minutes before they followed. That should give the advanced party enough time to handle the scouts. Chapter 58: Camp Assault [Part 1] Lucius kept his senses on high alert so he could make sure that he could get the drop on any enemies before they got the drop on them. He also had his de sheathed so that he only used unarmed attacks. Lucius would attack first, that way any other scouts woulde across therades looking like they were attacked by a monster. During that panic is when Paul and Mia would take out the others. It took a short while to travel through the forest for the almost three quarters of a mile to make it to the outer edge of the enemy''s patrol zone. When he started to think about it, it was rather odd that a group of bandits had gotten thisrge unnoticedlet alone were able to organize themselves in such a way "Dammit!" A voice called out several hundred feet away. It was followed by the sound of breaking twigs and crunching leaves. Basically the idiot tripped and fell. Realizing this was a great opportunity, he smiled cruelly and jumped into the trees. He quickly approached the bandit''s location from above and saw him massaging his ankle. It was simple enough to realize the bandit was weaker than he was, which meant this would not be a problem. "Fuck that hurts stupid forest and stupid trees and stupid" "[Forsaken Arts: Gouging Strike]!" The bandit''s words were cut off by Lucius'' attack from above, he dove straight down from the trees which let him maintain all of the mana used by the attack in his hand, thus maintaining one hundred percent of the power. His hands were surrounded in a golden light turning his fingers into ws at the moment of contact. The ws tore through flesh and bone as he flew past the man raking from his neck down the length of his spine. The shock of pain so intense the victim could not scream. Were this person to have had anypatibilities at all, Lucius may have had to leave him for Paul or Mia, but since these were bandits, they usually did not, save for a few nasty customers. He pushed the body to the side so it was syed outwards like he had run from an attack before moving on to the next target. From what he could tell there were a few more patrolling the woods. Given the numbers alleged by Mia, there should be no more than three or four scouts total, but there seemed to be at least five different scents shuffling through the woods. Paul and Mia were trailing behind, waiting for any targets that Lucius could not take out as well as making sure they took out any potential reinforcementsing to look for their missing scouts. Lucius rapidly approached the second bandit, but noticed that two of them were actually standing really close together whispering about some sort of ''haul'' that the ''boss'' pulled off. They were apparently nning to steal it from under his nose with some help from some other men inside. Lucius was not equipped to take out both of them in a single strike at the moment, plus one of them felt a little more dangerous than what he could handle quickly. Instead, he put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. Both of the bandits looked up at the tree he was in, but as they opened their mouths to shout, two golden colored arrows connected with the backs of their throats. "Nice shot guys" He muttered before jumping off again. From what he could tell there were a couple more, though they were a little further away. Lucius made sure to pay attention to the surroundings as well to see if there were any traps that might present a danger to the assault team, but thankfully there were none so far. The fourth bandit was, like one of thest two, too strong for him to handle alone, so he whistled again and for the trouble of trying to shout, he received a set of arrows in his face. Lucius simply moved on to the next target since Paul and Mia would take care of the bodies. He was starting to get a little antsy and excited for the uing battle, but he used every ounce of self-control he had in order to calm himself. Getting too eager too early leads to mistakes, and since he was outnumbered and outssed in many cases, mistakes were something he could not afford. After taking a quick breather and calming his nerves, he then put his energy into expanding his search range. He wanted to find thest of the scouts as quickly as possible. After a few moments he was able to figure out the general direction of the scout and leapt through the trees towards the target. As he got closer, he was able to pinpoint him. This time it was someone weaker than him. It was a young man, probably no older than twenty. Lucius watched the young man move about, closely examining the woods and holding a wooden club tightly to his chest. It was almost like this was his first time doing something like this. In all likelihood, he was a simple viger who ran away from home or was abandoned and this was the only life he could make. Most bandits were like that, people whocked options and banded together and used strength in numbers and surprise to abuse those weaker than them. However, the young man''s circumstances did not matter to Lucius. Eventually he would kill someone and be a ruthless marauder and that would put Rena in danger. Lucius would not allow that. He slowly gathered mana in his body and focused it in his right hand. "[Forsaken Arts: Goring Rush]!'' Lucius lunged forward with all his strength plus the added force of using the branch he was on as a spring board. Before the young man could react, a ck blur zoomed past him. He turned around to look at the mysterious figure and saw a boy with multi-colored eyes staring at him nkly. Lucius watched as the bandit slowly looked down at his own stomach and realized that most of his insides were now on his outsides. The man took two steps forward and attempted to raise his club, but all his strength left him and he facented and remained still. Lucius tapped him a few times with his foot before kicking the body to ensure no reaction. Sure enough, he was dead. Lucius scanned the surroundings for another ten minutes and sensed no signs of any more scouts in the woods. He let out a short whistle, which was followed up by a second, then a third. After several minutes of silence, he felt a massive surge of mana in the direction of the bandit camp. A smile crossed his face as he realized that Rena was not holding back, just like him. Chapter 59: Camp Assault [Part 2] Rena sat next to Marie quietly waiting for the signal they agreed upon with the advance team. The assault team was a little further away, waiting for the mages to do their job. Rena was slightly distracted with thoughts of Lucius fighting out in the woods without her there to fight with him. Ever since they were children they have never been separated. She was very worried that he might go a step too far and face off against someone stronger than him. Losing him would devastate her, so much so that she would probably just give up on the battle for the spot as heir. It just was not worth it if he wasn''t around She quietly shook her head to dispel those negative thoughts and feelings. Rena was aware that the timid woman, Marie, was watching her the entire time. Honestly, she probably looked very weird just sitting there and shaking her head back and forth for no reason. "You aren''t like most nobles." Marie whispered. "You know I''m a noble?" Marie nodded. "It''s the hair. Not a lot of people have red hair, and you live in Pelith, so I just assumed you were a Petra." "You know about my family then?" "YesI was in the military before we were allowed to be adventurers. All of us were, except Miashe was a runner before this a-a-anyway, everyone in the army knows about the Petra''s. Your family is filled with powerful warriors." Marie continued. Rena could tell there was a hint of admiration in the woman''s voice as she spoke. Marie probably ran into a number of extended rtives of Rena''s. The Petra''s were a massive family. In fact, her own father was the strange one of the group because he only had the one child: Rena. If she were to try and count them, the number of cousins and second cousins she had probably numbered in the triple digits. Most of them were not eligible to be part of the generationpeting for bing heir due to their ages. They were either too young or too old when the time of selection came. "Yeah, my family loves to fight, that''s for sure Say, Marie, are you guys going on the Grand Raid?" Rena asked, swiftly trying to change the subject. "O-o-oh. I think Mia said that was the n? Are you guys going to go too?" "Yeah, that was what we settled on as a party. Though Lucius and I had nned on doing it from the moment we became adventurers." Rena said with a proud grin. "Why?" "Because I want to get stronger, and I need to aplish something great to prove my worth as the next heir to House Petra." She proudly ced her fist over her heart . "What about Lucius? Why does he want to go?" Most of Rena''s act of pride crumbled instantly. "He wants to gain the strength to survive the war with Alorekor die in the dungeon." Marie was about to say something when they heard the signal that the advance team had cleared the forest. Both of them stood up and ran straight for the camp. This was the first time that Rena had seen the camp in question. It had ramshackle walls made of roughly tied logs and bits of scrap metal nailed in various ces. Unlike city or somerge town walls, there did not appear to be a tform behind them from which to walk along them on patrol. Instead near the openings of the walls that served as the entry and exit points, there was a single tower that was so poorly constructed it looked like a strong wind would blow it over. Atop this tower was a pair of people who saw the approaching mages and started pointing and shouting something. Marie broke off from Rena to head to the second gate. Mia had done some follow-up patrols around the camp and found that there were only two gates and the rest of the camp was surrounded by this wall. "[cies: Ice Wall]!" Rena channeled all the mana she could muster at once into the spell and erected a solid wall of ice that blocked off the gate. The wall extended a little past the opening on either side, partially enveloping the wall itself to make sure that there were no gaps. Off in the distance she heard a small voice shout, "[Terra: Earth Wall]! Rena felt a surge of mana from the same direction and watched as a giant wall made of dirt and stone covered the other exit. At this point the two people in the lookout tower had begun panicking and were shouting down to the people in camp. She felt a burst of wind rush past her as she caught a glimpse of Jen and Lethen run by. They quickly approached the wall and began to scale it. Rena watched as the people in the tower drew their bows and started to take aim at her party members who were defenseless while climbing. "Not on my watch! [Ventus: Gust]!" Though she could not spend too much mana or focus on casting the wind spell without losing concentration on the Ice Wall, it was enough to throw the bandits off bnce. One even tumbled backwards and fell off the tower. Though she could not hear or see it, based on the height and how he fellhe probably did not survive thending. The distraction was enough for Lethen and Jen to finally get over the wall. She then got prepared for the next phase of her task: keeping an eye on the walls for any enemies trying to escape. If they did, she was to either push them back into the camp, or use a spell to take them out. The one restriction ced on her and Marie was to not use fire magic. Because if they did, they risked setting the wall itself on fire, which could defeat the purpose of the walls they made in the first ce. Not to mention the fact that their allies would be fighting in a literal ring of fire and smoke. While Rena did not see them because they approached the camp from closer to where Marie was, she figured that Renton and Lynn were already inside and fighting alongside Jen and Lethen. She heard a number of shouts and screams as people began to fight to the death. For both the bandits and them, the only way out of this now was to win or die. Chapter 60: Camp Assault [Part 3] Joval grew up as a poor farmer''s kid. He was a middle child among five. His mother and father could not afford to pay for so many mouths to feed, so him and his oldest sibling who were the only two boys of the family, were sent to the local town to find work. On the way to town though, they were set upon by a group of marauders. They gave up their possessions as requested and did not fight back when they were captured. As a form of entertainment, the leader of the group liked to capture travelers and force them to fight. He would let the victor live and leave. Him and his brother were thrown into a pit that had been dug into the ground. Around the outside the boss and all the bandits sat, watched, and jeered at them both. Two swords were thrown into the ring with them. One behind Joval, and one behind his brother. Forever the honorable and noble of the two, his foolish brother threw the weapon down and swore he would never harm family. Joval did not share that sentiment. While his brother was giving a rousing speech about the importance of family and that he would rather die than be forced to kill his little brother, Joval grabbed the sword he was given and drove it through his brother''s heart. The bandits booed at the oue since there was no fight that actually happened. Instead, the leader kept Joval around, then threw in another viger with him. Joval won that fight too. Then one after another, Joval fought and killed and fought again. It wasn''t even for survival anymore, no he just enjoyed it. Eventually the boss got bored and decided he wanted to fight Joval himself. He felt like he had a point to prove or something, but unfortunately for him, Joval was stronger. All those fights developed his skills, his cunning, and his bloodlust. The boss had no chance against him and as a result, lost his life. This was how Joval came to be the leader of this group, and in the years since he had grown the group considerably and acted as a pseudo-mercenarypany for people willing to pay what it takes to get a job done dirty. No one had put up much of a fight since he took over the reins, which was why he was so confused that his men were running around yelling about intruders. Joval grabbed his weapons and equipped them as quickly as he could and threw his leather armor over his clothes. He stepped out of his tent to see his men fighting against four attackers. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he saw that the two gates in their walls were blocked by a giant block of ice and mound of dirt. "So, this is it innit? The big''un. Heh, bout time we got some real action, been feelin'' a lil'' rusty." He chuckled evilly while approaching the fight. He had nearly fifty men under hismand and even though most of them had no Compatibilities, numbers could still overwhelm even the best fighters. He wondered for a moment what would be the best way to motivate his men. After all, proper motivation could go a long way in a battle "Oi!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. The fighting continued, but he knew everyone had heard him. "The four lucky sods that bring me those guys'' heads get a thousand gold pieces each." Those of his men that were not actively engaged inbat began to shout and cheer as they simultaneously charged forward. The four attackers appeared to be a woman without any weapons, a woman with a big sword, an elf with a sword and shield, and some otherrge man with an axe that he seemed to be swinging around as if it were nothing. With every powerful swing the big guy took, several of Joval''s men were sent scattering across the ground. The man simplyughed and pushed off attacker after attacker. The woman using her fists seemed to be using speed and agility to dodge most of his men and counter attacking their blind spots. Joval cursed under his breath as he realized all four of them were people with Arts and they were decently high rank too. As he was pondering what to do, he felt a chill behind him. He did not have any Compatibilities, but he had developed quite the reliable sixth sense for predicting danger from all the fights he had fought in. That was how he was able to narrowly duck underneath a strike that had been aimed at the back of his neck. "Lucky dodge." The voice came from a boy, no more than fourteen. He was wearing light leather armor that only covered the vitals and had a machete in his hand. He had these freaky eyes that were a different color too. Joval gripped his axe tighter. The chill he felt was still there. He knew the kid had some kind of Compatibility with Arts or magic; he could just feel it. However, he could also tell that the boy was not much stronger than he was, so he had a decent chance at winning. Despite that, something about the boy''s eyes and expression left a chill running down his spine. "You are one freaky kid." He muttered. The boy said nothing in response and simply swung again at him. Joval was able to block the strike with the hilt of his battle axe causing sparks to fly around him. This boy was no joke, he was prepared to kill despite being so young. This realization brought a sick smile to Joval''s face. His blood was pumping, adrenaline was rushing. For the first time in a long time he was able to fight and feel excitement. The possibility of death felt real, but was not certain. "Hey kid. You might just be the most fun I''ve had in a while. Try to keep up won''t you?" --------------------------------------------------- A/N: Interested in Discord? Here you go! Chapter 61: Camp Assault [Part 4] Joval grinned at the boy and lunged forward, making a downward sh with his battleaxe. The boy dodged to the right, making the attack miss and send up a plume of dirt. He was not going to end there however, instead he used the fact that his weapon was stuck in the earth to yank himself forward into a kick at his opponent''s chest. The boy parried the kick with his free hand and attempted to grapple around Joval''s leg and trap him, but he overpowered the grip and yanked himself free from the boy and his axe free from the ground. "You are pretty good, boy. Too bad I don''t think you are going to win this one." He taunted, before making three swings in rapid session. The first came was aimed at the boy''s sword arm on his enemy''s right, however the boy simply used his machete to parry the attack over his head. Joval allowed the momentum to flow into a spin attack that struck from the same side, but stronger. The speed of this follow up was too quick for the boy to parry, so he had to go for a straight block, sending a shower of sparks into the air and the boy skidding a foot in the direction of the strike''s force. Joval''s final attack was another overhead strike which the boy was also able to block, though required his off hand to support the de from the back. "Come on, boy. Give me more entertainment than that! Fight back why don''t you?!" Jovalughed. "You talk too much." This boy''s words were colder than ice and once again he felt a strange chill in the air, but that only served to excite Joval more. He desired the threat of death in a fight. He was not so stupid as to fight someone that would win instantly against him. No, Joval craved the struggle between two people fighting for their right to survive. Still pressing down on the boy, Joval heard his opponent shout out, "[Forsaken Arts: Sand Veil]!" "Wha" Joval''s words were cut short before his mouth and eyes were filled with dirt. A moment before he was blinded, he saw the glow of mana form at the boy''s feet. Even though he could no longer see, he maintained his pressure on the boy. If he backed off to clear his eyes, then it would leave him open for a sh from his enemy''s machete and that would not end well. Also, Joval was familiar with the Forsaken Arts a little bit as he has fought beside and against a user before. Sand Veil was a cheap skill that sent mana into dirt or sand the user scattered into the air and forcibly made a storm of dirt that clung to the eyes and mouths of the enemy for a few seconds. "Oh ho, ho? A noble adventurer resorting to dastardly tricks. I like it" Heughed while sputtering dirt. Suddenly he felt the air be forcibly expelled from his lungs as a foot nted itself in his gut. Joval released one hand from his weapon and grabbed the foot that kicked him and threw it to the side. All the resistance against his axe vanished as the boy was thrown a few feet to the side. Joval quickly cleared his eyes and watched the boy roll to a stop in the dirt. "Alrighty, boy. ytime is over now!" Joval roared. He reached into a satchel he kept on his waist and pulled out a potion bottle filled with a mysterious liquid. He flicked the stopper off with his thumb and chugged its disgusting contents before tossing the empty container aside. It had the texture of snot and tasted like a horse''s ass smelled. Joval felt the veins throughout his body press against his skin. Every muscle screamed at him in pain. Yet, he felt stronger than he had ever felt in his life. His once heavy battleaxe suddenly felt as light as a feather and he was even able to swing it with one hand. He took a few practice swings and smiled widely. "Oh that was worth the moneyLet''s y for real now, boy." Heughed. Joval jumped into the air, the ground cracked from the force. He brought both hands to his weapon, swung the axe behind his back so far that his back arched. As he fell down upon the boy, he swung the axe forward with all his strength. Along with his improved strength, he also felt fast and vision seemed to have improved. Joval watched, almost in slow motion, the boy''s muscles contract in his leg and jump out of the way. Joval''s axe nted into the ground only inches from the boy''s body. However, faster than what he thought possible, his handshed out and grabbed his enemy by the chest of his shirt. He pulled the boy close to his face andughed. "Got you." "[Forsaken Arts]!" "Nope!" Joval interrupted the Arts activation by punching his newfound captive straight in the face. The hit stunned the boy and blood gushed from his nose. Joval punched again and again. Slowly, but surely, the boy''s face changed shape as he pummeled him till his cheekbones, nose, and jaw were shattered. "Looks like I win, boy." Heughed. "I thought I told you to make this fun for me." A woman''s voice shouted out from behind him, "Let Lucius go you rotten bastard! [Sword Arts: Grand sh]!" The woman that had been fighting using the big sword against his men had disengaged by activating an Art that used arge shing attack. Several of his men fell instantly to the attack as she created an opening to attack. Finally bored with his toy, he threw the boy''s limp form to the side. "You damn monster! Die!" the woman yelled. "Yea, you seem fun. I don''t know if I can beat you, but with that potion I might have a shot! Come at me!" Joval screamed while grabbing the axe once more and running to meet her charge. The exchanged blow after blow, neither giving or gaining ground. Metal nged against metal, both fighters'' arms and weapons moving faster than eyes could track. "Oh this is fun!" Jovalughed. He knew he was going to lose now. Slowly, but surely and inch by inch, the woman was going to be gaining ground. He felt his body begin to slowly weaken as the potion''s effects wear out. Joval was about to make another strike at the woman, but felt a familiar chill take over his being. Before he could finish his attack or turn around to see the source of the feeling, he felt a sharp pain in his back, then his front. He felt the sudden urge to cough as he felt unable to release or take in any breaths. Slowly, he looked downward at his body that refused to listen to hismands. Jutting out from his chest was a jagged de. ''Heh, should have checked if the boy was still breathing,'' were thest thoughts before he fell to the ground and felt his world turn dark. Chapter 62: Camp Assault [Part 5] Lucius looked down at the body of the bandit leader that had nearly beat him to death. By all rights, he should be unable to stand, but he was willed to move by his own anger and stubbornness to have thestugh at the man whoughed at him throughout the fight. He could not understand what the bandit thought was so great. It was just a fight after all. He probably had many, just like Lucius. What enjoyment was there in fighting? It was only a means to an end and when it was over, only one of them was left living. So what was the point? ''To protect.'' A warm voice echoed in his head for a moment. It feltforting and warm. Then like a dark whisper a different voice came through, ''To prove your strength.'' For a moment the second voice sounded like Grimm and Luz but despite his attempts to call out to either of those beings he had been ignoring for years now because they no longer spoke to him, nothing responded. He sighed, just as confused as before. The adrenaline flowing through his body, keeping him conscious began to fade and he began to stumble. Thankfully Jen was there to catch him and gently helped him to the ground. Lucius could not see more than a few inches in front of his face. Pain made up most of the totality of his existence, it was enough to make him pass out, but despite how close he was to cking out, he stayed just conscious enough to sit on his own. "Damn, kidyou okay?" Jen asked carefully. She had one hand on his shoulder, likely to try and keep him steady even though he was not at risk of falling over anymore. Lucius tried to speak but realized that his jaw was broken and his face was so swollen that even if it wasn''t he still probably could not speak. Instead, he merely pointed his hand towards the sounds of battle which were still raging. He could still hear even though he could not see or smell anymore. "Alright, I''ll go, but don''t move." Lucius simply waved her off andid down on the ground. He concentrated on slowing his breathing and calming his heart rate. It was likely that people would just think he was dead. Not that he could do anything at the moment to fight back if someone wanted to make what he looked like, a reality. ***** Jen quickly left Lucius'' side and watched from her peripheral vision as he simply copsed backwards onto the ground. She realized that she would have to protect him from any more enemies so they did not actually finish the job. Thankfully, none of the remaining bandits seemed interested in the unmoving boy while there were several living and moving targets trying to end their lives. At this point the numbers had dwindled to almost twenty. Renton, Lynn, and Lethen looked exhausted, but continued to fight. Jen was also feeling exhaustion start to settle in. By now, they were supposed to be receiving archery support from Mia and Paul, but something must have been keeping them from being able to take a position where they could shoot over the walls. Jen was able to notice that some of the enemies who tried to climb over the walls fell backwards with arrows sticking out of them, so they were definitely alright and participating. "Welllooks like it''s up to us!" She shouted as she ran back into the fray. She decided to join up with Lynn since she seemed to be the most exhausted. There were at about six men targeting her and they were starting to corner her. They seemed to have figured out some of her retreating and counter techniques so they did not seem as effective anymore. They began closing off openings that she had exploited previously, leaving less opportunities to even try and counter. Jen rushed up and shed one across the back. He screamed and fell to the ground, this attracted the attention of the others, which gave Lynn a chance to grapple one of the men who turned his attention from her. She wrapped around his back and pulled him into a hostage hold with her hands held around his head, ready to snap his neck. He tried to struggle, but then her left hand glowed and instead he started to w at his face. "My eyes! I can''tI can''t see! Help! Someone!" Jen had been wondering why she was not using her mark until now, but it seemed it required physical contact to function. Lynn backed away from the group, holding the man hostage. He was too busy panicking to really fight, so she was able to hold onto him with minimal effort and gain a bit of stamina back. Jen continued making strike after strike at the remaining four. Every strike was a power attack so that way if she struck home, it would kill, if not, the recoil would push them back enough for her to strike a different target. She was able to take down a second man by shing across his torso, opening up a torrent of blood. He fell to the ground screaming. Another yelped as he broke a wrist trying to hold up against another of her attacks and backed off to try and nurse his wound. Jen wanted to use another Art, but her mana reserves were running low and she did not have the stamina to recover it enough to use too many more. She had to save it for an emergency. Honestly, that Grand sh earlier should have taken her out, but she thought she could pull off one more before it became a serious problem. "Sorry about that!" Lynn yelled before she snapped her hostage''s neck. He crumpled like a puppet without strings and she returned to a ready position. "Let''s get back in this." Lynn stepped forward into a swing by another attacker. She used her palm to deftly push the t of his de away from her as she stepped directly into his personal space and headbutted him straight in the nose. He recoiled automatically, but she remained on him and threw a throat jab followed by a stomach jab. He grabbed his throat and doubled over at the same time. Lynn stepped to his side, cradled his head under her arm for a moment and yanked upward with a twisting motion. A sickening crack echoed across the battlefield as the man fell to the ground as well. "Damn, girl. Nice moves." Jen admired. That left only two more to take on. Jen figured her ally could take them on alone, so she turned around to check Lethen and Renton. They had started to clean up the remainder of their own groups and were fighting back to back against a remaining eight enemies from their original group. Thinking she had nothing to lose, Jen shouted, "[Sword Arts: Grand sh]!" A golden arc of mana flew outward in an arc, matching the swing of her sword. It flew towards the group and shed through the back of four of the men. Her lips turned blew and her vision narrowed as though she were looking through a tube. She felt the sudden urge to vomit and fell to one knee. Lethen nced in her direction and with a look of rage on his face, bashed one of the two remaining people he was fighting in the face. He followed it up with a kick, forcing the man to fall backwards. Lethen swiftly turned around and swung his sword with reckless abandon at the other one. Overwhelmed by the sudden onught, the bandit fell to one knee as Lethen shed, shed, and shed again. A loud crack reached Jen''s ears as she watched the bandit''s sword break in half and Lethen''s de continued through it and shed into his neck. He then turned around and kicked the bandit he had knocked down just a second ago back onto the ground before stabbing his sword into the man''s chest. By the time Jen''s vision cleared, Renton and Lynn had finished off their opponents as well. Lynn whistled the all clear signal and the wall of earth and stone and the wall of ice dissipated into a smattering of light that looked like someone scattered glitter thrown into the air. Mia, Paul, Marie, and Rena ran through the now open gates. Jen watched as Rena scanned the battlefield, but she could not see the person she was looking for amongst those standing or squatting. "The kid, is over there. He''s aliveI think. But he does not look pretty." Jen managed between ragged breaths. "Damnwhy does mana exhaustion hurt so much. It doesn''t ever get easier" Rena''s eyes widened as she panicked and her eyesid upon the boyying in a small puddle of blood. She yelped and ran over to his side. Jen couldn''t keep herself up anymore and let herself fall t onto the ground. Even if she wanted to, she could not muster the energy to stand back up. Chapter 63: Cleanup Luciusid on the ground, blood pooled on the ground from the wounds on his face. He had turned his head to the side so the blood would pour out of his mouth and nose and not interrupt his airways. Rena rushed to his side and began to cry. She ran her hands gently over his chest. It seemed like he was only barely hanging on to consciousness. "It''s okay Lucius. I''m here. I got you." She cooed in his ear. She hoped he was able to hear her, but had no clue if the damage to his head had hurt his ability to hear or not. His mouth and nose looked like someone had pounded out a b of beef. "[Lux: Heal]! [Lux: Heal]! [Lux: Heal]! [Lux: Hea]" Rena suddenly felt faint and her lips began to turn slightly blue. Her head pounded with the worst migraine of her life. Lucius'' body glowed brightly with the light of her magic spells as they took effect one right after another. "Hey! Stop that, you are going to suffer mana deprivation and pass out!" Mia shouted from a few dozen feet away. She quickly ran up and pulled Rena away from Lucius whose breaths had started to normalize. His face had also started to return to its once handsome form. It was clear his cheekbones were still broken, and his jaw was still heavily bruised, but he no longer looked like ground meat. "SorryI panicked" Rena muttered. "I can tell. Do you have any potions?" Mia asked. Rena blinked. "No? Why? I can use my magic?" Mia simply rolled her eyes and sighed. "And what would you do if you suffered mana deprivation, like right now? And you couldn''t heal anyone?" She felt a flush of embarrassment color her cheeks. What the half-elf said was true. It was foolish of her to not keep any potions with her. She knew other party members had purchased some, but she thought that she would not need them. In fact, she even dissuaded Lucius from buying any because he just had her to heal him. "I''m sorry" she choked out. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She felt so stupid! How could she put the party, and Lucius, in danger like that?! Mia patted her shoulder gently. "We all have to learn lessons as we gain new experiences. Sometimes those lessons have a harsh reality to them. You two should know that better than most considering your domain''s traditionshere, I have a pretty strong one. Do you know how make sure they are able to swallow it?" Rena shook her head because she did not. This was a skill she was not required to learn growing up. She was taught how to fight, use magic, strategies, and proper noble etiquette. Mia nodded in understanding. She took a rag out of a pouch on her hip and poured a little water on it to soak it. Rena watched as the woman took the wet cloth and gently dabbed it around Lucius'' lips and let a little trickle of liquid seep into his mouth. Rena watched in awe at the process because she saw Lucius make a swallowing motion with his throat. "Looks like he is able to swallow. Okay, next open his mouth slightly and turn his head ever so slightly to the side. We are going to drop a little bit in at a time, close his mouth and see if he swallows. If he coughs at all, we stop." Mia advised. She handed Rena the potion, intending on this being an educational lesson as well. Rena gingerly held the ss up to Lucius'' lips as she cradled his head in herp. The first pour went well and he safely swallowed it. The wounds on his face and body began to close ever so slightly. Bit by agonizing bit, Rena trickled the potion into her friend''s mouth until the entire thing was gone. "Okay. Now, while the potion is still in effect, it shouldst about twenty or so minutes, use another spell. That will amplify the effect of both. Little trick of the trade most people don''t know." Mia informed her. "[Lux: Heal]" Rena had gained back enough mana to cast the spell without issue. Lucius'' body glowed brightly once more and when it faded, she saw hispletely unmarred face looking as though nothing happened. Were it not for the wet blood still on his skin and soaking his hair, one would think he was simply asleep. "Thank you, Mia." "Sure thing. You are a good eggcaring for someone like us." "I thought if I made him my retainer I could keep him out of the war" Rena mumbled. "Normally yea it would, but nothing will keep us out of this war. I used to be a Runner, but this gave me a chance to restart. Most other Runners that tried to restart like this were arrested, but they saw potential in me, so gotta make the best of it Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye out for him out there." The half-elf promised with a smile and a big thumbs up. Rena nodded back happily epting her words. Jen, Lethen, and Paul came up and checked on the pair. They smiled happily after seeing that Lucius was still alive and well. "Kid cleans up good! He wasn''t looking so hot earlier though he did take some good hits." Jen chuckled. "What happened?" Rena asked coolly. A thinyer of mana enveloped her body and caused her hair to move as though blown by a gentle breeze. A nervous sweat ran down Jen''s face. She wasn''t threatened by Rena, since she was exponentially stronger than the teen, but still, the tone was rather startling. "Well, the boss dude took an enhancement potion. Damn good one too because he went from being a normal man almost as strong as a Novice Rank to just shy of being Advance Rank. Lucius took a number of hits from a guy that strong, so I''m honestly impressed" Jen answered nervously. Mia jumped back into the conversation. She had started to back off to let the party talk to each other, but the information Jen shared seemed to have piqued her interest. "Unranked to almost Advance? What the hell kind of potion goes that far, was it made from dragon nuts or what?" Mia questioned. "I don''t know, but that''s what happened. He clearly had no Compatibilities, but after swallowing a potion, boom he held me off quite well for a little bit." "That is highly concerninge on, lets get to clearing the ce. Look for any signs of who these people were working withhe had to have gotten something like that from someone important. Renton, Lynn work with the other meatheads to gather and burn the corpses. Paul, you know where the scouts bodies are, take one of the big guys with you to collect and burn them too. Don''t want to risk any undead raising around here." Rena watched in admiration as she watched Mia quicklye to a series of hypotheses about what could have happened and provided clear orders for her party. Rena wished she could be that good at leading a party in the future. She briefly imagined herself leading a party of adventurers with Lucius at her side acting as her scout and spy. The image brought a smile to her face as she brushed the matted hair from his face. "You know after the dungeonI think I might follow you to the front lines myself screw the position as heir I''m going to bring you back myself so we can do stuff like that forever." Rena whispered into his ear before nting a gentle kiss on his cheek after everyone looked away of course. Chapter 64: Gray Wolf Clan A beautiful girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old sat on her feet with them folded underneath her. Her hands were calmly ced in herp and her eyes were closed while she waited for the head of the family to enter the room. A breeze blew through the open window, gently teasing her long blonde hair. Two wolf-like ears sat atop her head and twitched in reaction to the sound of the door knob turning. The girl humbly took up a bowing position, waiting for the person entering to sit at the table across from her. Once she had heard himpletely settle, a gentle,forting voice filled the room. "Raise your head daughter." "Yes, father." His eyes were a faded gray, simr to that of a cloudy day threatening rain, the same as her own. Before her sat a document that had been rolled up. She reached for it and unfurled the sheet. "We received that news a few weeks ago, Kalliope." Kalliope''s ears twitched. She could pick up on the faint hint of sadness that colored the man''s voice. She quickly read through the document and fought the urge to rip the parchment to shreds. "So, brother is dead then." She growled. "So, it would seem. We believe someone from Eroa betrayed him to Alorek. However, we do not know who that might have been. Unfortunately the mission was not asprivate as we were lead to believe and there are many dozens of people who may have done so." Her father stated. Once again, Kalliope swallowed the anger in her heart and took a series of deep breaths. "How did he die?" Her father paused before continuing. "Forcedbat, against a minotaur under King Zethis''mand. His body was consumed by the beast and as such we have been unable to retrieve anything for funeral rites." "I see. At least he died in battle." "It would seem that he was granted one honor in death at least." Both beastmen sat in an ufortable silence. Their ears twitched simultaneously as the door opened once again and a gorgeous woman who bore a striking resemnce to Kalliope entered. It was her and her brother''s mother, one of her father''s five wives. Kalliope and her brother were the only two children between her father and her mother. As such the anger of the loss weighed even heavier on her heart. She nced at her mother whose regal form betrayed no emotions, as befitting the first wife of the head of the Gray Wolf n. However, the unmistakable salty scent of tears brushed past her nose. On the outside, her mother was as strong as steel and as graceful as a bird, but this pained her greatly to lose her eldest child and only son. "I will avenge brother. Send me father." Kalliope demanded. "No. You are stronger, faster, and even smarter than your brother was. But youck the two most important things that your brother had hand over fist above you." Frustration welled up into her throat. "And what is thatfather?" Her anger and rage were barely contained as her words came out with such a growl they could almost be heard as the warble of a beast than the speech of a person. "Experience andmon sense." Her father pointed out. "What good is knowledge if you don''t have the ability to put it to use? What good is strength, if it cannot be harnessed? What good is speed, if you do not know where to run? Your brother knew these things, but you do not." She could not argue with that. It was true. Shecked worldly knowledge. She was among the strongest of her peers, but that meant little in the real world. She was not like the monster king of Alorek, whose power was such that he did not need clever tricks to win. And despite that, he still did. The one man in the world who had the strength to not be clever, still was. So what could she do? Compared to her brother, father, mother, and even the weakest warriors of her nation''s army, she was still a pup. "I understand, father. May I leave?" "No." Kalliope had already started to shift her position so she could stand, but halted at her father''s words. She eyed him cautiously, not knowing what he was going to propose. "I will be sending you to Fort Se near the border with Alorek. There are frequent skirmishes there and it will teach you much of true battle." "And of my time in the academy?" "It is finished. I have spoken with the king personally and you are being considered as a graduate with full marks. Congrattions." "Father! I still have much to learn! There is" "You are still going to be learning. In fact, an old friend of mine is currently at Fort Se. He will be overseeing your training." Her eyes started sparkling. Her father was an abrupt and gruff man to most people outside of the n so he did not have many close rtionship outside of the n. However, he referred to every Gray Wolf as ''family'' and none were called ''friends'' so it was definitely someone outside the family. This left the options slim as to who it may be "Is it" Kalliope began. "It is Sir Kalivas." Despite the somber nature of the start of the meeting, Kalliope could not contain her excitement. Kalivas was a hero among the people of Eroa, and a very close friend of her father. He had left his n due to the distaste they had for his mark, but he became a powerful warrior that the Kingdom relied upon. "I can''t believe itUncle Kalivas is going to train me?!" She squealed. Suddenly the mood shifted to a much brighter one. There was no one in the kingdom who was better suited to teaching her how to fight in a real battle. Kalivas and her father, Atil, were old friends from battles long past and as a pup, Kalliope had seen him fight many, many times. While she did mourn the loss of her brother, he was able to die honorably in battle, as all Gray Wolves wish. So the best way to honor his memory would be to do as her fathermanded and venture to Fort Se and train. She bowed deeply to her mother and father. "Thank you, father, mother, for this opportunity. I shall not disappoint." "You better not. I have put a lot of faith in you and pulled a lot of favors with the king to grant you exception from the Academy. Be grateful and learn well. I do not wish to have a second child follow the path of my son. Honorable though it may be, death is death." "Yes father. I understand." Kalliope bowed once again and left the room quietly. She swiftly walked through the halls and past dozens of servants as well as children who were running through the halls. Thepound of the Gray Wolf n was always packed with people and children. Like many of the great ns in Eroa, they had many rtives and many children. Were it not for her mother''splications with Kalliope''s birth, she may have been one of a dozen rather than one of two. Unfortunately, those thoughts brought her down from her excitement as she remembered that she was now one of one. Kalliope dodged past the children and made her way outside to the family''s private garden. It was a ce reserved for her father, his wives, and their children as a way to escape the chaos of the rest of the n. She sauntered over to arge, smooth stone that stretched over the pond and gentle stream that ran through the garden. Forfort, she grabbed her tail and cradled it in her arms. It had been a long time since she had done thatlikely since she was a child. She stopped pretty early because her brother had started making fun of her for seekingfort in her tail ''like a baby,'' and that angered her to the point that she stopped just to prove to him that she was not a baby anymore. Those fond memories filled her mind as she stroked the fur on her own tail. "Don''t worry brother I will train with Kalivas and I will gain the strength to feed Zethis'' head to his own beasts. I swear it." A brief surge of mana burst from her body, standing all her fur and hair on end for a moment before returning to normal. Chapter 65: Fort Sella Kalliope sat in the back of carriage that her family ced her in for the trip to Fort Se. It was only a day''s ride by carriage so they were likely only a short ways away now. Her family''spound was most close to Fort Se, but was essentially in the middle of nowhere. It was isted and peaceful, such was the case with all the great ns. The road was uneven and rough, so much so that it might have been asfortable, if not more, just to sit on an actual horse. However, this was something her father insisted on. He did not want anyone to see that he was sending his daughter to the fort. The officers inside were aware of the n to have her train in realbat there, but other ns did not need to know that information. It was suspicious enough that she had been granted permission to graduate early from the Academy, so the Gray Wolf n did not want to reveal any more of their hand. Too many of the great ns knew about her brother''s mission and it lead to his death, so by keeping as much secret about Kalliope as possible, they would lessen the risk to her life. Granted fighting inbat was threat enough, but it would be beneficial to not have to worry about betrayal. Many of the soldiers at Fort Ste were members of the Gray Wolf n as well, so there was lessened concern about information leaking out of the fort. Plus, her father Atil, knew that Kalivas would be there and that would scare most rats into scurrying into the darkness. "Lady Kalliope, we are approaching the gates." The voice of the driver called out. She quickly gathered her things. She was already wearing her leather armor, but set to the side were her shield and then her sword in its sheathe. Kalliope stood up in the rocking carriage and secured the weapon on her hip and the shield on her back. She also checked boots to ensure that her daggers were properly secured as well. As the strongest member of the younger generation in her n, Kalliope was blessed with Compatibilities for Sword Arts, Shield Arts, Dagger Arts, and light magic. Though she waspletely inept at the healing side of the magic, she was capable with the boosting and enhancement spells that it came with. Enhancement spells were rather difficult to use and so most people could not use them until the Intermediate Rank. The carriage jostled her around roughly as it came to a stop. Once she had regained her bnce, she ced a hand on the door and pushed it open. The fresh breeze filled her senses. Wind blew her hair back and the gentle sun warmed her face. However, it was only gentle because it was early in the morning. Due to how close Fort Se was to the border with Alorek, it was actually a rather barren and rocky ce. Normally the sun scorched and the wind scarcely blew except for the transition from day to night or vice versa. Her boots crunched against the rocky ground as she stepped out into the morning light. Turning to the right, she saw the magnificent walls of the fort towering over her. They were nearly three stories tall and encircled the entire fortress. The gates that stood before her were made of iron so that they could withstand a full assault, long enough to prepare for a counter-offensive. ''Of course if Uncle Kalivas were to attack them, he would shatter them with a single swing.'' She thought to herself while grinning stupidly. "Hold! Who approaches?" one of the guardsman questioned. He was adorned in chainmail and a bucket helm and held a pike in his hand. His cohort wore the same armor, but was equipped with an axe and shield. "Kalliope of the Gray Wolf n, daughter of Atil. I am stationed here starting today." She called out. The guards looked at each other and smiled at how resolute and determined the girl sounded. The one with the pike let out a long, monotone whistle that fluttered between a high and low note at the end. A momentter, the sounds of chains rattling was heard and the gate began to slowly rise in front of her. "Wee to the fort, Lady Kalliope." "Thank you." Once inside, she took in the surroundings. Inside the wall looked like a small vige with a few dozen buildings. Though there were no civilians in the fort. Each one served a purpose for the garrison here which was set at almost two thousand strong. It had a capacity for nearly ten times that in emergencies, but adding additional forces at the moment may cause early provocation towards Alorek. Eroa was much weaker in terms of military might to their neighbor and heavily relied upon the joint threat that they posed with their alliance between Eroa and the human kingdoms. The young woman moved through the pathways between the buildings and followed a scent that she was familiar with. Passing a few interesting ces, like a smithy, alchemist, and a healer''s hut, she swiftly made her way to one of the several training grounds inside the walls. This one was meant for close quartersbat training. There was also one set up for magic and rangedbat as well. Keeping them separate was more costly, but it allowed them to specialize each location for their respective needs. Standing like a giant against the other soldiers, there was a man with darkened skin, rippling ck muscles and short ck hair. He had a long, skinny tail poking out behind him and two cat ears on the top of his head. One was torn in half though, likely from a previous battle. However, the injury only served to increase his intimidating presence. The man held a two-handed battle axe in one hand and was standing in the middle of a circle of other soldiers. Three of the man''s opponents attacked him at the same time, however with a single swing of his axe, all three were thrown backwards and out of the practice ring they stood in. Four more attempted to attack him, mid swing. However, his left hand glowed right as he began to recover from his earlier swing. The glow quickly faded and a simrly shiny aura covered his body, though it was barely perceptible. Faster than even Kalliope''s trained eyes could see, he quickly changed direction and swung back against the four men who thought to take him unawares. They two were tossed out of the ring by the strikending on the ground like a heap of ragdolls. The giant beastman''s back straightened and he quickly turned around, locking eyes with the much smaller blonde girl. "Kalliope." His voice was deep and gravelly. To an enemy it would strike fear. But to her, it was a familiar voice of her father''s closest friend that she basically considered an uncle to her. "Uncle!" Kalliope ran up to Kalivas and gave him a huge hug with all her strength. Not that it would do anything since she was Intermediate and he was a King Rank. Her head only came up to his pectoral muscles so from far away it looked like a child hugging a grown man instead of a nearly fully grown young woman hugging a giant. Chapter 66: Conditioning "Hey I wanted to ask you a question." Lucius was in the middle of slurping down the soup that went with his meal. His face had long since healed thanks to Rena''s spells and the healing potion he was given, however there was still a dull throb in his jaw that had yet to go away and the warmth of the soup helped soothe it. When he was finished gulping down his food, he let out a satisfied sigh, wiped his face, and then finally answered. "What''s up, Jen?" "Why haven''t you used that ''Sand Veil'' thing before?" she asked. Rena looked curious too. It made sense why though, he had never used it around her. There were a lot of skills he never used around her. "Hmm, no reason other than some of my skills look bad on Rena. I respect her so I try my best not to make her look bad." Lucius answered. It was the truth. If he did not care about what his skills would make Rena look like as the person with a servant using the kind of skills he possessed, then he would simply use everything. A win was a win after all. "You should use that one more often in battle. Especially against monsters. It might even have helped with the twin-headed bear. It definitely would have helped with that hostage situation too." "Eh, wasn''t worth it." "Saving those people wasn''t worth revealing your skill?" Paul asked. His voice was as in as ever but he seemed slightly annoyed. Lucius sat for a moment and thought about it. Before, when he thought back to that moment he felt regret for a moment, then that cold sensation took it away. Nowhe did not feel regret. He just did not feel anything. It truly felt like it wasn''t worth his time. "No. It wasn''t. I didn''t know them anyway so why should I risk Rena''s image with something as pointless as a few vigers. Besides, no guarantee they wouldn''t have just slit their throats anyway. In that position, being blinded wouldn''t impair their ability to finish off those hostages in their arms." Lucius said with a shrug before taking a drink of his juice. To him, the logic was there. Should he be concerned that the initial feelings he had about it were gone? ''Nah, it''s probably nothing. Just maturing and recognizing the logic of the situation.'' He thought to himself. "You''re kind of a bastard aren''t you?" Lethen blurted out. He instantly received harsh nces from Rena. "I don''t knowmaybe? I was adopted so there has to be a reason for that. One is on my hand. Another is because of my raceso bastard could be an option." Lucius mused. The air around the table became still and awkward. Lethen ufortably rubbed his neck, Jen averted her eyes, Paul began staring at his cup and Rena simply looked at her hands that she had ced in herp. "Well, I''m going to go take a walk" Lucius said while standing up. Rena began to get up as well, so he followed up with, "Alone." His friend sat back down in silence, so he turned around and walked through the sea of tables and feet that made up the first floor of the Whistling Wolf. Once outside, he was greeted by the cool night air and a bright moon. It was so bright that even a normal human would not need to use a torch to see. Lucius turned and walked in no particr direction, just walking to walk. He did not have to clear his head or anything, he just saw the party getting ufortable so removed himself from the situation. After a few minutes he heard the sounds of an argument off in the distance and decided to follow it for curiosity''s sake. In order to locate the source he had long since left the main road and towards a less affluent and safe part of town. The buildings became so tightly packed that the bright light of the moon barely reached the ground. After turning through multiple corners, he closed in on the sound. He had been following the people arguing for quite some time and wondered if they were ever going to stop moving. It was at that moment, they ducked into a shabby looking warehouse that looked like it had been abandoned decades ago. "I told you it''s too risky! She has those two Advance Ranks with herplus there''s that boy. He could smell us from a mile away! He''s going to recognize me if I get close somewhere strange" "So what? They have my familywhat am I supposed to do? Also, you were supposed to make sure he died out there" "I did! How was I supposed to know that The Marks would show up?! And don''tin about family to me! They have mine too, you know!" One voice was that of a man and the other was a woman. He recognized the woman''s voice instantly, but while the man sounded familiar, Lucius couldn''t ce it exactly He shrugged and walked through the door. Both of the people arguing stopped talking and gasped when the saw Lucius enter the building and then m the door closed behind him. He saw that there was no way to lock it, so he simply let the door be and turned around to face the two people. The man, looked somewhat familiar, but he still could not ce who it might be. On the other hand, the woman was very familiar. She was even still wearing her receptionist uniform from the guild. "So. You guys are trying to hurt Rena? And you missgosh I cant remember your name. You took off your name tag at least but next time you scheme, maybe remove the uniform as well." Lucius called out. The two people''s jaws swung open. They had no idea that he had been following them, let alone listening in on their conversation. "Soyou rmended that bandit quest to us in the hopes we would die out there, huh?" He asked in a low tone. "Y-y-yes I-I-I had too. My husbandmy son they have them so" "Same here! They have my wife and children! Please we had no choice!" Lucius felt a twinge of understanding and concern for these two but it was reced with that strange chill again and the emotions were gone. It felt as though whatever was making him feel this way wasconditioning him? "Please Lucius" "You, man over there. Who hired you?" "I can''t answer that! They''ll kill my family. Please if you save my family I''ll tell you everything you want to know. Please." "Answer my question." Lucius growled. He felt the familiar feeling of his teeth growing in length. His senses sharpened. He was angry, and yetthe chill never came. "I can''t do tha" the man began. Before his voice caught in his throat. Blood dribbled down his neck as he felt the sharp edge of Lucius'' machete pressed against him. "How old are your kids?" "Ten. They''re ten." "I don''t know any ten year olds unfortunately. And I don''t know you. Sorry" Lucius informed him. With a quick flick of his wrists, the weapon sliced cleanly through the man''s neck. His body dropped to the floor and his head rolled away. "Alright. Miss Receptionist. Who hired you to harm Rena?" "What about his family! You killed them, you" "And?" "PleaseI don''t know who hired us. They simply left us letters in our home after work one day. Our families were gone and there was a warning and orders. I swearplease." "How old is your child?" "He''s only five pleaseI told you what you wanted so please" The receptionist begged on her knees, tears poured from her eyes like waterfalls. She was desperately clinging on to Lucius'' leg. "That was useless information. I can''t do anything with a letter." Lucius muttered as he kicked the woman away from him. Shended on her back with a thud that knocked the wind out of her. She quickly got onto her hands and knees again, and clutched her chest, trying desperately to get her lungs to allow her to breathe once more. Lucius slowly walked up to her and shed the back of her neck, separating the head from the body like he did with the man. He let out a deep sigh and looked at the scene. The warehouse was mostly empty, save for the bodies and random trash and old boxes and crates. Lucius gathered the crates and trash and piled them in the center of the building. It was mostly made of wood anyway, so his idea would probably work. He took out a set of matches and oil. After dousing the pile with oil, he poured a trail over to each of the bodies. It took him about three bottles of the stuff, but he was satisfied with the oue. Lucius struck a match and tossed it into the pile he made. It quickly caught fire thanks to the extra fuel. The warehouse caught fire quickly as well, so he jumped to the rooftops to flee the area. He was not worried about the crimes being linked to him, and even if they were, he felt he had the right of it anyway for protecting Rena. What he wanted out of this was to dy people in finding out these two were dead. The longer it took for people to realize they had been killed, the longer the people who hired them would take to find recements that would put Rena in danger again. Because he took the long way around, by the time he returned to the Whistling Wolf, most of the crowd had left. On top of that, many had been distracted by the sights and sounds of a fire breaking out in town. It was easily doused thanks to some people who could use water magic, so there was no real threat to the neighboring buildings. Even so, by the time it was fully out, the bodies would bepletely unrecognizable. "Lucius! Are you okay? You''ve been gone a while and then a fire broke out!" Rena''s voice greeted him from across the now empty dining area. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "LookI''m sorry about what they said to you if you want, we can find a different party. It will be hard to find someone that can take us on Intermediate Rank Quests, but we can do it." He patted her on the top of her head. "I''m fine. I wasn''t upset. I actually left cus everyone else was feeling awkward. I only got distracted while I was out. So it''s okay." "Alright then. Jen found another quest for us!" "Perfect." Chapter 67: Conversations in the Void "Grimm." A soothing, yet furious voice called out. It seemed to echo from a space made entirely of white light. A deepugh echoed throughout a space filled with darkness which was pressed up against the light. "Yes, my dear, old friend, Luz? What can I do for you?" "What are you doing? How are you doing it?!" Luz roared. The typically calm being within this liminal space had somehow lost his temper with its longtime rival. "Why, what ever could you mean Luz? I haven''t done anything. You are the one blocking the window to the earthen ne, you would know if I slipped through it even a little bit! I''m strong, but not so much that I can just get by your wall. We''ve had this conversation!" Grimm continued tough at Luz. Even though he was taunting his brighter counterpart, he was not lying. He really had not reached through the window. Thest time he reached through the window was when hest gave Lucius his power. Almost five years agoin terms of the calendars of the earthen ins anyway. "You are affecting his mind, Grimm." Luz used. "Well now, that''s quite the usation." "When did you do it, Grimm?" "When he was unconscious after the whole deer incident." "You mean when you refused to help train him while we kept him in our space with us?" "I did to help train him! Very rude of you to assume otherwise. You taught him techniques that would help his physical body, and I" "You what? What did you do?" If an expanse of pure darkness could smile, it did. "I gave him a tool to help his mind. That''s all. It''s a tough world out there for our boy. You have to train his body and his mind. Not just one, Luz." Luz roared in anger, spewing insults and curses so ancient one would have a hard time finding a rock that was older. "Temper, temper my friend. All I did was leave a littlewhisper to help him along! Help him make the decisions he needs to make." "He killed those people. He could have saved them. Saved their families!" "Oh yes, and if he wasted the time doing that whoever was behind it could have moved on that girl he''s so protective of. Also in the end, the puppet masters would have been informed immediately of the need to find recement toys to manipte this way, they bought time." "There was another way, Grimm." Luz argued. "Oh absolutely, I don''t disagree. There were many, many options avable but this one got the results he wanted, the fastest. It''s more efficient that way!" "He killed people." "So? Don''t act so high and mighty. Following your path would lead to death as well. How many people do you want to lead down the path of self-sacrifice Luz? Want to turn this kid into another one of your ''heroes''? Someone so righteous and just that they turn a blind eye to those they love to save the world? Boring, I''ve seen it before. Let''s do something my way this time." Grimm whined. "The world was better for their sacrifice." Luz countered. "Is it though? Have you looked at their world recently? Not sure it did as much as you think it did. I mean look at poor Lucius. Ha, fate really fucked him over, huh?" Luz paused for a moment. Or maybe it was a year? An eon? Time was tricky in a ce like this. It flowed forwards, backwards, and sideways all at once. Everything that was here, simply was. "He would have been stronger for it." "Probably. He could also have just died. Not that I mind, at least I''m honest about it though. You are just pretending to care about him to fulfill your purpose. I''ve told him from the start I simply thought he was interesting." Grim chided. Grimm felt the rage boiling inside the bright light called Luz. A while ago he had dimmed a little and right now he was looking a little dimmer still. Of course it wasn''t enough for the dark void known as Grimm to overwhelm his enemy, but it was noticeable after all this time trapped together. "I haven''t had this much fun in a while if I''m being honest Luz. Lucius makes a fun game piece. You get rather boring with time. So dull and predictable. These mortals though so intriguing to watch. That girl especially, I like her a lot. Think they''ll hook up?" "I don''t know, Grimm. That is their decision." "Oh? Normally you tell your little heroes to stay away from that kind of thing! So surprising! Always thought you were a prude, but wow times have changed. Growth is good Luz. Don''t let anyone ever tell you different." Luzughed sarcastically. "Like who? You?" "I mean maybe? I have a short memory, I might forget after Lucius dies." "Ha. Short memory. Grimm you''ve beenying the groundwork for this fight for a millennia." Grimm smiled again. "Oh that''s rightI have. My bad." Luz fell silent once more, likely exhausted from talking and guarding the window to the earthen in at the same time. Grimm let his counterpart rest. There was no point in trying to weaken him alone. He probably could, but there was no need. The boy was developing nicely and the whisper he left behind when Lucius was stuck here with them was doing quite well in its job. Of course, Lucius had the willpower to ovee its effects as it rtes to friends, family, and loved ones. To be fair, it was quite the shock to him that Lucius could suppress it at all! However, it was not a bad thing. Just another aspect to the strange boy that Grimm found to be interesting. He was watching Lucius and the people around him constantly. Rena was a given. The girl was absolutely smitten with thed, and that was oh so very funny. What would Lucius do if he, a Marked One, a bastard child of unknown origins knocked up the daughter of one of the most powerful families in a human kingdom? Grimm cackled to himself at the possibilities. Would he run? Fight? Die? What would she do? Keep it? Hide it? Pronounce it proudly to the world? Honestly with her little confession while Lucius fell into unconsciousness, it was probably thest one. Oh the look on that nobleman''s face were he to be told that would be absolutely priceless! "What are you on about now?" Luz growled. "Oh, I''m sorry, I am just over here daydreaming about love. You know, pretty typical of a bleeding heart like myself!" Grimm answered in a singsong voice. Grimm was smiling to himself, wondering what fun things he gets to see next. Chapter 68: Journey to Lelvern "Our next quest takes us to out of town for a while so make sure to say any good byes if you have any." Jen stated the moment everyone was present. Everyone had gathered at the guild hall as per the usual and were mostly geared up and ready to go. Having learned from their mistakes, Lucius and Rena were a bitter than usual because they had picked up some healing potions on the way. "We are heading to the merchant city of Lelvern!" The warrior woman shouted with glee and a raised fist in the air. Rena''s eyes sparkled with excitement. She had heard many stories about the wonderful kinds of items that one could find in the many shops and stalls that filled the city. It was a ce of wonder and excitement for the young noble girl. Lucius on the other hand felt slightly ufortable. He had also heard of Lelvern, though the stories he heard did not excite him. The first reason was because it was the most populous city in Arcadios and he was worried that they would be packed together like a bunch of pickled vegetables. On top of that, the forest out side of the city was known as the Silverthorn Forest. It was home to a very high poption of extremely dangerous monsters known as Quillow Beasts. They were Rank D monsters individually, but tended to group together in pods of five or six, which could easily be considered a C Rank threat. Quillow Beasts were about twice as big as a full grown bull and looked giant porcupines. They had the ability to spray the spines on their bodies quickly loosing enough tobat that of a squad of archers in only a second. The spines they shot out were a gray-silver color, hence the name of the woods. "Speaking ofwe will be passing through the Silverthorn forest on the way. So, watch out. Oh hey kids. Why do you guys not have a name for the woods outside town? It has a lot of monsters and. You know who, at the center." Jen asked suddenly. "Wait, waityou learned some obscure rule about not mentioning the Forest Lord''s name in the guild hallbut you don''t know why the forest doesn''t have a name?" Lucius asked incredulously. "Are you stupid?" Before Jen could reply with an equally insulting quip, Rena interrupted. "It is because of the Forest Lord himself. Since such a majestic and powerful beast beyond most of ourprehension has made it his home, we do not give his home a name in case he should dislike it enough totake it out on us." "I see wait how can a monster dislike a name?" "Oh, the Forest Lord is, by all ounts, more intelligent than people. He''s probably as smart and wise as a dragon." Lucius answered. "Of course he hibernates for centuries at a time, so we only know what is passed down to us." "Rightright. Okay, let''s go!" Jen shouted, before something strange caught her eye. "Oh, that''s weird?" "What is it now Jen?" Paul''s voice sounded more annoyed than usual. He seemed to want to get on their way already. "I just see that our usual receptionist isn''t in todayweird." "Probably sick or something." Lucius said nonchntly. There was no reason for him to share what happened the other night. It would only cause problems and he was pretty confident that what he did would be considered an ''issue'' with Rena, so he just kept his mouth shut. Again, it is unlikely he would be punished if found out, because he acted in such a manner as to protect the domain lord''s daughter. Many things were forgiven for such actions. The group headed towards the stables near the outskirts of the town. It was outside the city walls because of the concern forck of space as well as horse manure inside the walls. Their n was to catch a ride on a carriage heading towards Lelvern so as to save a lot of time on the trip. It would still be a multi-day trip, potentially up to a week of travel time. However, it would be much longer if they tried to book it on foot. In exchange for participating in the guard rotation, a merchant caravan was happy enough to take them on for their own trip to the merchant city, which saved them a lot of money. Charting a carriage for five people was not cheap. It was actually enough to make Rena blink a couple times at the sum. What the merchant caravan had to offer was much lessfortable than a carriage though. They were put into a wagon at the rear of the group to keep an eye out for threats behind them. The other guards were split seventy/thirty at the front and back to ensure full coverage. Not including their own party, the number of people on the trip amounted to almost thirty people. With this many people traveling together, it would absolutely be closer to that week timeline before they arrived. Sitting in the wagon did give Lucius a lot of time to think though. After they had cleared out the bandit camp, Mia and The Marks searched all the tents and belongings in the camp to find clues at how they managed to organize in such a fashion. They also needed to figure out how the leader got his hands on a potion that bumped him from unranked up to fighting on par with an Advance Rank. When he was conscious, he had been told that such powerful enhancement potions were extremely rare and also deadly. It was why it was so hard to get your hands on one. A single use could actually cause your heart to explode from all the stress of having topensate for what the potion did to your body. They never found an answer to their questions and there were no other signs of potions like the first one anywhere in the camp. Lucius did not expect that there would be any evidence behind. As far as he was concerned, they would be lucky if any of the bandits knew how to read. He concluded that interactions would have urred either magically at some distance through the use of a special enchanted item, or physical contact and conversation. He highly doubted that those idiots living in the woods were smart enough to cover their tracks so well, but still, they did not find anything. Another hypothesis that Lucius had was that whoever it was that bribed the receptionist and the other guy, who Lucius found out today was apparently an apprentice monster butcher for the guild, also helped those bandits organize in such a way that they actually became a threat. "Hey JenI never asked, but since we are on the road. What is our quest?" Jen''s smile gave Lucius an ufortable feeling. "Hunting down a Quillow Beast." "Dammit Jen" Lethen muttered while shaking his head. Lucius sighed deeply to himself. It was the one monster he did not want to run into, but here they were specifically tracking one down. Chapter 69: A Rough Start "Dammit! Take it out! Fuck! It hurts!" Lucius cried out in pain. Paul and Lethen were holding him down by the arms, preventing him from moving to much. At the same time Rena and Jen had pinned down his leg and were trying to remove a handful of Quillow Beast spines from his leg. They were only a day''s travel away from the city of Lelvern when the caravan came under attack. On the main road through the Silverthorn Forest, there was a pack of Quillow Beasts that had decided to graze on some of the flowers growing by the roadside. Being the territorial creatures they were, they postured threateningly at the group of wagons, but the guards in the front of the caravan did not know how strong these things were. As such the situation quickly devolved into a massive fight. The pod was only a group of three, but it was way beyond what the front line was able to handle. In a single barrage of spines, most of them fell instantly. Silver spines were sticking out of their bodies as if they were human shaped pincushions. After the initial attack, Rena put all her strength into a massive earthen wall to separate the monsters from the rest of the caravan. She then used a follow-up spell that created stairs up to the top of the wall which allowed those with ranged attacks to hit the monsters from above. Jen, Lethen, and Lucius skirted around the sides of the wall to take the fight directly to the monsters, while Paul and Rena ran up the earthen stairs to attack from above. A few of the stronger guardsmen joined both groups, while the rest attempted to help those injured from the initial barrage. "[Forsaken Arts: Sand Veil]!" Lucius used his ability since it was out in the open to momentarily blind the creatures, however only two of them ended up affected by it. "[Forsaken Arts: Muttion]!" Lucius set upon one of the blinded creatures with another attack he kept back. Since he was surrounded by the mana infused dirt cloud he made, others wouldn''t have to see the skill directly. However, instead of the standard golden glow that signified the use of Arts, Lucius'' de glowed a bright red. His machete''s edge became sharper and formed a serrated edge made of this red mana. Every sh at the monster''s body caused the receiving creature to howl out in pain as pulling his weapon free from it resulted in repeated sawing like motions. The Muttion skill was not an attack meant to deal massive damage up front, rather leave painful wounds that made the target slowly bleed out. Of course, the only thing this caused were painful wounds that would slow the monster down, since it was many times stronger than he was and would not sumb to the attacks a Novice Rank fighter would leave behind. "Gods, that''s disgusting" a guard mumbled as the dust finally settled and the Quillow Beast that Lucius had attacked was finally visible. Its face and front legs werepletely covered in weeping gouges, but even though it looked awful, it was still capable of fighting. If anything, what Lucius had done was piss it off. "Run!" Paul shouted from the top as he ducked behind the cover of the wall. Lucius looked to where the man had briefly pointed. The third Quillow Beast, the one that was not hit by the Sand Veil, had turned its back to the group again and its spines were raised up. Everyone quickly dove behind a bunch of trees if they were too far from the wall to get back around it. However, Lucius was dead center of the road and was too far to run to either side. Just as he watched the entire half of the monster''s body quiver, a sign that a barrage of spines was iing, he heard a whisper in his ear: ''Here, a little bit of strength'' it was a voice he had not heard in a very long time. In an instant his head was flooded with knowledge of a new set of abilities. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]!" Electricity crackled around Lucius'' body, the smell of ozone flooded his nostrils. Pure energy seemed to course through the lower half of his body as he darted to the left for cover. The world around him turned into a blurry mess as one second he was in the middle of the road, and the next he was behind the tree line off to the side. Unfortunately, before he had made it all the way there, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. And all that was what led up to the current moment he was in right now. He had managed to dodge most of the barrage, but his leg still caught a few of the spines on his way out. Immediately after thatst attack, the three Quillow Beasts retreated into the woods. Rena dismissed her spells, and everyone took a rest by the side of the road. The caravan pulled all the wagons and carts to the side of the road as well so as not to impede passing travelers. The bodies of the guards that perished were also burned as per the custom, though not before being relieved of any important items they had. No point in burning gold, now is there? All said and done, out of the thirty people, not including Lucius'' party, they lost about ten to the attack. All of them were guards and none of the merchants were harmed. There were a handful of injured too, though not many and Lucius was one of them. "Hold still! We are going to take them out, but we have to make sure they didn''t pierce anything important. You have some important areas in your legs that we don''t want to damage any more than they might be." Jen chastised. "Then we are going to talk about what happened." "Okay, Luciusbite down on this." Rena shoved a piece of cloth into his mouth that was wrapped around a stick. No matter how badly he wanted to tense up in preparation for what would happen next, he fought against those instincts by closing his eyes and forcing himself to rx. "Okay. Let go of me. Grab them all at once. Lethen, help Jen. If we have to do this multiple times, I won''t be able to stand it." He begged. The stick and cloth fell out of his mouth, which Rena promptly shoved back in with greater force. Lethen moved down to his leg and Paul secured both of his arms. "Threetwo" There was a horrifying ripping sound as Lethen and Jen simultaneously ripped out four different spines that were stuck in his thigh. The pain made him chomp down hard and tense his entire body. The stick crunched into pieces as he bit through it. "Gahhh! What happened to one?!" Chapter 70: The Forsaken Arts Rena cast a simple healing spell on him so they did not have to waste any of their potions. Potions were usually reserved for really serious injuries or even near-death injuries whenbined with healing magic. Lucius was thankful that the spines had not prated a major artery, or the potion and magicbination might have been necessary. He then looked down at his hand and noticed a residual amount of mana flickering like lightning down his fingertips. It was only at thest minute, but it sounded like Luz granted him enough strength to finally activate his Thunder magic. That was great and all but why was Luz able to do that in the first ce? It did not sound like the first time he used power from Luz, the time that made him lose permanent ess to the Beast Arts. Luz would have told him if there was a price, right? Also, he still could feel his connection to his spells. The connection to his Forsaken Arts was still there too. How was Luz able to give him power without a price? What changed "Hey! Cat-boy! Look alive!" Jen shouted while gently pping his cheek repeatedly. "Huh, oh, sorry. Did you need something?" "We''ve been trying to talk to you for the past minute, did you hear anything we said?" "No." Jen covered her face with her hand and sighed. Rena put her hand over his head with a worried look on her face. Paul and Lethen had stepped away to talk ns with the caravan guards and the merchants. "We asked about your magic. How were you able to use it? Can you still use it? What about the red mana? Lucius, did you increase your Rank?" Rena pummeled him with questions and from the look on Jen''s face, if she hadn''t then Jen would have done it for her. "I don''t know. I was just suddenly able to. As for the mana, that attack always does that. How much do you know about the Forsaken Arts?" Lucius asked. "Um, well nothing? That''s kind of the point. They are ''forsaken'' meaning no one is using them or should be using them. So what''s with the red mana." "Some attacks in my arts have different colors of mana. Usually my strongest ones. That is the only one I can use right now. Muttion. It causes bleeding damage to an opponent and hinders the healing process of the wounds I inflict." "Nasty stuff. Well, spill. More please." The strong warrior woman urged. "I''m not going to divulge all my secrets you know but I''ll give you a little some skills within the Forsaken Arts ovep with other Arts however, they can only used under specific circumstances." "Circumstances like?" Rena pushed. She was extremely interested and he could not reject the pleading look in her eyes. He grunted as he sat up and reached for one of the smaller quills that had been in his leg. He then asked for one a dagger, which Jen happily provided. "[Forsaken Arts: Pierce]!" The quill glowed with the golden color of mana and rocketed out of his hand as he threw it at a nearby tree. It simply shot through the trunk of the tree as if it were made of paper. "That was a Dagger Arts skill!" Lethen shouted as he ran over. He was interested now in their conversation as he had overheard some of the best parts. "Now watch this." Lucius said. "[Forsaken Arts: Pierce]!" This time there was a flicker of mana, but it quickly disappeared and when he threw the dagger, it simply smacked against the tree before falling to the ground. "Why didn''t it work this time?" Jen seemed both confused and surprised. Which made a lot of sense. "The Forsaken Arts are filled with skills deemed dishonorable. Like my Sand Veil. Really, its just a mana powered version of throwing sand into someone''s face. Goring Rush, Severing sh, all things designed to specifically maim your opponents, causing immense damage and pain. Muttion also is designed in such a way, but adds in that the wounds it creates are hard to heal. Many see these things as ''disgusting'' ways to fight. "However, the Forsaken Arts also provides a lot of options when you have none. No weapon in a bar fight? Shatter a bottle of booze and you can use the Forsaken Arts version of Dagger Arts. Or like I used here, one of these quills was used for a throwing attack from the Dagger Arts. Or maybe all I can find is arge rock or arge stick. I could use bludgeoning attacks from the Hammer Arts. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that, but that is what I am willing to share." Lucius informed them "Others see them as ''disgusting ways to fight'' but how do you see them, kid?" Jen was eying Lucius carefully, expecting the truth. Not that he had any reason to lie about his feelings. They were rather in and simple. "Whether some view fighting as ''disgusting'' or ''honorable'' or ''dishonorable'' the result is the same isn''t it? Someone dies? Why does it matter how they die, or how you kill? The end is the same, so what is the point in caring?" He answered inly. It was the truth. Death was death and it was final. Everyone reached that end at some point and when your time came, after you are dead, would you really care how it happened? "That''s a bleak way to look at it, kid." Jen answered finally. "I don''t think so at all. I think it is a realistic way of looking at it. Regardless of if Paul hunts a deer and shoots an arrow through its heart or I hunt the deer and sh through its neck, the result is we have dinner. Nothing more, nothing less. Fighting is just fighting and the Arts and magic are simply tools to do that. Same with marks." "You make a valid point, but I don''t necessarily agree with you. There''s an order to things. Gods, you even worried about exposing these skills before, so clearly it matters to you." Lethen argued. He waspletely invested in the conversation now. "Not true. I did not care what people thought of my skills. I only cared about how their thoughts affected Rena. But since she no longer seemed concerned, I don''t have to think about that." Lucius stood his ground on the issue. He did not see what the problem was. His skills had their uses like any other, to pretend something isn''t useful just for the sake of appearances was pointless. The group continued to argue their points, but he simply tuned it out and refused to engage in the conversation. Rena wrapped her arms around him from behind and hugged him, quietly. "I am always on your side, Lucius. You do what you think is right, and I will follow it." She whispered. He patted her arm in affirmation. It wasforting to know she stood with him in this. Honestly, over the past few years, and especially these past few weeks being adventurers Lucius was starting to feel even more attached to Rena. Not as her attendant or thanks to some promise made by his father. Somehow, those reasons did not seem to matter. It was simply because he wanted to. He needed to. As he reveled in those thoughts about her, a sinister voice whispered in his ear, ''He''s hiding more from you'' and then vanished. Chapter 71: Tracking Everyone watched as the merchant caravan continued on its way to the city of Lelvern on its own, without Lucius and his party joining them. After he had told everyone that the injuries done to the Quillow Beast will be slow to heal, they figured that this was a good time to track it down and finish the job. After all, their job was to hunt one down and turn it into a merchant who dropped the request off at the guild. Many of the injuries inflicted on it were on the front legs which would slow it down majorly. Because of the type of monsters they were, the injured ones were often kicked out of their pod if they were deemed a potential risk or threat to the others. All of these factorsbined set up a rather golden opportunity for them to actually take one down now, instead of having to either locate a solo one or separate one from another podter. Being the person with the best skills for tracking and scouting, Lucius thought about doing the standard procedure of scouting several hundred feet in front of the group, but after taking those spines to the leg, he was not so enthusiastic on running into the monsters alone. Rena agreed with the idea and felt like it was a good idea for the party to remain together while in a new location. Jen could not really offer up a good counter argument to convince even Paul and Lethen otherwise, so she simply agreed with the group assessment. One thing that Lucius did fail to mention about his Muttion skill was that anyone who survived his attack with it would be branded with an invisible mark made of mana that Lucius would be able to identify at any time in the future. It did not let him track the monster down, but if the monster were to fully heal, he would be able to tell it was the one he attacked if he ever saw it again. The secret trick to Muttion is that it was a skill that a victim was not meant to survive from, either directly or as the result of their injuries after. So, the mark was left as a part of the skill to ensure the user would be able to finish the jobter. Really this was how every skill that used red colored mana worked. It was a curse built into the rules of the skill as a ''punishment'' of sorts for surviving the attack. There was no way he was going to share this information with his party. Maybe Rena in the future, but not everyone else. He only trusted them as far as adventuring together goes, but you never know when a friend could turn into an enemy. There were exactly two people living in this world that he trusted. One was his mother, Rubellia, and the other was Rena. The sun began to set on the horizon by the time the group felt like they were getting close to the monster. As they had theorized, the injured one was slowed down and actively bleeding from most of its injuries. It helped leave a trail, but it was not enough to be life endangering. Per the information they had on the Quillow Beast''s behaviors, it did seem that it had been ejected from the pod for the safety of the other two. That would make the hunt so much easier for them. However, they wanted to get it before the sun fell. It was a bad idea to fight in the woods at night, unless you were Lucius who could basically see in the dark. His ears began to twitch as he heard the yelps of pain of a familiar sounding creature up ahead. Lucius held up his fist to the group and whispered in a low tone, "It is up ahead and still hurt. I think we can take it quickly if we n this right. Rena, what are your thoughts?" Jen cocked an eyebrow at Lucius'' sudden disy of rebellion against her. She was the one who normally made the ns as the leader of the party. The reason behind this behavior were two-fold: one, he wanted Rena to have more decision-making power to put her brain to work, and two, Jen kind of annoyed him with her prattling earlier about his opinion on ''honorable'' versus ''dishonorable'' skills. "We will leave it up to Jen. She is the party leader." "Of course, Rena. Jenwhat do you want us do?" "Paul will take position in the trees, Rena as well for any long-distance coverage. Lethen and I will jump in to take melee after you distract it." She ordered. "Done." Lucius quickly skirted around where he felt like the face of the creature was. He figured that Jen and Lethen could deal with the much more dangerous ass-end of the creature this time around, especially for making him a distraction, yet again. There was another thing he could do to get back at them he never did tell them what his signal would be before he left, but how could they miss it? As predicted, the creature was limping along and trying to nurse its wounds. It had stopped to take a short rest, but was hyper-aware of the surroundings. It jumped at every little sound worried a predator might take it unawares. Lucius could almost see the sweat pouring down its face as it seemingly sensed his hungry eyes ring at it from afar. "[Tempestas: Lightning Bolt]!" A pale blue mana in the form of electricity danced around his body once again. Dark clouds formed in the sky, and the air began to smell of ozone. A sh of bright, white light illuminated the surrounding area, searing the eyes of anyone looking at the creature. In the instant the light disappeared there was a loud crack of thunder that echoed through the woods as a result of the strike. He was still a Novice, so the power left a lot to be desired. Honestly, it was more of a show piece at the moment than a serious threat. Right now it did not do much damage, but most of its power led to temporary blindness and deafness of the target. Jen and Lethen rushed at the monster that was hissing and screeching from confusion. "[Shield Arts: Double Bash]!" "[Sword Arts: Grand Swing]!" They opened up with a skill each. Lethen''s shield glowed golden and a second ''skin'' in the same shape of his shield formed in front of the real one. He smacked the lower jaw of the Quillow beast once, but the sound of two impacts met Lucius'' ears. The monster recoiled from the hit, then took a powerful uppercut swing from Jen''s greatsword. "[Bow Ars: Twin Arrow]!" "[cies: Ice Spike]!" Two golden arrows followed by an Ice Spike shot towards the beast''s now exposed underbelly. The monster roared in pain, though still seemed to be blinded from the earlier Lightning Bolt. Despite having no sight, it still faced its backside to it''s foes and prepared a spine barrage. "Not this time!" Lucius growled. "[Forsaken Arts: Goring Rush]!" His machete glowed gold with mana once again and he lunged forward at the monster. His target was the center of it''s forehead, intending to sh directly at its skull. Just before the weapon connected, he called out a spell. "[Tempestas: Thunder p]!" Electricity surged down his body and coated the de of the weapon. At the moment of impact between the sword and Quillow Beast, a massive explosive ''BOOM'' filled the air and a wave of wind pressure sted everyone back several feet. The source of the explosion was the intersection of the machete de and the monster''s head. The explosion weakened and cracked the Quillow Beast''s skull and jostled its brain from the vibration. Thanks to the weakened bone, the de simply cut right into the monster''s brain like a hot knife through butter. When everyone''s ears stopped ringing, they stared wide-eyed at the ck-haired boy who only just awakened his magic mere hours ago. His lips felt cold and all of his strength was gone. The only thing keeping him standing was the fact he had fallen back onto a tree, yet his knees shook in desperation to keep him from copsing. "I think that one needs a little more practice before I do it again." He shouted. Something wet tickled the side of his head and when his hand reached to feel what it was it came back red with blood. "Oh, yeah, that move needs work." Chapter 72: An Admission Rena red at her friend who was hurt for the second time in one day. There were bruises all over his body, most of which were concentrated on his arms and chest. Blood flowed freely from one of his nostrils and both of his ears. On top of that, his machete was broken in half andy in pieces next to the Quillow Beast''s corpse. Lethen and Paul worked together to work on skinning the hide and breaking down the body. The quest was specifically for the spines and hide from the monster. Thankfully the one they attacked was the only one that had not used them to attack, so they would receive arger sum for the additional spines that were collected. It was a time-consuming process to break down because you had to remove every single quill before skinning the body, otherwise even more damage would ur. They already had to contend with the shes and attacks on the underbelly, neck, and face, so if they could avoid destroying more of the pelt, it would work out in their favor. ording to Jen, Quillow Beast meat was rather vorless and was mostly used as filler for low quality meat blends, jerky, and emergency rations. Despite theck of desirability, they still nned on collecting arge amount of it for selling. Such was the way of the adventurer life. "Drink this potion." Rena demanded. Lucius merely cocked his head to the side since he could not hear her at the moment. She huffed and shoved the bottle into his mouth. It didn''t matter if she hurt his teeth, because her magic plus the potion would fix it anyway. His body started to glow slightly, after which she activated her spells, "[Lux: Heal]" The blood stopped flowing and the bruises slowly faded from blue/ck to a sickly green before finally fading away. "Thanks, Rena. Too bad for my weapon, huh?" the boy grumbled. His eyes were locked on the machete that had been with him for thest several years. Originally it was a rusted hunk of metal that was simplyying and rotting away deep in the forest outside their home. When he grabbed onto it, he awakened his skills and was able to push back the Alpha Deer that seemed to have tracked him down for revenge. "Yeah but hey we can pick up a new one in Lelvern?" Her friend paused for a moment and gave a weak smile before nodding his head. He then pulled a hunting knife out of his pack and began to assist the party in breaking down their quarry. Since he was no longer paying attention, Rena went over to the weapon and stored it in her storage ring. Jen had told them that relying on the storage ring for too much was a bad idea because if someone managed to steal it you lost everything in your possession at once. For this reason, most adventurers only stored monster parts in it temporarily. It felt like a waste that it could store so much, but was used for so little. However, given the fact that a bad actor could easily steal the ring, it made sense not to use it for absolutely everything. She did however, use it to store potions because it would have been too much to carry in her hip pack, plus banging around in there in the middle ofbat could spill it and waste the potion. "Well, looks like that is that." Lethen said while wiping his brow. The skin was foldedin out t on the ground with the skin side down, so the gory side was facing up. On top of the skin were piles of cut and broken-down meat that were pre-cut into desirable shapes for butchers. If they did that part themselves, then they could make just a little more money by saving the butcher the work. One should only do that if they could cut the meat properly of course, because otherwise you actually receive less than just the full corpse being given up. Next to that was a pile of Quillow Beast spines. There wasn''t anything on these monsters that were good for potions, but the spines weighed about the same as a stick of the same size, but was stronger. Because of that, many hunters paid well for arrows made out of them, so fletchers loved these things. Since the Silverthorn Forest was named after these very creature''s spines, they were very abundant in the area, which meant for a lot of profit for fletchers and hunters. "Alright, let''s find a good ce away from the rest of this corpse to camp. Then, in the morning we can get to town." Jen ordered. The sleeping shift was split into four, with Lucius being left out of the rotation per Rena''s request. Since he had been badly hurt twice in the same day and finally unlocked his ability to use his magic, he was likelypletely exhausted. Plus, since it was his first day using his magic on top of trying tobine it with Arts use, his mana was likely near zero. Like normal, she set up her sleeping bag right next to his. She volunteered to take first watch so she could watch over him until he fell asleep. If she did not do so, she couldn''t trust that he would actually get rest. Staying awake in the dark forest was also somewhat traumatizing for her. It reminded her of the oppressing darkness of the trial. That forest seemed to have almost a magical property that seemed to press down on a person and make them feel small and alone. That same magic also seemed to keep away the normal aspects of a forest, like birds and bugs. Other than the monsters and asional hunters, it was like it was dead. Even though this one was dark and foreboding as night fell, it at least felt like a normal ce. Bugs buzzed in the night, crickets sang to one another, and annoying moths and other insects attracted to the dull light of the fire almost broughtfort. And of course there was the sleeping boy next to her. She watched as his chest rose and fell gently and the sound of a quiet snore escaped from him. She brushed a lock of his hair out of his face and said, "You''re so amazing Lucius. Whether you are powerful or weak, does not matter to me. But you keep trying and you stay by my side no matter what, despite that you could easily hate me. You protect me because of a promise made by your father, but Gods I love you so much." "Well, isn''t that sweet." A teasing voice startled her and she had to hold back a yelp so she did not wake up the group. Staring at her from across the camp was Jen. "Y-y-you heart all that, h-h-huh?" Rena sputtered. The party leader gave her a toothy grin, "Yup, every word." She then reced it with a more serious look "If you want to stay with him you might want to give up on this whole dungeon raid endeavor. One or both of you might die." She sat in silence for a moment. "I know it is a major risk but I need to do it. He''s going off to war, whether I like it or not. I''ll follow him if I have to, but to prove that I can do it, I have to make it through the dungeon with him. Besides, even if I don''t go, he told me he would still do it to prove to himself that he will make it. If he dies then I might as well do so beside him." "A little young to be thinking that way, don''t you think? What are you, thirteen?" "I turn fourteen tomorrow." "Hmm well you can make your own decisions I guess, but you should really think about it, if that''s what you want. I still suggest you avoid the dungeon at all costs, but if you still want to go, we will help you. Get some rest." Rena nodded at what Jen said andid down next to Lucius. His gentle sleeper sounds felt soothing to her ears and she was able to quickly doze off. No matter what anyone else said, she was going on the Grand Raid, and with Lucius. Chapter 73: Into Lelvern "Next!" the line to get into the city gates was massively long and they had been waiting for about four hours despite showing up before first light. Normally Adventurer''s Guild passes would let someone into the city and bypass the lines, however, Lelvern was different in that respect. The guards were extremely meticulous regarding the inspections and even temporarily confiscated the storage rings to check their contents. Since part of the magic was for the wearer to instantly know what was inside the ring, they only had to put it on to examine the contents. One guard who was chosen to examine Rena and the party''s things could not hide the minor look of disgust when he saw the amount of Quillow Beast meat they possessed. Guards and the military were well aware of the vorless food since it was used to extend meat supplies for making what they hadst longer. It was a cost saving method that was necessary, but unpopr. "Pass." They were quickly waved through having nothing on them that was banned from the city. In the past, Adventurers could just slied through, but merchants who served the ck market were using them to smuggle illicit materials, potions, and substances through the checks. It was stupid to assume that this stopped the flow of these goods, but it at least closed one avenue of possibility. Once inside the city, Rena was immediately overwhelmed by the sights. The streets were crowded with people despite being fairly early in the morning. It wasn''t even noon yet. Almost all of the buildings were a mix of stone, brick, and wood which was a massive difference to Pelith where most buildings were primarily made of wood, save for the Adventurer''s Guild Hall and a few other buildings around town. Each of the buildings were squeezed together so tightly that the gaps between them almost couldn''t be walked through in some cases. There were even buildings that seemed to have multiple residences inside of them that dwarfed the size of her father''s manor. Since they were near the gate, there were also a number of inns and with that, it also meant lots of food. A multitude of smells permeated the air from the different kitchens preparing their menus for the inevitable lunch rush in a few hours. A lot of the stalls by the entrance were also selling different kinds of street food that she had never seen before. One was a strange sausage that was coated in a weird looking batter before being dunked in a pot of boiling oil. There were also other stalls serving boiled corn on a stick that was coated in a white-colored sauce and then sprinkled with a red spice and some crumbly looking cheese. All in all, it smelled like heaven had descended. Rena nced at her party which had started to leave her behind because she was getting distracted by all the different kinds of food. They only had a small breakfast so it was hard to not feel hungry from all the food on disy. "Rena,e along, you can spend some time with Lucius after we stop at the guild, that way you two know where it is. The guild has rooms we can rent for much cheaper than the inns nearby, so we will also be staying there while in town." Jen let out a small giggle at the ''spend some time'' part, which made Rena blush a little. Lucius seemed to have a clueless look on his face at what was happening, which only served to add a level of annoyance to what she was feeling. While traveling to the Guild Hall, they had to dodge hundreds and hundreds of people who were doing things from transporting goods to buying groceries, to simply taking in the sights and sounds the city had to offer. Thankfully the roads were nearly twice as wide as those in Pelith, which they had to be to amodate the poption of residents and visitors. It took them about twenty minutes or so to get to the Guild Hall, which was closer to the center of town and was surrounded by a bunch of other important buildings. There was also a building for the Merchant''s Guild, several different courierpanies, the city guard headquarters, and different buildings for the city leadership. The Adventurer''s Guild building here was easily five times the size of the one she was familiar with and housed nearly ten times the amount of adventurers. Unlike Pelith, she saw people of all races in this guild, including several beastmen. There were some with lizard tails, tiger ears and tails, one that looked like a fox, and even one that had ears and a tail that resembled a ck and white bear from arge country to the east she had read about. Just like the one they knew, the entire first floor was an open concept with several pirs supporting the second floor. There was a reception desk that easily amodated a few dozen different receptionists. Over in one corner there was also a massive harvesting area and in the opposite corner was where the quest boards were. This guild had a different set of boards that separated the quests based on rank. There were stairs on either side of the reception desk that led up to the second, third, and fourth floors. "Well, here we are. We will turn in the quest items and sell off the other goods to the harvesters over there. We will get the receipts for the exchange and split up the funds when you guys get back." "Got it. Thank''s Jen. Rena, let''s go." Lucius stated quickly. Rena looked down as the boy quickly grabbed her hand and led her out of the building and back into the chaotic streets. She could tell he was nervous about the crowds, but he seemed to be ying it tough for her sake. "Where are we going?" "Shopping?" "Oh, okay." Was all she could respond with. He brought her to a part of town that seemed to be filled with stalls for weapons, armor, and various tools. Suddenly Rena realized what they were doing; they were finding him a new weapon. Of course! He broke his! She quickly took the lead from him. "I have a nose for these things, let me look for the store with the best stuff!" Lucius simply smiled at her and nodded, but kept looking around at the different stalls and stores. Rena was looking as well, but found herself slightly distracted by the hand that was still intertwined with hers. She told him it was to make sure they did not get separated in the crowd so he would not pull away. It was not untrue, but it also wasn''t the only reason she wanted to keep his hand in hers. Rena kept her ear out for the different conversations people had and spoke to a handful of warriors and residents as they popped in and around the different smithies and stalls. It took a few hours, but she eventually picked up on exactly the kind of lead she was looking for. As someone who frequented Karl''s shop back home, she wanted to find somece simr, a diamond in the rough, so to speak. They walked down a less popted street than the main one they had been on. It was still extremely full of people, but it was much less crowded than before. A little way down the road she saw the shop she had heard about. It was a shop called ''Ironvein'' though the sign had the ''ei'' scratched out and above them was an ''ai'' so it now read, ''Ironvain''. "This is it! Let''s go!" She pulled Lucius into the doorway. The owner was a woman named Molly and her shop was affectionately renamed Ironvain by the locals because they thought she viewed her work as too important than the customers. Essentiallyshe was the smith version of Karl, which was exactly what she wanted. "Who''re you?" A deep voice called out from behind the counter. The sounds of hammering had stopped when they entered the shop and the woman manning the forge had stepped up to the counter to see who it was that hade to bother her. "Hi, I''m Rena, and this is Lucius. We are here looking for a weapon. Doesn''t need to be enchanted, but it does need to beunique. I heard this was the best ce to find something like that." "Pft! Right, you probably heard this was the worst shop in town, get lost you little liar, ttery doesn''t loosen my pockets." Rena smirked at her. "You''re right. I heard you are a pain in the ass that likes to work with customers on a whim. That tells me, you are the best around here. I''m not going till you sell me that." The woman, who Rena had heard was named Molly, turned around and followed where her finger was pointing. The moment Molly''s eyesnded on the dark-gray de of a machete that was hanging off the wall she smiled. "Now why would you want a farmer''s tool. You need to cut down some brush?" "No." Rena answered. "My friend uses the Forsaken Arts and he broke hisst sword when using his Thunder magic." "Rena! Why are you telling her about my abilities?!" Lucius shouted. "Honesty is the best policy, girl. Alright, you can buy stuff. Since you are with her, you can too kid." Molly ced the machete on the counter and wiped it down to remove some of the dust that had settled. She looked it over for a moment before heading back to her forge and sharpening it up on the grindstone. While she was doing that, Lucius stepped away from Rena and began to look at the other items in the shop. Rena watched Molly''s work closely. She could tell the woman was a bit of a perfectionist, wetting the stone, cleaning the de, sharpening it, and repeating it for several minutes before finishing the process. Molly brought the weapon over and held out her hand, waiting for the money. "Twelve-hundred gold." "That''s a bit much for a farmer''s tool. I could buy twelve potions in of the Intermediate Rank for that. Eight hundred." "Fine. Are you buying your things together?" Molly directed the question at Lucius who was eyeing something in a disy case. His body was in the way so Rena could not really see it. "No, separate." Lucius said. "Well what you want over there will be" "Deal. I see the tag." He interrupted. "How much was it?" Rena asked. Neither of them answered her question. Molly simply handed Rena the weapon, went over to Lucius, who dropped a ratherrge sack of gold into her hand. Molly turned her back and counted out the money so Rena could not see how much it was. She appeared satisfied with the number, so she handed Lucius whatever was in the case. After he received it he walked over to Rena and asked her to turn around and close her eyes. She did as he instructed and felt his hands gently slide around her neck and sp something around it. He then moved around a little more and finally said she could open them. In front of her was a small mirror. In it she saw a beautiful young woman with Crimson hair, green eyes and a gorgeous ck, chain choker with a pendent hanging from it in the shape of a cat. She couldn''t help but giggle at the implication. "A cat from a cat, how cute!" She smiled. "Happy Birthday, Rena." Lucius said while returning her smile. Chapter 74: Mana Manipulation Kalliope wasying on the ground gasping for air that seemed to refuse to enter her lungs. Every breath brought pain, but that pain told her she was alive. She had been at Fort Se for a week or two now, and she had still not seen anybat. Kalivas refused to let her join any of the scouting missions until he thought that she was ready. To prepare her, he offered to train her personally until he was satisfied. At first, she was ecstatic to receive tutge directly from him, but if she knew that it would have meant the hell she has endured thest several days, she might have felt differently at the time. The training he tasked her with was to use her Arts non-stop for several hours at a time, pushing her to the brink and sometimes over the edge into mana exhaustion. Allegedly this was to increase her ability to push past her limits by limating to the feeling of mana exhaustion, but it also was supposed to increase her mana capacity as well as fine control at the same time. Kalivas had said when she is able to direct the mana for an Art to different parts of her body instead of only the part the respective skill actually uses, then she could be done. Kalliope thought she was insane. Everything she knew about Arts was that the mana was exclusively used for the part of the body, or the weapon, that it was designated for. If she used a Dagger Art, the mana would concentrate in the dagger or daggers she was holding. If it was a Sword Art or a Shield Art, then the mana would collect in her sword and shield respectively. However, Kalivas told her she needed to siphon some of that mana away and pull it to other parts of her body? What does that even mean?! Is that a thing? "You look like crap." A deep voice called out to her from above. Even though she had her eyes closed, she could still see a shadow cover her eyelids. "Well, Uncle, I feel like it. Whose fault is that?" "Yours. The longer you take to master the skill, the longer you have to spend feeling like this." "I don''t even know what it is supposed to look like, Uncle! Can you at least show me?" Kalliope opened her eyes and looked up at the strongest warrior in Eroa who was watching her with curiosity. He put his hand to his chin as though he were pondering something. Kalivas then reached down and picked her up by the back of her clothes like a parent does to a pup. "I had hoped you would be able to do it without a visualization. Your brother was able to after all." Kalliope''s brow twitched. "Watch me closely, I will slow the activation for you." "[Axe Arts: Heavy m]!" Kalliope watched as mana collected in his battleaxe as per normal. Then she caught something strange. She watched as some of the glow of the mana seemed to dim from the weapon, the mana then started to collect in his feet and legs, making his boots give off a soft glow. He then allowed the Art to fully activate. Kalivas rocketed into the air and came down with a massive m attack with his battleaxe spraying dust and rocks everywhere. Left behind was a massive crater. The height of the jump he made was physically impossible for a normal person. Even he shouldn''t be capable of jumping that high by normal means. Kalliope''s eyes were left wide open. "How in the world could you jump so high?!" "The mana gathered for the activation of an Art can be manipted somewhat. The energy released by activation can be used in creative ways. It is a rather difficult skill and only a handful of people I met can do it. However, it can add a near endless amount of possibility into your fighting tactics." "How so?" "What you saw was me splitting the energy between the attack and jump about fifty-fifty. But, you can also split it other ways like forty-sixty, ten-ny, or eighty-twenty. By having these differentbinations of speed versus power from your attacks your opponent never knows how fast you are going to hit, or how hard. It can trick them into making mistakes." The man exined. "I see okay, I will do my best. Thank you, Uncle, for showing me." She said while bowing. She felt arge hand ruffle her hair and ears on the top of her head before he chuckled and walked away. There was no way she could pull it off tonight since she was already beyond tapped out. But tomorrow would be a new day and a new opportunity to grow. "I''ve got this!" ***** Lucius stood alone in the room he rented. It was small, butrge enough for him to swing his weapon around a little without hitting anything. Now that he had ess to his magic abilities, he felt a little stronger. Though, he was still stuck in the Novice Rank. Most of his magical skills could not inflict much damage on the kinds of monsters they faced, but if they were fellow Novice Rank warriors or unranked monsters, then they would feel a world of hurt. He remembered something that his master, Wally, had taught him regarding mana maniption. It was how he was able to use his Arts to boost his speed and strength or switch up the weapon or part of the body that he could use the attack with. After the fight with the Quillow Beasts on the road, he had wondered if the same thing was possible with his magic. Turns out it was, which was how he was able to make the Thunder p spell activate from his de instead of his hands like the spell would normally activate. "I just need to figure out how to channel it betterwhat if I" He closed his eyes and thought about the spells he could use at the moment and their abilities. The one that best suited his needs for his training was the Lightning Charge. Though, when he looked around at his room, he decided to go elsewhere. Apparently the Guild Hall had a training area in the basement and some of them were private and could be rented. The whole space was free use, but if you were trying something you wanted to keep close to your chest, it cost money. Even though it was the evening, there was an overnight staff of receptionists. About five of them were stationed at the desks to help out any adventurers who needed to perform any duties at night time. You could not take a quest after hours or turn them in, but you could use the other services. Lucius quickly went downstairs and rented a training room in private. It only cost a handful of gold. He was thankful he had received his share from the Quillow Beast quest and materials. Rena''s gift wiped out nearly his entire savings, costing nearly ten thousand gold coins. He saved up every single coin he was paid as her retainer, the quests they did, the items they sold, everything. Rena insisted on covering the costs of their stay at the inn since it was a shared room and she was the one buying potions. He had offered to do these things, but she adamantly refused him. It was her birthday and he just had to celebrate it with a big gift both for that, and for repaying her for everything she had done. The reason for its price? The cat-shaped pendant on the choker. It was a single-use item that would take a one-hit-kill attack before shattering. He shook his head clear of the thoughts of her beautiful smile after receiving the present the moment he entered the private training room. "Alright, let''s give this a try" he mumbled. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]" Electricity danced around his body, just like the first time, however instead of letting it settle into his muscles and increase his speed, he forced it to dance along the outside of his body and then flow into the tip of his sword. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he felt like doing this was taking more mana than usual. When doing this with his Arts, it always used close to the same amount of mana. Sure there was a little loss, but this felt like a lot. However, it did not matter. The first few times would be tough, but eventually he would master this like he had before. Wally was a master at this maniption skill. Eventually he hoped he could perform ''channeling'' like the old magician could do, however he would need to be much stronger than a Novice Rank to do that, and have ess to much, much more mana. Lucius swung his sword while the electricity danced up and down the de. It hummed as he swung it and left behind arcs of lightning as he swung it through the air. For his next experiment, he struck a target in the center of the room. He watched as his de sunk into the straw dummy and it exploded outward with a loud crack as the energy of the spell was dispersed instantly inside of it. "Well that will be useful" He muttered while panting with sweat pouring off him. It was a really useful application of the skill, but it was nowhere near ready yet. For now, this would be added to his growing list of hidden trump cards. Ones that even his best friend did not know about yet. Chapter 75: The Fourth Quest "Nice ne, Rena." "Yeah, I agree. It suits you." Jen and Lethenplimented Rena on the gift that Lucius had given her. She probably should have taken it off to go to sleep, but she was so happy she could not bare to remove it. Especially since Lucius put it on her himself. "Thank''s! It was a gift from a stray cat." She giggled. Lucius sighed loudly. "Real original, I''m pretty sure you''ve NEVER used that line before." The partyughed together. They had all gotten really close with each other over thest few weeks and interacted with each other like actual friends. Theyughed together, argued with each other, and shared many meals at this point. This life was everything that she had dreamed of when she read those stories of adventurers as a young kid. When she had gotten up in the morning, Jen had once again found them a quest to do, so that''s what they were doing now. Unlike entering the city, the line to exit was much faster moving. There was still a line because on exit, any adventurers working quest got priority entry on return so they did not have to get locked out of the city at night due to waiting in the main line. It still took about twenty minutes to get through that line despite them getting going so early in the morning. In a city asrge as this, people were everywhere all of the time. She started to understand why the thought ofing here made Lucius nervous. Honestly the sights, sounds, and smells of the city were overwhelming to even her normal, human senses. It was hard to imagine what this was like to him. He had once said he was able to turn the strong parts of those off, but now he really cannot do that anymore. It''s like it is permanently on all of the time for him now. Something like that had to be ufortable at times "Hey, what''s the job this time again?" Paul asked Jen. When she came to them with another job this morning, everyone simply went along with her. It was not until they had actually exited the city that they thought to ask what it was they were even doing. ording to the quest, there was a small hunting camp a few miles east of the city. There were tons of them spread throughout the forest that worked to supply the city with food and materials from the vast Silverthorn forest. This particr one was dedicated to only hunting down weaker monsters and normal animals for the purposes of food. It was by no means equipped to hunt down tougher monsters like Quillow Beasts. Many of the hunting camps and viges near the city were simr, since the frequent traffic in and around the city were frequently cleared out by the Adventurer''s Guild as part of a long-term contract with city leadership. Thest three scheduled shipments from the vige never arrived; neither the goods, nor the people to provide an exnation. Lelvern sent out a representative to check on the status of their promised goods, but that representative also never returned. Next, the guild was contracted to send an investigation team made up of some Novice and Beginner Rankers, but they also never returned. Because of that, the mission was upgraded to an Intermediate Rank quest, making it eligible for their quest count to get permission for the Grand Raid. "Has there been instances of a hunting camp going silent before?" Rena asked. "Not in a while. There have always been signs even when it has. Monster attacks that take ces like this out often result in increased activity in the area, but ording to reports, there have been no excessive sightings in the area." Jen shared. She had done a bunch of cursory questioning at the guild the day before when she took the job. While Rena and Lucius were out shopping, Jen was looking into the quest on her own by asking questions of the guild and the city officials who posted the job. "I can''t see, hear, or smell anything out of the ordinary. Most of what I''m picking up are just normal animals. Deer, rabbits, birds, and a few foxes." Lucius advised from the front of the group. "That makes sense seeing as we are still quite a distance away from the ce in question, and even you can''t pick up things a few miles out." Paul mentioned. Lucius did not respond. Technically he could, but only when he went through what he called a ''partial-shift,'' which usually only happened when he was exceptionally angry or hurt. Most half-blood beastmen do not have the ability to shift at all, but Lucius was a rarity in that respect. All it did was sharpen his teeth, senses, and make his eyes take on cat-like pupils. Rena then got lost momentarily in the image of what the boy would look like as a full-blooded beastman with cat ears and a tailit looked cute "Hold on." Lucius held up his fist for everyone to stop moving and talking. "What''s wrong?" "Shut up a second." Lucius'' ears seemed to twitch and his head swiveled left and right, slowly. Rena watched in real time as the hairs on the exposed parts of his body, the back of his neck and his lower arms, began to stand on end. A light mist rolled in a secondter. It settled gently on the forest floor and did not seem to rise past their ankles. "Lucius." Jen whispered. "What is going on?" "I don''t know. The mist, its thicker further ahead so I can''t see through it. Also, I can''t smell anything; not even you guysI don''t like this." His voice was basically a growl at this point. It seemed to Rena that this deprivation of his senses brought out his inner, bestial nature. That happened sometimes when he was extremely ufortable too. "Lucius, you need to calm down. We can still see the way out of the mist, and you can still hear right? Focus on that and help us find the source. This is clearly not a natural mist." Rena whispered in a soothing tone. She noticed his body posture rx a little, but his hair was still standing up on the back of his neck. She sighed to herself, hoping that it was good enough, and the party advanced deeper into the woods in the direction of the hunter''s camp. It took them traveling for a good, few miles before Rena began to realize something. "Luciusdoes this remind you of" "The trial, yes." Jen chimed in, "How so?" "Listen." The entire party remained silent, only the sounds of their footsteps indicated there was anything there. "I don''t hear anything." "That''s the problem." Rena advised. "There are no bugs, birds, small animals. Other than our footsteps, the forest ispletely still. It should not be like this. The only other ce is the woods back home." Chapter 76: In the Mist Instead of heading back, the party continued on the route to the vige. At this point, it was obvious the mist was centered on the rough location of the hunting camp, so they would not get lost if they kept heading to where the mist thickened. Lucius continued to lead the party, though his skills that made him the best scout were still hampered by the mist for some reason. He still had the full faculty of his hearing, so he was still at a major advantage over the rest of them. Being here made him exceptionally nervous. If there were any sounds, he doubted he would be able to suppress the urge to jump. His sanity felt like it was on a razor''s edge. No doubt the others were feeling the same, if not worse, since they did not have the luxury of a heads up on anything that would approach them. When they finally reached the location, Lucius'' eyes settled on the center of the camp. For some reason, like the eye of a storm, the camp itself waspletely free of any of the strange mist. Also, inside this circle of perceived safety, he had his full senses return to him, which let him exhale a slight sigh of relief. "Well this is strange" Paul said while pointing to something next to one of the cabins. On the ground was what appeared to have been a person at one point. Their face was gaunt and the clothes they were wearing seemed to be too massive for their frame. Paul cautiously approached the body and lifted the shirt. "Skin and bones underneath. The fingernails are yellow it looks like starvation." Paul deduced. "Starvation? How?" Jen seemed extremely confused. She conversed with the other brain in the group, Rena. While Jen did not let her make many, if any,mand decisions, she still valued the girl''s knowledge. Lucius only partially listened to their conversation. ording to Rena, it could take up to two or three months for someone to die of starvation. That tracked because they had missed two or three drop of exchanges with the city. However, when they found more bodies, they noticed something else odd. When faced withplete starvation, and without other options, people would likely turn to cannibalism as ast-ditch effort to survive. Here in the camp, there was no sign of any such behavior. Also, every single person, all fifteen of them, died of starvation. If they did not resort to cannibalism to survive, Rena suspected they would choose to end things themselves, but there was no sign of that. Finally, the representative from the city was nowhere to be seen. Every person here appeared to be one of the actual residents of the camp. "I don''t like this at all." Lucius grumbled. "And you think any of us do?" Jen countered. He chose not to respond because he thought he had seen something move in the mist on the edge of the camp. "Something is definitely there. But I can''t see, smell, or hear anything beyond this camp. Now that we are hereI have a feeling we aren''t going to leave until we catch whatever is causing this." "Lucius please don''t say that" Rena whimpered. One of her weaknesses was horror stories. He always wondered how that would impact her when they went to fight undead, but it had not yete up. Undead gave off a strange sort of mana that the repulsed the living though, so undead were not responsible for this. It was still a clich setting for a horror novel though. "Jen do you know of any monsters that emit a mist?" Lethen asked. The party leader put her hand on her chin and closed her eyes, pondering for several minutes. "I have heard of a fewbut they live in swamps and near the ocean as well askes. There are none of those things within several miles of here. And for thekes in the forest, none of those monsters inhabit this region eitherso I don''t know what the cause is." "Great, so we are potentially stuck in an abandoned camp, surrounded by corpses, a mist that impairs our senses, and we probably can''t leave unless we figure out what is causing and either stop or kill it?" Lethen''s tone was pure annoyance andint. You couldn''t me him though, because it was rather inconvenient. Once again, Lucius eyed the movement of shadows on the edge of the camp before it came to a stop. It seemed humanoid in shape and for some reason he felt like it was staring at him. At the foot of the shadow was a log that extended out of the mist. He quietly motioned for the party to look where he was looking. While they watched the shadow, he watched the log. It seemed to get shorterless and less of it was sticking out of the mist. Their circle of safety was closing, and the rate at which it was threatening to swallow up the camp was increasing. "Everyone. Get to therge cabin. The mist is closing in and if we are going to be surrounded by it, at least we should be in the same ce." Jen shouted. They darted for thergest cabin in the camp, which happened to be the one closest to the shadow''s location. Once inside, the rate of expansion of the mist increased more and more. From the windows of the cabin, the watched as one by one, the other buildings were swallowed up, until the world around their safe haven was pure gray. "Well ain''t that just great" Paul muttered. Rena was close to hyperventting. It seemed she was scared out of her mind as a horror story came to life around her. Lucius reached out to her and pulled her into a hug, pressing her face into his chest. "It''s okay, I got you." He stroked her hair gently whileforting her. As he did so, he could not help but wonder to himself if she was always this softand smalland did she always smell this nice? "Alright everyone looks like this is home for a little whilethankfully we all have several days of rations, and I haven''t found a buyer for the Quillow Beast meat yet, so we have several weeks worth of that avable if we ration it appropriately. It will be a while for the same thing to happen to us like the residents." Jen advised. Her words made Rena shrink herself into his hold even closer. She lightly sobbed, though it wasn''t loud or obvious enough for others to notice. If anything, they seemed to be purposefully avoiding eye contact with the two. However, he could not be bothered to worry about what the party may or may not think. He kept his eyes glued to the window at the shadow moving slowly through the fog, as if pacing in front of their cabin. Chapter 77: Insanity Hours passed by and the group simply sat and watched the shadow move back and forth in front of the cabin. Lucius was spending most of the time trying to discern what it was that was moving, but the mist had turned into dense barrier that blocked sight, smell, and sound. If it did not exist inside the cabin, it was as if it did not exist. "I think I want to try something." Lucius said finally, breaking the silence. "Rena, give me a bit of fire please." He broke off a leg of a chair, wrapped it in cloth, and then soaked it in oil. Rena struck a match and lit the torch he had made. Using magic would have worked, but therees a time when spells are overkill for simple tasks. When the me seemed to take well enough not to be snuffed out, Lucius stepped up to the door and opened it. For a moment, the other party members took in a deep breath, worried what might happen with the mist. He then quickly tossed the torch out the door and closed the door. He moved over to the window to watch his experiment. Sometimes with the fog, light could help push some of it back, but he did not know if that was the case with this unnatural mist. Sure enough, when he looked at the torch on the ground, he saw nothing. "Rena, give me a light spell. A simple one will do." He requested while moving to open the door again. The girl took a deep breath to prepare herself for the fear that threatened to grip her heart. "[Lux: Floating Lantern]" An orb of light formed in the palm of her hand and floated gently out the open door. Once again, Lucius swiftly closed it again and moved over to the window to observe. He requested for Rena to move the light to roughly where the torch hadnded previously. Rather than disappearing into the mist, the magical light endured and the mist seemed to disperse around it. "Rena can you make it bigger or brighter?" "I canbut I won''t be able to do it for very long. With the current size and light level, I can maintain it for a few hours maybebut it is almost like the mist is siphoning the magic from it at an insanely fast rate because I should normally be able to hold this spell for a day" The area of safety granted by the magical orb was a circle roughly twenty feet in diameter. Arge area, but not really one for arge-scale fight While Lucius was pondering the options, the shadow in the mist began to move again, towards the light spell. As it approached the edge of the mist, a foot stepped out of the fog. The shadow had belonged to a frail looking man with gaunt skin, yellow eyes, and long fingernails. His clothes were tattered, but they looked like the uniform that the Lelvern city officials would wear. "No forgiveness, only atonement. Suffer as I have sufferedno forgiveness, only atonement Suffer as I have suffered." The individual continued to repeat the same phrases over and over again while shuffling endlessly back and forth. For a moment he stopped talking and moving, then turned his head to face the window and locked eyes with Lucius. The poor creature''s eyes went wide as he darted towards the cabin, making Rena jump back with a shriek. "The mist, its there. We did this to ourselves. Don''t go in the mist. Don''t make them suffer! It''s your fault. Its my fault. It always was our fault!" The former city official ruthlessly bashed his own head on the side of the building while repeating these new phrases non stop. Blood streamed down his face until finally he stopped and copsed to the ground. Another figure then appeared in the fog, moving towards them with purpose. However, unlike who turned out to be the city official, this figure did not step into the illuminated space. Instead it stayed obscured and then spoke, somehow audible in this strange phenomenon. "Wee to my homeyou are not like those who lived herebut you might be like those who came for him. Are you here to kill me too?" "What should we do?" Jen asked. "I''m open to suggestions, because this is justwellyou know" Lucius felt something strangeing from the figure. It was something familiar. He thought about that feeling and what it reminded him of. The figure seemed to stare at them from it''s imprable wall of fog, waiting for a response. Finally, Lucius disentangled Rena from his back because she had returned to clinging to him, and walked outside. "What the hell kid, what are you" Lucius mmed the door close before Jen could finishining to him, and stepped into the area of the fog cleared by Rena''s spell. "Are you here to kill me, like those others?" The figure asked again. This time it was more aggressive, as if Lucius being outside was a threat. "I know what you are." Lucius said inly as he raised his left hand and faced his mark towards the being. "I am like you. Marked." The figure stood in silence for a moment before it began tough and stepped forward into the light. He was a scrawny man, looking scarcely better than the vigers or the city official from earlier. However, he was healthy enough to still be alive. His hair was long and stretched down to his waist, but it was stringy, matted in ces, and had clearly been left unmaintained for quite some time. "I am like you?" the man whispered after he had finished his dry cackling. "You and I are not the same. We bare the same sin, but we do not share the same past." "That may be so." "Are you not going to ask why I am doing this? The other''s asked. They had a lot of questions. They acted like they caredthen they tried to kill me." The man gave Lucius a toothy grin. "They lied to me. They wanted to kill me." "No, I''m not going to ask why." Lucius answered inly. He was telling the truth. He simply did not care about the man''s motives. "The vige suffered the way I suffered. They did this to me." The man gestured to his general form. "So, I did the same to them." Lucius simply said nothing. He had no idea why the man was monologuing to him when he already told him he did not care. There was one simple truth that this boiled down to. This man opposed Lucius and threatened Rena. The lives of random vigers and hunters meant nothing to him. He did not even know them. "I can tell you want to kill me. I know you want to. I can feel the threat of death in your gaze but you cannot defeat me. Not here. Not in my mist. This is my domain. Here, the world is what I desire. With the Mark of the Mist, anything I desire can be made here! Including killing you" Chapter 78: Breakthrough "Stay inside!" Lucius shouted towards the cabin as the mist began to press in around him. The glow from Rena''s light spell was dimming slightly, but it seemed she was trying her hardest to keep it going, even though she likely could not see through the barrier that now separated them. He nced around the shrunken space that was maintained for him thanks to the light spell. He could not hear anything from his surroundings, yet he could tell that the man was watching him from the mist. The pressure exerted by this person''s hateful gaze was immense. "You were not one of the ones who imprisoned me. You did not starve me. You did not hate me simply because of this marknot like the hunters did. They got what they deserved. They earned their punishment." Lucius tried his best to locate the man from the sound of his voice, but it seemingly came from every direction at once. He kept his head on a swivel, looking for anything that would give him a sign of where his enemy was located. A faint whistling sound echoed from behind him, which he recognized for an attack and dove to the left. Where he was standing was a massive, five-foot long spear that seemed to be made out of the same fog as his surroundings. As soon as it had appeared it vanished and rejoined with the barrier that had created it. More whistling sounds filled the space, forcing him to jump out of the dirt. First there was one, then two, then three. Soon the entire circle was bing filled with these vanishing spears. "[Forsaken Arts: Weapon Breaker]!" He focused on another of his hidden skills, making his weapon glow golden. Using some of the sensation he had felt when using his Thunder Magic the first time, he urged nearly seventy percent of the mana forming to spread through his whole body, leaving only the remaining thirty percent to concentrate in the weapon as intended. Lucius had long since mastered the skill of mana maniption, but this was the first time he used it across his entire being, instead of just specific areas. The sensation was indescribable. It was eerily simr to what he remembered when using the Beast Arts, but there was another sensationa feeling that he was missing somethinghowever there was no time to focus on that. As more spears continued tounch at him from all sides, he felt his speed and reaction time nearly triple. The concentration of mana in his weapon was not enough to actually break the weapons, but he was granted the speed and power to knock them back into the fog. "How are you doing that no matter. When in my mist, my every desire can be created! You cannot win!" ''I need more. At this rate, I will be skewered.'' This thought yed repeated through Lucius'' head as he jumped, ducked, sidestepped, and parried countless weapons and objects made from his opponent''s mark. He was assailed by spears, swords, boulders, animals, and countless different things that materialized long enough to hurt him before vaporizing yet again. ''Fuck. If I don''t get through this, Rena is next.'' He thought. ''Okay, I can''t break these objects, I might as well switch to dodging. I''ll equally distribute the mana everywhere now. That should give me enough extra speed.'' His entire body was now bathed in a dull glow. Every inch of him was flowing with mana as though it were a second skin. ''Hi there kid. Been awhile.'' A dark, yet teasing voice pierced through Lucius'' mind. ''Grimm. What do you want?'' ''You are so close to a breakthrough. Close enough for me to sneak a little chat without my old buddy Luz holding us back. Figured I could help youwith a push over the edge. Free of charge, its your own power after all.'' ''Do it, but if this hurts Rena in any capacityanything at all'' ''Down, lover-boyuse the markthen it''ll be clear.'' Lucius continued to dodge the different things being thrown at him while he conversed with the dark creature in his head. The attacker was getting angry and had begun roaring and screaming incoherently. The attacks continued to pick up in speed and intensity. "Okay, let''s give this a go [Abyss Break: Cloak of Darkness]" The very shadows themselves seemed to rise to Lucius''mand and shot towards him, covering his weapon, armor, and extremities. Some stayed at his feet, stretching upwards to deflect some of the attacks that he was struggling to dodge. "Oh this feels familiar Oh! That''s what Grimm meant I see" When his mark activated, and the shadows enveloped him, he maintained his control over the Mana for his Art. This intensified the feeling of missing something. There was only one thing left for him to add. Lucius stopped moving and willed the shadows cloaking him to hold off the attacks for a few moments. He focused on the part of his mana that contained the Thunder Magicpatibility and willed it toe forth. For the moment, the one that came to mind was the one that gave him the sensation of filling his whole body with mana in the first ce. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]" Lucius felt thebination of the Arts and Magic, both made of two different kinds of mana, swirl together in his body. Encapsting the two, was a different power from that of mana. It was the source of whatever empowered the marks. They danced together and merged with one another as they began to merge into a single sensation. Lucius opened his eyes, that he had subconsciously closed. Even he could tell that his irises emitted a dull glow, barely containing the strange power welling up within him. A wave of energy exploded outward from the boy, instantaneously dispersing all of the fog that filled the area. The camp and the forest werepletely clear of whatever this man''s mark had done. He looked at the source of the problem coldly. The scrawny man with scraggily long hair quaked in fear, hurriedly looking around as if unaware of what had happened to his power. Lucius uttered a single phrase; perhaps one that had not been heard by the world in eons. Though his voice was a mere whisper, it was as if reality itself shuddered weight of his words. "[Primordial Ascension]" Chapter 79: Potential [Part 1] Rena, Jen, Paul, and Lethen sat inside the cabin, staring out the windows. They had watched as a man who looked on the verge of death had stepped out into the area of safety Rena''s light magic had created. He appeared to be talking to Lucius, but thetter appeared about as interested in whatever this man had to say as a miser was towards a beggar. An ominous feeling settled in around them as the fog thickened and surrounded Lucius once again, cutting him from view. Rena knew her spell was still active and it began draining even more magic than before. Lucius was likely still in need of any assistance he could get, so Rena simply kept funneling power into the spell. If she increased its strength she would suffer mana deprivation in minutes, so she simply maintained it''s current level. She had maybe thirty minutes until the spell failed, but she figured it was better than nothing. "Do you think he''s still okay?" Lethen asked. No one wanted to voice the question, but it was shared by them all. They could not see or hear them, so they had no idea what was happening in behind this veil. "I don''t know. But I am pretty sure that whoever that man was, is the source of this phenomenon." Rena answered. The fear she had felt earlier vanished. It was still a scary situation, but now that she knew it was nothing paranormal, she felt a lot betterwhich was good because Lucius was not in here tofort her. "It is." Jen answered. "That man was marked. This fog is from his mark." "How can you tell?" Paul asked. "I''ve seen some very interesting things in my life and some terrifyingly powerful Marked Ones. When it is something of this scale, you can sense the power behind it. It''s almost alien and feels nothing like mana." Jen answered, her eyes still glued to the outside as if hoping that she might catch a glimpse of something. There was a strange curiosity in her eyes that Rena had not noticed before. "Marks feel different from mana?" Paul asked. Rena knew from experience that they did. However, like Jen said, once you have seen a terrifyingly powerful mark in action, the power behind them became so thick and oppressive that even normal people could feel the energy. "Yes. Arts use Physical Mana to enhance the body and objects, like weapons or armor. Magic uses Metaphysical Mana to enhance the mind, allowing the user''s mind to create the forces we know as spells and make them reality but marks they use something different and to those without marks it feels like this." Jen exined while making a general gesture to towards the space around them. "I see so that''s why the air feels so" Paul began. "Thick" Lethen finished. There really was not a way to describe it well, but what Lethen said was not far off. Rena could only describe it as walking outside on a horribly muggy day, but multitudes worse. While she agreedpletely with Jen''s description of this, she could not help but wonder what kind of Marked One she had run into that gave her such experience. A brief sensation of Arts activation shed through the air, pulling the group''s attention back to the windows from each other. Jen''s brow furrowed and she nced over at Rena, but did not say anything. It was clearly Arts, but it felt off somehow. The world was still for what seemed like an eternity and Rena''s breath became ragged. There were maybe a few minutes left on her spell at most by now. When they felt the surge of mana from the Arts, they knew for sure that Lucius was fighting, so she was terrified what might happen when the spell vanished. He would bepletely at the mercy of this fog. While she was beginning to panic another sensation washed through the cabin. "Holy is that what I think it is?" Paul asked. Lethen nodded with a smile. "Yeah, our boy is experiencing a breakthrough. Watch out Rena, someone''s going to join you in the Beginner Rank. No more Novice fighters here." "In the middle of a battle toothat''s rare." Jen had a massive grin. "That mystery man might be screwed, though it only matters if Lucius can ess his Potential." Rena''s earstched onto her leader''s words. "Potential?" "Yeah. Everyone has Potential granted by the gods. It''s their maximum power that they can reach. For a brief moment on a breakthrough, you have ess to your full potential. It''s the gods'' way of protecting you in the middle of a rank up." "If he can" Rena started. However, yet another sensation washed over the building. This one felt like the activation of a mark. Rena remembered this one and once again looked outside in panic. It felt worse than what happened five years ago. "Shit, that one took them out." Jen said, pointing her thumb back at Paul and Lethen who seemed to have lost consciousness. Rena couldn''t me them. Sweat beaded on her and Jen''s faces. The amount of pressure they were feeling was immense. Rena was holding back the urge to vomit when suddenly the mist vanishedpletely. The entire camp was in in view, as were the trees of the forest surrounding it. Standing in the center of the vige was Lucius'' opponent. Lucius himself was standing a mere ten feet from the door to the cabin. Tendrils of shadow twitched and writhed on the ground, while some were wrapped around Lucius'' armor. There were brief crackles of electricity that danced around the surface of his skin, which gave off a simr glow to the Arts. "[Pri*$#*@al A*#en*@%on]" The world shook as strange words escaped Lucius'' lips. They echoed in Rena''s mind, but save for a few letters that were discernable, most of it was simply a series of opposing tones, squeals, and crackles. "Amazing." Jen whispered. "So that''s the potential of his mark. I feel his magic and Arts toohe''sbined them all into onethat is" Rena saw a strange glint in Jen''s eyes. It was a look she had never seen the woman make before. Frankly, it was a look that the girl had never seen before in her life. There was no time for her to analyze this strange expression however, as most of Rena''s attention was settled on her friend. If what Jen said was right about the potential thing, then this state was temporary and would notst forever. While she could not see her face, the girl could tell that Lucius was in extreme pain. He was moving slowly and his legs and arms quaked with every movement. Each step he took seemed to send out a shockwave of energy that felt unlike anything she had experienced before. The enemy had fallen to the ground and scrambled to get up, but every time Lucius stepped towards him, he was knocked down once again. Several shes kept emitting from his left hand as he appeared to be trying to activate his mark. Weapons of different sizes and shapes appeared in his hands, in the air around him, and above Lucius. They seemed to be made of the same fog that had entrapped them and there were enough to arm a garrison all pointed directly at her friend. Chapter 80: Potential [Part 2] Luciuszily gazed at the weapons aimed at him. The hummed dangerously with the strange source of power of the marks. His face seemed to shift downwards and cast an unknown gaze at the man on the ground and took another step. Instantly, the weapons vanished, vaporized by the pressure the ck-haired boy was exuding. "No. No. I can''t. The world hasn''t paid for what it did to me. You are like the others. You are supposed to be like me. Why are you like the others!?" the man cried out. He curled into a fetal position, rocking back and forth, muttering intelligible words to himself. From this distance, Rena was able to pick up on the man''s cries, but whatever he was mumbling about was impossible to say. Jen rushed out of the building, so she followed by instinct. She knew what was going to happen next. Lucius was going to kill that man. Both of the girls approached Lucius cautiously from behind. Rena knew that he could tell they were, but he did not make any moves to acknowledge them at all. Instead, his gaze was locked on the man trembling in fear with his face covered in tears and mucus. "Lucius. He''s finished. Let''s take him into custody." Jen said, gently moving her hand towards him. Rena grabbed it before Jen could make contact. "Don''t. That is a profoundly BAD idea." She warned. Her point was proven by the fact that until they moved their eyes away from each other, Lucius'' de was gingerly pressed against Jen''s neck. "She''s harmless, Lucius. But she is right. We can take him into custody and take the city the proof needed to show what happened here." "Proof?" Lucius asked, the air seeming to vibrate from the sound of his voice. "Okay. We will get proof." "Good" Rena whispered. Lucius gave her a smile, one that did not seem to reach his eyes. There was a strange squelching sound, followed by a strange crunch, and then side of his face turned red as something sttered against it. "Lucius" Rena whispered sorrowfully. She knew what happened immediately, but still looked down. The perpetrator wasying on the ground, no longer shaking. No longer mumbling. Laying next to him and no longer attached to his body, was a severed hand that was cut just below the wrist and on the back of it was a mark. "This will be proof enough." He stated inly. "Okay." Jen answered, carefully prying herself free from Rena''s grasp. She mouthed the words ''thank you'' at the girl and stepped backwards out of reach of Lucius'' weapon. Though they all knew that it meant nothing. Lucius was currently powered what the world considered his peak potential. Given the state of things, until that temporary protection passed, Jen was equivalent to Lucius stepping on an ant. For a moment they stood there awkwardly while Lucius closed his eyes and pointed his head at towards the sky. He seemed closed off from the world somehow and because of that, neither Jen nor Rena could bring themselves to interrupt whatever it was he was doing. ***** ''Congrattions on your breakthrough, Lucius.'' A kind, gentle voice echoed through his mind. ''Hehright, congrattions.'' Grimm added. Lucius was confused, but ultimately chose to ignore the strangely annoyed tone Grimm had. It was not directed towards him, but rather at Luz for some reason. ''Thank you both.'' He answered. He closed his eyes and looked upwards, letting the light from the sun peaking over the trees warm his face. This was for two reasons. The first was that he wanted to calm himself after his small outburst towards Jen. He was moving on instinct and everything seemed like a threat for some reason, even her attempt at a guiding touch. The second was that it was easier to focus on talking to the voices he had not heard from in a long time. ''With this you will be able to use your Thunder Magic and your markto an extent.'' Luz advised hesitantly. ''I doubt you will be able to do much other than strengthen your sword, but it should help you immensely.'' Lucius smiled at him growing in strength. He was finally a Beginner Rank, like Rena, and there were more skills he could ess and the ones he had were stronger. Grimm seemed to grumble and pout for some reason but joined in. ''Yeah, yeah, I have a sword thing toobut with Luz''s techniquehow about something elseahhh. I know!'' Grimm did not tell Lucius what ability he was nning to give him. For some reason, he thought it was for the purpose of not exposing the ability to Luz directlybut surely that wasn''t the caseright? The experience and understanding of his mark''s new abilities entered his brain. He was reminded on how to activate the Heavenly de ability from Luz and was filled with understanding of Grimm''s gift it was a much less powerful version of the shadow tendrils and armor that he had used in hisst fight. Abyss Armor. While using the ability, his current armor was covered with living shadows that increased his defense and he had one shadow tendril that could control as though it were an extra appendage. When the information was fully absorbed he finally understood what his mark was. It truly was an Inverse mark. The symbol from one orientation was that of a valley and when flipped it was that of a mountain. The meaning: Celestia, the realm of the gods and light, and the Abyss, the realm of demons and darkness. Lucius had a feeling that there were way more abilities this mark granted him beyond a powerful sword and armor enhancement, but for the purposes of filling out the registration of his mark when he returned to town, as wasw, he would only share that information. Luz and Grimm''s presence in his mind diminished alongside the unbelievable well of power he had been experiencing and soon things felt normal. He was much stronger than before, as one would feel with an increase in rank, but he was not even a drop in the ocean to the power he just witnessed. Still, it was something he was proud of. Lucius opened his eyes and looked softly at Rena who was giving him a gentle, yetplicated smile, and then fell to his knees. "Lucius!" "I''m fucking tired" "I bet you would be, kid. What rank are you now? Did you break through once or did you get a double breakthrough?" Jen asked in a measured tone. It seemed she was still nervous about the sword to the throat thing, which was understandable. "Just the one. I''m Beginner now. And I understand my mark." He answered. Each word felt difficult as exhaustion began to overwhelm him. "We can talktercan we restand you guys can burn the bodiesI need to sleep. Keep the hand though." Chapter 81: Return to Lelvern Paul and Lethen woke up about fifteen or so minutes after Lucius'' powers calmed down and returned to the normal scope for a Beginner Rank. It was simultaneously fortunate and not that he did not have ess to such strength all the time, but if he did, his back would simply be arge target and nothing more. When the two men did wake up, they came outside and saw the body of the man from the mist and his severed hand that Lucius was holding onto. He wanted to put it in his storage ring, but apparently there was a block built into the enchantment that prevented the collection of human body parts. To be fair, that felt like a smart move, otherwise murderers and assassins could simply hide their kills and that would be a nightmare for everyone. The city official was also deceased, having died of blood loss from his self-inflicted blunt force trauma. The party did a cursory scan of the area surrounding the camp and ended up finding the bodies of the previous adventurers that hade here. They were pierced by various kinds of weaponry, but none of the weapons that caused the damager were found. This was absolutely due to the mark of the mist that the man used. Jen, Paul, and Lethen gathered the bodies together and when they did Rena stepped up to start the pyre. They also burnt the unknown man''s corpse, but did so separate from his victims. Lucius was feeling a little tired from all the effort he went through, but did find some spare cloth that he wrapped the hand with so the random merchants waiting to enter the city on their return would be scared out of their minds. The walk back to Lelvern waspletely devoid of anything interesting or entertaining. The normal sounds of the forest had returned to the areas that were once silent and it became quite the rxing walk. No one felt like discussing things at the moment, but Lucius definitely felt eyes sizing him up. Before, when he was a novice, he did well in holding his own in fights against those stronger than him. This was mostly due to his mana maniption ability that he had learned from Master Wally. It allowed him to shift the mana drawn in by his Arts to other parts of his body to enhance it beyond what the Art would call for. It made his attack strength and speed nearly impossible to predict. If one paid attention, you could tell that it was happening, but it was impossible to tell the actual distribution ratios. Essentially you knew you were being messed with, but you never knew exactly how. Now that he added in his ability to use Thunder magic in, along with his mark being able to be activated, he was confident that with training, he could stand a good chance against other opponents. In fact, as he was now, with his training and abilities, he was pretty sure he could take down an Alpha Deer alone and with ease. Lucius mentally noted that he had a personal task toplete when they returned to Pelith. The deer that he fought personally was long deceasedbut fighting another one in the woods back home would still feel like a form of victory over his old foe. Rena rushed up to walk side by side with him for a little while. Everyone had been hanging back out of habit and concern. If they really wanted to kill him, they absolutely could right now. "So, your markyou said you learned about it somehow?" she asked. Her bright green eyes locking onto his intently. "Yes. I carry an inverse mark. The Mark of the Abyss and its opposite, thee Mark of Celestia." Lucius answered. He made sure his words were loud and clear enough to be heard by the rest of the party. "Can you use it now?" Rena continued. "Sureif I want to pass out. Though, I should be fine to activate each ability once when ites time to file registration of my mark at the guild. I can do that there right, Jen?" The leader of their group chimed in, "Yup. You got it. You can file it with the guild and they will file it with the government on your behalf. I''d be careful though, kid. People aren''t going to like that you have a mark that bears the name of thend of the gods. Kind of a built-in paradox. As if you are iming the blessing of the gods while being steeped in demon blood." "I know. But I cannot lie. Besides, their activation phrases prove my point." "Oh? Your mark abilities require an activation phrase? That is quite rare." Jen pointed out. Lucius simply nodded and continued walking with Rena at his side. Every so often while walking together, the backs of their fingers and hands brushed against each other, as if tempting him. To try an experiment, he stuck out his pinky slightly and made sure that his hand made slight contact with hers. Rena quietly reciprocated and wrapped her pinky finger around his. They continued like this, awkwardly holding each other by their smallest fingers until they finally reached the gates of Lelvern and separated from each other. They were able to move to the front of the line with the pass they received earlier and though it was getting close to closing time for the gates, they were able to quickly make it through. One of the guards who examined their goods though was given a slight shock when Lucius revealed he had a severed human hand in his possession, but they allowed him passage given the circumstances in which they came into possession of it. They quickly moved through the streets which started to bustle with night life. Bars started to open their doors and different inns started setting up tables outside of their buildings where temporary stalls used to be in order to amodate the increased traffic that dinner rushes usually brought them. No matter how many times he saw it, Lucius was still extremely ufortable with the city. Every sound and smell blended together and they were nearly impossible to separate and gave him a migraine. He did think to ask one of the full-blooded beastmen he saw at the guild when they first arrived, but they simplyughed at him and told him he would get used to it. However, he thought that would be a bad thing. "Hey guys. Do you mind if we turn the quest in tomorrow? I need to talk to Rena about something." He looked to Rena with a serious gaze and she returned one that was a mix of confusion and a hint of anticipation. "Uh huh. That''s no problem. Right boys?" Jen said while elbowing Paul and Lethen at the same time. They both reeled from the strike. "Yeah, surealso, boss you are suppose to elbow someone when they aren''t answeringwe didn''t even get a chance" Lethenined while Paul nodded in solidarity and rubbed his gut. The three of them rushed on ahead, leaving Rena and Lucius alone in the streets. Well alone was a strong word, but they at least weren''t being paid any mind by the people moving by them. Lucius pulled his friend over to the side of the road to get out of the way of traffic and to gather together some courage for what he was about to say. "Rena I know" He stumbled and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I know this might be presumptuous of me. And if so, I''ll ept any punishmentbut if there''s a chance I wanted" Lucius paused, the lump returning. This was much harder than he was expecting this to be. "You wanted to?" Rena prompted. Her deep red hair framed her gorgeous face, all of which was entuated by her glistening, green eyes. She was the absolute representation of beauty in Lucius'' eyes. Until now he refused to let himself see it. He always thought she was gorgeous, but it was as if he was finally looking at her and really seeing this truth for the first time. "Gah!" He yelled. "Rena I love you." Chapter 82: Re-Registration Lucius awoke the next morning after his confession to his long-time best friend, Rena. Remembering the fact that he thought to say such a thing brought a blush to his face. He was not one for emotions and sentiments, but Rena was his weaknesswell her and his parents. However, he did not regret his actions, because the moment he shouted out those words, the crowds in the street suddenly stopped and stared at the two. Lucius began to panic not realizing that he had yelled out his feelings so loudly. Before he could turn away from embarrassment, two small hands cradled his face. Rena stood on her tiptoes and pulled herself into his embrace and gave him a deep kiss on the lips. Lucius gently ced two of his fingers on his lips and smiled, remembering the sensation. However, he did not have to wait long to experience it again as the somewhat familiar weight on his chest seemed to move, as Rena gently rose from her slumber at his shifting. Her eyes locked on his and she smiled at him, her cheeks rosy with slight embarrassment. "Good morning." "Good morning to you too." Lucius returned the smile. Though they had slept in the same room and bed, nothing had happened between them. Rena only just turned fourteen and Lucius was still a little away from turning fourteen himself. They had decided to wait until they were of proper age. Even though Lucius and her could not get married, due to thews that banned Marked Ones from doing such a thing, it was still important to them and would make it feel more real even if thews of thend would not let them. Lucius pulled his love towards him and nted a small kiss on her forehead, which left her with a small pout. He chuckled to himself and gave her a second, small kiss directly on her lips. "Better." She smiled. "Though maybe you should do both. Every morning. Oh, and every night. And when we have lunch. Oh and when I do a good job. And maybe" Heughed again. "Rena, that is a little too much for now. How about morning and night for now. We can y the rest by ear?" Rena''s pout returned. "Fine. But we hold hands whenever I want. Even if you feel embarrassed." "Rena" "Don''t ''Rena'' meI''ve been waiting for at least two years for you to say something to me. I''m going to have my fun dammit." "Okay, you win, I give up." He held his hands up in mock surrender. They both looked at each other andughed before getting up and getting dressed for the day. Changing in front of one another was slightly different now. There was nothing between each other that they had not seen, though the context was different, such as his duties as a servant and when they needed to change or clean up out on the road. Despite that, both of them seemed to have a flush to their cheeks and they shyly turned their backs to one another while getting ready for the day. When everything was settled they walked out of their room together, with Rena clinging to his arm and giggling all the way down to the main floor where the party was awaiting them. Jen and Lethen had giant grins on their faces and even Paul had a slight smirk. "Well, well, well!" Jen shouted. "Looks like we get to save money on rooms at the inns from now on!" "So, it would seem." Rena giggled. "Right, so let''s turn the quest in. You still got the thing on you freakshow?" Jen asked. "I do." Lucius responded,pletely not caring about the insult. Together, they all walked up to reception and waited for a spot to open. Jen informed the reception they hadpleted the request to investigate the missing hunters camp quest that also included a missing official and adventurers. She handed over the official''s insignia and personal effects they removed before burning as well as the guild cards of the adventurers. They did not gather any equipment because it was customary to take what you needed from a dead adventurer and burn the rest. It was a strange way to honor their sacrifice by having the dead support the living, then sending them off with the rest of what they earned. "Ah, and proof of this mist man?" The receptionist asked. Her tone was that of disbelief. It was likely that she thought they had simply skipped the quest and found some other dead adventurer''s cards, or even stopped after they found the previous adventurer''s corpses and left thinking it was too dangerous. It was for this moment that Lucius had kept the hand. He ced the wrapped object onto the desk and said, "There''s the proof." The receptionist eyed the cloth warily, but unraveled nheless. She gasped momentarily before collecting herself after she remembered where she worked. She then pulled out a book and flipped through the pages while asionally ncing at the hand. Finally, she stopped flipping pages and said, "While we don''t have exact matches in our encyclopedia of known marks, it does share characteristics of other ''mist rted marks'' that are documented. So, this quest isplete. I will distribute your rewards, you may pick them up further down the desk. How else may I assist you?" "I need to register my mark. I finally figured out what it is. It was previously listed as ''unknown'' and Lethal Grade." "I understand. We can help you. Follow me to the area over by the harvesters." She advised. They walked over to the harvesting area where there was another reception desk and a small area they had set up for testing marks. "Please share the name of your mark, and showcase its ability. If your ability requires additional space, please let me know so we can set up a proper venue." "This is fine. I have an inverse mark, so there are two meanings. The first is the Mark of Celestia. The second is the Mark of the Abyss." Several eyes locked onto them as he finished his sentence. Most were in anger, though many were also out of curiosity. Lucius simply sighed and activated his mark''s abilities. He could not use them simultaneously at the moment, so he activated them one at a time. "[Celestia''s Grace: Heavenly de]" Lucius'' had drawn his weapon and it took on a bright blue glow that hummed with energy. He swung it around several times leaving behind a streak of light as it moved through the air. He then cancelled the ability and activated his other one from Grimm. "[Abyss Break: Abyss Armor]" Shadows from around the room shot towards Lucius and wrapped themselves around his existing armor, amplifying its protective capabilities. He also felt a sensation that he thought was the tendril the skill gave him. When he thought about moving it, the tendril snaked its way out of his own shadow and leaned over his shoulder, giving the receptionist a slight wave. "There you have it. My mark." He said inly. All eyes were on him now and every one of them were confused. It was clear his words were the truth, but none knew what to do with the information. "Alright, thank you. The information has been recorded. I have rmended that the ssification for your skill remain at the Lethal Grade. If there is anything we can help you with, please don''t hesitate to ask." If the receptionist was bothered or affected by Lucius'' abilities, she hid it rather quickly and very well, unlike the momentarypse with the hand. Chapter 83: Panic in the Academy An aging man with a long, white beard and balding head sat at a table surrounded with simrly decrepit old people. The table they sat around was octagonal in shape and each face sat a chair, with each chair hosting a person. All eight of them nced about the room nervously, save one. The only person who was acting as though nothing was wrong was the infamous Wally Carmichael. He had joined his colleagues of the Arcadian Royal Academy''s Magical Studies branch in their main gathering hall. Each seat was meant for a representative of the different areas of study. The primary studies performed at the academy included; Elemental Magic, Transcendent Magic, Light Magic, Dark Magic, Enchantment, Arts, Alchemy (which included the study of magical flora and fauna), and finally, Marks. Wally was the head of the research on Marks and though he had very little in terms of staffing and facilities, he was an exceptionally powerful mage and that fact had earned him a ''seat at the table'' so to speak. "Has anyone pinpointed the source?" the head of the Elemental Magic department asked, finally cutting through the tension in the room. What they were all gathered here for was that while sses were being held during the day there was a massive surge in an unknown energy source. Following the initial burst were a series of much smaller shes. Though the first was able to be detected by their most sensitive magical specialists, the subsequent smaller bursts were only detected thanks to specialized equipment installed in a number ofbs that were used to monitor the concentration of mana in an object or area. "So far no one has located the source location. There have also been no additional events since. Whatever it was that caused it seemed to have been a single urrence." The elderly woman heading the Alchemy Department stated. "Would it not be foolish to assume that such an event would be isted? If it happened once, it is possible to happen again. And if it happens again then it can happen many more times." "He''s right, it is idiotic and dangerous to assume it was a singr incident, What if it happens again? What if the thing that caused it were to attack us?" A few of the department heads continued to argue with one another while Wally just sat there patiently. When the voices started to calm down a little, he asked, "Has the Alchemy Department detected any movements or changes in behavior of the identified S-Rank beasts? It has been a long time since a few of them woke up. I would not put it past Fenrir or one of the ancient dragons to cause something like this. At least from what I have read of the tales." The alchemy head shook her head. "No that is one of the first things I had checked. I used ourmunication crystals to reach out to our monitoring teams and there have been no signs of any disturbances with the S-Rank beasts in Arcadios. I did find out that none of the other nations'' institutions detected anything like we did, so whatever happened does seem centralized to our homnd." Wally pondered for a moment. He felt something familiar about the sensation of the strange pulse that rocked the nation''s leading academics. Thankfully only the most advanced of Magic and Arts users were able to detect the incident or panic might have been widespread. The flow of the energy seemed simr to Mana Maniption and Channeling, things that he was highly proficient at, but it also was not quite the same, simply a simrity. Simr was a strong word though, as the simrities between what he knew and this energy were about asparable as an apple to an orange, both were fruit and both grew on trees, but that was about it. "Director Carmichael, you seem lost in thought, care to share your opinions with the rest of us?" Wally was brought back to the space around him by the obnoxiously nasally voice that belonged to the director of the Light Magic Department. "Mmm not sure. It reminded me of Channeling in a way, but also not." Wally answered with a wave, though his hand froze halfway as a bolt of curiosity struck. "Saysome of us, namely me, can use Channeling of course that uses manabut what if someone used the same technique on a mark!?" Wally''s eyes were wide with excitement, but no one in the room seemed keen on entertaining his flight of fancy. Most likely the reason for that was that he had not so gently reminded them that he was the only person in the room who could use Channeling, a form of mana maniption that circted mana throughout the entire body evenly allowing the user to potentially even cast magic or use skills from Arts without using an activation phrase. It also had the added bonus of increasing their strength and imbuing each attack with raw energy of the type of mana being channeled. "You old coot! Are you simply trying to one up us again?" the Light Director shouted. Others in the room grumbled with disdain at Wally who shrugged his shoulders in resignation before leaning back into his chair and beginning to clean under his nails in boredom. He waited patiently for the final guest to arrive. The moment he felt the pulse he was aware of one other person who was sensitive to changes brought on by such events even though that person had no Compatibilities with any Arts or Magic. As if on cue, the sounds of heeled shoes echoed through the halls outside the rooms. The reverberation of the distinct cking sound also caught the notice of the other heads as they silenced themselves to wait for whoever it was that would enter. Due to the measured steps being taken, it was someone of some higher status. Of course, Wally already knew who it was, he asked her toe after all! The doors to their meeting chamber opened slowly, two guards entered first and nked the door, followed by an exceptionally beautiful woman who wore a floor length dress that threatened to kiss the ground. Her steps continued to echo throughout the room as the Department Heads were in awe of who entered. She had long, blonde hair and bright, silver eyes. "Hello, I am Adelia, the Oracle of Arcadios. A pleasure to meet you all." Her voice was as smooth as silk and captured the attention of all those in attendance. It was not every day that they would see the Oracle. Normally she was never allowed to leave the castle, however Wally had many strings he could pull and he had started a personal rtionship with Lady Adellia many years ago during his time as a court mage. The woman turned to face him and shed him a kind smile before continuing. "I also brought with me my daughter, Lyrah who will be attending this Academy starting today as an underssman." Behind her a pretty, teen girl with ck hair and simr eyes to her mother came forward and gave a slight curtsy. Just behind her was yet another individual who wore standard maid clothes and had stark white hair. "T-t-to what do we owe this pleasure, Lady Oracle." Though many of the guards in the tower have long graduated past the shock of seeing the Oracle and now viewed her no differently than other Marked Ones, to most others she was still a nearly mythical being. "My dear grandfather invited me to discuss the surge. I am here to attempt to divine a prophecy connected to this surge. Shall we begin?" Chapter 84: A New Prophecy Wally watched as the woman who he once carried around the halls of the castle on his back as sheughed and giggled, now stood in front of an audience of some of the most advanced minds in the kingdom. She was a woman of great renown and importance, a far cry from that snot-nosed crybaby he once knew. Adellia once again looked at him and smiled. The mark on her hand shed and her silver eyes went nk. For a moment nothing, then Adellia began to speak. "Betray not, thest of the House of Kane, lest the curse of death fall on thends of man, elf, and beast. A threat forgotten by all, save the gods above and devils below, will walk the earth. Heed this call or Creation will crumble at his touch. Reality will bend to his will. And the gods will fall under his might." The glow from the Oracle''s mark ceased and her eyes returned to normal. Strength left her body and she nearly copsed on the floor were she not caught by the white-haired maid as well as the maid known as Mylene that Wally had met before. He had not seen her till this moment, likely due to where she stood just outside the doorway. It was rather odd for a prophecy to be shared in such a way. Normally Adellia would receive dream like visions as if she were present and watching the events of the future from a third-party point-of-view. After which, she would analyze the dream and deliver an exnation of it to the elders not once had Wally witness a prophecy that was simply words repeated directly from the Oracle''s mouth. He could not hold himself back and think about it at the moment because he too had rushed over to Adellia''s side to ensure her well-being. "Grandfather did the prophecy help?" Adellia muttered weakly. Normally such visions did not impair her in such a way either. He smiled at the beautiful woman cradled in the arms of her maids with one of her hands being held by her daughter. He was not Adellia''s real grandfather as far as she was aware, but she did refer to him as that because he was still rather aged when he was in the royal castle while she was growing up. It always amused him because he truly was her grandfather. The woman Adellia called mother was his daughter, though no one save Adellia''s grandmother and the king at the time were aware. They could not find a suitable match for the Oracle at the time to have a child with a Marked One, but her grandmother had a prophetic vision that siring children with a great mage would continue the line of oracles. Wally was the greatest mage of his generation, so the decision was made. "It''s is okay my dear. You did wonderful." "Well, what is house Kane? We must find them and do what we can to not betray themif this ''house'' has someone powerful enough to cause thisI fear who it is we may be working with." The head of the Elemental Magic Department shouted. The room devolved into chaos again which made Wally rub his temples. He had been acting aloof this entire time, but now he just wanted to spend time with his precious granddaughter and great-granddaughterwho did not know that he actually was the real deal. "House Kane does not exist." A voice echoed through the room. A new person had walked in behind everyone,pletely unnoticed, a fact that seemed to irritate the esteemed elder who was used to everyone he met almost bowing at his feet. "House Kane died out many years ago. Thest of their descendants died when the Five Kings Union first formed. There can be no ''Last of the House of Kane" because the house of Kane is gone." The elder shouted out. "Then do you suggest that for the first time, the Oracle is wrong?" The elder shook his head. "No, I am not. What I am saying though, is that whoever this ''Last of House Kane'' is, they are a long separated descendent of a family long dead. There is no way to find who this person is after all these many years. Those who would know are long dead. Oracle, did you see the face of this terrifying person." Adellia shook her head. "No, I saw no visions, I was only granted words that I was forced to speak against my own volition." "Quite unfortunate. Anyway, Oracle. You may leave your daughter and her maid here. We must return to the castle so you may attend to your duties." Wally red hatefully at the ''esteemed elder'' and felt tempted tounch a wind de at the back of his neck. However, Adellia who saw the look in his eyes, lightly tugged on his sleeve. "Come now, grandfather, please don''t do anything rash. Besides, I need you to look after Lyrah and Natali for me. I know they will be safe in your care." Her eyes pleaded with him to not do anything, which made him relent. He was powerless against the woman. "I thought they were not to attend for a few more years." "Things change grandfather. Besides, Lyrah seems incapable of growth under my tutge, and you are the only other person who knows as much about the Mark of Prophecy as me. You did spend time with three generations of us after all grandfather." Adellia smiled slyly at him when she stressed the final word, which made him return the grin. "How long have you known you clever little creature?" "Since I first called you it." She said happily. Adellia gave his hand one final squeeze and stood up with help from Mylene. She bowed to the other people in the room before turning to leave. However, she could not resist and quickly turned around and gave the old man a massive hug. "Please watch over my baby for me. She is all I have in this world." "You have more than you know, my dear." Wally said quietly while gently patting her back. His statement earned a dangerous look from Lyrah which surprised him, so he simply winked at her and put one finger over his lips while still holding Adellia against him. He was slightly surprised, but it seemed to him that Lyrah was already aware of what he had meant. This time, the Oracle really did turn to leave. Lyrah and Natali silently followed behind him as he returned to his seat. The other heads were still arguing, having not noticed that people had left and moved about the room. Typical of them to be so enthralled in debate with each other that they lose sight of their own surroundings. Wally could not help but sigh and lean his head on one hand with his elbow on the desk. He turned to the two teen girls. "So wee to the Academy and all it''s glorious wonder." His tone was full of sarcasm as he gestured to the old people yelling at each other. "This is what you can expect for the next five or so years, except them and people like them will be yelling at you instead. Have fun, will you?" Chapter 85: How Long? "How long have you known about your brother?" Wally asked Lh. They were back in his office at the Academy. It was a homely looking space with three out of the four walls of his study being made of bookshelves that were filledpletely with various tomes and recovered notebooks. A firece sat in the middle of one of the walls and was lit, giving off afortable warmth and gentle glow to the room. He was quite proud of his little study that he had created using the space the Academy had given him. It was one of his favorite ces whenever he was not out and about collecting notes and performing research. The young Oracle-in-training quietly sipped her tea while her attendant stood behind her with her hands sped together over her belly. After a moment, Lh set the teacup down. "Since I was very young. Four, maybe five? All the visions I have had are exclusive to him. I cannot seem to see anything else. How about you? How long have you known who my brother is?" The young maid, Natali, normally wore a stone-faced expression, however, even Wally could see that she was starting to develop a confused look. "Pardon me but you do not have a brother?" Lh smiled warmly at her friend, "I do. The person in my dreams is my brother." Natali''s demeanor suddenly changed as she processed this information. She cradled her head in her hands with a warm blush on her face and began mumbling to herself incoherently. Lh returned her gaze to Wally. "So, again I ask. How long?" He smiled and shook his head, "Not long I''m afraid. I only realized it for certain when I saw you for the first time today. You two really are twins. Though, there is one unmistakable difference" "His eyes, yes I am aware. Please, Lord Carmichael, tell me about this brother of mine?" the girl pleaded. Natali had returned her attention to the conversation as well. Her demeanor had returned to the expressionless one she seemed to constantly wear, though her eyes were also pleading in a way. "On one condition call me Gramps!" Wally said with a big, toothy grin. "Oh, it has been so long since I''ve been able to dote on a granddaughter. So, I won''t tell you a thing unless you call me Gramps from now on!" Lh sighed with resignation, but had a big grin on her face. "Alright, Gramps. Tell me about my brother." Wally smiled and shared everything he knew about the boy. He started with the fact that his name is Lucius and he was raised by a lovely couple named Rubellia and Wayne. Wayne was executed by Lord Richard von Petra to pay for a crime that Lucius hadmitted. Wayne''s final wish was to allow Lucius to serve the Lord''s daughter, Rena, and so that is what he had been doing thest five years of his life. "So Renais she a red-headed girl with green eyes? Exceptionally pretty?" Lh asked with great curiosity. While her face was enraptured by the stories, whenever Wally mentioned Rena, the maid seemed to get depressed for some reason. "Yes, she is quite the looker and a very powerful mage with a lot of potential. Though she is part of the generation that ispeting for the next head of house Petra, I doubt that she will continue that path though I don''t know what they are up to now, I imagine that the girl would much rather start a new house with thed." Heughed aloud. With thatst statement, the maid really seemed defeated. It was as if his every word stabbed through her, causing pain. "Is she going to be alright?" He asked with great concern. Lh giggled. "Yes, she is fine. I have shared with her most of my visions and I think the poor thing has developed a little crush on the boy, even though she has never seen him." Natali''s entire face became beet-red, it appeared as if any moment steam woulde out of her ears. "Would you like to, youngdy?" the old man offered with a sly smile. "Be warned, you might fall harder. Thed is quite the looker." Wally stood up from his chair and stepped over to one of his bookshelves that had some items on it instead of books. On it was a small, ss cube that he had purchased in the elven kingdom of Aedrider many years ago. "This is a memory box, it is quite a nifty little thing. It allows the user to show still images from one''s memory. The elves of Aedrider had a wonderful King Enchanter who created this beautiful item." He exined. "Oh! But do not worry, it can only disy memories when wishes to share them, so there is no concern of seeing something you shouldn''t." He walked back to his desk and ced the cube at the center of it. Wally gently ced a finger on one of the faces and it began to glow and projected an image in the air above it. In the image was a handsome teenage boy with tousled, ck hair, one silver eye and one gold one. His facial expression was rather nk, but his eyes radiated a fierce tenacity. "Oh let''s see if I can still get it to do the trick if I change the image fast enough it almost looks like we are watching it in real time. It is not supposed to be used in such a way and risks damage but for my sweet great-granddaughter how could I not show her how wonderful her brother is?" He chuckled. The image suddenly changed and before them the images began to sh by quickly, giving the illusion of movement, albeit very jerky and rough movement. They watched as Lucius dueled against the old man. It was rather rming to them that this same man who begged to be called ''Gramps'' was such a powerful fighter. It was easy to tell that he was holding back in the duel, but it was still scary. Lucius however, was noticeably weaker than the old man and still put up an impressive fight. Lh was not aware of how Arts worked, but it seemed rather impressive whenparing it to the drills she watched the knights do as well as those that Natali did. Natali also watched the images shing by with great interest, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she watched the boy fight and she seemed especially interested in the final move where he had managed to damage a wall made of metal. "As you can see he is quitetenacious. Honestly, I would not prefer to be his enemy. Since he was doing this while still only a Novice Rank!" Wallyughed. "No way!" Nataly blurted out. Her voice was quiet, but the surprise was evident. "He is that strong as a Novice?" "Mmm. Yes, he is. Unfortunately, the boy seems stuck, as it were. He has been unable to advance beyond it and is incapable of using his mark or his Magic. And his only Art is that of the Forsaken Arts. Quite the tragedy as he seems to have a lot of potential" he let out an exasperated sigh. "He can dish it out pretty well, and his fast and clever. Also he can use mana maniption like myself, so that covers for a number or disparities, but tricks only go so far when faced against something truly powerful." Chapter 86: First Day Natali and Lh stood side by side in the front of a ssroom full of about twenty or so students. The professor of the ss called them in to introduce them. While most students at the Arcadios Royal Academy did not start attending in earnest until they were older, there were still those who started around the age of thirteen or fourteen as part of an undergraduate program. Lady Adellia had worked alongside Lord Carmichael, or rather, Wally, to allow the two girls to attend the Academy earlier than intended. Natali was unsure if this was an okay thing to do as she was still practicing with her fighting techniques at home and training would ur less frequently now, though Lh had assured her that this was the best course of action. Lh normally told Natali everything, but over thest several months she had grown more mysterious regarding her visions rting to Lucius and events around him. She would say things like "don''t worry this is best" or "we should do this for a better oue" but never told her what the oues were. Lh also refused to use the memory cube in front of Natali. She used it with the help of Wally so that it might make his research regarding the Mark of Prophecy easier, but Natali was not allowed to watch these experiments. When she asked her friend why, the only answer she would get was, "It is better if you don''t see what I see." Such behavior was vexing to say the least, but there was nothing she could do about it. The only thing she could do was go along with it and continue to stay by Lh''s side. The other infuriating that that had happened was she learned that Lucius was spending a great deal of time with the beautiful red-head known as Rena. Apparently they were inseparable as children and Wally predicted the same still held true, since he onlyst saw them a short time ago. Thinking of the boy she had developed a crush on spending such quality time with a cute girl who was absolutely into himwas terrifying. On top of that, Lucius was quite handsome. He was almost exactly as she had envisioned and the ferocity hidden in his eyes were exciting. "Miss Natali, if you could please take your seat now?" the professor asked, breaking her out of her own little world. She quickly apologized and hurried to sit down next to Lh who was giving her a smirk. "Daydreaming about my brother again, huh? I knew he was your type. He''s about as handsome as I am cute, isn''t he?" Lh giggled quietly. Natali put her finger over her lips and shushed the incorrigible girl next to her. They were being stared at quite closely. Though the Academy has been allowing Marked Ones as students for quite some time now, and it has be a norm, Lh being the Oracle''s daughter and next in line to inherit the title made her quite the interesting subject for gossip. It also helped that both youngdies were extremely beautiful, so it gathered a little extra attention from the male ssmates, and a few female ones. Though the ones that did not sport marks tried to feign some form of disinterest when they remembered what the two girls were. ording to Wally, the curriculum at the Academy included sses on mathematics,nguage, Arts, Magic,bat, etiquette, and many other things in the form of electives. When they signed up for school they were required to list their Compatibilities to give them ess to certain electives that would help their specific specialties. There was no need to attend a lecture on fire magic if you could not use it after all. Since Natali was also registered as an attendant and bodyguard for Lh, Lh was given exemption to attend the Arts and Magic courses for Natali''s Compatibilities so that they may always stay together. This arrangement was also thanks to the influence of Wally, whom most of the Academy leadership were terrified to anger. Thanks to their fear of him, he got away with many things. "Say, you look rather familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" a handsome man came up to the pair after ss was dismissed for a short recess. He had short, red hair and green eyes, very simr to the Rena girl that spent time with Lucius. Lh smiled at the boy, "No, I can''t imagine you do. I am the daughter of the Oracle, so until now I have had little in the ways of interaction with members of the nobility." The boy smiled back, "Ah yes, that is right. Then as someone whom I am sure you will see many visions of for my heroism on the field of battle, I shall introduce myself. I am Thomas von Petra. In line to inherit the House of Petra and former adventurer. I have been at the Academy for a few days now and if needed I can show you around some time as an escort?" Natali maintained an expressionless face and said nothing. She simply waited for her charge to answer. In a conversation like this it was improper for one in the position of a servant to interact with either party. Lh smiled again, though Natali noticed a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. "I thank you, Sir Thomas. You know, I believe I remember having a vision about you in the past." "Oh, my greatness has already made itself known to the next Oracle. Do tell, which of my heroic feats were you witness to?" Lh''s smile turned cruel. "One set in a dark forest where you watched your rtives devoured by the very concept of darkness itself." Thomas'' face turned pale and he quickly turned around and walked away, however before he leftpletely, he warned, "I''ll be watching you Oracle. I do not take embarrassment lightly, and I will find a way to make you pay." After he had left them alone, Natali turned to the girl. Her silver eyes seemed to sh from the amount of anger she felt. "Lh, was that wise to anger a member of a powerful family on the first day?" "It doesn''t matter. He has a part to y as one of the many pieces on the board. I will say, I did not expect him to y it so well." The girl mumbled. "Though he is necessary, it does not mean I will forgive him. Disgusting trash" Natali let out a small sigh. She was no longer as excited for attending the Academy as she was, because if this was any indication of Lh''s future behavior, then they would not be making many friends in their time here. Chapter 87: Fifth Quest The party spent a day or two resting in town, taking in the sights and scenes provided by the city of Lelvern. It was not only the main road that was bustling with shops and people, but the entire city seemed to be constantly rife with people buying, selling, and exchanging wares. Even the residential areas had different stores and stalls run by the residents of the area who wanted to exercise their entrepreneurial spirit. Lucius and Rena spent these two days thoroughly enjoying one another''spany as a couple, rather than as the friends they had been for almost half their lives. Wherever they went, Rena was hanging off Lucius'' arm as though he would disappear if she ever let go. She also slept next to him every night and pouted when they had to get up every morning. Essentially, she was being spoiled. Lucius was not going to say or do anything about it though, she had earned it. Also, it was just too cute for him to stop and he truly enjoyed the moment of happiness that their time together brought him. Throughout his life there were very few happy times, and most of the happy memories he did have were overshadowed by negative experiences, but nothing could take away this. "I think it''s time to meet up with the group at the guild. They gave us a few days off to celebrate, but it''s time to get with Jen to see what she''s got for us now." He informed the beautiful girl snuggling up against his chest. They were sitting outside a small caf and had started to attract the attention of onlookers passing by. No one seemed offended, rather the majority shed the pair teasing smiles. Rena sighed quietly in a strangebination of contentment and resignation. "Alright, we should get going. We have six more quests to go, after all. At least we know we are guaranteed a spot the moment we hit the minimum, thanks to Jen." He nodded, "We were very lucky to have met her, she''s been an incredible resource." "Resource? She''s our friend, Lucius." "My only friend is you. Everyone else is a resource. Some more reliable than others." Lucius sighed. He stood up and paid for their meal while also leaving a generous tip for the wait staff. "Friend?" He subconsciously shuddered from Rena''s harsh re, but he held his ground. "Yes, friend. You are my lover as well as my best and only friend and I wish it to remain that way for as long as possible." Lucius gently ced a hand behind Rena''s head and pulled her face close to his, then nted a light kiss on the center of her forehead. "Let''s go." "Mmm." They meandered through the streets on azy route back to the guild. When they arrived, the party was chatting amongst themselves at some tables off to the side. "Ah there they are! Ready for our next job?" Jen shouted across the room. Lucius and Rena walked over to the group and sat down at the saved seats to listen to the details of the next quest. ording to Jen, they were being requested to provide assistance to another party already working a job a little further west of the city. There was a grouping of hunting camps and a centralized logging vige that had requested assistance with an incursion of goblins in the area that had begun harassing the loggers and hunters. Apparently the first party had gone out on the job, but reported to the guild that their own group was not equipped to handle the monsters alone. Since it was a quest made by the city, city officials approved a sub-quest to provide the first group assistance. The original was considered a Beginner Rank quest since it was only for goblin clearing, but the party that went on it was rather famous in the area so the guild upped the difficulty rating to Intermediate for the time being. They were even considering retroactively upping the rank and subsequent rewards uponpletion, if the reports supported the change. "So we are going to help out some famous party? Why are they letting us help? We are new in town, wouldn''t the city want someone more established to go save their special favorites?" Lucius questioned. "Well, normally, they probably would. However, thanks to a certain someone that took out a dangerous Marked One and then had the gall to im to possess a mark representing both Celestia and the Abyss they are making an exception. Honestly, the guild approached me with this offer instead of the other way around. If we take it, we could win a lot of brownie points with them!" Jen had a massive grin on her face. Rena giggled in response to their leader''s behavior and teasing tone. Lucius could not help but shake his head, but agreed nheless. After taking a bit of time to make sure they werepletely stocked up, which did not take long seeing as how they had done nothing but run around the city of merchants for two days, they set out on their journey to help another party solve some sort of goblin infestation. It was a few days of a journey to the area where the quest location was located. From what Jen had been told, the goblin infestation started bing a problem a little over a month ago. Goblins are decentlymon creatures, but they don''t tend to live inrge forests like this one. Lightly wooded areas close to grassy ins were more suitable habitats for them. "What do we know about the other party?" Lethen asked. "Not too much, I know that they''ve been operating out of Lelvern for the better part of a year. Used to be that there were a pair of brothers in it, but ording to gossip, the younger one ran off. They are pretty popr with the locals because they take a lot of quests rting to clearing roads and supply routes, you know, some real ''help themon man'' type stuff." Lucius wondered why they would choose such a route. There were plenty of other quests that paid more and were much less dull than cleanup duty. Though, good publicity could help with favors down the future he would have to make a point to ask them when they met them. Chapter 88: A Familiar Face After a few days of walking through the forest, the party eventually made it to the main vige at the center of a few dozen hunting and logging camps. The road to the ce was rather clear since the vige served as a sort of stockpile zone for the various camps to deposit their materials and then send out inrge shipments all at once. Thanks to that, and also probably because the other party that came through here specialized in clearing roads, the trip was rather uneventful. The only thing they ran into weremon animals. The few monsters Lucius did detect were rather far from the road and did not seem interested ining close to it. Because of that, they had simply camped right on the road itself for the sake of convenience. Rena had noticed that Lucius still took the time to vanish into the woods throughout their resting periods and before they went to bed to try and train. He made sure to find locations far enough away from the group that any monsters attracted to the noise he made did not manage to stumble upon his resting allies. Rena could not help but admire her lover. He was always so strong willed and even when stuck at the Novice Rank, he still persevered and fought. Now that he was Beginner, he was much stronger and finally learned that he was capable of ranking up, where it almost seemed impossible before. All in all, this trip was extremely productive both for his physical growth and their own personal one. These happy thoughts filled her mind all the way until they reached the vige and met with the other party on the quest. When she saw who appeared to be the leader of said party, her face immediately frowned and her mood soured. It was a tall, young man with red hair and green eyes. He was muchrger than when shest saw him, both in height and muscle mass, but she recognized his familiar features anywhere. "Simon." Rena grumbled. "Oh? You know each other?" Jen asked, genuinely curious why seeing this person named Simon made Rena upset. "I would say so. That is Simon von Petra, Rena''s older cousin." Lucius answered. The boy had no expression on his face as if he had no opinion of Simon whatsoever. At first, she was shocked by this, but then remembered that she never saw or heard of Lucius interacting with Simon. Lucius did interact with Simon''s younger brother Thomas, and rather intimately at that. However, Simon was not Thomas, so Lucius did not care about him one way or the other. "Well that will make working with each other so much easier!" Jen said happily, then saw that Rena''s face turned even more sour. "Or maybe not" Simon stepped forward, leaving his group behind. He approached Rena slowly, causing Lucius to step in front of her and put his hand on his machete. While he did not have an opinion of Simon, he was still a member of the Petra family and he could easily have been one of the ones that hated Rena. Simon stopped and looked at Lucius for a moment. "Lucius right? The bodyguard that my cousin hired after he murdered two of my other cousins and then attempted to kill my brother?" Lucius said nothing, but neither did his body posture change. He simply remained and stared down the muchrger young man. Rena instinctively stepped up closer to Lucius and cradled herself into his back. The action sparked a strange look in Simon''s face. "I see. So, from bodyguard to boyfriend, eh? Well there''s no way for you to marry into the family, so I''m not sure what you want to achieve." "I don''t care for the Petra family, Simon. Only for Rena." Lucius'' sudden confession made Rena blush shyly for a moment. Simon chuckled, then stepped back and bowed. "Rena, Lucius, I am sorry if any of my behavior made you ufortable, and I wish for us to start fresh. You should know that I have renounced my name. I am no longer Simon von Petra, simply Simon the humble adventurer." "You did? Why, Simon?" Rena gasped. "Well, I am not in the running for heir, but even so, I fell in love with the adventuring life. This is more my style, fighting monsters, partying with my friends bedding exotic women." At thest part Simonughed, joined in by a few of his party members, save for the female scout. Lucius had known the scout was watching them, but he was able to tell she was an adventurer right away. After all, the scent of Lelvern was basically ingrained in her being now. "Aren''t you only a little older than me, Simon? Have you no propriety?" "Haha! Who needs propriety in this life of adventure! I could die at any moment, hell a stray arrow from a goblin could end me here and now. Why not live life as it was meant to be lived!" Simon smiled at the party. "Anyway,e! We have a small house that was given to us as a base of operations, a little crowded with all of us, but if we send Lucius and our scout, Zira to keep an eye out on the green bastards, we should have enough room." Lucius squeezed Rena''s hand momentarily and then darted off into the woods. The scout named Zira widened her eyes in surprise and took off after him. It seemed she was going to try andpete with Lucius on who can get the most information the fastest. "Ha, poor Zira she''s one of the best scouts I have ever seen, but I''ve known your boyfriend for many years and he''s grown strong. If that''s really the case, I have no doubt he will win whateverpetition those two loners cooked up in their heads." Simon continued tough and guided everyone to the empty house they had been using. Rena felt slightly out of sorts, having not expected to meet one of her cousins out this far in the woods. Even more surprising than that, was the fact that he had also renounced the family name. He could have kept his status as a noble and lived quitefortably. He was also a rather handsome man, so he would basically have the pick of the cream of the crop amongst the other nobledies. However, he truly seemed happy this way and she could not me him. In fact, he seemed to be living a version of the life that she, herself, desired. A life separated from the requirements of nobility and from the pressures of the political strive among their own family. Chapter 89: Goblin Incursion [Part 1] Once inside Simon''s little base, they saw a decently sized tablepletely covered with a roughly drawn map of the nearby area with several dots, circles, X''s and other symbols drawn all over it. The center part of the map wasbeled as the vige with the various circles being logging and hunting camps. A few of the circles had X''s through them, indicating that the camp had been attacked and/or abandoned. "Before we get started, I should let you know Rena. Thomas is no longer here. He left the party a little while ago, deciding that he was not meant for this adventuring life. So you have no need to worry if you heard rumors about brothers running my party." Simon advised. "Where is he now? It is probably for the best if we avoid him. Lucius might actually kill him next time he sees him." "I am not so sure about that, Thomas has gotten rather strong" "So has Lucius." "Of course" Simon mumbled before getting to business with a p of his hands. "Alright, so the incursions started about neen days ago. It was originally thought to have only been a little over a week ago, but we found a small, solo cabin with signs of attack dated about neen days ago or so." "How could you tell?" "A rough guess based on the dposition of the bodies. Zira is good at that sort of thing." "Right" Simon nodded solemnly. Rena could guess that it was not a positive experience. "Since then, we have either lost contact with or abandoned at lest four additional camps. We made an attempt to fight back, since we assumed they were just goblins, but there are quite the number of them and they appear to be led by some mutant variants of their ilk." "Do we know what kind of variants?" Jen asked. "We have confirmed reports of Shamans, Witch Doctors, and even a few hobgoblins." Simon answered. With each addition of the variants he pointed to the different dots where those variants hadst been sighted. The variants appeared to be concentrated around the captured camps as though they were iming bases among the forests. "Any idea on numbers?" Rena asked, closely examining the map. She focused a lot of her education on learning Magic and strategy, so she felt it was time to put her knowledge to work. The two cousins plus Jen stood around the table and discussed all the necessary details. Simon informed them that they had only seen one Shaman, but there were at least three Witch Doctors and nearly five or six hobgoblins. The number of standard goblins were estimated to be between fifty and seventy-five. The reason for the wide range in count was due to the constant influx and loss of their soldiers as they also contended with the other local monsters. Goblins bred extremely fast topensate that they were barely considered F-Rank monsters and known to be exceptionally weak. Their numbers often did more than enough topensate for their individualck of power. Variants, however, threw a wrench into the n. Shamans were leader-type monsters and possessed great intelligencepared to other goblins. They also possessed the ability to use magic and could think and strategize. Witch Doctors specialized in poisons and curses and then Hobgoblins were physically ten times stronger or more than a standard goblin. "I can see why you asked for help. With these numbers it would be hard for a single party to really do much. Unless they had a Master Rank fighter among them. I take it you don''t?" Jen pointed out. Simon smiled and shook his head. "Afraid not. Our strongest is an Advance Rank, and that is myself. The other three, including Zira, are all Intermediates." Rena barely listened to their conversation as she analyzed the information and the positions of the enemy on the map. It was going to be a tricky fight. Witch Doctors and Hobgoblins could vary in strength between E and D-Rank, while the Shaman was guaranteed to be a D-Rank monster. "How long has it been since thest camp was taken?" Rena asked, interrupting the conversation Simon and Jen had going. "Thest camp was taken by the goblins about five days ago. The one before that was about eleven or twelve days ago." "Any signs of scouts?" "Yea, there were a few sightings over here and here just yesterday. Zira took some of them out, but the others fled." Simon answered while pointing at a few of the circles to indicate which camps were being scouted. Rena took that information into ount and collected a little more history regarding the rate of capture, force strength, movement patterns. Using a charcoal stick she roughly sketched out a timeline of the events on the map. After several minutes of marking the map up and eyeing it from a few different angles, she came to a determination and pointed at one of the camps on the map. "This one will be the next target. Currently, the shaman is capturing one camp at a time, however, I believe that after they take the next camp, they will make arger push for multiple. They seem to be escting and given what I have read regarding goblin incursions in the past, I believe this will be the most likely oue." Rena provided her reasoning and work on the map to the two party leaders. Jen was rather impressed having not really given Rena a chance to show her excellent strategic mind. Simon simply gave a knowing smile because everyone in the family knew how clever of a girl she was. Together, the three of them came up with a n to ambush the next wave of attackers. They would likely be able to take out a few hobgoblins and a number of low-level goblins. If they were lucky one of the Witch Doctors would show up and they could take them out as well. The only thing they don''t want is the Goblin Shaman. If he did show, they would have to take out what they can and then retreat. Killing the Shaman would make the other goblins disperse since only the Shaman was capable of leading. If they truly wanted toplete the quest to satisfaction, they would need to eliminate the entire force, which would mean taking the Shaman out as one of thest enemies they kill. Once Lucius and Zira returned from their scouting mission, they would add the information they provided with what they have and ensure that their data is correct. Once that was done, they would move out and begin setting up the first trap. Chapter 90: Goblin Incursion [Part 2] Lucius stood next to Zira on the outskirts of the camp that Rena had identified as the next target. It was smaller than the one he had fought the Marked One in the mist. Rena''s n was for them to wait for the attack on the camp to begin, but they had evacuated the actual residents and reced them with Simon''s party and some of their own party. Though, some also remained in the forest. Zira was with Lucius, while Rena and Paul were together. The n was to wait for the attack to begin and then the members in the forest would rain down attacks from outside. Zira and Lucius would skirt around their back lines and perform blitz attacks to sew confusion. Previously, Lucius would be slightly concerned about running into one of the higher rank goblin variants, but now he was much less concerned. When he was a Novice Rank he could hold his own against a rank above, but now he was a Beginner and had ess to three additional skillsets. Zira seemed to specialize in single-handed sword techniques and was able to use Wind Magic and Light Magic. Her two magical affinities were rather fast activating whenpared to their others, though not as fast as Thunder Magic, they still were very beneficial to someone who operated mostly as a scout. Lucius and her had a friendlypetition between themselves when they first arrived in the vige on who could gather the most information as it rted to goblin troop movements. It was apetition which the boy had easily won, seeing as he did not need to get as close to the enemy to track them. Goblins were very simple creatures and were very easy to track. They also smelled very, very badly and had a tendency to be incapable of staying quiet. All these thingsbined yed very well into the boy''s strengths. Zira did not really take it well and had used him of cheating in their littlepetition, however, his argument back was that he was simply using the tools he always had at his disposal, just like she did. Plus, they never set any guidelines. From the outside it might have appeared that he was indulging in fun and games. However, what really drove Lucius to entertain Zira''s antics were that she challenged him to something he knew he was one of the best at. Unfortunately for her, he could be rather prideful about certain things. Until now, he was rather weak, but he had a few strengths that he leveraged to his benefit and he would be damned if he let some uppity scout that served Simon take any of that away from him. When they had returned from their mission, Rena informed them of the general n. Zira nudged him lightly on the side of his arm. "Hey, so is it true you are only a Beginner Rank?" "Yes." He answered tly. "Hard to believe." "Is that so?" "Yeah, I mean you move so fast and you are so confidentI could almost mistake you for an Advance Rank on that alone." "Thanks. Now shut up." Zira red at him, but he did not pay her any attention. Right now he was focusing his senses on the approaching goblins. No one else had spotted them yet, but he could hear and smell them approaching. It was hard to guess their number since they were in the woods and so closely packed together that many of the sounds blended. "They areing." He whispered back to his cohort who nodded back to him. Zira whistled out a special bird call that their party used. She had apparently learned them while being raised a hunter and Simon adapted it to information sharing in the forest. The signal she sent indicated to the ''bait'' party that the enemy approached. With their allies warned, the two scouts rushed into the woods in opposite directions to prepare for circling around the enemy. Lucius had rushed past Rena and Paul''s position, but other than giving a brief nod to the two of them, made no other acknowledgements. It was nearly time for battle after all. It only took another twenty minutes or so for the goblins to finally close their approach enough for the group in the camp to see the army. By Lucius'' estimation there were at least twenty normal goblins, three Hobgoblins, and a Witch Doctor One Hobgoblin and five normal goblins stayed back with the Witch Doctor who was acting as the leader of the group, while the others advanced quickly towards the camp. Lucius watched as they all raised their weapons and began to shout in their own, gutturalnguage. Before they left the Witch Doctor''s area of reach, it raised its crooked staff and seemed to chant some strange spell. A purple energy covered the weapons of the charging goblins. Lucius heard as the mage of Simon''s group shouted out a warning, "Try not to get hit! That seems to be some sort of Curse or Poison effect!" Thankfully, Rena was still hidden away and was waiting with Paul for the main force to hit the camp before attacking. Thanks to that she would be unlikely to be hit. Goblins also could not useplex weapons, save for other rare variants, so there were no archers or long-range attackers among them. He gripped his machete tightly and waited for the enemies to pass his location. Zira should be on the opposite side of their ranks as him, waiting for the same thing. Simon, Lethen, Jen, and the rest of Simon''s group shed with the first line of enemies. Since normal goblins were very weak, they were cut down rather quickly. However, their numbers and speed made them a threat whenbined with the unknown effects they had on their weapons. This extra caution when fighting continued to put them at a disadvantage since they needed to really avoid being hit and potentially given a deadly curse or poison that could not be healed mid-battle. Finally, the Witch Doctor and it''s guards passed Lucius'' and Zira''s imaginary line and he readied for their part of the assault. Paul loosed a set of golden colored arrows infused with his Arts that sank into the arm of the Hobgoblin, enraging it. The goblins around it also joined in the yelling, adding to the distraction they had built up. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge], [Forsaken Arts: Goring Rush]!" Electricity crackled around him, causing the hair on his body to stand on end. It traveled down his body and concentrated around his feet. Thunder-like rumbling filled the air as Lucius allowed the spell to propel him directly at the Witch Doctor. His machete glowed with a brilliant light as the Arts infused into the cutting edge. The Witch Doctor barely had time to register his death before blood sprayed from his midsection and the top half of his body separated from the bottom. The glow surrounding the goblins'' weapons faded and allowed the front-liners to fight without concern. Zira cracked Lucius a look with a raised eyebrow. "Beginner, huh?" Lucius ignored her and prepared to ept an iing attack from a very angry Hobgoblin. --------------------------------------------------- A/N: Interested in Discord? Here you go! Chapter 91: Goblin Incursion [Part 3] Lucius leapt to the side, dodging a clumsy strike from the Hobgoblin. It was physically stronger than him and faster, however its moves were easily read and were not the attacks of a well-trained fighter. Zira jumped into the fight to make it a lot easier for the two of them. A full-grown hobgoblin was about twice Lucius'' size in terms of muscle mass and stood a whole head and a half taller than him, so having her assistance was wee. Both scouts took turns parrying blows from the monster as they worked to tire him and slow his movements. Zira took openings given by Lucius to make a few stabs and shes at important body parts like the arms or legs. Seemingly because of his rage, these attacks did not do much to weaken or slow him as he simply fought through the pain. Lucius nced over to the rest of the group that was quickly finishing up their fight against the normal goblins and other hobgoblins. Rena had cast an Earth Magic wall to create an extra barrier between her and Paul from the rest, she also pelted the Hobgoblins with ice and wind spells to keep them from focusing too much on the attackers. Paul joined her in that endeavor by pelting them with arrows. He sent the asional shot towards Lucius and Zira''s foe as well. "Give me a moment to cast, I have something to finish this up." Zira shouted before stepping outside of the monster''s striking range. Lucius grunted in affirmation and then activated his Arts. "[Forsaken Arts: Gouging Strike]" However instead of allowing the Art to take effectpletely, he rerouted the mana all over his body. The sudden increase in strength and speed allowed him to start blocking the strikes directly instead of having to use tricky movements to lessen their impact. It also made up for the fact that Zira was not present to take a few of the attacks and give him a moment to reset his positioning. The Hobgoblin roared in anger because a smaller creature than itself was giving it so much more trouble. The fresh surge of anger and frustration seemed to add additional strength to its strikes, but it was not enough to overpower Lucius with his Channeling active. "Alright Lucius! [Lux: Enhance Strength]!" Zira''s voice reached his ears just a moment before an orb of light mmed itself into his back and was absorbed by him. The spell took effect and increased the dull glow of mana from the Arts to a rather bright one. Lucius felt his body be stronger in an instant and soon his blocks caused the Hobgoblin to recoil from the impact of weapon against weapon. "End of the line." Lucius mumbled as he moved the concentration of mana in his body to focus on his upper body, sword arm, and weapon. With the additional mana and enhancement from Zira''s spell added to Lucius'' Arts, the strike cleaved right through flesh and bone, nearly severing the Hobgoblin''s sword arm. It reeled backwards in pain, instinctively clutching the wound with its good hand. Lucius pressed the attack and shed at the monster''s leg, forcing it to its knees. With an emotionless re, he aimed the final strike at the monster''s neck, the force of which scattered the monster''s blood like a mist in the same direction as the swing. "Nice one!" Simon shouted from the camp. He wiped his brow and gave Lucius and Zira a thumbs up with a goofy smile. Lucius could not help but be confused because this was theplete antithesis of Simon''s younger brother, and it is nothing like the Simon he had heard of as children. Even though he truly seemed changed, Lucius would not let his guard down around him. Honestly, he would have preferred if Rena had kept quiet about their rtionship in the event Simon reported it to the family, but there was nothing to do about that now. The scouts checked the body for any items they might have been carrying and found a few loose coins but really nothing else of use. Goblins and their variants did not possess any body parts that were useful for crafting or alchemy, so theychose to just leave the bodies to rot in the woods, or be eaten by local wildlife. There was no concern of them turning into undead like there was with human, elf, or beastman bodies, so it was fine to just leave them be. Rena came up to Lucius at the end of the fight and shed him a beautiful smile, which was quickly returned, but he did not say anything to her. Even though Simon was aware of their rtionship already, he did not want to provide more evidence than already existed. "So, the next n is to do what?" Lethen asked. He was polishing his sword while sitting on a log that had been carved by the camp''s usual inhabitants to be a bench. Simon rubbed his chin slowly, "I believe themotion andck of response by this force will make the Shaman do one of two things. He will either move to a different position and reinforce there, or press for a second attack here." Rena nodded her head. "Those really are the only options. He has not suffered enough losses to retreat, though this was about a third of his remaining force. It is most likely he will press for new ground soon. We need a way to force his hand to the option we want, instead of waiting for his move." Lucius raised his hand. "Why don''t we just move the vigers back here and the second camp. The only options are this camp and one other, right? If there are vigers in both camps they will serve as distraction long enough for us to respond." All heads turned on him. "What?" Simon nearly growled. The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I''m just saying if we use both camps as bait, then we will have enough time to respond. It''s only a couple of hunters and loggers, what''s it matter?" Rena gently tugged on his sleeve and whispered, "You are doing the thing. It would be more usual to not use innocents as bait." "I don''t see why not. It is more efficient that way." He shook his head. "These are lives, Lucius." Jen chastised. "And?" Simon, Zira, and Jen red at him. Rena had a tinge of sadness in her eyes, but did not say anything further to him about his moral stance. "We are not doing that." Simon finally said after realizing that Lucius was not going to change his mind from a handful of angry res. "Fine. If our concern is that they will fortify the position we don''t protect, then burn both camps down." He countered. "Lucius! No! These camps are their livelihoods!" Zira shouted. Her party agreed with her and showed it by vigorously nodding their heads. "So? The way I see it, it''s their livelihoods or their lives. I presented both options, so unless you have something better, we should choose one." After several more minutes of exhausting debate, the group finally agreed on one of Lucius'' ns. They were going to torch both camps. Lucius nodded in understanding and looked at the map they had brought with him. After orienting himself slightly, he took off in the direction of the other camp to set it on fire with his Thunder Magic and some oil. Meanwhile, the rest of the group would set the camp they were just at aze before meeting at a secluded spot in between the two locations. Lucius would wait outside one camp, hidden and keeping an eye out, while Zira was at the other. Whichever one saw the enemy first, would be the spot they call the main party members to for engaging in battle. The downside to the n was that they lost their own fortifications, but at least the goblins would not gain any Chapter 92: Goblin Incursion [Part 4] Lucius watched as the camp burned in front of him. This one had a few spread out buildings so he had to take care to catch all of them on fire. He also made sure to burn the supplies that had been left behind so that there was absolutely nothing usable by the goblins if they arrived. He thought about suggesting that the same be done for the other camp, but decided not to say anything in case it started another argument. He truly could not understand what the problem was, his solutions were efficient and effective and that was all that mattered. After a few hours the mes began to die down. The charred remnants were still putting off an intense heat, and likely would for a few days unless it suddenly rains. Lucius was also thankful that there was quite a sizable empty space between the buildings and the actual tree line, so there was very little risk of a forest fire. Lucius continued to wait in his position in the trees outside of the second camp for a few more hours until night finally fell. Goblins could not see well normally, so there was very little chance of them falling asleep at night. However, he maintained his position in the tree and used rope to tie himself in ce so he would not fall in his sleep ***** When Lucius woke the next morning, there was still a bit of smoke rising from the camp. The morning dew had little impact on the coals burning in the ashes, but it was present nheless. It took him about a minute to pack things back into his pack and reposition a little further away from the vige to try and pick up on goblins. However, before he could get too far, he heard a series of bird calls from who he assumed was Simon''s party. "Well, looks like Zira gets to be the lucky duck. Time to move." Lucius mumbled. He leapt through the treetops forgoing any attempts at remaining stealthy and choosing speed instead. It was not long before he felt a surge of mana in the surrounding area, something he had gained additional sensitivity for after his breakthrough and using his Thunder Magic. It could be any of their party that uses magic, but it could also be the two remaining Witch Doctors. When he arrived on the battlefield, he saw a pair of goblins rushing up behind Zira who seemed to have gotten herself surrounded. Like Rena had predicted, with the loss of a third of their estimated fighting force, the numbers present appeared to be the remainder of their strength. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge], [Forsaken Arts: Goring Rush]" He shot forward like a literal bolt of lightning while he split the Art between both of his hands and added a spin to his attack. Spinning around in air like when he had fought the old man, Lucius found himself almost instantly behind Zira with the two goblins desperately trying to gasp for air through the new holes in their throats. "Thanks." Zira said before retreating. Lucius saw that an additional five goblins were bearing down on him. "[Tempestas: Lightning Bolt]" The sky darkened momentarily and thunder rumbled, before the space between him and the five goblins suddenly shed white with light. He had already jumped out of the path of the spell and averted his eyes from the sh. The goblins were unable to scream from the pain of their eyes being seared by the bright light because the attack itself had electrocuted them instantly. Zira and Lucius quickly joined the rest of the party line who were facing off against a few dozen more goblins and some Hobgoblins. Like before, their weapons had an eerie, purple glow. Once he saw this, Lucius nced about the battlefield for signs of the Witch Doctors. "The far back line! Circle around, fight them off somehow you too! No matter what, don''t let the Shaman escape when things turn south for him!" Simon barked. Knowing it was the right thing, he listened to the young man and wheeled around from his advance. Zira followed him as they darted deeper into the woods, but still keeping in asional sight of the battlefield. The goblins were angrily shouting in their primitivenguage, likely cursing and threatening their allies, but no one could understand what the idiots were saying anyway, so it did not really matter. A group of seven goblins were hanging several hundred feet back into the woods, just out of sight of the battle. With his senses though, Lucius had no trouble pinpointing their location. Among the group were four Hobgoblins, Two Witch Doctors, and the Shaman. One Witch Doctor''s staff was glowing with the same purple as the weapons of the other goblins, indicating it was concentrating on the curse or poison spell. The other one''s staff had a pale blue glow that matched a magical bubble surrounding the Shaman. Meanwhile, the Shaman''s staff had a yellow-ish glow that matched a yellow glow around the four Hobgoblins. "Great." Lucius whispered to Zira. "Alright, looks like the Shaman is clever like Rena said. They are stacking protections and effects on each other. I think the Shaman is using a strengthening spell on his Hobs there, and they are protecting the Witch Doctor that is enhancing weapons and making the protective sphere around the boss." "So, ns?" Zira whispered back. Her eyes were locked on the group ahead of them and was clearly trying to formte a n of her own. "I have an attack that can take out the Witch Doctors in one gobut I will be out of mana for magic for the rest of the fight, and that will slow me down. Since I would still have mana for the Arts; I won''t suffer deprivationbut it won''t be good." Lucius answered. "Can you take out at least one Witch Doctor with a normal attack?" "Of course, but getting back out will be another problem. I can''t guarantee I will be quick enough to get out before those enhanced Hobs turn on me." Zira sighed. "Alright, another enhancement spell it is. Here you go, [Lux: Enhance Speed]." Lucius felt lighter on his feet from the spell and with this, he could probably pull it off. He would not be able to stay in the battle, but it would likely get him back out. Though it would not remove the risk entirely. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge], [Forsaken Arts: Muttion]" The lightning that surrounded his body this time was tinged red thanks to his Muttion Art. Zira looked at him strangely because she had never seen red-colored mana from an Art before. There was no time to answer her question, so Lucius simply charged the goblins. His target was the Witch Doctor implementing the curse effect on the enemy''s weapons. His thought process was that if the barrier was dispelled over the Shaman, it would increase his chances of running. A boy, d in dark, leather armor and jet-ck hair seemed to materialize in front of the poor goblin. His eyes glowed with opposing silver and gold light. To the goblin, Lucius must have seemed like a nightmaree to life. His machete made three strikes in quick session. The first shed upwards and removed one arm, the second came down on the other arm, then the final shed up the monster''s chest with enough force to lift its body into the air. Lucius felt the spells wearing off, so he quickly made a few additional strikes across the back of the knee of two of the Hobgoblins before he vanished with a loud crack. The blitz attack had surprised them enough that he thought he might actually have gotten away with it without Zira''s boost, but it was better safe than sorry. Zira jumped as Lucius appeared in front of her the way he had the enemies. "Dammit, don''t do that." "Sorry. What now?" "Explosives seem like the best option. The rest of the party is bogged down by those other goblins and Hobgoblins, but your choice to hit the Witch Doctor enhancing the weapons should speed that up." Zira advised. "Explosives? What is that?" Zira pulled out a small, ck crystal. "This is a special crystal mined on the outskirts of Aedrider. It absorbs mana, and when it reaches capacity, it makes arge explosion like a powerful fire spell. It''s hard to find, but I think we need to use it. You and I cannot wait too long, nor can we fight those four Hobs alone." "Do it." Zira nodded and began to forcibly push mana inside the crystal. The ck slowly turned gray, then began to glow white. In a few moments the sounds of ss being stepped on seemed toe from the small object. Zira quickly stepped into view of the goblins and lobbed the crystal at them. Lucius watched as itnded between the two he had cut behind the knees. A secondter there was a loud sound like an entire storm worth of thunder going off at the same time. There was also an intense sh of heat and light. He had to shield his eyes after not expecting a reaction like that. Zira seemed to know what was going to happen and it was then he realized he was a little stupid. She did say it was like a high-level fire spell. Of course it would be bright. Chapter 93: Aftermath Lucius'' ears were ringing and the side of his face felt wet. The world around him waspletely white. There was also an intense, burning sensation along his chest and neck that made breathing difficult He felt around blindly, trying his hardest to control the little ability to breathe he had to remain calm. He felt the tree he was standing next to and used that to maintain his bnce. Slowly, the brightness faded and the world''s other colors returned to his field of vision, though it was blurry. His eyesight was damaged. His ears were also damaged again and continued to ring with no sign of returning to normal. The air smelled like soot and it felt hot. He turned his attention to where the battle with the main force was happening with the rest of the party, but all he could see were shapes moving frantically. In the direction the Shaman was, there was nothing but a giant ck and brown crater where there used to be forest, but again that was all he could make out. He attempted to take a step forward, but his legs buckled beneath him. Copsing to his hands and knees, Lucius began to retch and release the contents of his stomach onto the forest floor. The pain in his chest and neck was worsening and his ability to breathe continued to lessen. He looked upwards and saw a red blob running his direction before his vision wentpletely ck. ***** Rena watched as Lucius seemed to instantly appear in the group of goblins around the Shaman. His body glowed and crackled with electricity that had taken on a red hue. She recognized the Art as the Muttion skill and he hadbined it with his movement spell to take the enemy unawares. His target was the Witch Doctor that was enhancing the weapons of the goblins she and the party were facing off against. Rena could not help but smile to herself at him choosing to help the rest of the party first, but she also knew that it was only for her and had nothing to do with the others. ''Silly boy.'' She thought as she sted a goblin in the face with a spell. "[Ventus: Wind de]" Suddenly, two of the Hobgoblins around the Shaman fell to their knees and Lucius vanished from his position. A few momentster, a girl that Rena could only guess was Zira had thrown something at the group. Simon saw this as well and his eyes went wide in panic. "Everyone! Dive backwards, face in the dirt, hands over your ears! NOW!" Simon''s party instantlyplied, ignoring the fact that goblins were still right on top of them. Feeling like it was the best option given how terrified Simon looked, Rena and her party did the same. Just as her face hit the dirt, she felt an intense heat fill the air and heard a massive explosion that caused her ears to ring and shook the earth. When the rumble and heat had stopped, she rolled over and got onto her feet. The ce where the Shaman had been was a crater and the goblins that had been fighting against them were either dead or writhing in pain on the ground. The two parties quickly got to work finishing the monsters off while rubbing their ears to try and get the shared ringing to stop. Everyone seemed to return to normal quickly thanks to the rapid advice of Simon, who seemed to know what had happened. Rena and her party were confused about it though, including Jen who seemed to always know a little bit about everything. Just as Jen was going up to Simon to discuss what that was, Rena watched as Lucius stumbled out of the trees. He was leaning against one that had been blown to pieces and was smoldering on the side that had faced the explosion. Her face paled as her eyes fell to his neck and chest which had a massive gash stretching from below the left side of his jaw and down a jagged diagonal to below his right breast. Where armor should be covering, there was only skin and ripped tissue. "Lucius!" She shouted in a panic and began running towards him. The boy was looking around, but his eyes were unfocused. He attempted to walk forward but copsed and began to vomit on the ground. By the time she reached him, he had lost consciousnesspletely. Zira walked out of the trees as well and rushed up to them, profusely apologizing. "I''m sorry! I told him it was going to be like arge fire spell! I thought he would" "You did this?" Rena screamed. "You bitch! If he dies, I swear I''ll tear you limb from limb before hanging your corpse outside the gates of Pelith!" Zira quickly scrambled backwards from the unbridled rage leaking out from Rena. There was a surge of mana filling the area as the red-headed girl seriously contemted simply ending the scout here and now. Simon and Jen rushed up between them to ensure no blood would be shed. The male warrior ced a protective hand in front of Zira before looking down at Rena cautiously. "I knew you were with him. But I thought you were simply ying around you really have feelings for that boy." He observed. "And what of it Simon?" Rena growled without looking at her cousin. She was too busy pouring a healing potion directly on the wound. "He''s a Marked One you know." Simon said inly. "It would be fine if you were just messing around, but you can''t actually consider being with him?" "You left the family to do what you want. Why can''t I do the same?" Rena answered coldly. "[Lux: Heal]" Her cousin did not say anything in response to her words and simply continued to talk to Jen about what happened. Rena''s panic and anger had distracted them from the conversation before. What Zira had thrown was a special sort of item from Aedrider that could be filled with mana. It''s only purpose was to absorb mana, and depending on the size, would cause different sized explosions simr to powerful fire spells. Their party had gotten ahold of one somehow and Zira shared she used it because of the levels of protection the Shaman was using. She was concerned that it would try to flee before the two scouts could get backup from the main line. They had already agreed that they could not take down the Shaman''s guards alone, so they went for the best option avable. By her opinion, if something has turned to ash, then it can''t run away. Rena''s healing spell had taken effect and her boyfriend''s breathing settled. The wound slowly stitched itself together, but because of the intense magical power behind the damage, it would not heal all the way. The amount of mana in the wound interfered with her healing spell, so it would leave quite the nasty scar. Rena sighed to herself. ''At least he''s alive.'' She thought. Chapter 94: A Letter Home After confirming that all the goblins were gone by visiting each one of the known sites, everyone ended up returning to the central vige. Rena would still asionally re at Zira, but Simon remained sure to stay between the two. He could not allow his cousin''s momentary anger deprive him of his friend and party scout. Zira was an extremely talented member of the party and they had grown close over the nearly year that they had been partied together. When they finally returned to the vige, they had the chief sign off on the paperwork for the guild to mark both party''s quests aspleted. After that was said and done, he asked if he could borrow a spare room in the chief''s house to handle some personal matters. Seeing as how they had saved the viger''s livelihoods, the chief was quick to agree to help Simon with such a simple request. When he was alone, he gathered some paper and a quill to write a letter back home. Though Simon was not on good terms with the Petra family anymore, at least on paper, he was still personally close with them. After all, it was not umon for members ineligible for the House Head position to find other lines of work, such as adventuring or joining the military. Simon no doubt had countless rtives kicking it around at various guild halls around the world due to how numerous there family actually was as well as the fighting and adventuring spirit that seemed instilled in their very blood. It was because he maintained a close personal connection to the family that he had to send a letter home to his father. As he had told Rena before, if she was just messing around with Lucius, then he would have no problem. Let her do what she will but if she actually had fallen for him and was going to be with him that was a different story. He had feigned eptance at the possibility in the beginning because he thought it was an act on Rena''s part, but in the fight with the goblins, it became clear that it was no act. She truly did seem to love the boy. Such a thing could not be epted. Even if she forsook the rights to the family and gave up the family name, were she to actually have children with that creature it would taint the Petra family blood regardless of their eligibility for the house. There would be cretins with demon blood gallivanting around the world and staining his family''s legacy. It was hard enough feigning eptance during battle, but if anything it got worse after actually interacting with the boy. His behavior andck of morality as it came to nning only cemented in Simon''s mind that the boy was not fit for Rena. Simon did not dare to presume he could simply write a letter to Rena''s father directly, so instead he addressed this letter to his own father. There was no doubt in Simon''s mind that his father would take advantage of this information to help instill Thomas as the heir to the house. Thomas was better suited to it after all, and any additional resource that could bring that possibility into reality was fair game for their father. Simon sighed to himself when he finally finished the letter. He would not be able to mail it out until they returned to Lelvern, but he would make sure to send it. The door behind him then opened and Zira entered slowly. "Everything okay boss?" "Yes, it will be. What do you think of him? He looked stronger than Ist met him, but I was not able to watch him fight as closely as I wanted." He asked while rubbing his temples. Zira ced her hand under her chin as if thinking how best to answer. Simon could almost see her brain working overtime in order to provide him with an urate assessment of the boy''s abilities. "With what he showed me I would believe you if you told me he was Intermediate Rank. Honestly, I don''t think there are any Beginner Ranks that could hold a candle to him. It would be courting death." She finally answered with a solemn tone. "Is that so?" Simon mumbled. "That strong, huh?" "I think he''s stronger though." Simon''s spit caught in his throat. "Stronger?" Zira nodded her head. "Yeah I made my assessment based on what I saw. He never used his mark in the fight. If it is anywhere near as lethal as the stories you heard from your brother, then this Lucius kid is going to be quite the power yer in the future if he isn''t considered one now." "And they want to go on the Grand Raid, do they? What kind of monster might he turn into if he gets stronger in that dungeon. It''s not umon for experiences there to trigger breakthroughs" Simon was developing a headache thinking about it now. Zira walked up behind him and threw her arms around his neck. She whispered into his ear. "Simone on enough talking about the boy we have things to do you know?" A sly grin came to his face as she teased his neck with her breath. His heart began to beat a little faster and he felt a heat rising in him. It was true. It might be time to rx a little. His only responsibility was to report these happenings to the family. What they did with the information was none of his concern. They could choose to act and cut down the weed threatening to grow in their garden, or they could choose to let it flourish and see what kind of eyesore it bes. "Yes, ZiraI think you are right. Let''s not worry about the boy or the girl that chooses to cavort with such a creature. Our time is precious after all." Simon grinned at her. Both of them slipped out of the chief''s home and away from the vige. ***** Jen sat on a log on the outskirts of the vige simply enjoying the evening air before they rested for the night to head back to Lelvern. They could have left earlier, but Lucius needed to rest. Her mind was still gued with thoughts of that time against the Mark of the Mist and what she had seen. Neither Paul nor Lethen were awake to witness the incident as the pressure emitted by Lucius was more than their minds could handle. She could not me them. It was like an otherworldly force had descended in front of them. Every second in his presence was as a battle against conscious thought. It was impossible to think that he had such potential, let alone the fact that he was able to harness it the way he did. Somehow, he hadbined the power of Arts, magic, and the mark into a singr energy honestly it was not something that should have been possible. While she continued to think about their party member and what had happened, an arrow sunk itself into the ground near her feet. Attached to it was a small piece of paper. When she opened it, she immediately recognized Paul''s handwriting. She did not trust the warrior who imed to be Rena''s cousin at all, so she had Paul pay close attention to them After reading the letter he had written, telling her of the conversation Simon had with his scout, Jen felt a smileing to her face. "Interesting, SimonSo this is what you want to do with that information well far be it from me to interfere with the business of a noble family. Here''s hoping they don''t move while Lucius is with us. That would not be fun." The woman took out a match and struck it against the log and lit the letter alight. She watched it burn until the mes licked the tips of her fingers and she allowed it to drop to the ground, turningpletely to ash. Chapter 95: Its time Rena''s party and Simon''s party returned to Lelvern at the same time, both havingpleted their quests. There was a tension in the air between the two parties and Lucius was at the center. The focus himself was either ignorant of the situation or was purposefully ignoring it. He went about the return to the citypletely uncaring of the res and stares he received. However, at camp time during the return trip, he did make sure to disappear into the woods and then returned when they were about to leave. If she were not slightly concerned about potential negative interactions, she would probably haveughed at the boy''s behavior because it very much reminded her of a cat again. She was somewhat down because she could not heal his injurypletely. Lucius'' eyes and ears were on the mend, but the neck and chest wound left a nasty scar. Of course, she knew that it would when she was healing it, but it still weighed heavily on her heart. Rena wanted nothing more than to cuddle and apologize to her lover, but he made ament about not doing too much around Simon. Simon did not appear to care one way or another, in fact he seemed rather supportive when they first met, but she also trusted Lucius'' instincts. Thankfully, Simon and his party members did not say or do anything suspicious during their travels. When they arrived inside the gates of Lelvern and then the guild, the groups finally prepared to part ways. There seemed to be no love lost between the parting because the tension never really died down. Rena was worried about it at first, but ording to Jen, it was not umon for different parties to have conflict and disagreements. Jen also made the point that if they had gotten along famously, they would have probably just blended the parties. Typically, you only party with people you like, so it actually worked out that they did not get along. While they approached the reception desk, Rena noticed something strange. The guild hall was emptier than usual and by a significant amount. Eyes of various people were concentrated on their party and a lot of them focused on Lucius specifically. "Wee, how may we help you?" The receptionist took their group next and began to work on the paperwork. When she confirmed their group roster, she paused after saying Lucius'' name. "Lucius, you are the one with the inverse mark, yes? Celestia and Abyss?" she asked in an even tone. "That is correct." "Please wait a moment." The receptionist walked away from the desk and disappeared into a back room. At this point, Rena''s heart was beating in her chest; her hearing was taken over by a dull roar that only she could hear. Her breathing became rapid as she started to panic. Suddenly, she felt a warmth surround her, gently caressing the back of her head. A finger slowly traced the middle of her back and she felt the panic attack threatening to overtake her begin to settle down. "Rena I love you and everything will be okay." Lucius whispered before kissing her on the forehead. He then released her from his embrace and stepped back. She tried to reach out to him, but he sidestepped her grasp. Jen seemed to understand what was happening as well because she ced a firm hand on Rena''s shoulder, holding her in ce. That was when the receptionist returned to the desk, followed by tworge men in full-te armor. The breastte on both men was emzoned with the symbol of the kingdom of Arcadios. They were knights. "You are the Marked One known as Lucius?" one said in a near shout. "Yes." "Bymand of King Aleksander of Arcadios, you are toe with us to perform your duties to the kingdom as is your duty by right of birth." "No!" Rena shouted unintentionally. Her hands were balled into a fist, her fingernails digging into her palms and drawing blood. "You can''t! We still have the Grand Raid!" "You must be Lady Rena von Petra. Mydy, by decree of the king and the Five Kings Union, all Marked Ones are to suspend other activities and report to duty. War hase, and it is their duty to protect our people." Her face went pale as all the blood seemed to drain from it. Were it not for Jen''s hand firmly holding her back, she might have done something terribly stupid. Rena looked to Lucius forfort, support, anything! All she received however was a warm smile, which was then reced by an apathetic expression as he resumed a persona she had never wanted to see again; the one of her bodyguard and servant, not the one of the friend and lover she had grown ustomed to. Lucius bowed to her and was escorted away by the two knights. For some reason, the energy required to allow her to scream or cry was absent. All that was left was the hollow feeling of emptiness and abject loss. Every person in the guild hall was silent as Lucius was escorted away. Based on the looks on their faces, this had been happening all morning, if not thest few days. Many faces were solemn, likely from having lost valuable members of their respective parties. Unlike the rest of the world, the Adventurer''s Guild had built a culture of eptance andradery between Marked Ones and normal people. By sharing blood, sweat, and tears on their jobs, they became brothers and sisters with one another. Based some of the other tearful looks, there may have been a few instances where that developed into something more, like it had for Rena. Simon approached the group and stood in silence for a few moments. The look on his face was conflicted and hard to read, but after a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke. "It seems war has finallye Rena. I advise you return to the family estate. I don''t know if Lucius will return from war. I don''t know if Marked Ones will be allowed to return to the guild. So in the meantime, if you want to ensure that you can be with him try to be heir to the house. "If Marked Ones cannot return to the guilds, and are required once more to serve as only soldiers, only has the head of a noble house can you pry him from that fate as a retainer. Do your best, cousin." Rena felt a rage swell up within her. She did not know if it was at Simon, the kingdom, the world, fate it did not matter. All that mattered was she was furious and there was nothing she could do. At the moment, she was helpless. This day was always meant toe, she knew that, but it did not make it easier on her. She thought she had more time; that maybe the Grand Raid would be their final send off, but now she no longer has that. Instead, all she earned was the scene of the love of her life being taken away by knights of the kingdom, without even being able to return Lucius'' heartfelt goodbye. He had known what was happening. He probably understood the moment they entered the building. Tears welled up in her eyes and her vision became blurry. Jen pulled her into a tight hug and patted the back of her head, allowing Rena to simply be there and cry. Chapter 96: Found Out "Father what is the meaning of this?" Rena stood in front of her father, whom she had not seen in some time. They were in his personal office after he had summoned her to speak with him. Richard''s back was facing her from behind his desk as he stood from a seating position. Laying on the desk was a letter that he had apparently been reading before she arrived. "Read it." "What?" "I said, read it, Rena." He growled. "Now." Rena cautiously approached the desk and picked up the letter. She did not recognize the handwriting, but at the bottom was signed Simon''s name. The letter was addressed to his father. The contents of the letter detailed their mission fighting the goblins as well as some other, less savory details. Apparently, his scout, Zira had witnessed some of the interactions that she had with Lucius leading up to their arrival to the vige. It then detailed the disclosure she made about her feelings and how she reacted when Lucius was injured. As she read the letter, she felt more and more faint. The evidence was damning and there was no way to deny the information to her father. Even if she did, he would be able to tell if she was lying. "Are you finished?" Rena tossed the letter back onto the desk. "Yes." "And?" "Everything in the letter appears to be urately described as I remember it." She answered firmly. Lucius'' instincts were right. Simon could not be trusted. Even though he imed to leave the family, he still expressed loyalty to his brother''s im to the position of heir. "Is that so." Richard sighed. "I am disappointed in you, Rena. To soil yourself by being with a Marked One I doubt anyone will marry you now, knowing that you are used goods by a Marked One." "Excuse me? ''Used goods'' is that how you see me, father?" Rena shouted, shocked at his uncouth terminology. "I''ll have you know that Lucius has ''used'' nothing about me, yet. Secondly, I have no intention of marrying anyone." "Yet" Richard said while turning around. His eyes radiated anger. "Interesting choice of words, daughter." Rena shuddered under her father''s gaze. "No matter." He said a few momentster. "He''s gone now and I doubt that he will return from war. As for you Rena, I am sending you to the royal capital. You are going to be attending the Academy there until I decide what to do with you. "Consider yourself removed from the line of session. You are now to educate yourself further and interact with other noble families. Maybe a minor family will ept you. You leave tomorrow morning. Rubellia will pack your things. You may leave." Unable to stand looking at the man she called father any longer, Rena did not hesitate to exit the room and m the door behind her. Waiting for her outside of the office was Lucius'' adoptive mother, Rubellia. She stood there with a kind smile on her face. "Hello, mydy. I have already packed your things for you trip tomorrow." "Miss Rubellia, pleasee with me." Rena said quickly as she rushed past the maid. When they arrived in her room, Rena released all premise of her position as the daughter of the head of the house and dived into Rubellia''s arms. "I''m so sorry I was trying so hard I wanted to save him from" Rena began sobbing uncontrobly Rubellia gently consoled her. "Don''t worry. This was always going to happen someday, and you know that. May I speak freely, as a mother and not as a servant of your house." "Yes, please. When it is just us, always speak freely" "Thank you for caring for my son. I''ve known you''ve had feelings for him for some time, and I am thankful that he finally recognized them. Whatever you do please hold onto those feelings until he returns. "If there is one thing I have learned about Lucius from watching him grow, it is that he has a tenacity that far surpasses expectation. If things do not go his way, he makes them and he does not let any obstacle stand in his way. You know this too, right?" All Rena could do was nod her head slowly. "Then as a mother, I selfishly ask that you wait for him to return to you. It may take a while. But he will return to you and maybe you can grant me some grandchildren in the future?" Rena could tell by the smile and giggling that Rubellia was kidding and teasing. However, Rena decided to be honest and open, since Rubellia was doing so for her. With redness filling her cheeks, she responded. "I''ll do my best to give you as many as you want." "Oh my" Rubellia said behind her hands that were now covering her mouth. After that, Rubellia bid Rena good night and gave her a gentle hug before leaving. Rena stood in the room alone, letting tears fall to her face. She had no intention of meeting other nobles. In fact, she contemted simply making it known that she was in a rtionship with a Marked One to keep other nobles away from her. It was a simple enough tactic to protect herself from unwanted advances, but she still apologized mentally to Lucius for using him in such a way. The girl sat on her bed and sank into the soft nkets and mattress. It was a feeling she was no longer used to as they were much higher quality than the sleeping bags and simple inns that she was ustomed to. Despite theirfort, she was still sure to have a poor night''s rest. There was one other thing that she had grown ustomed to and that was Lucius'' arms around her, his shallow breaths on her neck, and his gentle snores. "This is going to be a lot harder than I predicted" She mumbled to herself before sleep finally took her. Chapter 97: War Begins A beautiful woman dressed in fine, purple silks sat next to a coffee table, sipping a steaming cup of tea. nking her was her bodyguard who had stepped out of the shadows and purposefully made his presence known. Across from her sat King Aleksander of Arcadios, behind him was a massive man, Commander Arturo Hiroth. The two leaders had been discussing some unfortunate news they received. The border of the Five Kings Union had been attacked. Alorek was on the move. ording to reports, they simultaneously attacked Eroa. The troops next to the Eroan border suddenly multiplied in numbers, seemingly overnight. Alorek had taken ground in the first fight, but Fort Se and the Gray Wolf n that controlled that area had only barely managed to hold them off. Eroa''s strongest warrior, Kalivas, had been stationed there without anyone knowing and it wasrgely thanks to him they were able to prevent the initial attack from taking too much territory at once. The Union was not as lucky to have such capable fighters on the borders. However, Alorek was more open about their numbers with their troops on the Union''s borders, so there was still some preparation that prevented overwhelming losses. Even though losses could have been worse, did not mean that they were still eptable. Whether it be due to pride or something else, the Union would not allow such a disgrace to stand and they would stop at nothing to regain the foothold Alorek scraped away from them. "Lady Voltara it seems your n to weaken Alorek by preventing shipments of weapons did not go the way you intended. From what reports say, they were just as destructive, if not more so than we anticipated if those shipments had made it." Aleksander pointed out. A small cracking sound echoed through the chamber as Lady Voltara al Famyn squeezed her teacup tighter than intended. The handle threatened to snap off entirely. "So it would seem." She managed through a tight smile with a slight twitch in her eye. "Somehow those muscle-headed monsters in power outsmarted me. It seems their leader is not just brawn, but possesses brain as well. It was unexpected to say the least. "I''m sure it was. Where did you send the shipments?" "To Eroa. I will say, though it did not have the effect we had hoped, things would have been a lot worse had we not interfered at all." She rified. Aleksander nodded his head in agreement. Though she knew she was right in her assessment that ess to those shipments would have been worse, her own words were not of any constion because she had been outwitted. Alorek had sent agents to try and determine the cause and acted as though they were important. This meant that Zethis of the Raging Sands had done so as a ploy to make it seem like he cared. "Regardless of that, we are now at war. Eroa as well. Any word on the other kingdoms?" she asked. "Aedrider is neutral as always. We received word that neither Raleron nor Haedda will be participating in the war as well." "I expected as much from Haedda, it is a nation of elves after allhowever, Raleron abstaining is quite unique for a beastman kingdom. One would think they had a vested interest in Alorek not conquering Eroa." "One would but apparently they are struggling with session and threats of civil unrest within their ownnds. They don''t really have a unified leader that would be able to stand in a war even if they were interested." "So it is just us against a power-hungry Alorekan king." Lady al Famyn grumbled. "So it seems." Both leaders sat in ufortable silence for several minutes, neither desiring to speak to the other. Though this would not make the situation go away. After a short while, Aleksander finally spoke. "I have mobilized our extra troops to reinforce the border. I have also suggested the other member nations do the same. I have made the decree to gather all Marked Ones throughout my kingdom as well." "Yes, I have done the same within the Wisteria Concord. From what I know, Docia, Keinydd and Paede are doing the same. Soon ourbined forces will be at the border while we take time to mobilize and strengthen our main forces" "Good, Lady Voltara we will find a way out of this war. From what I have heard from the Oracle, this will not be a pleasant war. Though we have no indication of who will win. She has seen both oues." Aleksander sighed. He stood and walked to a window. Voltara stayed seated, but followed his movements with her eyes. "Speaking of I heard that there has been another prophecy." "You''re rats in the dark hear a lot of things but yes, she has granted us a prophecy regarding the House of Kane." "Do you know who that might be? I know that family to long be extinct." "In the Unionyes." "Why so specific?" Voltara asked. "We do not know what nationbut apparently there are Adventurer''s Guild records stating that one of thest heirs to House Kane disappeared on the border between Aedrider and what is now Eroa." Aleksander answered quietly. "So this person could have left descendants in either country alright then, simple enough, we make sure we do everything we can to remain on good terms with those two countries." Voltara barely believed her own words. Knowing that someone could be alive that fits the description and could be a member of this war is concerning. In the centuries since this person''s alleged disappearance they could really have moved anywhere. People did have a habit of staying close to their birth ces. However, some adventurers im the desire to travel and seek out the very thing that gives their profession its name is passed down through the blood. All in all, it is quite poor timing. All it would take is one tiny mis-step, one stray arrow or spell toplete the prophecy. Chapter 98: Watchers Retreat Wagons were arriving by the dozens every day to arge fort on the edge of a vast in. At the other end of the ins, the terrain began to turn into rocky hills painted in different shades of browns and grays. The two biomes seemed to blend somewhat in the transition, though from far away, it simply appeared to be a hard cutoff from one ce to the next, as if the gods cut out thend between and stitched these two together. The fort on the edge of the grasnd was called Watcher''s Retreat. It was the main fort on the Union''s border with Alorek and reporting to it were a series of lookout towers. One such ce, Urntote Tower, had been taken almost overnight a few weeks ago, and just over the rocky hills on the edge of the grasnds, the Five Kings Union have been holding back the Alorekan army from advancing, but things were not looking good. Currently the forces outside of Watcher''s Retreat were untrained soldiers with little to no cohesiveness. Though individually, a significant number of them were powerful, they had all been thrown together and simply told to fight. Such was the way of things for ones like Laris. He was an old and grizzledmander of the human forces and specifically had been trying to keep a handle on the Marked One forces. Laris himself was a Marked One and had survived many battles and skirmishes. The Five Kings Union equally gathered their Marked Ones into a singr group of forces and supplied little in the ways of equipment and training. Often, border forts like this would be pseudo cities for Marked Ones with different people specializing in weapons and goods to support each other. Truth be told, he wanted to be out on the front lines, issuing orders and fighting alongside the men and women he has worked with for years as well as help whip the newers into shape. However, that was not his ce currently. Rather, his current job was to process the new arrivals and outfit them with what he could, for war. Many that arrived were adventurers and already wore their own armor and had their own weapons, those individuals would be fine. Others who had spent their years in academies or other guilds were less equipped and had to be given anything that could be perceived as a weapon. Laris made his way down from his position on the wall and approached the wagons that had entered the gate. There were twelve different wagons today and each one was filled to the brim with people. His personal task was to scan over the new faces and search for the ones with the most potential. For a few minutes, Laris'' eyes passed over the horde of people and saw nothing interesting. Before he gave up and turned around, he gave a second scan over the group. Something was eating at the back of his mind that he was missing something. That was when a group of people caught his eye. It was a woman with dark armor, a mask over her face and a bow strapped to her back. Standing side by side with her were a warrior with a massive axe, a female mage, and then another woman wearing what looked like monk garb. "Ahhh I think I''ve heard of them before The Marks I think they called themselves. Powerful adventurers led by someone that used to be a runner. Quite interesting. Let''s go say hello." Laris mused while stroking his white mustache with one hand. He quickly made his way down to the staging area where people were being separated into groups. They had rosters of who should be arriving and made sure that all those that were supposed to be in attendance, were present. Laris hurried to where he saw the interesting group was so that he could intercept them and prevent them from simply being lumped into differentpanies. He wanted to keep groups together when at all possible and with these people, he might be able to create a strike force to hit the enemy hard and in specific ces. When he reached them he called out, "Hello. You must be The Marks. My name is Laris I am themander of the Marked Ones at Watcher''s Retreat." The woman with the bow pulled down her hood and mask exposing elf-like ears, though much shorter than a full-blooded elf''s would be. "My name is Mia. With me are Renton, Marie, and Lynn." "Wonderful to meet you all. If you could be bothered for a moment of your time, I would like to discuss special arrangements for your group." Laris offered casually while trying not to wring his hands with excitement. "Sure." Mia said with a shrug. The group followed Laris through the crowds. It looked as though they were looking for someone, but he ignored their gazes. Everyone in such a situation would try to find any familiar face if they could. Luckily for them, they came together so they had everyone they truly needed to survive. Laris showed them a handful of buildings on the way to his office, but they seemed uninterested. They also did not jump at his sly offer for special amodations if they epted his offer. That was unsurprising, though, since they were an adventuring party. Luxury amodations were nice, but not a requirement. "So what is it you want to offer us?" Mia finally said. Laris coughed awkwardly, but stopped and turned around. He wanted to wait till they were at his office, but now was as good as anywhere. "I want you to be a special strike team. Hit the enemy hard, then get out before you''re caught." "Sure." "It will be a helpful and useful job so I hope you" Laris stopped. "You''ll ept it?" "Sure." Mia said. Her party nodded their heads in agreement. It was unanimous. "Great then" "On one condition. There is a boy here, Lucius. We want him." Mia demanded. Laris looked to the faces of the rest of the group. They were stonefaced and stern. It seemed they would not back down. "How old is he" "I don''t know. Thirteen, fourteen? Something like that." Laris rubbed his forehead. "You want to bring a boy onto a special operations team? Are you insane?" Mia cocked her head to the side. "Yeah? He''s going to fight anyway, so why not have him fight with us?" "Can he even fight? No offense I don''t want him to get you all killed." "That won''t happen. Trust me." Mia said with a grin. "I''m going to test him first before I agree. If he doesn''t pass you will refuse to take him and agree to my requestthat''s the best I can offer. It''s risky, so I need to know he''s up to the task." Laris relented. For some reason he felt an intense sensation of unease wash over him as he saw Mia''s grin turn dark and knowing as she said "Deal." Chapter 99: A Duel "Lucius! Lucius of Pelith, please report to the front of the line!" Laris stood beside The Marks waiting for the boy toe forward. They imed they had seen him and the rosters said he was picked up in Lelvern and would be present today, so all they had to do was wait. What he saw approaching him was unexpected. It was a young teen, no more than fourteen like Mia said. He had jet-ck hair and had two differently colored eyes, one gold and one silver. His teeth were also indicative of a mixed bloodline with a beastman. On his hip was a scabbard for a standard longsword, though the hilt sticking out of it did not match the de design. The boy also did not exhibit any of the telltale signs of a teen sent to the field of battle. There was typically a lot more anxiety, worry, and/or fear. The boy before him had none of those emotions on his face. In fact, the more concerning thing was the sheerck of expression. It was as if nothing mattered, not in a "given-up" way, but like he could not be bothered by the circumstances of reality. Something about it made Laris shudder internally a little. When the boy stopped in front of the recruit organizer, Laris called out. "Lucius. Youe with a rmendation from Mia, leader of the famous band of adventurer''s known as The Marks." Laris paused for effect. "They wish for you to join their group for a variety of tasks I will be assigning. However, before I ept you, I have a task for you toplete. You must survive ten minutes in a fight with my son without dying or losing consciousness." Several of the soldiers and other personnel listening to the decree shed concerned gazes at the boy. This made Laris chuckle because his son was a powerful warrior of the Intermediate Rank. He was verging on breaking into the Advance Rank and it was only a matter of time before hepleted that transition. In the old man''s mind, it was only right that he set such high requirements because the boy would either die or suffer severe injury here, or worse on the battlefield. Lucius had no reaction to the announcement, but that made sense because he had no idea who Laris'' son was. "Fine. Shall we do it now?" "Hmph, fine. Someone, fetch Dravel! Bring him to the staging area, he has a challenger." Lucius stayed in ce while the spectators created a pseudo-ring where the match would be held. Several people gasped as the crowd parted and a massive man wielding arge hammer approached. He was easily over six feet tall and looked as though his body were pure muscle. Laris eyed Lucius haughtily, but was still met with the same empty expression. Per the paperwork, Lucius was a Beginner Rank. Mia was actually surprised to here he had ranked up, which meant she had every intention of bringing along a Novice Rank. "Marks allowed? No penalty on death?" Lucius asked calmly. "Free for anything." Dravel grinned. A self-appointed referee stepped between them before dropping a cloth to start the fight. The moment it hit the ground, Dravel had leapt towards the much smaller opponent. Dirt, grass and dust scattered behind him, bathing spectators in filth. Lucius did not seem to move and prepared to meet the strike. "[Tempestas: Thunderp]" Instead of the typical firing of the spell, Laris watched as mana seemed to concentrate in the boy''s sword. Seeing that his face turned white and he slowly turned to look at Mia, who had a massive grin on her face. The smile did not reach her eyes, yet she still seemed so happy. "Did I forget to mention he can use Mana Maniption techniques?" He watched helplessly as the boy''s sword collided with the face of Dravel''s hammer. A massive p of thunder made the ground shake as Dravel was thrown backwards a few dozen feet, grinding to a stop in the dirt. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]" Electricity crackled around Lucius'' body, making his hair stand on end. For this spell, the energy typically focused on the legs and feet, but to Laris'' trained eyes, it seemed to flow through his entire body. "[Forsaken Arts: Muttion]" It was at this point that Laris finally focused his attention on the weapon Lucius was holding. It was a machete, and the fact that the boy had mentioned Forsaken Arts solidified that this skill he was using was dangerous. On top of that, instead of gold, the weapon glowed red. Soon this energybined with the magic spell to cause red lightning to pulse around the boy''s body. "Oh, that''s new." Mia said with wonder. "It doesn''t feel like Mana Maniption anymoreits more like something else." Laris gulped. He had witnessed Channeling once in his life and it was terrifying. This was very reminiscent of that, however it was not true Channeling. It was close enough to be a threat. "Stop!" Laris shouted leaping in front of Lucius. "You win the duel. Please don''t kill my son." Lucius'' eyes glowed with power and intensity. They were the eyes of a man preparing to kill, and mercilessly. Laris could not let such a person near his son, not with those skills. Dravel''s death would be painful, slow, and without shred of dignity or honor. "Mia, Lucius may join your group." Laris decreed in resignation. Lucius did not power down his abilities, despite the decree. "The match is over when one of us dies or gets knocked unconscious. He has done neither." Lucius began to advance on Dravel who was still trying to get out of the dirt. The impact of the spell and the ground bent his arm at an odd angle. "Stand up so I can strike you down." Lucius ordered. "I yield." Dravel muttered. Laris could hear the pain in his son''s voice. Not from the broken bones, but from the embarrassment of loss. The aura pouring off of the younger and smaller of the opponents felt oppressive. "Fine." Laris was genuinely concerned that he would not ept such a win condition. Everything about the boy''s presence screamed death, as if the moment he took the field, his intention was to end his opponent''s life. For Laris, that alone would have been proof enough that he was ready for the task. Everything after was icing on the proverbial cake. "Winner, Lucius!" Laris yelled quickly. A couple of healers and Dravel''s friends rushed out to help him stand and reset his broken bones. If they weren''t set before healing magic set in, he might lose some functionality of the damaged areas. The old man wanted to make sure his son was okay, but first he needed to ensure that everything would be alright with Lucius and The Marks. Mia had a strange look on her face. It seemed she also was surprised by the oue of the event. "You seem different now." She said towards the boy. "I''m the same as I have always been." "Mmm that girl Rena, was she your handler or something?" Mia asked. Laris perked up at that, if the boy had someone that could control his tendencies, it would be a great boon to them on the field of battle. As things stood, the boy was strong, but a loose cannon. "Rena is a daughter of the Petra family. I did do my best to not reflect negatively on her house." The boy''s tone was emotionless and clearly practiced. Despite that, Laris sighed. There was no way in hell that he would be able to get a daughter of the Petra family to the battlefield. He would have to find other ways to ensure this boy''s loyalty and sanity. Chapter 100: The Assignment "So will you be able to listen to me out there? I''m already the leader the others respect. Can you view me the same way?" Mia sat across from the young teen she had met a while back on a quest. Originally, when she saw him while themander pulled her group from the others, she thought that she would be able to make use of his excellent scouting skills, mana maniption, and speed. That alone was enough to want to bring him into the fold. However, after seeing how he had grown by just growing in a single rank cemented in her mind that she absolutely had to have him. Lucius could not join them, though, if he was unable or unwilling to follow orders. While he had the potential to be a great asset, he also could be a massive hinderance under the wrong circumstances. His demeanor was different as well, which did cause some concern. "I can." "Good! Then d to have you aboard! So, other than your newfound Thunder Magic, any other secrets you''ve got to share?" "I''m able to activate both of my mark''s abilities." "Both?" Laris chimed in, "ording to his records, Lucius here possesses a Lethal Grade, Inverse mark. It has two opposing abilities." Mia sat and listened as her new team member filled her in on the details of his abilities. His mark represented Celestia and the Abyss. One skill was the Heavenly de that greatly strengthened his de and imbued it with a powerful energy that made cutting through armor seem like it was paper. The other was Abyss Armor, a defensive skill. ording to Lucius it was a lesser version of a different skill he could no longer use, but it essentially covered his body in an armor of dark energy while also providing a tendril of the same energy that he could manipte as though he had another limb. "That is very interesting!" Marie stated. She had been quiet and simply listening for a while, just like the others. Given all this new information, she could no longer contain her excitement. Marie''s antics made Mia shake her head. The woman was obsessed with magic and marks and because of that, she was extremely interested in what Lucius was telling them. Laris looked like he was going to have an aneurism from trying to process all the information that the boy hadid out for them. After thinking through things, he finally calmed down and began to fill everyone in on the situation. Alorek had made their attack a few weeks ago, without warning. Even though the Union forces had been prepared for an attack at any moment, the strength of the attack was much greater than anticipated and they lost a lot of ground in the initial assault. Currently, they were in the Wisteria Concord''s territory, since that was the member nation that shared a border with Alorek. Several spies employed by Wisteria had informed the garrison at Watcher''s Rest that a simrly surprise attack happened on the Eroan border. While Alorek was tantly open with the number of troops they stationed next to the Wisteria Concord, they had secretly reced an entire city of people with soldiers and mercenaries without notice of Eroa. Because of this, the Eroans were under-prepared for the additional numbers. Unlike the Union forces, who lost several miles of ground as well as Urntote Tower, Eroa did manage to prevent any major loss thanks to their forces at Fort Se. This was due to a powerful warrior named Kalivas being present among the forces at Fort Se, as well as the sheer tenacity of the Gray Wolf n''s soldiers. Mia''s force was going to be ced in charge of operating behind enemy lines. While Watcher''s Retreat would maintain their defensive line as long as possible, their unit would strike supply caravans and try to take out any major targets. Laris'' forces were at a major disadvantage in other ways as well. Alorek''s army wasprised of trained soldiers. Unlike the human kingdoms that simply threw Marked Ones into service, the beastman kingdoms incorporated their Marked Ones into training. "Alright, so what''s the n?" Mia asked after listening to the information intently. "I have a few units set up like yours. What we are going to do is send in additional forces to the far side of the enemy''s line in tomorrow''s push. That should create enough of a distraction for the strike teams to sneak past enemy lines. "Once there you will use thesemunication crystals to stay in touch with me. I will use them to issue orders and you will report your rtive position at the end of every day." He held out his hand and dropped a small, clear crystal attached to a metal earpiece. The metal part hooked around the ear, while the crystal itself was ced within her ear. "That crystal will constantly absorb a minute amount of mana to maintain a connection with my control crystal back here. Touch it directly with your finger to allow it to absorb more mana and send me a message. You will hear my voice directly in your mind. Be warned, when sending a message, you must vocalize what you want to say." "Thanks, this piece of kit will be useful. You said we leave tomorrow?" Mia asked. The oldmander nodded his head. They would not know who the other units were in the event of capture, so they would bepletely reliant on their own abilities once across the lines. After the push is finished, Laris will update them on how many teams made it through. Their first target was a series of supply caravans that made regr trips to the enemy encampment from their main headquarters just over the border. They were light on protection because of the safety of being behind their main force, so it was assumed to be a soft target. They would likely be easy to handle for the first few engagements, so it was in their group''s best interest to hit as many as they could and as fast as they could before security caught up. "Onest thing." Laris warned. "Eroa has a few units doing the same. One very specificmand we have, direct from the Union''s leaders do not, under any circumstance, harm an Eroan or an elf. We do not expect any elves in the area, but those are orders. Anyone who disobeys is to be immediately executed." Everyone nodded in understanding. Not hurting Eroans made sense, as they were allies, but the specific order to not harm elves was quite interesting. The look on themander''s face screamed that he had no intention of exining why. It was even likely he did not know the full reason, but they had no choice but to do what they said. --------------------------------------------------- A/N: Happy 100 chapters!! Celebrate reaching this point by gifting Powerstones and Golden Tickets! Also please share your thoughts and opinions with the story so far! Chapter 101: A Farmers First Battle Morning rose on Watcher''s Retreat; the grasnd surrounding it was wet with dew. Were it under any other circumstances such a sight would be a pleasure to behold. However, all the spectators of such a beautiful morning wore nothing but grim expressions. They were all aware of what the first light of the morning meant, and it was a march of death. Before the day was through many of the faces that made up the forces marching through the grass would mark today as thest sunrise they would see. Such was a fact of war and such was the fate of a soldier. Even though he had never fought anyone before, a soldier''s fate was the only one that awaited poor Zeb. He was a simple farmer by birth and instead of taking the opportunity to train in a guild or take on some other opportunity, he used the reprieve Marked Ones had received to spend more time with his family. He was lucky in the fact that his family treated him like they treated everyone else despite the fate handed to him by birth. Though it could be rted to the fact that Zeb''s mark was the Mark of Downpour. It was a measly mark that had no real use, beyond producing a small rain shower in a one-hundred-foot diameter circle. Though it had no realbat potential, for someone born to farmers, it was quite useful to the family. On more than a few asions his mark had saved his own family''s crops as well as the crops of nearby farms during short droughts. Because of his ''weak mark'' he was able to live a fulfilling life. Though now he was dressed in a strange amalgamation of armor that was essentially pped together of whatever pieces of spare equipment that was avable. In his hand was a simple mace and in the other a round, wooden shield. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Zeb pressed on. A wise woman visiting the vige had once said to him: "Fighting against one''s fate may only give you a small chance to change it, but resigning yourself to it will only guarantee it and isn''t it always better to take a chance?" He had no idea if he had the power to change the hand he was dealt, but like the woman said, it was always better to take a chance. That was why he would not let himself feel defeated before the battle had begun. They were not the entirety of the force heading into battle today, rather they were reinforcements made up of the new arrivals that would be bolstering the lines already present, and so they marched on. After what felt like hours, though really was at most only one, the force Zeb was a part of finally reached the rear guard of the front lines. Those present looked haggard and beaten, many had faces hung low in defeat. To put it bluntly: morale was rock-bottom. After seeing the state of the current forces,mand shouted out amongst the ranks that the new faces would take the front on the morning''s assault to provide some reprieve to those who had already been fighting. This news made Zeb grip the weapon in his hand tighter. Not long after, the horn signaling the charge sounded and the roar of thousands of voices echoed across thendscape. His own voice joined the cry of his brothers-in-arms, though he could not tell his own sound out from the cacophony of shouts. The very earth beneath them seemed to shake as they charged towards the enemy lines that awaited them. Zeb could make them out, they wore matching sets of armor, each one emzoned with a matching symbol on the breastte and shields of five, ck w marks. The symbol representing the kingdom of Alorek. Zeb heard as some of his allies activated their marks using voice activation techniques. Others who did not haveplex marks, simply activated their abilities silently. Zeb possessed one such mark that did not require an activation phrase, so as he ran towards his first opponent, he held out his left hand, which had his shield strapped to it. The mark on his hand glowed and a small raincloud appeared over the heads of the enemy and sparked a tiny rainstorm. It was simply rain and had no force or damagingponents to its activation, but it did spark confusion as well as began to turn the ground beneath their foe to muck. Not powerful, but useful when used correctly. Zeb smiled to himself at his genius and continued his charge. Balls of fire, water, and gusts of wind burst around him. Some were spells, but most were the result of marks. Though Zeb had no Compatibilities and hadcked the ability to sense mana, his mark granted him the understanding of the strange power behind others like him, and right now the air was thick with it. Over the course of a few hours of fighting, it had be so thick with the power of the marks that it felt difficult to breathe. It was almost like walking through a horrifically muggy day in the summer. Still, that feeling paled to the other sensations Zeb had awoken too. He watched asrades and enemies alike fell beside and before him. Somehow he managed tost this long, though it seemed that the forces supporting Alorek were not stopping. For every soldier that was in, two more seemed to take their ce. All the while, their own side dwindled as the battle continued. A sh of light caught his attention from the periphery, and he barely managed to catch a sword swing with his shield. The warrior that attacked him continued to hack and sh at his sword, not giving Zeb a chance to counter. He felt himself being pushed back, step by painful step. Another attacker came at him from the other side and he somehow managed to block the swing with his mace. Every part of his body screamed in protest as he was defending two attacks at once. There was a strength to him that surprised him. Maybe it was all the hours hauling hay, satchels of feed, and clearingnd that gave him more strength than he realized. Or maybe it was simply luck and adrenaline. The fear and pain pushing him past his limits. The ground around him was wet with mud thanks to his and many other people''s water spells and marks shing on the battlefield. His body was caked in mud and blood. It was only a momentter, when he thought that his strength was going to fail him, that he felt a new sensation enter the space. He was not the only one who felt this as his attackers seemed to weaken their own assault. The very air itself felt charged like it would before a bad storm. Zeb looked down at the exposed parts of his arms under the ripped armor and clothes. The visible hairs stood on end. Off in the distance he caught sight of a boy with ck hair. One of his eyes glowed a brilliant gold and his hand was held outward. He stood on a hill overlooking the battlefield. His words echoed across the silence that had permeated the battle momentarily. "[Tempestas: Lightning Strike]" The charged air began to burn and a massive bolt of lightning descended down between the two forces. Zeb''s vision was taken over by white light, his hearing destroyed by a deafening p of thunder. He felt his muscles spasm uncontrobly as his entire body felt like it was on fire. For a moment the world went ck, but then when his vision returned, the fighting immediately around him had ceased. His body would not listen to hismands to move. Zeb had no idea what happened, however he witnessed as a few arcs of electricity seemed to periodically jump between bodies around him. He then remembered the water that surrounded all their feet and immediately realized the after effects of that spell. Darkness began to take him over again. There was no pain and even the sensation of water against his face began to vanish. Zeb knew it wasing"I took a chance but I still lost by fight against fate." Chapter 102: A Distraction The assault had been going rather poorly, but the human forces were doing better than could have been expected. Though the beastman soldiers were individually stronger and had more unit cohesion, the fact that the entirety of the human army was all Marked Ones gave them some advantages. The biggest one is that marks were about as varied as the people themselves. Some had abilities as mundane as creating a water spout, or lighting a campfire. While others had grand abilities that healed major wounds or cracked the very earth beneath them. This massive variation between every one of their soldiers made the enemy cautious, and being overly cautious was just as dangerous as being ignorant of the danger. They both led to mistakes. Lucius stood on a hill overlooking the battlefield. His group had been waiting for Alorek to reinforce their lines and draw even more of their units away from the border. While the drawn-out battle did draw some of the reinforcements out, there were still not enough pulled into battle to allow them to make a move. He had watched as many of the Marked Ones had used water spells and abilities throughout the battle and saw that most of the terrain had turned into a watery, mucky mess. This gave him a brilliant idea. "Hey Mia, go ahead and get ready. I''m going to ensure we get the opening we need." He informed her tly. "Alright, but make sure you get back here. I don''t really want to do this without you on my team, got it?" Lucius smiled to himself. He and Mia hade to an agreement. She would look the other way with some of his tactics as long as she did not know about them and was able to maintain usible deniability. It was quite the improvement over how Jen and other adventurers would yell at him for his ns. The boy moved further up the hill, which did expose him visually to anyone that paid attention to him. Thanks to the battle ensuing though, he doubted anyone would care to pay attention to a lone person on a hill. It took him a few minutes to find a good spot to ce his distraction and settled on a space with a lot of Alorek soldiers concentrated together. There were also a lot of allies in that spot as well, but it couldn''t be helped. Lucus gathered his mana and focused on his strongest offensive spell that he could use at long range. "[Tempestas: Lightining Strike]" He uttered the activation phrase with a voice as cold as ice and uncaring as stone. The air crackled with electricity as the mana gathered together the power of a lightning strike. Though he was only a Beginner Rank, the water across the battlefield inbination with all the people wearing metal armor and holding metal weapons would amplify the damage of his attack several times over. In an instant the bolt of lightning hit the ground, throwing dirt into the air causing it to shower down on friend and foe alike. Electricity arced across the battlefield expanding both the range of effect and the damage dealt. Lucius couldn''t help but whistle to himself, surprised at the oue. It was more impressive than he imagined. Though his interest was short lived as he turned on his heel and slowly walked back to Mia and the others. "That was some light show." Mia blurted out. "Probably best to treat it as such." Lucius advised. "Let''s go, the way forward should be clear now." Everyone had a general look of unease on their faces, especially Marie who could probably tell what happened since she was a very adept magic user herself. Despite that, no one said anything to him as they simply gathered their things and began to move on. Mia ced two fingers on the crystal earpiece she was given. "Moving out." There was a pause as she seemed to be focusing on something being transmitted to her. "I don''t know what it was. All Lucius said was he was going to create a distraction." "No, I don''t know what he did, he did it on his own." "Yes, sir." It was only a one-sided conversation from their perspective, but from the sound of it Commander Laris had also seen the effect of the spell from far away. It was certainly hard to miss an errant lightning bolt on a clear day. Mia gave him a concerned look as if asking if it was really okay to just ce the me on him like this. However, Lucius merely gave her a shrug. In his mind this was only holding up his end of the bargain; giving Mia usible deniability. No doubt Commander Laris would be furious when he found out the details, but Lucius would be behind enemy lines and inessible for now. Besides, if they won the war, would it really matter in the end? Everyone moved quickly across the rocky hills they had been waiting in. As they got closer to the Alorek border, it would be harsher terrain and eventually turn into a sandy desert. Once there, finding supplies like food and water would be difficult. Thankfully Marie was a mage that could use all Elemental Magic, so through her spell they could conjure water to drink as needed. Food would be harder to figure out, but they packed arge number of rations and would replenish their supplies from the caravans they were to target. For a moment Lucius wondered if what he did earlier was the right thing to do, they were his allies after all. However, the moment that sh of regret came to mind, a familiar chill at the base of his skull dashed the worries away. It had been a while since he felt that sensation. It seemed whenever he just did as he wanted without regard for others, nothing would happen. But if he showed concern for anyone other than those close to him, it would appear and seem to swallow those feelings up. It wasn''t painful, but it was unnerving. Slowly, but surely Lucius was sure that he would not have those thoughts any more. Not that it bothered him, but he could foresee it being a problem for those close to him. One person in particr shed in his mind, Rena. She had wanted to be his moral guide or filter before. Though after they started dating and expressed their feelings for each other, she did not seem to care about that responsibility as much. Lucius was fine with being who and what he was, but he was not too sure about making Rena out to be that way. ''Pushes to shove, I''ll just handle it all myself, no need to involve her in those situations in the future,'' he thought to himself. Then he remembered that in order to be concerned about such a future, he needed to first survive this war. Renewed in his determination, Lucius rushed forward. As always, he was the forward scout. His senses were as sharp as the other beastmen, if not sharper. He also knew how to circuNovelBinent those senses, so in order to best perform ambush attacks, he would take the lead. He found himself suddenly excited for the battles toe. Chapter 103: Uncertain Futures Lyrah confidently walked through the grand halls of the Arcadios Royal Academy. Following behind her, quietly, was her maid and best friend, Natali. They had been here for a short time, but had already fallen into a nice rhythm rting to their scheduled ss work and free time. Free time was what they had right now, and Lyrah was excited for what she had nned on doing to spend it. Her excited steps echoed across the granite floor as she began to pick up pace. Natali was able to keep up, but her steps began to sound frantic, something that was in opposition to her in expression. "Come! We have somewhere to be and something to do!" Lyrah basically giggled. The sea of students moving about the halls parted ways to allow the excited, young oracle through. She and Natali were now the only Marked Ones at the academy as all the others had been shipped off to battle, so they stood out even more than they usually would have. "Mydy, what is it that has you so motivated today?" "You''ll see! Oh this is going to be fun!" Lyrahughed out in sheer joy. Her friend simply sighed and continued to follow along. Some of the other students seemed entranced and bewitched by Lyrah''s beauty and melodic voice and also began to follow them. One swift and dangerous look from her attendant, however, scared them off. Over thest few weeks, Natali had made a name for herself with her skill in Ice Magic and Dagger Arts. Her Mark of Recall truly did blend perfectly with her other abilities and her potential downright terrified some of the teaching staff and students that shared her sses. Even though many of the male students desperately wanted to make some pass at the next Oracle, this dangerous girl always at her side prevented them from doing so. Granted, none of them wanted anything of substance with her. She may be the next Oracle, but she was still a Marked One. There was no future in a rtionship as she could not marry, could not inherit property, and could not join a noble house. Essentially all these boys were looking for was a distraction and reprieve from the stresses of school life and had assumed their position of power would grant them the ability to do just that. After a ten minute or so walk, they entered the female student dormitory. Lyrah and Natali lived in Grandpa Wally''s personal quarters, so they did not frequent the dorms often, save for attending tea parties out of politeness and duty. This time, though, Lyrah was on a mission and she was prepared for anything that mighte. With a dangerously mischievous glint in her eye, she nced backwards once at her best friend and smiled before she entered the dorms and knocked on a specific door. When the door opened, she heard a slight gaspe from the white-haired girl behind her. Standing in front of them was a stunning girl, about their age, with crimson hair and striking green eyes. Her beauty seemed otherworldly, but was marred by redness and puffiness around those green eyes. It was in to see that the girl was crying and Lyrah knew why. Another slight gasp escaped the red-head''s lips as well as she nced Lyrah up and down. The girl made no moves or attempts at conversation and simply allowed the red-headed beauty topletely take in the sights. "Hello, Rena von Petra." Lyrah said finally after determining that the girl had seen all she wanted to see. "My name is Lyrah, I am the daughter of the current Oracle. This wonderful girl behind me is Natali, my best friend and personal attendant. May wee in?" Rena nodded and stepped to the side with a gesture for the girls to enter. The room was rather untidy as it seemed she had made no effort to unpack, but the space was hers and hers alone, so it did not really matter how she kept it. "How do you know my name?" Rena asked when she gently closed the door behind them. She had a handkerchief in her hand and was gently dabbing around her eyes. "I thought I introduced myself as the daughter of the Oracle? As such I am the next in line to take the title ites with some advantages when ites to knowing things." Lyrah smiled gently. It seemed by seeing her face, Rena was again reminded of the reason for her tears. Natali''s expression had long since returned to its in emotionless state, but from her subtle bodynguage, it seemed the girl was rather annoyed. Maybe not with Rena, but probably with Lyrah for bringing her to meet the red-head she viewed as a rival. "What visions have you seen to know my name?" Rena asked with a blend of suspicion and hope. "Well to be frank my visions do not give me people''s names. I actually learned of you from a Lord Carmichael." She admitted. "Wally is here?!" Rena almost shrieked. "Yes. And he''s told me a bit about you and about Lucius now I have had only a few visions that included you, Lady Petra." Lyrah''s face turned serious. "Lucius on the other hand oh I have seen a lot about him." Rena''s eyes opened wide with shock. She nearly fell to her knees before Lh pleading with her hands and eyes, "Please. I need to know. Is he okay? Will he be okay? He was taken from me and I have heard nothing sinceplease" "Taken from you? What is the boy to you?" Lyrah did her best to maintain a neutral tone. She already knew the answer. She had seen many things after all including some that she would prefer to not have seen. Rena''s shoulders fell as she seemed to resign herself to the mercy of the woman before her. It was as if she was willing to ept the ramifications of giving the truth. "He''s the love of my life my reason for being. We grew up together. Fought together. He was always by my side, and I his" Rena finally answered. A single nce was all it took for Lyrah to realize that Natali was on the verge of breaking. There was a real possibility that if the girl squeezed her fists any harder, she might pop a blood vessel. Lyrah sighed to herself. Not everything in the future was set in stone and putting things in motion to achieve the future desired would take effort. However, for the best oue, it was something she had already decided to do. These two girls needed to bond and the only way to do that was through shared concern and uncertainty. It would be a painful road, but a necessary one. "I have seen a few oues. Unfortunately, the boy''s future is shrouded in uncertainty. Every nce yields a different result, so I cannot truly say what his future really holds." Lyrah finally answered. "I am sorry." "No I understand" Rena whispered. "By the way why do you look so much like him?" "Hmm, you know I found that quite interesting as well when Master Wally showed me what he looked like. The world is certainly filled with fun coincidences, isn''t it." Lyrah''s voice returned to her cheery and peppy tone, which shocked both of the other girls in the room. Chapter 104: Stories Rena was sitting next to Lyrah at a long desk. Currently no one else was sitting around them. Other members of nobility and evenmoners with exceptional Compatibilities with Arts or Magic, had no interest in interacting directly with the young Oracle, her maid, or the red-headed disgrace. It had gotten out at the academy that Rena had been in a close, romantic rtionship with her body guard who was also a Marked One. When she realized that her cousin Thomas was also in attendance at the Academy, she realized who it was that had spread the information. Though, she spent no effort to deny the allegations. At first a fewdies of smaller noble houses attempted to interact with her, to curry favor with the daughter of the lord of the Petra family. After all, they were a household of such high ranking, it would only benefit them to curry some sort of favor despite the cost. However, when these nobledies attempted to provide Rena the opportunity to vocalize her denial, she refused to take it. Instead, she loudly proimed that she was in a rtionship with a Marked One named Lucius and that when he returned from war, she would continue to be with him as an adventurer. This deration of intent while surrounded by people dashed any potential conversation about the validity of the allegations and cemented the truth in the minds and hearts of the academy students. There were other rumors that spread, however, that continued the allegations in to much seedier territories. In reality, being known as the ''disgrace'' was quite tame whenpared to many of the other names that she had been called by fellow students. Though, they would never refer to her as such in anything more than hushed whispers. "You know, Rena." Lyrah giggled. "I am quite impressed the disy you made the other day. To think that you would confirm to the masses that you tossed the sheets with your body guard. Such topics would be the focus ofscivious novels, and yet here you are living out a noblewoman''s darkest fantasies!" Rena rolled her eyes at the girl''s behavior. At first she had thought that Lyrah was some sort of rtive of Lucius from his birth family, but after spending some time getting to know her, she realized that such things were almost impossible. First off, the girl had theplete opposite personality to Lucius. No matter where she went, she maintained a childlike aloofness, treating life itself as if it were a game to be yed. Nothing was ever serious with her, where for Lucius everything was serious. There were times that he was yful and teased and joked with her but those moments were few and restricted to the eyes and ears of Rena only. She found herself subconsciously touching the choker on her neck. No matter the situation, the attire, or the time of day, Rena never took the choker off. Were the cat-shaped pendant anything other than enchanted, she might have worn away at the intricate designs in the metal from how frequently she brushed it. This ritual had be a soothing practice to her and any time she was sad or worried, she would gently touch the choker and be reminded of Lucius'' warm embrace. "Was that a gift from him?" A soft voice, barely more than a whisper, interrupted Rena''s thoughts. Looking directly at her were the icy-blue eyes of Natali. They were not close for some reason the girl did not like her, but when it came to Lucius, there was a strangeradery with her that she did not quite understand. "Yes he gave this to me as a birthday present. It has an enchantment, though I do not know what kind. However, even so it is my most important treasure." She thumbed the cat charm and giggled quietly. "Why a cat?" Lyrah asked. Rena couldn''t help but blush. She could feel the tips of her ears burning from embarrassment. "Well when we first met I noticed his feline eyes and saw he was half-beastman. So when I brought him to my father''s estate, I told a soldier that I had found a stray cat to bring home." For some reason she thought she saw the corner of Lyrah''s mouth twitch, and not the pleasant kind. Though it vanished too quickly to really know for sure. "Ever since then, I would often refer to him as my pet cat. He was quite simr to one in his personality." "Do share. I would love to know more about how this Lucius boy is, and maybe how it was that he seduced the heart of a fair noblewoman." Lyrah teased. With a grin that grew wider as she spoke, Rena divulged many of the stories of their childhood. She did her best to leave out the worst bits, because she did not want to relive those horrors again. There were plenty of holes in the story from Lucius'' side because he never talked much about life prior to when they met. She also never asked. Something felt wrong about asking for stories before his father''s death since she med herself and her family for it. She did her best to portray his best qualities and how he was fiercely loyal to his friends and family. Lucius was also extremely tenacious and stopped at nothing to achieve his goals even when they seemed impossible. It was easy to share the stories of how he never gave up and continued to fight against the fate the world tried to throw against him. The story that really piqued the interest of the other girls was when he fought in the misty vige against an insane Marked One. He had only awakened his Thunder Magic after years of trying a little while before that battle, yet he still managed to break through into the Beginner Rank. Again, she left out several important details that would expose Lucius. Though Lyrah gave Rena a knowing smile as if she had witnessed the incident already. This fact did not surprise Rena one bit due to her own abilities. "It sounds like you two have been through a lot. The love you developed must have taken time." Lyrah finally said after Rena had finished the stories. "Yes I felt this for him for some time but it took that slow idiot almost five years to finally say that he loves me" Rena pouted. "Well! Maybe in the future you can grant his adoptive mother her wish for many grandchildren!" Lyrah said with a wink before she yelped. Rena looked at the source of Lyrah''s difort and saw that Natali''s hand was firmly squeezing the ck-haired girl''s waist. Chapter 105: Assignment Kalliope sniffed the air. Other than blood and dust, there wasn''t much else around the area of interest. The blood was from their battle with a supply group that was trying to provide relief to Alorek forces outside Fort Se. A few weeks had passed since Alorek initiated their attack on the kingdom of Eroa and the human kingdoms simultaneously. Their forces were at least five to even ten times higher than was estimated thanks to their tactic of recing a whole city of people with soldiers in in clothes. However, Fort Se''s walls were strong and the forces of the Gray Wolf n that manned it were both tough and tenacious. The first attack was quick and unexpected and they lost arge number of men and many of their scouting and vanguard forces. When Alorek reached the walls, the fighting only intensified. It was the first time that Kalliope had seen such destruction and death in one ce. Even she could not keep her hands bloodless, having made her first kill directly on the field of battle. She remembered what it felt like, to take the life of another person. It was an enemy a pawn of the king that killed her brother. It was either him or her, and she had no other option than to make it her. And yet The adrenaline in her body kept her focused for the rest of the fight. They had the advantage being the defenders on the walls, since the enemy had to approach the fort under fire, then either breach the gate or scale the walls. Kalliope was stationed up on the walls themselves, as requested by uncle Kalivas, while he protected the gates with a force of his own, personally trained elites. He was not trying to keep her from fighting; on the contrary, he fully expected her to have to fight. He simply wanted to put her in a situation that gave the most benefit. Five lives that''s how many she personally snuffed out of existence on her first day of battle. On the second day, she took ten more, then more, and more Alorek would not stop its advance, trying to rely on numbers to overwhelm the strongest fortress in all of Eroa. Everything they tried was in vain. Fort Se still stood. Kalivas, Eroa''s greatest soldier, still stood at its gates; defying the enemy''s might and daring them to continue to try. Currently, there was a lull in the fighting. The opposing armies watched each other carefully from across the battlefield. There were asional skirmishes from different scouting parties, but no more all out battles had happened since thest one two days ago. Kalliope desperately wished for the fighting to resume. She needed something, anything to distract her from the reality of her situation. Her new truth. The truth that she was the cause of death of another living person. As she noticed before, the air smelled of blood, and though her hands were clean, she could not see past the imaginary stains that covered them. Kalivas told her it was normal to feel this way. A warrior''s first kill is almost never easy. Even for him, taking a life was a heavy burden to bear. His only advice was for her to remember that the burden of loss was worse, and that in this world taking another''s life was often the cost of protecting those important to you. Try as she might, reframing her understanding of the situation in that way did not erase the pain from her heart. Though, it did lessen it to some extent. "Kalliope, Sir Kalivas requests your presence at the gates." A grizzled soldier wearing heavy armor and wielding arge hammer approached her from behind and informed her of the request. "Understood, I shall go to him at once." The soldier gave her a stiff salute and took over her position as watcher. There wasn''t much to see, aside from a sea of burnt corpses. One thing that all kingdoms followed in war was to burn the dead. Fighting against people was something they had prepared for, the undead, less so. A massive beast of a man with jet ck hair, ck cat ears, and a ck tail was standing just outside the massive metal gates of Fort Se. He was joking with some of the soldiers standing guard with him about one thing or another. Despite the morbidity of the situation, they did their best to keep up their spirits. Kalivas'' ears twitched as he noticed her approached and he turned to face her with aforting smile. "Hey there, my dear niece." His smile stayed on his face as he did his best to use aforting tone. "How are you feeling today. The quiet after battle is often the hardest to deal with." "That is true, Uncle. Thank you for your concern, but it is a problem that I must solve on my own. What do you need from me? You requested my presence?" She answered with a smile. Kalivas gave a nod of approval. "I''m assigning you to a special squad. You and a small team will be cutting around enemy lines. We have been inmunication with the Five Kings Union and they requested assistance in this endeavor." "Uncle?" "We are trying to interrupt their supply lines. Without supplies, enemies often be desperate, and when desperate, you make mistakes." Kalliope gave Kalivas a stiff salute. "Yes, sir." "Good. Now, be careful and do not attack any human forces. It is possible you run into our allies; if so, work together. Onest thing, they have a half-blood among their forces. They advised that we should avoid him if possible." "How will I know if it''s him? What does he look like? What is his name?" Kalivas'' face turned into aplicated expression. "He is called Lucius, and I do not know what he looks like. ording to the humanmanders, you only need follow the corpses to find that one." "I will avoid him." "On the contrary, they told us to avoid him. But if they made such a request, he must be powerful. I want to meet him, so I would request that if you can, make contact." "But the humans" "Ignore them. You are a powerful beastman warrior. I doubt a half-blood will truly be a threat to you." Kalliope could not help but sigh. What she imagined her uncle meant was that he simply wanted to satisfy his curiosity, and maybe even fight him. She gave a slight bow and returned to the barracks to gather her things. Uncle had told her that her squad was already waiting outside the gates, she need only join them. It was unknown how long the mission wouldst, but he gave her amunication crystal so he could keep in touch with her. She was also to deliver daily reports and check-ins to ensure her safety. Knowing that her uncle was worried about her made her feel warm. If he was watching her back, then she would make it through this war just fine. Chapter 106: Reports Commander Laris looked at the reports in front of him and clenched his fist. He struck his desk so hard that the wood splintered under the blow. "That damned" Written on the documents were the tallied losses for their own and the enemy''s forces in the battle they used as a distraction for their special units. At first, the battle was going well, then it turned ever so slightly south. They lost too many men and too quickly to draw out the reinforcements in the numbers they needed for the operation to be a sess. It was a purposefully destructive mission, but it would help buy time until the main army arrived. However, it was not supposed to be like this. ording to the observation teams, a few hours into the battle, the ground turned into a muddy mess from the water spells and mark abilities being used. Taking advantage of that, someone cast arge-scale Thunder spell. Witnesses report that a young man with ck hair was seen on the edge of the field was the one whounched the spell. Laris reached out to Mia to get confirmation that Lucius was the one who performed the spell, but she did not know. Her response still confirmed his suspicions because Lucius had apparently told her he was going to cause a distraction. Laris did not put it past the boy to have done such a thing. After the duel against his son, he realized that something was not right with the boy. He was too ustomed to killing. It was fortunate that he did not seem to relish in it, but he had long since epted the idea of causing death. Though, themander started to wonder if the sheerck of emotion rting to killing was worse than relishing in it. At least if someone enjoyed killing, you could expect that from them. For someone like that boy it was harder to predict when he would resort to such action. Granted, it was a war, so turning that mindset on the enemy was useful, the thing was, his attack hurt friend and foe alike. The staggering number of losses currently staring Commander Laris in the face numbered in the hundreds. It was hard to say how many were caused by the boy''s spell. They could have taken the time to locate corpses without any damage save the burns from the Thunder spell, but even that would not be an urate tally. The estimates for Alorek''s losses in that incident were almost double but it was not worth the cost. Laris sighed as he wrote up his report and sent it to the general he reported to. All the generals were normal humans, so none of them had left to join the front yet, but Laris did his best to keep his direct superior informed of all things. No doubt that upon receipt of this information, they would order his execution. Even though the humans did not care for Marked Ones as more than fodder, the fact that there was a warrior with such power that they likely could not control was not something they would deem as eptable. Once he had detailed the entirety of the battle, he made sure to include all the details he knew of the boy and then included a copy of the reports he had read. Waiting outside of his office was a guard assigned to follow him. "Take this to themunication post. Have a messenger hawk deliver this directly to Lord Richard von Petra. It contains information he absolutely must receive." Laris ordered. The guard snapped to attention and left to carry out his orders. The oldmander sighed again and went to go check on today''s batch of recruits. By this point their numbers were starting to dwindle day by day. He did not know how much longer they would have to hold out before the regr forces arrive, but they would have to do their best. Even though they were treated like garbage, the human kingdoms were still their home. If they stepped aside and let Alorek advance, their homes would be razed to the ground. It was not like they would receive better treatment under the rule of the Alorek king. If anything, that kind of future would be much, much worse. Once again, he found himself outside of the medical tent. There was no one impressive in today''s batch, so he was content to simply walk past the staging area without paying too much extra attention. Inside the medical tent, his son wasying in a bed surrounded by guards. They were stationed there to keep anyone from disturbing Laris'' son. After the duel with Lucius, he had been emotionally scarred. Losing so soundly was hard on his warrior''s pride, especially since it was his first loss in general. It was also such an overwhelming defeat it was no doubt that his dear son was in such a state. Even though his physical wounds have long since healed, the trauma kept the boy in bed, refusing to move. Any other soldier would have been tossed on the battlefield and told to fight and survive or cower and die, but he would not do that to his own son. "You''ll get your''s Lucius. I am sure that your sins will follow you to the depths of hell where you belong." Laris growled, looking at the whimpering form of his precious son. "Count the days, boy." Richard von Petra was an extremely honorable man and he would not stand for the atrocity Luciusmitted. He may not care much for the Marked Ones on an individual level, but to kill one''s allies was one of the greatest attrocities a warrior couldmit. One thing Laris wanted now, that he knew he could not have, was the opportunity to be the one to present that boy''s head on a spike. He vowed that whoever would be assigned to do the deed would be given every resource he had. Everything and everyone in Watcher''s Retreat would be at their beck and call. Chapter 107: Fated Meeting "Lucius, can we talk about this?" Mia was absolutely exasperated. They had been behind enemy lines for almost two weeks now and had taken on a handful of caravans. Most of them had deliveries of weapons and armor, but this current one seemed to be food and water. Instead of being manned by groups of soldiers, the escorts of this one were clearly civilians. The head of the group was currently on his knees in front of their scout with a machete pressed against the man''s neck. "Lucius, they are civilians. We just burn the carts and leave." Renton agreed. He tried to step up, but was cautious. He was worried that one sudden move might set the boy off. "No one is a civilian in war." Lucius growled. "Come on, they have no weapons, no guards, no will to fight, step back Lucius." Mia said quietly. She watched the boy''s bodynguage and it showed no sign of him relenting. However, she noticed his eyes flick off to the distance. "Be ready." He said with in a low tone. The caravan leader sighed in relief as Lucius pulled his weapon away from his neck. A secondter he leaped backwards and brought his machete into a defensive position in front of his chest. At that same instant, a golden blur collided with him and they rocketed backwards into the sand. Quickly following suit, three more blurs suddenly appeared from across the horizon as the bared down on their location. From what Mia could tell, they were also beastmen, and they all seemed to share simr qualities, having wolf-like ears and tails. Renton and Mia intercepted the attacks of the other two, while Marie and Lynn moved to secure the wagons and make sure the civilians did not try to escape with the supplies while they were distracted. "Who are you?" one of the beastmen shouted. "I could ask the same of you!" Mia roared as she pushed the warrior away. Close quartersb was not her specialty and they were basically surrounded by desert sand with no cover, so her usual tactic of disengage and disappear would not work. Thankfully, her decision to disengage gave her a moment of rity to process the situation. In that extra moment, she looked at the breastte of the enemy''s armor. On it was the symbol of a roaring bear. "Wait! You are Eroans? Look! We are humans!" Mia shouted out. Both of the warriors facing off against them stopped in their tracks immediately. They scanned the faces of the people present carefully and were able to discern that they were telling the truth. Granted it was not hard to tell, since theycked ears, tails, or scales. "But the boy with you he smelled Shit!" one of the Eroans shouted. "We have to stop Kalliope! Stay here!" Just as he was about to run off, a massive shower of sand rained over them, temporarily blocking out the sun. It filled Mia''s mouth and eyes and she shielded her face as best she could, using her cloak. When she finally felt the sand stop raining on her, she nced up and saw arge divot in the sand dune near them. Laying inside it on their back was a beastman girl with blonde hair, wolf ears, and a bushy tail. On top of her with his hand around her throat was Mia''s ck sheep. "Lucius! Stop they are Eroans! Our allies!" "Lucius?" one of the warriors blurted out. "So that''s him?" "You know of him?" Renton asked. Mia was not paying attention to the conversation because she was worried that the boy was going to kill that girl. However, just as she thought hope was lost, he let go of the beastman''s throat and began to walk over to them. Mia had no idea what happened over the sand dune, but Lucius clearly won, though not without cost. He seemed to have several scratches on his face and armor and there were definitely more than a few red marks that would probably turn into bruises. The wolf-girl, Kalliope, stood up and was coughing while gently rubbing her neck. She also was covered in a few scrapes and cuts, but otherwise none the worse for wear. "Thank you for listening this time" Mia said. ****** Kalliope and her two team members had been scouring the desert territories of Alorek for about a week after she was given the order by her Kalivas to do so. In that time they had only run into a few supply groups. Of the ones they ran into, most had recovered from attacks by other people. It had seemed that the human forces had been doing their best to participate in the joint mission to disrupt the enemy''s stocks of goods and necessities. They ran into a few of the human groups, though they did not appear to be faring all that well. From what Kalliope could tell, they were very poorly trained, if at all. Their armor was basically pped together. Their movements were sloppy, cohesion was basically zero, and it made her wonder how they managed to survive as long as they did. The only thing they all had inmon was the fact that they appeared to be Marked Ones. That was when it hit her. In every country, Marked Ones are looked down upon due to the demon blood in their veins that cursed them with the marks. However, things were worse in human territories than beastman ones. While both groups forced Marked Ones into service, beastmen at least provided proper support and training to them as soldiers. A few special Marked Ones were granted additional leave, like Kalivas, who was basically treated like a hero thanks to his prowess. Beastmen respected the strong, no matter their origin. And while being a Marked One made things a lot harder, it did not make them impossible. This was different for humans, where being marked was a life sentence to a sub-par existence. However, none of these things mattered at the moment as Kalliope was flying forward with every ounce of her strength towards this new supply group. It was manned by simple civilians, yet the attackers currently confronting them were about to murder innocents. Her target was a ck-haired boy who looked prepared to take the head of a man groveling on his knees. Unfortunately, the boy saw hering somehow and managed to block her strike. He had jumped into the air and allowed himself to be forced back by the impact of her attack. They continued to fly backwards through the air before skidding to a stop on the other side of a sand dune. Her men were following behind her but they stopped to confront the others that appeared too be on the boy''s side. The facial expression on this person before her shocked her. It was devoid of emotion. There was no sign of anger, frustration, confidence, anxiety simply nothing. She could not help but produce a low growling sound from her throat as she felt her body strengthen itself as she initiated a shift into her more bestial form. Fur grew along her legs and arms, her teeth became sharper, her senses improved, and her muscles rippled. She could not maintain a shifted form for a very long time, but she assumed it would be enough to fight the boy off. "[Lux: Enhance Strength], [Lux: Enhance Speed]" Kalliope had no talent for healing spells, but she could use enhancements spells from the Light Magic she waspatible with. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge], [Celestia''s Grace: Heavenly de]" A strange aura burst from the boy. Magical lightning danced formed at his feet, wrapping itself around his body like a thousand snakes wrapping around their prey. His weapon began to glow with a pale light as it became coated with some sort of unknown energy. The heavy feeling pouring off of him felt simr to when she saw Kalivas use his mark, which was something he did not do very often. She also recognized the feeling of mana weaving throughout the boy''s body. "Mana Maniption but it''s slightly different" She mumbled. Kalliope blinked and her opponent was gone. When she blinked a second time, he reappeared right in front of her, with a glowing weapon narrowly missing a sh at her neck. If she had not used her enhancement spells and shifting to speed up her movement and reaction time, then her head would be rolling in the dust. Chapter 108: Clash Between Allies The onught of attacks pushed her back at first, but she managed to begin to hold her ground. At first, the speed and force surprised her, but after gathering her wits, she realized that speed was the main problem. The actual impact of the hits was rough, but not difficult to manage. She was at the high end of the spectrum for Intermediate Rank and was pushing at the door to a breakthrough. Whatever rank this boy was, it was enough to hold her off, but she could still win, as long as she kept her guard up. It was not impossible for her to still lose if she faltered. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]!" Mana wrapped around her de as she made a powerful downward sh. The attack missed it''s target, but the force of the blow sent a wave of sand off into the distance. This closed off one area of attack since it was likely the enemy would avoid the cloud she had made, meaning she only had to defend three sides instead of four. "[Sword Arts: Grand sh]" This attack would send out a de of energy that matched the shape of her swing. There was no set target for her, but the arc of the swing would cover two more of the three sides, meaning the boy only had one more ce to attack from. However, when she turned to defend that space, no one was there. Her wolf ears twitched as she heard the whizzing of a de cutting through air. Kalliope only just managed to bring her sword up to deflect the attack, but the impact was stronger than expected. She rolled backward in the sand beforeing back to a standing position. "[Beast Arts: Predator''s Presence]" Mana projected the sensation of a predator bearing down on the boy from behind him. It was a skill meant to momentarily distract someone to create an opening. The only thing the Art did was bring a slight grin to the opponent''s face. "[Forsaken Arts: Weapon Breaker]" "Shit! Forsaken Ar" Before Kalliope could finish her sentence, the boyunched at her again. She had no need to block his blows because he seemed to be purposefully targeting the sword in her hand. It was all she could do to keep it from being knocked out of her grasp. In that moment, she had an idea. On the fifth swing from the boy, she let go of her grip. The suddenck of resistance through the enemy off his rhythm. Kalliope used this opportunity to reach for one of her hidden daggers. "[Dagger Arts: Pierce]!" A mana infused dagger flew from her hand at the boy''s head. He only barely managed to dodge the attack, having the weapon only graze his cheek, leaving behind arge cut. "[Shield Arts: Double Bash]" Not leaving the opening unexploited, Kalliope pressed her slight advantage and mmed into the enemy with the full force of her Shield Arts. He was staggered backwards as he was struck by a wave of mana in the shape of her shield, then a second time by her actual shield. He looked upwards with fury in his eyes. "[Forsaken Arts: Sand Veil]" She barely noticed his sword as it shed into the sand, spraying it everywhere. Instead of following a natural path, the sand seemed to instead target Kalliope''s eyes, ears, and mouth, drowning out her senses. She began to panic as she struggled to breathe. Suddenly, she felt a hand grab around her throat, and the sensation of standing on the ground soon turned into a feeling of weightlessness. A momentter, thest of the air in her lungs escaped as she mmed t onto her back. "Lucius!" She only barely registered that someone had called out the name of the boy she was supposed to look for. The boy who was now on top of her with his hand firmly pinning her in ce red at her with glowing, cat-like eyes. He had four sharpened canines and an extra set of fangs. Just like the reports said, he was a half-blood. Lucius released his grip on her and began to walk away. Kalliopey there for a moment before bringing herself to her feet with a heavy series of coughs. She touched her throat lightly and winced at the pain. "That''s going to leave a mark." "[Tempestas: Lightning Bolt]" The boy that was walking away from her casually flicked his wrist and sent a spell towards the gathering of wagons. All of the people that were in them seemed to have been gathered near her and Lucius'' allies. Still, the wagons and their supplies went up in mes and the sand underneath seemed to turn to ss. From what Kalliope knew, Lightning Bolt was a much less powerful version of Lightning Strike. Thetter could only be used outside because it the attack came from the sky, where the former could be shot out of someone''s hand. The n was to destroy the supplies anyway, so it wasn''t like he did anything bad by taking that action. Something about it still irritated her though. Maybe it was the switch from the anger he had in thest part of the battle to a calm demeanor again? Kalliope had no idea. "So, what will we do with them?" a woman wearing a dark cloak asked. Kalliope found it odd she was wearing dark clothing in the desert, but it was far from her ce to judge these humans. Of the other units they had run into, a simple nce alone was enough to determine that they were much more skilled at working together. Though they shared the same feature as the other humans they ran into, they were all Marked Ones. There was the cloaked one, a monk, a warrior, a mage, and then the boy, Lucius. The supply group coward behind the humans in some sort of weak effort to get away from Lucius, which Kalliope found odd. Something else she found odd was the presence that Lucius gave off. There was something strangely familiar about him. No matter how she racked her brain, nothing seemed to click. Where is this feelinging from "Kalliope, was it?" The cloaked woman approached her. "My name is Mia, and this is my unit. Thank you for cooperating with ending the altercation." "It''s no matter. I was told explicitly to get along with that boy with you." She answered. Mia raised an eyebrow. "With Lucius? How do you know about him?" "Your leadership warned us about him. I don''t expect your return home to be a positive experience for him." Kalliope said. "However, mymander at Fort Se ordered me to work with you if we found you. So, shall we continue hunting down these caravans?" "I don''t see the problem with that at all." Mia answered with a smile. "Having more beastmen on our side will help us ambush with more efficiency. We have been relying mostly on him, so the more the merrier." "Sounds like a deal. One thing I will ask. Mymander wants to meet him. So, if when our mission ends, or if we end up within a reasonable distance of the Eroan border, we will detour to Fort Se." Kalliope requested. Mia nodded in agreement. It seemed they were in agreement. The entire time, Kalliope kept sneaking nces at Lucius, but was unable to discern anything. His attention was simply focused on the horizon as if he was looking for something. She reached her own senses out to see if she could pick anything up, but she felt nothing. After a quick conversation, they agreed to release the civilians and allow them to run free. If they survived the desert, then they kept their lives, if not well natural selection took its ce. Lucius voted to simply kill them, but everyone dissented arguing that they should at least have a chance. He eventually relented and the argument was settled. When night fell on thendscape, the heat changed to a deep chill that seeped into the bones. Everyone had prepared for such temperature differences and had a plentiful supply of gear to keep them warm at night. There was no shrubbery nearby to use as kindling for a fire, but lighting one would be a bad idea anyway. Since there was not much out here, it would immediately reveal their positions to monsters and enemies alike. They could run into another allied unit, but that was far less likely than simply exposing themselves to the enemy. Kalliope''s rest that night was restless as she kept one eye open. She had no qualms with the humans, but Lucius was not someone she trusted. He caught her careful nces at him and met them with a sly smile, however he did not say anything. "What a strange and terrifying boy." Chapter 109: Correcting Mistakes Two dozen men and women in both armor and fancy outfits bickered with one another around a long, rectangr table. At the head of the table was an empty seat, though that empty seat was nked by two guards. Everyone in the room fell into silence as the person that chair was waiting for arrived. As he approached his ce everyone stood out of respect. The man was King Aleksander of Arcadios. Also present at the table were the other leaders of the Five Kings Union as well as their greatest generals. The topic of discussion today was regarding troop movements. "Nice of you to finally join us, Aleksander." A seductive voice cooed. It came from Lady Voltara al Famyn. Richard was not a fan of her, seeing her as a dishonorable seductress who slept and stabbed her way to the top. Though he held that opinion of most of the nobility of the Wisteria Concord. "Yes, I have. I hear the vanguard forces at Watcher''s Retreat are faring poorly?" Aleksander stated. "That is correct, my liege." Richard interrupted. It was rude to interject into the conversation, but as one of the highest-ranking nobles in the kingdom, and the general overseeing the forces installed at Watcher''s Retreat, he wanted to get the meeting moving quickly. Besides, he had information to share. "Richard, you have information for us I take it? Normally, while blunt, you do not act so rashly without cause." Lady al Famyn said with a sly smile. "I received a letter recently from Commander Laris detailing a recent skirmish." He said, ignoring Voltara''s gaze. "Welle, spit it out. What information do you have for us?" The king of Docia demanded. His name was Martin Docia and he was known for being impatientas well as his ugly, rat-like face. "In a recent battle, our forces suffered massive casualties numbering just under two thousand after all losses were tallied. In that same battle, Alorek was assumed to have lost almost twice that number." "That is good news, is it not?" King Aleksander asked. Richard shook his head. "Normally, yes. However, the cause for concern is that it is estimated that just about a third of those losses, were the cause of a single person." "A single soldier wiped out that many Alorek warriors? That is good news!" King Docia shouted out with a massive grin. "No. It is not." Richard countered. He knew the look on his face was rather grim. "That individual is assumed to be responsible for about a third of all losses. Both allied and enemy." The room erupted in gasps and shouts. To think that a single person was responsible for so many deaths, let alone friend and foe alike. They could notprehend the ability to do something like that. "How? How was one individual able to do that?" Lady al Famyn nervously asked. "Luck and timing mostly. But we should not discount their power." Richard went on to exin the details that Laris had included for him. The other generals and leaders of the Union listened with rapt attention, as though they hung on his every word. Many of those in attendance had dark expressions of fear, anxiety, and general concern. Though the person was not inherently powerful alone, the situation in which they were able to amplify their magic due to the circumstances of the battlefield was concerning. "What is the identity of this individual?" Aleksander asked in an icy tone. Richard sighed and looked over to his brother, Thomas'' father, Andre von Petra. Andre had a sly smile on his face and gestured for him to continue. Richard nodded in understanding. "It was a Marked One from my domain. He was formerly employed by my house as the bodyguard to my daughter, Rena." He said to a room filled with quiet. "He possesses the Forsaken Arts, Thunder Magic, and has an Unknown, Lethal-Grade mark." "This boy was in the service of your house? Yet you do not know his mark?" King Docia questioned. "Correct. I spoke with the Adventurer''s Guild and it was allegedly reported to them that he had discovered his mark''s abilities. However, the receptionist who tested him, as well as those present during his testing, all report having no memory of his abilities." Richard answered honestly. It was true. While Rena and the boy were running around the countryside doing quests, he kept tabs on them through contacts in the guild. He found out that Lucius registered his mark, but for some reason everyone involved either disappeared, or forgot that it happened in the first ce. "What is the boy''s name?" "Lucius. He was the adoptive son of the former captain of my guard and a maid of my household. When he left for battle, he wasst recorded as a Novice Rank. However, he is likely stronger than that now. Also" "Also what, Richard?" Aleksander pressed. "He can use Mana Maniption. He was educated along with my daughter by Lord Carmichael." Some of the faces in the room turned even darker. People with the ability to use Mana Maniption were rare, and dangerous. What made them even more dangerous is they might eventually break into Channeling, which opened the possibility of silent casting of magic. "Well, what do you have nned to deal with this?" King Docia demanded. His statement was met with a few hearty shouts of agreement. "I have hired a special assassin, with the help of Andre. He and Thomas have had dealings with this individual a few times in the past, for reasons I will pretend to not know." He informed them. "Will it work?" "Yes, the assassin and their group on their way to the battlefield now. Currently Lucius is behind enemy lines disrupting their supply lines. So, for the moment, he is rtively harmless." There were some murmurs of agreement and nodding heads from the other members. Finally, King Aleksander spoke. "Thank you for the report, Richard. We appreciate your cooperation, and your expediency in solving the matter. For that, as well as to not disgrace you further than your daughter already has. Your punishment provided by the gods is sufficient." The king''s statement inspired a few chuckles from some of those who disliked him, but that did not bother Richard. He knew that it would get out no matter what. Andre would have seen to that. On top of that, he has been made aware of Rena''s antics at the Academy. At this point there was little to do. So he simply bowed his head. "Thank you for your mercy, my liege." Aleksander nodded. "Now, onto troop movements." Chapter 110: Mobilization Commander Arturo walked swiftly through the halls of the castle, his footsteps and the clinking of his armor were the only sounds he made. His eyes shined with determination as he made his way to the barracks where his personal forces slept and trained. After the meeting was over, it was determined that Arturo and his forces would be mobilized alongside the Petra forces simultaneously to reinforce Watcher''s Retreat first. After that, Docia would send in its forces. Wisteria had already ordered its standard troops to mobilize before they held the meeting. After Docia''s arrival to the field, Paede and Keinydd would remain on standby waiting for providing additional reinforcements, or until the Union made arge push. Granted these ns included simply the first fewpanies of soldiers. There was still no massive mobilization of the five human kingdoms'' full military. However, each nation did move the bulk of their armies to the furthest edges of their own borders to ensure rapid mobilization. Only Wisteria held back because then they would have ced their entire army on the field of battle and that would put an unnecessary amount of strain on one single nation. Since the entirety of the Union were under attack, the different nations needed to equally participate. As Arturo approached the barracks, he heard the rhythmic sound of steel shing against steel. Currently his troops were running through their basic drills and exercises. Knowing this, he could not help but have a smile on his face. His men always made him proud with their firm resolve to train on a daily basis. The moment he made his presence known in the training grounds, everyone immediately stopped and snapped to attention with firm salutes. ""Sir!"" "At ease men!" Arturo barked out. "Ready yourselves and rest for the day. Tomorrow at first light we march to Watcher''s Retreat to reinforce those sorry excuses for an army made of Marked Ones! They softened the target for us, so let us advance and show them how its done! "We will take the fight to Alorek, regain ournds, and put those filthy sand-loving beastmen back in their ce: Under the thumb of the Five Kings Union!" His rousing speech was followed by roaring cheers from his men. Arturo gazed at his soldiers with pride, satisfied with how well they have adapted to his harsh regimen. There was no doubt in his mind that this war would be long, difficult, and deadly. Many of these faces greeting him with smiles and cheers would vanish from the world, but they would do so with honor. Arturo then dismissed them to gather their things, write letters to loved ones, and rest before beginning their march the next day. He turned around and saw a noble, red-headed man looking at him. "Lord Petra." "Commander Arturo." "Do you really think those assassins will be enough to correct your mistake? If he had the ability to kill that many people on that scale, what good will a few assassins be?" Arturo did not measure his tone. He allowed every ounce of vitriol to seep from his words. "You are right that it presents a risk. However, one thing I know, is that if he survives that and somehow returns to our kingdom, he will seek out my daughter at the academy. We can strike then, should all else fail." Richard said. The man then gave him an description of the boy per hisst known appearance. While his physical description could change somewhat from the field of battle, the dead giveaway would be his strange eyes. "Look for those eyes, Arturo, and you will find him. I will not get in the way of anyone who wishes to end that boy. The promise I made to his father has long since run its course, so please, disseminate this information to your men. The bounty I set for the assassins will be given to any person who brings me his head." Arturo eyed the nobleman closely. It truly appeared as though Richard wanted this boy dead. "What of your daughter? Given what information you shared today, there is little doubt that this is the same Marked One that seduced her. What will you do if she finds out about this?" Richard answered quickly, and without hesitation. "Her opinion does not matter. She made her choice in regards to the family already. These are consequences she created for herself, now she must pay for them." Arturoughed, and then waved the nobleman away. They were to be travelingpanions on the way to Watcher''s Retreat. Petra had brought his forces with him and they were currently camped outside of the capital awaiting orders from their lord. Though he knew that he would feel the same way given the situation, Arturo could not help but feel a little sorry for the girl that Lord Petra called his daughter. Many fathers liked to spoil their daughters, especially so when they were their only child. However, it seemed that was not the case for such a staunch and resolute man as Richard von Petra. He was well known for putting honor and duty above all else, even his own family and friends. For him, duty to the kingdom came first. It was something Arturo respected, but that did not make him like the man any more. An ass was still an ass, even if he has a reason. By the time light peaked over the horizon the next morning, the troops were already on the move. With Arturo and Petra''s forcesbined, they numbered nearly fifteen thousand men. Five thousand belonged to him, while the rest served Lord Petra. He found himself excited to finally see the fighting prowess of the infamous Petra domain. Every single soldier in this formation experienced untold horrors and hardships beginning from a young age to be epted where they were. Petra epted no weakness among its troops. Arturo could see it on their faces. They were already battle hardened and prepared for death and blood. It was impressive and slightly terrifying in a way. Though the biggest emotion Arturo felt for the battles ahead, was excitement. Chapter 111: Ruined Plans "Lord Zethis! Lord Zethis!" The king, who was swiftly walking through the halls of his pce, turned around and closed his hands around the throat of the messenger who interrupted him. There was a sudden cracking sound as he then pinned the messenger against the wall. "What is it?" He growled at the man. Zethis'' eyes shed and fur began to grow along his arms, neck, and face. His muscles rippled. Out of rage, Zethis identally shifted to his more bestial form. The hair on his neck grew into a massive mane, showing off his bloodline of a lion. Sweat dripped from the messenger in response to the aura of fear his king exuded. "Speak." "My king, our supply groups areing under attack. Over thest month we have lost contact with at least two dozen different supply groups." "And the depot at Alvora?" Alvora was the city that they had reced the citizenry with military personnel. It became the residence for additional reinforcements, acted as a rear guard, and was the central supply depot for both the Eroan and Union fronts. Alvora was the key to their war efforts and without it, the war would fail. Their entire offensive was pinned on Alvora being a supply depot. There should be enough supplies to wage war for nearly a decade before needing to reinforce it. If Alvora fell, Alorek would have no choice but to concede defeat. There was no worry about a counter offensive, since neither Eroa nor the human kingdoms wanted anything to do with their kingdom''snd. Zethis spit in frustration. "Send word to the garrisons. Reinforce the city with as many Master Rank and Advance Rank soldiers as we can summon. Also, from now on, deliveries ur without a minimum of four Advance Ranks. Go." He threw the servant to the ground whonded with a loud thud and let out a sharp yelp. The servant rapidly stood up and limped away at a speed that impressed even the king. Zethis was furious at the whole situation. The war was not supposed to start when it did. Thanks to the early start, the dungeon raids in the human kingdoms, particrly the Grand Raid in Arcadios did not ur and his distraction was unable to bear fruit. Before being interrupted by more bad news, he was on his way to find out why. The formermander over his forces at the border was currently imprisoned in the pce under charges of treason for initiating an assault early. The fool''s actions might very well cost Alorek the war. There was still a chance, so Zethis would not back down, but if the odds were slim to achieve anything other than a stalemate. He would be yet another foolish king who bit off more than he could chew. Sounds of screaming and yelping tickled his ears as he came closer to the dungeons. They were dark, damp, and smelled of blood, sweat, and other unspeakable bodily secretions. At the far end of the rows of cells was the source of the cries. Inside this particr cage was a female beastwoman of reptilian descent. Instead of ears, she possessed a row of sharp teeth in her mouth and a forked tongue. However, she did have a tail like most other species did. Every time her prison guard struck her with the whip in his hand, she would cry out in pain and blood would spray on the wall behind her. "My, my, my" Zethis announced his presence in a hushed voice. The prison guard bowed and stepped to the side, ceasing his charge''s punishment. "General Elzha taking time getting to know the other residents of your new home I see?" Her pink eyes, with reptilian slits glowered at him in defiance. "Zethis, the pretender." Elzha screamed as her words earned her another strike from the guard. Zethis held his hand to have the man refrain from continuing. "Heh how merciless a king you are." Elzha choked out. "What do you want my liege?" Thest two words dripped out of her mouth like a poison. It was clear she held no respect for her lord that stood before her. Zethis was surprised, though it did not show on his face. Before now, General Elzha was a fiercely loyal servant to the throne. Many times, Zethis had met with her and he truly respected her ingenuity and battle prowess. Never before had she given any indication of defiance to him, or the kingdom. Even if she hated him as a person, she would never be so reckless as to endanger the very kingdom out of her petty dislike of him. "I only wish to know why. Tell me why and your death will be swift." "Death death means nothing! Fast or slow, in the end it is the same. Today or tomorrow, in the end it is the same. You, me, or the kingdom in the end it is all the same." The once proud general began cackling on the ground. Tears fell from her eyes as theughter became louder and more maddening. Not many things scared him as a proud and powerful warrior, but this scene definitely unnerved him. "Oh, Mighty King Zethis Alorek will not fall. Eroa will not fall the human kingdoms will not fall" "That''s good." Elzha beganughing again before a tiny cracking sound echoed out of her mouth. Zethis immediately recognized it as the cracking of a tooth. He and the guard attempted to rush the prisoner before she could swallow the poison, but they were toote. Elzha''s eyes turned milky-white and foam began to pool at the corners of her mouth. She copsed on the ground and began to spasm uncontrobly. By the time her body settled, she moaned out herst words, "worldrejectsgods and betrayers beasts devour allshe showed me the Throne of Creation." It was a horrible way to die, though Zethis found himself realizing she deserved it, he could not help but shudder at what he had just witnessed. He quickly turned around and left the dungeon. He needed to get to the council chambers immediately. It did not matter how long it took or what it took, he needed to find the name of every ''she'' that interacted with Elzha from the time of her assignment to her imprisonment. "Gods, beasts, world, and devouring ramblings of a lunatic in the throes of death. No more, no less." Zethis mumbled, trying in vain tofort his own unease. Chapter 112: Assassins Ever since birth, Andre has yed second fiddle to his eldest brother. All that could ever be heard in his home was ''Can you believe Richard did..'', ''Richard was able to'', ''Why can''t our other sons be more like Richard'' Everything in his parents'' pathetic lives revolved around his elder brother. The perfect warrior, the perfect strategist, the perfect student, the perfect man the perfect son. Oh, how he would have loved to see the horror on their parents'' faces to know that their ''perfect'' child could only sire a daughter. Not only that, but the daughter he created opened her legs for a filthy Marked One It brought Andre great joy to see his perfect brother be brought so very low and by the same child he graciously spared at the cost of a retainer''s simple life. Revenge tasted sweet after all. But this was not the end, no Andre had more he wanted. More he needed. Under no circumstance would he be able to take over the mantle of the house, but his son Thomas could. Thanks to Richard''s little slut, the path was clear but it still was not enough. Richard needed to be brought lower and lower. It would not be enough until the great leader of House Petra was nothing more than a shell, a husk of his former self. The one thing he held dearer than any other, was his honor and loyalty to the kingdom. Nothing could strip his loyalty, but his honor and reputation could be shattered. Andre had rmended the assassin group to hunt down the boy to Richard. They were rather infamous amongst the more unscrupulous nobles for being efficient and ruthless. He had them in his employ for quite some time and simply loaned their services to his brother in a time of need. The leader of the group was a Runner. A Marked One that avoided military drafts. She was swift, ruthless and a master of infiltration. Her twopanions were dangerous as well, the perfect supporters for the assassin leader. When he first met the elven woman, he was terrified of her. She had jet ck hair and amber eyes with a slightly red hue. Her very presence threatened him, even though she had been so rxed. At any moment she could have taken Andre''s life and they both knew it. She asked him for the details of the job and instantly informed him that it would not be a problem. The price was much less than expected and that surprised him, but Andre would not look a gift horse in the mouth. That was several months ago, and when he met with the assassin again to discuss them helping Richard, she readily agreed to that as well. Though she demanded that the contract with Richard be done directly and alone. Andre had no concern with that, though he would not have voiced something so rash in front of her. Now that they were on the march to Watcher''s Retreat, Andre spent more and more time with the elf and her party. None of them spoke much and that was very unsettling. However, Andre found himselfpletely distracted after a few days of marching by staring at his brother''s back and imagining all the ways he was going to make him fall. The rage nearly consumed him and only grew the longer he stayed on the march. At times he was tempted to simply ask the assassin to just kill Richard, but they would have refused since it would void the contract they had with the lord. Even though they were murderers for hire, they at least had some honor. Days and weeks passed by slowly as they marched from before dawn until dusk, hurrying to reinforce the front lines and hopefully push Alorek back. Loathe though he was to admit, it was good this battle would have Richard for it. Andre was not a tactician, so he would get the use he could while he had the time. "Hey, porky." One of the assassin''s henchmen, a human wielding a bow, called out to him. He had gotten ustomed to the rude behavior and let it go. "Why do you guys want this kid dead so bad?" "I don''t really care whether he lives or dies. Honestly a live would be better because it would give him more opportunities to besmirch Richard''s name Hell! If the boy asked me, I''d lock him in a room with my niece and let them go to town! Ha!" Andre noticed the archer mimic a gagging motion. "You nobles are gross. But hey, money is money. I was just curious if the boy was a big shot or something." He couldn''t help but snort. "Hardly. He''s amoner, adopted by othermoners, and is a Marked One need I say more?" "Watch what you say, the boss is liable to hear you and I ain''t too sure she will take a liking to you insulting marks and whatnot." Andre began to say something, but he felt his blood turn to ice as he felt something sharp and cold against the back of his neck. Someone clicked their tongue before a voice as sweet as honey, but as deadly as venom, spoke, "My dear Andre, please say it isn''t so! Don''t think highly of us Marked Ones?" "No! no no, I could never think of YOU that way, madam." "Aw how sweet! You are too kind." The woman''s de slowly traced its way around the side of his neck before resting under his chin. He felt the t of the de force his chin and face upwards so he met the gorgeous assassin in the eyes. They glowed in the darkness like Elves and Beastmen eyes typically do. There was a sense of excitement behind them due to them being only one more day''s travel from their destination. Slowly, she smiled and removed her dagger from his throat. He finally felt able to breathe again and took in a big breath of fresh air. "Once we reach the fort, make contact with the Commander of the Marked Ones Laris or LarryLeroy something like that." Andre advised, subconsciously rubbing his neck. "Of course! The man with the supplies. I hear we can have anything we need." The smile on her face was seductive, yet terrifying and made Andre gulp despite himself. Chapter 113: The Ambush [Part 1] Lucius peeked out of from the sand that was covering him. Several dozen feet behind him, the rest of their task group were also hidden in the sand. It was the only surefire way to hide from the noses of beastmen. Alternative ways of inhibiting their senses would also negatively affect Lucius and their threerades from Eroa. If it didn''t also risk affecting himself, Lucius would have simply done unleashed a vile concoction they carried that was made from a blend of rotten fruit and Swamp Rat meat. Hey there under a pile of sand for several hours, unmoving and waiting for their prey. A group of wagons was scheduled toe through the small valley a little further from their position and the easiest path to it was through this t area they hid themselves in. When the wagons began to approach, Lucius took count of the visible personnel. There appeared to be about fifteen warriors. Each of the five wagons were being manned by people in in clothes, but they did not seem to be true civilians, rather soldiers trying to hide what they were from onlookers. The sight put a slight grin on his face. It seemed they were finally adapting to their attacks over thest few weeks. Supply groups were fewer and less frequent, but they brought with themrger groups of guards. This one in particr smelled like a trap, but in his mind, the best way to handle a trap was to trigger it under his own circumstances. Soon, the caravan came within range. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]!" Sand sprayed everwhere as the young man seemed to appear out of nowhere. The guards were mostly unable to react from the sudden movement. Those that did react, still weren''t fast enough to track Lucius'' speed. "[Forsaken Arts: Sand Veil]!" Using his Arts in concert with the massive amount of sand being spewed into the air by his spell, the sand became imbued with mana and began to attach itself to the caravan. From a distance, it looked like there was an isted sand storm that had swallowed up the wagons and soldiers guarding it. "Now!" Kalliope''s voice echoed across the battlefield and a series of arrows sailed through the air at the caravan. Several soldiers yelped as their arms and torsos turned into pincushions. "[mma: Wall of Fire]!" Marie cast a spell that formed a massive wall of mes in a partial arc behind the wagons, cutting off anyone''s ability to escape without first confronting their ambushers. "[Spear Arts: Whirlwind Strike]!" A massive gust of wind filled the space, tossing away the sand around the caravan and dissipating Lucius'' Sand Veil. Despite standing in the middle of a scorching desert, the wind bit like it came straight from the coldest day of winter. Lucius'' eyes widened. "Enchanted spearand that man is a Master Rank." Suddenly his excitement and confidence began to waver. Lucius could punch above his weight ss and take on Intermediate Ranks and even some Advance Ranks, Master was beyond his abilities. Quickly looking around, he caught a glimpse of a dusty, sand colored cloak ripple a little in the distance. It looked like Mia was going to make a move, so all they had to do was fight and distract the Spearman. Of those present, Mia and her party were all Advance Ranks, and if given the opportunity, Mia would be able end the Master Ranker''s life. Kalliope, Renton, and Lynn rushed towards the battlefield. Marie and Kalliope''spatriots stayed away from the center of the fighting using long distance attacks. Marie also maintained concentration on the Wall of Fire. "Cover!" Lucius shouted quickly as he ran up to the guards. He shed one who was closest to give him some space, sending a spurt of blood into the air. Lucius then stabbed the de into the man''s chest to both finish him off and have someone hold his weapon for a moment. "[Tempestas: Thunderp]!" Electricity whirled around his legs before traveling up his body, then down his arms before concentrating in the palm of his hand. Using the spell was risky for him because of his own ears, but he had practiced a little regarding the directionality of the spell. Lucius brought the two balls of energized mana in his palms together in a pping motion. Instantly it was as though the sound was amplified thousands of times over. A cone of force, centering on his hands exploded outwards towards the enemy, sending sand, supplies, and people flying backwards. Those that kept their footing were still not spared as they cradled the sides of their heads. Lucius smelled blood as he realized his spell worked and impaired the enemy''s hearing. He stepped back and yanked his machete free from the body at his feet and swung it downward to flick off much of the blood staining the de. It was not a permanent solution, but it created an opening for his allies to press the attack. Quickly rushing up from behind him, Renton and Marie entered the fray. While several guards were still reeling from the spell, the quickly finished them off. They were not worried about the small fries and only focused on taking out those standing between them and the Master Rank Spearman, who was also dripping blood from the ears on his animal-like ears. Lucius and Kalliope locked eyes and gave each other a nod of acknowledgement as they also resumed the battle. There were a small number of Advance Rank fighters, at least four or five, in addition to the Master. With his own skills, and their impairment, they were still difficult, but doable to fight against them. While they focused on the stronger ones, the covering team focused on their spells and arrows to take out the small fries. The onught from a distance made many of the enemy warriors tip wagons over to take cover behind. One of the Advance fighters wielded two short swords in a dual-wielding fashion. It was a fighting style that Lucius had not confronted often, but of those well-versed in it, they could be a pain in the ass to deal with. With that in mind, he chose that man first. He was about the same size as Lucius, so he did not have to worry about fighting overwhelming physical differences. Lucius swung his weapon in a low strike, aiming for the man''s leg. Metal nged as his strike was deflected upwards. Instead of losing momentum, Lucius allowed the energy to carry his de into the air. The move surprised the warrior and his eyes briefly flicked up to follow the weapon. Expecting that to be the reaction, the ck-haired teen nted a foot in the warrior''s chest and sent him tumbling backwards. As the man skid on his back a few feet, Lucius leapt into the air and came down with a two-handed strike. His hit was blocked by a pair of crossed swords. "You Won''t win this." The enemy growled. His arms were shaking from the awkward position he was in while blocking. "[Tempestas: Lightning Field]" The spell was normally a wide area attack, but he kept the magic contained to form a thin coating of lightning around his body as a pseudo-armor. It did not block any physical attacks, but the results were still rather shocking. Metal was conductive, and so were people. Once the spell was activated, the warrior beneath him began to involuntarily spasm from being shocked by the spell. It did not do enough damage to kill him outright, but it did loosen his grip enough to allow his assant to break through the block and slice deep into his neck. Lucius jumped back to avoid the arterial spray and nced around. He saw Kalliope breathing heavily with the slumped body of another of the Advance Rankersying at her feet. She had received help because he was also peppered with a few arrows. "Next." She whispered before giving Lucius a slight grin. Chapter 114: The Ambush [Part 2] Several arrows sunk into her opponent''s back in rapid session causing him to falter in his swing. Taking advantage, Kalliope bashed his chin upwards with her shield before sinking her sword into his belly. She nced over and saw Lucius crackling from a thin veil of lightning surround his body, the man on the ground in front of him was spurting blood from a gash in his neck, and Lucius was not even breaking a sweat. "Next." She whispered. She couldn''t help but smile in appreciation for her newrade''s prowess. She still could not ce what about him seemed so familiar, but even if she never found out, she wanted to keep spending time with this boy. He was a powerful warrior and that excited her. asional bursts of cold sted in her direction. Several feet away, two of the humans were trading blows with the Spearman with an enchanted weapon. It clearly had a cold enchantment, and based on it''s activation with every swing, it simply imbued his attacks with ice magic. That meant that they were safe from any hidden spells that it might have had. The dangerous thing about enchanted items is that you never knew for sure what they were enchanted with unless you made it, bought it, or fought it. In the past Kalliope had seen powerful warriors lose fights to weaklings because the weakling had an enchanted dagger that could cast a much higher rank spell. Shaking her head clear of these thoughts she turned to the next target. There were two more Advance Rank fighters on the field. Her best bet was to at least hold him off until she got support. "No" She mumbled. "If he can do it, I can too. [Lux: Enhance Speed], [Lux: Enhance Strength]!" Mana surged through her muscles and legs. Her body felt lighter, faster, and stronger. Kicking up a cloud of dust, she rushed towards a swordsman that was attempting to hound the humans from behind while they were distracted by the Spearman. The swordsman barely managed to block her strike, but the force of her impact sent them both skidding several feet. It wasn''t an impressive distance, but it was enough to stop him from breaking off and hitting her allies. "Nice hit girl, but you aren''t ready for this! [Sword Arts: Heavy sh]" Mana glowed in his de and he shed from the left, instead of the typical overhead strike that was used with the Art. Thanks to her enhanced speed, Kalliope was able to duck beneath the swing and also made an attempt to sweep the man''s feet. He jumped back out of her reach and both of them huffed with neither attacknding. He roared and charged at her, swinging from the left, then right in rapid session. Kalliope deflected blow after blow with her shield, waiting for an opening. She felt as her shield began to weaken and cursed herself for not having attempted to rece it before heading out. Though they did fight more battles than she had anticipated. "[Shield Arts: Shatter]" This skill was not one that was really rmended to be used, because it destroyed the shield being wielded as the price. Mana surged into the metal and wood, causing it to swell before it exploded into pieces, sending shrapnel straight at the enemy''s face. He cried out in pain as metal and wood shards peppered his face and chest. It was not a deadly skill, but it helped. "[Dagger Arts: Phantom de]" Kalliope swiftly followed up with a throw of one of her daggers with her left hand. Mana surrounded the weapon and suddenly four more appeared around it, looking as though she threw five daggers at once. The swordsman was unable to tell which was real and jumped far to his left, straight into the path of Kalliope''s real attack. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]!" She mimicked using the skill as a sideways sh instead of an overhand one and felt her de sink deep into the man''s side. Blood sputtered out of his lips, but he held on long enough tond a punch right in the center of Kalliope''s face. Tears filled her eyes out of reflex and her nose and lips felt wet. She instinctively staggered backward and felt as her sword was wrenched from her hand. The moment the metal was no longer in her grasp, she jumped away from the enemy so he could not immediately hit her. Unfortunately it did not work, because he had anticipated the direction she went and immediately followed up. Kalliope could only tell that he was a blur, but she could see that he was still basically on top of her. "[Beast Arts: Savage Fang]!" Instead of continuing her retreat, she unexpectedly moved closer into his range. Kalliope felt her teeth sharpen and grow as every tooth in her mouth turned into veritable daggers of their own. She sunk her teeth into the swordsman''s neck and bit before yanking her head away. Coppery wetness became the dominant sensation in her mouth aside from the dusty, grittiness of sand. She spat out the chunk of flesh she had torn away and watched as the swordsman gasped for breath through the additional hole in his neck. That particr skill was not one that beastmen liked to use because it was disgusting and dangerous, but Kalliope had no choice. Her opponent fell to the ground and twitched repeatedly while she extracted her sword which was still stuck in his side. No doubt her sword strike would have been his death, but he had enough strength to keep fighting after taking the hit to at least try and take her with him. Kalliope swiftly looked around and saw that the battlefield was still. The weaker soldiers were all dead or dying from spells and arrows, a few of well-ced shes across their necks. Lucius was standing over yet another corpse, still looking as rxed as ever. Where the Spearman was, there were two bodies. One belonged to the Spearman himself, and the other was a young woman with a sand-colored cloak draped over her. Another woman stood over the deceased one with a stone-faced expression. The warrior human had tears streaking down his face. It seemed their battle, though a sess was costly. Kalliope approached Lucius who was standing a few feet away. "Sorry for your loss. She was a strong warrior." Kalliope whispered. "Hm?" the boy looked confused. "Your friend? They died?" "Oh! That well it happens. You should never get in a fight if you don''t expect someone to die." "You are a heartless bastard aren''t you?" Kalliope locked eyes with the boy. There was no sign of guilt, remorse, or even concern. "Hm. I''ve heard simr things in the past. Kalliope, if we are to work together you should know something about me." "What''s that?" "Grief for the dead, does nothing for the living." Kalliope mulled over his words. He was cold and heartless, that much was true. She could not agree with his methods, or his wording either but he was right. This was war, and people die. If she spent every moment weeping over arade, then she would suffer unnecessarily. "The time for griefes after then." Kalliope said, thinking she realized the truth of what he was saying. "Um, sure." Chapter 115: The Ambush [Part 3] While Lucius and Kalliope took on the Advance Rank fighters, Marie and the two Eroan beastmen rained down covering fire on the remaining warriors. Most of them were Beginner and Intermediate Ranks, so they could not hold up to the strength of Marie''s spells or to too many of the arrows from the Eroans. Because of that, the covering group was able to keep the small fries off the backs of those holding off the more powerful opponents. Mia was grateful that it worked out this way and used the opportunity to shuffle among the battlefield to sneakily take out a few men herself. Her sand-colored cloak and outfit that she received as a gift from Kalliope kept made her hard to pick out in the midst of a battle, especially in concert with her stealth skills. Though there was no shade and they were under the oppressive light of the desert sun, she was still able to maintain a surprising amount of stealth without the ability to use her dark magic. She was still stuck using her daggers instead of the bow with which she was the most proficient, but this was the best n for them. Renton and Lynn traded blows with the Master Rank fighter several feet away from where Mia was currently hidden. She was awaiting an opening toe at the warrior from behind and finish him, but he was surprisingly aware of his surroundings. Fighting against the two warriors was no problem for him and the speed with which he could block their simultaneous attacks was impressive. Spear Arts was a rather rare skill that someone possessed and for someone to have taken those abilities into the Master Rank was nothing less than impressive. Renton shed at the man with his axe with repeated overhead attacks, trying to overwhelm his defenses, while Lynn continuously aimed jabs and punches at his midsection and upper legs. With expert flicks of his wrist, the Spearman would block these attacks with the body of the weapon and deflect them away from himself to give space to block the next attack. Renton and Lynn could only keep it up for so long because of the Ice Magic enchantment on the spear. Every single strike and block seemed to inflict damage and spat out a burst of cold air. These waves of Ice Magic were wearing her two allies down; Mia could see it in their faces. Still, when everything in her told her to jump in and help, she held back and waited for the opening. "[Axe Arts: Double Edge]!" Mana whirled around Renton''s axe and created a secondary cutting edge just in front of the axe itself. He swung at the enemy from the right with full force. Mia also noticed Renton''s mark sh momentarily during the strike. Renton''s mark was the Feather Mark. He could make an object temporarily a fraction of it''s normal weight and then return it to normal with a though. Using this with his massive axe allowed him to swing it with even more force, then after initiating the swing, increasing the weight of the weapon again while maintaining the same momentum. This technique was exhausting for Renton, but it resulted in massively powerful attacks many times stronger than "what he would normally be capable of. With that, plus his Double Edge, the impact was not only stronger, but would hit twice in session. Renton''s and Mia''s faces broke out in surprise after the Spearman not only took the first hit without issue, he barely reacted to the second impact either. Both blows simply nced off his spear. "Nice attempt, but weak." He taunted. "[Spear Arts: Triple Thrust]" Lynn jumped backwards to get out of the strike range and managed to avoid two rapid jabs from the spear that were both aimed at her torso. Renton cried out in pain as he took a hit to his upper arm. It was shallow, but ice began to form around the outside of the wound. He was given no room to rx as their opponent followed up with additional strikes, the first was a thrust to Renton''s head, which was easily dodged. However the follow up was a sweep of the feet with the rear of the spear. Mia watched as Renton became airborne. The Spearman continued to follow the momentum of the sweep and spun in a full circle with the spear, striking Renton in the gut with the t of the spearhead. Spittle sprayed from Renton''s mouth as reaction to the sudden impact. Mia took this opportunity to rush the man with her dagger out. Her Mark of Silence was already active, so she made no sound as she swiftly approached him from behind. Unfortunately in her haste, she forgot to ount for the fact that he could probably still smell her, on top of his rank and experience likely giving him a sixth sense in battlefield awareness. Mia was barely able to duck under a thrust from the spear, which was made without him looking. Before he could turn around, Lynn rushed him as well. "[Unarmed Arts: Flurry of Blows]" Lynn''s punches assailed their opponent faster than before, with each sessive punch, her hands continued to speed up. Even to Mia, who was the same rank, could barely keep up with the blurs that were once her hands. "You stubborn bitch" "Take this!" Lynn shouted in response as shended one final blow straight on the Spearman''s nose. "Gah!" "Hurgh!" Mia watched in horror as the Spearman ran Lynn through the gut with a single hit. She felt her body be weak for a moment as she watched her friend''s eyes go wide with shock at the realization. Then, Lynn smiled. The woman reached out her hand slowly and ced it on the shoulder of the Spearman. "What? Going to congratte me on killing you?" He sneered. The mark on the back of Lynn''s hand glowed. "Now Mia" The strength returned to her as Mia swiftly took advantage of the opportunity her friend sacrificed herself for. "My sight! What''d you do?! Why cant I Urgh!" While the spearman began to panic, having damaged hearing from Lucius'' spell, damaged smell from Lynn''s strike on his nose, and now being blinded by Lynn''s mark, Mia wrapped herself around his back like a snake. "Die." She whispered as she sunk her dagger into his neck. Chapter 116: Next Move Mia separated Lynn''s corpse from the man that killed her and tossed him into the sand, not caring how hended. She gently stroked the cheek of her long-time friend. "I''m sorry." Lucius and Kalliope were mumbling about something a little ways away, and despite not hearing them, she knew it was probably for the best that she did not know whatever it was Lucius was spouting. At this moment, the only thing that mattered was Lynn and honoring her sacrifice. Marie and the Eroan soldiers hade down from their vantage point at the top of arge sand dune. Marie focused on healing Renton''s wounds, while the Eroan''s searched the cargo and checked the bodies. Kalliope said something about looking for a shield, but it was clear she was unsatisfied with the options avable since they all bore the insignia of Alorek. "Mia. I''m sorry I couldn''t keep up." Renton said between gasps of pain. Marie''s healing magic was working slowly because while she could use it, she was not very proficient in it. "Don''t worry about it. You survived and you held off against a Master Rank with an enchanted spear be d for just that." Marie answered on Mia''s behalf. Mia fully agreed with the sentiment and nodded her head affirmatively before ncing back down at Lynn. She had pulled the cloak off her back and covered most of Lynn''s body already, but she moved the hood to cover her face. "Break down one of the wagons. We are building her a pyre. Leave the Alorek bastards to rot in the sand or be food for some desert beast." Mia ordered. She walked over to where the speary and ced it inside her storage ring. It was valuable enough to keep there, and as the one who finished him off, it was her prize by rights. No one seemed to care to argue the point, which made her sigh in relief. "Hey." Kalliope''s voice caught her attention. When she looked up at the beastman, she noticed how very close she was able to get without Mia noticing. Mia stepped back out of habit. "What?" "I think now is as good a time as any to resupply and report in at Fort Se. Actually, we are about a day and a half walk from the fort as it is. We managed to circle around very close to my base from our attacks, so let''s take the opportunity while it is here." "Sure, I have to report this in to my Commander first." Kalliope nodded and walked away to help construct the funeral pyre. "Commander Laris, this is Mia. We took out another supply group on it''s way to assist the Alorek forces at the Eroan border. We are a day away from Fort Se and intend to detour to resupply and refresh. Also, we have taken one lossLynn "Also, it seems Alorek might be adding additional forces to their supply caravans. We faced a Master Rank and four Advance Ranks in this group. Be advised other teams may run into simr situations." For several minutes she received no response. Then, "Understood, Mia Is Lucius still with you?" "Uh, yes sir? I''m not sure where he would go in this desert if I''m being honest." "Keep an eye on him. Do not let him leave your sight. I''m sending you reinforcements." "Understood, sir" Renton and Marie looked at her with puzzled expressions. Lucius was still sorting through some of the supplies in the overturned wagons and on the people''s bodies. It was obvious he had heard at least Mia''s half of the conversation, so he was probably curious about the orders. "We are clear to head to Fort Se. Also, Lucius you stay with me at all times, Commander''s orders. Also, we are getting reinforcements. Likely due to increased support amongst our targets." Everyone nodded in understanding, even Lucius. It took them a little while, but soon enough they were ready to start Lynn''s funeral. They would stay long enough to make sure her body was burned to ash, then they would set fire to the remaining supplies and leave the Alorek soldiers alone. She was adamant about that specific order. Mia thought back to all the battles she fought with Lynn while they adventured. Lynn was the first one of the group she had met and how Mia found out about the Union changing itsws temporarily. She inspired Mia to be an adventurer and try to change her fate as a Runner. Mia never really wanted to fight in the first ce, so that''s why she became a Runner. She used her mark and her Dark Magic to hide from pursuers and trackers, but never to fight and kill. When Lynn talked her into being an adventurer, she realized she was able to adapt to such actions if it meant she could have a more normal life. It was thanks to her that Mia got to experience even a few years of ''normal'' and for that she was eternally grateful. "I am sorry for the loss of your friend. Grief is powerful, so do not let it take you over on the field of battle." Kalliope said quietly. "Of course. Thank you." "By the way" "What is it?" "When we arrive, since you ordered Lucius to stay by your side, that means you must also stay by his?" Kalliope inquired. "Yes, why?" Kalliope giggled. It was strange hearing such a girly sounde from someone who was clearly a well-trained warrior. "Then I suppose you will also meet my Uncle when we arrive. He is very interested in the rumors regarding Lucius." "Oh right you said someone was interested in him who was that again?" "Kalivas." Mia nearly spit in surprise. She did not expect that Eroa''s strongest warrior would be someone interested in Lucius, let alone imagine a world where she would meet him herself. "Who is Kalivas?" Lucius'' words cut through Mia''s shock. Kalliope answered for her, "He is my uncle. Though, not by blood. He is also the most powerful warrior Eroa has to offer and a Marked One like you." "What is his mark?" "The Mark of Enhancement. It grants him the ability to use enhancement spells at will and without casting or using an activation phrase. He is also able to use Mana Maniption like yourself." "What else can he do?" Mia was shocked to see an excited glint in Lucius'' eyes. It was strange to see him interested in something that wasn''t Rena. "A lot of things but I feel it is better that you talk to him about that. Besides, he''s going to ask to fight you and I kind of want to see you get your ass kicked as punishment for how you treated me when we first met." Kalliope''s honesty broughtughter to the solemn air around the group. Everyone here seemed interested in watching theirpatriot get knocked down a few pegs. They were also excited to see the great Kalivas fight. That was a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity. Chapter 117: Eager Supporters "My Lord I wee you to Watcher''s Retreat." Laris knelt on one knee and bowed before the imposing form of Richard von Petra, the general ced inmand over the fort. Though Laris was not from Lord Petra''snds, he knew well of his battle prowess and ingenuity. Laris was but a child fumbling in the dark when it came to the art of battle, especially whenpared to the likes of Richard von Petra. "Rise, Laris. I appreciate your consistent and thorough reports. You have done as well as could be expected with theckluster troops you possessed. For now, I would like the current list of all remaining Marked Ones and their abilities. We shall incorporate them into my troops and attempt to match them with the toons that suit them best." "S-s-sir truly?" Laris struggled to respond due to shock. He was expecting for Lord Petra to run the Marked Ones into the ground until nothing was left, then pick up where they left off. "Yes. I understand Alorek does this, and it has shown a rather decent amount of sess in various skirmishes. So, I shall try to do the same." "I shall fetch the documents at once." Laris looked to the group before him. Not only was there Lord Petra, but he also saw someone with simr eyes and hair that was likely a brother or cousin. He also recognized the massive seven-foot-tall frame of Commander Arturo. Behind them were a shady looking group of characters. Two elves and a human. One elf was a woman with flowing ck hair and amber-colored eyes. Once he locked gazes with her, she smiled and stepped forward. "Hello, my name is Shiyani, a pleasure, Commander Laris." His back straightened and the hair on his neck stood on end. This woman was very dangerous. She was also likely the assassin that would be eliminating the thorn in their side. He kept up with reports from Mia regarding their activities. He had also given orders to one of the other units behind enemy lines to exclusively check on the ambush sites led by Mia''s group. The details of their reports were disturbing. Lucius seemed to fight with brutal efficiency and it was always easy to tell which unfortunate souls were the ones to do battle with him. Their bodies were often left dismembered, missing massive chunks of flesh, or had ragged wounds. Such were the results of his disgusting and dishonorable Arts. They also ran into a few civilian survivors that told of their interactions with the group and how on multiple asions Lucius had to be talked down from simply killing innocents. From the reports, some of them included children and teens who were roped into performing supply tasks because their parents in charge were their only caregivers. "I find this kid''s methods interesting. I''ve fought against the Forsaken Arts before. Nasty business. You never really know what one of those users would do in a fight. Every second is a guess." "And he can use Mana Maniption." Richard said. Shiyani nodded. "Right, and that. Quite the wildcard. And you are sure about our agreement?" Laris watched as Richard nodded grimly. "Yes." He said. "Honestly if you were going to agree that quickly I should have charged more for the kid alright. Laris, I need stuff." Laris nodded and motioned for them to follow him to their armory and supply depot. They were in separate locations so one massive spell or attack would not take out both, so they went to the armory first. It not only held weapons, or what little they had, but it also had some magical equipment that was not approved for their use. Shiyani stepped into the building and gave out a low whistle when she approached a box of small crystals. "Hey, this is that explosive stuff, right?" "Yes. We were instructed not to use it, but I''ll look the other way if you need any." Shiyani grinned. "Why thank you. Don''t mind if I do." The elven woman pocketed a few pieces of the explosive crystal before moving throughout the rest of the equipment. Nothing else seemed to catch her eye, so they then moved on to the supply depot. Again, not much caught her attention it seemed, but she did gather a few extra supplies including a crystal that generated clean water when mana was poured into it. A surprisingly useful item, especially since they were going to be trekking through a desert. She also picked out a few cloaks designed to keep the sun off of them and keep them cool in the scorching sun. "That should do it I suppose Thank you, Commander Laris." Shiyani gave him a seductive smile that made him sweat from fear more than attraction. "Any information regarding the kid''s whereabouts?" "I received word that they are heading to Fort Se with some Eroan soldiers to resupply before returning to their mission. I expect it to take a few days, so if you are swift, you might be able to catch them as they leave." "Good thank you Laris." "Also, please do not kill the Eroan''s if you can. We don''t need a war with our allies Kalivas is stationed at Fort Se, so if we upset them badly enough, he mighte at us and I worry about our ability to hold him off" "Don''t worry sweetheart, I won''t harm a single strand of fur on their little heads. I was only paid to take care of the kid. Anyone else costs extra and I don''t work for free." Laris nodded in understanding and sighed with relief as the elven assassin quickly moved away. He dared not look at her. Like a child fearing a monster under their bed, he pulled the metaphorical covers over his eyes and hoped that if he didn''t look at her, she was no longer there. Soon the pressure the woman exuded disappeared and he sighed in relief. "Watch your back Lucius. I don''t think you''ll be able to get out of this one as easily as you have in the past. I''ve done some research on you and you''ve gotten lucky a few times that luck ends here, boy." Chapter 118: Warning Lyrah woke up in a cold sweat after a series of rough dreams. All of them were visions of possible futures, dozens, hundreds even. All of them centered on one person: Lucius. The worst part about having the Mark of Prophecy was that while she could control it during the time she spent awake, her dreams and sleep belonged solely to the mark. In thend of dreams, she simply followed along as it took her to whatever possible futures it wanted to show her. "It looks like brother dearest will be meeting father soon." She muttered while stifling a yawn. Outside the window, the first light of the day began to color the horizon. The sun had yet to show its first rays, but the sky was beginning to brighten. Lyrah had gotten ustomed to waking up around this time recently thanks to the different dreams and nightmares that possessed hertely. Most of these dreams she would not tell Natali, or anyone else for that matter. Some things are best left unsaid and unseen. Were she to share some of the visions she had she could either guarantee their oue, or prevent them entirely. To achieve the best possible future for her friends and her brother, she needed to be careful. Every step was a guess, every move a risk of failure, but this careful dance through a field of eggshells was a necessary one. "You don''t know me yet, brother, but I''ve seen youwatched you since I was a little girl. Though we never met, it was like you were always there with me just like Natali. I will get you and mother the future you both deserve. I promise." "Mmm Lyrahwhat are you saying." Natali grumbled from the other side of the room. They shared a spare room in Grandpa Wally''s personal quarters and as such, Lyrah''s early rising behavior was starting to rub off on her best friend, who was very much not a morning person. "Oh, I am so sorry my dear Natali!" Lyrah sung out. "Since today is a day off, and I wish to apologize how about I treat you, me and Rena to some lovely food at the markets!" The white-haired girl stared at her nkly with an annoyed expression on her face. To others she looked the same as always, but Lyrah was able to tell. "I want a crepe." "Okay! Let''s get crepes oh and some tea oh and I heard this new bakery in town has these sweet and puffy cookie-like things called macarons! Shall we try them?" Lyrah giggled as Natali let out a small groan at the amount of energy being disyed so early. However, she got out of bed and got herself and Lyrah ready for the day. Natali was in her standard maid attire, while Lyrah wore a simple, green gown that was ented by her dark hair and silver eyes. Her hair had a single braid running down the back of her hair that was topped with a silver hair clip that matched her eyes. "As beautiful as always, mydy." Lyrah smiled and allowed the ''mydy''ment to pass this time. Since they were nning to go out in public, they needed to maintain the image of master and servant. Grandpa Wally was also already awake, something that old people tended to do for some reason. He was making himself some breakfast in the kitchen area while also brewing a special blend of coffee that was processed by a cat-like creature that lived in the jungles of Raleron. "Oh, good morning my lovely youngdies. Care for some morning coffee? I am preparing some eggs, toast and a side of oatmeal for myself, shall I prepare servings for you as well?" the old man offered with a smile. "I shall take a cup of coffee Grandpa!" she chirped. "Also, Grandpa, I wish to treat my friend Rena and Natali to some crepes and sweets at the market, maybe some light shopping, might I borrow some funds?" "Oh, my sweet granddaughter, you need borrow nothing. Will ten thousand gold coins do?" "Yes Grandpa! That will be more than enough!" Lyrah jumped up and gave the old man a hug and kiss on the cheek while he passed over a sack of coins, which she divided in half and ced one half in her own storage ring and the other in Natali''s. The maid gave her a judgmental re for being so brazen to ask for money from her grandfather, but Lyrah was simply helping him out. Grandpa Wally loves doting on children and as his only great-granddaughter, it was her turn to be spoiled. Besides, when they moved in he urged her to not hold back and tried to give her a few million gold coins the first time she asked to go to the markets, so ten thousand was pocket change for a man like him. After enjoying a cup of coffee, Lyrah jumped up again and gave her grandfather another hug and kiss. "I will see you this afternoon grandpa!" "Be careful you two. The young miss as well when you see her. I''ve heard rumors of strange lunatics in the capitaltely, so be weary of strangers!" Lyrah smiled and nodded before finally exiting his residence and heading towards Rena''s dorm. Natali followed behind at the appropriate distance for a servant. Few students wandered the halls this early on a day off, but there were a few others meandering through the ce. One such boy was a redhead that Lyrah, Natali, and Rena particrly disliked. Thomas von Petra, the person who would almost certainly take over the Petra family now that Rena was excluded from the running. In his time at the academy he had gathered quite the posse of cronies who were more than willing to do his every bidding. Most likely, they did not respect him any more than Rena and them did, but they were too shameless to admit that and wished only to ride on his coattails to the top of nobility. Lyrah avoided eye contact with him, but she could feel his and his gang''s eyes on her back. After their first meeting when she exposed that she knew of his whimpering and sniveling at Lucius'' feet in the forest trials, he had a strong dislike for her. Granted, he had a strong dislike before that as well, but he was willing to put it aside to try and get the next Oracle on his side, politically. Thanks to her little stunt though, his pride would not allow him to continue those ns so he settled for res in the hallway, like a child. "Natali, I must tell you something before we see Rena. You must not utter a word. You must also agree to listen to what I have to say, and ask me no further questions. If you do, I will never divulge a prophecy to you again. Am I clear?" "Yes, mydy." Natali whispered. "Things will be tough for you and Rena. But trust me when I say all three of us will get through it together. It may take a while to recover, but remember that all three of us are in this together. Okay?" "I understand, mydy." She nodded satisfied with Natali''s answer. "Alright, let us fetch the redheaded girl and eat some sweets! Oh I''m just so excited to try a macaron!" Chapter 119: Surprise Battle Kalliope could not hide the skip in her step as they approached the gates of Fort Se. The trip back took a bit longer than they expected because they had to skirt around a few extra miles to avoid being caught by enemy patrols. It seemed there had been a few more skirmishes and the Alorek army had gained another two miles ofnd since she had set out on her task, but it looked to be extremely hard fought. It made her wonder if it was really worth it. Sure, it was a surprise when they attacked with much stronger forces than anticipated, butpared to all the anxiety surrounding the war leading up to it, Kalliope could not help but feel that it was underwhelming. Over thest few weeks though, things had been pretty easy, so she was also aware that her viewpoint might be colored. The reason for that ease? Lucius. Put simply, he was a prodigy. He was a Beginner Rank, clearly on the verge of Intermediate and he took out two Advance Rankersbining together a host of abilities. Not lonely did he possess power beyond his means, but his innate knowledge of battle seemed to make up for even more of his shorings. All these thoughts made Kalliope blush to herself from abination of attraction and embarrassment. She was embarrassed because she could not believe that she thought she could defeat him and battle. The attraction part well as a beastman, it was natural for her to be attracted to strength. No one had made her heart skip a beat like his did. Thinking back to him standing over his defeated enemies, lightning dancing along his body, a serene look on his face while his weapon dripped blood it was enough to make her swoon. In all her young life no one had made her feel this way. ''I''m going to make him mine.'' She thought to herself with a devilish grin. ''Mother and father''s other wives taught me a few things to capture the heart of a man I never thought I would be able to try them.'' Not realizing that her lecherous thoughts had distracted her from her surroundings, Kalliope suddenly felt as though she had ran into a wall. The impact knocked her onto her rear and she coughed at the dust that was kicked up. Standing over her was a massive being her uncle Kalivas. "Girl why are you not paying attention to your surroundings?" "Well you see Uncle I." Kalliope tried searching for words that could get her out from beneath his ire, but there were none avable. "I have no excuse." Her two allies, along with the humans chuckled gleefully at the fact that she very much looked like a little girl being chastised by her father. Only Lucius said nothing as he simply stared at Kalivas. "Wait a minute" Kalliope started to say as something dawned on her. Before she could finish her sentence, Kalivas vanished from in front of her and a loud, metallic ng rang out. Lucius too, vanished from where he stood and a cloud of dust and sand was all that was visible to track where they were. Everyone''s jaws dropped in surprise, not expecting the warrior Kalivas to suddenly attack theirpatriot. For everyone else it was a shock that Lucius seemed able to react fast enough to block the attack, as was evident by the sound of metal hitting together. Kalliope on the other hand, knew that Uncle was holding back so as not to kill the boy. Strong though Lucius may be, Kalivas was strong enough to fight the strongest warriors the world had to offer. The world in which Kalivas existed wasprised of King and Empyrean Ranked warriors. Each kingdom had one or two of each avable, though they were often rather aloof individuals that did whatever they wanted. Kalivas was one of the few who actively participated in his home''s affairs. If her uncle truly wanted to fight, Lucius would be turned from a handsome young man into a fine red mist before anyone could blink. With this fact in mind, Kalliope had no idea why the warrior wanted to fight someone so far below his weight-ss. Though, they could not see anything through the artificial sand storm the two fighters seemed to have whipped up, asional shes of lightning and the rumble of thunder revealed that the battle was intense. The intense pressure of mana pouring off the two warriors was enough to make Kalliope''s skin prickle. Were she not an ally of them, she would have long since turned tail and fled. Looking to the others, it seemed even Mia, Marie, and Renton were unaware of this level of capability from the boy. "Mia. If I may, you seem rather shocked, were you not aware of Lucius'' capabilities?" The woman shook her head, along with Renton and Marie. "No," she answered. "Honestly, we recruited him as a scout because west fought beside him when he was a Novice Rank. Even then, he survived a fight with someone who should have been far stronger." "So he''s always been capable of holding his own against stronger opponents?" "Yes, though he did so through clever tactics, ingenuity and honestly, luck. Every battle I see him in now though, surprises me." Mia whispered. No one could me her, especially when faced with such an oddity. "So, you are saying that you have not known him for long? Were you not adventurers together?" Kalliope continued. "No, we were not. He adventured with another group, as well as a young girl he was in charge of protecting." Mia''sst statement made her ears twitch. Who was this girl? What was their rtionship? Kalliope simply needed to know. "Th-this girl she was?" "A friend of his I believe. Though since then, I had heard things developed deeper than that. She was clearly head over heels, but I was not aware that the boy was capable of such feelings." This news took a little of the wind out of Kalliope''s sails, but it did not deter her. Though she may have lost the potential for first wife, her father had several. She could be second, third or fourth, it did not really matter. Lucius made both her warrior''s heart and her maiden''s heart skip beats, so she absolutely had to have him. More and more mana poured over thendscape as the fight continued to rage. Alongside it, there was another oppressive energy. It was simr to when Kalivas used his mark, but it felt darker, more sinister than his. While she was taking a moment to process this new sensation, a massive, ck projectile entered her vision. Everyone dove to the ground to dodge the sudden missile, which soared over their heads before impacting with a loud crack on the fortress wall behind them. They turned their heads to see what in the world it was that had nearly taken their heads off and saw a ck-haired teenager with bruises covering his body. One of his eyes was swollen shut and it appeared that his cheekbones may have been fractured. A small groan escaped his mouth as he somehow pulled himself free from the stone and copsed on the ground. Through some miracle of fate, or perhaps strength of will, he managed to get off the ground and at least push himself to his hands and knees. It seemed this was the best he could do, as his movement stopped and he began to relieve his stomach of its contents into the dirt. Kalivas strolled up to them with a massive smile on his face. It was one of excitement and pride? For some reason the warrior was showing a shameless expression of pride. Why? "Excellent potential, as I expected. I knew I could expect great things from you. It is nice to finally meet you, especially after I was informed of your death." Kalivas said with boisterousughter. The entire situation confused everyone around, but no one was willing to pry into whatever it was that was toiling around in the great warrior''s head. Chapter 120: Impassable Obstacle Well before they actually approached the towering walls of Fort Se that they were being guided towards, Lucius could sense a very powerful warrior. The pressure being emitted by this person was unlike anything he had experienced before and for one of the first times in his life, Lucius felt the pang of fear settling in his heart. He knew that the source of this power was an ally, and likely was this ''Kalivas'' everyone was talking about, but the reaction he felt was instinctual. Like prey frozen in fear when cornered by a predator. There was no way he was going to let these emotions show, especially when everyone else around him seemed perfectly at ease. He was starting to wonder why he was the only one reacting this way, when he finally realized that Kalivas was doing this on purpose. The warrior had sensed their approached and was forcing this aura onto Lucius, likely as sort of intimidation tactic or test. This was proven when they finally came within visual range of arge, muscr man with ck, cat ears and a ck tail standing in front of a huge, metal gate. There was no doubt that this being was Kalivas. The moment they stopped and finally began to greet him, the pressure vanished and he lunged at Lucius. Just in the nick of time, he was able to draw his machete against what appeared to be arge battleaxe that the warrior seemed to be wielding with only one hand, despite it being a two-handed weapon. It was all that Lucius could do to keep the strikes off him, yet every impact sent shockwaves deep into his bones threatening to rattle him apart. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge], [Forsaken Arts: Sandveil]" The sand their battle kicked into the air began to surround Kalivas''s face, attempting to choke him out or at least slow him down. Simultaneously, the Lightning Charge amplified Lucius'' speed. He forced the mana to circte through his whole body, which decreased the speed gain, but allowed him to strengthen his entire self. "Not bad, try harder." Kalivasughed out. "[mma: me Cloak]" Heat washed over Lucius so intensely he felt as though he had stepped into a zing inferno. Fire momentarily covered his opponent''s entire body, turning all the sand from Sand Veil into ss, making it tter to the ground, no longer affected by the mana. "What''s your next move?" Kalivas roared. There was a strange surge of power emanating from his feet as he became faster. Then his already overwhelming strikes began bing harder to handle. "Guah!" Lucius spat out a glob of blood as a fistnded into his abdomen. The strike sent him flying backwards, but instead of knocking the wind out of him, it energized him. Rage enveloped his mind and a darkness seemed to take over his world. Color drained from his surroundings and everything became shades of gray. He should be despairing, quaking in fear at facing such an overwhelming opponent. In front of him was an obstacle he could not hope to ovee, and yet even Lucius could tell that Kalivas was still holding back, toying with him. The thought that he was being yed with, that his efforts were nothing but a game to someone else that is what enraged him, what quelled all other emotions if only he had more power. ''Now this is interesting you''re not quite there, but you are oh so close here, a taste of what''s toe.'' A familiar raspy voice echoed in his mind. From behind it he could almost make out the voice of Luz, but it sounded so distantpared to Grimm, as if it was fading somehow The mark on his hand glowed with a deep purple light,pletely different from all times before. Even Kalivas seemed intrigued by what was happening, and it made him back off out of caution and curiosity. The purple light spread to Lucius'' wrist and began to cause a searing, burning pain. He screamed from the intense pain which was unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was as if the burning sensation reached into the depths of his soul. When the light faded and the sensation stopped, the mark on his left hand had grown. What once looked like a symbol depicting a valley, gained new markings that swirled around his hand and wrapped around his wrist. Though the world around him was now simply shades of gray, his target, Kalivas, the strongest warrior in Eroa was crystal clear. Lucius could see every vein in the man''s body, witnessed every muscle twitch and jump of his eyes. Everything else lost importance as his sole focus rested on this one, overwhelming opponent. "[Abyss Break: Demon Sword]" Tendrils of darkness swirled around his feet, wrapping themselves around his body and enveloping his sword. It grew in length and took on a serrated edge. "[Forsaken Arts: Muttion]" The lightning still dancing around his body from the Lightning Charge became red. The darkness and shadows dancing about his de also took on a slightly reddish hue. "Oh now this is interesting you can use Mana Maniption on both the Arts and Magic simultaneously no it''s not that, it''s more like Channeling in nature you are so close to a breakthrough boye at me with everything!" Reason left Lucius long ago. Currently his body was running on pure instinct. There was no longer any thought to his action, only the desire for the utter annihtion of the man before him. Nothing else existed at this moment. In an explosion of force that cracked the very ground, Lucius jumped into the air. He came down with a two-handed, overhead strike. Kalivas ran to the right and dodged the hit, forcing the attack into the dirt. Without a moment''s break, Lucius followed his opponent and was on top of him. The speed at which he changed direction with such little loss of momentum brought a smile to his enemy''s face. "Good! More, show me more, boy!" Kalivas shouted as he brought his axe down from above. Lucius met the attack with an explosion of mana as he focused his lightning to create a small barrier that deflected the strike. He countered by swinging his machete at Kalivas'' leg in the opening that was created, but the veteran warrior was too quick for that and managed to catch the swing with his bare hands. The dark energy whirling around Lucius'' de began to eat away at Kalivas'' flesh, which surprised him and made his eyes widen. It seemed it had been a while since someone injured him, though it was by his own mistake. "Mmm. I''ve seen enough. You fight like an animal, but I can work with that [Axe Arts: Heavy m]" Kalivas swung the t of his axe into Lucius'' side sending him flying hundreds of feet like bolt from a ballista. Pain became the totality of Lucius'' existence for a moment as he came to a sudden stop, finding himself buried an inch into the stone walls of Fort Se. His group ofrades stood staring at him as he managed to pull himself free and fall to the ground. It took every ounce of his remaining strength and willpower to lift his torso off the ground so he could wretch without drowning in his own vomit. His entire body was drained as his Arts, Magic, and his mark all ceased working. While he waited there, Kalivas approached him. "Excellent potential, as I expected. I knew I could expect great things from you. It is nice to finally meet you, especially after I was informed of your death." Kalivas wasughing, though Lucius found little about the situation amusing. When theughter died down, Kalivas leaned in to him. "I''m going to train you, boy and while we do that, we have a lot to discuss. Just the two of us." Chapter 121: Prelude to the Fall [Part 1] Mia stuck close to Lucius the entire time they were at the fortress. They were only nning to meet Kalivas, resupply, then head back out into Alorek to continue their mission. However, they were ''convinced'' by Kalivas to stick around for a few days because he took a liking to their resident sociopath. Each morning, they would wake up and Lucius would be requested to join Kalivas at the gates facing Alorek. There, they would train from dawn till dusk, taking breaks only for meals. The fights would continue even when receiving a message from a scout. Mia was always present and watching these bouts from the ramparts above because she felt like she would get sick from the sheer concentration of mana produced by the two fighters. It amazed her how the boy could keep up with such daily rigors. By this point, she knew that she would have been beyond useless. "Wow I''ve never seen Uncle get so in to training someone. I knew he had potential" Those words came from an excited wolf-girl with blonde hair and gray eyes. She was peering over the edge of the walls and basically drooling over the men fighting. It was hard to tell if she was just a battle junkie or if something else was going on. "You alright in the head?" She asked the wolf-girl. "His mate, this uh Rena! Is she prettier than me?" Kalliope asked. From behind the girl''s body, Mia could see her tail wagging from excitement. Mia sighed and took a long, hard look at the girl''s face. Her features were rounded with an angr chin and she hadrge eyes. Her hair was cut short forbat purposes and she had clearly trimmed it up a little. Underneath her armor, Mia was able to make out her extremely toned body. Where the tights under her armor gripped, left little to the imagination. To put simply, she was absolutely gorgeous. Was she prettier than Rena though? Probably not. Rena had that pure beauty about her. Even while wearing dirty adventure gear, she had this aura of grace about her. Thebination of her crimson hair and bright green eyes were striking and stood out among the crowd. "Honestly?" Mia shared. "Rena is a peerless beauty. You too are very attractive, but Rena is a cut above." "Hmm" Kalliope put a hand to her face and began to think. At first, she was worried the girl would look crestfallen after hearing that herpetition was prettier than her, but she did not appear to be upset. "Well, I bet I am stronger than her." There was a look of total confidence on her face. "I can definitely say you would win in a fight." "Then it''s settled. She is the beautiful wife and I shall be the strong one." Words escaped Mia for a moment. "Wh-wh-what? You want to marry Lucius? You know he can''t get married right? He''s a Marked One also more than one wife? That''s" "What, do humans do it differently? My father has many, many wives. It ismon for beastmen to have several partners. Well, except Uncle father said that Uncle only ever loved one woman, but they could not be together. Do you think Lucius would be against multiple wives? He is part beastman." "I" Mia was stunned. However, she did not know the answer. "I don''t know he does not tend to follow the norm when ites to morals but I do know that there are few people he holds dear, and one is Rena. So good luck with that." Mia turned back to the battle below and continued to watch while overhearing the asional mutterings of several ns that Kalliope was cooking up. ***** Three individuals walked through the sands of the Alorek desert. Though the sun beat down on them and the wind whipped sand into every orifice on their bodies, they moved with purpose and haste. Shiyani was currently leading her two party members along the path marked for them by Commander Laris based on the reports he had received from Lucius'' squad leader, Mia. Shiyani was very aware of who Mia was because of the woman''s history as a famous adventuring party. Shiyani had even seen the woman fight and was excited to meet with her. They had no intention of fighting with anyone other than Lucius and had devised quite the interesting n regarding how to pull it off. "Hey boss. How much longer?" She rolled her eyes. "What are you, ten? We will get there when we get there." "Right, but we are stuck in a desert, it''s hot, I''m thirsty, and we''ve been walking for days now, I feel like we should be there by now." Herckey continued. "Gods, if you weren''t so damned good at your job, I would knock you out and leave you here in the damned ce. Stop whining. We will get there when we get there." While they had been walking, they made sure to look forndmark signs of the battles to ensure they were on the right path. Granted, they were not following every battle, and instead opted for a more direct line. However, Laris apparently wanted to confirm that the battles that took ce, actually took ce. Since they knew that the group was at Fort Se, they could mostly just head that direction, but as thanks for all the explosive crystal they had ''acquired'' it was the least they could do to repay such a kind favor with a little extra effort on their end. A lot of the ruined carts they had passed showed signs that they had been burned, so nothing could be scavenged, and though the blowing sands did a lot to cover up the signs of battle, there were still asional char marks in sandstone and rock that peeked through to the surface that showed the battle''s intensity. Most of the battlefields had shards of ss, likely from Lucius'' Thunder Magic spells. From what Shiyani knew about the mage, Marie, her fire magic was not all that powerful to create such heat, so it had to be the kid. As they kept walking, Shiyani swapped out another explosive crystal. She had been spending time filling them up so they were just under their containment limit, then storing them in her storage ring. She had no clue if she would really need to use them, but it was always better to have multiple ns in ce. Lucius had a few ring weaknesses. Above a certain level of strength, one could just overpower him, however Shiyani was not at that level. She was an Advance Rank fighter and from what she knew, he would be able to fight her off. That made a one-on-one tricky. Even adding in her two subordinates, might not be enough and he could escape from their clutches. They really needed to ensure they took him out. No doubt upon their return they would have their memories scanned regarding the fight, so if they tried to im his death when he really ran away, they would not get their payment. He also did not have fantastic defense against powerful magical spells. The best he could do was dodge, but if facing simultaneous attacks, he had yet to disy any abilities to avoid injury in such a scenario. Finally, the best option was to use one of these explosive crystals. "Hmmm. I found the spot. Alright you idiots, let''s backtrack a little bit, I will meet up with you, I have something I need to prepare." "Got it boss." Chapter 122: Prelude to the Fall [Part 2] A little over a week had passed since arriving at Fort Se. Each and every day was hell for Lucius, but he knew that his teacher, Kalivas was pushing him so hard because of his potential. Despite going to bed every night with sore muscles he never knew existed, Lucius relished in his growing strength. Even though such a short time had passed, he already felt his mana capacity increasing. He could fight longer, use more Arts and cast more spells before running out of steam. The only thing he had not been allowed to practice with was his mark. During his ''trial,'' as Kalivas called it, Lucius had awakened something in his mark that triggered some sort of evolution in its abilities. When discussing the matter with the warrior as well as Mia, Renton, and Marie, no one had a clue as to what was going on. Never before had anyone heard of a mark undergoing any sort of change as they were the same from birth to death. Yet, here he stood with a mark that no longer looked like a valley on his hand, but now took up most of his hand and wrist as though he had received a warrior tattoo from a tribe. Grimm and Luz had been crickets too, which had been pretty usual. They seemed to only speak to him at times convenient for them and would never respond to his inquiries to them. Something that confused him when Grimmst spoke to him was that Luz could be heard mumbling in the background, but he sounded so far away. It was disconcerting, but there was no way to figure out the cause if they would not speak to him. Just as he had every day, Lucius was making his way through the fort from the lodgings they had been granted. His destination was the same as always, the gates to the fortress where Kalivas seemed to always be. Before he could exit the gates though, he found himself blocked by Mia, Renton, and Marie. "I take it that it is time to go?" he asked. "Yes, we are to rendezvous with reinforcements at the valley near where we fought the Master Spearman. You have all your things?" "Always." "Good, let''s go." Mia and the others turned around and exited the gates. Kalivas who had heard the entire thing, as well as Kalliope who was standing next to him, stopped the group. "Leaving already?" "Yes, we received orders to meet with our reinforcements and return to our mission. We thank you for the hospitality while we rested and resupplied, but we have overstayed our wee." Mia answered. Lucius eyed her carefully because she was being more direct than usual, but simply chalked it up to the loss of her friend Lynn. He remembered what it was like to lose his father, Wayne, so he could only imagine her behavior was rted to that. Kalivas nodded his head and gestured towards the wolf-girl. "Kalliope and her team will escort you to the rendezvous point." "No, our orders were to cease joint operations. Our reinforcement group possess sensitive intel that we cannot share with even the Eroans. I am sorry." Mia said, firmly denying the offer of a guide. "Hm, so be it, if these are your orders. Lucius!" the man turned towards him and mped a hand firmly on his shoulder. "I wish to see you again in the future. You get closer every day to a breakthrough. Though I cannot use Channeling, I have seen it used and I can tell you are close. Return to me some day and I will ensure that you take the next step in your growth." "Sir. It would be my honor." Lucius gave his teacher a stiff salute. Kalliope stood still with an upset look on her face, but said nothing. She simply stepped forward and surprised him with a strong hug. Itsted for nearly a minute before he tapped himself out by patting her stiffly on the arm. "If that''s settled, we are off. Thank you all again for your hospitality." Mia gave a salute to the two beastmen as well before the party turned around and headed to their next destination. "Lucius, I will be the scout for now. I can tell by the way you are moving that you have yet to recover from your training." Mia said as they had made it out of sight of the fort. "Understood." Renton and Marie nodded in agreement. Though they had strange looks on their faces. It seemed they also were worried about the leader''s state of mind. ***** "Understood, Commander Laris." Mia woke up this morning with amunication from Commander Laris at Watcher''s Retreat. It seemed that their reinforcements were on standby at a location near where Lynn had died inbat. He also informed her of something else, something that presented her with a choice. After Lynn died, they had spent a little over a week at Fort Se. While Lucius was training day in and day out, the rest of the group simply rested, which gave her a lot of time to think and process. One of the reasons she became a Runner was to avoid being taken to war, yet here she was anyway and it had taken one of the few people in the world important to her. As a girl she was ostracized like many Marked Ones were, and had no friends or family to speak of. Life remained that way until she met the others and formed their adventuring party, The Marks. Now the three people that mattered most to her, dropped down to only two. She would do anything to make sure Renton and Marie survived this. Commander Laris or rather his leader, General Richard von Petra, knew this and they offered her a choice. Help them kill Lucius, and the three of the remaining members of The Marks could return home for the remainder of the war. The ''reinforcements'' that Laris had sent were actually a group of assassins hired to kill Lucius. Understandably, they did not take too kindly to his stunt at the battle that got them through enemy lines. Also, each and every progress report she provided to them was simply grim detail after grim detail. Lucius had promised to behave and give her usible deniability, but due to the nature of their mission, such a thing no longer existed. She knew of everything he had done and in great detail. Truth be told, she was terrified of him now and regretted asking to have him join their mission. But was she ready to betray him to save her own skin? No, she wasn''t but could she if it meant saving Renton and Marie? That was a higher likelihood. ording to Laris'' n, she was to take over scouting duty and pick up a dead drop that the assassins had left for her filled with supplies that would be useful for their ambush. It seemed that the Commander and the General were not content with her simply leading him to the trap, but wanted her to actively participate. Mia knew the decision that had to be made. It was better after all. For her, for her friends, and even for countless unnamed people that would have met the boy in the future. This was the right choice; the only choice. Chapter 123: Prelude to the Fall [Part 3] Kalivas and Kalliope stood side by side watching the group leave. She was uneasy about letting them leave without an escort, but her uncle had seemed to think it was okay. Something else unsettled her and that was the strange behavior from Mia. "I would not worry too much about them." Kalivas said after almost fifteen minutes of silence. "Why is that, Uncle?" "Things will just simply work out. However, I do want you to do me a favor." "Anything." "In about an hour, start tracking them. Do not get within range of Lucius'' senses. Simply follow them." Kalliope looked to the man beside her. His eyes were locked on the horizon with a critical gaze. She could tell he was thinking about something, but whatever it was, was beyond her. Nevertheless, she agreed to his request and fetched her two men. About an hourter, they prepared to leave the fortress. She was stopped once again by Kalivas and handed amunication crystal. Kalliope tucked into ce over her ear and gave a slight bow before they left. It was difficult to follow their tracks, but ording to Uncle, they were heading to the valley near where theyst fought. She knew where that was, so if the information was correct then they would be rather easy to find. However, they needed to also stay out of range of the boy''s senses, so they would be unable to get within visual distance of them. The best they could do ise within sight of the valley and its cliffs and wait for something untoward to ur. They waited for what felt like hours, but was really only a fifteen to twenty minutes. It felt like they were wasting their time. Truth be told, that would be for the best. When she thought about it, Kalivas and Mia both were acting strange. Did they both know something she didn''t? If so, what would it have been? Was it rting to Lucius? To the reinforcements? Something changed this morning, but there was no clear reason why. At that moment there was an explosion of mana. "Lucius!" Without thinking too deeply about what was happening, Kalliope rushed toward the cliffs as fast as she could. Both soldiers on her team yelped at her sudden movement and tried to shout after her. They attempted to follow but their speed simply could not keep up. As she approached the cliffs, the mana became denser and stronger. Sounds of battle echoed through the valley below. shes of lightning and explosions of mana from Arts colored the horizon. Whatever was happening was too much for Lucius. Something told her that he was in a lot of danger. Kalliope just knew she had to get to him and fast. "I have to get to him. This feels wrong, everything feels wrong. Mia What did you do?" ***** While scouting ahead, Mia made her way to the location of the dead drop. There was a rock set between two, Y-shaped cacti. Underneath it were two gray colored crystals. Along with them were instructions. They informed her that these small crystals were partially charged with mana, and when fully charged would let out an explosion equivalent to a Master Rank fire spell. Mia carefully ced them under her armor and made sure to consciously remind herself to not use any mana abilities while they were there. Thest thing she wanted to do was set them off before they were ready, let alone while they were on her person. Shuddering at the thought, she swiftly returned to the group. Lucius had his nose in the air and seemed to be sniffing something. He looked slightly confused, but did not say anything. "Everything alright?" Mia asked, ensuring she had a measured tone. Many times she had gone on assassination and espionage missions. Never before had she felt as nervous as she did now, but she put as much energy as she could into calming her heart and steadying her voice. "Hm. I thought I picked up on something odd, but it''s fine. It''s gone now. Though, we should be careful." The boy finally answered after walking around and sniffing the air in various ces. "Sure, let''s move. Renton, Marie, keep an eye out for whatever it is that has Lucius on edge." Mia ordered. She felt bad, but she kept them in the dark. No doubt they would judge her for what was going to happen, but this was for them. Hopefully they would understand, but if not, then at least they would be alive and that was enough for her. The group carefully made their way to the top of the valley and waited at the edge of arge cliff overlooking the bottom of it. The cliff itself was bereft of any sand due to its height and angle allowing the wind to blow sand away from the surface. Lucius stood several feet away from the edge and continued to sniff the air. "Hey," he said. "I think our new members are here but I think I recognize this scent" Mia did her best to calm her heart. It felt like it would pound out of her chest and she was worried that Lucius would hear it. If he did, then he would know something was up. However, his statement of recognizing the scent of the assassins shocked her away from those thoughts. "Hey Mia, Lucius. Long time no see!" A familiar voice called out to her, surprising her even more. Three people stood shoulder to shoulder. A human man with a bow, an elven warrior with a sword and shield, and a woman with a greatsword strapped to her back were all approaching them. "Jen? Paul and Lethen too? You guys are our reinforcements?" Lucius said with genuine surprise. Mia understood why he was taken aback. She was too, though she was expecting an elven woman with dark hair. Not Jen. Were the assassins dyed? Did they change their ns because Lucius'' old allies showed up? What was going on? Chapter 124: Prelude to the Fall [Part 4] "Jen. What are you doing here?" Lucius looked at the woman with wide eyes. Thest thing he expected was to see the adventuring party he spent so much time with out here. They weren''t Marked Ones, so why were they here? Did they volunteer for the war? Rena had mentioned something abouting out here, but where was she? "Hey kid," Jen said in the same teasing tone he had gotten used to over their time questing together. It was ratherforting "I heard you''ve been up to a lot out here. You''re strong." "Yeah, that''s what happens when you spend every day of your life fighting for it." He shot back. He found himself realizing he had missed these back and forths. "Hiya kid, how you been?" Paul asked. He broke his normally silent demeanor and shed him a soft smile. Lucius was happy they were here, but why? He could not hold it in any longer. "Why are you here?" Jen shrugged her shoulders, "We got an offer from Rena''s father Richard I think his name was? Anyway, him and his brother Andre reached out to us for a job toe and take care of you." Lucius'' heart skipped a beat, but not out of attraction, love, or excitement. Something about her phrasing startled him. He knew Richard very well. Andre was Thomas'' father. Neither of them would want to ''take care of him'' in any other capacity than "Lord Petra was very unhappy you know." Jen continued. "That whole thing with Rena? Man I didn''t know a face could get as red as their family''s hair color! It was quite a sight!" Herughter made his hair stand on end and he found himself slowly reaching towards the weapon on his hip. When his fingers grazed the scabbard, he remembered that it was a gift from these very same people. "Why are" "On top of that you have upset some very powerful people I mean I knew you were ruthless Lucius, but damn kid! Do you know how many of your own allies you killed with that Thunder Magic Spell?" His and Rena''s mentor seemed to be taunting him a way that was different than he was used to. What was once a lighthearted series of jabs became something more nefarious. It was almost impossible to believe that she was who he though she was, but he recognized her scent, her mannerisms. Paul and Lethen were the same as well. These people were the friends he once knew. Yet they felt like imposters. They felt like someone he had never met before. Lucius felt something inside him begin to crack as his small world, became smaller. They were never his friends were they? "Jen" Lucius felt his hands shaking. "I think Laris said it was in the couple hundreds almost a thousand maybe? I can''t quite remember, but man! Talk about overkill. You really took advantage of the battlefield conditions to pull that one off. Honestly surprised me." The hesitation he felt from touching the scabbard vanished and he slowly pulled the machete free from it. Mia was eyeing him closely, her hands already held two daggers. She was too close to him to back off and use her preferred weapon of the bow. Her mark was also glowing, which meant she used it to ensure he could not hear her preparing her weapons. Renton and Marie were looking at everyone. They were very clearly confused, which meant they had no idea any of this was happening. "Careful Lucius. You are surrounded you know." Jen warned. Lethen had his sword and shield at the ready with a look showing he was prepared to kill. Paul had his bow with an arrow prepared and leveled at his head. Mia had gotten into a ready position. Only Jen did not have a weapon in her hand. "W-w-wait!" Marie stuttered. "Surely we can talk about this"" "Yeah, we don''t have toe to blows you know!" Renton agreed. "Quiet." Jenmanded in a deadly tone. She waved her left hand towards the warrior and mage. A small light shed from the back of her hand, and the two individuals'' eyes rolled into the backs of their heads as they crumpled to the ground. "Jen" Lucius mumbled. "Oh! I forgot to tell you, kid. You see" Jen said with a cool smile as she showed the back of her left hand. "I''m a Marked One too." Sure enough, there was a symbol that looked to be tattooed on the back of her left hand. It was something he had never seen before. After all the time they spent together, Lucius was sure he would have remembered seeing that. "You see, Lucius. I possess the Mark of the Mind." Jen exined. "I can make people see things I want them to see. Hear things I want them to hear forget things I want them to forget. The minds of man, elf, and beast are my ythings." "Is that so?" The boy growled. "Yes! Exciting isn''t it however, since I''m in a sharing mood, I will reveal one more thing." Jen offered. Her hand reached into a small pocket on her breast. In it was a strange golden oval with a series of multicolored crystals iid within it. At the center of the object was a singr, clear gem. It would almost be invisible were it not for the reflection of the light. Currently, the multi-colored crystals around the clear one were glowing, but with a simple brush of her fingertips, they darkened. Jen''s very visage seemed to quiver and fade. Where the proud human warrior once stood, was a beautiful elf with ck hair and amber colored eyes. She was striking, but despite her change in appearance, it was still Jen. There was no way to hide that fact. "You know, I really do like you Lucius. I even made sure your mark was hidden after you registered it. That took a loft effort. You should thank me though it seems my efforts to shield you from scrutiny were undone by your own stupidity." Jen said with a sigh. "Whyhow" "That Andre fellow he was very interested in Rena, so we were hired to tag along and see how things were. We were supposed to kill her, but we took a liking to the two of you. Honestly we were on the verge of canceling the contract before the war started. What a shame that was. We could have kept adventuring maybe even brought you into the business you''d be good at it, you know." Lucius treated her to the most threatening re he could muster. Mana seemed to pour off of him in amounts that would shock even Kalivas. "Yeah, Yeah Oh! Allow me to reintroduce myself. The woman you once knew as Jen was simply the product of a wonderful item from Aedrider. Nice to meet you Lucius I am Shiyani, and I will be your downfall." Chapter 125: Downfall [Part 1] For an eternity there seemed to only be the sound of wind rushing through the valley below. Sand skittered across the rocky surface of the cliffside. Sweat dripped off the brows of all five warriors. The twang of a bowstring shattered the peace. "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]!" Lighting surged around Lucius'' body while at the same time he twisted out of the path of the arrow. He rushed forward to strike at Jen/Shiyani and Lethen. "[Bow Arts: Curving Shot]" The arrow glowed and made aplete u-turn,unching back at Lucius from behind. Thankfully he was able to hear the buzz of the arrow cutting through the air, and side stepped it a second time. There wasn''t enough sand or dirt to properly utilize Sand Veil, so he was out of options for Arts, at least that they were aware of. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]" "[Sword Arts: Double sh]" Shiyani and Lethen simultaneously made strikes at him. Lethen''s Double sh was the more worrisome of the two and wasing from his left side. The Heavy sh came from above, leaving only the right side to contend with, however The moment Lucius jumped to the right, Mia materialized out of nowhere and shed a dagger at his throat. Not being able to hear her was a major liability for him on the battlefield. The tip of her de missed his neck by a hair as he managed to duck beneath it. "[Tempestas: Lightning Field]" This time, he allowed the spell to take full effect. Mana poured from his body and into the ground below. For a twenty foot radius around him, the ground became charged with Thunder Magic. If his opponents made any attempts to move by even a single step, they would be shocked. It was not lethal, but it would create an involuntary spasm and create an opening. There was one way around it and that was to make sure both feet left and returned to the ground at the same time. This resulted in Lethen, Shiyani, and Mia having to jump around the battlefield like crazed rabbits while the spell was active. This movement restriction helped even the ying field a little, though did nothing to inhibit Paul in the distance. Lucius attempted to make an attack towards him, but was intercepted by attacks from the melee fighters. At the moment their range support was untouchable which made him click his tongue. He was up against two Advance Rank fighters and an Intermediate that is unless Paul was also an Advance Rank there was no telling what information he knew about his old party was a lie. Caution was key and the flow of information for this battle was entirely controlled by his enemy. "What are you going to do, kid?" Jen Shiyani, questioned. "[Forsaken Arts: Merciless]" Mana exploded out of him as the Art artificially enhanced his body''s strength, simr to a Light Magic enhancement spell. This particr ability was difficult to control and exhausted him after a single use, though he kind of hoped that his training with Kalivas would allow him to keep fighting after it was finished. "[Tempestas: Thunderp], [Forsaken Arts: Weapon Breaker]" With the spell channeled into his de, he lunged towards Shiyani, targeting her neck. She reflexively moved to guard herself with her de, which is exactly what he wanted. There was an explosion of force as the Thunderp spell activated at the same time as the Weapon Breaker skill, sending the top three-quarters of her de skittering across the rock. Without skipping a beat, he followed up with a kick to her abdomen, sending the elven woman flying almost thirty feet. Mia once again came up from behind him and managed to sink a dagger into his side. "Gragh!" He shouted in pain as he twisted away from the de. Mia was able to yank it free and jumped forward into another attack. "[Tempestas: Lighting B] gurgh!" "[Shield Arts: Double Bash]" Lethen charged in out of nowhere andnded two powerful strikes into Lucius'' back, sending him sprawling into the dirt. The boy quickly regained his footing, but felt the muscles in his shoulder des scream in defiance. His breathing became heavy. The Merciless skill was still active, so his physical strength was probably in the range of a high, Intermediate or maybe a low Advance Rank. However, the ability wouldn''tst much longer. "One shot [Forsaken Arts: Savage Strike]" His machete glowed and he dove towards Paul''s location. Lucius forced every ounce of mana in his body to enhance his feet. Beneath him, the rocks shattered, sending a cascade of falling boulders into the valley below as the cliff face became forever changed. Paul''s eyes barely had time to widen before Lucius was basically on top of him. Lucius went to swing his de, but the world in front of him shimmer and suddenly one Paul became twenty. Lucius'' de cut through the same one he had targeted and blood spurted into the air as he severed the archer''s head from his body. Luciusnded on the other side of the man and blinked. When his eyes refocused, the thing he had cut looked to be a cactus instead of a man. Paul seemed to be several dozen feet away and looked perfectly fine. "Nice try kid, but it''s not going to be that easy." "[Tempestas: Lightning Strike]" Instead of worrying about the fact that his mind was tricked into killing a nt instead of his target, Lucius quickly made a follow-up attack. The clouds swirled above for a moment and a massive bolt of lightning struck the ground blinding everyone and generating a massive explosion of noise and heat. "So close, kid." Shiyani tried to taunt. However the words fell a little t as everyone in the area, save Lucius had smoke rising from their bodies. All of his attackers had taken at least some amount of damage from his spell. Lucius felt his body slowing down and weakening. Merciless was running out. "Are you ready to surrender your head, kid? It''ll be easier for you, and for Rena." Hearing his lover''s name fall out of the traitor''s mouth boiled his blood. He would not stand for it. Lucius had been trying to hold back from using it because of his promise to Kalivas. The warrior''s words echoed in his mind about how relying too much on his mark too early would ruin his potential. In a situation like this though, it was likely such behavior would be forgiven. After all, there''s no potential in a grave. "Alright you fucks. Let''s y for real." "Oh?" Shiyani had a sick grin on her face. Lethen and Paul seemed worse for wear than she did, and Mia said nothing, not that they would be able to hear her if she did. Instead the woman simply tightened her grip around her daggers. Lucius took a deep breath. This was his only gambit, if it failed, he would have nothing left in the tank to keep fighting. "[Abyss Break: Demon Sword], [Forsaken Arts: Muttion], [Tempestas: Lightning Charge]" Chapter 126: Downfall [Part 2] Red and ck lightning whirled around Lucius. It felt as though the energy of an entire storm was centered on this one boy. All the other magical affects and Arts that he previously engaged had vanished, so the enemies were able to move around like normal again. "Oh, now that is interesting. Not even a fraction when we fought in the mist, but powerful indeed. Alright everyone, buckle down for this one." Shiyani shouted through the crackles of electricity and the constant rumbles through the sky above. It was very rare for a storm to ur in a desert, yet the sky above appeared as though a torrential rain would begin at any moment. The once overbearing sunlight was gone, covered by dark, gray clouds. "Shiyani, Mia, Paul, Lethen." When he spoke, the air itself seemed to vibrate. "Die." Shiyani cursed to herself as she barely managed to sidestep a strike from the boy. He sailed past her and continued towards Paul. Just before the archer took a blow, Lethen dove in between them. "[Shield Arts: Bulwark]!" Golden mana created a massive wall of light that stopped Lucius in his tracks, though the wall of light quickly began to crack. "[Ventus: Air Step]" Shiyani cried out. From her storage ring, she called out a bow of her own. It was a weapon she rarely used in front of others because Paul already fulfilled their group''s needs for range attacks. With her current level of Air Step active, she was able to take about two dozen steps into the air as though it were solid ground. It was a rare spell that many Wind Magic users would never be able to use. Honestly, it was her ace in the hole, but she had to use it now. Shiyani climbed higher and higher into the air until she was one step away from the spell ending. If she held herself here, she could maintain her position for about two minutes. Taking a deep breath, she trained her sights on the boy below her, beating on Lethen''s Bulwark. Mia was behind him and making stab and shing attacks, which Lucius was able to block and dodge. None of Mia''s hits were going tond like this, but it did prolong the life of the Bulwark. "[Bow Arts: Multi-Shot], [Bow Arts: Pierce], [Bow Arts: Powershot]" Shiyani felt her vision blur momentarily trying to supply the mana required for all three of the Arts to activate. When she finally steadied herself, she released her breath in a steady manner, and loosed the arrow. At first there was one, single arrow surrounded by a massive bubble of mana, however about halfway to the target, the arrow split into four identical missiles of equal strength. Lethen, Paul, and Mia jumped backwards, surprising Lucius for just long enough for the shots to impact, near simultaneously. The resulting explosion made their ears ring and scattered dust and rock everywhere. At first there was quiet. Then as the quiet continued, Paul, Lethen, and Shiyani started to feel a sense of aplishment. None of them expected to witness what was hidden behind the cloud of debris. When it began to settle, they saw two shadows which soon revealed themselves to be Mia and Lucius. Mia wasying on the ground, with Lucius crouched over her. He had an arrow sticking out of his left bicep and a few more puncture wounds peppering his body. However, he did not look to be in pain, rather the only expression on his face was that of determination. His hand was wrapped tightly around Mia''s neck as she wed and struggled to pull herself free. She scrambled her hands along the ground, grabbing rocks and bashing them against the boy''s arm, face, and chest in a vain attempt to loosen his grip. Like a predator who had snagged it''s prey, Lucius would not let go of the girl and he lifted her up with only his left hand. Her body asionally twitched involuntarily from the lightning coursing over his body zapping her. "Mia" Lucius said quietly, before plunging his weapon through her torso. Mia''s face and mouth contorted in pain. Were her mark not active, the scream she would make would likely haunt the memories of those present. When her face and body became limp, Lucius threw her body free of his de and turned to face Shiyani. Currently, Lucius was on the edge of the cliff with Mia''s body in between him and the others. Shiyani was still in the air, though she released her magic before her mana ran out and dropped to the ground, absorbing the shock with a well-practiced roll. "Well. Doesn''t look like you have much left in the tank, kid. Too bad you didn''t hit a breakthrough. Don''t think we would have won this if you did." She said to the boy. His legs were shaking and the energy swirling around him was flickering. Even the shadows licking his de had shrunk in size. Even with her normal, elven hearing she could hear the wheezing. Sure, she was exhausted, and the boy put up a great fight, but Paul and Lethen barely acted in the fight and mostly full tanks. They took damage from the area of effect from the Lightning Strike, but not really much else. "Give it up Lucius." Shiyani warned, drawing her bow and aiming it at his head. Paul also moved to her side with his bow drawn. Lethen stood on standby, ready to move into a defensive position at a moment''s notice. "Why? Why did you start to change your mind back then, but all of the sudden took money to change it back?" Lucius yelled. For once, he looked like a hurt boy, and not a ruthless killer. "You fought with us. Helped us. And now, for simple coins, you take my life. Coins you were going to reject from Andre!" Shiyani sighed. "The world is moreplex than you can imagine kid. yers y a game that we don''t understand and sometimes to make a good move, they have to sacrifice a piece." "So that''s all I am. A piece in a game? A pawn?" "Most of us are, Lucius. Unless you be a yer, that''s we will ever be, kid." She witnessed something she never expected from Lucius. Tears welled up in his eyes and peppered the ground at his feet. "That''s all I have ever been since I''ve been born. A pawn that people tried to get rid of I won''t ept it no. Instead of y the game, I''ll simply overturn the board." He growled. From somewhere unknown, a strange energy began to fill the area. It was a familiar sensation. Paul and Lethen fell to their knees and it was all Shiyani could do to maintain her consciousness. "Damn it where" she struggled to speak. At Lucius'' feet, Shiyani noticed a slight movement. Mia seemed to still be alive and she held in her hand, two small, gray crystals. The gray color started to fade and became white. The white light began to glow and the sound of cracking ss echoed. Lucius recognized the sound and looked down. He quickly dove backwards towards the cliff, but before he could make it over the edge, Mia shouted out. "Nice try, Lucius. We win this one!" A massive explosion, centered on Mia filled the space. Light, heat, and sound took up the space where she and Lucius once were. Shiyani and her group dove to the ground in an effort to minimize the damage done to them. me licked over her back and scorched her armor and singed her beautiful hair. For the next two minutes, the heat of the air was unbearable. When things finally began to cool down, they got to their feet. Where Mia and Lucius once were, there was a ck crater. There was no debris, no dust, nothing. It was as if the entire cliffside was vaporized instantly. "No doubt the Eroans had someone follow us. We need to go. Now. He''s gone." "Right, boss. Sorry kid." "Grab Renton and Marie. They''re still out of it. Let''s go. Now." Chapter 127: Letters Home An imposing man with red hair and green eyes stared at the elven woman across the desk from him. Sitting on the surface of the desk was a document, formally detailing the events of her mission. She was currently in a daze from having also had her memories read and shown to him as proof ofpletion. Though there was no physical evidence, from the scenes he witnessed, he doubted he would be capable of surviving such an explosion himself. Even Kalivas and possibly even Arcadios'' own King and Empyrean Rankers would escape from that unscathed. "And you believe he''s been eliminated?" Richard finally asked after the elven woman came to full alertness. "I believe he''d have to be one hell of a monster to survive that. Kind of hard to get proof when he was likely vaporized. Hell, even Mia waspletely erased by the explosion and he wasn''t much further away from the origin point than she was." Shiyani said with a shrug. Richard absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair. Instead of beingbed and smoothed like a noble typically does, it was a bit of a shaggy mess. His facial hair was also unkempt. The stress and pressures of the battlefield distracted him from focusing on basic hygiene. In truth, Richard probably would have let himself go a little even if he wasn''t distracted. It made the men under hismand feel a little at ease knowing that theirmanding officers were experiencing the hardships of war like them. "Fine. Your payment then." Richard tossed a sack filled with coins across the desk. "The agreed upon amount. Ten thousand tinum coins." "Thank you kindly." "Pleasure doing business with you, Shiyani." Richard said with a sigh. "If that''s what you want to call it." The woman''s disdain for him was palpable. ording to his brother, Andre, Shiyani did not get along well with members of nobility, even though they were her primary clientele. "Now, I have another" Shiyani held up a hand, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. "Nope. That''s it. Contract isplete and my partnership with the Petra household is done. Besides, I have another job for a more valuable client." Her words caught his attention. Who was it that was more valuable a client than his own family? Of the highest-ranking family''s, House Petra was among the strongest and wealthiest in Arcadios, the Union even. Very few people in the worldmanded more wealth than the Petra''s. The reason for their vast wealth was that they were, by nature, a very frugal household. Their focus on martial training and military education took up most of the time of the members of the family. They seldom had time to spend on worldly desires. "Fine." Richard decided to let it go. As a professional, there was no way that he could convince Shiyani to reveal the identity of her clients. Besides, even if he did, she would probably make him forget. She was a risk, but most of the world''s powers deemed the woman to be a ''necessary evil'' for it to turn. Though she was a Runner by definition, no one made an effort to hunt her down or kill her. Though, it could not be ruled out that the people who met her had their memories and feelings altered by her to think that way "You are truly terrifying." He mumbled. His statement elicited a small grin from the woman who then stood, bowed, and exited the room. "Well. As themander of Watcher''s Rest, I suppose Lucius was under mymand. So, I suppose it is on me to write a letter to his family." He muttered to himself. In the letter he detailed the death of Lucius. The story was modified slightly so as to make it more ptable to the public should the letter get out. As such, he left out any information rting to his misdeeds, the specifics of his mission, and the actual cause of his death. In the letter to Rubellia, he said: ~Miss Rubellia, I regret to inform you of the loss of Lucius. While on special assignment behind enemy lines in Alorek, he lost his life in a major battle that also imed the life of one of hisrades. Lucius is survived by two additional members of his team and many lives were saved as a result of his sacrifice. The boy was a powerful warrior and contributed to many of our army''s victories while on his special assignment. Due to confidentiality, I cannot divulge the specifics of his duties, but I assure you hepleted them to the best of his abilities. I understand that you are saddened by your son''s death. Were Wayne still alive, he would have been impressed by the boy''s growth. No longer was he small, weak child, but a strong and resolute warrior. As a special favor to you, for so loyally serving my house, from my own funds I will instruct my estate to bequeath to you the former residence you and your family once shared. You shall also receive a monthly allowance till the end of your days that will allow you to live a life unburdened by the pressures of servitude any longer. Yours, Richard von Petra~ Reading over the letter, he sighed to himself. The allowance and returning of the cottage he had given to Wayne was less of a repayment for Lucius'' service and more of a way to pay back the spirit of his deceased Guard Captain. Lucius was simply a Marked One and it was already a step beyond the norm to even write a letter, much less bequeath a death benefit. No, this was his pathetic way to finish repaying Wayne since he had broken his promise to let the boy serve as his daughter''s protector. "I suppose she should receive one as well. After all, I hear she has isted herself from other noble houses because of the boy. Maybe when she finds out the future she wanted is no longer possible, she will give up and move on." With that in mind, he set about writing another letter to his daughter. It was much shorter and to the point. It also included an order to find herself a partner within nobility. With Lucius gone, he doubted that she would have the energy to defy him further. After all, there was no longer a point to do so. When he finished his letters, Richard stepped out of his office. Waiting for him was Commander Laris who was already in a bowing position. "General, I heard that the task was done?" the oldmander questioned. "You heard correctly. You and the remainder of your men may rest easy. Spread the word to those who care." He ordered. "Sir." When Laris disappeared to bring the news to his subordinates and likely his son, Richard turned around and ordered another soldier who was stationed as the guard to his office. "Send these letters out. The one for Rubellia is to be sent to my estate. The other is for my daughter and shall be sent to the Royal Academy in the capital of Arcadios." Chapter 128: Crumpled Paper Natali slowly sipped a in, ck tea while sitting at a small round table in front of a bakery that she had grown fond of. Her best friends, Lyrah and Rena had also grown fond of the ce called ''Petite Treat'' and they frequented it every weekend or day off they had. Of course, they would only stop by after a long day of walking around town. After all, just because the name suggested thinness, in order to maintain such a body, they had to work for those treats. Their setup worked out quite well. Since Rena and Lyrah were out in public, they chatted to one another the entire time. As a maid, she was already pushing the line by sharing a table with her master, so she was able to avoid participating in the conversation actively. She still listened to them on the asion, but relished these moments where she could simply enjoy the wind in her hair and the fragrant scent of high-quality tea leaves. The specialty of this shop was these small, airy cookie-like treats with different kinds of fillings called macarons. Ever since Lyrah had introduced them to the girls, Natali had developed a slight obsession. Once upon a time, that obsession was put towards crepes, but no longer did they hold a ce in her heart of hearts. "Natali, are you doing well?" Rena''s voice pulled her out of her little world. She kept a frown from forming on her face because she was enjoying her peace, but since she was directly addressed, she was required to respond, even in public. "I am quite alright." She whispered. Rena gave her a gentle smile. They had grown closer since the first time they met. With the odd shove towards each other from Lyrah, they developed a kinship of sorts. The red-headed girl found it odd that they both expressed interest in Lucius, but when Lyrah casually exined that growing up she had several visions about the boy and that led to a childhood crush of sorts. Natali fumed, in her own way, when her secret was revealed to the lover of the very boy that had captured her heart, but Rena did not seem to mind. Nor did she give off any air of superiority for having been the one to ''seal the deal,'' as it were. Granted, the deal was not TRULY sealed, after all, they only kissed "Are you daydreaming about my boyfriend again?" Natali scratched herst thought about the girl not lording her position over her. "No. I was thinking how much closer we have gotten, but maybe I was wrong if you were going to act like that" Natali answered quietly. The response elicited a series of teasing giggles from Lyrah and Rena. Even Natali smiled warmly, though for only a moment. "Well!" Lyrah said, pping her hands. "Shall we go? Oh, there was a novel you wanted to share with me Rena, shall we go to your room?" "Oh yes! The one about themoner turned hero! Yes,e back to my dorm. We can continue our discussion there and Natali won''t have to act so distant with us!" Rena giggled. Natali quickly finished her tea, stood and dusted her apron before bowing and gesturing for the two girls to move ahead of her. The too stood and they headed together back to the academy. When they approached the school, Thomas von Petra was there along with his most ardent supporters at the school. With him were sons of the Rolf, Arnold, Burgess, and Kirby houses. "Ah, cousin, what are you up to this fine morning?" Thomas said to a concert of snickering from the other nobles. "I am spending time with my dear friends. Why do you care?" Rena jeered. If looks could kill, Thomas would have been sent to his grave several times over. "Don''t waste your time cozying up to the next Oracle. It won''t win you your spot back in the running for the head of the household you know the best you could hope for is to listen to Uncle and marry into a minor noble family. Oh! How about House Arnold. Warren, what do you think of my cousin?" Thomasughed. Warren, who had both a non-descript personality and appearance, stepped forward while chuckling. "I appreciate your kind offer. I would love to cement an alliance between our houses. Though, Lord Petra, I am concerned about the diseases I might contract from having a Marked One''s sloppy seconds." "I''m sure that''s something several hundred castings of Terrance''s light magic spells could cure. Or maybe we can have her purified by a priest?" Thomas chuckled. One of the other boys, Terrance Rolf,ughed along with him and mocked the movements of casting a spell. Though, he made no effort to actually use any mana. "I would caution you against even acting as though you are casting a spell in the presence of Lady Lyrah." Natali red icily at the boys. "I would hate to mistake it for an act of violence and need to protect her." A few of the boys gulped because they had seen her fight inbat sses. The maid was seen as quite the formidable opponent and not one of them were interested in crossing des with her. As the guardian and servant of Lyrah, the castle and crown would side with her for assuming that the next Oracle was under perceived threat. "Besides." She continued. "We are all about to start as official first years soon. And we would hate for anyone to miss the senior exhibition as well as ss assignments." This time Thomas gulped. They were all considered ''early entrees'' to the academy. They were allowed to participate in some sses, though those avable to them were limited in scope and space. However, they were old enough to be considered official students and could register as first-years in just a few weeks and would be considered true students. Thomas needed to excel at the academy to get the recognition he needed from his uncle and earn his position fully as the next head. Thomas spit. "Whatever let''s go." After the group left, the girls simply shook their heads in judgement and entered the female dorms. Upon entry into the room, Rena had noticed a letter cedying on the ground. Apparently someone had dropped a delivery under the door. "Oh?" Rena said in surprise while picking it up. "It appears to be from my father." "Open it." Lyrah said quietly. For some reason Rena did not seem to notice the tone in the girl''s voice, but Natalie did. She even perceived a slight crack in her speech, as if something was wrong. The maid stared at Lyrah, who refused to meet her gaze. Rena, opened the letter without concern, though a bit apprehensive since she had not spoken to her father, nor been on good terms with him. Her green eyes slowly scanned the page and Natali witnessed her fingers slowly dig into the paper, crinkling the edges. "N-no" She whispered. Tears formed at the edges of her eyes. "No!" Rena copsed to the ground; all the strength having left her. Her shrill screech attracted the attention of the other girls in the dorm and they gathered outside of the still open door. Rena was sobbing uncontrobly, like a child who had lost their parents. Several girls gathered outside at this point and one spoke up to ask, "What''s" "That is enough for the audience." Lyrah said with measured frustration as she closed the door on their faces. Though it was gentle, there was a firm finality to it. "Lyrah Rena?" Natali tried to get the words out, but she struggled to speak. Her voice quaked despite herself. "No, no no no!" Rena continued to sob and had now copsedpletely to the ground. Her hands both clung to her hair, having pulled her hair essories out. The letter had fallen to the ground beside her. "It is best if you read it, Natali." Lyrah said while gently stroking Rena''s back. "I cannot speak it aloud, lest all three of us be inconsble." Natali carefully picked up the partially crumpled paper and unfurled it enough to read the words. Each and every line was more painful than thest. Natali''s world came crashing down around her suddenly. Though she had never met him, it was like a longtime friend suddenly vanished from her life. While isted in the Oracle''s tower together, all she had around her were Lady Adelia, Lyrah, her own mother, and her father. Other than them, she had the stories of Lucius that Lyrah would share with her every day and every night. Now, that person was gone. "Lucius is" Natali stuttered. She locked eyes with Lyrah and remembered her warning a little while ago. "Together, right?" Lyrah nodded affirmatively. "Yes." Chapter 129: In the Rubble Kalliope had begun to slow down after her initial burst of speed, allowing the two beastmen with her to catch up slightly. None of them cared about staying out of Lucius'' sensory range after the massive discharge of manaing from the cliffs overlooking the valley. Before they could get too much closer, there was a massive burst of heat, rush of air, followed by a sound louder than anything they had ever heard. They simultaneously covered their ears in pain in reaction to what could only be described as an entire storm''s worth of thunder sounding off all at once. It was bad enough to leave her ears ringing and her feeling some disorientation, but she could tell her ears were not permanently injured in any way. What she wanted to do was rush up to the cliffs immediately, but the disorientation she was experiencing threatened to topple her over. "Lady Kalliope, are you alright? What was that sound? Did someone cast a high-level fire spell?" one of her men questioned. He too was nursing his ears by rubbing them gently. "I don''t know. Come on, to the cliffs!" Kalliope finally felt herself be steady enough to walk and began to move towards the human meeting spot. Slowly, but surely she regained confidence in her stride and returned to a run. When the Eroans reached the top of the cliffside they saw score marks, gouges, and small craters pocketed all over the rocky surface. The biggest among them was a massive crater at the edge of the cliff that was colored ck. Upon closer inspection, the edges of the crater had turned into a ss-like substance, reflecting the sun''s rays. "How powerful was that spell" one of her men asked while carefully inspecting the edges of the crater. Panic was starting to set in. Kalliope began to frantically inspect the battlefield for signs of Lucius or bodies, but there was nothing. The shifting sands already covered up tracks of anyone who fled the area so what happened here? Who attacked them? Was it Alorek? Everything about this situation was sketchy. If it was Alorek, they would still be nearby or their other scouts would have reported enemies in the area. "It must have been a setup" she mumbled. "Lady Kalliope! Over here!" One of her men was standing on the edge of the cliff and pointing down into the valley. At first all she saw was rubble and devastation from parts of the rock wall having cascaded onto the valley floor. However, upon a closer examination, among the rubble was a body. Without any further reservations, she jumped off the side of the cliff. "[Shield Arts: Negate Impact]!" As she approached the ground below, she activated her Arts to cancel out any of the impact and damage from the fall. The shield took increased damage aspared to what it would have taken upon a normal block, but in exchange the user felt zero residual effects of the strike. In this case, it absorbed the impact of her fall and in repayment, her shield exceeded its durability and shattered into splinters. The cost of the Art was worth it though. Scrambling across the rubble, she made her way to the body. The person had dark colored hair that was coated in ayer of dust and sand. On top of his chest and stomach were armfuls of rocks and sand, but the face was unmistakably Lucius. "Gods! Lucius!" Kalliope ran to his side and began to dig him out from the dirt. "Come on, don''t be dead. Don''t be dead. Don''t be dead." ***** Like he did every day, Kalivas stood as the solitary guard and watch at the gate of Fort Se. He took breaks of course. He would trade with a squad of fighters at the twilight and dusk for a period of three hours each. As a powerful fighter who trained himself in nearly every martial style, there were times where he had to train his stamina and mental fortitude. It was thanks to this intense training that he had been able to maintain his solitary watch. On top of that, he knew that every moment he was not protecting the gates, was a moment that Alorek would choose to attack and he was not about to be taken by surprise. The times of day in which he took his rest periods were also openings in his defense, however they were also disadvantageous times to begin a siege, so the risk of his guard being taken advantage of was low. Right as he was thinking about that someone came up to him to deliver his lunch, which he ate on duty. "Thank you. After this war is over, I am going to devour the stock of every luxury restaurant in the capital. This dry jerky and stale bread just doesn''t cut it." Heughed. The soldier who delivered it to him had a sour look on his face. In his defense, Kalivas had been making this joke every meal, every day, ever since Alorek attacked. "Sheesh, tough crowd" He mumbled to himself as the man disappeared. He was half way through chewing on a piece of jerky when he caught wind of Kalliope and blood. Off in the distance he was able to see a group of shadows running towards him. Slumped over Kalliope''s back was the familiar form of a boy that he had only just seen off earlier today. "I knew it." Kalivas growled, trying to calm the rage in his chest. "Healers! To me! We have a severely wounded soldier iing!" His order''s echoed through the air and a number of men behind the gates started scrambling around to find their best healers. It did not matter to them if those healers were off duty, because the tone in Kalivas'' voice was fierce enough to imply the oue of failing to meet his request. "Uncle! It''s Lucius they" Kalliope stammered between gasps. It seemed she had run the entire way back despite the protests from her body. He carefully moved to remove the boy from her back, but she warned him before he could move further, "Don''t touch his back. You have to hold him stomach down" Kalivas was stunned by the strange request, but moved to do as she said. When he finally shuffled the boy into his arms, he realized why she had said so. The skin along his back was covered in burns and deep gashes. Not only would holding him on his back be immensely painful for him, but he''d likely drip even more blood than he was already losing. Several of the openings were deep enough to see bone and severed muscle. He also did not miss the fact that there seemed to be a handful of wounds on his front from being pierced by arrows. "What happened to him" The anger he had quelled up until now threatened to spill over. Even the other soldiers started to shake from the pressure. Kalliope was unphased, focused solely on the boy in his arms. "I don''t know but it seems their ''reinforcements'' were a trap, I don''t know if it was for him or all of them, but I only saw him. No one else was present." "Okay" "We did what you asked, but when battle started to break out, I charged forward. I wasn''t able to make it in time. Before I could get close there was a massive explosion, like someone set off a King Rank fire spell." Kalliope continued. Kalivas nodded. "Come, let''s get him inside and heal what we can. Guard the gates! I''m going to be busy for a while. If anyone cks, I''ll feed you to Sand Wyrms myself." Chapter 130: Truth Revealed Lucius found himself floating in a sea of emptiness. His vision was working and he could see his entire body. It was simply that there was nothing else to look at, the very concept of ''nothing'' was all that stared back at him. However, he was not unsettled, rather there was a strangefort to it. He had been here before. "Luz. Grimm. Show yourselves." He shouted out. For a moment there was nothing, just silence. Then the void became filled with a bright white, light. Then opposite of it, a deep, never-ending darkness. They were two entities he had known for a long time, but had not spoken to for a while. A smile breached his face as he spoke to two of his oldest friends. "Grimm, Luz nice to see you, though I cant remember exactly, I feel like the circumstances of this are less than ideal?" He said while moving to some sort of seating position. There was no up or down, nor was there a concept of left or right, everything simply was. However, he ''sat'' as though he were resting in a friend''s room. "Long time, no see Lucius. Well, for you I suppose. We''ve been watching you for this entire time. Also time isn''t really a thing, so it kinda feels like we just talked!" Grimm''s raspy voiceughed out. "Lucius hello" Luz on the other hand seemed to somehow struggle with speaking. Now that he was paying attention, his overwhelming light that sometimes hurt to look at was actually somewhat manageable. It was as though the being had gotten weaker somehow. "Everything okay, Luz?" "Bah, don''t worry about him!" Grimm chuckled. "He''s just feeling a little gloomy." "That''s one way to put it" Luz whispered. "Hey, you get what you deserved. Keeping our boy held back like that how rude of you good sir!" Grimm continued. Lucius was confused for a moment, then felt a rush of rage. Was what Grimm said true? Was the reason he was unable to advance for so many years because Luz was holding him back? "Uh-oh! Someone''s in trouble!" Grimm teased. "Luz" "Listen Lucius, it was necessary. For your growth." Luz tried to argue in as convincing of a tone as he could manage. "The hardships you experienced made you grow as a person, forced you to learn. That''s all I wanted for you so that way you did not use your power as a crutch." "Yes, Luz. You did do that. Meanwhile I tried my hardest at first to breach through your little wall, but s when I saw that I could not best you, I had no choice but to give up and let you torture our poor boy to your heart''s content." If darkness could shrug, that seemed to be what Grimm had just done. Lucius thought back to the times he struggled and how he was underestimated and mocked for being weak and unable to advance. His job of protecting Rena itself seemed to be a joke the universe yed on him because she was a rank higher than he was. However, the universe was not ying a prank. No, the culprit of that particr breed of misfortune was someone he had considered a friend. "You know Luz out of the two of you, Grimm was the one I expected to trick me, betray me." Lucius growled. His eyes red in anger. "But it was you. Do you know what I faced. What I had to do?" "But you grew, did you not?" "Grow? You did that so I could grow? Was my suffering as a child not enough growth for you? Was the world hating me not enough growth for you? Was being ripped from the love of my life not enough growth for you?" Lucius was shouting now, his voice echoing through the vast emptiness. "Huh Luz? Was all that pain not enough for you?!" "I wanted you too learn how to use the power you had" "If you didn''t stop me from using the power I had, maybe I could have! Instead, I learned to work with scraps!" Luz was silent for a while. Then, "Heroes struggle through adversity. To be what" "Fuck your heroes." "What?" "You heard me Luz. Fuck. Your. Heroes. Why would I want to be one?" "To change the world" "There are a lot of ways to change the world Luz but even if there were. I don''t want that." He whispered. "I don''t want that at all. I just want to exist. To that end, I take the steps necessary, no matter the cost." "You''ve murdered so many people Lucius." Luz whispered, his voice was getting weaker and the light grew ever dimmer. Grimm simply stayed silent and watched as he argued with the other half of the void. "What would they have done to me even if I had done nothing Luz?" "You did more than what was needed to make your point. Why did you go further? Every time you killed, you went further than you needed to. You could have gotten the same results without resorting to the amount of violence you" "Enough, Luz." He said with serene calm. "You''re right. I went further than necessary. I killed more than I needed but so what if I did? This is a kill or be killed world, Luz, and for me? I would rather be on the killing side." "That doesn''t" "Shut up Luz" Grimm''s cackle echoed through the void, taunting his counterpart. Still he said nothing. He simply continued tough as Lucius'' vision faded. Just before his vision faded entirely, he heard the darkness call to him, "I''m proud of you Lucius let''s continue to work together." ***** Kalliope sat by Lucius'' side, holding onto his hand. There was no way for him to know that she wasforting him, but she remained that way regardless. If anything, it was afort for her instead. Uncle Kalivas also stood by Lucius'' bedside as multiple healers cast spell after spell on the boy in sections. Theybined several different grades of potions with their magic to try and quickly heal the worst of his injuries. Eventually the open wounds began to close and the burns began to fade. However, many of the wounds would leave permanent scars. It was a testament to the intense amount of mana that went into causing those wounds. Without some of the greatest healing potions known to man, and the strongest healers in the world no one would have been able to heal the scars away. Lucius would walk the world forever with these. Kalliope did think they looked pretty badass though. She especially liked the one on his chest and neck. It was almost sad to think that most of these would be covered up by his clothes but if she were too "Kalliope." She yelped after her name was called out. "I wasn''t thinking anything!" Kalivas'' questioning eyebrow made her look away in shame for a moment, but he thankfully left it alone and continued. "I guess you figured out something when he first arrived here." "Lucius? I know he smelled kind of wait that''s what it was! Before you attacked himhe''s" She was so shocked she almost dropped Lucius'' hand. "Is he rted to you uncle?" Kalivas nodded slowly. "Yes. In fact, he''s my son." For a moment, she thought she heard something break. It was the sound of her mind shattering at this news. Never before had she heard of her uncle having a son. Let alone a half-blooded son with someone of another race. "What do you mean? When did you what about the woman" hundreds of questions filled her mind, but none of them could reallye out. "His mother is the one woman I loved, though I do not believe she ever loved me. For her, I believe I was a means to an end yet I was with her long enough to create him. I never thought I would meet him. I was told he did not survive the birth imagine just" Something Kalliope had never imagined in her life greeted her. Tears. Tears from the face of her great, uncle Kalivas. To her, he was an unshakable hero, a force of power and might, the very representation of strength. Yet here he was, in front of her crying. She quietlyid Lucius'' hand down beside him and walked over to her uncle. Kalliope gently wrapped her arms around him and gave him a wordless hug. After a few moments, he patted her on the back to let him go. "Thank you." "Of course." "When he pulls through you are to stay with him at all times. I''m not going to let him go this time. I was unable to be a father all these years so the least I could do is protect him and train him to be stronger." "What if the humans find out he''s still alive?" "They won''t." ----------------------------------------- A/N: Hi all! Thank you so much for reading! The beginning of the story and the origins for most of our cast has beenid bare! Please enjoy as we start Volume 2: Academies! Chapter 131 : Four Years A woman, d in shining, te armor stood at the edge of the walls of the city of Alvora. She had short, round ears on top of her head that were ck in color and a small white, nubby tail behind her. Ever since she tookmand of the supply depot four years ago after the betrayal of General Elzha, she had made it a point to patrol the city''s fortified walls every dawn. The city had essentially turned into a fortress during the time that she tookmand, and it''s citizenry had started to slowly trickle back into the city. It was no longer just a supply depot for the army, but a functioning city under martialw. While not an ideal situation, after such a long and drawn-out war, the locations the citizens had been relocated to were running out of space and supplies to care for them. There was no option but to return home. "General Pana! General!" Pana turned around to look the fresh-faced boy in the eyes. He was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. He had probably run nonstop around the walls to locate her. "Speak." "Ma''am Eroa has pushed further into our territory. They''ve taken the hills five miles to the north." Pana felt a rumble in her throat as she failed to hold back an angry growl. They had faced loss after loss and yet their king, the almighty Zethis, refused to yield. Not only had his ns been derailed by a traitor, putting them at a disadvantage, but his own foolish pride would not let him sue for peace. One of the few things that kept them from losing Alvora more quickly was that Kalivas had chosen to remain within Eroa''s borders. Likely to keep the King and Empyrean warriors of Alorek from joining the war. However, they did face a new foe on the battlefield. Recently they had been receiving reports of a unit of fighters that were under the direct order of King Verdayl Eroa. These fighters were members of his elite guard known as the ''King''s Shadow'' that served to be his eyes and ears in the dark. However, instead of operating as a ndestine group resolving internal affairs, it seemed a number of their ranks had been sent to the warfront. "How many Shadows were seen?" "ording to reports, only four or five at the most." "That''s too many They are nning something. Inform the popce to prepare supplies and fortifications for a potential siege. Our soldiers will assist the merchant guild in providing supplies based on family size and need. Triple the guard at all checkpoints and double the number of scouts. All reserves are considered active duty as of now." Pana barked. The messenger saluted her, took a deep breath then ran of to ry hermands to other messengers. Pana had great instincts and intuition and something told her that the end of the war was on its way. ***** "Oh Renaaa!" a sing-song voice reverberated through her room. The pitch was unnecessarily high and energetic. "It''s morning and it is time for our weekly outing!" Rena reached out and grabbed something hard off of her night stand, then chucked it at the door. The loud thud acted as an indicator that the visitor coulde in. Seeing as she had a key, there was no need to unlock the door for her. A young woman with white hair slowly stepped into the doorway, moving to the side so a much more energetic woman with ck hair and silver eyes could rush inside. The second girl took a flying leap andnded right on top of the poor redhead still covered up by her nkets. "Lady Rena, it does you no good to stay in bed all day! I know it is the weekend, but to waste the day away by sleeping is by no means an excusable action!" Lyrah teased while poking her cheek. "Lyrah get off me." She grumbled in response. The girl let out a sigh. "Alright so be it. Natali?" "[cies: Freezing Wind]" The maid generated a low powered version of a debuff spell. It was useless at the power level she used, but it was enough to create a smallir of frost to form all over the room. "Fine! Gods, you two are persistent, I''ll get up" Rena acquiesced to their demands and threw off her nkets. Since they were all girls, she did not bother to cover her modesty despite the fact that her nightgown had slipped off her shoulder, exposing one of her breasts. "Oh my, Lady Rena, how bold!" Lyrah giggled with a hand over her mouth. "Please, were I interested in seducing you, I would try harder than simply exposing my chest." "Is that so? I don''t know, it seems like a pretty viable option for seduction." "If you were a man maybe it would be, but I like to think you are a little more intellectual than that." Powered by m_vl_em_p_yr Natali giggled in the corner of the room. It had been four years since Rena had joined the academy and they spent every day off and many evenings after sses hanging out and talking. So much so, that conversations like this became the norm. The three of them were considered outcasts at the Academy. Rena because of her past, and Lyrah and Natali because they were the only Marked Ones in attendance. Rumors had it that because the Adventurer''s Guild leveraged its weight as an international organization, to request that thews that the human nations put in ce to prepare for war, be maintained after the war. This meant that when war was finally over, there would likely be an influx of students of various ages in schools and guilds around the continent. However, until that actually happens, these two girls were the only ones of their kind currently here. "Who do you pick to be the winner of the Senior Showcase this year, Rena?" "I am unsure. Unfortunately, my idiot cousin has be quite adept in the ways of bothbat and magic. So, he stands a good chance." "Hmm, that he does. None of the other iing seniors have quite the same spunk that he has. I only wish he would direct that energy into being less of a dickhead." "If only." What Lyrah was referencing was the annual ''Senior Showcase'' as the students had taken to calling it. Essentially it was abat tournament held every year as part of the opening ceremony for the Royal Academy in Arcadios. Students of the iing senior ss would volunteer in abat tournament showing off their abilities and talents as an inspiration for the iing freshmen. It also served to pander to members of nobility that wished to see their donations were worth the expense. Rena could care less who won the tournament. The only thing the winner got was the fawning of any iing students who were interested in getting to know, either politically or carnally, strong warriors. Lyrah started audibly sighing as she watched Rena choose the outfit she was going to wear today. It was a pair of pants with leather armor over the top, a in undershirt under a set of studded leather and topped with a thin overcoat. Essentially, she looked again like the adventurer she once was. The girl finished the look by tying up a small ponytail with her short hair. "It is quite a shame you don''t dress moredylike anymore. You have such a nice figure." "I have no one I need to impress. What is that old saying Dress for the job you want? Well, I''m going to be an adventurer after the academy. So here I am. Come on let''s go." Rena led the girls out of her dorms so they could visit the marketce and bakeries like usual. Rena sighed to herself at Lyrah''s behavior. ''Today is his birthday isn''t it...we''re eighteen now Lucius... I wish we could have seen it together'' She thought sadly as she gently rubbed the choker around her neck. ----------------------------------------------- A/N: Thank you to all those who have purchased privilege and tickets, and powerstones! Special thanks to: bashuwen, DarkElven6, Aldiir_Di_Oz, darkde875, azazel867, alex_molsbee, Jesse_Michaels, and MultiEye.you keep a newbie like me writing! <3 Hope you enjoy volume 2 more than volume 1! Chapter 132 : Zethis Resolve Zethis stood, overlooking his city again. The look on his face was serene in a way. His once great n for reconquering Eroa for his kingdom and enving human nations was in tatters. All of the advisors to the throne and representatives of the different ns begged him to push for peace. Despite the stupidity of it, Zethis could not relent. His pride would simply not let him. He still saw a way out of this with him stilling out on top, though it would be difficult. As long as Alvora stood, they had a way to win. General Pana was one of their best. All she had to do was hold the city until the next wave of reinforcements arrive. Granted their passage through that area of the desert has been slowed thanks to the migration of Sand Wyrms currently happening. It was an annual event and piss poor timing. "Hold out Pana. We will send reinforcements soon." Zethis mumbled. Over thest four years his temperament had cooled a little. His demeanor took on a more mellow tone. No longer was he the genius king that could crush their enemies, but the stubborn fool who did not know how to quit while he was ahead "King Zethis! Your presence is requested in the council chambers." "Fine." He meandered through the hallways, in no particr rush to get where he was going, taking time to admire the art that hung on the walls for the first time in his life. There was a beauty to the pce that he had not known before. While he was gazingckadaisically at the paintings lining his pce''s halls, he felt a slight tremor in the air. It was a terrifying, yet familiar sensation. "Her" Zethis'' calm demeanor quickly changed to one of excitement. He had felt this a few times in the past, both as a younger warrior and a child. Though it had been many years since he hadst seen the woman in question. Bursting through the doors of the council chambers, he quickly gazed about until his eyes rested on a small woman with cat-like ears and a stripped orange and ck tail. Though they were hard to discern there were also light stripe marks all over her body as well. "Lady Tierga!" Zethis said,ing to a kneeling position before her, much to the surprise of the council members around him. "Stand, Zethis! You are a king! You should not kneel before your subjects." The woman shouted. "King, Emperor, or god, I will always pay respects to my master." He said while standing up. The woman before him was the person who trained him to fight. She was Alorek''s Empyrean Rank warror, Tierga. Though she was easily in her sixties, she did not look a day over thirty. The massive maul on her back was almost as tall as she was as well. Zethis exchanged pleasantries with his old master for several minutes,pletely ignoring those who had requested his presence. When the woman started to show signs of annoyance, he backed off and returned to the matter at hand. "So, Lady Tierga, what has you blessing our pce with your presence?" Zethis stated in a tone befitting a ruler. All of his previous mncholy vanished and for a moment, at least to the eyes of those around him. He returned to the strong king he had made himself known to be in the past. "I hear enemies encroach upon ournds, ande to give you guidance and support. Though Kalivas has not entered our borders, nor are there signs of the warriors of the Union kingdoms participating, I find myself growing concerned for those who bully those weaker than them." King Rank and Empyrean Rank warriors and mages rarely, if ever, participated in their homes'' wars and squabbles. To fighters of their caliber, it was decided that for the safety of those weaker than them, they would not fight unless provoked by another individual of their weight ss. To them, the kings and queens of the continent''s nations were akin to children ying a game. When two nations warred, that was simply a pair of toddlers fighting over a toy. These powerful beings did not intervene in the fighting of children, only when another adult tried to bully them would they step in. Usually, they did not care for the changing of rulers over the ces they protected, but some, like Kalivas, did. Tierga was one of the ones who did not participate in protecting the homnd, unless another of her level were to participate. Something concerned him though. If neither Kalivas, nor any of the other possible King and Empyrean Rankers were joining then what was the cause for concern? "Mydy I apologize for my ignorance, but just what kind of bullying do you think is urring? Our king simply started a war he cannot finish, there is no bullying, rather divine retribution perhaps?" One of the elder members of the council stated. Zethis red at him, butpared to the aura of Tierga, his threats meant nothing to the old man. "So you reject my offer for assistance then?" Tierga asked dangerously. "I-I-I wouldn''t say that, mydy it is just you and your cohort do not typically care to intervene even in past skirmishes. I just find it strange that you would fight on our behalf" The powerful warriorughed, making the others in the room tremble. "Do not assume I will fight this war for you. No, these are your own problems. However, I will support you. By my name, the capital will not fall, Alorek will remain sovereign. This is what I promise." There was a collective sigh of relief, including from Zethis. Though he knew it was basically impossible for Eroa or the Union to want to annex them, the concern was still there as a possibility always existed. With Tierga''s promise, their sovereignty was assured no matter the oue. "Ah, but one more offer. The Sand Wyrms I shall take care of that problem. Advance your armies as you wish." With thatst statement, the woman left the room. No one made moves or statements to stop her. That would be like trying to ask an earthquake to stop shaking. Zethis gradually felt his energy reserves rekindle. The me and passion in his heart burned brightly again. Those in the council room noticed as the slump in his shoulders disappeared and once again his posture regained the regal positioning of a king. "Advance the armies. We march on Alvora. Then, we push Eroa back to their borders. Though we may not win this war, we will not lose it either. This I promise as your king!" When he raised his fist in the air, the soldiers, guards, and several council members roared with confidence and eager resolve. Zethis smiled and thanked his old master for her appearance. Though it was unlikely, he could not help but wonder if she did this to help him out of his slump. No matter her reasoning, he was not about to let this opportunity for recovering his honor go to waste. ----------------------------- A/N: Today will be thest day of writing three chapters a day. I have been making mistakes to meet the goal (see the idental Dual Chapter and chaps 144-156, which had horrendous grammar and spelling errors I needed to fix), and I want to improve quality over quantity. I am very sorry I could not do the whole month of three chapters a day! I just do not want to sacrifice the story to meet this goal. ---------------------------- Chapter 133: Divine Strength Two masked individuals stood together atop a sand dune. Each had a pair of binocrs and were observing the migration of the Sand Wyrms from a safe distance. Every year they would move directly across the main roads of Alorek to the opposite edge of the desert where their breeding grounds had replenished. The timing was great for Eroa and the Five Kings Union as it meant that the forces at Alvora would be more cautious in their approach to battle. At present, Eroa''s advance lines were a mere five miles away from the city''s walls. The human kingdoms had regained the entirety of their borders, but had yet to push into Alorek yet. The forces there were holding strong still. Eroa would have offered to attack from the rear, but they were only barely able to push their lines forward. If they detracted from that force to support the humans, then they risked losing the ground they gained. Simrly, Alorek could not spare their forces to hit Eroa''s rear guard, because then they would be pushed back by humans. Essentially, though allies, the two enemies of Alorek were operating independently of each other at the moment. These two masked individuals were soldiers for Eroa and were scouting out the path leading to Alvora ensuring that reinforcements were still stalled. They heard through their spy channels that something ''big'' was happening, so they wanted to be as prepared as possible. What they were witnessing though was beyond their expectations. The descriptor of ''big'' was an understatement. One of the two masked figures recognized the personage of Tierga, the Empyrean warrior slowly approaching the herds of Sand Wyrms scrambling across the desert. Even from the vast distance between her and these watchers, they could feel the strength and mana pouring off of her, making the air feel thick. They watched slowly and with a terrified sense of awe as she drew the massive maul from her back. Her mouth moved to call out her Art. Thankfully, the watchers could read lips. "[Hammer Arts: Thundering Impact]" A plume of sand, dirt, debris and monster chunks spewed into the air, rivaling the heights of Alorek''s tallest mountains. The shockwave blew past them as though they were next to an explosion. The wind ripped at their cloaks, threatening to tear them away. The smaller of the two observers stabbed their sword into the sand in an effort to not be blown away. The winds caused by the shockwavested for a full minute before finallying to rest. Sand was still raining from the sky and visuals were now zero. The smaller of the two stood and addressed their partner. "So that''s the strength of an Empyrean Rank amazing." "" "Hello? You going to say anything? Is something the matter?" The smaller observer kept waving their hands in front of the face of their partner, who was still staring into the distance despite being unable to see anything. It was impossible to tell the look on their face because it was covered by fabric, but it was obvious they were in shock. "Everything okay?" " she looked at me." "Huh?" Therger of the two turned his head slowly. "Tierga. She looked right at me when she activated the Art. She saw us." "Should we run?" "No point. I don''t think she will pursue, otherwise she would be on top of us already let''s return to camp and inform them of what we saw." The smaller of the two became pale as they came to the realization of being discovered and what that meant. However, there was nothing they could do but try and return to camp. If they were going to be attacked, running or walking would not matter, they just needed to hope they could return at all. What they had witnessed was the peak of power avable to mortals. With a single swing of her hammer, one person changed thendscape of a nation and wiped out an untold number of monsters. Though she was mortal like them, that amount of strength felt almost godlike. If she could change the face of thend, what else could she do? To these observers, the answer was probably anything. Though they were never witness to the divine, this strength was the closest thing they could imagine. They were surprised she was involved this much, but it was unlikely she would involve herself further. However, she did open up the path. When the dust settled, Alorek could continue the advance towards Alvora, so any ns they had needed to be elerated now. "We have to tell the Commander." "Do we have to? Themander scares me." "We can talk to the Vice-Commander instead?" "Yea she''s better." These two observers were scouts for the King''s Shadow. A group of specially selected operatives and warriors under direct service to the king of Eroa. They had been tasked to watch the routes behind Alvora and monitor the migraton, but this new information changed their priorities. Neither of them wanted to bring the bad news to their leaders, but it was necessary nheless. There were ns in motion to attack Alvora in theing days and this new information could change the way that battle looked. They needed time to prepare for the fight, but that time had been cut by several days if not more than a week. Though from what little they knew of the Commander''s n, it should be fine to execute a little early. "Did the King really approve of the Commander''s n?" "No, from what I heard he didn''t approve anything. He simply gave the orders to take Alvora ''out of the picture'' and washed his hands of everything else." "So then, we are really going through with it?" "It seems that way the infiltration teams should be finished by now. Or if not, done enough to get the point across?" "Hey do you think we will get our masks for this?" "Oh, I hope so" The masks they referred to were given to the most skilled of their order. Instead of the mouth coverings, they were granted in ck face masks. The only slits were for the eyes and nose. Beyond that they had no defining features. Only the strongest of them were given masks. Even among their unit, only the Commander had been granted a mask. There was a rumor that the Vice-Commander had one as well, though no one had seen her go on a mission, so she never really wore it. Unlike the Commander who wore it all the time. Chapter 134: Infiltration A cloaked figure stands inside of arge tent with a table at its center. On the table, a map of the city of Alvora is pinned down. The figure appeared to be deep in thought and pacing around the edge of the table mumbling under his breath. asionally he would stop, move around a few pins that were on the map, then restart his pacing. Covering his face was a in, ck mask with slits for his eyes and nose. Over his head was a sand-colored cloak. Under it all he wore dirty, leather armor that had numerous scratches and divots from past battles. Normally such heavy armor and coverings would be unbearable, but on the outside of his armor was a small ne, enchanted to regte body temperature. Though every inch of the figure''s skin was covered by clothing or armor while in the middle of the desert, he was probably the mostfortable person in the camp. Watching him from the opening of the tent was another figure wearing simr style armor to him, but with additional metal tes affixed to it. She carried a sword on her hip and a shield on her back. Strapped to her thighs were a set of daggers. She strode forward, seductively, and ran her fingers gently across the table until she reached the masked figure. Her fingers trailed up his hand and arm until her palm rested on his shoulder. "Commander, are you not finished yet?" She whispered to the man. "No. nning takes time and effort." "Aww, but you''ve been nning all day and night. I think it''s time you rest." The woman continued to whisper with a pout on her face. "I know, how about I show you a few ways to" "Enough. I''ll go and rest." The woman pouted more, but let her Commander leave the tent without her. She then turned to the table and looked over the ns he had spent thest three days pouring over. Everything looked almost perfect. It was a simple matter to imprint the cement of the important locations in her mind with a few minutes of analysis. While she was in the middle of doing that, two other simrly armored individuals ran up to the tent. "Vice-Commander! We have urgent news." "Speak." "Lady Tierga of Alorek took to the field. She cleared the Sand Wyrm migration with a single attack. When the damage is settled, the reinforcements will be able to advance towards Alvora." "Understood. Thank you. Luckily it seems that our dear leader had prepared for such a possibility." She gestured to the map. In several ces where there were no pins, there were several ''T''s drawn in various locations. She took some of the pins next tobels of the letter ''N'' and moved them next to the T''s. "You two, memorize this. Distribute it among our men." ""Yes ma''am!"" Both rushed out of the tent the moment they had memorized the map. Every member of King''s Shadow was an elite warrior and thinker. Being able to memorize orders and battle ns was a tip of the iceberg. Even though the two that had left were some of the lowest ranking members, they were just as skilled and would be able to recreate the entire battle map from memory. The Vice-Commander pressed her finger to a small magical device in her ear. "My liege, we are beginning preparations." For a moment there was no response, then, "And your Commander?" "Resting currently. He''s been going for about seventy-two hours without rest." "Understood. When he wakes remind him to do what you must. You know the risks, but I trust you both to get the results promised, Vice-Commander. No matter the cost." "Yes, my king." The woman said as the crystal became silent. Before leaving the tent herself, she grabbed her own mask from her storage ring, one like her leader possessed. It not only physically hid the face, but was enchanted with a spell that when active would add a blurry, shimmery effect to the user''s body that hid their identities. While it was not so grand as to change their facial features like some items from Aedrider, it was enough to make the wearer seem physically ambiguous. The woman activated this effect and set of towards Alvora where they had a number of scouts monitoring the walls. Each team was lead by a member of the King''s Shadow. It was time to move on the grand n their leader had devised. "No matter the cost dangerous words, my king." The woman smirked. ***** "This is the n? Seriously?" A member of the King''s Shadow was looking at the orders he was handed. There was no doubt they were real because the messenger was the Vice-Commander herself. Each of the Shadows stationed around the city were to infiltrate the city under the cover of night and don the guise of warehouse workers. Each one had been given a storage ring with a ''special resource'' themander had prepared for their mission. When the resource was dropped off at key positions around the city, they were ordered to monitor the drop locations to ensure they were not moved or discovered. The monitoring would onlyst until the Eroan army assaulted the city. When the battle horns sound, they were ordered to evacte. "What kind of whatever, orders are orders." The man mumbled. His name was Horace and he had been a Shadow for a little over two years. It was only recently his unit had been switched to his current one. When he heard about the transfer and that the unit was going to be acting within Alorek, he was honestly surprised. From everything that he had known about his order was that they operated throughout the kingdom as the king''s eyes, ears, and daggers for anyone meaning to do harm to the royal family or the nation from within. It was not within their purview to operate outside their own borders. However, despite his skepticism, he took the post with pride. Each day of thest several months had been an adventure. Horace was so busy that he barely had time to clean the blood from his de between assignments. It was exciting though. Having to figure out how to use his skills for espionage and assassination and mold them to a barren battlefield in the middle of a desert it was new and new was fun. This new assignment was a return to the norm though, so he would not get rusty when they inevitably returned home. A few hours after being given his orders, night fell and Horace made his move. The scout team he was in charge of was ordered to return to the main line as the Shadows entering the city hadmunication crystals to speak to their superiors, so they would take over much of the monitoring of forces. When Horace made it to the wall he cast a spell, "[Umbra: Shadow Walk]" As long as he stood still in perfect darkness, he would remain invisible for the length of the spell. A momentter he scaled up the sides of the walls using special climbing ws attached to his armor. When a guard passed by he would hold and vanish from sight. After almost fifteen grueling minutes, Horace finally made it over the wall and into the city. His first target was to locate clothing to blend in. For that, he headed to the residential district, dodging between patrols by hiding in alleyways. Horace needed to recast his Shadow Walk a few times before he finally locatedundry that had been left out to dry for too long. Next, he settled into a safe ce tucked between some bunk houses and waited for the next day, where he would locate his designated warehouse locations. After that he only needed to wait. Chapter 135: One More Push Richard von Petra was fully dressed in his battle armor. They were nning a massive push against Alorek today. Their forces for the assault numbered nearly fifty-thousand. All of them were veterans of the war at this point. His ns of incorporating Marked Ones into the individual core of the army versus having a shield wall of them at the vanguard proved unpopr at first, but ultimately effective. Those that had powerful skills were able to use them without the impediment of other Marked Ones using their abilities at the same time right next to them. Magic and Mark usage shared one thing and that was if the power''s collided with a simr power of an opposite element, then they would cancel out. When the disorganized Marked Ones fought side by side, this happened with simultaneous mark activations of opposing natures from their allies, greatly reducing the effectiveness of the attack. With the users now spread out, the powerful ones stood out and were much more helpful in battling their opponents. Arcadios still seethed over the decision and absolutely refused to allow any Marked Ones to work with the forces under hismand. Since Richard was in charge of the front, the could force him to follow orders. However, Arcadios was under the directmand of the king and was simply on loan to Richard for the duration of the war. Even though it had been four years since Lucius'' rampage and subsequent silencing, Richard still wanted to be careful when interacting with the crown. For this battle, he brought himself to the field. He made sure to spar with his men to keep his sword arm from getting rusty, but this battle was going to be a deciding factor for the oue of the war. Apparently their allies had some sort of n cooking up and there was a risk of Alorek sacrificing their lines against the human army to stop Eroa''s attack. Whatever they had nned was allegedly going to be big. How big? Richard didn''t know. The moment the sun''s rays first erupted from the horizon, he nodded to queue the signal for the start of battle. A low hum of a bugle blew across the battlefield and soon the rhythmic beat of marching feet created a dull roar in Richard''s ears. His heart was beating heavily, excited for battle. While atop a horse, he held the reins with one hand while pointing his other at the battlefield. "Mage Group Blue, target the area I signal with a barrage. Archer group Blue hold ten and follow-up!" His voice echoed across the army lines. He rode his horse through the gaps in the marching groups. "[Lux: re C Blue]" He cast a simple re spell colored blue over the heads of a group of enemy infantry nearly a thousand feet. It was a long range ask for their archers, but with their longbows they should be able to reach it without Arts. "Other groups! Same orders, follow your signals! "[Lux: re C Red], [Lux: re C Green]" Richard sent out several different colors of res indicating requested targets for each of the ranged units to hit. First the mage groups wouldunce a series of spells, then after a ten-count, the Archer groups wouldunch a swarm of arrows. The enemy forces had simr tactics prepared and Richard did his best to dodge stray arrows that may have struck him, including casting the asional barrier with his light magic. When Richard made it half way to the front lines heunched a massive, orange re straight into the sky, signaling a full charge. Alorek met their charge with one of their own and the two armies shed. Steel met steel and spell met spell as both sides shed. They were equal in size and strength, though beastmen did have a slight edge in physical strength. Human forcespensated for this discrepancy by being better at magic. Separating the infantry from the magical and archery units were Shield Arts users and Light Magic users who could cast barrier spells or arts to protect their ranged groups from the enemies groups. Since their magic was stronger, they could block more spells from the enemies while also breaking more of their barriers. Check out m_vl_em_p_yr stories It was a few minutes after the initial charge that Richard felt it. A rumble from the ground started to shake thendscape. He felt a pressure from the enemy''s army and saw a fellow Master Rank fighter sitting atop a steed of his own. His left hand was held outwards and emitted a bright glow. "Damn! Earth Magic users, brace the ground below!" The enemy had fielded a terrifying Marked One. He was a general in their army that possessed the Mark of Tremors and was also a Master Rank Earth Magic user. He was a very bad enemy to have around. His only downside was that his ability was less effective in the desert but they weren''t in the desert right now. "All Archer units concentrate on target at my signal! [Lux: re C Violet]." Thousands of arrowsunched at once towards the marked one, but he created an Earth Wall to shield himself with ease. "Non-Earth Mages, on my signal! [Lux: re C Green]" Hundreds of piercing spellsunched simultaneously from every school of magic, save Earth Magic. The enemy mage''s Earth Wall began to be torn apart by the barrage. "Archers! Arts! [Lux: re C Violet]!" He signaled a second round of arrows. This round was enhanced by the Arts. ""[Bow Arts: Pierce]"" ""[Bow Arts: Multi-shot]"" The sea of arrows was many timesrger and now glowed like a golden wall of light as they fell onto the enemy mage. Richard smiled grimly as the tremoring earth seemed to stop and the enemy twitched as hundreds of arrows pierced his body. Master Rankers were strong, but even a dragon can be killed by enough ants. "One down, only tens of thousands to go" Richard muttered while striking down a beasman that broke through the lines. Chapter 136: Assault on Alvora [Part 1] "Commander." "What?" "Awwe now. Can''t you be a little warmer to me? We''ve known each other for so long." The oneining was his second inmand. She was a beautiful woman with gray eyes, blonde hair, and an adorable set of wolf ears and tail. She was a strong warrior and a decent strategist. However, she was always throwing herself at him. He was not unaware of her advances, nor was he unphased by them. But regardless, he was not interested. At least not right now. "Kalliope." "Eep." The wolf-girl yelped. He almost never used her name anymore, so its usage startled her. "Settle yourself, or I''ll tell your uncle that you''ve gone into heat." He threatened. "Hey! You know we don''t do that!" She yelled defiantly. "Don''t be an ass, Lucius! Besides, he''s your father. Why do you insist on" "Enough." Lucius asionally entertained these back-and-forth conversations with her to ensure her that he still thought of her as a friend and ally. It took him a long time to get there after what happened to him, but he eventually allowed himself to trust Kalliope. Even though Kalivas spent over four years training him, he had issues with trusting people stronger than himself. If he couldn''t beat their face in to hold them responsible, then they couldn''t be trusted. Simple as that. Seeing as he had already beat the shit out of Kalliope when they first met, and he''s only gotten even stronger since then, she was one of those that could be trusted. This was not a hard and fast rule though, because he could also easily take any of his subordinates without issue, however beyond simply following orders, he would never actually trust them implicitly. "Kalliope, are they in ce?" "Yes, Commander. I have heard from all our agents in Alvora, all of our assets are in the T locations." "Good. Let the armymander know we are ready to begin. They can assault however they like. Just get me close." Lucius directed. As he walked away, he gently brushed his fingertips across his mask, which he always wore. It activated it''s perception warping effects and he moved to take a position in the middle ranks of the army. When they got within range of the city, they would attempt to locate General Pana and force her into view, if she did not already present herself of her own ord. Intel on what Pana was like was low because she normally served on the opposite side of the kingdom and interacted with the third beast kingdom, Raleron. It was Lucius'' hope that she was a valiant fool of a leader so that his job would be easier. Valor was great for a show, but piss poor for reality and survival. Reality and survival depended on logic instead. He could not help but wonder which side of leadership Pana fell on. Lucius fell in line as the army began it''s march on to the walls of Alvora. Hopefully finishing this war, once and for all. ***** Horace had received word, their forces had begun their march on the city. After having infiltrated it, he realized that a muchrger percentage of the poption had returned to being civilians than they originally estimated. From prior estimates it was thought that the percentage of civilians was about twenty percent of the popce. However, after being in Alvora for a few days and monitoring things from the inside, him and his cohorts put the real numbers closer to twice that at about forty percent of the poption being civilians. Unfortunately for them, their hands were tied and they had their orders, which were going to be followed to the letter. After all, the one bearing the responsibility for the oue is the one who made the decision. That was what theirmander told them. Horace found that strangely kind of him though, because it kept the guilty conscience at bay. Granted, themander''s words were most likely not said out of kindness. After all, everyone knew the man didn''t have a conscience to follow, so what did it matter if he took the guilt? He wouldn''t feel bad about it. "Man''s a monster isn''t he." Horace continued to wait. Their signal was the sound the horns indicating a charge. When that happened, all the Shadows within the city were to disperse. If they failed to do so, then the consequences were on them. He had no intention of staying behind, so he focusedpletely on the sounds of iing battle to ensure he would have his chance. A little whileter, the sound of the horn went off. Alvora had spotted the Eroan army and were charging their vanguard to hold them back while they reinforced the walls. However, Eroa would not make it to the walls. That wasn''t part of the n after all. The man quickly left his position within one of the warehouses he was in charge of. He darted past a group of children ying kickball in the street and moved between buildings in an effort to get to the wall. Unfortunately, as he as about to start scaling, he was discovered. It was day time, so his Dark Magic would not have worked to help conceal him. "Halt! Step away from the wall!" Horace did as he wasmanded, at least for a long enough period of time to thing about his next steps. The guard that located him seemed to be alone. And he was a regr soldier, he had no Arts and no Magic Compatibility. Horace on the other hand, had Dagger Arts, Sword Arts, and Dark Magic all at his disposal. "[Umbra: Dark] hurgh!" as he was activating his spell to take the guard out he winced and grunted in reaction to a sudden pressure on his neck. Instinctively he reached his hand to his neck and felt something sticking in it. He yanked it out and noticed that it was a dart and it was likely coated in poison. "Well, shit" he mumbled. The source of the dart was blurry and unclear, but it appeared to be someone of small stature. They closed in on him, slowly, taking each step with purpose. Even though their gait seemed regal, Horace''s rapidly worsening vision would not let him make out their clothes or facial features. "Looks like we caught a rat" a garbled voice stated tly. His hearing was going next as every one of his senses slowly dulled and faded away. "Take him to the prisons. The general would speak with him." "Urghfuck" were thest words he uttered before hepletely passed out from the narcotic injected into his system. Chapter 137 : Assault on Alvora [Part 2] General Pana gazed down on a rat-faced beastman. His face was bloodied and one eye had swollenpletely shut. ording to her guards, he was caught suspiciously trying to climb the walls of the city. His behavior was clearly that of a spy, so they needed to figure out why he was here. Seeing that the beating did not work to get any information out of him, Pana decided toe down herself and speak to the man. If he could not be swayed by violence, then maybe he could be tempted by mercy. "I am Pana. General overseeing the city of Alvora. And you?" The man spat on the ground, with it came a tooth and a glob of blood. "Your new dad. Your mom says hey." His guard stepped forward to strike him for his insolent behavior, but Pana waved them off. "Charming, young man, but I am old enough to be your mother. And thanks to my wizened years, I am above that taunting. So, shall we try again? Who are you." "King Zethis of Alorek. I came to piss away my honor in a backwater hovel." Pana stepped back and sighed. This was going nowhere. He was currently wearing nothing butmoner clothes but he must havee in with something else right? "What did he have in his possession? Did he have a storage ring with him?" One of the guards deposited a ring into her hand. Using it''s interface which told the user what it contained within the user''s mind, she scanned through the items. Most of them were simple things such as armor, weapons and rations. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, something was sticking in the back of her mind. To satiate this strange curiosity, she took out the set of armor to visually inspect it and maybe see where it came from. When the armor fell onto the floor, the prisoner seemed to make a tiny amount of noise. This made Pana very curious as to what it was that she had stumbled onto. The pattern of the armor as well as its color made her realize that this prisoner they were dealing with was not a normal scout, spy, or soldier. She was, however, aware of the reports that detailed sightings of people wearing armor like this. It belonged to one of the King''s Shadow warriors. "I see. So you are a Shadow then. Now why would such a valuable resource be sent into my humble home? You clearly had no intent to assassinate me or else you would not have been scampering around the city before leaving without at least tailing me once." Being identified as a member of the King''s Shadow organization made the man tense up. At least one of the things she said here today was urate, though he would likely not do anything else to potentially expose whatever n they had going. Based on the contents of his ring they likelypleted whatever mission it was that made theme here. "Alright, mister King''s Shadow. Why were you here?" "To inform you of something." "Oh? And what is that, little rat messenger?" "Deathes for you, will you answer the call? When ites knocking at your door, will you face it with a brave look on your face or will you die pitiful and forgotten." The moment the man stopped speaking and explosion rocked the city, making dust fall to the ground as the buildings were shaken in their ce. "General! General! Enemy mages are bombarding the walls. They are ignoring our primary infantry and other men to try and break through!" "Fine, I''ll go and takemand and keep our forces from dispersing. I swear, I have to do everything around here." She did not wait long enough for the messenger to respond to her words. Pana simply pushed past him and headed for the walls. They were already filled to the brim with soldiers slinging spells and arrows down to the earth below. However, since the enemy was targeting their walls, those very same walls they were standing on, the concentration on casting spells had gotten difficult for their mages. "What''s the status?" she asked of the man in charge. "Our forces on the field have dropped by nearly twenty percent. Our losses along the walls are much smaller, but those are sure to rise." "And of the enemy? What moves are they making aside from attacking our walls?" "Nothing specific. They are simply trying to push the vanguard forces back. They could be fighting harder but I don''t know why" "It might have something to do with that spy we captured. I bet you he might know what the n why they are pulling their punches." Even though she said it, she knew it was an impossible ask to get the Shadow to speak. There was absolutely no reason for the man to betray his leader. After all, Alorek was just going to kill him too, so it was actually in the prisoner''s self interest to not say anything at all and just let nature take its course. "Pana!" A voice echoed across the battlefield. She saw a man in a sand-colored cloak with leather armor underneath. Every time she tried to focus on a piece of his body to see if she recognized him, she was met with a strange dizziness and was forced to move her eyes from the man. "What is it!" The cloaked man raised his hand and fighting around them seemed to stop, as if waiting for their orders toe down and resume the war. However, Pana felt something off why was he talking and why like this. The man slowly approached the gates as if he were not walking across a battlefield. "I''ve been excited to talk with you a while." The man said. Pana tensed. "About what?" "Mostly about your surrender." Panaughed hysterically. One nce at their avable forces told her that even if they did wipe out her men on the outside of the walls, they would not be able to breach the city defenses before their reinforcements arrived. They had already received word that the Sand Wyrms had been dealt with by Lady Tierga and the additional forces were on their way now that the march could proceed unimpeded. When those forces arrived, not only would they have the advantage of fighting from a defensive position in the city, but they would also out number Eroa''s forces nearly two to one. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but all you lot will be doing is throwing your lives at my walls. In a few days'' time we will not only route you, but also crush the remnants of your army. Alorek will be victorious." The man fell silent. Though she could not see his face behind his mask, or even really look directly at him without feeling ufortable she felt like her words gave her a little bit of a victory. "Let the record show that I tried to do this amicably, General Pana." The man said in a deeply sinister tone. Though it seemed like she held all the cards, something in her heart told her that was not actually the case. Chapter 138 : Assault on Alvora [Part 3] "We are done talking. Men! Resume the attack! Push these Eroan bastards away from the city!" Pana shouted out. "Is that so?" the man''s words carried an unnatural weight to them as if they were empowered by mana. "Well let''s see about changing your mind shall we?" Pana watched cautiously as mana swirled around her enemy, forming small bolts of electricity. "[Tempestas: Lightning Strike]" As he activated the spell, a bolt of lightning struck a building inside the city. "Are you mad?! Are you targeting civ" before she could finish her words a massive explosion that shook the ground went off in the middle of the city. When the sound dispersed, screams and shouts for help began to echo throughout the city. She hesitantly looked behind her and saw that several buildings around where his spell struck were obliterated and fires had started to spread along the city streets. "Wait" "[Tempestas: Lightning Strike]" Another bolt of lightning struck another seemingly random building and another massive explosion racked the city with intense heat and force. More buildings turned to dust and the screams of soldiers and citizens became louder. "Kill him! Men kill him now! All mages, target that monster!" "This ends when you surrender Pana. The longer you wait, the more lives you snuff out. You can end this." "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]" The mages along the walls began casting spells of every school of magic. However, the Thunder Magic spell he used increased his speed and dodging the attacks seemed to be like a game to him. The man was dodging spears of ice, metal, and rock as if he were dodging stones thrown by children. Though his face was covered by a mask, Pana could not help but think the man was smiling. "[Tempestas: Lightning Strike]" Again, another explosion reverberated through the city. Pana was at a loss. The amount of damage each explosion caused was more and more intense. It was as if they had purposefully left some of their explosives in less popted areas and then moved to more popted ones with each sessive attack. Pana could not contain her outrage and roared before jumping off the ramparts. The drop was nearly three stories, but she absorbed the impact of thending without issue. White and ck fur had grown around her face and neck as she shifted into her more bestial state. Her opponent eyed her and quickly charged in her direction. Spells continued to target him, but still none had struck him directly. His cloak had several holes and char marks from near misses, but other than that, he looked unaffected. Consumed by rage, she began to go berserk, a rare art that few people possessed and even fewer could use effectively. "[Berserker Arts: Rage], [Beast Arts: Empowering Roar], [Beast Arts: Savage w]" In the time it took to close the distance with her opponent, she activated three of her arts. With these,bined her strength pushed into the lower end of Master Rank. Though far moremon than King Ranks, Master''s were still not extremely abundant. Even all of Alorek had a scant few hundred avable to them at any given time. Intermediate was where most warriors could reach and then stopped and Advanced was for the ones who were a cut above that could push through. She could tell this man in front of her was not a Master Rank fighter. So, she assumed that she would be able to take him on without concern. "I see. Berserker and a beastman. What a deadlybination." The man shouted while dodging a swipe from her ws. She roared in defiance. Under the effects of her rage, she could not speak. Though she had learned to control it enough to maintain her proper fighting techniques, speaking under the rage was not possible for her. "So serious already." He taunted, continuing to side step each of her strikes with ease. His feet crackled with lightning, showing he was still under the effects of his Lightning Charge. Since she was in melee range with him, the mages had stopped casting spells to avoid hitting her, which was appreciated. Though it meant she was fighting him one-on-one and could notmand her forces, she was at least able to keep him fromunching any more attacks on the city. It was clear that the rat beastman they captured had assisted in nting the bombs that this Eroan bastard used. And since they caught the man while leaving the city, it is likely he hadpleted his mission, so there was no way of knowing how many more bombs were spread in unknown locations. "Rargh!" Pana roared again as yet another one of her strikes missed the man by a hair. Her mana was starting to run out and soon she would not be under the effects of her Rage or other enhancements. When that happened, she knew that she would not be able to beat this enemy. He was strong, but worse than that, he was fast. Despite how close her attacks came to hitting him, she always barely missed, as though he was ying a game with her. In onest-ditch effort, she dove for his midsection to get him into a grapple. Somehow the gamble worked and her arms wrapped tightly around him. She attempted to maneuver him into a throw, but felt resistance as though she had hugged a tree and not a person. The masked man leaned down to her ear and started to whisper, "[Tempestas:" "Wait!" she cried out. "You have men inside the walls! At least one, maybe more. If you destroy the city they''ll be caught up in it. And the civilians! Most of my soldiers are on the walls, please!" "[Lightning Strike]" he cruelly sounded out each syble slowly so she would feel a pang of fear with every sound. Yet another massive explosion went off, as big as the first fewbined, erupted from behind the walls. Arge, mushroom-shaped cloud of fire, smoke, and sand filled the sky. Pana felt fear and guilt stab her chest as she lost the will to fight. The general fell to her knees sobbing. Pana brought her hand to her ear andmunicated to hermanders. "Surrender. All forcesy down your arms. Alvora has fallen." She looked at her surroundings. Their fight had blown away the sand in the surrounding area exposing the sandstone beneath. While rushing at him furiously, she failed to notice the battlefield around her. Not only had they fought down to the stone, but the ground was littered with bodies of her men. Dozens of fallen warriors wearing armor and shields emzoned with the five ck w marks of their kingdom surrounded them. "We did it!" An excited looking wolf-girl beastman bounded up to Pana''s opponent, and excitedly hugged him as though all was right with the world. Meanwhile she simply sat there, unable to move or speak, imagining the horrors that awaited her inside the city. Chapter 139: A Gathering of Kings Two weeks after the fall of Alvora, King Zethis of Alorek met with the king of Eroa as well as the representative kings of the Five Kings Union. The meeting was set to ur within the city of Alvora as a testament to the destructive aftermath of war. It was also an intimidation tactic towards Alorek about the consequences of starting a fight they could not finish Zethis was painfully aware of the reason for the selection of the location. It was intimidation and a reminder of Alorek''s sound defeat. Even when they managed to gain ground in the enemy countries, they did not have any victories as decisive as Eroa did in the battle for Alvora. He seethed internally and raged against the traitor general Elzha who he med as the cause of this defeat. Had she not lost her mind and initiated their ns ahead of schedule He could very well be standing on the heads of the very kings he shared a room with. King Verdayl Eroa, the Tigerking stood confidently next to Zethis with a masked figure by his side. It took a lot of his willpower to not try and wipe the person''s existence from the earthen ne. ording to General Pana, who surrendered Alvora, this was the man responsible for the destruction that their conference room looked over. What was once a prosperous city full of life, trade, and people was now ruins with skeletons of buildings that had withstood the powerful sts that Eroa bombarded them with. The loss of life stood at a staggering sixty percent of the poption of civilians and soldiers. Those that remained could be seen shuffling through the rubble even now, still searching for remains and items. The cleanup of such devastation would take months and the rebuilding would take much longer than that, even with the help of earth mages. "King Zethis. The terms of the deal are that Eroa and the Five Kings Union will return to your nation thend that we upied during the duration of the war. Alorek''s borders will remain unchanged. "You also agree to a ten-year non-aggression pact with our nations where you will make no moves to directly attack our borders. Finally as restitution to our lost resources, for that same period of ten years, you will pay Eroa and the Union ten percent of your annual revenue. The Union will split that ten percent evenly amongst ourselves. Do you agree?" Verdayl was the one who read off the terms to the group. They had been discussing the terms of the ord for a few hours and this seemed to be the agreement that they had reached. Zethis would spend ten years operating his country on only eighty percent of their usual budget, which would also make it difficult for them to rebuild their army. It was essentially a set up to receive ten years of peace, plus however many years it took for Alorek to rebuild after the non-aggression and restitution were both over. "I agree to these terms." Zethis said with a sigh. "Then we shall refer to this as the Alvora ord. All signatory nations please pen your names along the dotted line." Zethis watched as the document moved along the table. With each person that it passed through the hands of he was got angrier and angrier. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a bit of movement. The masked individual was still standing next to King Verdayl, but his eyes were locked directly on Zethis. He felt sweat begin to form on the back of his neck and drip down his back. Something about this warrior, aside from the backdrop of destroyed city made him extremely ufortable. No matter how hard Zethis tried, he could not get a read on the warrior''s strength. It was likely one of the many effects of the man''s mask. As a King''s Shadow, to be granted a mask was indicative of one''s abilities and service to the kingdom. Though Zethis knew this much, he was unaware of all the effects of the mask. There was no way a powerless individual would be granted one, nor could he unnerve the king of Alorek without hiding something "King Zethis? Are you going to sign?" Breaking the locked gaze he had with the warrior, Zethis quickly turned back to the table and quickly signed the document before returning it to Verdayl who was the first to sign. "And with that we have struck a deal. It has been a pleasure, King Zethis. May our next meeting be under better circumstances and maybe" Verdayl paused and gestured to the city below the balcony. "In better environs?" The group of leaders dispersed, returning to their various nations, leaving only Zethis and his entourage within the room. Zethis roared in rage and mmed his fists down on the table, shattering it with ease. "Someone, bring me General Pana. I will execute her for her failures myself." He growled. No one dared defy him and rushed to bring Pana to him from the dungeons below. Though her death would bring but only a moment of peace, it would still help calm his nerves. The true target of his ire was that Shadow and King Verdayl. "I don''t know who that man is but when I find out I will y him alive before his family and loved ones and feed each and every scrap to the Sand Wyrms before dragging his still conscious body across the desert until he is ground into nothing" A few minutester, a gagged, bound, and blinded Pana was brought to kneel before him. Without ceremony or announcement, he walked up to the woman and lifted her from the ground by her neck. The once great general was currently dangling from his hands while wearing prisoner''s rags. "For your failures to uphold the honor of Alorek and bringing about our defeat, you will follow Elzha down in history as one of Alorek''s greatest failures but should I fail to exact my revenge, I may very well join you." He said. A sickening crack sounded out as he squeezed his hand into a fist, snapping Pana''s neck. She twitched for a second and went limp before he cast her body to the side. "Dispose of her and leave me. We return to the capital at first light." For the remainder of the night, all he saw in his dreams were visions of that featureless mask. Chapter 140: Applicants "How go the preparations for the Senior Exhibition Tournament at the academy?" Wally Carmichael was chatting with other heads at the academy when the question was raised. He simply raised his eyebrows because his department had only one person who could enter the tournament and there was no way she would because she would be glued to his great-granddaughter''s side. "Well, the preparations are doing fine, but we are getting arge influx of transfer andte term application requests." "Oh yea, the war is over now, right?" The conversation started to twist in a slightly more interesting direction all of the sudden. He expected the topics to be constrained to the event that he didn''t even have students to participate in however "Yes, now that the war is over, the Adventurer''s Guild and Merchant Guilds have formally requested the Union nations to continue the practice of allowing Marked Ones to join their institutions." "Yeah, it seems that the elven and beastman nations had begun and are keeping that practice as well. I take it the King is nning for Arcadios to continue the practice?" "Not nning, he made the announcement this morning. Since then, we''ve received hundreds of applications for Marked One students. Plenty of transfer and foreign exchange requests from other countries on top of that" Wally found himself extremely interested. "Is that so?" He said, interjecting himself into the conversation. "Yes many are general studies, so if you want, you can fill out your ss rosters with them. A lot are requesting other areas of studyso we might have to take some on as well we are only nning on epting first year applicants though." Wally''s eyes glinted with excitement. "Oh, I''ll take a look at all the applicants for any course above first years as well." The other two head looked at each other before shrugging and indicating for their porters to drag over piles of documents. "All yours, Lord Carmichael." Wally eagerly stacked the documents on his desk and made them a priority. Many of the Second-, Third-, and Fourth-year aged applicants included with their applications, military records and achievements. Which only made sense considering that''s where they would all have been over thest four years. There were plenty of interesting applicants this year. Some had letters of rmendation on top of their records, which Wally found interesting. He had heard that Rena''s father integrated the normal military force with Marked Ones when he tookmand. It seemed to the old man that it closed some of the animosity between the two sides, if only a little. Wally mused on the thought. "What was that saying from the old stories something like ''The bond between brothers in arms is forged in the heat of battle'' I think" Among the documents there seemed to be a lot of promising people, but there were a few specific ones that stood out. However, among them was one particr document. It was on a stationary that Wally had seen on asion and recognized it instantly. "Lord Carmichael, what is with your smile? Find a student with promise?" The other department heads chuckled among themselves. "More than a couple. I dare say you lot are missing out on quite the number fantastic prospects." "Remember, even if you find someone with a powerful mark, we already have longstanding rules before the war started that marks were not allowed to be used in opponents who did not also have a mark." "I remember. Thank you." The others returned to their work while Wally happily sorted through his letters. The pile of epted applicants was muchrger than the rejected ones. By the time he was finished here, he would have filled every open slot in his roster of sses. Finally, he would be able to be a proper professor! After several hours of back and forth with the other heads, he finalized his selection list and then returned to his quarters. When he reached the main halls however, he saw his granddaughter and her maid waiting for him. Beside them were a group of guards. Natali had a torn skirt and there was blood staining the white apron thaty over the top of it. "My dears! Are you two alright?" He shouted, running over to check both of them for injuries. Though the maid girl was technically just a servant of Lyrah, they were such close friends and had spent so much time with him, that he simply felt like adopting her as his other granddaughter. The same went for Rena of course. "Yes Grandfather, we are fine. While in the markets, we found ourselves under assault by some strange lunatics." Lyrah said while patting his back. One of the guards stepped forward. "Yes, there was a small incident in the market''s main za today. Another of those crazed cultists." "What happened exactly?" "Well grandfather, we were wandering the markets since Rena was preparing for the exhibition today. While there, someone shouted and then several people screamed. One man came running towards Me and Natali with a crazed look on his face and a dagger so" Lyrah exined. "I killed him." Natali finished quietly. "I see, and you are not hurt, are you?" "No grandfather." "Good, my dear. Please, let me know if either of you need anything after such an ordeal. Please, head up to our quarters and rest. I shall finish up with the guard. Natali, my dear, please take a bath and rest. I shall purchase you new clothes tomorrow." Both girls smiled, hugged him, and excused themselves. When they were gone, the guard and Wally began discussing the details of the incident more thouroughly. This was the third such incident in the capital in just as many months. ording to the guards different cities all around the union had suffered simr situations, though no one is talking much about it. It was clear there was a pattern, but no one knew what to look for. When talking with the families of the deranged, they all reported that their rtive was perfectly fine up until that day. There was no rhyme or reason for the sudden change in behavior. Nor were there any simrities between individuals. The deranged included members of almost every social ss and upation. The prevailing theory at the moment was that there was a Marked One that was influencing people''s minds. However, that was not possible. As far as anyone knew, only one individual could do that and she had no way to be in multiple ces at once. The limitations on the assassin were two-fold. One: Shiyani was she could only target two individuals at a time. Two: she had toy physical eyes on the target. Fact number two circled back to the prior issue which was her needing to be in multiple ces at once. "Did they say the same thing as the others?" Wally asked the guardsman. "Yes. While most of the perpetrator''s words were simply insane babbling, witnesses specifically remember him saying the words ''Throne of Creation.''" "If only we knew what that was Thank you good sirs. And thank you for bringing me my granddaughters." "Worry not, Lord Carmichael. It was our pleasure to escort the next Oracle. By your leave, sir." The guard gave a polite bow before leaving. Wally gazed into the distance trying to think about what it was these psychopaths were referencing. --------------------------------------------------- A/N: Interested in Discord? Here you go! Chapter 141: Training for the Exhibition Smoke rose from a small crater. The ground was cracked and smoldering. Laying several feet away, shattered into pieces was the remnants of a target dummy. "Excellent work Lady Petra. I daresay you will have an excellent showing at the Exhibition." "Not Lady Petra. I am just Rena, professor." "Apologies Miss Rena. Either way, you have a fine set of skills with four magical Compatibilities no less. I am surprised you chose to fight this year! Of course you are not representing any of the departments, but to put your name in the general contestant pool was not something I expected." The professor continued while analyzing the damage. "Yes, well. I have something to prove to myself." She answered inly, stepping over to another target. Rena took a moment to think about how she wanted to attack this one. Her specialty had be Metal Magic and of her Compatibilities, Water Magic had fallen far behind. Of course, since it was Elemental Magic, while Metal and Ice were the superior Transcendent Magic. Light Magic was a ss of its own. Basically, all her other skills were stronger than Water, inherently so. With a heavy sigh, she pointed on handzily at the target. "[Ferrum: Iron Needles]" Dozens of small metal needles formed in the middle of the air and shot towards the target, turning it into a pincushion. Rena squeezed her fist, forcing the needles deeper until they forced the target to explode to pieces. "Yet another excellent showing Miss Rena. However" "What''s the problem?" "I don''t believe that spell will be allowed for usage in the tournament. Purposefully attempting to kill your opponents is forbidden in the rules, you know." "Unfortunate. And here I was hoping to use that trick against my dear cousin" She said a little louder than intended, prompting a look of horror to appear on the professor''s face. "Rx, I was only joking." She relented, though only partially telling the truth. After she finished assisting in cleaning up the training room, the door to the room open and in walked two young women. Her friends Lyrah and Natali. "Gods! You two! I haven''t seen you in nearly a week! Are you alright?" Rena shouted as she ran towards her best friends, tightly bringing them both in for a forceful hug. "Yes, Rena. We are fine. We ran into a little trouble with one of those psychos people have been talking abouttely. My mother was worried so I spent some time in the castle cating her." Lyrah answered with a giggle as she gently ced her hand on Rena''s cheek. "Enough of that though!" the girl continued. "I hear that in my absence you have decided to enter the tournament. What is that about?" Rena shuffled her feet nervously. "Well I was hoping I might have a chance to" "Beat Thomas'' face in." Natali answered dryly. All the red-head could do was nod shyly, having been found out. Though discovering the truth would not have been hard. Even she knew that she was a rather easy person to read. It''s just as well though, since she was no longer a member of nobility, failing to hide her feelings was not something she needed to worry about. Or at least it wouldn''t be she wrote the letter renouncing her title to her father but things got away from her and she had yet to send it. "Well, I cant say much." Lyrah began. "But your chances of winning are not very good Rena." Though the statement did dete her ego a little, it was a truth that she was already aware of. She was talented with her magic, but there were otherpetitors that were more talented with magic. Also, she did not have a good track record for fighting against Arts at a close range. So she was still rather vulnerable. Rena had no intention of winning the tournament outright. Her main goal was to simply go as far as she could, impress a few people while her father was in attendance then publicly renounce her name in front of the other nobility. It was the biggest p in the face she could think of that would hurt her father. Never in a million years could she imagine herself being able to get a leg up on him in a fight, but this was something she could conceivably pull off. "Don''t worry Lyrah. I have no delusions of my victory. I only wish to do my best." Lyrah gave her a gentle smile. It was a smile she had grown fond of over thest few years. It brought greatfort to her where littlefort was to be found. "I can promise you this, the tournament will at least be somewhat entertaining. Or it should be." "Lyrah" Natali mumbled. "What?" the ck-haired girl protested. "I cant be certain! I''m still working on these new visions. It''s been four years since" Lyrah put her hands over her mouth as she realized what she was about to say. Rena smiled sadly and simply brought them both in for a hug again. She had been told about her friend''s situation. That for some reason she could only have visions involving Lucius. Since his death, Lyrah has reported visions of other things, though they are never as clear as her old ones were. Which, ording to her, was saying quite a lot since even the ones with Lucius in them were reported to be quite difficult to understand. "Any way. Let''s get a move on. You need a shower after all that training and we should get dinner together. Let''s go to the cafeteria? I am none to keen on getting out on the town at the moment." Lyrah offered. The other two nodded in agreement and they went off to the academy''s massive cafeteria. They ordered simple meals of a cream-based stew and bread. It was simple in vor, but packed full of meats and vegetables. All the nutrients they could need were given in a single meal. For some reason, Lyrah was extremely fond of cream- and milk-based treats and foods. Sometimes it made Rena chuckle because Lucius was like that too. Though he was part beastman with a feline heritage, so it was a lot more funny. "You know, Lyrah we know who your mother is but who is your dad?" "Hmm a good question." Lyrah answered thoughtfully while tapping her spoon on her cheek. "So you don''t know?" "I did not say that." "So, you do know." "I didn''t say that either." "Which one is it!" Rena nearly shouted, starting to get exasperated. "One of those two" Lyrah giggled. "Look. Every question deserves an answer, and your question will receive answers. Eventually. So just trust me that you will find out whether I know or not at the right time." Chapter 142: Wisteria Concord Lady Voltara al Famyn sat in her chambers sipping on an expensive ss of wine. It had been aged for nearly two hundred years in a cliff by the ocean. A very rare vintage. Unfortunately, the ss of wine did not do much to assuage her frustration at the oue of the peace talks. Alorek was only paying ten percent of their yearly revenue to the Union and of that ten percent, Wisteria Concord''snds were only given a fifth of it. Even though the majority of losses incurred over the course of this war was the Wisteria Concord. It was theirnd that was attacked first. It was their fortress and towers that were damaged. It was their fields that were ransacked. By all rights, Wisteria deserved a bigger piece of the restitution. The Kingdom of Arcadios devoted arge portion of the forces that held Alorek off, but the other three nations scarcely sent a single percentage of their avable men. "Worthless old men, the lot of them. Aleksander is the only one who doesn''t utterly infuriate me. They will need the funds to rebuild their lost forces, as will we for our army and ournds. However, Paede, Keinydd, and Docia they will simply be resting on theirurels and padding their treasury." Voltara was a vindictive creature by nature. She was self-aware of that fact and would not argue it with anyone. After all, knowing oneself was very important. It was because of her vindictive nature that she was currently looking over ns to ''interfere'' with the three fat nations who did nothing but watch the war from the sidelines. There were several options to choose from. She could go as far as assassination if she wished, but disrupting leadership immediately after the war ended would be a poor decision. Instead, the more likely scenarios for her to choose would be things that disruptive the flow of coins to level the ying field as it were. "But what shall we do" As she was pondering her next moves, her eyes nced upon a stack of reports and requests from other nations. Since the Wisteria Concord was a nation well known for its information gathering and spyworks, their allies had been making requests for searching for any details regarding strange psychopaths. When she remembered that, she hit upon a wonderful idea. She could hit two birds with one stone. Immediately, Voltara began drafting letters to the kingdoms of Docia, Paede, and Keinydd. The letters would indicate her eptance of their requests to investigate the incidents of random attacks by deranged citizens. In her mind, she could hit two birds with one stone. While she was investigating the source of these attacks, she could also instigate other forms of civil unrest within the rival nations while essentially being given a free pass to do so. Her agents would have royal authority to operate within their borders and could do many things unhindered. Enjoy new stories from m-v l''e-NovelBin Voltara giggled to herself at her genius n. When she finished drafting the responses she pondered once more. Her eyes were resting on a few documents. One was an invitation to the uing Senior Exhibition at the Arcadios Royal Academy. Several of the best students from other nations in the Union would also be in attendance, including the top seniors at the Wisteria Academy for Arts and Magic. She had yet to give a response to the invitation, so she figured that she would go ahead and grace the event with her presence. It was likely that she could get some time to speak with Aleksander regarding the behavior of their fellow Union rulers. The other matter she needed to address was what would she do with Eroa''s request they already had quite the formidable informationwork known as the King''s Shadow. Though, they tended to operate less on the information gathering side of things and more on the opposition elimination portion of this line of work. King Verdayl requested for some of Wisteria''s information specialists to work alongside King''s Shadow Voltara''s thoughts drifted to the masked Shadow that was at the signing of their non-aggression pact. ording to her sources, that man was the person in charge of the assault on Alvora and was the one behind the destruction they witnessed inside the walls. When she had first arrived outside the city walls, she had already heard whispers of the devastation, however seeing it in person was quite different than reading reports and hearing rumors and gossip. As the gates opened, the first thing that had hit her was the smell of ash and charcoal. Though the buildings were primarily constructed from stone and other sources rather than wood, the fact remained that fires had broken out. Some parts of the city had been subjected to such intense heat that the sand and ground had been turned to ss. The sheer amount of heat to cause such an effect was staggering. Though Verdayl admitted to providing his King''s Shadows with the resources required to aplish such a feat, he did not detail what those resources were. ording to him it was all done under the order of one of hismanders, codenamed: Titan. Titan''s presence was striking. His mask covered his face and his cloak hid the shape and size of his body. However, one thing remarkable about him was that there were no obvious beastman features that could be seen. Titan had no animal ears, nor a tail, both of which would be seen even under a cloak. "If I assist with Eroa''s information gathering I could figure out just who this ''Titan'' is If what happened at Alvora was their doing, then he is certainly someone to avoid at all costs." Voltara muttered to herself. "Eroa is certainly blessed. They have a King Rank warrior who actually defends their borders in war and the king has a capable fighter personally at his beck and call in the form of this Titan" She felt envious of Verdayl for his luck. It was as if the gods themselves had blessed him with excellent subjects. But it was no matter. She hade to a decision. The Wisteria Concord wouldply with Eroa''s request as well, though with only a small portion of the requested agents. They would work on the side to uncover Titan''s identity and see if there''s anything that can be used against him to prevent him froming after her nation. Chapter 143: Old Friend Kalivas returned to his personal residence outside the capital city of Eroa. The area around the capital was flush with jungle trees and wildlife. Many trees were hundreds of feet in circumference, which led to many buildings being built off the ground. His personal home was a massiveplex with around ten buildings spanning several trees, with both covered and uncovered walkways between them. His training area was an open clearing he had made by cutting down a section of the forest so he could practice unimpeded. Though his power was not likely to decrease by simply enjoying life, the way his cohort, the Empyrean Ranker that lived in the middle of nowhere, did Kalivas did not feel right when he did not move his body. By letting not training and practicing every day, his sword, or rather his axe, would rust away. Power was well and good, but expertise could ovee it. Perhaps there was no better example than his own son. In his first test match against Lucius, he realized that the boy had spent arge portion of his life training on how to fight. He did not rely on pure power because hecked it for most of his existence. To make up for that shoring, he mastered the sword, the spear, fists, and many other weapons. Though he did not have the Arts to supplement hisck of strength with those weapons, knowing how to use them allowed him to understand their fighting styles and react to them quicker in battle. On top of that, Lucius'' Mana Maniption and Pseudo-Channeling closed that gap even more. It reached the point that he could easily fight against experienced opponents a rank above him. Or even two ranks if the idiot he fought relied only on power, not skill. While thinking about fond memories, Kalivas swung his battle ax at a massive tree, cutting through itpletely in a single swing. He was admiring his handiwork when he realized someone was approaching. Two familiar people appeared from the jungle. The first was Kalliope, the girl he treated as a niece, and the second was her father, Atil. Atil was the leader of the Gray Wolf n and Kalivas''s sworn brother. "Atil! What a surprise to see you here. You rarely make your way towards the capital! I figured you thought yourself too cozy in your leisure pce near the border you made for yourself." Kalivas called out. Atil chuckled and walked up to him, giving him a massive embrace. The two brothers held each other momentarily before separating and putting one hand on each other''s shoulders. "My Kalivas, it has been years! To think you would see your son alive and breathing. When I heard the news from Kalliope, I was beside myself with joy!" Atil said, nearly wiping a tear from his eye. Atil was one of the few people who knew Kalivas had sired a child. However, everyone who did know was informed that the child had died in childbirth. That was apparently not the truth of the matter. He was keen to pursue the reason the truth was hidden, but without good reason, the King and Empyrean Rankers within the human nations would not let him into their borders to investigate. This would be considered a personal matter that was not their problem. Of course, those who knew of Kalivas'' child also knew he had fathered two. One was reported to have survived and was to seed her mother as the next Oracle. "So, does the boy know who his mother is? He did not know who you were, after all. Also, given what Kalliope told me of him, I doubt he lived in the castle." "I offered to tell him about her, but he insisted it wasn''t something he was concerned with. He told me he already had a mother. A woman who raised him named Rubellia." Atil looked at him sadly. "Did he also not care to learn you were his father?" Kalivas thought back for a moment to the time he told Lucius. It seemed the boy was suspicious because Kalivas apparently smelled like himself to an extent. However "It took him a good while to treat me as a father. I think the best way to describe our rtionship is student and master. Rubellia had a husband named Wayne, who raised him. That is who I believe Lucius sees as his true father." he answered. "Oh, I see. And of" Atil nced at his daughter, who cocked her head curiously. "Is he aware of that final matter?" "No, though I tried to tell him. He simply does not care." They exchanged stories over drinks at Kalivas'' ce for a few hours. Kalliope stayed by her father''s side calmly. She was asked why she had strayed from Lucius'' side when she normally stuck to the young man like glue. ording to her, he was at a meeting at the castle. The likes of which she was not invited. "Ah, I had heard your ''protg'' had made his way into the ranks of the King''s Shadow, but to think it would be your son. Astounding." Atilughed. "I was even more surprised when my eldest daughter informed me of her eptance." "Yes, I am proud of both of them. I consider Kalliope as much my student as I do, my dear niece." He agreed. "Speaking of, how about we make her your daughter-inw! Then we can truly consider ourselves brothers! But don''t think I will lose to you as the favorite grandpa!" Kalliope''s ears perked up, and her eyes became excited. "Woah, girl. Calm down." Kalivas gave her a cating gesture. "You know as well as I do that Lucius is his own person. Whether or not he epts you is his prerogative. You know he is smitten with that Rena girl." Kalliope''s mood calmed slightly, but there was still a fire in her eyes. "Do not worry, Uncle, Father. I will win Lucius'' heart. I know I will not be the first wife, but I will be his strongest wife!" Atil grinned widely. "Yes! Though your children will not be members of my n, but Kalivas'' house I am excited to see the bloodline grow stronger." "Atil. You know as well as I do that they cannot wed. Her children will be members of no one''s house or n. The king would have to personally acknowledge them, and I doubt he would do so. He only just" His dear friend narrowed his eyes at him. "If they would not be children of your illustrious house, I will take them into the Gray Wolf n myself. The ns follow ancient bloodws that predate these kingdoms and ''houses'' so they will be treated as family no matter what." Kalliope''s face blushed, likely due to thinking about having children with Lucius. "Well, first, Kalliope has to get him to agree so far, she has had no such luck, so let''s not put the cart before the horse, yea?" Atil thought for a moment and nodded. "Kalliope! You are to seduce Lucius and give me no less than five grandchildren. Consider this a direct order from the n leader." "Yes, father!" "Good luck, son" Kalivas muttered, barely containing a grin. Chapter 144: Gathering of Shadows Lucius walked swiftly through the halls of the grand pce in Eroa''s capital. It was the home of the royal family as well as the base of operations for the organization that Lucius had joined. Two years into his training with his biological father, Kalivas, he was told he needed more field experience. However, given the amount of people who knew his face and knew his abilities, bing a normal soldier would not do. Instead, Kalivas put him in contact with an old friend who was an acquisition specialist for the King''s Shadow. He observed military and knight recruits regrly to see if any applicants held the skills or the personalities required to join the organization. On his first contact with the geezer, Lucius was epted instantly. Six monthster, Kalliope followed him. Lucius was sure she would not have passed since she did not have a stealthy bone in her body, but apparently, brute force was deemed necessary at times, so she was epted in the end. Though he was the youngest to join, Lucius quickly showed how much he excelled at the work. Tracking down rebels, sorting through misinformation, and threatening informants, all seemed to be things he was very good at. In no time he was grantedmand over a small unit, then arger one. And finally, about six months before the end of the war, he was named amander and granted the codename, Titan. Having reached the doorway to the room he was searching for, he breathed deeply in preparation for what was going to be an exhausting meeting. Satisfied with his preparation, he opened the massive door and stepped inside. Waiting for him were five other people, all dressed in the same armor as him, with cloaks, and ck, featureless masks. The armor they wore was a ckened leather and fur armor that covered most of the body. Underneath it they all dark, skin-tight clothes. The ensemble was finished off with the masks and a hood. Cloaks were the only part of the outfit they had a say over. Each member had a different colored one. Lucius kept his sand-colored one because he had no care about fashion and had yet to rece it after his Alorek Campaign. "Titan, so d of you to join us. I was beginning to think you wouldn''te." One of the othermanders said with a judgmental tone. "Spider. A pleasure as always." He answered while taking a seat. "Well, now that we are all here, we are to discuss the next steps." This time the man who spoke was thergest, physically, of the people here. He also had a booming voice that exuded authority. He was the Grandmaster of the order. Codenamed, Crown. Crown passed out a series of documents to each of the individuals surrounding the table. Lucius kept his closed, waiting for his turn to have his assignment announced. "Spider, we are sending you into Alorek. I know we tend to keep our people in the borders and Titan was an exception to this, however, we simply need to keep an eye on their movements, at least for the next few months to ensure that peace is the option they are sticking to." "Sir, I understand but the desert doesn''t agree with me." "In what way?" Crown growled. "I''ll deal with it," Spider said, retracting a little into his chair. Continuing the meeting, Crown individually divided out the assignments one after another. Before getting to Lucius, he dismissed the rest of themanders. Spider, of course, had to get one more word in edgewise "Good luck, Titan. The fresh faces always get the worst assignments."Heughed the entire walk out of the room. Lucius sighed and shook his head before opening up his folder. As he read the document, his eyes tracked across the page faster and faster. "Crown, is this urate? This is my mission?" The grandmaster looked at him and slowly removed his mask. "Yes, Titan. As a reward for your service and efficiency in resolving the Alvora assault, we have selected you for this specific mission. The king gives you his well wishes on this assignment." "Sir, are you sure? I know I''m only six months in, but will the order be fine while I''m gone? This is rather long-term." "We are aware of that, Titan. However, it has been agreed upon already by both myself and King Verdayl. You may still receive assignments from time to time, and are required to report your position every time you change location, but yes. This is your long-term assignment." "Thank you, sir. And his majesty as well." Lucius bowed and exited the room. He needed to rush back to Kalivas'' house though now it was technically his as well. When Lucius made it into the rank of Commander as part of the King''s Shadow, he was also formally acknowledged as Kalivas'' son and an heir to his father''s house. The news was kept private and only Kalivas, Lucius, Crown, Atil, and Kalliope were there along with the king and his aide. It was some sort of problem for people to know that Kalivas had a son at the moment. The time wouldeter for the information toe to light, but when he was granted his position in Kalivas'' house was not that time. In the months since he did find it curious that Kalivas was the only member. It was a small house and at the moment it was only Lucius and him that were part of it. Kalivas inherited it from his father and his father''s father. Lucius was under the impression it that his biological father was a member of the Panther n since that was where his mother was from, but that was not the case. His maternal bloodline had renounced him due to his status as a Marked One. Even in a nation where strength was the primary source of respect, the hatred of the Marked Ones'' cursed blood was a point of contrition. Discover hidden stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin "I need to inform Kalivas and Kalliope of this. Potentially Lord Atil as well. I will most likely be bringing his daughter along on this and it may be some time before they see each other again. Though I have a feeling that won''t be a problem for him." Lucius thought about the amount of desire that Kalliope had for him and shuddered for a moment. Sometimes he could not tell if she was looking at him through the lens of love, admiration or hunger. Most of the time it felt like hunger Chapter 145: A Challenge "Hey. Titan." Lucius stopped in his tracks as he heard his codename called out. When he turned around, Spider was standing next to one of the columns in the main hall. He strode up to Lucius with all the swagger in the world. Behind him were some of his men and another two of the King''s Shadowmanders. "What do you want?" "I hear you are getting an extended mission. Years long even. I don''t think you deserve it." "That''s too bad." He attempted to turn and leave, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. At the same time, the two othermanders with Spider stepped into his path. It seemed none of them wanted out of this without getting something from the interaction. He wasn''t an idiot. It was clear what they were aiming for. "You''re upset that you didn''t get a chance to test my worth?" The threemanders and the subordinates with them started tough. "No, no. Test you?" Spider said. "Not in the slightest. I simply don''t think you''re good enough for our order. So, I am going to challenge you to a fight." "If I refuse?" "You''ll ept it, Lucius." Another voice called out and surprised the group of people. Looking up a set of stairs they saw King Verdayl himself descending from the family''s royal quarters which were on the upper floors of the pce. "As youmand, my king." He said with a deep bow while pulling himself free of Spider''s grip. The other Shadows also bowed to the king. Though Spider''s face was concealed by a mask, Lucius could tell he was smirking, thinking he had won. "Lucius." "Sire?" "You are not to hold back. Is that understood? Show them why I gave you that mask." "Yes, Your Majesty." Lucius stood and walked to the private coliseum that the royal family maintained. It was for battles for their personal viewing as well as events for any guests they hosted. asionally the battles would include warriors against beasts, professional diators, or even high-level training sessions amongst the pce''s strongest knights. Today though, it would host a fight between twomanders within the King''s Shadow. It was not something that urred frequently. Barring a few exceptions, members of the order made it a point to not be showoffs too frequently. It defeated the purpose of their organization. However, this would be a private match. Only the royal family was observing, alongside a number of the King''s Shadow currently within the pce. When Lucius was ready, he stepped into the center ring and drew his weapon, a simple machete that was purchased for him by Rena several years ago in Lelvern. Spider stood opposite of him and drew a shortsword and a dagger. His specialty was using Sword Arts and Dagger Arts simultaneously. He practiced dual-weapon fighting and used a different Art in each hand. It made him a dangerous fighter. Lucius began to remove his cloak and then his mask. Before he could, the king called out from his seat in the stands. "Uh, Titan my boy. Please leave the mask on. And don''t use your mark." "As you wish, my liege. Though I thought you asked me not to hold back?" "I changed my mind. I prefer not to pay for the reconstruction of my personal arena." Spider scoffed at the conversation, thinking that this was an intimidation tactic on Lucius'' part. What didn''t ur to him was that the king had no benefit of ying along with such a farce. Still, he readied himself and waited for the sound of the start bell. "[Tempestas], [Forsaken Arts]" Lucius whispered his Compatibilities under his breath and felt the two types of mana swirl around his body. He felt his muscles twitch slightly as they adapted to the influx of power. Lucius felt the veins in his neck bulge for a moment. He opened his eyes and saw a blend of blue- and then red-light sh down his arms and along the edge of his de. For a moment, his opponent started to look concerned. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin "[Dagger Arts: Quick Strike]" Spider vanished from where he stood and reappeared behind Lucius. Just before his de struck the back of his neck, a small bolt of lightning zapped his hand, forcing him to recoil and retreat. The man nursed his hand momentarily as white smoke rose gently from it. "What in the ever-loving" He started. "No you can''t" Lucius looked at his opponentzily and pointed the palm of his right hand directly at him. A mote of blue light shed for a second in the center of his palm, then instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot forward and struck Spider in the chest. He watched as the othermander was lifted off the ground and thrown nearly fifty feet out of thebat area, stopping only thanks to the wall of the arena. Lucius looked up into the stands and saw the gawking faces of many of the lower-ranked members of his order. He locked eyes with King Verdayl. "Your majesty. I trust that my performance was satisfactory?" The tiger beastman looked down at him with a massive grin on his face. "Yes, Titan. You performed admirably." He gave a deep bow and left the arena, deactivating his Arts and Magic. Somehow, he was thinking the fight was going to be more impressive than that. Though, Spider was only an Intermediate Rank, so it made sense it was easy. Still, Lucius was hoping that the man had some bite to his bark. "Titan" Spider coughed. "What the hell was that? You didn''t call out a spell." He paused for a moment, debating on how to answer. "That''s ssified Spider. Maybe I''ll tell you next time you beat me. Or, maybe you should do some research and find out yourself. I''m sure someone can tell you why you got your ass kicked." Taunting his opponents was not normally his style, but Kalliope had rubbed off on him over the years, though he would never, ever admit that to her. Spider continued to call out to him several more times, but Lucius simply ignored him. After all, he had a few errands to run before heading out on his next mission. Chapter 146: Representatives [Part 1] "Lord Lionel, are you ready?" A slender, man in a perfect butler''s uniform was bowing deeply to a young man that was currently polishing one of the many swords hung along the walls of his room. The gentleman in question was lord Kristof Lionel. He was one of the most renowned members of the younger generation of nobility in the kingdom of Docia. As the first seat in the Docia School for Combat, he was a very talented young man. Kristof''s servant was asking him if he was prepared to leave for the Kingdom of Arcadios to participate in their special exhibition this year. Every member nation in the Five Kings Union was participating in this joint exhibition as well as Eroa and Aedrider. The beast nations of Alorek and Raleron as well as the elven nation of Haedda had all chosen to abstain. "Yes, yes. I am prepared. Shall we head to this nation of forest dwellers?" Kristof said with a sigh. Arcadios had thergest and most number of forests of any nation and many of their cities and viges looked like specs of civilization popping out from seas of trees. They had a few areas of t ins and farnd, but most of theirnd was taken up by trees. Due to this, a richer nation, like Docia, looked down on Arcadios'' citizenry for being a country of simplistic huntsmen. Kristof returned his sword to the wall and left his study. He thought of stopping to say goodbye to his father but remembered that he was in the pce today to have a meeting with the King, who was Kristof''s uncle. He would see his father and uncleter in Arcadios anyway as they would also be in attendance as guests. None of his cousins would be participating in the exhibition, though they were strong fighters like him. They were the ones most likely to inherit the throne, so the pce could not risk their safety by allowing them to participate in this event. His father had told him that some of the other human nations were teetering on whether to attend or not, but ultimately decided to do so. It would do well for them, politically speaking, to participate in such an event. Many members of nobility across the participating nations needed to show one another that the war had not worn dulled their des, but sharpened them. Kristof smiled cruelly, imagining being showered with fame and fortune after he was dered the winner of this event. ''To be honest, calling it apetition is a farce really it is just the opening event for my inevitable rise in power.'' He thought to himself. ***** In the middle of a stone room, a lone woman was hammering away at a piece of metal. The sounds of her tools banging off her project resounded throughout the room. While under normal circumstances, the echoes created by this would have long made someone either deaf, mad, or both, that was not the case here. Some of the stones had crystals iid into them and these stones put out a constant glow. It was thanks to these stones which had enchantments on them that negated soundwaves within a certain radius of them. Such enchanted crystals were extremelymon and were as easy and cheap to purchase as a daily loaf of bread. As for the woman, she was sweating profusely and wiped her brow with a look of satisfaction. The project she was working on was a dangerous-looking war hammer. She had been working on this weapon for months now to create a special alloy for this piece and wanted to ensure that ityered correctly. "I think it''s ready for the next step." Her excitement was easily seen thanks to a slight wiggleing from her long, pointed ears. "Lady Corva?" a voice called out. "Are you finished?" "Just a bit longer then I will be ready. It is time for the enchantment!" Corva giggled as she bounded over to a different workbench covered in books, parchment, an assortment of magical crystals, and various kinds of strange, runic circles. Corva was one of a very select few who was born with the Compatibility for Ritual Magic. Elves like her were more likely to be born with the skill over humans and beastmen especially, but it was still umon. Among elves, only a handful for every few thousand people born with any Compatibility at all would be able to use Ritual Magic. This allowed her to use Enchantment Magic and Identification Magic. It wasn''t a kind of magic she could usually use on the fly and they needed preparation in the form of runic circles, but it was a rare and lucrative skill set. It was thanks to this wonderful set of skills that she was able to be the representative for Aedrider in the uing Exhibition Tournament in Arcadios. Her professors wanted to show off her skills to other nations as a sort of advertisement for their special crystals and enchanted items. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin Despite her excellent enchanting abilities, Corva was a little bit of a meathead and excelled in Hammer Arts as well. She nned to showcase her abilities in the best possible way: overwhelming her opponents with sheer power and force. The best way to do that? Bash their faces bloody with a hammer she personally enchanted. Several hourster, with more sweat pouring off her body, Corva finally sighed in relief. "Finished! Ooooh, it is just like I thought. This alloy I concocted took to the enchantments so well!" "Might I inquire what it is you imbued the hammer with mydy?" the servant who had been waiting patiently for her charge to finish, asked. "You may!" Corva shouted excitedly before giving a teasing grin, "But I won''t tell you. I can tell you, that I believe this hammer would now ssify as a Legendary ss item. Oh, those poor souls won''t know what hit them!" Corva continued tough until she passed out from exhaustion right there. She thought she felt herself being dragged along the ground at some point, and she might have heard a handful of unkindments, but she was much too tired to understand or realize any of it for what it was. At some point, she realized she was inside of a carriage and inpletely different clothes. Corva reached around and felt her hammer leaning against the bench seat she was lying on. Out of reflex she grabbed it and clung to it tightly, falling back asleep with it as if she were cuddling a teddy bear. Chapter 147: Representatives [Part 2] Hundreds of students gathered in the halls of Royal Paede Academy. They were all gawking at a pair of students who were walking hand and hand through their school and were the star couple that everyone admired. One was a beautiful woman and the other, her betrothed the Second Prince of Paede, Prince Augustine Delthra von Paede III. Known lovingly as Prince August. August simply gave all the students a wave, making scores of young women swoon. His loving fiance too waved at the crowd eliciting a barrage of uncouth whispers from the men, and a few women as well. "My lovely Prince August, it seems we have gathered another crowd on our day off." The woman giggled into his ear. August smiled, "Yes, so it seems. Rather unfortunate for us to have our private time interrupted time and time again. We really must use less predictable paths on our afternoon walks my fair Lady Irina." In truth, they both performed this ''song and dance'' with their fellow students every week. Both of them enjoyed the attention and it reflected positively on both of their families if the public was knowledgeable of how close they appeared to be. Irina''s family, House Tryn, was thergest military supporter of the royal family, so their future marriage would cement ties between their houses for this generation. "It saddens me that I will not be able to join you immediately on your trip this evening my dear prince. Though I will be joining my father and yours in a few days." Irina whispered. "Yes, my dear, it is unfortunate that we would not be able to entertain one another during the long journey. I imagine my heart shall remain wanting until the time we reunite within Arcadios." August said back, though louder to ensure some of the other students could hear hisments. In truth, their marriage was but a political one. Neither of them had any real feelings toward one another. They simply acted this way in the public eye for the look of it. The reality was that Irina despised his guts and regrly saw her own being rearranged daily by one of her guards. Meanwhile August had a few trysts of his own with several among his maid staff. Readtest chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin The only time they would participate in ''entertaining'' one another would be after their marriage when they were required to produce a few heirs. Beyond that, they had no intention of being beside one another in their private lives. However, he hoped it would note to that. August heard that the victor of the tournament would be granted a request by King Aleksander, and he hoped that by winning he could actually escape from this sham marriage and instead ask for the hand of one of Aleksanders'' daughters, whom Augustine desired from the moment he saw her. ***** Keinydd was a kingdom with an abundance of water. They were on the coast of the continent as well as possessed a massive number of rivers andkes. There was even a rumor that the royal pce sat atop a holyke created by the gods before they ascended to Celestia. No one knew if it was due to the amount of water within the kingdom, but Keinydd possessed an inordinate amount of individuals who were Ice and Water Magic users. Even their most esteemed institution was headquartered on a small ind off the coast to amodate the number of their students that possessed those two Compatibilities. All of their representatives possessed both of those traits, including their top student; a young man named Desmond Adler. He had wed his way to the top of the food chain among the other students at Keinydd Mana Academy. The Adler family was a powerful noble family in the Keinydd Kingdom, but Desmond was a disgraced son. He held his family''sst name but received no formal support in either the political realm or the mary one. Desmond earned his spot at the Mana Academy by defeating hundreds of challengers and excelling in academics. There was no other senior at the institution who could hold a candle to him. Why was Desmond so resolute in fighting for a ce in society despite being all but banished from his family? The reason was simple. He fought on behalf of his sister. Desmond had a younger twin sister named Jade Adler who was born with a mark. While the rest of their family attempted to emunicate her and deny her existence, Desmond refused. He fought not for a ce of his own, but for a ce for her. When he heard that the victor of the Exhibition Tournament would be a request granted by the king of Arcadios, he knew he was going to win it. When he did, he was going to request assistance in emigrating to one of the beastman nations where power mattered more. While he had no illusions of an infinitely better life for himself and his sister, it would be many times better than in the human nations. Desmond was entertaining thoughts of victory while he was sparring with some other students in the waters surrounding the Mana Academy. Though he was surrounded by all sides, none of his opponents stood a chance against him. It was child''s y to knock them into the sea over and over again until they all surrendered. "Lord Desmond Adler your boat to the maind has arrived." "Fetch my sister. She ising with me." "Lord Adler we did not" "The fees for her travel have been covered already by me. Fetch her or I will personally sink the boat and Keinydd Mana Academy will lose one of its spots in the tournament due to my absence. Though it would be a great loss on my part, the shame the kingdom would face would be greater, would it not?" "It is as you say, my lord." The staff member bowed stiffly and left to perform what was requested of him. "I will win this." Chapter 148: The Days Events Aleksander and Commander Arturo were conversing politely in the king''s study. Arturo was asked to visit his liege earlier in the day to discuss the ns for the uing tournament. Shortly after the announcement of the end of the war, the king announced that Marked Ones would be allowed to continue participating in the Adventurer''s Guild, and Merchant Guild, and attend academies, including the one in the capital. The forced conscription was still in effect, but would only be utilized during times of war. During times of peace, Marked Ones would be allowed to participate in those different aspects of society. They still could not purchase property, get married, or hold legal offices, but they would be able to earn a living asborers, adventurers, or whatever else. Another decision that the king had made was that the Senior Exhibition at the Arcadios Royal Academy would instead be the ''Exhibition Tournament'' and all nations were invited to register students from their nations'' state academies. Only three nations chose not to participate in the end, but all the others were all too happy to ept the invitations. The leaders of those nations were also invited to observe the fights and would be in attendance for those as well. Every leader would be in attendance for it. The reason Aleksander invited him specifically, was to discuss security measures in the capital for the event. "So, your thoughts Arturo?" the king asked in between sips of his coffee. Normally, it was proper to drink tea in the presence ofpany, but the nation of Arcadios was different. They were the nation that consumed thergest amount of the stuff and imported it in massive quantities from the mountainous regions of Eroa. "I believe it would be best for us to avail ourselves of Lord Petra''s military force. Many of his men are still present around the capital and I believe that through their excellent training, they would be more than sufficient to supplement the city guard as well as the royal army." Aleksander pondered it for a moment. "And you are sure you are okay with this?" "Yes, though I distrust the man for allowing the likes of thatboy to exist in his domain and even his own house he proved himself trustworthy of at least this much." He admitted. "He even foot the entire cost of the assassination after being unable to prove that Marked One''s death." "Yes, that is true. Richard believed the boy was dead and even showed us the recording. However, he also admitted that thisLucas or whatever his name was was quite the survivor." Aleksander agreed. "Yes. Though one cannot rule out that Lord Petra did not act in such a manner for honor, but rather covering his ass if I may be so crass, my liege." Aleksanderughed so hard he spat out his coffee. "Arturo, I appreciate your candor always. In private you may speak freely but yes, I agree. Richard''s actions may be for a multitude of reasons." A few moments of silenceter Aleksander continued. "I think your rmendation is a good one. I shall reach out to Richard and request a portion of his men to assist with security. For the sake of assisting you in keeping your sanity Arturo, I will request that these additional forces be ced under yourmand. Richard himself is attending the event, so he will not be avable to give or receive orders. Is this eptable?" "Yes, my liege, more than eptable." The two continued to discuss security measures and the like for a few more hours before they settled on a finalized n for security checkpoints and patrols. Eventually, they moved on to some of the entry applicants. Several entrants would be considered ''seeded'' and guaranteed a spot in the final rounds of the tournament. The thought process is that it would be a bracket-style tournament. There would be a total of ten seeds. Seven of which belonged to the number one picks from each country. The remaining three spots would be decided by a free-for-all group elimination match. The remaining three participants would be selected. For these three winners, the tournament would provide advanced healing spells, potions, and stamina recovery potions so they could immediately turn around and fight if needed. "Who are the participants from the other kingdoms?" Arturo asked. Aleksander passed him a document with the names that he had received. On it was a list of seven names. "So we have a prince of Paede, a disgraced son of a noble family, an elvenmoner, a nephew to the king of Docia, a member of the al Famyn family and" "Are you serious?" "Very." "Interesting" They finalized the brackets and sent them off to the Royal Academy so they could make preparations. On the day of the tournament, the free-for-all battle would start at first light. There was no telling how many people would participate in that elimination tournament, but shortly after, the normal tournament would start. They agreed that if the elimination battlested longer than two hours, then a team of judges who were watching the participants would select the ones with the most eliminations and choose them to fill the three open spots. The setup was sure to rile up anymoners who wished to participate andin about the number of nobles in the guaranteed slots, but those positions were earned based on performance. The second opportunity for them to participate would be to win the group elimination battle royale. The tournament consisted of four rounds. The first round would be two fights to determine the final eight. The second round would consist of four fights. Then two fights in the next round, to determine the championship fight. In the second tost round, the four fighters would each have an opportunity to announce their request that they would ask of King Aleksander. The king believed that the audience would be more invested in the final rounds if they knew what the fighters were trying to achieve. If they were aware of their hopes and dreams, then it would encourage them to do other things like betting on the fights, which was something that the kingdom was setting up. "Onest thing Arturo." "Your majesty?" "The Oracle will be in attendance as will her daughter. King Verdayl of Eroa will be bringing Kalivas with him so they may interact. Be mindful of any rumors you hear spread. And inform our Empyrean Rankers of his presence. I would hate for them to think he was attacking when in fact he is just observing the fights." "Your will be done." Chapter 149: Saying Goodbye Lucius quietly walked his way inside his father''s vi. He was wearing only a set of pants and his leather boots. A towel was wrapped around his neck and he gently patted himself dry with it. Kalliope was waiting inside for him as she had known he was training before she arrived at Kalivas'' residence. At that moment her eyes traveled up and down Lucius'' naked upper body. He was far from thergest warrior she had seen, but his muscle definition was extremely attractive. "You can stop staring anytime now, Kalliope." The young man called out without even looking at her. "I''m aware." She answered back. "Anyway, I heard from Father that you wanted to speak to me?" "Yes. We have a new assignment." Lucius tossed her an envelope with a document inside. Kalliope looked at it curiously before opening it and reading. The contents of the document were jarring, to say the least. The biggest part of it was that it would be a long-term mission with no real end date. It seemed like King Verdayl was cutting Lucius loose, but allowing him to continue essing the order''s resources on the condition he does a few odd jobs here and there. "That''s quite convenient for you." Kalliope sighed. "So it would seem." "When do we leave?" "Tomorrow night." "I''ll pack my things. Are we wearing standard issue?" Lucius paused for a moment, clearly thinking. "No, you can wear whatever you like. However, I''ll be in my standard issue gear for a time, so don''t be surprised." "Understood! I will meet you outside the main gates of the capital tomorrow night then. For now, I''ll go see my father." She said before trotting off happily. It seemed only they would be doing this mission together. Lucius'' team was being reassigned to Crown while they were away so they would not be waiting for his return. They were also given several contacts throughout the various kingdoms that would get word to the rest of the order if needed. Of course, this list was memorized and subsequently destroyed. Kalliope made her way back to the capital which was only a short jaunt away from Kalivas'' vi. At least it was a short distance for a powerful warrior such as her. When she arrived at the gates, she shed a small identification tag. It was made of a jet-ck metal. It did not reveal which part of the military she was in, but it did show she was rather high-ranking. The guards at the gate quickly waved her through without exnation or inspection. Once through the massive gates, her eyes were treated to the wonderful city. It was a blend of buildings that were on the ground and in the massive jungle trees that made up arge portion of the kingdom. Massive walkways spanned many of the trees and there were even suspended markets hung between the trees as well, leaving massive shadows on the ground below. It made for quite a sight even to her, as she had only been inside the capital a handful of times. The lower levels of the city on and near the ground had magicalmpposts constantly on due to the shadows of theyers above as well as the canopy. Yet that only added to the fantastical scenery. Her father''s property in this city was much closer to the pce, so she quickly made her way to it so she could say her goodbyes and collect as many of her personal effects as she thought she would need. After several minutes of walking, she finally made it to the building, which was on an upper level of the city. It was a smaller building than her family''spound in their territories because it only needed to house a handful of the Gray Wolf n at a time. Currently staying there were herself, her father, and her biological mother. Her mother and father were sitting together in the main room just inside the entryway. In front of them was a small table with a few cups of tea waiting for them. Eroa had a more popr drink, called coffee, but her father thought it was much too bitter and enjoyed tea as well. Her mother agreed as she often said it was too strong of a vor to pair with most foods. Once upon a time, Kalliope thought this way too, however, Lucius had shown her the wonders of coffee as an emergency energy source out on missions. When he was still a bodyguard for a noble family in Arcadios, he spent a lot of time learning how to prepare drinks like tea and coffee and had somehow made the poor-quality grounds provided to soldiers taste pretty good. Seeing as she had gotten used to the stronger vors the gentler tea that her parents had prepared felt almost vorless and watery. "Kalliope, my love is something wrong with your tea?" her mother asked. "It tastes like tea?" "Well, that is what it is so" "And therein lies the problem." She mumbled. Atil coughed. "Anyway, I take it you have spoken to Lucius?" Kalliope exined to them that she was going to be joining hermander and longtime friend, on a mission outside Eroa''s borders. The length of time she was gone was unknown, and it was even possible she might not ever return. Put simply, there was no way to predict where they would go or what they would do. Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin Her mother pulled her into an embrace, a form of affection that Kalliope had rarely seen from the woman. It seemed after the loss of her brother at the start of the war, her parents had softened their expressions of love. She had noticed they were less distant not only with her but with her many other siblings as well. "I want you to make sure you eat every day. And do what you can to stay by that boy''s side. He may be rough around the edges, but he is Kalivas'' boy and I know he is tough and loyal to those close to him." Her mother whispered into her ears while stroking her back. "Yes, and please send us letters when able. They may take time to arrive since they would be routed to us from the capital here, but we do have an aviary to receive messenger birds." Atil agreed. "And we hope that one of those letters contains good news." Her mother finished, matched with an intense amount of head nodding from Atil. "I''m trying! No luck so far but I will not give up!" "Have you tried drugging him?" "Mother!" "Calm down Kalliope she was only giving you a suggestion." It was all she could do to not shake her head at her parents'' behavior. Before Lucius, they had never pushed her into a family life before. However, before Lucius, Kalliope had never shown interest in anything other than fighting. So it was likely they were making up for lost time. That night, Kalliope stayed with her parents and even slept between them like she had as a small child. It was onest expression of love she shared with her parents before she left them behind for things unknown. Chapter 150: A Chance Encounter Rena groggily got out of bed to a series of rapid knocking at her door. However, since the person knocking already had a key, she did not have to get up to open it and simply stretched while it opened itself, and the person in question let themselves in. "Renaaaa!" Lyrah sang while giving a twirl in a beautiful, short gray dress. Natali followed, wearing her standard fare. "Yes, yes I know. You want to peruse the markets before the tournament starts?" "Yes! Oh, there are so many people in town I hear! Elves and beastmen as well! Come on! Let''s go!" Rena quickly donned the standard gear that made her look like a rough-and-tumble adventurer rather than the daughter of a noble and joined her friends on their trip to the marketce. Lyrah was not lying one bit about the sheer amount of people. Normally the markets were packed with people, but right now there were easily three times the amount of people. With the increased traffic there was also an increase in the amount of guards walking around on patrol. For the first time in some time, Rena observed the presence of beastmen in the kingdom of Arcadios, before now, she had only really seen them in Lelvern many years ago. It seemed for every three or four humans present, there was an elf and a beastman as well. Thanks to the number of guards on patrol, it seemed the different races were getting along decently at least. "Was there anything in particr you wanted to look for?" Rena asked her friend who was skipping down the path. "Nothing in particr! I simply wanted to enjoy the sights. Oh, look there! What is that they are setting up?" Lyrah pointed to a group of elves that were wearing some sort of worker uniform. They all had belts around their waists that held all sorts of tools. And they appeared to be putting up some strange metallic post in the middle of the market. Looking around, Rena saw that there were quite a number of these posts already standing around the market and several more being carried by more elves. "What are these things?" They looked like streetmps, but they instead of a ce for a candle or light crystal, there was a strange orb sitting atop them. Hearing Rena ask the question, one of the older-looking elves with the tool belt came up and answered. "These are projection towers." "Projection towers?" she asked as the man also gave her a pamphlet. "Yes, by order of our queen, we are installing these around the pce, temporarily as our donation to the running of this tournament. A magical device will transmit the sights and sounds of the tournament to these towers which will show them on magical disys in the air." "So people not in the stadium will be able to see the tournament fights?!" Lyrah nearly screeched with excitement. "Why yes youngdy! You are correct. What a smart girl, here I have a caramel somewhere" The older elf patted his pockets for a moment before handing the excitable girl a small, wrapped candy. "What a sweet girl" The man said with a smile as he returned to supervising the instation of more of those projection towers he had talked about. "Rena, if I may have you do me a favor?" Lyrah asked, turning back to the redhead. "What is it?" "I have something I need to buy, however, it is a surprise, so I need you to wait here if you could?" Rena smiled because announcing she was buying a surprise for her was antithetical to the idea of a surprise. Still, it tracked for Lyrah and all Rena could do was smile at her adorable friend. "Of course. I shall wait here for you." "Thank you so much. Natali! Let''s go." "Is it the" "Nope! I''m not telling you either, but you have toe since you''re my bodyguard. I''ll just make you wait outside the door." Rena shook her head at her friends as they disappeared into the crowd. She continued to people-watch for a while. The different races interacting and moving about the markets reminded her even more of Lelvern. "I should go back sometime." She whispered to herself. "I wonder how Miss Molly from Ironvein is doing now?" While reminiscing she found herself distracted. She did not notice that someone was approaching her from behind before she suddenly felt a knife pressed against her throat and felt the hot breath of some person tickling her ear. Someone in the crowd pointed at them and screamed causing people to begin to scatter in all directions. The man who had Rena held hostage wasughing maniacally and muttering somethingpletely unintelligible, despite it being right in her ears. Rena slowly started to reach for a weapon on her belt, thinking the man was too out of his mind to realize what she was doing, but unfortunately, he was grounded enough to notice and pressed the knife even tighter. "Don''t move girl, or you will be ascending to the realm of the gods!" somehow his inane chatter became clear enough to issue that threat. Rena rxed her hands and swallowed, thinking of any possible ways out of this. Several guards surrounded them and pointed their swords at them both. "Let the girl go and you might get out of this alive you cretin!" "Haha! Alive? Dead? It doesn''t matter the throne lies empty you knaves! Nothing matters until the seat is filled!" the man shouted. "Gods, it''s another one of them" one of the guards shouted out. "Gods cannot help you! They are powerless! When have the gods done anything? Nothing, they upy a ce never meant for them and pretend to possess a power beyond their understanding. No.. no, no, no, no, no! There are no gods! You lie!" Rena gulped subconsciously. Every second she stayed here, she could tell the man was getting more agitated. He was more lucid than he was a moment ago, but it was fading quickly. The dagger pressed even tighter against her neck and a little bit of blood began to trickle over its edge. Rena looked to the sky and breathed trying to calm herself. When she nced back down at the guards, right in front of her face was a strange being. Their head was covered in a hood and they wore a in, ck facemask devoid of any features. She tried to look into the eye slits to discern anything more, but she seemed unable to focus on it and started suffering a headache. Her captor began to say something, but the masked figure seemed to blur even more and suddenly the sensation of metal against her throat vanished. She looked behind her and found that the criminal was lying several feet behind them and his dagger was shattered to pieces, only the hilt remaining intact. Rena slowly turned back to the figure. "Thank you wait, what?" Before she could thank the person, they had already turned around and began walking away. One of the guards tried to stop him for an exnation, but the figure simply said, "If you need me, ask for Titan at the Eroan embassy." That shut the guard up for a moment. As the figure walked away, a female beastman with blond hair and wolf-like ears bounded out of the crowd beforetching onto the figure''s arm. Rena watched in confusion as the figure shoved the girl off before they disappeared into the crowd of people. Lyrah came rushing towards her and jumped into her arms. "Rena! By the gods are you okay?" Lyrah''s face was soaked in tears. Natali also rushed forward and had a look of genuine concern in her eyes as well. "Rena?" she whispered. "I''m fine. Thanks to that person from Eroa he said his name was Titan?" Chapter 151: The Eroan Representative Commander Arturo was brought to the center of the market district where an incident had urred only a handful of minutes before. Lying on the ground was a man whose face was unrecognizable. It almost appeared as though his nose had been inverted. The force of the impact he received liquified his brain and killed him instantly. ording to witnesses, the individual was a figure in leather armor, wearing a hood, a cloak, and a ck facemask. No one seemed capable of describing any other discerning features. They could not estimate the person''s size, gender, or any other defining features about them. Guards did state that as the individual left, they referred to themselves as ''Titan'' and to reach out to the Eroan embassy for additional information. After the person left, a blonde woman who appeared to be a wolf beastman, mped onto the masked person''s arm. "Has anyone been to the Eroan embassy yet?" "Yes, Commander. However, the guards at the embassy state that the men we sent do not possess the proper clearance to interact with the individuals inside." One of his soldiers answered. Arturo nodded, understanding perfectly why they ran into issues. "That makes sense. Currently staying within the embassy are a small number of high-level individuals. I will go myself." Arturo pointed for a few men to follow him then proceeded to leave. However, as he was leaving he noticed a strange char mark in the stonework that appeared to be the shape of a foot "Strange" he wondered aloud before continuing. When he arrived outside the appropriate embassy, he saw some more of his guards standing outside patiently. The Eroan guards seemed to be in a pleasant mood, which meant that his men did not do or say anything untoward out of frustration. "Hello, I am Commander Arturo of Arcadios. His majesty, King Aleksander Verall von Arcadios, assigned me over city security during the events. I wish to discuss the events today with a ''Titan'' who stated he was here." The guards for the embassy turned to look at him and bowed. "Commander Arturo. You may enter the grounds. Your men may join you, but only two of your men will be permitted inside the building itself. The rest must remain in the garden." He thanked the two men and instructed all but two of his guards to stay outside of the embassy gates for the ease andfort of the kingdom''s guests. Though they were granted permission to at least enter the grounds, it looked better to not have them join as a show of trust towards Eroa. The inside of the embassy was rather beautiful. Though only a few dignitaries normally stayed on the grounds, the individuals in charge of caring for the exterior had done a wonderful job in tending to the native nts of Eroa that were able to survive in Arcadios'' different climate. The inside of the embassy was also gorgeous. It was more rustic than one would expect, being furnished with many wooden pieces of furniture and items that still possessed the rougher exterior of bark, rather than the finished polish of fully processed lumber. This was a nod to the standard furnishings of Eroa as well. Since most of the poption lived in and amongrge trees, the more rustic style wasmon formoners and nobility. Though the kingdom of Arcadios also had a vast sea of trees, the human nation spent a lot of time processing their lumber to create their goods. "Commander Arturo, was it? Did you have something to discuss with our representative in the tournament?" A voice called out to him as he was admiring the surroundings. It came from a handsome man with cat-like ears and a thin, ck and orange striped tail. "King Verdayl Eroa it is my pleasure," Arturo said with a deep bow. "I have brought my representative, Titan, to speak with you." ***** "Rena, are you quite all right?" Currently fretting over her well-being was the old man, Wally Carmichael, who insisted that both she and Natali also refer to him as grandpa, for reasons she did not understand other than they were close friends with Lyrah. A little while ago, the old man had let slip that Lyrah was his biological great-granddaughter. Hearing this made Rena swoon a little because it meant that she had been made privy to a massive state secret without her intending to and all thanks to the absentmindedments of a nearly senile old man. "Grandpa Wally, I am fine. I healed the wound myself." Your next read is at m v|l-e''-NovelBin "I know that, dear, but" He sighed with exasperation. "You said you were saved by someone?" "Yes a strange person in a t ck mask they said their name was Titan," Rena answered. Wally stroked his beard slowly, pondering the name. "I do believe thathmmm" "Grandpa?" Lyrah asked carefully. "I believe this uh, Titan fellow I believe he is a representative for Eroa in the tournament. He is one of the seven representatives." Rena''s face paled. "So you mean I might have to fight him?" She asked timidly. "Yes, that exists as a possibility." Wally nodded. She could not help but gulp. Unless it was a one-time trick, which she doubted, the speed at which Titan moved was astounding. In a one-on-one fight, she doubted that she could overwhelm him. Though she did not see him use magic, she could not rely on the fact that he was not also adept at that as well. As a representative for the kingdom of Eroa, he was likely extremely skilled. He had to be at least as skilled as Thomas. Rena already knew she could not realistically beat him, though she wanted to, very badly. If Titan was at least as strong as that, then there was no way to win. Her only hope now is for Thomas to get beaten out by someone else so that his promotion to head of the household is dyed long enough for her to formally remove herself from the family and strike it out on her own. If Thomas was granted his position as head before she did that, then there was no telling what would happen to her. "Make sure you get plenty of rest. Stay here with us. You have quite a busy day tomorrow, Rena." Lyrah said with a quiet voice and kind smile. "Thank you, Lyrah, Natali, Grandpa Wally. I appreciate you all so much." She said back. Tomorrow was the tournament and first thing in the morning she would have to survive a free-for-all fight against an unknown number of eager fighters. If she made it through that, then she would have to figure out a way to potentially fight Titan. She brushed her fingers over the cat pendant on the choker she never removed. "Wish me luck, Lucius, my love." Chapter 152: The Night Before "What do you mean he''s here?" A female voice was screaming at a person inmoner clothes. Though the person appeared to be a simplemoner, like one would see wandering the streets of any generic town or vige, they were one of an army of spies employed by the nation known as the Wisteria Concord. "My Lady, it is as I said. There was an incident in the markets this morning and someone fought off one of those strange fanatics. They imed to be ''Titan from Eroa'' and then left the scene before being questioned by the guards." "Urgh" Lady Voltara al Famyn grumbled. She looked through her pile of documents and pulled out a letter she had received regarding the participants in the tournament. The day she received it, she tossed it aside as she had many more important matters. However, she opened it up now and saw on the list of names ''Titan, representative from Eroa'' written in in font. "Dammit" She grumbled again. "Auntie, is something the matter?" "Elize, pleasee here darling." A young woman who looked like the spitting image of a much younger Voltara stepped into the room. She was wearing thin nightclothes that made the spy nearly stop breathing when he saw how they gently draped over Elize''s form. "What can I do for you, Auntie?" "My dear I will be needing your assistance with something. A young man is attending this tournament and I need you to do one of two things for me." Voltara said sweetly. "Of course, what can I do for you?" "I need you to crush him with all the power you possess. Or, failing that seduce him and bring him to our side. You can do that for me, can''t you darling?" Elize thought for a moment. "I think it can be done. Though, I have to ask is he handsome? Is he strong?" "Handsome I don''t know. He always wears a mask." Voltara said truthfully. "Why a mask?" "He is a member of the King''s Shadow. The order that serves the royal family directly. He is also the individual responsible for the capturing of the city of Alvora. Which means that he is personally responsible for the event that ended the war with Alorek." Elize''s eyes widened. She had heard what had happened in Alvora and had read many of the reports Voltara had. On top of that, her auntie had informed her of what she saw while signing the non-aggression pact. Elize al Famyn''s face became flush and her breathing slightly ragged. "He''s that powerful is he auntie, if I bring him to our side, or even if I beat him. Can I keep him I would love to keep him." Voltara smiled as she looked at her niece who appeared to be almost writing in pleasure at the thought of seducing a powerful warrior. "Calm yourself, my dear. We do not even know if you will be able toplete either of those tasks. Promise me to do your best and that will be enough to satisfy me, darling." "I will give it my all, Auntie Vra," Elize said with a bow before exiting the room. As onest show, she winked at the spy who had been staring at her immodest dress the entire time. "Lecherous fool." Voltara snapped at the spy. "Get back out there and find me anything and everything you can on Titan. I want you to look for everything. Get in contact with the teams in Eroa. If he''s a member of the King''s Shadow he must be a native. "From our reports, he may be a half-blood of some kind, so look into any illicit rtionships between powerful Eroan noble families with trysts and love children between other races. Go!" Explore stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin Her beliefs about his possible origins were simply a guess. There was no hard evidence to show that he was a native of Eroa or he was from some other country. One thing she did know is that all the other known members of King''s Shadow were natural-born citizens of the country. However, another thing to know about the order was that they prided themselves on recognizing the strong. Eroa was like that as a nation, for the most part. Which did not necessarily rule out other possibilities for Titan''s origin. The only thing that was truly known was that he appeared suddenly on the battlefield about six months before the end of the war. Each battle he participated in was a resounding sess for Eroa. Honestly, it was getting to the point that Voltara was wondering why she was so obsessed with the young man. Was it the fear of the devastation he wrought? Was it possibly the strength he had that made her want to possess him? Or was it something else she had yet to identify? It was hard to tell at times with so many different possibilities. Voltara bit her thumb out of frustration. She was angry that herwork had found nothing, but even angrier that she thought the tournament information to be useless, when in fact it gave her a massive clue as to Titan''s location. Had she known, it would have been so much easier to look into him and set ns ordingly. However, now those chances were ruined, all because of a simple oversight. "It''s no matter," she stated. "I will likely learn what I need in due time. From what King Aleksander told me, the final four will address the crowd. I find it unlikely that Titan will not make it at least that far. "If he does, I will be able to learn more about him. If he does not, then he is of no use or threat to me. I still have yet to determine the exact way that Titan was able to cause such destruction. All our sources have been very tight-lipped, though there are only a handful of ways to perform this task, and most of them make this Titan a scary person. It is simply a matter of what to fear: his power, his intelligence, or both." Chapter 153: Exhibition Tournament "Ladies and gentlemen, wee to the Kingdom of Arcadios!" the voice of an announcer wearing vibrant clothes that would make even the most over-the-top nobles blush. "Today is the first-ever International Exhibition Tournament! Thanks to the involvement of the kingdom of Aedrider, our wonderful event is also being broadcast to every corner of our fair capital. So please watch and enjoy! Your next chapter is on m v|l-e''-NovelBin Allow me to exin today''s series of events" The entire city was buzzing with excitement. Nearly every business that did not deal with food and drink had closed down for the day to watch the matches. This was the first time for most people in the capital, both citizens and visitors, to witness such an event. More often than not, tickets were either sold out or prohibitively expensive for themon man to purchase. Aedrider''s temporary donation of the projection towers was a massive sess with the poption and many tavern, restaurant, and food stall owners were nearly ready to start worshipping the elven nation because of all the business it generated. Every one of them was prepared to make money hand over foot. Rena on the other hand was not as excited as them. She was sitting in a waiting area with a random group of fighters. The first round was a massive elimination brawl. She would have to make it to the final three topete in the mainpetition. They were told that there were nearly a hundred participants. In the room she was in, ten other people were sitting or standing and preparing themselves for the match. That meant there were at least ten other rooms with a simr amount of people waiting for their chance at bing number one. In the room with her were mostly humans, but there were two beast-men as well as an elf. No one did or said anything to one another out of fear of giving away any hints about theirbat styles. Doing so would be giving your opponent an edge. The most they could do was guess at fighting styles and potential tactics based on the weapons they were carrying or the armor they were wearing. Rena''s ensemble was a tactic in and of itself. She carried a thin sword on her hip and wore light armor that suggested she was a Sword Arts specialist focused on speed. The truth of the matter was she was a pure mage and the armor and sword were simply for buying time in between spells. As she continued her deep breathing exercises, a small woman walked up and sat beside her. It was the elf. "Hi there. Nervous like me?" "Mmm" was all Rena said. "I get it." The elf said with a smile. "Like everyone else, trying to keep your cards close to your chest. I understand. Though, if I''m being honest I don''t have much to hide." "Mmhm." "I''m not going to tell you what I have going on. It''s just when I get nervous, I need to talk and well. You looked like the most likely to at least acknowledge me." She continued. "I see." Rena finally said. Though she did not continue to speak. "I do appreciate you at least letting me babble it''s nice. I wish you good luck miss. That''s all I''m going to do since you at least let me air out my anxiety. Just know that if we meet in the ring, I''m not holding back." The elven girl gave Rena a small smile and bowed before walking away. "Good luck to you too," Rena said as she walked away. Shortly after that, the announcer called the contestants to the stage. A group of officials entered the room and escorted the fighters in double file through the halls of the coliseum and out onto the main stage. The arena was nearly a perfect circle that was nearly fifteen hundred feet in diameter. It was simply a massive arena, but considering the number of fighters that used Magic and Arts, the space could be taken up quickly as fights progressed. Rena looked above her and noticed a faint shimmer of golden light. It was a barrier powered by a team of mages that was designed to keep stray attacks from hitting the crowd by ident. "Wee to our dear contestants!" The announcer shouted out; his voice amplified by a simr technology to the projection posts around the capital. "We have our first event of the day, a battle royale between a hundredpetitors! "For our contenders and our amazing audience, let me break down the rules. This fight is a free-for-all battle where almost anything goes. Arts, Magic, and enchanted items are all permitted! There are only two hard no''s: First, no marks! Second, no killing blows may strike your opponent! "Finally, there is a barrier protecting the crowd, so do not worry about the trajectory of your projectiles, spells, or maybe even people! The barrier is designed to take the hit from a King Rank warrior. As all of our participants are Intermediate or Advanced, there should be no problem, as any damage you deal will be restored before you can break through." Everyone in the arena had walked to different starting zones. Along the ground were designated circles to stand on. Each circle was equidistant from the circles around them to ensure the fairest starting positions. Granted those that were lucky enough to be given spots around the outside edge had a slight advantage over others. Rena felt sweat dripping down her back. She was nervous and when looking around her, she saw thatpetition was fierce. These hundred people were all vying for three single spots. It was the first step in getting to have one request granted by the king of a nation. It was a very lucrative deal. Rena had doubts about winning. She would have to be both skillful and lucky in her matchups, but she had to try. At one time, when she announced her entry, she was so confident in her ability to win, but after watching Thomas train as well as seeing that that person named Titan would be here, doubt spread in her mind. As she started to think about that, she nced into the crowd. Up in the stands, there were many private boxes. In one of them, she saw Lyrah and Natali next to a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair. In the box next to them there was a strong-looking man with ck, cat ears. In other nearby boxes, she saw the leaders of various nations, all intently watching the match. As her eyes traveled down from the stands and back to the arena, they stopped on a familiar figure. Though she could not be certain, it felt like the person was staring directly at her. His face and eyes were hidden by a ck, featureless mask. When he noticed that she was looking at him, he gave her a curt nod, then turned and left the stands. "Warriors! At the ready!" the announcer called out. "Let the show Begin!" Chapter 154: Then There Were Three The moment the announcer finished his sentence, a fire spell exploded in the air over the arena, and spells, arrows, daggers, and all sorts of other weapons began flying around the arena. Rena barely sidestepped a wild swing from a young man from one of her sses as he attempted to strike her with his mace. Using her foot and his momentum against him, she quickly tripped him, making him sprawl onto the ground. "[cies: Ice Bullet]" a small projectile shot from her hand and struck the man in the head, knocking him unconscious. "[Ventus: Wind de]" She quickly cast her Wind de spell as a horizontal slice and retreated in the opposite direction she sent the spell. It was hard to tell if it struck anyone, but she simply needed to create an opening. Directly behind her though, was a group of fighters in a melee with one another. There was no clear way around them, so she elected to go over them. "[Lux: Enhanced Leap]" Light magic swirled around her legs and she jumped over the warriors andnded safely on the opposite side. "Rargh!" a woman with an axe charged from Rena''s left side, crying out in anger and revealing her position. "[Axe Arts: Heavy m]" The woman''s axe burned with golden light as the weapon came down on her, however before Rena could react, she saw the light vanish and the raging woman copsed in a heap with an arrow sticking out of her back. ncing in the direction of the shot, Rena caught a familiar smile from a kind-looking elven girl. The same one who wished her luck before. Rena gave her a nod and then shot off another spell. "[Ferrum: Spike Wall]" She squatted onto the ground while spinning aroundpletely, everywhere her hand touched the ground, metal spikes with dulled edges erupted upwards and smacked into a handful of fighters rushing towards her. While still empowered from her Enhanced Leap earlier, she jumped over the wall and ran from the spot. Since she had no Arts to assist her physical weapon beyond some Light Magic enhancements, it was best for her to keep moving so the other fighters did not pin down the mage. By this point, most of the other mages seemed to be out as those that were still in the fight were all using some kind of weapon art. Rena felt her breath starting to be slightly ragged from all the physical exertion. Her magic reserves were still more than fine and she could likely keep up this pace for the remainder of the battle. Looking around, out of the original one hundred contestants, they were already down to seventy. Mostly mages had been taken out since this type of battlefield was not suited to them thanks to magic being taught in the academy for long-range use. "[Ventus: Gust]" The wind rushed from her fingertips towards a bunch of enemy fighters with their backs faced towards her. They each were upied with their opponents, but the sudden burst of Wind Magic threw them off bnce enough to create openings for the other fighter. As a mage, she would run the risk of burning through her magical reserves quicker than she wanted if she relied on single attacks strong enough to knock someone out alone. Discover more content at m,v l''e-NovelBin With that in mind, she instead opted for a trickier approach. If she was unable to take them out head-on consistently, then at least control the fight. It was a tactic she learned from Lucius when he was too weak to fight head-on. He instead relied on battlefield awareness and clever tricks. "I still use the lessons you taught me every day, my love," Rena said with a smile. "[Aqua: Gush]" Rena sent a torrent of water across the surface of the battlefield creating a somewhat slippery terrain. Water mixed with blood along the ground which created a gruesome painting along the surface. Rena rushed out of the middle of the battlefield, trying to gain a little space for another barrage of magic casting. Around her people fell in battle. She dodged the asional spell and ducked beneath and beside de and axe swings. With several more castings of Gust and Wind de, she finally managed to carve out a small safe area for herself on the edge of the battlefield and was able to take a short breath. Beside her, another person had created a space for them away from the battle. It was the elf girl again. "Nice to see you again." She giggled, shooting another arrow into a crowd of people. Rena was able to see that the bow had a strange shimmer to it. Every few seconds, a small sh of green would run down the length of the weapon. "Is that enchanted?" "It is!" The girl said, wiping off an absurd amount of sweat. "It takes a lot out of me, so I can''t use Magic or Arts, but it has a paralysis enchantment. Doesn''t work on Advance Rank or above though." Rena was impressed. It sounded like quite a powerful weapon in all honesty. She was about to say something when she saw someone slowly sneaking up behind the elven girl with a dagger in their hands. "[Ferrum: Iron Spike]" Arge, blunted spike of metal shot out of the ground beneath the would-be attacker and mmed into the underside of his jaw. The force lifted him a foot into the air and he fell onto his back, unconscious and missing a few extra teeth. "Thanks!" "Returning the favor." After that, both girls decided to team up and face the remaining participants together. Slowly, but surely, thepetition dwindled to only fifty, then thirty, then finally, only ten remained. Among those ten, it seemed everyone had formed teams. There were two teams of two and two teams of three. Together, they were all at an impasse. The ground was littered with unconscious fighters who could not be moved, so they needed to be careful not to cause any deadly blows that severely limited Rena''s options so instead she pulled out her wildcard. She wanted to save it forter but now was the best option. She and the elf came close together and pulled further from the other groups, allowing them to fight it out. All of them were melee fighters, leaving Rena and her partner as the only ranged attacker. Unfortunately, everyone remaining was an Advance Rank, so the archer''s bow was out. Renaunched the asional metal spell and water spell, peppering them with tiny impacts from a distance. One warrior with a mace and shield powered through a team of three on his own, leaving the other three-person team and his ally. When those five started to fight, Rena readied her mana. She got a little excited and was on the verge of running out, so she focused on recovery and concentrating on the mana she needed to pull it off. "I need you to trust me, okay?" "Got it." The man with the mace roared at his victory over the final group of three, leaving Rena, the elf, the man with a mace, and his partner who seemed to be using a longsword. "[Ventus: Air Step]" Rena felt Wind Magic coat the bottom of her feet and she jumped into the air while pulling the elf into her arms. Rena continued to jump, taking five more steps until they were a few stories into the air. "Oi! Get down here!" The man with the longsword shouted. The mace wielder simply stared at Rena and her partner for a moment, then swung his mace at the back of his ally''s head. "And that''s it, folks! With only fourteen minutes left on the clock, we finally have our final three! These three fine warriors will be entering the ten-person tournament that will begin in a few short hours! Please allow our fighters to rest and recover, and make sure to return to your seats before the next round of fights begins!" Chapter 155: Unwilling Observer The first battle of the tournament had just concluded and the crowds erupted in massive apuse. Men and women stood and cheered as the three victors were shown off at the center of the stage. It seemed everyone was content to ignore the defeated fighters being dragged and hauled off in bruised and battered heaps. Such a sight was somewhat distasteful to Adellia. She was never one for finding enjoyment in violence. Too much of her life was spent dreaming of it and finding ways to prevent it. In some cases, finding ways to cause it. Her job as the Oracle was to protect the kingdom. Every vision she had and every piece of advice she gave was for the sake of protecting the kingdom. Sure, she was not treated as well as she could have been, but her life is not what she would call bad. She had a ce to live, a ce to raise her daughter and a very good friend. When she turned her head towards the very friend she just thought of, she found herself reminded of the one time that she did not act to save the kingdom. The night Lyrah was born she had a vision of the Arcadios'' fall. She had never had the dream before, but when the elder attended to her and she was given a chance to reveal it the Oracle remained silent. Since that night, she has never had that vision again. It was something for which she was grateful because it was one of the most terrifying ones she had, but she also felt sad that she could not see it. Adellia looked towards her daughter, who was seated closer to the railing of their box seat. The girl''s eyes were fixated on someone. There was no emotion on her face. No interest, no anger, no curiosity, no happiness it was simply a nk expression in the truest sense of the word. She thought about saying something but instead chose to follow her daughter''s gaze. As she did so, her own eyes rested upon a figure standing in the crowd. Had Lyrah not been soser-focused on the figure, Adellia would never have seen them. They wore dark, leather armor and a hood. She could not quite make out what was under the hood, but even if she could see beneath it, she was much too far away to discern any facial features. "Lyrah, my dear what are" "Did you know that father was here, mother?" the girl interrupted. "I''m sorry?" Lyrah turned to look at her, the nk expression gone from her face as it had returned to its normal cheerful tone. "Father! He''s here in the capital. I believe him to be only a few boxes away from ours. Shall we meet him?" Natali coughed to hint that the young woman should calm down. In public, the Oracle was to maintain a certain air of aloofness while also remaining kind and approachable. At the moment, Lyrah was exhibiting none of those behaviors. Adellia could not help but smile. She had missed her antics now that she was no longer in the castle, but staying at the Royal Academy. "I think we can make time to see himter this afternoon, however, I think it would be a little too improper to meet with him without an eptable pretense." "Oh, I suppose that makes sense, mother. Are you enjoying the event?" She pursed her lips. "Um I think I might enjoy singles fightster more than this. You said you had a friend in that brawl yes?" "Yes! Rena! She was the red-headed mage that was in the final three!" Lyrah squealed in excitement. "I see you have quite formidable friends." Adellia said with a smile while ncing at Mylene and Natali. Mylene smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder as an acknowledgment of their friendship. "I think you will find this evening to be quite entertaining, Mother," Lyrah whispered. Adellia paused. Something about the tone she used was strange, but when looking at Lyrah''s face it was unchanged. "Did you see something?" "I just mean that the contestants in this tournament are quite interesting. Win or lose all ten of the fighters will be attending the banquet at the end. I cannot wait to meet them!" Adellia looked back at the arena which was currently being cleaned and fixed by a team of Water Magic and Earth Magic users. asionally a shimmer of light would flicker across the air, showing where the barrier was. It was quite an interesting sightpared to the alternative she saw. Had Alorek won the war, things would not have been so jovial. She found herself momentarily haunted by visions of a future that didn''te to pass but shook her head to clear it and reced her expression with the neutral, approachable one that she had perfected. "I hope to speak to your dear friend at the banquet tonight." Explore more stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin "Oh! If she loses in the main tournament, I invite her here to sit with me. I already got permission from Grandpa Wally. He said if the king didn''t like it, he would take care of it. She''s strong, but I don''t think she will win. So you will see her soon!" Adellia found herself simultaneously surprised and not at the amount of forward-thinking her daughter was capable of. Like a bull in a fine china shop, she raged forward without regard for the potential damage "Well, whenever I meet her, I will be d to do so" "Oh! And she knows about Grandpa. He adopted her and Natali as his granddaughters!" She felt her eye twitch at the old man''s audacity. He seemed rather careless about spilling state secrets "Is that so" "Yes! Oh, I can''t wait to introduce her to Father! It will be so exciting. What would she think when she finds out that" "No, no, no!" Adellia hurried to her daughter and covered her mouth with her hands. "You mustn''t, Lyrah. Gods Grandfather had rubbed off on you too much. Be careful with that information, silly girl." Though her mouth was covered, Adellia could see with Lyrah''s eyes alone that she was grinning ear to ear. What was she going to do with this girl Chapter 156: The True Fight Aliana could not believe that she had made it through the first round. She finally had a chance to grant her deepest wish. All she had to do was defeat her next opponent. When she found herself in the waiting area before the first match, she was sweating profusely. So much so, that she was worried her shirt would have be see-through. Everyone else in the room appeared to be doing just fine and were meditating, praying, or simply stretching before the match. However, there was one girl who seemed to be just as nervous as she was. The girl had beautiful red hair and striking green eyes. Though she was trying to act calm, Aliana recognized the same anxieties in her as she did in herself. So, as a kindred spirit, the elf girl saddled up to her and started a conversation. It went about as well as she expected, but the girl did at least acknowledge Aliana was there. In the end, she even wished her good luck! As thanks for that, when she saw an opening, she shot an arrow at someone who targeted the girl, whose name she found out after the fact, was Rena. Near the end of the fight, Rena fought side by side with Aliana and they managed to be one of thest three fighters standing. Though she would have been among those defeated and soaking in their blood without her, Aliana had truly made it. Now she stood in the arena again. This time, there were two raised stages in the circr coliseum. From what the announcer said, until the final fight, matches would be held on these smaller stages two at a time. The one to lose is the first to lose consciousness, be knocked off the rectangr battle area, or concede. Aliana red at her opponent, bowing at the ready. She was confident she could beat this person. He was one of the pre-selected fighters, which meant he was a representative of one of the countries. She already knew who Aedrider''s representative was, so that narrowed down the options, but it did not matter in the end. What did matter was that this strange fighter had no presence. There was no emission of mana at all as if he were not even a Ranker. If that were the case, likely, he''s just very proficient at the arts. The figure had summoned a strange spear that seemed to have a constantyer of frost over the de. "I see we both have enchanted weapons. May the best fighter win." Aliana called out. The other fighter simply nodded and got into a ready stance. She found it strange, but he was wearing a t, ck mask with no defining features. She could see pupils through the eye slits, but not much else. "Fighters. At the ready!" The announcer shouted. "Begin!" "[Bow Arts: Multi-shot], [Bow Arts: Pierce], [Bow Arts: Phantom Arrows]" She quickly activated her triple threatbination of arts and then flooded her magic bow with the mana needed to empower the enchantment. The figure on the other end of the arena started slowly walking towards her but showed no signs of rushing. He was letting her get prepared. "Arrogant" she growled and released her shot. The arrow glowed with golden light and split into multiple copies of itself. Some were real, others fake. Each one that was real was enhanced by the Pierce skill and the paralysis enchantment from her bow. The figure continued to walk towards her slowly as nearly a hundred arrows bore down on him. They converged in an explosion of light and dust. The crowd ''oh''s'' and ''ahh'' in surprise at the sudden light show. However, when the dust cleared, her opponent was not there. Feeling like something was wrong, she went to turn around, but felt someone picking her up by the scruff of her armor, like she was a puppy or a kitten. "Because Rena seems to like you, we will end it this way." The man mumbled. Before, he didn''t seem like a guy or a girl, but his voice was that of a man. "What do you" she started to ask before he walked her over to the edge of the ring and dropped her outside of it unceremoniously. "Winner of Ring B, match one is Titan!" Aliana sat there and blinked, unable to process what just happened to her. However, she looked back at the ring and saw a glimpse of the man''s true power leak out from behind his mask. He allowed her to understand his true strength, so she did not have to feel bad about the way she lost and when she felt that, she was very d he decided to take it easy on her. "That man is a monster" She shuddered. "I should still have time to ce a bet on the winner. Make me some money Titan." She mumbled, leaving the arena and returning to the stands. ****** Though her match had started, Rena and her opponent with the mace found themselves distracted by the one next to them. The speed at which the masked person, Titan had moved was unbelievable. "And that person is supposed to be Intermediate or Advanced Rank?" Rena found herself muttering. "All right, girlie let''s get our started, eh?" The mace wielder asked whileunching himself at her. Rena sighed because he was nopetition for her. Sure, he was a very strong fighter, however, he had shown a weakness already. He was not confident in aerial defense. Luckily for Rena, she already revealed that card, so it was no problem for her to fix it. "[Ventus: Air Step]" Rena bound into the air and held herself at the second tost step she could take. She was able to hold this spell for a handful of minutes by this point, as long as she did not use other spells. However, it was her very intention to use spells, so at most she had a minute. "[Ferrum: Iron Spear]" "[Aqua: Water Ball]" "[cies: Ice Spear]" From high in the air, Rena fired spell after spell at the mace wielder, who attempted to block as many attacks as he could with his shield. Unfortunately for him, he did not seem to possess any Shield Arts that could have granted him additional protection. In no time at all he was battered and beaten by the number of spells that she had cast on him. Struggling to speak, he almost copsed to the ground before saying "I forfeit" Then he passed out. "The First Round of the singles matches isplete! We have our winners advancing to the next round! Please give a warm round of apuse to, Rena von Petra from Arcadios! As well as Titan of Eroa!" Rena nced over at the ring where Titan had fought and muttered to herself. "That man over there is the true fight here. Good luck to whoever faces that guy" Chapter 157: The Stronger Goal "We wee you all back after a short break for our contestants to recover. Now that they are all in peak fighting condition let''s get the next matches started!" The announcer shouted out to thunderous apuse across the capital. "Competing in Ring A we have Rena von Petra from Arcadios! The opponent facing off against her is the Keinydd representative, Desmond Adler! "In Ring B we have Thomas von Petra! A cousin to our dear Miss Rena and the chosen representative for Arcadios in thispetition. Facing off against this handsome man is none other than Lady Elize al Famyn! Do not let her beauty fool you folks, I hear she strikes as quickly and deadly as a viper!" Desmond Adler looked at his opponent. She was an attractive young woman, who was very clearly trying to downy her noble heritage. It was something Desmond could understand. Though he did not know her circumstances, his issues with his family led him to sympathize with whatever it was she had going on. Looking at the other ring, he noticed that Thomas von Petra was undoubtedly Rena''s cousin. They looked simr and had simr colored hair. Though, Rena''s was more crimson than the young man''s. Thomas'' opponent on the other hand was a peerless beauty. If Desmond did not have as good of control over his faculties as he did, he probably would have lost all sense of reason right there. "Are you quite finished gawking at someone other than your opponent?" Rena called out. Desmond rubbed the back of his neck from embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry about that. I will put my all into this fight. So don''t hold it against me?" "I will only hold it against you if you hold back," Rena shouted. "Of that, I have no intention. I assure you." Desmond responded with a smile. She was right. He needed to get his head in the game, otherwise he would not achieve his goals. If he let himself be distracted now, there was no way he would win. "Fighters, at the ready! And Begin!" Desmond opened with an ice spell, paired with a spear attack. "[cies: Ice Spear], [Spear Arts: Twin Impact]" The girl Rena blocked the ice spell with a spell of her own. "[Ferrum: Iron Wall], [Lux: Enhanced Speed]" The Ice Spear shattered against the Iron Wall without leaving so much as a scratch. Then, with the assistance of her light spell, Enhanced Speed, she was able to dodge the spear just as it split into two. They impacted the ground without issue, one disappearing as the Art ended. "It looks like you missed," Rena said with a smile, holding up her hand and preparing to cast a spell. "Too bad you lost your weapon. I''m confident my magic is stronger." Desmond only smiled, then snapped his fingers. His spear, which was several feet behind the girl, vanished and reappeared in his hand. "Sorry. You think I would throw my only weapon without a n?" "It''s enchanted?!" the girl shouted. Then in a panic, she cast several more spells. "[Ferrum: Iron Spikes], [Aqua: Water Shot], [Ventus: Wind de], [Ventus: Air Step]" A surge of spells flew towards him including a line of metal spikes that shot out of the ground. Desmond was able to weave around the spikes, dodging them with ease. However, the opening he thought he had was a trap for him to take a hit from the Wind des. One nipped his shoulder, leaving a small gash that began to bleed. "[Aqua: Waverider]" The water covering the ground that was generated by Rena''s spell flew toward him and added to an additional body of water swirling around his feet. Desmond rose into the air on a wave as it surged towards the redhead. He was at the crest of the wave, holding his spear at the read. "[Aqua: Crushing Pressure]" The wave became even higher, threatening to engulf the entire ring. Rena was using her Air Step, but if she had not she would have been sucked into the body of water and might have drowned. However, the height that Desmond had reached now overshadowed the height she gained with her spell, and the wave crashed down on top of her. The girl attempted to cast several spells. Desmond had to dodge several wind des that sliced through the water. At this range, without the water showing where the invisible des were at, he would have taken more than his fair share of hits. The girl was tenacious and it reminded him of his sister for a moment. Once again he found himself distracted and had to shake his head clear. ''Dammit, focus Desmond. Focus!'' Desmond maintained the pressure of his spell, making sure she wore herself out from the struggle. When the water dissipated, Rena was on the ground, face up and locking eyes with Desmond. He had the head of his spear pressed slightly against her neck. "Good fight." He said. "So it was." She agreed, though her face belied a hint of sadness. "I concede." ***** Renay there on the ground, drenched from head to toe and to the core of her being. Her opponent was a handsome-looking young man with Violet hair and blue eyes like the depths of an ocean. She could tell that he had a reason for being here as much as she did. Though she felt sad that she had lost to him, she could not bring herself to be upset with him. In the end, the stronger of the two won. Rena had already heard in the middle of her fight that Thomas had won his battle with Lady Elize. This meant that Desmond would go on to fight Thomas in the final four. "Do me a favor, Desmond." "Yes?" "Thomas" "You want me to go easy on your cousin?" Her face contorted in anger. "No, I want you to humiliate him." The man paused for a moment thenughed. He offered a hand to her to help her to her feet, then nodded and returned to the entrance to the arena. Waiting for him was a young woman who looked a lot like him with the same color hair and eyes. Shetched onto Desmond the moment he approached, which brought a smile to her face. "It seems that is who he is fighting for. Good luck Desmond." Chapter 158: Intermission With Desmond Adler and Thomas von Petra being the decided winners of their fights, they were moved into the final four. It would be two, one-on-one fights with the victors of each facing off in the champion fight. That winner would have their request from King Aleksander granted. After her fight against Desmond, Rena was escorted to the viewing box where Lyrah and Natali had been watching, but only after she had been healed and recovered first. It was there she was introduced to Lady Adellia. The woman''s beauty was astounding. She had the same silver eyes as Lyrah, but they were paired with long, silky blonde hair. Beside her was a maid who looked a little like Natali, who must have been her mother Mylene. After introducing herself to the woman, she gave her a kind smile. "It is quite nice to meet you dear. I hear you are good friends with my Lyrah and little Natali. Thank you for being their friend." "I should thank them for being mine. If they were not at the academy, I would be isted and alone." Rena responded with a bow. "Thank you for making them such kind people Lady Adellia and Miss Mylene." "Why would you be isted? You seem like such a sweet thing?" "I" "She fell in love with a Marked One and her father found out so she was stripped of her rights and sent to the academy, then her cousin spread the rumors among the other students." Lyrah blurted out quickly while stuffing her face with cookies. Rena looked at her friend with wide eyes. Lyrah was about to defend her actions when she suddenly yelped in pain from Natali smacking the back of her head. "Oh my. Well as a Marked One myself, I must say I am surprised I hope that he treats you well?" Rena felt a lump form in her throat, keeping her from speaking. Adellia noticed the silence immediately and apologized. For a while after that, things were awkward and tense, then Rena asked, "When do the next fights for the final four begin?" "Huh?" Lyrah blinked. "They already happened." "What? I wasn''t gone that long!" Rena nearly shouted. "No" Lyrah said. "But, the fights ended quickly. That Titan person was fighting some snobby prince from Paede and wiped the floor with him using a lightning spell. It was quite interesting. The other one was an elf girl from Aedrider. She used this wicked-looking hammer" Lyrah continued to regale her with a recap of the fight between an elf and a nobleman. The elf was an Enchantment specialist, which is quite rare. She used the battle less as a way to show off her strength, but rather to advertise her work. From what it sounded like, this ''Corva'' girl seemed like quite an interesting character. It made her wonder what it was her request would be. For that matter, what would Titan want? "I''m sorry you did not win your fight, sweetie," Adellia said while Rena was contemting these matters. "Oh, it is quite all right." She responded with a shrug. "I had hopes early on, but as the list of applicants grew and I began to see other fighters practice like my cousin I figured my winning was an impossibility. ***** King Aleksander found himself staring at the documents he had in front of him. Though he had managed to push back most of his paperwork so that he could focus on watching the fights, however there was something that bothered him. One of the fighters seemed out of ce. In the box with him were the other leaders of the kings in attendance. All of them were extremely interested in the final four. Fighting for it was Corva of Aedrider, Titan of Eroa, Thomas von Petra of Arcadios, and Desmond Adler of Keinydd. Of those, the one that had the shared interest of everyone was Titan of Eroa. Like a dark horse, he showed up as ast-minute submission from the king. ording to Verdayl, he was ate-start senior from their academy and his abilities impressed him so much he requested for the young man to attend. Of course, the mask was a dead giveaway. Also, every leader in the viewing box, save the queen of Aedrider, was there at the signing of the Alvora ord. Titan was the reason that Eroa took the city, though King Verdayl declined to answer how. The only exnation he gave was: "Titan asked if I wanted to take the city at any cost. And I said yes. He took it from there." It was as about as much a non-answer as anything the man could have given, but he refused to say much more. Eroa asked for a lot for this tournament as well. They wanted permission for Titan to enter. They also wanted to allow Kalivas into the border to observe the match. Aleksander agreed to the requests, but on the condition that they prove that Titan was eligible for the tournament. To do that, he needed to be Intermediate Rank or Advance Rank. To his great surprise, they agreed to the terms and brought the young man to the embassy where he was tested using the same devices the Adventurer''s guild used. Due to the fact Titan was not his real name, they used a modified one that simply showed one''s Rank. Lo and behold, he was a simple Intermediate Rank. Aleksander immediately shared this news with the other members of the Union, which Verdayl was fine with surprisingly, and none of them could believe it either. If the gods judged his abilities to only be at the Intermediate Rank, he was honestly terrified of where the young man would go when he got stronger. Everyone in the room, they were convinced that this young man was likely the next King Ranker if he survived long enough to be one that is. "Verdayl what is it the boy is going to request?" Aleksander asked. Verdayl put down his drink, which was a fortified wine they were serving for their esteemed guests. "I''m unsure. I did not think to ask. Whatever it is he wants though, I am sure will be entertaining." "I''m sure it will be." "You know, Titan joined the order of the King''s Shadow before he was even eighteen. Did you know that? I was shocked when I found out someone so young was so talented. In only six months he even rose to the rank of Commander within the order! I presented him with his mask. Quite a unique fellow that one!" Verdaylughed. Kalivas coughed lightly. "My liege" "Oops it seems the liquor has loosened my tongue. As an apology for making this disy Aleksander, allow me to assist you in providing the fulfillment of the winner''s request. You have conceded much to my kingdom for this event and now must deal with my drunken state. It is the least I can do!" Verdaylughed. Aleksander felt his eye twitch a little from annoyance. "Thank you very much, Verdayl." He managed. Every other leader in the room clenched their fists in frustration. It seemed most of them had spent countless manhours looking for information on the elusive and mysterious ''Titan'' and here Verdayl was simply providing them a wealth of knowledge because of a simple bottle of liquor. "Ah!" Lady Voltara al Famyn called out. "It looks like it is about to begin." -------------------------------------- A/N: There was a glitch in my inte that caused a double-pasting of the next chapter. I did not catch it till after it was posted. As such, I could not delete it or correct it. So the next chapter contains 2 in 1. I am SO sorry for this. Please feel free to berate me in thements Discover exclusive tales on m,v l''e-NovelBin -------------------------------------- Chapter 159: The Requests/Final Four Pt 1 [Dual-Chapter] ----------------- A/N There was a glitch in my inte that caused a double pasting of this chapter. I did not catch it till after it posted. As such, I could not delete it or correct it. So this chapter contains 2 in 1. I am SO sorry for this. -------------------------------------- Rena waited eagerly for the start of the penultimate matches. The final four would be held simultaneously, then the final match would begin after another short rest. The announcer had left his original podium, which was set in the center of the stands. He was now walking within the arena itself, surrounded by an entourage of knights in a fantastical procession. The four tournament finalists were waiting for them in the center of the arena. Two of them stood calm and unmoving, a stark contrast to Corva and Thomas, who were avidly waving at the crowds cheering for them. The announcer pulled Corva from the group and presented her front and center. A team of people carrying a recording crystal connected to all the towers around the city was with him. Rena''s viewing box even had one for this part of the event so that they could see the interviews closely. "Hello, citizens of the Union, Eroa, and Aedrider! Here we are in the final four! We only have a little bit longer to go, and we will have our champion crowned today! Before we get on to the fights, we wanted to take the opportunity to speak with each of the contestants! "As part of these short interviews, they will share the request they wish to make of King Aleksander. We have recently been informed that King Verdayl of Eroa will work alongside King Aleksander to grant these requests. I also wish to remind our contestants that you must share your requests truthfully, honestly, and fully! Once you share them with the crowd, you are unable to change your mind! "So let us begin! Miss! Can you share your name, a little about yourself, and your request?" The young elven woman looked cheerfully at the recording crystal and spoke, "Hi! I''m Corva, a cksmith and Enchanting specialist from Aedrider! I''m amoner, but still, my inventions are the top of the world, including my special hammer!" The announcer pped his hands gleefully, "Oh yay! And what is it that you''ll be requesting of these two generous kings?" "That''s easy! I want a delivery of at least a hundred S-Rank monster items! They''re for my next projects!" Her response surprised the crowd and nearly caused King Aleksander and Verdayl to fall over. What she requested could be done, but it would be intensely expensive. The next person to be interviewed was Desmond Adler. He walked up to the stage rather awkwardly, clearly ufortable speaking in front of such arge crowd. "So, Mr. Desmond Adler, I hear you battled your way to the top of your ss and are the representative of the coastal nation of Keinydd. So what is it that you wish to ask?" Desmond paused for a moment. Even Rena found herself on the edge of her seat. "I wish to be allowed to immigrate to the nation of Eroa and make myself and my twin sister, Jade, naturalized citizens." Rena could hear from the royal''s box a little ways away as someone shouted, "Deal!" Extremely loudly. It seemed that King Verdayl was excited about the prospect of bringing a talented young warrior to his nation. After Desmond walked off the stage, Thomas walked up full of swagger and confidence. He had won all of his matches handily and his behavior made Rena feel like vomiting, however she settled for simply rolling her eyes. "Sir Thomas von Petra, representative of the Kingdom of Arcadios and top student at the Arcadios Royal Academy. Tell us what is it you want from our esteemed kings?" Thomas cleared his throat and gave a haughtyugh. "When I wipe the floor with my opponents, I shall simply ask for one thing. My victory will result in me being the next head of the house of Petra. However, what I wish to ask is for royal support in changing our sessionws to not be earned but inherited like every other noble house." "Oh, ho! We are all aware of the strange inheritancepetition of House Petra and you wish to change them? How interesting thank you for your time, Lord Thomas!" Rena clenched and unclenched her fist to calm herself, thanks to Thomas'' sheer arrogance and brazen disy of disrespect to their house''s ancientws. However, then she remembered that she was nning on separating herself from the house and that whatever it was that Thomas wanted to do was no longer her concern. Rena''s interest in Desmond''s interview had already waned when she saw Thomas heading to the stage, but it returned the moment he left because the next person walking up to the stage was none other than Titan. What is it that brought a person like that to this tournament?" "And finally, we have our most interesting fighter. Every fight you''ve been in has been short and to the point. I dare say that Prince Augustine will be lucky to walk again, thanks to you. So, my lovely, mysterious warrior. Tell us about yourself. Clear some of the mystery." For a moment, there was silence as Titan said nothing. With a second prompting by the announcer, he finally spoke. "I am called Titan. I work for the kingdom of Eroa." "Our dear audience has been murmuring that you are a higher rank than you let on. That, for some reason, a Master Ranker snuck his way into thepetition." "That is false. King Aleksander was concerned for the same and had me independently tested by the Adventurer''s guild. I am an Intermediate Rank." The crowd burst into a roar of chatter and conversation. No one present could believe it. Though many in the crowds were not fighters and had no way to gauge someone''s strength the way other Rankers do, it was simple enough to tell that he was strong. Rena herself had her jaw hanging open in disbelief. How was it possible for someone that powerful to be such a low rank? Equivalent to her, even! "So, you say you are an Intermediate Rank. Other rumors say you were at the battle of Alvora. Care toment?" "ssified." "How many years did you fight in the war?" "ssified." The announcer was getting a little bit flustered that his questions were not being answered, so he hurried it along. "Fine, Titan. What is it that you truly desire?" Titan looked directly at the recording crystal, and Rena felt that even through the projection, he was looking into the depths of her soul. "Simple. I wish them to permit me to take Lady Rena von Petra as my wife." -------------------[The Final Four Part 1 starts here]------------------- Everyone sitting next to Rena in the Oracle''s viewing box had their mouths open and were looking at her. Rena herself felt so shocked that she did not know what to do or say. "Dear is that the" "No," Natali said quickly. "Lucius is dead. That Titan person is not Rena''s lover." "I see" Though she could not see it, she could only imagine what look must have been on her father''s face at the moment. He was in the viewing box with the king, so she was unable to see him. ***** Shortly after Titan answered the announcer''s question, the man in question and his entourage left the arena. Titan moved to Ring B, where he would be facing Corva, while Desmond and Thomas moved to Ring A. "Nice to meet ya, Titan! You are one scary-looking dude!" The elf known as Corva called out. By her side was a warhammer nearly asrge as she was, and it radiated a shocking amount of mana. "This here is my baby! She doesn''t have a name yet, but I''m thinking of naming it after you how about ӦɦӦͦϦʦ?ͦ? (Titanoktnos), Titan Killer." She continued with a cocky grin. "Try." He answered inly. The moment the announcer signaled the start of the match, the elf stepped forward and activated her hammer. A spellunched out of the back of the weapon, it looked like a fire spell, but it was being maintained as a solid me instead of just a burst. Lucius noticed that Corva was sliding along the ground a little as if she was trying to keep the weapon from pulling her forward. She smiled at him and stopped resisting the weapon''s pull. When she lifted her feet, she shot forward like the bolt from a crossbow, straight towards him. Lucius sidestepped to dodge, wondering if she was going to throw herself out of the ring on ident. She had nned for this, so she did not do that. Instead, she flipped the hammer around and had it fling her back towards him. This fight had suddenly be very strange as he was dodging a flying hammer carrying a strange,ughing elf along with it. If he was honest, this was not quite what Lucius was expecting for a final-four fight. After a few more unsessful attempts to chase him down, Corva finally canceled the enchantment and instead activated a second one on the opposite face, the one pointed in front of her, instead of behind. This time, Lucius felt a rush of air as he realized this separate enchantment was using wind magic to pull things toward her weapon. "As you can all see!" Corva called out. "I have treated each face of the hammer as a different weapon, so it is carrying a dual enchantment. Oh, wait! That''s a lie." She gave another cocky grin. This time Lucius noticed yet another shimmer, this oneing from the shaft of the hammer. Suddenly the ground around Corva turned to ice and it rapidly spread and covered the whole of the ring. Lucius looked down and kicked the frost off his boots. Now that the ground was ice, there was no resisting the suction of the wind enchantment and he found himself sliding towards her at a faster and faster pace. The fact that he did not resist the pull seemed to shock Corva and she ceased the wind enchantment, worrying that he had cooked up a n for it. Little did she know, he did not. He was just bluffing. He nned to figure it out when he needed to. "This ice. It is annoying." He growled. "What do you" Lightning crackled along Lucius'' body. He felt his muscles pulse from the extra energy. He flexed his fingers and hands to get ustomed to the added power. "Hmm" he mumbled. "This should be enough." Corva looked at him with horror in her eyes. The look on her face gave him a strange sort of satisfaction that he did not expect. The elf''s legs trembled as she seemed to realize what was happening. Lucius took a single step, sending Thunder Magic into the ground around him. Lightning Field, activated and shattered the ice beneath them, sublimating it in a second. Every subsequent step created a slight rumble in the air and a shower of sparks to dance along the edges of the ring. "Corva." He said with a slight chuckle. "Do you concede?" The elf''s lips trembled, but then a steely resolve shed through her eyes. She stood and readied her hammer for a strike. "[Hammer Arts: Thundering Blow]!" Corvaunched an overhead swing, which was instantly powered by the strange fire magic she used to propel herself around the ring earlier. The blue lightning shed red for a moment, as his fist connected with the shaft of the hammer, shattering it in an instant. What was a moment of hope that Corva had built in her eyes, was instantly dashed and reced with horror as the head of her hammer flew towards the stands, impacting against the barrier that kept the crowd safe from the fighting. "I concede" "And there we have it folks! The first fighter in the championship! Titan of Eroa! With a stunning disy of whatever that was, he destroyed the impressive weapon belonging to Corva!" ***** "What was that?" Aleksander whispered. He looked over at King Verdayl and Kalivas whose eyes were both locked onto the battlefield with serious looks. "Kalivas. Is he going to" "I believe it is a strong possibility, my liege." "Well, I did grant him free reign" "That you did." "Verdayl!" Aleksander shouted. "What the hell was that? Was that what I think it was?!" Verdayl looked at him with a somber expression. "I may have made a slight miscalction when assigning Titan to this task. Don''t worry though! No one should end up hurt I don''t think." He could not believe what he was hearing. Everything bad that might happen because of this man, Aleksander was sure he would pin on Verdayl. The damned bastard would take responsibility for unleashing something like this on his kingdom. Chapter 160: The Final Four [Part 2] -------------------------------------- A/N: This is part 2, part 1 is attached to the previous chapter due to a posting error with ''The Requests''. The previous chapter contains ''The Requests'' and ''The Final Four [Part 1]'' I apologize for the inconvenience, please feel free to yell at me in thements. -------------------------------------- Desmond heard the signal to start and immediately threw his spear. He knew that his opponent, Thomas von Petra was no slouch when it came to fighting. He had a lot of swagger and possibly too much confidence, but it did note from nowhere. Thomas was a skilled fighter. "[Spear Arts: Triple Thrust]!" Desmond rushed forward and stabbed his weapon into his opponent. The redhead was able to block the attack but was pushed back a few inches as the single strike became three at the point of impact. He was not going to let up, fast and hard was the way to win this. "[Aqua: Water Shot]" A small orb of water formed at the tip of his spear and shot at Thomas, who countered with a spell of his own. "[mma: Incinerate]" The two spells canceled each other out and fizzled in the air. Thomas immediately followed up with, "[Sword Arts: Aura de], [Sword Arts: Heavy sh]" Thomas swung his sword in a diagonal cut, creating a massive arc of golden energy that was targeting Desmond. It cut through the ground as it flew towards him. With only one clear option, he chose to attempt to block the attack, "[cies: Ice Wall], [cies: Ice Wall]" He quickly cast two versions of the spell, back-to-back, creating a doubleyer of protection. It was unfortunately not enough as he quickly heard the barrier begin to crack before it shattered into microscopic pieces. The arc of energy continued through it and struck him square in the chest. Though the attack broke the barriers, they did weaken the energy of the blow considerably, and though he was cut and bleeding, he was still in decent fighting condition. "Oh, my Sir Desmond. Does the disgraced son of the Adler family need to concede already? You know I hear that your bitch of a sister followed you here as well. Like a lost little puppy." Thomasughed, bringing out a roar of rage from Desmond. He began to lose his temper and charged forward, caring little for the consequences of his actions. "[cies: Ice Spear], [Aqua: Water Shot], [Spear Arts: Empowered Thrust!]" Two spells and a golden bullet in the shape of Desmond holding a spearunched at Thomas who simply scoffed. "I know another sick noble obsessed with those filthy Marked Ones." "[Shield Arts: Barrier]" Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelBin Desmond bounced off the barrier, and both spells shattered against it. Thomas dismissed it and then smashed Desmond in the face with the back of his shield. "Truly, is this all you have? A little taunting and the best of Keinydd Kingdom falls apart. A shame." Thomas'' strike, threw him backward and Desmond fell to his butt, with his spear skittering away. His Recall Enchantment only worked once a day, and he had used it in his fight with Rena. With no other option, he brought his fists to bear and rushed at Thomas a second time. "[Unarmed Arts: Stunning Strikes], [Unarmed Arts: Illusory Fists]" The first of the two arts caused a momentary stunning effect on the target when struck directly. Itsted maybe 6 seconds at most, but that was often enough to turn the tide of battle. Illusory Fist added a mirage-like effect to his fists so that they would asionally appear to being from ces they weren''t. To the recipient of such an attack, it was like watching a fiste at you in slow motion while drunk. "Toote for that, up close is not your forte it''s mine." Thomasughed, "[mma: Incineration Barrier]" A massive column of fire exploded around Thomas, stretching several feet into the air. Feeling the intensity of the heat, Desmond had no choice but to back off, or potentially lose a hand. "You see, Desmond Adler." Thomas continued. "The moment you entered the ring with me was the moment you sealed your fate." "[mma: Fireball C Multishot]" Unable to wrap his head around the fact that a student like Thomas could use a modified spell, Desmond stood there stunned as three, massive balls of fire closed in around him from all sides. Each one that exploded created a massive burst of heat and force that he would not be able to withstand. "I concede!" he shouted. It was his only option. It was better to lose face here than his life or any of his limbs. "Good choice Desmond." Thomasughed, canceling his spells and turning to walk off the stage. "Brother! Brother! Are you all right?" A sweet voice called out to him full of concern. A girl with violet hair like his rushed up and pulled him to a standing position. "Yes, Jade, I am quite all right." He answered. "It seems our goal is postponed for now. Though I have lost here, I have not given up. We will get somewhere better for you. Somewhere you can live a normal life." She simply smiled at him and assisted him in walking off the stage. It was true that he was handed his defeat here, but he had more paths open for him. He should have at least been able to show some of his prowess by getting into the final four. ***** Off in a far corner of the arena, an elderly man sat, watching the matches closely. One in particr interested him the most. It was of course the fight including Titan. He had done something that everyone saw, but not many understood. Truly what Titan had shown off was a powerful technique, something only a handful of mages and warriors could perfect, including this old man. "Hehe." Wally chuckled. "I wasn''t thinking about attending this farce, though with Kalivas present I suppose I had to on behalf of my teacher. However, I did not expect to see this!" He looked at Titan, who had a mask hiding his face. However, watching him use mana, Wally was able to see the truth. "Congrats, boy. It looks like you''ve finally done it." He gave a big toothy grin. "Cannot wait to see what happens next! Keep Grandpa entertained, won''t you, Lucius?" Chapter 161: What Comes Next Silence permeated the arena. One could probably hear a pin drop in the center of the coliseum. After Titan''s impressive disy of power, no one even cared about the result of Thomas'' battle against Desmond. Even though the announcer continued trying to incite excitement in the crowd over the finalpetitors, no one wanted to take their eyes off the back of the mysterious figure known to them all as Titan. Many of those who were highly talented in the ability, recognized Titan''s feat for what it was. He used Channeling. A very rare skill that takes extreme practice and an understanding of the limits of one''s body and mana. It required a user to know their limits and be able to push beyond that point. When Channeling is used, they can push mana around their bodies, like Mana Maniption, but beyond that, they can even use it to create spell effects, use arts, and use spells themselves, all without using an activation phrase. In essence, fighting a Channeling user was akin to fighting the blind. You could never know what to expect and when. In a typical battle between warriors, activation phrases indicated their next move, whether it was a spell or Art. This left little room for interpretation of how those spells or Arts would be used, as they were usually straightforward. The result of the world developing fighting styles reliant on this behavior was that warriors and mages alike simply relied on being powerful enough to break through their opponents. However, this resulted in ack of fine control which was antithetical to the concept of Channeling and Mana Maniption. To everyone else who had no idea about the impressiveness of the technique, they simply saw someone use some sort of magical effect without speaking. They began to wonder if Titan may have had enchantments that silenced his voice, or if his armor was enchanted with those magical effects. A flurry of rumors overtook the capital in a matter of minutes as people made assumptions as to how this feat urred. Kalivas knew this better than anyone since he was the one who spent so many months and years training his son. In their first fight, he knew that his son was close to a breakthrough. His Mana Maniption had almostpletely passed into the realm of Channeling. All it took was one,rge push. He was happy to be that push. With each battle of the tournament, Titan, or rather Lucius, showed his power little by little. Now that he had shown his ace what was he going to do in the final match? "What are you nning, boy?" ***** Rena''s mouth was agape. She was entirely disinterested in the rumors buzzing through the stadium. She knew the truth of it because she had seen Channeling being used before. Watching Titan use it turned the blood in her veins to ice. The moment he took that first step, the mana hidden by his mask burst outward to an impressive degree. Then when he broke Corva''s hammer, there was another burst of mana just a second before impact. There wasn''t a doubt in her mind, he was Channeling. Not only that, he was able to do it with Magic and Arts Grandpa Wally could only use Channeling with Magic, since he was not able to use any Arts, like herself. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could point your attention to the center of the arena!" The announcer''s voice cried out, breaking Rena''s thought process. "Atst we have arrived. The main event. On one corner of the arena, we have Thomas von Petra. Ace warrior of the Arcadios Royal Academy. Representing the heart and soul of this great nation! "In the other corner, we have the dark horse, a mysterious figure known as Titan! Ast-minute entry by the Kingdom of Eroa! Though we did not know what to expect, we can certainly agree, that each match with this mysterious warrior has been a spectacle above all others!" While the previous fights, the recording crystals did not show close-up images of the battles, thest fight was being projected up close and from multiple angles. It seemed they wanted to pinpoint every part of the action as it happened. Thanks to this close-up view, Rena noticed something interesting. In Titan''s first fight, he used an enchanted spear. In his second fight, he used magic and his bare hands. Now, he was standing in the arena with a single scabbard on his side that looked to belong to a longsword. The man simply stood,pletely nonchnt. One might mistake his posture for one that someone would have while waiting for their turn at the counter. To the outside observer, he looked bored. "Now, fighters. At the ready!" Thomas drew his sword and readied his shield. He had a confident grin on his face. Titan on the other hand had an unknown expression, covered by that same, ck mask. Slowly, Titan reached for the handle of his weapon. As he drew it, Rena let out a shriek. What Titan held in his hand, was a machete, one that was sitting in a sheathe that disguised it as a longsword. Rena stumbled forward to the railing of the viewing box, tears streaming down her face. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. Lyrah stepped up beside her and rested a gentle hand on top of her own. Natali also joined them, but seeing as Rena had her other hand in a fist in front of her mouth, the maid settled for resting her hand on Rena''s shoulder. "What''s wrong?" Natali asked. "We are here for you. No matter whates next." Lyrah whispered. "If you do not wish to marry him, you do not have to." Natali continued. "I''m sure that if Lady Adellia and Lady Lyrah, both request it, they can shield you from that man''s request. You do not have to marry anyone you do not wish to." "She''s right you know,`" Adellia said, stepping forward. "Your life is what you make of it. As someone with the freedom to choose, I do not want to see it taken from you. We will be with you should you choose to run." Rena continued to sob, staring purely at the masked figure projected in front of her. "That''s not it." Rena managed between sobs. The other girls looked at each other curiously, unsure what the matter was if it was not the likelihood of being married off to this stranger. They also knew that if Thomas won, then the same fate might befall her when he took over the position as the head of their house. "I think we should let Rena make the choice she wants to make," Lyrah said finally. Natali and Adellia started to speak up but found themselves unable to as they paid closer attention to the girl''s sobs. Rena blinked away some of the tears, still intently staring at the figure. She had started to ignore the conversation around her and it felt like the world faded away. In a plea to the world itself and the gods above it, she whispered, "Please don''t give me hope" Chapter 162: Unbreakable "Begin!" Lucius heard the announcer''s words cut through the crowd''s murmuring. Yet, instead of making an attack, he stood and red at his opponent. It had been quite some time since he hadst seen Thomas. If memory served him correctly, it was at his father''s execution "So," Thomas called out. Clearly, he was using his tactic of taunting his opponent to try and goad Lucius into making a wrong move. "I hear you want to marry my cousin. You know, Rena von Petra?'' Lucius said nothing, standing still and watching every step Thomas took in his advance towards him. He gave nothing away and let Thomas choose to believe in his self-assuredness. "You see. I happen to know a thing or two about her. Since you are from Eroa, you may not know this yet, but the girl is damaged goods." Thomas continued with a cruelugh. "You see, a few years ago, she decided to get into a rtionship with a Marked One, of all things! "Not even just that, but it was also her bodyguard! She used the idea of bing an adventurer so she could have her private honeymoon away from the house with her sweet little toy. Are you sure you want second-hand goods? With your abilities, I am sure so many other options are avable to you." Thomas continued to talk and attempted to goad him into attacking first, but while the boy made him angry, Lucius had no intention of falling into his petty tricks. ''I don''t like him anymore. He hasn''t grown at all from when he was a child.'' A dark voice echoed in the back of Lucius'' mind. ''Grimm what do you want?'' Lucius questioned. ''Nothing at all I just think you need to make a show of this.'' Grimm whispered, his voice dripping with temptation. ''No, I can''t use my mark. Go away.'' Lucius responded. He felt the presence give an annoying ''huff'' of sorts before receding back into his mind to an area he could no longer sense it. "Come on, why won''t you do anything?" Thomas growled. "Fine. I''ll move!" "[mma: Fireball], [mma: me Javelin]" Two spells hurdled towards him, the me Javelin being the quicker of the two. Lucius sidestepped that spell at thest moment, letting it sear into the stone instead. The fireball was directly behind it, so he kicked the ground andunched over both the explosion radius and the caster. "[Aqua: Water de]" When hended, he immediately had to duck under a Water de that Thomas timed to strike the moment hended on the ground. Discover stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin "Dammit! Fight back!" Thomas screeched. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh], [Sword Arts: Aura de]" His opponent lunged towards him, forcing Lucius to defend himself from the strikes with his weapon. He was already channeling his Arts, so it was no problem for him to stand up to the man''s mana-empowered attacks. Sparks flew from the collision of steel as well as opposing mana sources. Thomas attempted to force his attack through by pushing down with his sword with both hands, but Lucius simply stood in opposition using only his single hand to hold Thomas back. "Try again." He said coldly. Thomas roared in defiance. "[Shield Arts: Shatter]!" It seemed his n was to sacrifice his shield using this Art at close range. Honestly, it was a brilliant n under many circumstances. However, this situation was not one of those. Lucius was able to counter this easily. The single most important rule of ''Shatter'' was that it required you to sacrifice your shield. Meaning without a shield to sacrifice, the Art would fail to activate. Knowing this, Lucius squeezed his fist and felt a surge of Thunder Mana gather within it. In one massive strike, his fist collided with the shield, splintering it and throwing Thomas backward several feet. Lucius had channeled a Thunderp into his punch, instantly destroying the shield. "What did you do?" Thomas demanded. "How did you do that?" Lucius casually rested the back of his machete on his shoulder and shrugged. There was no need to answer the man. To do so would have been a waste of time since there was no way Thomas would understand how it had happened. "When I win this, I will take control over House Petra, and I will force Rena to work in a whorehouse for the rest of her days to pay for the embarrassment she wrought on this family for daring to dirty the bloodline with a Marked One. "You will never marry her. So, take note of her beauty now because next time you see her, she will be a used dried-out husk!" Thomas roared. ''Uh-oh,'' Grimm whispered. ''Bad move.'' Everyone in the capital could see and hear everything that happened in the arena for the final fight. This included everything that Thomas had said. Truthfully, for everything Rena did to ''embarrass the family,'' Thomas had just done more with his uncouth behavior. When Thomas finished his threat, he had a wide grin on his face. He was so happy with the result of his taunting because he and everyone else could see how that statement made Titan tense up. He lowered his machete with the de facing downward. "Enough." He growled. With one word, Thomas'' knees began to quake. Lucius began to feel the rage build up in his chest. A rage that he had nurtured for years started to boil over. It had been a long time since he let this anger out. The mask he wore hid one''s mana output. However, everything had a limit, and so mana beyond a certain threshold could not be held back. It was this excess of mana that started to pour off of Lucius that made Thomas'' knees quake. The air around them became thick with it, and a faint shimmer developed, not unlike what happens on a hot summer day on a stone road. Thomas looked like he was struggling to breathe from the intensity of the mana. "Do you concede?" Lucius asked calmly. The air trembling as though his voice was the very thunder of a storm itself. "Never." Thomas croaked. Lucius let out a small sigh and held out his sword arm. His machete was pointed roughly in Thomas'' direction but not quite at him. He carefully evaluated exactly where his weapon''s tip was pointing and activated a very powerful skill. "[Overcharge]" All the mana that had gathered in the air around him, as well as every ounce of it throughout his entire body, gathered at the tip of his de and formed a ball of electricity that crackled with barely contained destructive potential. When he was satisfied, [Overcharge] activated. A beam of light shot towards Thomas. It was as bright as a thousand suns and created a sound simr to an entire orchestra of brass instruments ying out of tune. The beam reached the barrier around the arena, and for a moment, nothing happened. However, as the beam continued to discharge, every citizen in the capital heard the sound of crunching ss. In a mere moment, the ''unbreakable barrier'' around the arena shattered and fizzled into nothingness. Satisfied with thepletion of his spell, Lucius walked up to Thomas and asked once more. "Do you concede?" Thomas simply responded with a nod. Satisfied with that answer, Lucius walked back to the center of the stage and waited for an extremely terrified announcer to approach him. "W-w-well it s-s-seems we have a winner, folks Give it up for Titan!" The announcer shouted. "Actually, I have a few words." He said, interrupting the announcer''s final speech. "It seems our dear champion would like a few words with the audience! Please, by all means." The announcer said. Lucius looked straight at one of the recording crystals. "I am Titan of Eroa. I entered thispetition on behalf of the country of Eroa, which became my home. However, Eroa was not my first home." Lucius lowered his hood and slowly removed his mask. The crowd collectively gasped at his shaggy, ck hair and piercing eyes, one silver, and one gold. "My name Lucius, formerly of Pelith and servant of House Petra." Chapter 163: Surprise After Titan revealed his true identity as Lucius, formerly a native of Arcadios, the crowds all across the capital roared with excitement. The overwhelming power to force his opponent to yield as well as shatter the ''unbreakable'' barrier was astounding to everyone. Though the masses were ecstatic to receive a champion, not everyone viewed the situation in a favorable light. Chiefly among them was Richard von Petra, and everyone else in the same viewing box as him, was also from Arcadios. For them, this situation was almost literally the worst possible oue. One of the first things that came to Richard''s mind was thinking how he could turn this situation around. Their world threatened toe crashing down around them, but at the moment, the only thing they could offer each other was stunned silence. After several moments of shared silence, they all nced at King Verdayl and Kalivas, who both had solemn expressions. Kalivas seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for the inevitable bacsh both of them were about to receive. ***** Lyrah watched quietly as Rena''s tears resumed, and she copsed to the ground, unable to support her own weight. Her noble beauty and attitude werepletely ruined by the puffiness of her face from the intense crying. The girl was far from the only one acting this way. Though normallyposed and hard to read, Natali''s jaw was agape, and she clutched her hand over her chest. Hope filled her eyes, as did frustration, anger, and sadness. A host of emotions yed rapidly across her beautiful face. Perhaps though, the most profoundly affected person was Adellia. Lyrah had known about her brother''s identity for years. Mylene knew as well since Lyrah confided in the maid in her younger years. Mylene assisted them in keeping these visions a secret because Adellia wanted to ensure she knew nothing of the fate of her firstborn child for his own safety. However, that same child now stood in the center of the stage at the end of an exhibition that showed me was most likely the most powerful warrior of the next generation. His eyes glowed with power and pride. Though there was no way for him to tell, the way he looked into the recording crystal made it seem like he had locked eyes with each of them inside the viewing box. "Lyrah how long have you known?" Rena sobbed. "Since the beginning." "Why did you not tell me?" Rena screamed. "You could have saved me so much pain! So much heartache he was alive this whole time, and I thought" Lyrah simply let her friend hurl a series of expletives at her, allowing the anger to flow. It was a reasonable reaction, and Lyrah did not fault her for it. To those who did not understand the truth of the way things work, it would have been impossible to exin her thinking and her actions. "Lucius," Adellia whispered. She had walked up to the projection and brushed her finger against the young man''s cheek. Of course, it was not a solid object, so the projection shimmered a little at her touch. "His name is Lucius he''s beautiful and strong my baby boy is alive" Next, it was her turn to copse to the ground. Her dress threatened to swallow her in its folds. Mylene rushed to her side, "Mydy!" Almost timidly, Lyrah turned to face Natali, who had given up on maintaining a stoic expression. Now, her face was contorted in anger. "I think you might have gone too far, Lyrah" she whispered. Adellia, who was still sobbing on the ground, lightly tugged at the hem of Natali''s maid outfit. As the other person with the same power, she seemed to have understood why things happened the way they did. "You must understand the both of you. Lyrah did what she had to do to make this future happen. I do not know the details of everything, and it is unlikely that Lyrah will ever choose to share them. Sometimes we must make tough decisions to achieve the best oue." "Is is that true?" Rena asked. The young oracle looked at her two best friends with guilt written all over her face. "Yes. Lucius can be the one to tell you what he went through if he chooses to. But it was dangerous for anyone to know the truth about him. Just know that the fewer people that knew the truth, the safer he was. Lucius was strong but he needed to grow stronger." "Where has he" "I will say no more. Though I may be reading the pages, Lucius'' story is his own to tell." Lyrah answered. Thatment seemed to strike a chord with the girls in the room. Mylene and Adellia were aware of Lyrah''s reasoning from the start. Eventually Natali came to realize it as well, since she had been privy to simr actions as it rted to keeping Adellia out of the loop. "I do have to ask though" Rena said. "Your mother said ''my baby.'' He is your brother?" "Yes." "And you knew the whole time." "Yes." Lyrah was about to say something in else, but her words caught in her throat. To everyone else, she looked like she had note to that realization of what that meant. Rena announcing it also made Adelliae to the same realization. She was so absorbed in the fact that she learned that her other child was alive and well. "Will he be in trouble for that?" Mylene asked, gesturing to the broken barrier. "Maybe? Though I guess he''s a citizen of another nation now, and there''s that whole diplomatic immunity thing right?" Rena asked. Everyone turned to Lyrah for an answer. Their eyes seemed to dig into her soul, trying to discern the oue of this event. "Um I don''t know?" She shrugged. Her answer clearly left everyone extremely dissatisfied, but there was not much she could do about it. She truly did not know what the legal ramifications were. The only thing she knew was that Lucius had a lot more hurdles to ovee before his journey was over. For a moment, she paused and thought about something. This drew the attention of Natali and Rena. "I guess I can tell you one thing." "What?" The two girls said simultaneously. "Lucius will be attending the Arcadios Royal Academy!" Chapter 164: Questions Lucius found himself sitting in themon area of Eroa''s embassy. His father, King Verdayl, and Kalliope were sitting with him. The wolf-girl was excitedly wagging her tail and practically drooled on his arm. He ufortably attempted to shake her off, but it was to no avail. Kalivas and King Verdayl stared at him as he calmly sipped his tea. They appeared nonplussed by his performance. It was only fair; Lucius had not shown off such an ability before. "What did you do?" Kalivas finally broke the silence by asking the question everyone shared. "It is an ability I learned when I broke through into the Intermediate Rank. It is an extension of my Thunder Magic. So far, I have been unable to use it voicelessly under the effects of Channeling; however, because of my Channeling, I can pour the mana from Arts and the mana for Magic into it." He exined. "How did you break through that barrier?" Kalivas continued. "Even I would need a few hits to break through." "Overcharge summons every speck of magical mana in my body andpresses it into a single, overwhelming attack. Thanks to Channeling, I can manipte it so I can use my Arts for it as well." Lucius answered. King Verdayl spoke up next, "Are you saying you are an Intermediate Rank on par with a King Rank?" He eyed Lucius suspiciously. "No. It leaves me extremely drained. Honestly, I''m so weak right now that I''m sure a strong breeze would knock me down. Also I cannot use that ability again for another month, maybe more." "Why not?" "It puts an enormous amount of strain on my body. On top of leaving me on the verge of mana deprivation, it pushes the mana pathways throughout my body to their absolute limits. Trying it again before I have fully recovered would most likely kill me. Instead of a targeted attack, I would turn myself into a bomb." Both the king and his father sucked in a deep breath. They agreed that it was an extremely useful and powerful ability, but what Lucius had just exined to him was a series of drawbacks that would hinder the usability of the skill. After that initial exnation, Lucius decided it would be best to cover all the downsides. Not only did it leave him without mana and was unusable for more than a month after one use, but it also had other drawbacks. The biggest one was already shown: it took time to charge. This meant that an opponent would have more than enough time to counterattack. Not only could someone attack him while charging the skill, but it was a slow-moving spell that could easily be dodged while firing. "I see. Though it could be used to kill someone like me," Kalivas pondered, "we would need a King Rank to stand still long enough to charge it and fire it. By that point, every single warrior of their rank or higher would have time to sense the mana and move or attack. So what is it useful for?" Kalliope finally spoke up after observing their conversation for so long. "For starters, he makes a good barrier buster. Also, it''s good for intimidation. It did a good job embarrassing that Thomas guy as well." She then nuzzled her head deeper into his arms, continuing to fight off his attempts to ward her off. Since he was utterly drained, he had no physical strength left to fight her off truly, and the girl clearly had every intention of taking advantage of it. Giving up on Kalliope, Lucius then said, "It would probably work against a city, a fortress, or some other stationary target." King Verdayl''s hair stood on the back of his neck. "Is that what you did at Alvora?" Lucius shook his head and smiled. "No. Let''s just say I have experience with a special crystal mined in Aedrider, and I learned it has a rather violent reaction to Thunder Magic." Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin For the next few hours, the group continued to talk over tea and snacks. Lucius was forced to entertain arge number of questions from his father and the king, but he made sure to answer all of them fully and to the best of his ability. After all, he owed them both, so it was the least he could do to answer their questions. Finally, as time for the afterparty of the tournament drew closer, Lucius asked a few questions of his own, "Is everything prepared for my transfer into the academy? Kalliope''s as well?" Hearing her name, she perked up. She had assumed that she would simply act as a bodyguard and errand girl for him; she never expected to be a student. She was technically too old to be one since she had already graduated from Eroa''s institution for education prior to the war. "Yes, everything is in order. Kalliope is actually going to be hired on as a teacher''s assistant to assist Old Man Carmichael." Kalivas exined. "You are being epted as a student specializing in Marks. Only the Old Man seemed interested in taking you in as a student. Though I imagine after today''s events, the other departments are eating their shirts!" "You know Wally?" Lucius asked. "Of course I do. He''s a powerful mage. Do you think I wouldn''t know him? Other than you, he is the only other person that I personally know who can use Channeling. Do not misunderstand, there are certainly others, I just don''t know them." Kalivas answered. "Hmm." Kalliope chimed in again, "So, when am I going to meet this Rena girl?" "At the party, most likely." "How''s that going to go, by the way? You are going to be in close proximity to a number of people who worked together to kill you." The girl growled. The fur on her ears and tail began to bristle a little. "True, but they failed." He answered. "At least for now, my status as the champion and my little n for the party will keep me safe until I regain my strength. I will not be so easy to entrap again." Lucius stood up and went to his room in the embassy to prepare for the event. He was forced to ask his father to hold Kalliope down from sneaking in after him since he would be unable to fight her advances off. A part of him wondered if she would really even try since she seemed to love the hunt as much as the idea of actually being with him. He carefully put on a nice suit and tie and checked his appearance in the mirror. There were burn scars on the back of his neck that were slightly visible from the front, and he still had the scar down his neck and chest from fighting the goblins with Rena''s cousin, Simon. Finally, he touched his left ear. He had pierced it when he got his position as a King''s Shadow. Kalliope tricked him into thinking it was a thing that warriors did to celebrate. However, that was not the case, something he would have realized if he paid attention to Kalivas'' or Kalliope''s own ears. Despite that, he kept it because it became a part of himself. "Time to go," Kalliope called out from outside the room. Chapter 165: Party Preparations "Oh, my gods," Rena whispered. Lyrah giggled at her friend while Natali rolled her eyes. The three of them joined Adellia and Mylene back to the castle to prepare for the banquet that would urter. Right now, they were fitting a beautiful white dress onto Rena that entuated her hips and bust. It was reminiscent of a wedding dress in design with long,cey finger loop sleeves. "He''s alive he wants to marry me." Rena continued to mutter the same handful of phrases and was almost unaware of the world moving around her. "I''ve never seen her like this," Natali said with a twinge of jealousy. Lyrah gave her a sly smile but made sure it was not seen by the girl, lest Natali hit her again like she did in the arena. At the moment, Natali was working on the makeup for Rena while Mylene was working on the hair. Lyrah, for the most part, was sitting beside her mother since she was utterly useless at putting together makeup and a dress. Getting dolled up and ready was Natali''s thing, not hers, and whenever she had to, she was not the one to do it. "Lyrah" Adellia asked softly, so the others could not hear. "How long have you known about your brother?" "Since I was about four." A sh of concern crossed her mother''s face. "What have you seen?" She asked cautiously. "A lot. How about you? What have you seen?" "More than I care to" Lyrah sighed and took her mother''s hands into her own. When Adellia''s silver eyes met hers, she spoke, "Mother the son you thought dead may finally walk back into your life. For once, maybe focus on the present and not worry about the future. You know better than I do that living for the future means ignoring the present, and he is here. Right now." Adellia''s concern faded, and her expression softened until she shed a kind, gentle smile. "You are so right, my love." Lyrah giggled as her mother leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Besides Mother, now you have a daughter-inw. Hehe, maybe more in the future." "What was that second part?" "Nothing." Having chosen to ignore the new cause for panic that started to well up in her mother, she stood to leave the room and check on the party preparations. Things appeared to be going well, but as far as she could tell, the important guests either had not arrived or chose to have a meeting with one another first. Frankly, she thought that they were discussing ns of getting rid of Lucius once and for all. After all, they tried and failed to kill him once, so no doubt some members of the nobility would try again. If they had been afraid of him before the beginning of the war, they would certainly have been more scared now. The simple thought of it made Lyrahugh. Their endeavors would all be for naught. Lucius was going to survive tonight, in fact he was going to survive for a while yet. "Hmm" Lyrah said out loud. "I have a feeling that I shouldn''t wake Rena up at the academy tomorrow morning or maybe I should?" She maintained a slightly mischievous grin on her face as she said that. She wandered around the castle a bit longer before returning back to the room where everyone was doting on Rena. The girl had finished being decorated from head to toe in fine silver jewelry to ent her beautiful white dress. When Lyrah walked in, she was staring at herself in the mirror, awestruck. Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin "Rena?" Adellia asked. "This isst minute, but are you sure you want this? It feels so sudden, and I don''t know if he''s a Marked One. If you have children, they will be basicallymoners. If they are also Marked Ones, then worse, so are you sure? You can still back out of this if you want" "No." Rena''s voice was strong and firm. "I''ve known Lucius for most of my life. I remember seeing him asionally around my father''s manor since we were four or five. Then from about nine until fourteen, we were together constantly. "Then, when we finally admitted our love, he was ripped away from me after that, I thought my world was stolen away nothing hurt worse until one day my everything was shattered." "Rena, I" "I don''t think anyone understood quite how lonely my life was. The only people who spent time with me were adults. I had no friends. My cousins were taught from birth to want to murder me. My father was an emotionless prick, I had no mother to speak of "Lucius came into my life and became my first friend. He was there under obligation of his own father''s dying wish at first, but in private, we became such close and fast friends. We would secretly train together after his training was overwe would stay up and talk and y Lady Adellia, I''ve known and loved him for most of my life; it is not sudden; if anything, it has been a long timeing." Rena finished. Lyrah looked at her friend in a new light. Her resolve was stronger than the barrier that was shattered in the arena. She could not keep the smile off her face realizing the loyalty and desire behind Rena''s passionate deration. Giving in to her emotions, Lyrah wrapped the redhead in a massive hug. "Things may get tough at times, but know that he is always with you, and you are always with him. Though times maye when you may part, your souls are one," She whispered into Rena''s ears. "Thank you, Lyrah." Rena returned her smile. "You were like a sister to me and now you will actually be one! I cannot wait. NataliI" "Rena?" The girl took a deep breath. "I know you love Lucius as well." Mylene began to choke on her own spit and Adellia''s eyes opened wide with shock. All Lyrah did was giggle at the announcement. Rena continued, "I know you love Lucius and I don''t know what to do about that yet. However, I will think of something. You were as devastated as I was. I''ve seen the depths of your feelings for him, it honestly seemed like you had known him for longer than I have. "Gods, knowing Lyrah and how she likes to gossip, its no wonder you fell for him after the fantastical stories she no doubt shared. All I ask is that you give me time to enjoy my happiness" Natali shook her head. "Rena, do not fret over me. Honestly, for now, I am content knowing he is alive. Mylene spoke up for a moment and asked, "For now?" However, no one chose to rify what Natali might have meant by that statement. Chapter 166: Proper Introduction The castle grounds of the Arcadian capital were massive, covered in lush greenery and various fruit orchards. With the assistance of magical implements, many fruit varieties that were impossible to cultivate in the country''s natural climate thrived here. Not only were there rare fruits and flowers nted on the grounds but there were also a handful of private pastures with animals notmonly seen. A short distance away from the castle was a pig pen with a rather rotund species that Lucius had remembered seeing in Eroa. They were prized for their excellent vor and high-quality fat. It seemed that the royal family was rather invested in having rare and exotic foods avable to them at a moment''s notice. While it was impressive, something Lucius could not get out of his mind was the wastefulness of it all. Though beautiful, the fruit orchards and animal pastures so close to the castle simply made it so that it would be easy to sneak onto the grounds. It provided too many avenues of infiltration. "Honestly," he muttered, "I will never understand nobility." "Ha!" Kalivas chuckled, walking beside him. "You say that, and yet" "Zip it." His biological father simply continued to chuckle, satisfied that he almost ruined his son''s ns for the evening with a single slip of the tongue. Tonight had to go perfectly. Everything was set in ce. When they approached the gates, the guards saw the marks on Kalivas'' and Lucius'' hands. For Lucius, his mark was covered inbat. While not technically legal to hide one''s mark, it was permitted for his fighting since he was not allowed to use it anyway. After seeing their marks, the guard pointed his halberd at them. "Halt. What business would you lot have in the castle, eh? Filthy Marked Ones don''t need to soil its grand halls." Kalliope stepped forward to answer on their behalf. "We are the entourage for King Verdayl Eroa. The beastman is Kalivas, the warrior, and the half-blood is the champion of the tournament, Lucius of Pelith. Stand aside." "You rotten" "What in the world are you doing, you fool!" Someone who appeared to be the captain of the guard walked up to inspect themotion, and when he realized what was happening, he pped his subordinate upside the head. "Youplete fool, let them through. What thedy says is correct, I ought to have you fed to the pigs for your idiocy" Kalliopeughed as they walked past the checkpoint. From behind them, they could still hear the captain yelling at the guard who had attempted to harass them. Though Lucius cared little about what happened, he found himself slightly amused by the karma that befell the man. Once inside the castle proper, they could admire the stonework. The walls were made of beautifully carved stone, with each piece locking together without so much as a gap for air. The ceilings were vaulted, not unlike a church, and the rafters were made from dark brown wood. The floors were mostly made of finely polished granite. Because of all the hard surfaces and high ceilings, their footsteps echoed throughout the halls. They were gathered with another group of people and led through the castle until they reached what could only be the ballroom. From the entrance, a set of majestic stairs curved down to the main floor below. The stairs themselves were covered with a vibrant blue carpet with gold frills, while the floor of the ballroom appeared to be made of marble. Various tables lined the edges of the main floor and were filled with every cuisine imaginable from each of the participating countries. Drinks were being served by wait staff carrying trays of sses filled with champagne, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. There was also a quartet of string instruments off in the far corner, to the side of where King Aleksander was seated. They were ying a soft, gentle tune to create an atmosphere for mingling and idle chatter. Sitting in a half-circle formation around King Aleksander were the other representatives of the participating nations. The only seat that was empty was that which was set aside for the Queen of Aedrider. It seemed she would not be in attendance. "Announcing Sir Kalivas of Eroa, Kalliope of the Gray Wolf n, and Titan of Eroa, formerly known as Lucius of Pelith." The man who led them to the chamber announced their presence to those gathered below. After the introduction, the three of them descended the stairs to join the party. King Verdayl Eroa was already present and maintained a neutral expression as he nced at their group. Kalivas bowed deeply and took a standing position behind his king, while Kalliope and Lucius moved to a table that their announcer gestured to them. They each took a ss of champagne from one of the wait staff moving about the room in the meantime. Lucius was waiting for the arrival of another guest before he greeted the leaders. However, while looking about the room, he settled his eyes on the source of a very familiar scent. Meeting his gaze from across the massive ballroom was a stoic man of average build. He had red hair and green eyes. At one time, this figure wasrger than life and more imposing than Lucius could ever imagine, but now he was not. It wasn''t that Richard had gotten weaker or that a fight between the two would be easy or even end in Lucius''s victory. What was true, though, was that his strength was no longer unattainable. These thoughts brought a small smile to his face. He had grown, and that excited him. How much more could he grow? How powerful could he be? "Announcing: Lady Adellia, the Oracle of Arcadios, and her daughter, Lady Lyrah. Also announcing Lady Rena von Petra." Subtle gasps and murmurs erupted around the room, but Lucius tuned them out. Strange scents in the air surprised him, but they were nowhere near as interesting as the ethereal beauty of the love of his life. As she descended the grand stairs to the ballroom, every step made the slight curls at the end of her hair bounce. Her bright green eyes contrasted sharply against her deep, crimson hair, and they were locked right onto him. The dress she wore was a beautiful white that matched her fair skin. The material on her chest was a thin, nearly transparentce. The sleeves were simrly semi-transparent and went all the way down her arms and looped around her ring finger on each hand. Around her neck was a familiar ck choker with a small cat-shaped charm, though it contrasted with the rest of her outfit. For Lucius, it only served to increase her beauty several times. As she finisheding down thest few steps, Lucius made his way to her side, offering his hand to assist her onto the ballroom floor. "My Lady, it a pleasure to meet you this evening. Might I say you look absolutely ravishing." Rena giggled, a sound that he had not heard in years and nearly sent him to the realm of Celestia. Even for him, it was a struggle to fight back the tears teasing to escape from his eyes. "You know, Titan, while ttery may get you everywhere, it doesn''t feel as though it suits your tongue." Rena said with a teasing smile. "I think you might be right about that. Come." Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelBin He guided her across the marble floor until they approached the slightly raisednding that held the seats of the leaders present. They bowed together and Lucius spoke, "I apologize for my dy in paying the proper greetings, however, I felt it would be more worth your graces'' time to greet you along with my would-be wife." Aleksander rose from the his seat and waved over Richard. "Lucius, from what Lord Richard has informed me, you are not only amoner, but a Marked One. Though we promised you one wish, we cannot allow the intermarriage of amoner with nobility, not at the risk of dishonoring one of our kingdom''s great houses." Rena let out a slight gasp and looked as though she might cry. Lucius felt her hand tremble, but gave her a warm,forting smile. "Your majesty, were I a noble, then it would not be a problem? Even though I bare a mark?" Lucius asked. Aleksander gave a strained smile. "That would be correct, however a Marked One" "I beg your forgiveness from all those present." Lucius said,ing to a fully standing position. He turned around and threw his arms wide while shouting out for the rest of the ballroom to hear. "A proper introduction is in order it seems. "I am Titan of Eroa, formerly Lucius of Pelith. However, I am also the son of the Oracle, Lady Adellia, as well as Lord Kalivas Kane of Eroa. You may refer to me as Lucius Kane, sole heir to the illustrious House of Kane one of the great houses of Eroa." Lucius gave a small bow and a flourish, before he turned back to King Aleksander and the other kings. "Does that fulfill your requirements, your majesty?" Chapter 167: Lady Kane "Does that fulfill your requirements, your majesty?" The young man''s words echoed throughout the ballroom. All of the attendees stared in stunned silence as Lucius dered himself a member of the nobility. In addition to that, the house he reportedly belonged to was a ''great house'' of Eroa. For the leaders of the Five Kings Union, this information meant something more profound. All five of them had dedicated a certain number of resources to tracking the whereabouts of the descendants of House Kane, yet here he was, right in front of them. Aleksander sat there, his mouth slightly hung open after the young man''s reintroduction of himself. He felt the blood in his veins turn to ice as he remembered the actions they had taken. The king found his eyes tracking up and down Lucius''s body and settling on the slightly visible burn marks on the back of his neck that curled around the front. "Oh?" Lucius said. Aleksander watched as his eyesnded on Richard von Petra. "Simply a wound I incurred during the war against Alorek. Many soldiers walk away with scars don''t they, Lord Petra?" Richard maintained his silence but acknowledged the question he was asked with a curt nod. It was with that statement that Aleksander suddenly realized. Once again, he eyed the man up and down. He knew. Aleksander did not know how, but Lucius survived the attack against him, and he knew who was behind it. The prophecy echoed in the back of his mind: ~ "Betray not, thest of the House of Kane, lest the curse of death fall on thends of man, elf, and beast. A threat forgotten by all, save the gods above and devils below, will walk the earth. Heed this call, or Creation will crumble at his touch. Reality will bend to his will. And the gods will fall under his might." ~ Though he could not sense a single ounce of manaing from the young man before him, his glowing eyes showed a look of hunger. It felt as if they stared into the depths of his soul and found something delectable. "W-well, if that is the truth of it, then yes! Let them be wed. Richard, you have no objections?" Aleksander looked over to Lord Petra and made sure to give him a look that would brook no arguments. He also intended to ignore the fact that the man had disclosed the parentage of the young Oracle, Lyrah. It was almost unthinkable to believe that Lucius was indeed the older twin who was said to have died in childbirth; however, a single nce at Kalivas, then Lyrah, then Lucius told everyone everything. Though Lucius had one golden eye, the silver one matched that of his mother and sister to the letter. "Of course. It is a momentous asion that my daughter should marry into another powerful house. May their matrimony also lead to closer ties between the human nations and Eroa." Richard answered tly. "Then! Without further ado, with my right as king of the nation of Arcadios, birthce of my ancestors, home for my descendants, I hereby dere Rena von Petra and Lucius Kane to be husband and wife." Aleksander proimed and then stamped the sword by his side onto the marble twice. King Verdayl then spoke, "As part of my promise to assist King Aleksander, so to do I, King Verdayl Eroa, proim that Lucius Kane and Rena von Petra are now wed. Congrattions, Lady Kane. A joyous asion for you and your husband both." An uproarious apuse overtook the ballroom, drowning out the music being yed by the quartet. The loudest among the cheers came from the young Oracle, Lyrah. Even Lady Adellia abandoned some of her social manners to celebrate the marriage of her son. Such behavior made him wonder how much the Oracle and her daughter knew. How did the infant that supposedly diede to live and grow this strong "Ah, your majesty," Luciusor rather, Lord Kane, called out as he began to step away from their seats. "I was raised by amoner family in Pelith. From what I know of how I came into their home; I was stolen away in the night and delivered to them. Whoever brought me to them are people who I owe my life. Perhaps it would be best to let their good intentions exist in memory. I believe we owe it to their endeavors to leave the past where it lies?" "Perhaps you are right, Lord Kane," Aleksander answered with an exhausted half-smile. He noticed that his cohort, Lady Voltara al Famyn looked like she was about to have a heart attack. She was likely nning to do as much digging into Lord Kane''s past as she could, but with a clear threat such as that, she would not dare, at least for the moment. Something that he needed to understand was whether they had already triggered the prophecy. Or did they have time to backtrack from it? For now, there was no way to tell. Their best option would be to ingratiate themselves with Lord Kane where they could and leave him be at all other times. Until such a timees that they could determine how badly they had screwed up, they had few options open. Experience new tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin Aleksander watched the two newlyweds walk away. It was far from a standard wedding, which was typically performed by a priest in the Church of Celestia. However, the church would never have agreed to perform the ritual due to the young man''s mark. Lady Kane was undoubtedly more than aware that this would be the way of things. The look on her beautiful face, the smiles, and the threat of tears show that this may be the happiest day of her life. In a different universe, the girl may have eloped. Aleksander then looked to Richard von Petra. The man''s eyes were full of anger, and he tracked his daughter and now son-inw as they danced across the ballroom floor. The quartet began to y a louder and more upbeat song for dancing, and several other couples moved to the floor to join in the fun. All the final four from thepetition were present, and so were most of the final ten. The only one not present was the young man who wielded a mace in the match against Lady Kane. As such, the ballroom was filled to the brim with thepetitors, their families, and various nobles from all of the participating nations. This certainly was a night to remember. Chapter 168: Reunion Lucius and Rena walked to the center of the ballroom after leaving the leaders of the representative nations behind. Her hand felt small and delicate within his own. As she trained with magic more than the sword, her hands were still soft and smooth, unlike the roughness of a warrior like himself. When they reached the center, the musicians noticed and began to y a tune meant for dancing. Though he was not well-practiced, Lucius did take some lessons in dancing and other basic skills required of a noble. His father insisted that getting the basics down was a necessity as the son of House Kane. It also helped that he had been made into Rena''s partner many times over their youth as she was taught the lessons ady should know. Many of those included dancing. It was those lessons of the past, along with the reminders of the lessons, that allowed him to gracefully glide along the marble with his new bride in hand. Rena seemed to have a permanent blush on her cheeks as she looked at him with eyes full of love. His hand rested gently on her waist while the other firmly grasped her hand. Lucius could feel the slight tracing along his back that she was doing with her free hand. "I never thought a day like this woulde." She whispered. "I know. It seems too real to be true, and yet" He answered, then sighed, "I am sorry I could not give you a proper wedding." Rena smiled like a maiden in love, "Lucius, this is more than I imagined we would have. If anything, you should apologize for making me wait. I''ve thought you dead for many years" Her enchanting green eyes began to shimmer, tears threatening to fall. "Thank you for waiting for me all this time, Rena. Also, I am sorry for making you wait for so long. However" The music picked up a slight pace, and Lucius swung Rena along the dance floor. Their feet picked up speed to match the pacing of the instruments. Eyes tracked them, seemingly impressed by either their performance or his wife''s beauty. As the music began to reach a crescendo, Lucius finished their dancing with a flourish, spinning her into his arms. Lucius embraced her, ran his fingers up the side of her neck, and lifted her chin with his finger. "you will never have to wait again." He whispered before kissing her as the final note rang out. Additional apuse rang out around them, and as Lucius pulled back, Rena grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him in for a second, longer kiss. "Tonight." She panted. "You''re mine." "Okay." They separated from their embrace and walked to one of the tables on the side where Kalliope was standing. Standing beside her were Adellia and Lyrah. Mylene and Natali were also present but stood slightly separated from the table for the purposes of proper manners. Lucius stepped forward and gave a polite bow. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Adellia; you as well, Lady Lyrah." He looked at his birth mother and the woman who must have been his sister. She looked and smelled very simr to him, which must have meant they were twins. Kalivas attempted to tell him about these two, but he never cared to pay attention. What made Lucius realize his rtion to them was their scent. Lyrah smelled simrly to both Adellia and Kalivas as well as to himself. Lyrah also looked like a female version of him, save his unique eye. Basically, it was obvious that they were all rted. "Lucius" Adellia said with a slight crackle in her voice. "Nice to meet you after all this time, you''re right here. Truly, right in front of me." The woman attempted to step forward and touch his cheek as if to see if he was real. However, it was an ufortable move, and Lucius stepped just out of her reach. "I apologize, but I do not enjoy being touched," he said coldly. "II see," the woman said softly. "Maybe with time, we might get to know one another better. You seem close with your father" Lucius''s hair bristled, and he subconsciously nced in Richard''s direction. "My father is dead. However, Kalivas did spend four years training me, so it makes sense that we have gotten to know each other well." Having read the awkward air left by the pace of the conversation, Lyrah stepped forward and gave a polite curtsy. "It is simply wonderful to finally meet you, Lord Kane. I am Lyrah, your biological twin sister." "Your words are formal, but your tonees off as familiar." Lucius pointed out. He was not keen on strangers assuming to know him. "Ah, about that, you see, though I am the Oracle, I am gued with quite a unique issue, one opposite to my mother, actually. While my mother seems to be unable to see visions of you with any semnce of rity. Almost all of my visions are exclusively about you. I know what you''ve been through, Lucius. I know the scars you carry on both your body and soul." Something about this ck-haired girl gave Lucius a sense of familiarity. Was it due to her being his twin? Or was it something else? For a moment, she seemed like a kindred spirit. Finally, Kalliope stepped forward to talk. "Lucius, you''re being so formal; I don''t like it." She grumbled. "Besides, you haven''t introduced me to your first wife." "First?" Adellia asked. "Ignore her." He advised, "Kalliope, can you hold back for at least a few days? I know you won''t listen to me asking you to stop permanently but give me a few days to enjoy a moment of peace." The wolf-girl grumbled but reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. "Fine, but after a few days, all bets are off. My father wants at least five grandchildren from you, so make it snappy." Her brazen words made Adellia yelp in surprise, but Kalivas, who had excellent hearing, smirked in the distance. Lyrah was smirking as well, though Lucius did not know the reason. Rena simply gripped his hand tighter and clung closer to his arm, but she said nothing. It was exhausting work, but the next few hours of the banquet and ball went by quickly. As a recognized noble from a high-ranking family, he was inundated with requests for conversation by many nobles. Though they hid their disgust at his mark through thinly veiled masks of pleasantries, they at least had the decency to ignore it in conversation. Chapter 169: The Wedding Night [Part 1] – R18 As their work was done, Lucius and Rena eventually excused themselves from the party and left the castle grounds. The sky had begun to take on hues of purples and oranges as the day transitioned into night. Magicalmps along the roadways began to illuminate themselves in preparation for the evening hours. The Arcadian capital was abuzz with activity. Many shops, inns, and restaurants were filled to the brim with people continuing to celebrate the day''s festivities. Because of that, the streets were filled with people who were nearly shoulder to shoulder. Knowing that his face was recognizable all over the capital, Lucius put on his mask and activated the enchantment that encouraged people to avoid him. People could still see him and avoid him, but it made him ufortable to focus on, which made people subconsciously want to look away. "You know, Lucius," Rena said while leaning her head on his arm as they walked. "This almost reminds me of Lelvern. The day you confessed to me. It feels like there''s the same amount of people." Lucius smiled underneath his mask. "Yes, it does remind me of that time. Four years ago is a long time. So much has happened, yet here we are. I''m surprised you aren''t mad at me for not speaking to you or reaching out while I was gone." Rena''s face took on a pout for a moment, then settled on a conflicted expression. "Truthfully, I am. I''m confused, sad, angry I want to know everything. I want to know why you did not try to reach out to me but Lyrah told me that knowing was dangerous." "Are you close with Lyrah?" he asked cautiously. Rena smiled, "Yes, very. She and Natali, the maid with white hair. They both care very deeply for you. For them, they''ve known you their entire lives... what you have been through; what you have done. They supported me all this time. Honestly, they are like sisters to me." "I see. Then I should probably have been nicer, huh?" "You have time to fix that at the academy. Lyrah told me you were attending. Since you are new to the academy, how about I show you around? Perhaps starting with the dorms?" Read thetest on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin Rena quickly led them both through the streets until they arrived at the exterior of the academy. The guards on duty recognized her, and when Lucius removed his mask, him as well. They were allowed to pass without issue. Once inside the walls of the academy, Rena giggled as she pulled Lucius toward the dormitories. While being dragged through the halls, they passed several students who seemed surprised at Rena''s behavior. Before long, though, he had been yanked into the female dorms and then into Rena''s room. ****** Once inside, the energy from before seemed to calm, and her nerves began to get the best of her. She quietly walked over to her bed and sat down. Lucius quietly locked the door behind him and walked over to where his beautiful wife sat. He reached over and lit themp by her bedside, illuminating the darkening room. The me revealed the deepening pink color that had taken over Rena''s face. He smiled and removed his mask, setting it beside themp with a light thud. "You know, Rena. For all these years, you have been the primary thing on my mind. Revenge for what happened to me. The urge to grow stronger. They felt like nothing inparison to the desire to return to you." He whispered, gently stroking her cheek while his thumb teased her lips. Her breathing began to be heavier, and her heart rate quickened as Lucius leaned in for a deep kiss. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue to entwine with hers. Rena''s hands draped around his shoulders as they embraced. She could feel his hands caressing her back and slowly inching closer to the ties on the back of her dress. He pulled the knots free one by one, and the usually snug dress began to pull away from her skin. Rena removed her arms from around him, and he pulled her to a standing position. He gently moved from her lips to her neck, leaving a small trail of kisses. While attacking her neck, she let out a slight moan from excitement, and he removed the dress from her shoulders. It fell into a pile around her feet, now free from her body. "Beautiful." He whispered; his voice slightly strained as he nced at her in her undergarments. "Allow me." She said back. Lucius allowed her to step forward and unbutton his undershirt. The anticipation was killing them both, but at the same time, it increased their thrill. When the final button was free, her hands slid under the shirt and across his muscr chest. With a gentle nudge, she pushed his shirt and jacket off his arms, allowing them to simply fall to the floor. For a few moments, she stood there in awe of his physical form. She traced the lines of muscle along his chest and abdomen. Her fingers settled along an old scar he had gotten shortly before being taken from her. While she traced over his body, Lucius removed his belt and pants. She hurried to unsp her bra. As it fell to the ground, she felt his gaze settle on her chest. Lucius desired her mind, body, and soul. That hunger sparked a me in her body that she never expected. He quickly scooped her off her feet into a princess-carry andid her gently on her bed. The young man ced his arm on the bed beside her face, positioning himself over the top of her, pinning her down. Her eyes stared at his eyes and trailed down his body, lingering on his mouth, then moving further down. Eventually, they settled on a bulge between his legs. It was dangerously close to her own leg. In a moment of weakness and desire, she brushed her leg against it, feeling an intense heat and surprising thickness. The pink that once covered her face started to darken, almost matching her hair. Out of reflex, she moved her hands to cover her face. Before she could do it, she felt his tworge hands grab around her wrists. In an instant, her arms were pulled away and pinned above her head. Lucius''s face hovered only an inch above her own. "Do not hide your face, Rena." He panted into her ear. "I want to see your beautiful face tonight. You are mine, and I am yours, and I want you to see it." Chapter 170: The Wedding Night [Part 2] - R18 Lucius felt an ache in his chest and groin as he stared at Rena''s helpless form. He had pinned her arms against the bed and had them secured with a single hand. She slowly nodded her head in understanding of hismand, so he let go of her wrists. He leaned in and kissed her soft lips again, flirting with her tongue using his own. He felt her chest push against his, her nipples hardening slowly, poking him. Excited by this, he left her lips and trailed his kisses to her neck. His hand gently cupped one of her breasts. Rena moaned softly from his kisses that were sure to leave a mark in the morning. His hand gently massaged her chest as his fingers teased at her nipples. Lucius continued his trail of kisses down the center of her chest, slowly moving to encapste her other breast in his mouth. Rena''s hands rested gently on the nape of his neck in a warm caress as he suckled on her. The anticipation of what was toe began to almost feel torturous to him; his lower half threatened to take charge of the situation immediately. However, he managed to contain himself by focusing on making Rena feel good. "Lucius, kiss me more please" she breathed. In response, he released her chest from his mouth with a slight popping sound and returned to her lips. While doing so, he moved toy beside her. His hands, free from their activities, slowly moved down her chest. Then over her navel until his fingertips brushed against the fabric of her undergarments. Lucius felt the seductivece of the lingerie she had chosen to wear give way as his hand ducked under the band. Rena slightly arched her back and sucked in her belly to make it easier for him to slip past the barrier. She gasped momentarily as he brushed against her lips, gently massaging the outside of the soft mound of her flesh. "Lucius please I can''t"She whimpered. "What do you want, my love?" "More. I want more." He moved his hand slowly over the edge of her lips, feeling the heat from her body warming the tips of his fingers. He slowly pressed inward, lubricating himself with her own fluids while massaging her. Then, he moved his----- hand back up and spread her lips open slightly using his index and ring fingers. Rena acted as though lightning had sent a shock through her body as his middle finger slowly began to rub her clitoris in a circr motion, first slowly to get her used to the sensation. In response, she began to slowly rock her hips, inciting him to move faster. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin As her breathing became quicker, he moved to kiss her on the neck again. His movements became easier and faster as Rena''s excitement grew. He felt her hands grip his hair and squeeze, her toes beginning to curl. "It''s okay, my love, finish. We have more to go." He breathed into her ear seductively. With that simple phrase, she let out a loud moan. The moment her back settled into the sheets once more, Lucius gave her a mischievous grin and slid down her body. His fingers entered her, curling towards her belly a short distance inside her. As he flexed his fingers back and forth, slowly so as to taunt her and let her breathing return to normal, he kissed a slow trail down her abdomen. He slowly began to tease her with his tongue and mixed in slight suction. Rena''s hands gripped his hair even tighter as she cried out, "Lucius, please I" Encouraged by the sounds of pleasure she emitted, he increased his pace. Her legs squeezed around him as her insides pulsated around his fingers. "Fuck Lucius!" She shouted while throwing her head back. Satisfied that things would be easier now, he removed his fingers and mouth from her and positioned his body over her; the separation between their faces was almost nonexistent. "Please inside me. I need you, Lucius. I want you, now." With unexpected speed, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss. Her hips slightly bucking from anticipation. Lucius lowered himself, the stiffness of his body surprising her. "Rena" He moaned as she epted him into her. For a moment, there was resistance, though it quickly faded. Rena gasped, and her fingernails dug slightly into him. Lucius waited for her to rx before beginning to move. The sensation of being inside her was like none other. Their bodies blended together in perfect harmony. Her passion and pleasure are being shared with the world through gasps and moans. Lucius, too, felt an indescribable amount of pleasure as he pumped himself in and out of her. "More! I need more!" "Okay." His voice was hoarse. He had been desperately holding himself back slightly for her sake, but it seemed pointless. Endeavoring to fulfill his and his lover''s desires, Lucius sat up on his knees and pulled her closer to him. Rena began rocking her hips, desperate to not lose the sensation of his being. With a deep chuckle, he ced his hands around her hips and pulled himself into her with force. Skin pping against skin jumbled together with Lucius''s groans were both drowned out only by Rena''s own cries. She continued to beg for more pleasure, wing at her sheets, her knuckles white from the force of her grip. "Rena, I" "Me too. Me too" "Should I" "Never leave me, Lucius. Please." After begging for him to stay, she wrapped her legs tightly around him. Lucius was more than happy to give her what she wanted, no matter the consequence, so he returned to a more passionate position and continued pushing into her. As he reached his climax, so too did she. Rena began to cry out one more time, and to seal her mouth closed, he kissed her. His hips twitched as he released his essence inside her while Rena tightened the hold she had around his waist with her legs. When he finished, he rolled over, pulling her on top of him. He panted, feeling exhausted from the exertion in the tournament as well as the passionate experience they shared. Rena panted but had a bright, satisfied smile on her face. Lucius stretched his hand and turned out themp so they could rest properly. He tried to remove himself from Rena so she couldyfortably, but she threw a pout on her face andined, "I thought I told you not to leave me" "But don''t you want to sleep? From what I understand sses start tomorrow for you and" His voice was cut short by her finger pressing into his lips. "Hush. I will sleep like this. I think I have earned that much at least my husband." Lucius could only smile at the spoiled girl. "Of course, my love." Chapter 171: The Morning After A ray of sunlight awoke Rena. She rubbed a little bit of sleep from her eyes and began to sit up. Seeing as it was the first day of sses, only the new students were up already; most of the older students, like herself, did not have sses until around noon, which meant she still had a little time. When she tried to stand, she felt a pinch ofint from the muscles around her hips. At that moment, memories of the night before flooded her mind, raising the temperature of her face by several degrees. Over in the corner of her room, she heard the sound of rustling clothes. Standing there, looking at her, was the man of her dreams. He was only slightly taller than she was and had shaggy ck hair and piercing eyes. Though he was not a bodybuilder, he was nicely toned and defined. She stood and walked over to him, holding his face between both hands, testing to make sure he was real. "Good morning, my love." He said with a smile before leaning in to give her a kiss. "Perhaps we should get ready." She wordlessly nodded her head and gathered together her clothes. Realizing that he was all hers now, she cheekily decided to turn around and watch him get dressed. However, what she saw made her gasp. His back was marked and burned beyond belief. There were more scars than she could bare to count, several of them stretched along the entirety of his body. Rena found herself being pulled to him, and she hugged him from behind. "What happened to you?" she asked quietly. "The reason you were told I was dead is because someone tried very hard to make it happen," Lucius answered inly. "It was no ident, and it was nned." "Do you know who?" "I do." "Does Lyrah know?" "I don''t know." "Are you going to tell me?" Lucius chuckled and turned around, giving her another kiss. "No. At least not yet. The knowledge is not yours to bare just yet. Please let me grant you a small amount of peace before I tell you." "Okay. I trust you, Lucius." They finished getting ready. Apparently, her husband had readied himself a set of clothes in his storage ring. He was wearing the academy''s uniform, which was a pair of ck pants meant for both standard school work and training. The knees had leather patches on them for wear prevention. The shirts were white button-ups for men and blouses for women. They, too, had leather patches, though on the outside of the elbow. A pair of leather boots and a belt for holding your practice weapon finished the ensemble. Lucius had clipped his actual weapon to it by mistake, though. "Lucius, you are supposed to equip a practice sword instead of your" "I''m just as capable of killing someone with my magic and my bare hands as I am with this weapon. It stays." He answered, cutting her off. Rena simply shrugged and decided that it was his problem to work out with the school staff and not hers. When they walked into the hall of the female dorms, they were greeted by dozens of sets of eyes. All the girls on this floor seemed to have congregated outside of Rena''s room. Many of their eyes were wide, and a lot of faces were flushed. "What''s the matter?" Lucius cleared his throat. "I''m guessing the walls of the dormitory are thin." He grabbed her by the hand and weaved through the gaggle of female students who wanted to catch a glimpse of the man who had won Rena''s heart. She had made herself known for not getting along with anyone at the academy, save Lyrah and Natali, and yet this man had not only gotten into her good graces but her heart as well. Lyrah and Natali were waiting for them outside of the dormitory. Lyrah had a massive grin on her face. Natali had no expression, as usual for her in public. However, Rena did notice the asional nces she kept stealing at Lucius. "So, shall we head to ss? From what I know, we got lucky, and brother dearest I mean, Lucius is in our ss." Everyone nodded and began to follow Lyrah to their ssroom. Natali walked slightly behind her while Rena took a position right next to her friend. "Lucius, would you mind keeping Natalipany back there? Walking more than two wide is considered rude here in the academy." Rena said. Lucius simply nodded and walked beside the maid, whose face was starting to turn slightly pink. Discover hidden content at m,v l''e-NovelBin "Rena know that I am your best friend when I say this but maybe you should check the mirror more frequently before you leave your room?" Lyrah said while tapping the side of her neck. "[Lux: Heal]," Rena said in a panic, healing the marks that were peppering her neck. She thanked her best friend profusely for saving her from a modicum of embarrassment. After a few minutes, they found themselves in their ssroom. For Rena and the girls, this was the fourth year they had been assigned to this exact ssroom. However, there were a handful of new students in the room this year. Of the new students, a few were actually Marked Ones, though most were transfers from other academies hoping to get another chance at facing ''Titan'' in battle. It seemed that among the popce, they had thought the barrier was weakened by the strain of maintaining it all day. What Rena believed is that some of the mages who were in charge of powering the barrier felt slighted that it was broken by someone of a low rank, so they fabricated an excuse. Put simply, many of themon people believe that Lucius''s victory in the final match was a fluke. A mistake they would likely learn soon. "Well, well. If it isn''t my dear cousin, Rena. It seems you finally reunited with that worthless bodyguard of yours after all." Thomas was apparently in their ss as well. "Thomas, it seems you were not paying attention at the banquet, or maybe you left early to entertain the maids but Lucius is not my bodyguard." Rena red at her cousin who blocked their way. "He is my husband." The ssroom had filled with people by this point and all their conversations came to a sudden halt. What Rena had announced was that a member of a noble family had married amoner and a Marked One. At least that was what they believed. Lucius''s family name had not made it out of the castle yet, the same as their marriage. Thomas sneered. "Is that so. Well seeing as how you married amoner, then its fine if I do this!" Thomas reached for the choker around her neck, something he was acutely aware of being precious to her, though he did not know the reason. Before anyone could react, there was a small crackling sound and the smell of ozone that filled the room. A loud crack came from the wall to her right. Lucius had moved from his position behind her and took Thomas by the throat. He held him aloft and pinned to the wall with one hand. Crackles of electricity flicked around Lucius''s body. Several threatened to zap Thomas but at thest second they would pass by him and strike the wall instead. "Do not touch her." Lucius growled. His eyes were trained directly at Thomas, not caring that their professor had entered the room. "Hey Thomas remember Vik and Peter?" "What are you" Thomas tried to choke out. "Do you not remember? I asked you all a question that day in the forest. ''What resides in the Abyss?'' They found out if you are not careful, so will you." "Lord Kane, Lady Kane. Please return to your chosen seats. We do not care for violence in the ssroom. Should you and Lord Petra wish to settle differences, please do so in your practical courses." Chapter 172: More Transfers Desmond woke in his temporary room at the dorms of the Arcadios Royal Academy. ncing to the table at his bedside, he once again saw a letter that had been addressed to him. After the banquet at the castle, he returned with his sister to the Arcadios Royal Academy. He had hoped to speak with Titan, or rather, Lucius Kane, before returning to his quarters, but he disappeared from the party with his new wife before Desmond could catch up to him. When Desmond did return to his room, he found the letter sitting in the center of his bed. On it was his name and a stamp of a shattered sphere of some kind. As mysterious as the presentation of the letter was, the stranger part was its contents: ~ Desmond Adler, We observed your performance at today''s Exhibition Tournament and appreciated what we saw. You made your desires known to the world, yet you lost your best chance of achieving them. Hope is not lost for you. There is another chance for you and your sister, Jade Adler. The paperwork has already been filed; all you need to do is sign the final documents at the registration offices, and you will be a student at the Arcadios Royal Academy. If you do this and await further instruction, then we will ensure your sister has a happy, normal life the way you want it to be. Should you ept, the first thing we wish for you to do is to approach ''Titan'' also known as Lord Lucius Kane. Befriend him and support him. More instructions wille. Wait for them and know that we are always watching. ~ The document did not have a name; the only identifier was the broken sphere on the outside of the envelope. The entire thing was suspicious. However, when he went to registration earlier today, he found that the paperwork for his and his sister''s transfer had beenpleted. It had taken him no time at all to sign the documents with Jade and ept the transfer fully. Since they had only just be students, they were allowed to wait until tomorrow to start sses. He had returned to his dorm and fell back asleep to take advantage of the extra time. Now that he was awake, he focused more on the implications of what he had done. Without so much as consulting his sister or any of his teachers, he unterally decided to ept a mysterious offer from a letter that someone had snuck into his room. Perhaps it was the shock of losing his only other clear chance at achieving his goals, but he felt like he had certainly jumped the gun. "I suppose it is easier to be wise after the event" He mumbled. There was a light knock on the door, so he called out to let the person know they could enter. His sister, Jade Adler, stepped inside and greeted him with a kind smile. "I figured you would be awake and questioning your life''s decisions." Jade teased. Find adventures at m_v l|e-NovelBin "Yeah, well" "You know you are going to give yourself an ulcer for always questioning yourself. Desmond, you havee so far doing things the way you have been. Why question it now?" She asked pointedly. "I question everything, always well, almost everything. Saving you from our family is one thing I will never question," Desmond expressed. "So you always say, but" "Jade." He stood up and cut her off. "As my younger twin sister, the way they treated you affected me as well. We are the same, and after all you have endured, you deserve happiness. You deserve a normal life after the childhood you suffered. I will make it happen." Jade simply grinned and gestured for him to continue getting ready. She then excused herself and left the room. Her room was the one next to his for now, but now that they were students, she would be reassigned to the female dormitory for a permanent room. Desmond continued to get ready again, putting on recement academy clothes to match the Arcadios Royal Academy rather than his old ones from Keinydd. While doing so, he was upied with thoughts of how in the world he was supposed to get close to Lord Kane. While the man maintained a positive demeanor at the party, it was clear he was putting on a face. Desmond had the sneaking suspicion that the way he was acting as Titan in the tournament was his true personality, rather than the noble face at the party. A hint of that true personality leaked out when he reintroduced himself to the leaders of the Union and King Verdayl. Something else he had noticed was the shift in confidence from the Union leaders after he announced his house. Something was going on with House Kane that worried them for some reason. Not only that, but even Rena''s father, who held a clear distaste for the young man, changed his demeanor. In the beginning, he looked ready to rip Lord Kane to shreds, but after his announcement that anger turned into frustration as if something held him back but what? "You." A rough, feminine voice called out to him as he exited his dorms. He was about to walk up to his sister, who had been waiting outside, but someone seemed to want his attention. "Yes?" He answered while turning to face the person. She was a beastman woman with wolf ears on her head and blonde hair with gray eyes. Her expression was that of curiosity, and she was clearly sizing him up. "You fought against Rena and Thomas in the tournament, right?" She asked. "I did." "Would you say they were strong?" "Well, I lost to Thomas, so" "I don''t think that was reflective of his strength but rather your inability to resist his taunting." The woman said. "Anyway, I came to fetch your sister. The professor who leads the sses she''s assigned to is having a gathering of transfer students, and they are all required to be in attendance. That includes her." "What professor is that?" "Professor Carmichael. I am his assistant, Kalliope." The girl almost seemed like she spat the word assistant out as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. Desmond wondered if it was because she didn''t like the Professor. It really didn''t matter either way since he requested Jade''s presence; she had to go. Desmond was still free all day, so he elected to follow. Kalliope did not seem to mind him following, so he allowed the woman to lead them through the academy to wherever the professor was gathering the students. When they got to the ssroom, the very person he was supposed to meet with was there as well. Lord Kane stood at the edge of the room, away from the other students. Kalliope''s mood seemed to flip aroundpletely when she saw him, and she practically skipped to his side. All the students in the ssroom intrigued him because they all shared one thing. Every student was a Marked One, including Lord Kane. He had forgotten that he was a Marked One from all the excitement of the day yesterday, but the reminder served to calm Desmond''s nerves a little. Since he was a Marked One, it was likely he was more down-to-earth and approachable than other nobles. "This will be much easier to get along with him. Thank the gods" Desmond said under his breath. Chapter 173: Old Man Lucius''s eyes settled on the two new arrivals to the meeting room. Kalliope had been sent by Wally to fetch ast-minute registration, but it seemed someone else had tagged along. The two people who followed her were a pair of siblings, twins, no doubt, with vibrant violet hair and blue eyes. The woman had a mark on her left hand, while the man looked slightly familiar. It took him a few moments, but then Lucius remembered that the man was a contestant in the tournament, and he had defeated Rena. Lucius watched the fight closely and respected the contestant''s honor. However, honor alone was useless without the strength to back it up. "Lord Kane, a pleasure to meet you." The violet-haired man walked up to him immediately for an introduction. "My name is Desmond Adler. This is my sister, Jade Adler. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." "Yeah, cut the formalities. I don''t like it. Save the fluffed-up speech for parties." Though he was abrasive, Desmond responded with a smirk. "Got it, I like it better that way. You can call me Desmond, then. Do you prefer Lucius or Titan?" "Lucius is my name. Titan is for work." "What work?" "ssified." "Understood. Anyway, I found a strange letter on my bed and wanted to know if you knew anything about it." Desmond said while pulling out a letter. On the outside of the letter was a cracked and broken sphere. The contents were somewhat concerning. It appeared someone wanted Lucius to be watched; however, the only identifier was the strange symbol, and he did not recognize it. "Do you mind if I keep this? I want to have some people look into it." Desmond gave him an affirmative wave. "Sure, do with it as you please. I will let you know of any other letters thate my way. I don''t enjoy secrecy and games such as this. I was interested in getting to know you before the letter." "Why is that?" Lucius questioned with a raised eyebrow. Desmond was certainly interesting as a person. "You are a powerful noble in Eroa; connected to one of the strongest warriors on the continent I want to get my sister to Eroa, and I think working with you might be a good way to do it." Desmond stated inly. "Well, think about it; I''ll talk with youter." "A pleasure, Lord Kane," Jade said while giving a slight bow. Lucius eyed the woman as she followed her brother to a set of open seats. Other students flocked around them, men around Jade and the women around Desmond. At first, Lucius was interested in how he would react to speaking to so many Marked Ones at once, but as Lucius had assumed, Desmond waspletelyfortable. "Kalliope. Take this and notify some of our contacts in the capital. Also, contact Kalivas and ask him to have some people look into this. Whatever you do, don''t let anyone know that you have this. People have been tailing me non-stop, and I don''t want to deal with them right now." "Got it." Kalliope secreted the letter away in her armor and exited the room hastily. She breezed past Wally, who was about to enter the room and start the meeting. Wally gave Lucius a single nce, then shrugged and allowed Kalliope to continue on her way. King Verdayl had told him that Wally was aware of much of their circumstances and that they would be performing tasks on behalf of the King''s Shadow on an irregr basis. All Wally had to do was take the Kalliope in as an assistant and let her and Lucius do what they needed, within reason. Enjoy new adventures from m-v l''e|-NovelBin "Lord Kane" Wally started. "Wally,e on, you used to beat the snot out of me as a kid; just call me Lucius." His words made the old man smile. "Alright, Lucius please remove your sword, academy rules state" "Wally, you know as well as I do that having my weapon on me or not on me does not matter. I''m just as capable of killing someone with my fists or a random object as I am my de." Wally opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it. It seemed that Lucius had won the argument, much to the old man''s chagrin. After a short exnation of the department''s expectations for students, Wally greeted each one individually. He took down their names, backgrounds, and marks so that he had a good understanding of who they were as people. He was able to get a lot of that from their applications, but that was simply not who the old man was. "Lucius before you leave. Shall we have a sparring contest?" Wally was looking at him with a cocky grin. As much as Lucius wanted to, he knew it would be foolish to try and fight him but it would also be fun to see how much he had grown. Thest time he tested his mettle against Wally was when he was a young teenager. "Alright. Let''s do it." "Should we fetch your wife to watch, or would it be too embarrassing to have your ass trounced in front of her?" Lucius felt his eye twitch slightly at his old master''s shenanigans. He was always like this. However, it was one of the reasons he came to respect the old man. He was not afraid to act true to himself, even when doing so would reflect poorly on him. They agreed to meet in the main training grounds, which are centralized in the academy''s main garden. The sparring session would be in a few hours. Wally''s reasoning was that he had other tasks to finish first; however, a part of Lucius already knew that the real reason was him wanting to let the rumor spread throughout the academy. The old man definitely wanted the entire school to bear witness to Professor Wally Carmichael beating the absolute snot out of Lucius. He had no confidence in his victory, but he felt that he could hold his own better than the first time. All that remained to be seen was how much he would hold back. Letting loose too much would reveal information that Wally liked to keep hidden. Chapter 174: Old Versus Young Wally stood in the middle of the training ground at the heart of the academy. It was a circr arena depressed into the ground. Seats for viewing were ced around it, while stairs to descend into the arena were ced exactly opposite one another. Lucius walked down the steps, having donned his standard-issue armor, though he chose to leave off the mask, cloak, and hood. Wally wore his typical robes, as he did while being a professor. His bald head glistened in the sun, and his mouth was turned into a massive grin. "Ah, doesn''t this bring back memories, Lucius? The days of me beating your rotten head to a pulp because you could not seem to grasp my lessons." Wally taunted. "Though it seems you were able to learn something from someone. Was I not a good enough teacher for you?" Lucius grinned. "Not at all, Wally. I just found that the best teacher was experience." Hundreds of students and several members of the staff had gathered in the viewing area. Rena was also present. She knew how this was going to end, yet she still showed up to support Lucius. "I promise I will love you even with a few missing limbs!" She shouted from above. Lucius shook his head and got into a ready position. He had recovered his mana by this point and would be able to go all out without concern. However, he would not be able to drop his Overcharge ability, even if he wanted to. There was also the slight issue that neither of them wanted to kill each other, so his deadlier abilities were out of the question "Don''t worry about me, Lucius. Show me everything you haveum, except for the one that shattered the barrier let''s avoid that one." He nodded in agreement and watched as a white-haired maid walked down the steps. She moved to a small rectangr stage on one side of the arena where the referee was to stand. After she got into position, she quickly turned and threw a dagger into the stone between Lucius and Wally. The speed at which she threw the weapon surprised Lucius, as he had not expected such skill from a maid. He quickly noted that the girl was not to be underestimated in the future. "Alright, Lucius. When Miss Natali''s dagger vanishes from between us, the battle will start. To give you a handicap, I won''t use my channeling." Wally instructed. The next few seconds were tense as Lucius kept his eyes split between the dagger and the old man. Speed was his specialty, so he intended to capitalize on that here. From the small referee stage, Lucius heard Natali, the maid, snap her fingers. Instantly, the dagger vanished, and Lucius lunged towards Wally. Lightning wrapped around his body and was switching between red and blue streaks. The air crackled, and the sky rumbled as a result of the Thunder Magic''s intensity. Wally appeared genuinely surprised by Lucius''s power and speed and had to jump backward to gain time to cast a spell. He also elected to cast a rare type of magic just as umon as Lucius''s Thunder Magic. "[Eruptio: Magma Field]" The ground below their feet rapidly heated up and began to liquefy. Lucius''s footing became uneasy, slowing him down as the heat and give ruined his timing. Forced to leap away to avoid being swallowed up by the field of molten rock beginning to form around Wally, he growled in frustration. "Damn." He grunted while pointing his sword at Wally. Mana condensed around the tip of his de, and a bolt of lightning fired towards the old man. "[Eruptio: Magma Tendrils]" A dozen writing tentacles made from the molten earth shot out of the magma field and blocked Lucius''s attack. Hot magma sttered around the arena, forcing Lucius to make efforts to dodge being hit. Though his attack destroyed most of the tendrils, they were able to stop his attack. "You see, boy. Thunder Magic is strong. Earth Magic of the same level is too weak to stand up to its strength. And I feel the intensity of your lightning would turn metal magic into molten g. So, I figured I would fight you with this. First time, right?" Lucius simply growled in response and began to run in circles around Wally. He was frustrated that he had not made the old man move, let alone did so little he felt like he had the time to teach. Lucius dodged several swipes from the remaining Magma Tendrils. A few came close, but Lucius was able to knock them away using Thunderp infused into the snaps of his fingers. As the battle continued, options for a way were getting fewer and fewer. Wally''s Magma Tendrils continued to grow out of the Magma Field, which seemed to contain an unlimited amount of the stuff. It was during this point that he wished he had another type of magic to counter. Ice magic would be perfect to turn the liquid material back into a solid. "Urgh!" Lucius expended a massive amount of mana and began to drag his sword along the ground. He ran a circle around Wally. With every ng of his weapon striking the stone surface, Lucius sent out a Thunderp aimed directly at the old man. Bits of Magma flew everywhere and collided with the barrier around the arena, keeping the audience and referee safe from any blowoff frombat. As Lucius had feared, the massive waves of force blew away the field between him and the old man, but it only took care of the surface. The magma was too deep for him to truly blow it away, which meant he was forced to fight at range. The old man had him right where he wanted him. There was still one option, though it would be difficult. He also couldn''t use it voicelessly yet Lucius gritted his teeth and decided to go ahead and use it. Through his Channeling, he pushed his Forsaken Arts and Thunder Magic into a spell he had not used yet in battle. Lucius raised his weapon into the sky and shouted, "[Tempestas: Roaring Thunder]!" The sky darkened, and the bright sun suddenly vanished under gray storm clouds. A bolt of lightning surged down from the sky, connecting with his de. Lucius''s weapon began to glow blue, then shed to red, then back again. Meanwhile, Wally waved his hand and sent dozens more Magma Tendrils at him. Thankfully, they were scattered apart from the waves of mana pouring off of him. Lucius lowered his weapon, aimed it at his master, and released the spell. Right in front of his weapon, a head of a dragon made purely of lightning with glowing red eyes and red streaks down its neck formed. The dragon roared in anger, vibrating the ground, and flew into Wally. It forced aside dozens and dozens more Magma Tendrils without effort, making Wally smile. "Good show, but "[Tempestas: Thunderp]," Wally said with a huge smile at the same time as pping his hands together. A glowing dragon made of red and blue lightning suddenly met a wall of force and was forced back. It was able to resist the pressure of the man''s spell for a second but then was scattered into nothing. Lucius felt as the spell collided with his body and threw him into the wall, making him nearly pass out. There were a few ufortable cracking sounds, but he was unsure if it was the stone or his bones. Natali raised her hand in the air and voicelessly pointed at the old man, indicating his win. Rena ran down into the arena and hurriedly cast several healing spells. For a moment, he felt as though someone was ring at him, but the pain was affecting his ability to think. "Good job, boy. You got very strong, but you have a while to go yet!" Wally said with a grin. Lucius gave him a smile. For once, defeat wasn''t so bad but to think he didn''t even use channeling. "I''m going to beat that man silly one day." Heughed. Chapter 175: Tailed Kalliope had just finished delivering the strange letter to Kalivas at the embassy. The king''s party was going to be in town for one more day before they returned to Eroa, so it was fortunate that Desmond came forward with the letter as quickly as he did. Enjoy new tales from mvl After bidding a series of long goodbyes to Kalivas, she began her trek back to the academy. There was still arge presence of people throughout the city, and they would trickle out over the course of a week or so. Most of the important people would be leaving within the next day or so. Some people thought that Kalliope would leave the city even sooner than that, but they felt themselves sneaky enough to surpass her heightened senses. They were doing a very good job staying out of range of her hearing, however their scents lingered. If they had swapped out observers while she was in the embassy, she might not have noticed, but since their scents remained, she could pick them out. Kalliope was a warrior, not a spy, however she was trained in some useful skills for that trade. One of those skills was how to lose a tail a skill she was not going to be using. Rather she began to weave through town on a specific path, not to lose them, but to make them anxious about losing her that they close the distance. Spying on a beastman like her was risky because you had to bnce distance from their senses with being able to keep a reliable tail. The paths she was taking by weaving through a mixture of small streets andrge roads yed on that requirement and made them forget the sensory range over maintaining their tracking. When they finally got closer enough for her to pick up their movements with her ears, she was able to get a good count on the number. It seemed there were at least three of them following her. She was not able to determine their strength, so an attempt to fight them off alone would be risky "Titan," she whispered as she touched her ear while pretending to scratch her head. At that moment, she was trying to look like she was lost to make her strange pathing make sense. "I have a tailat least three. Strength unknown. Permission to engage?" "Permission Granted. Provide me your location." After giving Lucius her rough location, she began a route that would allow her to corner her followers. Before they arrived in the capital, Titan made her and a few others memorize the maps of the current streetyouts. Thanks to that, she had the map of each road she needed to aplish her task. With one final update to Titan for her current location, she turned two more corners and came face to face with three people in dark gray clothing. They were all wearing cloth masks, but they were distinctly human. Something about their clothing smelled strangely herbal. "Alright. So, you''ve been following me since the academy. Who are you, I can already tell you aren''t from the Wisteria Concord." Kalliope asked. They chose to remain silent, as they should have done, but that didn''t work for her. Kalliope kept her weapons sheathed, but she quietly flexed her hands and prepared her sharpened nails for an attack. "[Beast Arts: Predator''s Presence]" All three of the stalkers visibly tensed as a response to the skill. One of them even looked behind him for a beast that was not there. Kalliope took that moment to rush after the one that looked back. Her right hand was outstretched and grabbed him by the back of the neck while her left hand prepared for a follow-up attack. The other two were visibly surprised at the speed of her attack and could not react as she mmed her first target face-first into the dirt. "[Dagger Arts: Quick Strike]" One of the other two managed to recover quick enough tounch a strike at her, but his dagger bounced off the metal bracer on her left arm. Though his attack used an Art, she was able to deflect the blow with the proper angle. However, her bracer cracked, and her arm hurt, so it was likely she would not be able to do that a second time. "Rargh!" fur grew along her face, neck, and body as she began to shift. Her eyes took on a more lupine form, and her muscles nearly doubled in size. Gravel sprayed along the street as she pounced on the man who tried to use his dagger. Unfortunately, all she caught was air as he saw her attacking. Kalliope refused to give up and continued to swipe with her hands which now had sharpened ws instead of fingernails due to her shifting. "Damnit! [Ventus: Wind de]" Kalliope narrowly dodged the spell, which took a chunk of her hair as it passed by her and carved into the side of a building. Two more Wind des came at her in rapid session, with one connecting across her left shoulder. Blood sprayed into the air from the hit, but her adrenaline kept her from feeling the pain. Seeing that the attack failed to take her out, the two conscious fighters nced around as though they were preparing to flee. "[Lux: Enhanced Speed], [Lux: Enhanced Strength]" Kalliope growled out two Light Magic spells and felt her body surge with more power. The two men looked even more scared and started to turn. However, they stopped when they saw two people in dark leather armor with hoods, cloaks, and mouth coverings. It seemed that Lucius had ryed her location to some of their agents in the capital, and they came to assist. Kalliope could have taken the two men, but she was grateful for the help in preventing her from having to track them down. "Now. You are going to tell us who you are." "Never, you damn mutt urgh!" While they tried to be defiant, they were unable to react as Kalliope vanished from her ce and reappeared behind them, right in between them. They each took a swift punch in the stomach that was hard enough to knock them out cold. "That''s three. Take them to the safehouse, I''ll contact the Commander to let him know we have guests." The two King''s Shadow agents nodded silently and moved to collect the men. Kalliope looked around for a moment and sniffed the air. Other than these three, no one else seemed to stand out, so she released her spells and shifted back to normal. For a moment, she felt sorry for what was about to happen. Chapter 176: The Church Lucius rubbed his chest, still feeling sore after his fight with Wally earlier in the day. Though Rena had worked her healing magic, his muscles still remembered the pain of being smacked by Wally''s Thunderp spell. Wally was a master of all Elemental magic which meant he could use the four primary elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. He could also use all four Transcendent magic; Metal, Thunder, Magma, and Ice. Because of those skills, he could counter almost any kind of magic user. On top of that, the old codger could use Channeling. Basically, Lucius was doomed from the start. However, it was a good test of his skills. He was happy with his performance, though he also realized that he needed to find a way to counter Magma Magic. Though it was about as rare as Thunder Magic, it was a perfect counter to him when used correctly. Continue your saga on mvl None of that mattered at that moment, though. What was more important were the three men tied to chairs in the safehouse the King''s Shadow set up in the Arcadian capital. What was more interesting was in the men''s belongings were pins that indicated they were affiliated with the Church of Celestia. Lucius had not had the displeasure of interacting with many of their members. It was the dominant religion on the continent, but since he was a Marked One, their most devout, as well as their priesthood and nunnery, avoided him like the gue. Their higher-level clergy interacted very regrly with nobility to obtainrge donations from their wealthier adherents. Now that he was a recognized noble, they were forced to interact with him in the future. "You," Lucius said while pping one of the men awake. "Why did you follow my subordinate." The man spit onto Lucius''s ck mask in defiance and remained silent. Such behavior earned him a punch to the gut. Painful, but not enough to cause injury. "If that''s how we wish to do it." He said, "Once more, why did you follow" Before he could finish the question, the man began to prepare to spit again. However, Lucius would not stand for that behavior. Right as the man puckered his lips to aim the strike, Lucius''s de shed across his neck as fast as his Thunder Magic spells. A wet thud woke the other two men, who turned and saw their now headless partner. One of them screamed and fainted while the other stared in silent horror. "Alright, since you''re awake. You tell me what he wouldn''t. Why did you follow my subordinate." He pushed a little mana into his voice, causing a faint rumble inside the house that rattled the furniture and caused much of the dishware to click together. "We were ordered to keep an eye on you and your servants. A Marked One of nobility was something our leaders could not tolerate. They wanted us to ensure that you were not lying about your heritage." "How were you going to deduce that by following Kalliope?" "It was our thought that if we caught her doing something illicit, then we could petition the king tounch a formal inquiry into your background." The man said, his voice quivering with fear. "That was all we were told to do. Follow your subordinates and then report everything they did." Lucius nodded in understanding and began to pace the room, thinking. The logic simply was not there. Launching a formal inquiry would not do much because his noble house was from another country. It would be on Eroa to perform the inquiry. Even then, it would not do anything. It was King Verdayl himself who inaugurated him into House Kane. Even if he was not blood-rted to Kalivas, he was given the name of Kane, so by all rights, he was a noble. That meant whoever issued orders to these men lied to them. They were after something else. That much was clear already. "What else do you know?" "The church refuses to ept a Marked One as a noble." "Good for them. I''m a noble of a country that does not have arge church presence, so do what you will with that. Anything else?" "Are you going to let me go?" "No." Lucius put his hand on the man''s head as he started to shout and beg for him to be released. No matter how hard he twisted, kicked, bucked, or moved, Lucius''s hand maintained a solid connection with his face. Lucius activated his magic and sent a constant flow of electricity into the man''s body, forcing him to convulse uncontrobly. After a few seconds, the convulsing slowed, and soon, it became clear that the body was only reacting to the electricity and no longer contained life. The smell of burnt flesh and boiled eyes filled the air. Kalliope puckered her nose in disgust while Lucius simply looked at the two dead bodies. "Hey, Kalliope, do you think the beheading is better or the electrocution? I heard a head stays active for a few seconds but I''m not really sure" "If you''re going to do it in an enclosed space, go with the beheading. Burnt flesh is disgusting." Sheined. "Also, with how well-behaved you''ve beentely, I almost forgot how" "How what, Kalliope?" He interrupted. His eyes shed momentarily. "Forget it." She sighed. Lucius figured the third person did not know much else, so while he was still passed out from fear, he swiftly separated the man''s head from his body. Maybe Kalliope had a point. This was better from a smell standpoint, at least. "Monitor the church''s movements. Keep an eye out for any more of their spies. They''ll likely have simr pins as these fools. It''s like their badges. If anyone has to engage them, do so quickly and quietly. I would rather not interrupt Rena''s school life by having to return to Eroa due to one of my subordinates misbehaving." He ordered. "She''sing with?" "She''s my wife, Kalliope." "What about me, though? You''ll be taking me next, right?" Lucius sighed. "A discussion for ater time. Have the men clean this up. Burn the bodies and dispose of themhmmm" He walked over to where the pins they collected were. After picking them up and thumbing them in his hand for a bit, he walked over to the bodies and dipped them in the blood pooling on the ground. "ce these on the steps of the grand cathedral at night as a warning." Chapter 177: Bloody Present Father Urd stepped outside the Grand Cathedral to greet a bright, shining morning sun, just as he had done hundreds of times since. The air was crisp and fresh, and the sounds of the city had yet to taint the calm. However, something seemed off. There was a slight breeze, and it carried a strange metallic smell. Urd nced around for the source to no avail but then felt something underfoot. He noticed a partially dried, red liquid under his feet as well as three small pieces of metal. Panic set in as he immediately recognized them as items that identified members of the priesthood to one another. These three, in particr, were rather umon to find as they were given to special members of their church who specialized in collecting information. Father Urd used to be one of these specialists when he was much younger, which was how he was able to recognize them for what they were so quickly. He bent down to pick them up and discovered they were coated in blood. Allmon sense pointed to the fact that the blood belonged to the men who used to possess these pins, and that thought made him say a quick prayer to the gods above. "Please open the gates and ept the souls of our brethren with open arms." He mumbled quietly. Urd then gathered the pins and cast a simple water spell to wash away the bloodstains. "[Aqua: Water Ball]" Satisfied the blood was gone, he rushed inside the ornate building once again. Its floors were made of white marble, and its walls were a beautiful stone. Countless paintings by famous artists throughout history lined the halls, and gorgeous carpets quieted his steps as he hurried toward his office. Once inside, he pulled a book from a hiddenpartment underneath his desk and thumbed through the pages. While he used to run information-gathering missions for the Church of Celestia, he now handled the assignments of their information-gatherers. Currently, only a handful of men were assigned to the capital; the rest were on jobs elsewhere. On the back of the pins were secret numbers that determined the person''s identity. Most people could not see them; however, when a special charm fed mana, the numbers became visible. Urd grabbed his charm from the desk and matched the pins to three men and their mission. "It seems they were to track the newly announced Lord Kane, Lady Kane, and his subordinates If rumors are to be believed then they must have been caught by his people." Urd sighed while copsing into his chair. Though his day had only just started, he was already tired. It took him a few minutes to recover enough to start nning solutions. What those men were supposed to be looking for was anything that could be used to submit a formal request for an inquiry by the kingdom. If the church admitted to having him followed then they could use this as evidence forunching said inquiry. However, that was a double-edged sword as it also admitted to having a noble from a foreign ally being followed, and that would certainly be something that the King would frown upon. "Clever man that Lord Kane," Urd admitted. "You realized you could taunt us openly with these men''s identities and are making me choose whether or not to call your bluff." Urd sighed once more before he penned a letter. After he finished writing the request, he left his office and walked back through the halls. There was a dead drop location for disseminating orders just a little down the hall from his office. About halfway down the hall, before it hit a corner going left, there was a statue of a cherub. Urd ensured no one was around and turned the head in a clockwise direction. After doing so, the base of the statue clicked and ejected a small tray. He ced the letter in the tray and pushed it back into ce while leaving the cherub''s head turned. "If'' it''s a war in the shadows you want, Lord Kane. Then it''s a war in the shadows you will receive." Urd quickly walked away and returned to his standard duties. In a few hours, someone would pass by the statue, look for the rotation in its head, and retrieve his letter. While it was possible to usemunication crystals, the amount of people they would have to outfit with the items was prohibitively expensive. To purchase ones that were resistant to magical interference doubly or even triply so. Urd reset his expression to a neutral smile more beholden to a priest of his station and walked to the cathedral''s main worship chamber. Pews lined the sides of the main walkway, which led to a stage at the far end with a wooden lectern with intricate carvings of various gods. Though the gods did not have names, their followers knew they were innumerable in number. To know or assume a deity''s name was the height of hubris, so the mortal races simply worshiped the gods as a group of their own and the realm of Celestia in which they resided. There were many ways that worshipers celebrated the gods all around the world, and the design of the main hall reflected that. The pews and lectern existed for those who wished to participate in daily sermons. Offering bowls and braziers were also avable for those who wished to offer food, wealth, and magical items to the gods. Some wished to write prayers and burn them in the church''s holy mes. In short, there were many ways of worshiping the gods that the Church of Celestia epted. For Urd, he believed in burning prayer sheets to send the words and feelings directly to the gods. He pulled one of his daily prayers out of his robes and cast it in the fire of one of the many braziers lining the wall. "Watch over us as we suffer through trying times." He whispered as he watched his prayer sheet turn to ash and smoke. Chapter 178: Close Calls Voltara al Famyn nervously sipped her wine. She had returned to the Wisteria Concord only a few days ago, and every day had been nerve-wracking. At this point, she was worried she was going to develop a drinking problem. Back when the war first started, they had heard of a Marked One who, while able to force Alorek back and allow passage for his own team as well as several other teams behind their lines, sacrificed an unthinkable amount of lives. With the casting of a single spell, hundreds and hundreds of sparks of life were snuffed out in an instant. Thankfully the casualties were almost exclusively Marked Ones; however, the horror of the action was so sudden and terrifying that it had the military''s leadership scrambling for an exnation. After piecing together a series of eyewitness reports and corrting that information with the soldiers'' known skill sets on the field, they were able to narrow it down to a single teenage boy, Lucius, a boy with an unknown mark from Pelith. The boy''s name had been floating through noble circles at the time because of a romantic rtionship he had with the daughter of Richard von Petra. It was such a scandal that nearly half of the Union had heard of it within a week of the rtionship''s discovery. So, when Voltara heard that same boy was a deceptively powerful and clever fighter. She heard about his execution and said nothing about it, thinking it was only just given how much of a harmful element he was to their military. On top of that, Richard seemed all too happy to rid his family of a thorn that had festered in their side. What it turned out they had done was attempt to murder the same boy who they were warned not to betray. The heir to the House of Kane "Shit" she breathed out. Though the wine in her cup was a fine vintage, she was in such a state that she likely could not have told it apart from cheap swill served at a whorehouse. On her desk was a collection of reports and mission orders that would be left unfinished. The moment that she was free, she ordered her agents to cancel all operations rted to searching for information on Titan. Voltara also had to field requests from other nobles who wanted to look into Lucius Kane''s Origins. All of those requests would be rejected until the leaders of the Five Kings Union gathered together to determine the next steps. The question on all of their minds in the meantime: had they already fallen on their swords? If they did, then why wait for death toe when they could fight against it? However, if they were still safe, then it would be best to y nicely. ***** Rubellia heard a knock at the door of the home she had lived in for many years in the past with her husband and son. When Wayne was killed, she and Lucius moved into the Petra family manor, and the home was taken back into Lord Petra''s possession. During that time they were living in the manor, no one else had moved into the small cottage. Thanks to that, when she moved back into the cottage after Lucius''s death, not much had changed. It was as much nice as it was painful to be back in the home. Every room reminded her of years long gone. However, after Lucius''s death, she was not sure that she would be able to work in the manor anymore, or at least not without the urge tomit a horrible crime against Richard von Petra. The knocking on the door had increased in speed by the time she made it to open the door. Standing there was a strange figure in ck leather armor with a fabric face covering. They wore a hood over their head as well, but it did nothing to hide the animal-like ears atop their head. "Are you Miss Rubellia?" "I am, who is asking?" "My Commander, Titan of the King''s Shadow, requests your presence in the kingdom''s capital." "Titan? King''s Shadow? What are you on about?" she asked the person. None of the things the person had said made any sense to her, but the tone of their voice made it sound like it was urgent. "Ma''am, I hate to rush you, but we must leave soon. We will apany you to the capital and keep you safe, but if we fail to leave on time, then we might run intoplications," the man said while ncing down the path back to Pelith. "But who are you? Who is this ''Titan'' person?" "Miss Rubellia the Commander asked that I show you this if you are hesitant" Rubellia was unable to hold in the loud gasp that escaped her lips when she saw a familiar ne being held out in front of her face. It was a simple strap with a pendant shaped like a deer made out of Alpha Deer antler. It had been more than four years since shest saw it, and it was hanging around her son''s neck. "I can''t say much more. But I will return this keepsake to you so you can give it to it''s rightful owner, but we have to leave now." The man''s voice was frantic. A lot of things were not adding up, however enough of the right things were. The ne, the fact the person was clearly a beastman it had to be Lucius right? As she stuttered to respond, the beastman''s ears twitched, and he looked towards the woods. Rubellia stepped outside and looked in the same direction. She could not hear anything, but she felt a sickening presence and a familiar scent outside her home. It was the smell of monster bait that her husband used to make for trips into the woods. Someone was trying to lure something to her home. "Okay." She answered, grabbing the stranger''s hand. He quickly draped a cloak around her and picked her up in a princess carry. "I apologize for the rude behavior, but we need to go quickly. Whatever you do please don''t tell the Commander I did this when you see him" "[Lux: Enhanced Speed]" Light enveloped the man''s body, and he took off as quick as an arrow away from her home. She did not have time to gather anything from the ce, but as he had warned, there was no time. When she looked back and was about to ask for a little more time, she saw a massive creature step out of the forest. The monster was nearly three times the size of a bear and had massive fangs that were toorge to fit in its mouth. From some angles, the creature might have resembled a pig, but the massive muscles and hulking form cast a fair amount of doubt on that presumption. Thanks to herte husband''s penchant for sharing knowledge, she was able to recognize it as a Fanged Boar immediately. They were supposed to be rare monsters and were considered B to A-Rank beasts, depending on their size. The Fanged Boar charged at her home, attracted to the bait that someone had scattered around the outside. Wood splintered and sprayed into the air as the monster rooted through thend around the house and the house itself, seeking the substance that called it out of the woods. Had she been inside, Rubellia would have been dead from the initial charge. Someone tried to kill her, and were it not for this strange man, they would have seeded. Chapter 179: Lord v Maid [Part 1] Natali stood in her training gear at the edge of the practice room for her practical course on weapons. She was always the first one to exit the changing rooms out of concern that other female students would pester her about her mark. Even though there were now other students with marks, four years of habit did not change immediately overnight. As usual, Lyrah sat next to Natali on a soft chair, enjoying a rxing break in the middle of the day. Since Natali had to attend practical courses and Lyrah did not, they had gotten permission for Lyrah to have a ''free period'' by registering her for this ss and allowing her to not participate but still receive credit. They were allowed to do this, thanks to Grandpa Wally. "Do you know why Grandpa hasn''t told Lucius yet?" Lyrah asked, looking up from a romance novel she was reading. The cover had a strange title that made Natali wonder how little Lyrah truly cared about how people viewed her. "Interesting book." A voice called out. It was a deep, masculine voice that nearly made Natali melt into a puddle right then. She turned and saw Lucius walking into the training room with his shirt bundled under his arm and a towel hanging around his neck. He swapped out his normal weapon for a wooden one of the same shape and size from his storage ring. Practical training allowed for the use of standard armaments under most circumstances now that they were all seniors, but it seemed Lucius was trying to be considerate of the other students. Natali had a hard time looking at the young man, however, which was why she paid so much attention to his weapon. With Lucius shirtless, she could see his toned body and an old scar along his neck and upper chest. Rena had informed her of the event that caused the injury, but it was still shocking to see. It wasn''t that it was unattractive rather, it made him more desirable. Lyrah finally answered Lucius''s question after smirking at Natali for staring at the man. "Yes, it is quite popr among thedies. ''Dragonfire & Desire.'' Perhaps a quick read might spice up your nights with Rena? Oh, wait. I''ve heard that it''s not needed; forgive me, dear brother." Over thest several days, Lyrah and Lucius have interacted a lot. At first, when she called him ''dear brother,'' he would react extremely negatively, almost to the point of physically recoiling. However, Rena had several conversations with him and told him how close she was with the rambunctious girl and her maid. After many conversations and a lot of Lyrah not giving up on her well, personality, Lucius finally relented to allow her to call him ''dear brother.'' Quite frankly, Natali was surprised he gave in so easily, but Lyrah said something about Rena being Lucius''s weakness. Apparently, whatever she wanted from him, she would get. ording to the young Oracle, they had been like that all their childhood, too. This truly made Natali jealous of her redheaded friend. "You know. The main heroine of this series just so happens to be one of many wives. Have you ever thought of having more than one wife, dear brother?" Lyrah continued. "It is amon practice in Eroa and among many beastman ns there," Lucius responded. "Ah, so you have thought about it?" "You''ve met Kalliope, right? The girl practically breathes down my neck whenever she''s not busy with something else. Hard not to think about it when she asks every day, you know?" Lucius said with a sigh. By this point, Lucius had leaned against the wall closest to the door while facing them for conversation. This was the first time he had attended the practical ss because of other ''issues'' he reported needing to take care of. Whenever one of these issues arose, Grandpa Wally provided him with an excuse. It was not long after Lyrah asked herst question that other members of the ss poured in. Among them were many nobles like Thomas and his gaggle of goons, as well as more honorable people like Desmond Adler. Desmond had attended every practical ss since he joined the academy and had asked Lyrah for Lucius''s whereabouts a number of times. It seemed as though the nobleman was interested in Lucius for one reason or another. She was present when they interacted for a little while several days ago when Lucius and Wally dueled, but beyond that, they had not spoken much in front of others. "Alright, ss." A grizzled man with many scars walked into the room. He was the practical weapons instructor. "Pair up. Except you, Lord Kane. I would prefer not to file death reports today." Lucius nodded and began to walk towards a set of free weights on the opposite side of the room. As he left the wall, a number of people gasped, watching him walk away. Natali was confused at first, but she understood immediately as he passed her. His back was covered in burn marks and scars from extremely deep wounds. She was impressed he lived through whatever caused it. "And that" Lyrah said, "is why I said it was better for the few people who knew. Someone tried very hard to make sure he was dead." Determined, Natali walked up to Lucius and whispered, "Spar with me." "Hmm?" he raised an eyebrow, then gave her an appraising look. "Fine." "Are you going to hold back?" she asked curiously. "No." "Is it because you think I''m strong?" "Hmm, not really. It''s more like holding back would inhibit your growth as a warrior." He answered truthfully. Like Lucius, Natali was often told she was not allowed to spar with the other students. They could not keep up with her rapid attacks in concert with her mark. As she was training to protect Lyrah, she was allowed to train with all aspects of her fighting capability at her disposal. For a while, at the beginning of her time at the academy, people only refused to spar with her. Over time, her training alone became a requirement instead of a hapenstance. "Fine, but if you kill each other, I''m not responsible. Everyone else, clear the ring. We are getting Lord Kane versus Natali. Everyone, take a look." Chapter 180: Lord v Maid [Part 2] Natali stood opposite Lucius in the practice arena. The rules were simple. Weapon arts and marks were allowed; magic and Channeling were not. Natali would normally have chosen to include magic, but the instructor stated he was already risking enough letting them fight as is and did not want to push his luck further. Natali grabbed out her two daggers that were always under the effect of her Mark of Recall. They were specialty made for her size and fighting style as a gift from Lyrah a few years ago. The material they were made from was a lightweight material that was lighter than iron but stronger than steel. It was a hard to find substance called mithril and it did exceptionally well as a base for enchanted weapons. These two des were not enchanted, however they took well to her Arts and seemed to improve her activation speed somewhat. She half expected Lucius to look rxed and not take her seriously, however he had his weapon at the ready, de tip pointed to the ground. His stance looked sloppy as if he was a wild beast rather than a trained fighter. As much as she was wanting to attack the multitude of openings his stance created, there was something in the back of her mind that told her they were traps. Normally she could fight at primarily medium to long range since she could return her daggers to her hand instantly, but the same thing that warned her to be cautious also warned her to mix things up a bit. Lucius would not be an easy opponent. While they watched each other carefully, Natali felt a nervous sweat trickle down her brow. She wiped it away quickly and returned to her ready position. Lyrah shouted out something from behind her, but at the moment, the only thing in her vision and focus was Lucius Kane, the man she basically considered her hero. The professor tossed a red cloth into the center of the ring, the moment it hit the floor, both fighters moved in a counter clockwise motion. They wanted to test each other''s reflexes to see who was faster and so neither made a move. For a few more seconds they changed up direction and movement patterns. As she had predicted, his beast-like stance was intentional, just as the fake openings he left in his form. He wanted to entice her to strike and give him a defensive advantage. However, she was not so foolish. "[Forsaken Arts: Goring Rush]" A sickening amount of mana weighed down on everyone in the room as energy flowed into Lucius''s de. The amount of mana he was controlling felt well beyond the capabilities of a normal Intermediate Rank. Even the professor''s face paled slightly, and he was an Advance Ranker. Lucius''s feet cracked the floor as he shot towards her. At thest moment Natali was able to block the attack with both of her daggers, but was sent flying backward, almost flying out of the ring. If he had not held back in that attack just slightly, she would have been flung into the wall. Explore stories at mvl "[Dagger Arts: Pierce], [Dagger Arts: Phantom des]" Natali hurled her des towards Lucius''s legs as they glowed with mana and turned from two daggers into a group of over twenty. She had been practicing her Phantom de Art for years and had gotten the maximum amount of ghost des to a few dozen. Just before they struck, Natali snapped her fingers and repeated the same attack the moment her des returned to her hand. She repeated the same maneuver two more times. "[Dagger Arts: Phantom des], [Dagger Arts: Phantom des]" In the span of a few seconds the air was filled with just under a hundred semitransparent weapons that all glowed with the same blinding light. This technique made the glow so powerful that her opponent would truly not be able to know which des were real. *ng* Lucius somehow managed to block at least one of the two daggers. When that happened, the Art released and Natali was able to see one of her daggers on the floor and the other was embedded in Lucius''s thigh. Blood leaked from the wound slowly thanks to the weapon plugging up the hole. For a moment she felt excitement and then a sensation of dread washed over her. "[Abyss Break: Demonic Gaze]" Both of Lucius''s gorgeous eyes turned pitch ck. Before she could listen to her instincts which screamed not to look at him, she found herself pulled into his gaze. It was terrifying and enchanting all at once. The world''s color drained away, simply bing a sea of gray. Sound no longer existed; the only thing before her was the unending ocean of darkness known as the Abyss. She could feel the anguish of souls long forgotten, searching for any way out of the despair they found themselves in. It was beautiful yet terrifying. Natali wanted to peer into the depths of his eyes for eternity. She wanted to fall into the darkness and never return. Slowly, she raised her hand and reached outward. A hand reached back, thin and skeletal, with jet-ck skin clinging to it. The fingertips were long and pointed. She had to grab the hand she needed to see what it had to offer. "Natali!" Lyrah''s voice called out to her, shocking her awake. For some reason her eyes were pointed to the ceiling and she felt a pain in the back of her head. She made an attempt to turn and look at her friend, but something was stopping her. Around her neck was Lucius''srge hand. She was pinned beneath him with his hand on her throat and his sword stabbed into the floor next to her face. She stared at him, seeing two striking colors looking back at her, silver and gold. No longer was the endless abyss pulling her inward. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "I win." Before standing up and walking away. He yanked her de out of his thigh and tossed it onto the ground. When she looked at his left hand, which was the one that threw her dagger, she saw that his mark was no longer contained to the back of his hand like a normal Marked One''s. Instead, it wrapped around his wrist like a tribal tattoo. "Good jobnding a hit on me. You did better than Thomas." He said loudly, knowing that the redheaded noble was in the room. From that, in the first time in years, Nataliughed. Sheughed so hard she cried. Lyrah patted her on the shoulders and helped her to her feet. Lucius stepped away to get healing a simple healing potion from the room''s supply. It would not heal the injury right away, but it would make sure it was gone in a few hours. "Well what do you think?" Lyrah whispered to her. "I love him." " that''s not what I meant." "I love him." It was all Natali could think or say at the moment. She saw Lucius freeze when she repeated it and she recalled that he was half-beastman. He nced at her curiously over his shoulder before wiping some sweat off his face and finishing off the potion. "At least he knows" Lyrah sighed. Chapter 181: A Mothers Tears Rena and Lucius walked side by side. Following behind them were Lyrah, Natali, and Kalliope. Rena was shocked when Lucius told her earlier in the day, but apparently, King Verdayl provided him with unrestricted ess to Eroa''s embassy. They were out on the town because they were on their way to meet someone there. Lucius declined to answer who would be present, but he was in a hurry to arrive, so it had to be someone important. Rena pondered who it could be, but nothing seemed to make sense logically. By this point, the capital of Arcadios seemed to return to normal. The shopping stalls returned to being concentrated in the market and the streets were no longer overflowing with people. Rena was d things had returned to normal, mostly because even though everything else went back to the way it was before, Lucius was still here. There was a small part of her that was concerned. He was not really built for the hustle and bustle of city life. Negative interactions with him and a stranger had the potential to go very poorly. In the past, he had to be concerned about people''s perception of her as a pursuant to the position of heir to House Petra. However, now that was no longer the case. Not only was she out of the running, but her father formally disowned her in a private letter. All that was on top of her marrying into a new house. Her reputation was no longer considered as important as his own which did not matter to him. Rena released an exasperated sigh but then smiled. They reached the gates of the embassy, which was manned by a contingent of beastman guards twenty-four-seven. They had arge collection of guards, maid staff, and diplomats staying at the embassy, but there was still plenty of space for Lucius to have a small section of it granted to him for his own use. The guards let them pass through the gates with a simple nod from Lucius. They also gave a polite bow to everyone as they passed by. The interior garden was rather pretty, but most of Rena''s thoughts were upied by whoever was waiting for them. "Don''t worry," Lyrah whispered. "I''m sure everything will be" "L-L-Lucius is that you?" a familiar but slightly older voice called out the moment they shut the door behind them. Standing there with a hand covering her mouth was Rubellia. Her hair had a few streaks of gray that were not there before, but other than that, she looked about the same. She slowly walked forward and stretched out her hand towards Lucius'' face. Rena watched tearfully as Lucius, like a child, rested his cheek in Rubellia''s palm. "Mother." "Lucius. Lucius, my sweet boy." Rubellia pulled him in tightly for a hug. Tears flowed freely from the woman''s eyes as they pooled on the ground. Her soft sniffling turned into loud sobs as she held in her arms the child she thought was long gone. For a few minutes, Lucius stood there, gently hugging his mother as she sobbed. He did and said nothing, only letting her express every ounce of emotion she felt. Members of the embassy staff peeked in a few times but had the courtesy to not interrupt the reunion. When everything had been let out, Rubellia''s face was swollen and red, her eyes puffy and bloodshot. Rena knew all too well what it was like to realize he truly was here. No doubt, by the time she woke in the morning, she would have wondered, just like Rena had, if everything was simply a dream. Remembering what that felt like, waking up wondering if things were a dream she resolved for them to stay the night so that mother and son could spend much-needed time together. If she was able to confirm that her time with him was real, then so too should Rubellia. Eventually Rubelliapletely calmed down and they moved to amon area where they were served tea by the embassy''s maids. It was inly obvious that her mother-inw was ufortable sitting and being served rather than being the one doing the serving. When she started to get up out of instinct, Lucius pulled her down with a gentle tug. He also indicated that Natali remain seated by Lyrah, stating that in private, she is a friend, not a maid. His words made Rena smile because it meant that he was truthful when he told her he would be nicer to her friends. Lucius shared the story of the tournament, of his reunion with Rena, and the expedient wedding that urred shortly thereafter. Rubellia was beside her withughter, hearing that her son essentially had ''stormed the castle to wed the princess'' and did so right under the nose of the ''king,'' who was Richard in this tall tale. Readtest stories on mvl Lyrah eventually introduced herself. "Hello, Mistress Rubellia. I am Lyrah, daughter of the Oracle, Lady Adellia. And Lord Kane here is my dear brother." "Oh my." Rubellia gasped. "Lucius, your mother is the Oracle?" "The person who birthed me does seem to be the Oracle, yes though I think something more interesting is Miss Natali''s connection to us." "Oh?" Natali cleared her throat and attempted to talk at a normal volume. Her voice came out scratchy and broken, but Rubellia could hear her at least: "Mylene and Derrik Wayne''s cousin. I am Derrik''s daughter." Rubellia started to tear up a little more and rushed to hug the girl. "Oh, my dear, I know Wayne received letters about you from Derrik after your birth. To think I would get to meet you. Oh, you are just so precious." "Mother," Rena squeaked out. She was slightly nervous calling her that. "I want you to know I have not forgotten what you told me before I left for the academy. I want you to know I am trying my best." "Mother!" Kalliope shouted out from the corner. "I ask for your permission to be Lucius''s second wife! He is heir to a beastman house so having multiple wives is normal." Lucius sighed and red at the wolf-girl, but she held firm in her resolve. Rena had gotten used to this behavior by this point. Lucius had told her that Kalliope was the reason he was alive, so there was no way she could look poorly on the girl. On top of that, she wanted to be subservient in the wife role, cing Rena at the top of the hierarchy if it was normal for beastmen then maybe "Can it, Kalliope," Lucius growled Chapter 182: Work Studies When the sun rose the next morning, Lucius was woken up by a familiar smell. It had been years since he was able to experience the wonderful aroma of his mother''s cooking. For a brief moment, he thought he was back in the small cabin he called home for the earliest years of his life. However, it was gone now. His mother told him about what happened just before she left Pelith. She was startled to be rushed out of her home by an unknown beastman hiding his face, but she was able to be convinced to leave just before a massive Fanged Boar demolished her home. Her story was corroborated by the reports he received just before he went to bedst night. His men reported after the fact that there were signs of monster bait strewn about the home. Seeing as it used ingredients different from that which they were familiar with in Eroa, they assumed that it was simply a background smell from a small town like Pelith. It wasn''t until Rubellia had told her she recognized the scent as monster bait that they looked into it deeper after the monster left. Someone intentionally wanted that creature to kill Rubellia, and by the time someone thought to look into the situation, any evidence of bait would have long decayed. This was something Lucius expected, though. He made himself untouchable for the most part, so the only thing left were people close to him. Rubellia was a particrly prime target for them. She was out in the middle of nowhere, in a territory far from the capital where Lucius was, and if made to look like an idental monster attack, then it would be an easy way to hurt him. There were not many suspects avable, and at the moment, the most likely ones were members of the Petra family. He could not rule out the Church of Celestia either, though, because he did kill three of their spies. However, the turnaround time on retaliation for that was too quick for it to be realistic. It was possible but unrealistic. As much as he wanted to rampage and destroy the Petra''s he was still far too weak. Richard was a powerful Master Rank warrior who also excelled at magic. On top of that, he was extremely skilled at using his warhammer. There was no way for Lucius to ovee the gap in rank by using skill when it came to Richard. Not only that, but the family was still extremely connected to the core of the kingdom. While Lucius was untouchable, so too were they While pondering the situation in the early morning light, he heard the rustling of sheets next to him and a soft moan. Rena was beginning to stir after a long night''s rest. Her stunning hair was syed out around her on the silk sheets, and it reminded Lucius somewhat of a rose. The thought made him smile, and he leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead. As a reaction, the woman scrunched her face somewhat and pulled the remainder of the covers into her arms. Had Lucius been under them, she would have pulled them right off him. Unable to resist her cuteness any further and realizing that she peeked at him through squinted eyes and was actually awake they worked together to ensure the embassy staff had extra cleaning to do. An hourter, they finally made their way to breakfast, with Rena hurriedly casting healing spells on herself. Everyone was waiting for them at one of the many tables in the dining hall. They conversed politely with one another while Rubellia served each person a bowl of stew. Stew for breakfast was notmon in the capital, but in his household growing up, it wasmon to keep a stew going all morning, adding liquid and ingredients as the day went on. It was simple, cheap, and perfectly nostalgic. No oneined about the food, partly because it was delicious and partly because they knew that he needed this. Their quiet eptance of his desire to be babied a little by his mother was vastly appreciated. However, the calm was short-lived, as they needed to have a serious discussion about the next steps. "So as some of you may know work studies are starting soon," Lucius said after finishing his breakfast by sopping up the soup with the morning bread. The work studies were a requirement for senior students at the academy. Essentially it was like adventure work. Except they did not just go out and kill monsters; they also held the responsibility of trying to learn something about the world. As such, many students took work details for excavation teams who were investigating ruins. Others chose to specialize in a certain type of monster and form reports on their behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses. Essentially there were a near limitless number of ways toplete the task. What Lucius wanted to discuss with everyone was their n. The way the group would work was Lucius, Natali, and Rena would work together on the task. Lyrah was not allowed to leave the capital, so she was exempted from the requirement. Natali was unable to get the same exemption, so she had to join a group on the work-study project. Lucius''s n for that, at Wally''s request, was to loan his biological twin Kalliope and his men in the city. Though he would not tell Lyrah their identities, but working things out with Kalliope, she would have ess to his resources for the purposes of protection. The only thing left for them to discuss what they nned on doing for their work-study. "Any ideas?" Lucius asked the group. Rena thought for a moment, then brought out a small metal card. It was her adventurer card. Lucius also still had his with him, but it had not gotten any use since Lelvern. "I say we do something interesting like guarding an excavation team. No offense, my love, but you are more suited tobat tasks. While you are good at quick thinking and rapid response situations your smarts are oft better forbat and intrigue. "I think that if we do that, then Natali and I can learn from the researchers on-site while you focus on the fighting part. Of course, we will still help because neither of us are helpless maidens after all." Rena exined. "That''s a good n," Lucius said. "A word, brother dearest." Lyrah interrupted. "What is it?" "I have a feeling you should take Desmond and his little sister on this excursion of yours." The girl said while sipping tea and smiling. "I think it would behoove you to have another warrior on your side. The truth of it is that he is quite the fighter. His sister also has a wonderful head on her shoulders. Very bright." "Is this from a vision?" Experience tales at mvl "Who can say, brother." Lyrah teased. "Probably better to call it a hunch. Besides, you told me of that letter he received. Though he was honest with you about it, would it not be better to have a potential threat closer where it can be watched? It will also help you determine how to address Lord Adler in the future." Lucius looked at the ceiling and thought about it for a moment. It wasn''t that he distrusted Desmond more than he distrusted anyone else it was more that he did not want toplicate matters. Though Lyrah did have a point "Fine. I will ask Desmond. He can onlye on the condition of bringing his sister. If he says no, then he''s out. She''s as much an asset as a hostage." Chapter 183: Visions of Blood Adellia had difficulty sleeping every night since she found out Lucius was alive. She was filled with feelings of regret, longing, loneliness, and, most of all, guilt. The guilt of not being there for her son haunted her day and night, keeping her awake. Mylene did what she could to provide for her. She talked things out, helped make tea, used calming aromas, and tried all sorts of other things to help Adellia de-stress. However, nothing seemed to work. The night of the party continued to rey in her head. She reached her hand out to him, but he simply recoiled. There was a sh of disgust on his face as if the thought of her skin touching him was Adellia turned and threw up into a bucket by her bedside. "I deserve this. Truly I do." She mumbled. "The things I did were to save his life, but those scars. The pain he must have" Kalivas and her had some time to interact after the party as well. She knew he loved her greatly, and she wished she could return his feelings, but she was incapable of doing so. However, that did not change the fact that they created two children together When they spoke together after the party, he informed her of what he knew about Lucius. She already knew that Wayne had passed away a number of years ago, but it wasn''t until she learned about Rubellia that she realized the connection. He also suffered a major set of injuries during the war against Alorek that nearly killed him. Kalivas declined to answer what happened, but it was reported to have been a very bad situation. It was lucky that Lucius was alive, much less able to recover to a point to move around as well as he does now. After his recovery, Lucius trained with Kalivas and Kalliope for a few years before returning to the war front in earnest. It was under the name ''Titan'' that he conquered the city of Alvora only six months after being givenmand over a team of his own. Given the way her son acted and carried himself. She realized that much more had gone on than even Kalivas knew. Because of all that, she felt that every ounce of suffering he endured was her fault. Adellia went to sleep that night with the same thoughts passing through her mind as they had every night. All of them were about Lucius. ***** The capital looked perfectly serene. Everything was as it should be. Birds flew high over the city, dancing among the clouds in the bright blue sky. The sun warmed the stone streets and reflected off the wide eyes of children admiring toy shops and food stalls while shopping with their parents. It was a day like any other. Peace and tranquility in the heart of the Kingdom of Arcadios. But something was amiss. There was a strange tension in the air that seemed invisible to the people enjoying their normal lives. There was something they could not see, feel, hear, or understand. There was a strange buzz in the background of it all. A sensation of a power, ancient and unknown. It was an echo of times long forgotten when powers believed to be buried beneath the sands of time ruled the world. Experience exclusive tales on mvl No one knew what was about to happen, but the observer knew. The observer could see it. The thrum of this almost alien energy pulsating through the capital. They tried to follow it through the streets and past market stalls. The energy led them on a chase through taverns and inns. Soon the observer soared through the air, following the source of the power. It settled overtop the Arcadios Royal Academy, then rapidly descended. Left with no other choices, the observer chased it down as well. When they reached the center of the school''s facilities, the power mysteriously vanished. Panicking, worried they had somehow lost this energy, the observer began looking around. They looked behind trees, benches, and statues, yet they found nothing. The observer took a step onto the grass and felt something wet. Thend let out a squelching sound as though it had just rained. But that could not be possible; the sky was clear and bright and sunny. To confirm what they thought, they looked to the sky. It was dark and gloomy. The sun had long since vanished, yet there was no rain. The observer took another step, each movement creating that same ufortable noise and feeling as though they were walking on the surface of a sponge. When they finally reached the stone pathway, they were ovee with the urge to look behind them. What they saw was a line of footprintsing out of the grass and trailing along the stone until they reached the observer. The footprints were a deep shade of crimson, like fresh blood. After realizing what the liquid was, they heard the sounds of screaminging from all around. People began to rush by the observer, iling about wildly. Arrows rained down from the sky and struck several of the students, scattering them along the ground. Their blood mixed with that already soaking thend. The source of the arrows was unseen for the moment, hidden by waves of people fleeing in absolute terror from the attackers. The observer willed themself forward, through the crowds, to find the source of the attack. They were met with countless scores of people. Their faces were clouded over, unable to be observed. They were human, there was no doubt about that, but the way they moved felt strange. All of them were mumbling nonsense and letting out maniacalughter. No sane human would move like that; sound like that After several minutes of trying to sort out the haze that covered their faces, the observer felt another pressure. It was simr to the one that led them to the academy. Turning around, the observer was met with a pair of familiar eyes, one silver and one gold. They locked onto the observer, who was supposed to be unseen. The eyes were not attached to a face or a body, yet it felt like they smiled ***** Adellia woke in a cold sweat, panting and gasping for breath. Her vision, or potentially even nightmare, gave her the urge to vomit again. She quickly reached for her feet, desperately hoping that there was no blood on them like in the dream. She sighed with satisfaction after seeing her handse away clean. It took her several moments to calm herself, even if only slightly. "What are you going to do, Lucius?" She whispered, trembling despite herself. Chapter 184: Twins "So, let me make sure I am understanding this correctly." Desmond said in disbelief, "You want Jade and me to join you for the Senior Work Study?" The young man who had asked him to join was none other than Lucius Kane. He happened to be someone that Desmond was very interested in getting to know, however every opportunity so far had been dashed. Lucius was impossible to find in the ss or practical lessons for the first several days to weeks. He seemed to have some other business that kept him from normal academy life. On days when he was on campus, Lucius spent most of his time surrounded by his wife, Lady Kane, and his biological sister, Lyrah. Of course, with Lyrah, there was always that quiet maid. Rena and the maid would be joining him on the trip as well. He had not gotten time to learn the maid''s name because no one else in ss wanted to talk with her, but apparently, she was quite the aplished fighter. When he tried to talk to her, she would not speak to him. Talking to others about her was not helpful either, as they simply referred to her as the ''deadly maid'' or ''the oracle''s assassin,'' which was terrifying in its own right. For a while, he thought the others were joking, but then he saw her fight against Lucius. She had managed tond a blow to his thigh, which surprised many of the spectators. After the dagger struck, Lucius managed to do something to counter her. He used his mark, which caused her to enter a trance-like state. She raised her hand to him and let him simply walk up to her. When he reached her, he simply grabbed her by the throat, lifted her into the air, and then mmed her down on the ground, sinking his machete into the floor next to her. No one knew why she stopped moving exactly, but whatever it was he did was a strong move it made Desmond morbidly curious. "Why my sister?" "Does she not need credit for this? Would you prefer she travel with someone else?" Lucius asked. "What about your sister?" "She''s exempted as one of the Oracles." Desmond locked eyes with Lucius. The man''s statement was logical, but he was no fool. Not everything was being exined to him about this offer but he could not afford to pass it up. This was the first real conversation he had with Lucius Kane since joining the academy, and here he was, offering him an opportunity to get closer to him and maybe a shot at meeting the king of Eroa. "Brother." A soft voice broke his concentration for a moment. Desmond looked to his side, where his sister was sitting. She was ring at him with a face full of indignation. She seemed to realize that one of the sources of his concern was bringing her on a mission of any kind. Jade was a willful and smart woman, but she was not a strong fighter. In fact, the girl did not have any Compatibility with magic or Arts. Her only usable ability that separated her from a normal person was her mark. "Brother. We should go. Take Lord Kane''s offer. It is the best one we could get. He is right, I am not exempted from this work study. Honestly, among the people here, I feel that Lord Kane is the most powerful and would be the best one to rely on for protection." Jade continued. Desmond sighed and put his hand towards the ck-haired man. "Alright, you have a deal. But! My first priority is Jade''s safety, but anything else is secondary. Just like I expect yours is your wife''s" "Fine, but I will not allow coddling." "Excuse me?" "Rena is more than capable of handling herself. She is a strong magic user. Though I may be stronger, she is not useless. Your sister appears to be stronger than you think. Though not in body, then definitely in mind." Lucius said. Desmond looked over at Jade, who had taken on a bit of a blush. Was that really all it took for her? Just a few kind words from some puffed-up noble no Lucius was not a puffed-up noble. He was a hardened warrior who experienced a hard life to get where he was. It was clear the man needed no ttery, which meant he was telling the truth. "Jade, I am sorry. Lucius, I am in your debt for allowing us to join you and for helping me see my sister''s strengths." "Fine." Shortly after a few exchanges of pleasantries between Rena, Lyrah, Desmond, and Jade, the group of peers left to go inform the staff of their partyposition. ording to the discussion, they were nning on investigating some ancient ruins near the border with the Wisteria Concord. Discover more content at mvl The location was a joint excavation by researchers from both Arcadios and the Wisteria Concord. It was deeply nestled in a forested area, as most things were in Arcadios, which was home to a rather unpleasant number of strong beasts and bandits. "Jade, are you sure you are okay with this? It will be tough to do. The ce we are going to is not a vacation resort or something." "I am aware, brother. However, I have learned a lot from Professor Wally regarding marks and the Demonnguage from which they originate. What I gathered from Lucius''s exnation was that these ruins were believed to be remnants of the demon civilization. "Imagine, brother, what things might be unearthed there? What secrets could we find? Even if the answer is nothing, the sheer exposure to such ancient history is a tantalizing prospect of its own!" Desmond smiled ruefully at his sister. He often forgot how much of an intellectual she was, but it was good to see her motivated by something after such a long time. Though he was still worried about the actual excursion itself, at least she would end up having a good time. Also, her earlier statements were not wrong. Working with Lucius was probably one of the best options they could have hoped for. Anyone else in the academy would be far too much of a ''wildcard'' in terms of reliability and power. That would have made him and Jade do the work studies alone, which was something neither of them wanted to do at all. Chapter 185: A Gift A light knock at the door to the room she was in woke Rena out of a peaceful sleep. Lucius was already awake as well, having heard the knock himself, but he stayed in bed to fully wake up. Ever since returning to her side, he had been getting used to the creatureforts that normal society had to offer. Rena stood up, realizing she was missing her night clothes. She quickly wrapped a sheet around herself so she could answer the door. She tried to crack it open a little, but when she fully unlocked it, the door swung wide open. On the other side was her dear mother-inw, who had been enjoying them staying at the embassy with her. She wanted to ensure that her husband had a lot of quality time with his mother after all these years before they left for the work-study today. It had been hard to keep secret, but she had actually been working with Rubellia on a special surprise. Together, they found they had some interesting connections within the city and wanted to put together a nice gift for Lucius after all he had done for them. Though she was excited to see her mother-inw, Rena realized that she was not exactly dressed for the asion. The moment that realization hit her, she froze and nearly lost grip on the sheet that protected the remainder of her modesty. "Miss Rubellia, I am so very sorry you had to see me in this state. You see, we just well it I and you know" Lucius sat up, letting his nket fall off his body and cover hisher regions. "Rena. We are husband and wife. I am sure mother is aware of what two people in a situation like ours do." He said, stifling a yawn. "What can we do for you, mother?" "Oh, I just wanted to remind Rena that the thing is ready." She answered with a wink. Rena''s eyes went wide with excitement. "Truly?! Oh, yes! Lucius,e, we must get dressed!" "You know, I was pretty sure I already" "Do not make me p you." Rena snipped, throwing a paperweight at him while heughed. Rubellia excused herself long enough for the two to get dressed. Since the gift was ready, they were going to retrieve it with him together. It would be one final day out on the town before they had to leave for a few weeks to go on work study. They would return in short order, and Rubellia had permanent residence inside the embassy. Lyrah and Kalliope were also staying with her. Lucius had made sure to request such an arrangement because it was easier to keep track of both of them if they were in the same ce. After finally getting dressed, Rena and Lucius met Rubellia at the exit to the embassy. Lucius took both women in hand, and they set off to the marketce. The air was crisp and refreshing. Baked goods were being set out, sending their aroma through the air. Many people hurried about to get their stores or stalls set up for the day''s business. With all the hustle and bustle, one might assume that the city was having an event, but this was just how the capital was on a normal day. All of the crowds that had gathered for the events a few weeks ago had all left, so the world was the same once more. Slowly working their way through the morning crowds, the group made their way to the day''s destination. Lucius was visibly confused about what was going on, however he looked even more confused when he saw that they had taken him to a cksmith shop. It was no ordinary cksmith shop. In fact, it was one of the best shops in the city known as the Hammer''s Strike. Many members of nobility wouldmit heinous crimes to be put on the waiting list tomission a piece from the famous brothers, Mason and Carter Hammer, who ran the store. Hammer''s Strike did not sell weapons off the shelf, they exclusively dealt inmissioned pieces. Rena giggled as she saw the look of consternation on her lover''s face. "Well, my love. Have you figured out why we are here?" "Did you two somehow get the Hammer brothers to make me a weapon or piece of armor?" He asked dubiously. Rubellia decided to answer this time, "Not so much make as well let''s just go in and look." The two women led the man by the hand inside the store where they were greeted with a rather cozy waiting area. It was small, butvishly furnished. The building itself wasrge, but most of it was dedicated to the workshop that made the weapons. The shop also had very thick walls that were enchanted with special crystals from Aedrider that kept the sound froming into the waiting area or outside. At the desk there was a woman dressed in fine silks who put on a warm smile. "Hello, how may we assist you today?" "Yes, we are here to retrieve amission. My name is Lady Rena Kane." She answered. "Ah! Lady Kane! Yes I remember the order, please wait, I will have the item brought out to you at once." The woman''s calm and kind demeanor became almost an excited panic as she rushed to through a door behind her counter. She did not seem to care about her appearance as she darted away in a way that would be unbing of ady in the noble district. When she returned, she had a weapon with an unusually long handle for a de of its length. It was wrapped in a gorgeous ck silk and wasying in an intricately carved box atop a red velvet cushion. Given the type of weapons Lucius used, it was clear he was thrown off by the delicacy and presentation of the weapon. "What is this you two?" He asked quietly, approaching the weapon with care as the clerk set it on the counter. Explore more adventures at ?? Rena smiled. "Remember the day you finally awoke to your Thunder Magic? That very same day, you pushed yourself to force your Thunderp spell into your machete and it snapped in half. "That same machete was the one that awakened your Forsaken Arts on the day we met. It had been by your side for many years and I have kept it safe all this time. I decided that I wanted to have someone reforge it so we might return it to you. "As it turns out, your mother and I both know people close to the Hammer brothers, and when they heard the story and who the weapon was for well they took the job on a rush order." Chapter 186: An Old Friend Lucius carefully approached the box. The length of the de was just like that of his normal weapon, about twenty-eight inches. However, the length of the handle was more than twice of what it used to be. It was no longer a handle designed for one hand, but if he wanted, he couldfortably grip it with both at once. The look on his face seemed to make the clerk realize why he was confused. "Oh! Let me fetch one of the brothers. They can exin any questions you might have." Once again, she left in a hurry, and when she returned, she found a shirtless man with sweat mixed with soot rolling down his chest and arms. He had a set of goggles resting around his neck, and around his eyes, there was a clear color difference from where the goggles kept the soot out. "Hi there, you must be Lord Kane. Ah and Miss Rubellia and Lady Kane, a pleasure to see you again." "Yes, nice to meet you. I''m curious why is the handle designed for a two-handed hold?" Lucius asked immediately, cutting through the idle chatter. "Ah, that. Well, the de is enchanted now, you see. The enchantment does not extend to the grip, so we had to design the grip in such a way that you could use it in both forms." "Both forms?" "The enchantment on it allows you to extend the de to about three times its length. The hilt is designed and weighted to still usefortably with one hand when the de is not magically extended, however you basically have to use a two-handed grip to wield it at its full length." Your adventure continues at ?? As the smith exined the capabilities of the weapon he reforged, he pulled it out of the box and unwrapped the cloth cover. "I made sure to use the original pieces of the weapon. I had to reforge the entire thing, but your weapon''s soul was kept intact. At its core, it is the same weapon that fought by your side." The smith passed him the weapon gingerly, encouraging Lucius to take hold of it. The de of the weapon was beautiful. Along both sides of it, there were intricate carvings and engravings that were abination of decorative and functional. Runes were required for some forms of enchanting, so the design used the required runes for the extension of the weapon as the centerpiece for the intricate engravings around it. When Lucius gripped the handle of his old friend, he could feel mana rush from himself to it as if it was hungry for his power. It was not so draining as to cause concern, but it was noticeable, especially for someone with such fine control over the flow of mana in his body as he was. "Ah, it seems you noticed. When I heard the story of what happened, we imbued a secondary enchantment into the weapon. Not only does it extend the de, but it also has a fortification aspect. The fortification activates any time you push a spell through the de. A small fraction of your mana will strengthen the weapon so what happened in the past will not happen again. "That''s not to say it is unbreakable, mind you, but because it uses the power from your Arts or your spell to strengthen itself on activation, then at the very least, you won''t be able to break it yourself." The man finished exining. Lucius was ecstatic to receive such a giftso much so that he forgot the need for decorum in public and wrapped his wife and his mother in a massive hug at once. "Thank you for the wonderful gift, you two." "Of course." They both answered while gently patting him on the back. Since his weapon was already paid for, they were able to leave with the weapon in hand and not have to hand over any more money. Lucius stored his other weapon and the sheathe that made it look like a longsword in his storage ring. For the new weapon, he had clipped it behind his back and wore it proudly. There was no longer any need for him to pretend not to be carrying such a weapon, as everyone already knew what his weapon of choice was. Originally, he used a spear that he managed to salvage from the storage ring that managed to survive with what was left of Mia''s corpse. However, as the tournament went on, he wanted to slowly show more of his identity as a way to taunt the people who tried to hunt him down. When it came time to fight in the final battle, he fully revealed his true skills and preferred fighting style, which was broadcast to the entire capital. For those who did not see him using a weapon like his, the unique shape of the handle would throw them off and make them not realize what it was truly used for. For the rest of the day, Lucius decided to focus on visiting the market stalls with his family. They stopped by a bakery that Rena enjoyed visiting with Lyrah and Natali. She was very excited to show it to Rubellia and him. By the time the evening rolled around, they bid goodbye to his mother and set off to the Adventurer''s Guild headquarters in Arcadios''s capital. Whenpared to even Lelvern, the building dwarfed every other Adventurer''s Guildhall. It was a massive six-storey building with a stone spire attached to the rear of the building that seemed to be two or three floors taller than the rest of the building. From that spire hung the guild''s emblem, a simple red shield with crossed axes. It was by far not thergest or most grand building in the capital, as those titles likely went to the Grand Cathedral, the castle, and the Merchant''s Guild headquarters. However, it was still a majorly impressive building. Lucius had already rented space on the second floor for them to meet with their party as well as scheduled time with a guild receptionist to meet with them to discuss their mission. To make things easier on the academy, they agreed with the Adventurer''s Guild to provide quests and missions relevant to the annual work-study. The mission they were taking was already chosen; they simply needed to discuss the specifics with the guild''s receptionists and formerly create a party. Chapter 187: Business Expense "Wee to the Arcadios Adventurer''s Guild. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Kane and Lady Kane. I imagine the rest of your party will be those in this room?" A homely-looking half-elf woman stood at the opposite end of the long table centered in the conference room they had reserved. Shortly after Rena and Lucius arrived, the guild sent one of its receptionists up to assist with the scheduled meeting. It wasmon for parties to reserve rooms and timeslots with receptionists at this branch due to its size. Though Lelvern was a more densely popted city, the capital of the country was much physicallyrger and had a much higher standard for what the government considered ''safe'' for the territory surrounding the seat of their nation. Because of this abundance of caution, adventurer work was never-ending, and the guild in this city was thergest in the country. In most countries, the guild halls in their capitals were also thergest and busiest branches. "Yes. These others with me will be joining my party. We are students at the Arcadios Royal Academy, so registration examinations are exempt for them. Lady Kane and I are already registered, though our registration might need some updating." Lucius passed the woman his and Rena''s guild cards they received back in Pelith all those years ago. Neither of them had visited any guilds in the time since, so now was as good a time as any for them to renew the information. "Ah, so Lady Kane will need her surname changed. Yours will need added oh, that''s strange" "What seems to be the matter?" Desmond asked from his seat, a few positions away from the receptionist. "Oh, it''s just that we did not receive notice of a party being disbanded, yet there hasn''t been activity recorded for any of your party for thest four years" "That makes sense." Lucius sighed. "Go figures the bitch would ditch their disguises after trying to kill me. Seem''s like she thought I wouldn''t die so easily." "What do you mean?" Rena asked. "May we have a moment alone? I take it you have the information you need from the documents we submitted. Would you be willing to register us as the protective detail for the Grimspire ruins? Thanks." "As you wish, Lord Kane." Lucius sighed once again. "I hate this nobility shit" "I know," Rena said with a teasing smile. "Anyway. Our previous party was a group of five, Rena and myself, along with an elf named Lethen, a human named Paul, and another human named Jen, the leader." Lucius exined. He had yet to tell this story to Rena either, so she was curious where it was going. "As it turns out," he continued. "They were hired by an entity that shall not be named for now to kill me while I was out in the Alorek desert attacking supply lines with the former party known as the Marks. "Their leader, Mia, along with Jen, Lethen, and Paul, all tried very, very hard to kill me out in the desert. That''s how I got all these scars on my back. Fun fact, by the way, Jen was using some sort of disguising device from Aedrider, and she''s actually a ck-haired elf named Shiyani." Desmond seemed to freeze. "Did you say: Shiyani?" "I did. Know her?" "Enough to know she''s not one to fuck with. She''s one of the best assassins out there." "Well, assassinating someone unawares in a city or under the cover of night is vastly different than confronting them in the middle of the day directly to their face." "From what I know, she''s not a specialist in one-on-one frontalbat sure she can handle herself, but anyone who knows a few things about wielding a sword could fight her off why would she put herself in such a disadvantageous situation" "Don''t know, don''t care. When I find her, I''ll be sure to ask her as the light of life slowly drains from her eyes." Lucius stated coldly. A light knock on the door indicated the receptionist had returned, so they allowed her inside. She quickly went over the standard rules and guidelines of being an adventurer, then threw on a few additional rules that came with being a student applicant to the guild. The only major differences were known failure fees and the registration expired after six months of non-activity for the guild. The temporary registrations could be upgraded to permanent registration upon submission of documentation of either graduation from the academy or dismissal. No one else seemed to have any questions, so they bid their goodbyes to the receptionist and headed to the nearest carriagepany to reserve a ride to the Grimspire ruins. Grimspire was given that name because there was a singr massive tower that was somehow still standing even though the ruins were estimated to be in the realm of two thousand years old. No one knows what the ruins used to be called, how big it truly was, or really much of anything. The only known fact was that it was a city belonging to the long-extinct demon race. Renting a wagon out that far, especially since it was not a regr stop, was rather expensive. The final feended at almost two thousand gold coins to cover most of the distance. Even then, they only stopped at the nearest vige with a dedicated road, so there would still be some walking required. Desmond was about to offer to pay for it, but Lucius declined. "Actually, do not worry, I will cover the expense." "Oh, how wealthy are we? Honestly, I''m alright if we go back to being adventurers to live. That was my original n anyway, but just out of curiosity?" Rena asked. Lucius thought back to thest count of their treasury and then did some mental math on the family''s assets and businesses that were not as liquid as their coinage. It took him a few minutes to think of an answer, which was starting to worry Rena. "I thinkst count was somewhere in the range of two or three billion gold, give or take a couple million. Then we have a bunch tied up in some bars, inns, transport businesses oh, there''s a joint venture for a salt mine that we co-own with Kalliope''s family. I don''t really have numbers on value for those right now." Find more chapters on ?? His answer dropped the jaws of everyone in the group. "So yeah, no need to worry about me," He continued, "However, since technically I''m on assignment from the King of Eroa. This is ssified as a business expense. King Verdayl will cover the bill of all rted costs." Chapter 188: Oracle Troubles After Lucius left the capital with his group of fellow students, Kalliope felt slightly alone for a few days. For thest four years, she had been by the man''s side every single day for training, fighting, or talking. They had gotten to know each other very well. Lucius regaled her with every story he had about his childhood over those four years. She even knew about his mark and how it seemed to be connected to two entities, one named Grimm and the other named Luz. Grimm was apparently a darker entity with tendencies towards mischief and mayhem. It whispered ideas into Lucius''s head on asion and asked him to do many unspeakable things. Luz, on the other hand, spoke of only positive things he could or should do. Essentially, the two entities were pr opposites. Under any other circumstance, Kalliope would have assumed him to be insane rather than believing that voices inside his head were separate individuals. However, he also informed her that Rena had a run-in with Grimm once as a child, though they had never really had an in-depth conversation about who or what she spoke to. Because they never spoke about it, that meant Rena did not know to what extent Lucius was familiar with the two entities, nor was the woman aware that Luz also existed. Knowing this made Kalliope feel a little happy and prideful that she was aware of something that his primary lover was not. "Miss Kalliope, I have returned." Lyrah''s sing-song voice rang throughout the embassy. It seemed the young woman had returned after being out on the town for a while. When Lucius assigned her to watch over Rubellia and Lyrah, she understood the importance of the mission. Kalliope swore that she would not let a single hair on their heads be disturbed as she would keep constant vigil over them. However, on the very next day after they departed, Lyrah went missing. Kalliope searched through much of the capital to find the girl, but she was nowhere to be found. She had managed to evade a master tracker and beastman such as herself. Kalliope returned to the embassy early the next morning exhausted, and wanted to rest before beginning the search again. Lyrah was happily humming whilst cooking breakfast with the maid staff and Mistress Rubellia. Every day was like that since and eventually Kalliope just gave up. Any time she asked what it was that Lyrah was doing all she would answer was, "Just running some errands." After giving that non-answer, she would follow it up with ament of, "Natali had no problem keeping up with me." Kalliope felt a strong urge to p the girl right there, but restrained herself so she did not cause an international incident on top of angering Lucius "Kalliope." The wolf-girl rolled her eyes. "What is it, Miss Lyrah?" "Would you like to join me on my errands tomorrow?" "Really? You aren''t going to leave me behind again?" She gave the ck-haired girl a dirty re which only served to make the girlugh. "Yes, I think I should be nicer to my future sister-inw." "Wh=wh-what? Wait! Did you see that happening in the future?" Kalliope squeaked out. Her tail had given away her emotions and was wagging fast enough to create a nice breeze. "Who knows? Maybe I just thought I would say something nice to you to get you to let your guard down?" Lyrah ced a hand over her mouth and giggled before excusing herself to go prepare the cement. Kalliope could not keep the frustrated growl that was forming in her throat. The rumbling sound made Rubellia smile at the two girls'' antics. Kalliope was about to leave and sulk, buta shout from the dining area apanied the sound of breaking ss. "Kalliope! Come, quickly! It''s Lyrah!" Rubellia shouted. Following the sound of panic, she quickly darted into the dining room and saw Lyrah copsed on the ground surrounded by the shards of a broken te. Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head and her lips were moving silently. Experience new stories on ?? Kalliope hurried and ced her on her side to ensure she would not swallow her own tongue or choke on saliva. One of the maids brought over a decorative pillow to rest Lyrah''s head on as well. Everyone fussed over the unconscious oracle for several minutes and wondered if they should get a healer or not. Thankfully, before they sent someone out, Lyrah awoke and shouted, "No! Stop I''m fine if you fetch someone, they''ll know." "Who will know? Know what?" Rubellia asked quickly. "The elders. They have been wondering where I have been. I have been trying to avoid them so they do not lock me away with my mother while Natali is away. I also do not wish to give them any prophecies." Lyrah answered quietly. Kalliope sighed and nodded in understanding. It was most likely that the ''errands'' the girl was running were trying to confuse any trackers that these so-called ''elders'' would have out searching for her. It was perfectly reasonable to not want to be locked away somewhere for any length of time. Especially after you had experienced freedom. "Alright. So, tell us. You had a vision? You can share. Everyone in thispound reports directly to Lucius. You can share any information you have freely." Kalliope promised while eyeing the maid staff who all nodded quickly in the affirmative of her statement. "Alright It was a vision of the academy. It was under attack. So much blood" Lyrah whispered. "I thought you could only have visions of Lucius?" "I did as well however I did ''see'' his eyes, though I never saw his face so it was connected to him somehow" the oracle continued. "Wait, Lucius would not attack the academy would he?" Rubellia asked. "If he did, Kalliope would stop him." "No, I wouldn''t." Kalliope said instantly. "If it''s him against the world, I will stand at his back, sword at the ready Mistress Rubellia." "Don''t worry" Lyrah interjected. "I do not know who was attacking, but it was not Lucius. That I can assure you all. I do not know who they were but it will happen and I do not know when." Kalliope nodded and helped Lyrah get to a morefortable seating position on a chair instead of the floor. For the next few hours they spoke back and forth about what to do and other ns for the eventual attack. Lyrah insisted that they do not make the information public at this time, until or unless they figure out who it might be. Revealing it now would result in the im being ignored without evidence. And if they revealed that the information came from an oracle, it would bring them back to the issue of Lyrah being found out and exposed to the elders. Their best solution at this time was to utilize the King''s Shadow agents avable to try and look for whispers of anything academy rted. Chapter 189: A Fathers Scorn/Spire Hollow [Dual Chapter] Richard mmed his fist into the wall of his office for the dozenth time since he returned to Pelith. Many things had gone wrong for him over thest few weeks. The chief among them was that Lucius survived the assassination n that was put in ce. He left the entire plot up to the elven bitch known as Shiyani and assumed she would take care of it. Richard was not one to n, he preferred the more honorable route of direct confrontation, so he had left the n to her. He had already dirtied his hands more than necessary by using an assassin. However, he also recognized that he was given little choice. There was absolutely no way for him to have been able to leave hismand at Watcher''s Retreat, make it past enemy lines unnoticed, track the Marked One down, and then kill him. After all that, he would have to somehow return to hismand in a reasonable time. It was practically impossible. Another issue that gued him was that not only did Lucius survive he was also the son of the King Ranker Kalivas from Eroa. With training from him, the boy had gained the power to overwhelm every opponent in the Exhibition Tournament withplete ease. After all that, the bastard had the gall to trap King Aleksander into a promise that allowed him to manipte the king into approving the marriage of Lucius and Rena. There was not a doubt in Richard''s mind of the question he asked, "Would it be fine if I were a noble" was one he specifically structured as a logical trap. Had the king reneged on his word after Lucius was revealed as a noble but one simr in rank to Richard''s own it would have been an international embarrassment. "That bastard defiled my daughter''s innocent heart. I will kill him." Richard growled. "Wayne, I know that you are turning over in your grave, likely cursing me from the afterlife, but I cannot let this slide. Lucius I will find a way to get back at you. Prophesied heir of House Kane or not you will die by my hand." "Lord Petra, your investigators are ready to provide a report on the destruction of Mistress Rubellia''s home." A maid said from outside the door. "Let them in." A man and woman entered the room simultaneously, with a handful of documents between them. They were simple-looking folk, but they were very good investigators and information gatherers. Rubellia''s home had been attacked not too long ago by an enraged Fanged Boar. The beast alone was a rather rare sighting in the forest outside Pelith, but to have one leave the confines of the sacred woods was rarer still. For the beast to have also targeted Rubellia''s home alone and caused no other damage was too convenient, to say the least. Richard was not a man who relied on convenience; it was only a fact. After hisst inability to follow through, he would not leave this incident alone. ording to the investigators, Rubellia did make it out alive. People reported seeing her with a strange hooded man with animal-like ears. They left town on a rushed carriage headed toward the capital. This was likely the doing of Lucius. As for the attack itself, it seemed someone had lured the monster out using a string of bait traps in the woods. The investigators found signs of monster bait around the destroyed home as well in periodic locations trailing deep into the woods where the beast would normally dwell. After providing their findings, Richard handed them their payment and waived them away. Someone seemed to be attacking Lucius indirectly in such a way as to hurt him without making it obvious. Knowing how resourceful Lucius was, he would see through such incidents immediately. Given how little time there was between Rubellia escaping and the monster attack urring, it was clear he had anticipated something like this well in advance. "Smart kid" Richard grimaced. At least one thing he agreed on with the boy was avoiding involving the innocent in their feud. Richard had no concerns that Lucius would find him responsible for this, as it was something below Richard''s station. "However, it is not below my idiot brother''s" he muttered. "Andre, you fool if he finds out it''s you well, just keep Thomas out of it. He''s the next in line, after all. If you get yourself killed, then it''s your own damned fault." Of course, he would not put it above Lucius to kill Thomas as payback for Andre''s actions. However, starting a war like that between House Petra and House Kane could break the centuries-old alliance between Eroa and Arcadios. Such a thing would likely be something the boy would avoid. After pondering the situation longer, he decided he needed to take a walk. It had been a long time since Richard had taken in the simple pleasures of life. He found himself amongst the flowers in his rear garden, walking and enjoying the smells and beauty of the cultivated flora. It took little time for him to happen upon the gazebo that his daughter had loved so much when she was younger and the sight of it brought a pang of sorrow to him. Richard knew he was a poor excuse for a father. Too much of his focus was spent on his duties and almost none of it on his own flesh and blood. Other than the maid staff, the girl was virtually isted from social interactions of any kind. Her cousins were not those he wished her to be around. Also, the country nobles were much too timid to assume that he would let their children interact with her. Though he would have, they were not brave enough to ask, and he was too much of an idiot to make it known that it was okay. "Lord Petra, a letter regarding Lady Rena arrived for you from the Arcadios Royal Academy." "Oh? Why would that not be sent to Lucius or Kalivas?" he asked. "I believe that you are still listed as her guarantor, so it wille to you directly." "That makes sense, is she okay?" The maid shuffled ufortably for a few moments before Richard finally said, "Well out with it." "Um my lord, it seems there have been a number of" "Of?" "There have been noiseints from Rena''s room in the female dormitory, and the academy wishes for it to be addressed or for Lady Rena to find residence outside of the academy''s facilities." The maid answered, her red flushed. "Gods be damned, you fucking marked bastard" [---------------------190-Spire Hollow---------------------] The first few days of the carriage trip went by rather smoothly. The roads were well-maintained and there were little in the ways of monsters or bandits to worry about. This was due to the capital''s policy on making the area around it extraordinarily safe. However, the safe and easy times would notst forever. The party eventually passed into the areas that were less maintained. The roads became bumpier and harder to travel. Natali in particr was ufortable from the constant jostling. As someone who had spent her entire life with Lyrah, riding in a carriage of any kind was something that she had never done. The poor girl had it rough. She looked rather sick in the face even on the smooth parts of the trip, but now that they were rocking back and forth onrge bumps and dips in the path, she looked like she would empty her guts at any moment. "Miss Jade, could you please assist Natali in calming down? Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about the motion sickness she must be feeling." Lucius requested. "Of course, Lord Kane." Jade answered with a smile before saddling up to the maid and rubbing her back. Jade also provided pieces of bread and water to try and settle the girl''s stomach a little. Neither would really aplish much, but it was clear that Natali appreciated the gesture from Jade. Desmond looked on in pity at the girl, but said nothing. He had been remarkably quiet during the trip so far and even maintained a healthy distance away from Lucius. Lucius did not know why this was, but assumed it had something to do with trying to earn his trust. Desmond had already self-admitted to receiving a letter from some unknown organization and handed the evidence directly to him. It would have been just as easy for him to have kept it quiet and tried to worm his way into Lucius''s inner-circle another way. However, it seemed that was not the kind of person Desmond Adler was. He was much more honest than that and freely answered the questions asked of him. The only thing that ever seemed to put Sir Adler on edge was anything that rted to his sister, Jade. It was clear he was extremely overprotective of her. Which is why Lucius used her to his advantage. Though he felt like Desmond was a decent enough guy, it never hurt to have insurance. "Stop the carriage." Lucius stated suddenly while smacking the side of the wagon. Almost immediately, the driver stopped, making the horses whinny out of confusion. "What is going" Lucius quickly shushed Desmond who had grabbed his spear and began to question why they were suddenly stopped. "Everyone out of the carriage. We have guests. They don''t seem hostile." He said finally. Lucius quickly jumped out and then proceeded to help the girls out of the back. The drop was not sorge that they could not handle it, but something told him it would be the right thing to do. Natali and Rena could have easily made the leap without issue, but they were not going to decline his offer for assistance. Jade, however, was not what one would call athletically inclined. When she attempted to hop out, she stumbled over the side by catching the tip of her toe on the edge. Thankfully, Lucius was there to catch her, though they ended up in a slightly awkward entanglement. Jade''s face ended up buried into Lucius''s chest as her arms were wrapped around his neck from her panicking and grabbing onto anything that would stabilize her fall. He could hear the pounding of her heart quicken and be louder while he simply sighed, put a hand on each of her shoulders, and then pried her off. Desmond watched the situation with a raised eyebrow, visibly unsure of what to think about the situation. Rena simply smiled and stifled augh. However, the worst reaction from the situation came from the maid girl, Natali. Her usually stone-like face twitched at the corners of her lips; likely out of jealousy. Choosing to ignore the situation in favor for the greater concern, Lucius turned to face down the road they were traveling on and awaited their guests. After only a short wait, a group of ten people, each wearing a hodgepodge of armor that did not quite go together, appeared. It was easy to recognize the men as former soldiers from the war with Alorek. Since they were very close to the border with the Wisteria Concord, it only made sense that a number of the soldiers dismissed from the battle settled rtively near the area of engagement. Of course, Lucius did not recognize any of the people explicitly. He was able to deduce the information based on their armor, the fact many of them had marks on their left hands, and the fact they moved in a military-like fashion. It seemed that after he was secreted away to train in Eroa, the Marked Ones were given some form of training. At least Richard was good for something while he oversaw Watcher''s Retreat. "Halt!" The person who appeared to be the leader of the group shouted out. "You are approaching Spire Hollow. What business do you have in our vige?" "Spire Hollow?" Desmond asked. "I''m unfamiliar with the ce. We looked over the maps meticulously, but there was no mention of such a ce." "Spire Hollow is the name of our vige. I''ll ask again, what business do you have?" the leader continued, getting a little impatient. "We were sent on a quest from the Adventurer''s Guild to assist researchers at the Grimspire ruins. I take it your vige is the one near them?" Rena said. She had put a hand on Lucius''s arm to indicate she would take charge of the pleasantries. Rena and the former soldiers continued to exchange information with one another so that they were each aware of the other''s intentions. A few minutes went by, but eventually the armed men agreed to escort them to their vige. It would be dark soon and traveling the rest of the way to Grimspire would not be a wise idea. Even though it was very close to the vige they were going to, such a short distance was still dangerous at night. The vige they called ''Spire Hollow'' was supposed to be a small vige that specialized in hunting and lumber, like most of the viges in Arcadios. However, it seemed that the vige had grown a lot in poption. There seemed to be arge number of veterans from the war that settled here. Houses were constructed quickly and inrge rows, and the vige had even set up a ratherrge and formidable barricade around itself. "Not bad." Lucius remarked. Chapter 190: Bar Troubles Jade was nervous to join in the excursion right from the beginning, but when Lucius and his cohorts came to her and Desmond, there was no way they could reject them. She would not be given any special permissions to avoid participating in the work-studies, and it was unlikely that anyone would take her in. Since Desmond would not join anyone without bringing her along as well, he also would have been left out. That would have meant the two of them would be doing the work alone and that would present a lot of risk. Though umon, it was not unheard of for senior students to go missing or die on the work-studies. That was why only the senior ss participated. If it was only the two of them, the risk of them being among the negative statistics were higher. On top of the practical reasoning, Jade was also acting a little selfish on behalf of Desmond. She knew that he had been trying desperately to get closer to Lucius and though she did not know the reason, she wanted to help her brother achieve his task. However, once they started the actual journey, she found herself oddlyforted. Jade was fearful of what they would run into, but out in the field, Rena and Lucius exuded such absolute confidence that it washed away her worries. They revealed prior experience traveling as adventurers, so that was likely the reason for their calm. Everything was also going well for Jade, until she messed up. Lucius requested they file out of their carriage, which was more like a glorified wagon cart, and she tripped and ended up wrapped around him. The entire incident was mortifying. From the outside, it looked like she was making moves on a married man, and that was terrifying. For her part, Jade could not hide the blush on her face remembering the incident as they were led into the rapidly growing vige named Spire Hollow. His piercing multi-colored eyes haunted her every thought and his brooding expression heated her cheeks. "Jade, are you alright?" the kind voice of the wife of the very man viting her private thoughts called out to her. "Oh yes, Lady Kane, I am fine." Jade answered hurriedly. "I apologize for my behavior earlier; I assure you it was entirely an ident." Rena simply giggled. "It''s fine. I promise you that you are far from the first to ''make a move on him'' and inparison to what Kalliope tries to pull your efforts are rather tame." Jade nodded along. She had seen the wolf-girl''s shamelessness, so it was no wonder Rena was rather calm about the situation. Also, Lucius was nobility from a beastman nation so maybe the woman had made peace with that? "We are here. It''s a small inn, but there should be rooms enough for all of you. The food is good too. The liquor is shit, but it still gets you drunk." One of their escorts pointed them to one of therger buildings in town that he had guided them to. It was simple in construction, but it had two floors. The ground level was a bar and eatery with dozens of round tables lined with stools. Many of them were packed with vigers who were getting drunk to ease the day''s stresses. A few homely waitresses moved deftly between the sea of legs to deliver pints of alcohol and trays of food. The smell was far from pleasant with the smell of sweaty workers and stale beer, but when the tes of food passed by, Jade''s senses were assaulted with a wave of pleasant aromas. The sights and smells caused her stomach to rumble, prompting Lucius to look directly at her. "Let''s eat. There''s a table in the far corner, away from the door. I''ll reserve some rooms for us. Natali, would you prefer to sleep alone or share a room with the twins?" "I will share with the twins. Less rooms are better." The maid answered. Lucius nodded and left to speak to an elderly woman at the main counter. Jade followed the rest to the table he had pointed out and sat down. Their orders were taken quickly and they settled into light conversation. They did not discuss anything particrly important or deep. After all, they were not close enough with each other to share anything important. Desmond and Rena led the conversation primarily and Natali simply sat and observed the surroundings. Her behavior made Jade remember that she was normally tasked with watching over Lady Lyrah, so it made sense that she was constantly surveilling their surroundings. Their de facto leader, Lucius returned and passed a room key to Desmond while keeping another for himself. "Anyone pick up any rumors yet?" he asked sitting down. "Just that the researchers apparently have a camp set up right in the ruins that they stay in when not needing any supplies. Tomorrow is supposed to be one of their scheduled runs to town for a refresh, so we can probably link up with them then." Rena answered. Jade looked at her incredulously. She had no clue how the woman had picked up on such a rumor while she was engrossed in conversation with Desmond. Jade was only half-paying attention to her brother''s conversation with Rena and she still had not been able to pick out anything among the roar of voices. "You" An angry, deep voice called out to them. It came from arge man with crazy eyes and a scraggily beard who stepped up behind Lucius. Lucius sighed and put down his ale Rena had ordered for him earlier. Hezily turned around to address the man, "What is it?" "I knew it. I recognize those eyes." The angry man said through clenched teeth. "You were the one responsible for that day. Awfully stupid of you to show up here. Did you know that most of this vige is full of men and women from Watcher''s Retreat?" "And?" Lucius''s expression was one ofplete boredom, however the man addressing him clenched every muscle in his body. He looked like a person on the verge of murder. "You will pay for what you did. Step outside. Now." It was by this point that Jade had realized the entire floor had grown quiet and watched their interaction. Several among the crowd had looks of anger, realization, and fear in their eyes when they settled on Lucius. On Lucius''s part, he maintained his look of boredom up until the moment a challenge was issued. He epted the challenge with a huge, toothy grin on his face. Chapter 191: Angel of Death Jade watched as Lucius downed the rest of his drink and walked outside of the inn. The rest of the patrons followed him silently, no one daring to speak a single word. When everyone finally got outside, Lucius looked around for a moment before walking to a rtively sparse spot ofnd where a few paths were interconnected. The pissed-off gentleman from earlier was the closest one behind Lucius as he led everyone to this spot, but a number of people from the crowd joined them. All of them had looks of hatred on their faces and all of that energy was directed right at the ck-haired man. "Why don''t you tell everyone here what you''ve done." The angry man shouted. "My men here remember, but the rest of the vige doesn''t know who you are. Do your friends? How about we share?" he continued while Lucius watched him. "All of you have heard about the Angel of Death, right? Four years ago he descended on the battlefield and used a grand spell that took hundreds of lives. Over a thousand men and women died that day on our side the Angel''s spell was directly responsible for more over half of that number maybe even more. "He overlooked the battlefield; a ck-haired boy with glowing eyes. We were overwhelmed and losing ground against Alorek. A single entity appeared, looking like the savior we needed in that moment. Our Angel sent to save our sorry hides but instead all he brought was death. Death to Alorek and death to the Union forces. "This boy I saw him back in Watcher''s Retreat before the battle. I recognized him as one of our own. Weunched the offensive to get you past enemy lines but that sacrifice wasn''t enough for you was it? You needed more so you took them; all those lives, you took them with your own hands." The man ranted. His story was followed by a series of jeers and shouts from the crowd. More individuals walked out of the gathered people to join the angry man in his confrontation against Lucius. Jade looked towards Lucius, her eyes almost pleading for him to deny the allegations levied against him. Yet, he remained silent. Worse still, his face contorted into a twisted smile. "What of it?" He answered. His tone chilled the crowd to the bone. Several people, including Jade, shivered. "They died because they were weak. You were failing to fulfill your mission alone, so I helped you achieve your goal. Thanks to the sacrifices made, I was able toplete my mission. Without them the war might still be ongoing." Lucius continued before he finished. "You''re wee." "Is that all you have to say for yourself, you monster?!" The crowd shouted. "You should die for what you''ve done." Lucius''s eyes glowed and Jade felt the building of a tremendous amount of pressure. She looked to her brother for reassurance, but saw that sweat poured off of his brow. Rena and Natali also had expression simr to Desmond''s. Jade felt her knees begin to quake and saw as most of the vigers gathered were also shaking. "You are more than wee to im my head." Lucius shouted out gleefully. "I wee your challenge. But you should know the cost of such actions." The buildup of mana continued and the sky above rapidly darkened until it almost looked like night. Thunder rumbled above as a storm seemed to settle over the vige. Cracks of lightning shot across the clouds and a few struck thend outside the vige. A gust of air whipped around Lucius and the cloak he wore, which was now ck, fluttered furiously. "The death of your cohorts was by my hand. The fall of Alorek was by my hand. If you move against me, I will not stop you. However, know that that if you do, Spire Hollow will also cease to exist by my hand." Lucius shouted above the roar of the wind. "Take your vengeance if you must, but know the innocents in the vige will share in the cost of your actions." Slowly, but surely the former soldiers backed away, unwilling to face the being in front of them who appeared to be a force of nature. Jade could not me them for backing off, there was no way she could face something like that. "One more thing." Lucius continued to a symphony of lightning strikes. "We are staying in town tonight. I prefer that I not be bothered. It would be a shame for any mistakes to happen." Thest sentence was emphasized by a loud roll of thunder as the clouds above dissipated, letting the evening sun shine through. All the vigers quickly left the area and vanished into their respective homes and back to the inn. "Lucius." Desmond called out. "Is it true what they said?" "It is." "They were to be your allies. Did you not care they were caught up in your spell against Alorek?" Desmond questioned. "Against Alorek? No, the spell was against everyone, Desmond." Lucius answered. He then looked at Natali and Jade before continuing. "This is the man I am. The man that Rena married. Make your decisions wisely if you still wish to interact with me. That goes for Desmond as well as you two. I assure you this will not be thest time something like this or far worse happens." With that final warning, Lucius returned to the inn with Rena on his arm. The look of concern she had was reced with a look of content. Natali''s expression also returned to normal and she continued to follow right behind the other two as if nothing had happened. "It seems those two are locked into their decision." Desmond mused. "What shall we do sister?" "I think we spend longer feeling things out. Though I would say, your interest in him does not seem to be one of respect or idolization. Does what kind of man he is matter if he can still get you what you want?" Jade answered. "I suppose not. You make an excellent point." Jade nodded along with her brother and they both returned to the inn. Chapter 192: Night at the Inn Rena sat quietly next to Lucius on the bed of their room. After the show in front of the townspeople, neither of them said much to one another. She always knew what Lucius was capable of, however the extent was always somewhat clouded in mystery. He willingly told her how he took over Alorek. With consent from King Verdayl, he purchased a massive amount of the explosive crystals that Aedrider mines. Since Kalliope''s family runs a number of mining operations as well, they had connections with families and merchant groups within that trade all around the continent. Using that, they collected arge quantity of it and began to tamper with it, trying to figure out all the qualities it possessed. It was thanks to their experimentation that Lucius found out that it could be filled with mana remotely by using Thunder Magic. The specific wavelength Thunder Magic used was exactly what was needed to charge the crystals. Normally it had to be done through direct contact, but this remote absorption opened many avenues for them. Using barrels of the stuff, they secreted agents into the city to cause as much devastation as possible to primarily ''soft targets'' to force the military to surrender or risk the lives of more civilians. ording to Lucius, the attack was going to be much grander, likely resulting in the total destruction of the entire city, however when one of Alorek''s Empyrean Rankers moved to help their army reinforce the city, he had to change targets and opt for isted impact over wide-ranging destruction. Today, however, was the first she had heard the truth of what happened prior. It bothered Rena that he was so cold and callous to have done such a thing, but she also knew that he was someone who weighed his options. Lucius did not go out of his way to be cruel, unless that cruelty earned him something. Every action he took was with purpose. "I know you must think poorly of me right now." Her husband said. There was no hint of pain or guilt, his tone was that of indifference. To him, he was stating a fact. Rena sat for a moment before answering, "No, I don''t. I think you had your reasons. Though I don''t agree with your actions taken, I know they had purpose. At least to you. You know me, if I can sway you towards a gentler path, I will. But I will never stand in your way, my love." "By choosing to ept me for my sins, it paints the blood I spill on your hands as well." Lucius continued. "I''m aware. I feel like I''ve known that for a long time." Rena said quietly. "However, even knowing that I still chose and will continue to choose to be on your side. If the entire world rises against you, then I alone will stand at your back. Though I have to ask what made you so cold, Lucius? Many have suffered as you have, though not as many act the way you do." He remained silent for a moment as if pondering some great mystery. For a while, Rena thought he was ignoring her question and was content to let the silence stay, however he did eventually speak up. "Grimm." He said. "Who?" Rena asked, though she felt her skin crawl when Lucius said the name. "The entity you spoke to during our trial. He is an entity that exists within my mark. When I feel guilt for some of my actions, there is a sensation at the base of my skull, like someone ced ice against it, and then it fades. After it is gone, I feel nothing. Simply apathy." Lucius exined. "Yet other times, when I feel pain or loss, that same sensation that takes away my emotions does nothing." "That sounds terrifying." "It is. I know Grimm is not trustworthy. Though in a way I suppose I can trust him to be at least that" Lucius chuckled for a moment. "Since I was a child, I have been experiencing this." "Like when you said you were conflicted, back when we faced those bandits with the hostages" "Yes." He answered. "That was a strong sensation. It was when I really started to question things. Over time I recognized that Grimm has been trying to hone me. To guide me to feel and act a certain way." "So it is not your fault then?" Rena asked carefully, which elicited another chuckle from her lover. "No. I take responsibility for my actions, but it certainly is a factor in how I got this way. I asked Grimm for help when I was a child, not ready for my own power. This was one of his gifts to me. To help hone me into a weapon of sorts." Rena remained quiet for several more minutes before reaching her hand out to her husband. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the bed. He looked at her in surprise as she gave him her the most seductive look she could manage. Like putty in her hands, he folded to her gentle tugs as she gingerly helped him remove his armor, letting each piece fall to the ground. She ced his hand on her chest and cupped his face with her own. "Through good and bad, I am with you always Lucius." She whispered. "As long as I am yours, nothing else matters." "Rena" Lucius breathed. "You y a dangerous game." She smiled at his words. "You do not know the half of it my love. Though, as long as it is with you, I''m willing to flirt with all kinds of danger." Lucius took her by the chin and pulled her into a deep kiss. She felt the world around her melt into nothingness as he pulled her over the top of him. "You know, our cohorts are sharing the other side of this wall." Lucius said with a smile. "Then I guess we will have to be quiet." Rena smiled back. "I don''t think you have it in you. You are strong, but not that strong." They both gave in to one another as passionate sounds of kissing and moaning echoed throughout the room. By the next morning, neither Jade nor Natali would look at Rena in the eyes. She did not know if apologizing would make it better, or if admitting to what happened would make things even more awkward between them. Desmond on the other hand did not seem to care much, however she did notice a slight smirk on his face. Chapter 193: Channeling: 101 While under the watchful gaze of the vigers, the group eventually left town. The awkwardness of their party members'' gazes and the hateful res of the townspeople seemed to have little impact on Lucius, who simply walked along the paths without a care. Desmond found himself in slight awe of the man, and one thing that piqued his curiosity was the sheer amount of mana that Lucius manipted to make his threat. It weighed so heavily on him that once they had left the town and entered the woods, he finally brought himself to bring the subject up. "Lucius." He asked carefully. "If you are truly Intermediate, how do you possess so much mana? You wear it like a damned cloak sometimes, yet others, I sense nothing special. How do you do it?" Natali and Rena nced between Desmond and Lucius as if they were also expecting an answer. Rena''s ignorance surprised him because he thought she would at least know, but apparently, that was not the case. "It is true that I possess arger mana pool than most; it''s not as much as you think," Lucius answered honestly. "I think it is about thirty to forty percent more than someone of equal rank?" "While thirty to forty percent more is astounding" Desmond replied, "It doesn''t exin how much we are experiencing when you pull those stunts like in the vige." Luciusughed before answering, "Channeling." "What do you mean? How does that work?" "Well, think about when you are fighting; there is a physical limit that you havea maximum amount of strength you can use and a maximum amount of time." Lucius exined, "However, there are times, like under great duress when you can push past those limitstimes where you fight harder andst longer." Desmond nodded in understanding, "Yes. Adrenaline. It pushes you beyond your physical limits. I know what you mean." "Good." The ck-haired man said with a smile, "Magic and Arts are the same as it rtes to your mana pool. There is a limit to what you can use. However under times of duress, you can push into untapped potential and ess a normally inessible amount of mana." "I see and you can tap into this?" "Yes. One of the many aspects of Channeling. With it, I can cast many Arts and magic spells without the need for activation phrases. But the core of the skill is that I have an extreme amount of control over every drop of mana in my body. Should I really choose to, I have the ability to use all of the mana I possess which would result in my death. "While I may possess thirty to forty percent more than the average person of my rank, the amount I have ess to makes it seem like many times that amount." He informed them. It took Desmond a lot of time to understand the truth of the matter. To think that he could ess the entirety of his mana pool, including the reserves that keep him alive. If he used all of that, he would suffer from more than just mana deprivation; he could die. An ability like that took a lot of skill to use. "Are you not at risk every time you use a spell?" Jade asked the question everyone was thinking. "If you mess up and use too much mana" "Sure, I could inadvertently hurt myself. Thankfully, I''m not an idiot." His gruff behavior and responses were starting to eat at Desmond a little, but he held his tongue. Desmond was rather grateful that the man was willing to answer so many questions, especially about the features of an advanced technique. Many schrs and practitioners were loathe to share such secrets. "Are you not concerned that we might take this knowledge and use it ourselves?" Desmond inquired. "You can try if you like. I wee it." After that, the group was rather quiet on their journey. Rena held a map and was navigating for them. asionally Lucius would run ahead and vanish into the trees while they stopped for a rest. The married couple exined that this was how they did things back when they adventured together as children. Their party possessed two warriors, an archer, Rena as the mage, and Lucius as their scout. Desmond had known that beastmen had exceptional senses, but as a half-blood, Lucius had inherited that trait as well. She exined it had be quite useful to her husband and his party members. It did not take Desmond long to understand how such an ability could be utilized, and he found himself slightly jealous of the man''s innate abilities. Of course, he was not jealous of Lucius''s strength because strength could be earned and obtained, but no matter what he did, Desmond would never possess those senses. They had traveled for a few more hours and were only about an hour away from the Grimspire Ruins when Lucius appeared out of the trees. He dropped to the ground from above like a monkey and made very little sound despite the armor he was wearing. "Monster iing. I don''t know what it is, but it''s an E-Rank threat, or at least that''s the feeling I am getting from it." He advised, "Think you can handle it, Desmond?" "Sure," Desmond answered resolutely. A few momentster, a strange, two-legged beast stepped out of the woods. It looked like a strange mix between a humanoid and a tree. Desmond was able to recognize it immediately as an Ent. They did not have many in his home country, but they were rathermon in heavily wooded areas, which made it sound strange that Lucius did not recognize it Ents could be quite powerful monsters the older they got, but as they grew, they eventually became immobile. This one was rather young, so it had not yet rooted itself into the ground as it was likely looking for unupied territory to im. The monster raised its arms made of twisted branches and charged towards Desmond, who was front and center. He readied his spear to attack and activated an Art. "[Spear Arts: Triple Thrust]" Three rapid strikes of his spear hit the charging Ent in the chest, sending it tumbling backward into the grass. It screamed in pain andunched a wave of splinters out of its mouth. "[Aqua: Water Shield]" A wall of water materialized in front of him and absorbed the impact of the monster''s attack. The Ent looked puzzled for a moment allowing Desmond to run around the side of the shield and take advantage of the surprise. "[Spear Arts: Heavy Impact]" With a massive crack, the Ent flew into a tree, crushing the bark and leaving an indent of itself in the wood. Completely disoriented, it attempted to stand but fell over multiple times. Desmond stepped forward and used his spearhead to stab through its heart, killing it. Chapter 194: Making it to Camp Lucius found himself mildly impressed by the speed at which Desmond took down the Ent all on his own. Granted, he did not know the monster was called that until everyone told him after the fact. Since he had spent such a long time in the deserts of Alorek and jungles of Eroa, he was most familiar with the flora and fauna of those areas. Back when he was an adventurer, he learned about monsters as they faced them, so he never really spent a lot of time learning about them. Rena was sure to chastise him for his behavior and demanded he devote more time to studying things like this especially since he was a student now. Rena, on the other hand, made sure to learn a lot about many kinds of creatures since she was going to be an adventurer again after the academy. Because of this, she was able to instruct them on the parts of the Ent they wanted to harvest. It had a core in its stomach that housed its mana, which was shaped like a seed. They were very popr ingredients in mana restoration potions. "Stronger and older Ents have bigger cores, but once they get to a certain age, they be almost impossible to harvest without damaging. The diminishing return makes it unpopr to hunt the older ones." The redhead exined while expertly carving away at the monster''s corpse. Once she had everything taken care of, she ced the materials in the storage ring. Normally it was customary to burn the bodies of dead creatures, however, Ents were an exception. Without their cores, the bodies would rapidly decay and fertilize the ground they died on. It was only an hour or soter that they happened upon the ruins. Grimspire was so named because of an ancient tower that still stood tall amongst the trees of the forest. Many people believed there were many such towers, but the one the one that gave the ruins their name was the only one still standing. Another marker of the ruins was that the rest of them were carved into an artificial ravine. Coming up to the ruins, it would first look like you were stopping over a small ledge that dropped straight down almost twelve feet. However, the ledge was artificial as well. The walls of the ravine were perfectly smooth and lined with gorgeous stonework and carvings. The area was covered in these perfect ditches and it was a dangerous ce to walk if you were not paying attention. From above, it looked like the roads of a city were forcefully sunk twelve feet into the ground and then the walls of the stone were smoothed out and carved into. There were no other buildings of any kind save the one tower. Along the ''streets'' of the ruins there were carved out rooms with doorways and windows, indicating that the ancient inhabitants lived partially underground with the areas over their streets being opened to the sky. There were a handful of demon ruins across the continent, but this style of building and design was unique to Grimspire. Off to the north, rising up from the sunken pathways, was a series of smoke towers. They were small, but there were a few of them, indicating the research camp was off in that direction. The group opted to carefully leap over the gaps in thendscape and approach the research camp from above. That way they would not get lost in the veritable maze of roads. Jade required some extra assistance from both her brother and Lucius on a few spots, but otherwise everyone handled the short trek alright. When they approached the campsite, they decided to go ahead and drop down into the ruins before finishing their approach. The idea was they would look less threateninging up to the research site from the same level rather than from above. "Hold!" a man yelled out as they approached the site. He looked to be a standard adventurer who was on guard duty for the moment. Behind him a number of men and women in robes were rushing about and trading notes. Two of the robed people grabbed another adventurer by his wrist and yanked him along with them as they hurried away from camp. Lucius deduced they wanted to go somewhere and the poor adventurer who was eating a meal, was the closest escort they grabbed. "Lucius Kane. We are students of the Arcadios Royal Academy. We have taken up assignment to assist with guarding the research camp." Lucius proimed. "We have heard you experienced trouble with monsters." "Aye, that we have." "Yet, on our way here we met a single Ent, and while I am not perfect I''m not detecting anything at the moment." "Aye, you won''t. Not till the night falls." Rena and Natali cocked their heads inquisitively while Desmond''s face paled slightly. Even Lucius himself felt his body shudder momentarily. Jade spoke up first, "What''s the matter?" "The undead, littledy," The adventurer answered, "During the day they vanish below ground and are nigh untraceable, but at night, they resurface to stalk the living. Naty beasts. "On their own, they usually aren''t much of a threat, but if they reach greater numbers, they be a bit of a problem. We are getting close to that problem part over thest few days. All we have been able to do is protect the researchers at night, so we haven''t been able to cull their numbers." Desmond and Lucius continued to speak with the man as the girls found themselves pulled away by a couple of female adventurers. Thanks to his acute sense of hearing, he was able to determine that the girls'' conversations were not meant for virgin ears. When Rena disclosed her marital status, the adventurers began asking Jade some rather private information that Lucius was sure a sister would not know. "And that about sums it up." The adventurer finished. The n was for them to rest during the day and send out the new fighters to assist with thinning their numbers. For some reason the undead were only appearing on the sunken streets of the ruins and none were appearing up on the surface. It was a blessing as they were able to avoid worrying about an undead mob falling atop their heads. Of course, they did not rely on this pattern and made sure to maintain a presence up above, just in case that changed. Once they agreed on a n, everyone dispersed which included Lucius being guided by Rena to a private space just for them to use. They were on a mission in a dangerous area, so they had no intentions of disturbing the camp, however it appeared that she had something rather important to discuss. "Lucius" She started. "I have something that I really, really need to talk to you about. It''s about our future. I''ve been meaning to have a conversation with you about this for a few weeks now but" Chapter 195: The Future "I need to know what Kalliope means to you." Rena requested. Her beautiful green eyes stared directly into Lucius''s own. They were firm and resolute in their determination. Lucius detected no hint of jealousy, frustration, or really any emotionsing from his wife. Her question was purely and simply, a request for knowledge. He sighed for a moment and closed his eyes. His mind was filled with haunting memories of the many dozens of times the wolf girl attacked him and attempted to woo him. Some of the more aggressive ones had even gotten some of his and her clothes off and involved arge quantity of powerful wines. ***** In the years he had known Kalliope, they had never actually taken that final step. There was one instance, the night that Lucius was given a ce in the King''s Shadow, that they had almost sealed the deal on their rtionship. Lucius had turned seventeen a few days prior and on the day of his celebration, he decided to enter into a small tournament for one of the Eroan academy locations. He thought it was nothing more than a simple fight to showcase the prowess of the school''s students. It was his idea that he could burn off some steam and have a little fun by showing up as a no-named half-blood that wiped the floor with these highly trained academy students. By that point, Kalivas had trained him for three years and he had more than enough understanding that his strength, knowledge, and ability to control the pacing of the fight were more than enough to make him stronger than almost anyone else in his age group. As he predicted, the fights were easy and he won without much effort. It wasn''t until after everything was over, he realized these fights were for entry exams into the academy and he found himself swarmed by different teachers and martial artists who all begged him to join their respective programs. Kalivas was able to rescue him from their clutches because while he was excellent at fighting, Lucius was always terrible in social situations. Thoughts of simply killing them and being done with it had crossed his mind multiple times, however, the knowledge that it would burden the man who took care of him as well as the woman who saved his life, kept him in check. A recruiter with the King''s Shadow watched the entire incident, including the parts where Lucius fought against himself to kill the flies pestering him. When Kalivas pulled Lucius far enough away from the fight, they cornered them in an alley where Kalliope was already waiting. She clearly had no idea they were there and was surprised when they showed up out of nowhere. That very moment was when the organization decided to recruit Lucius into their ranks. Out of reflex, he answered immediately: "Only if Kalliope cane too." Even to this day, Lucius had no idea what possessed him to say that. In reality, it was likely because she had been his faithfulpanion, training partner, and savior. The thought of being separated from her hurt him. However, he also knew that whatever feelings he had for her were still secondary to Rena. On the night of their induction into the order, they had a celebratory meal at Kalivas''s home. Before the meal was over, Kalivas received a request to handle some situation in the castle and he had to leave which left Kalliope and Lucius alone. Neither of them had anything to drink other than water, yet they found themselves drawn to one another. Even with his mind and heart filled with Rena, Kalliope found herself a ce there. It was a ce all her own that was separate from Rena''s. It was a ce that only Kalliope could fill. In moments, they found themselves holding one another. Lucius''s tongue and her own mingling with each other passionately, neither stopping long enough to breathe. When they pulled back, they both panted with their faces flushed. Lucius attempted to lean in and continue, but shockingly it was Kalliope who pulled away. With tears in her eyes, she ced her hand on his chest and pushed him back from her. She was still panting and he knew she wanted to continue. He was willing to fulfill her wishes. "Don''t." She pleaded. Her eyes continued to water. "Not until you are doing it for you. I don''t want this because you want to fulfill my wish. I want you to do it because you want to be with me. When you make that decision Lucius then" Lucius shook his head and found himself back in front of Rena. Her eyes were still trained on him, but he felt different. He brought his hand to his face and they came away slightly wet. ***** He sighed again after returning to the present and looked Rena directly in the eyes, "I love her." "Okay." Rena answered while sighing as well. She did not seem mad or upset, rather it felt like she was relieved. "Okay?" He asked, "What do you mean okay? If you are worried Rena, you are my first love and my wife. I have no intention of leaving you for Kalliope or anyone else in this world." Rena turned her back to him. "If I asked you to abandon her, to forget about her, would you do it?" Lucius was about to say yes; however, the word would note off his tongue. Instead, he answered what he felt in his heart. "No. I may not be willing to leave you for her, but I will not abandon her. She is my friend and she saved my life. As much as I would never abandon you, I could never abandon her." "Alright then." Rena turned around and had what seemed to be a proud smile on her face. "Honestly, I''m happy you are being honest with me. I know the rules of your homnd, where your father''s bloodline hails. You can have multiple wives, so I will permit Kalliope to be one of them." Lucius opened his eyes wide, "Truly?" Rena walked into his arms and allowed him to embrace her. She ced her head on his chest and listened to the thrumming of his heart from beneath his armor. "I do have one condition." "Name it, my love." Lucius answered. "Im not asking you to love her, or even be friends with her... but can you try to get closer to Natali? The girl basically idolizes you. She grew up listening to stories of you." Rena requested, "I would like for you to at least start interacting with her, outside of sparring sessions. It would mean a lot to me." Lucius sighed, but nodded his head, "For you, I will try." Chapter 196: The Undead Horde [Part 1] Natali woke from her sleep a few hours after they had arrived at camp. The people here were rather nice. The researchers appeared to be employees from the academies in both Arcadios and the Wisteria Concord. They worked together to try and uncover some of the mysteries of the past. By andrge, the demonnguage was dead. The only indication of what any of the symbols used in their alphabet meant were the marks that existed on the bodies of the Marked Ones. Those symbols represented the powers they had and by figuring out what those symbols represented, then the gaps in the demonnguage could be filled. Their alphabet was strange. Some symbols stood for letters or sounds, yet others stood for an entire word or phrase, and others still referred to concepts rather than a specific word or phrase. Those symbols that stood for concepts were rather concerning as they could mean any multitude of things when paired with surrounding symbols. Natali had never fancied herself a schr, but she was interested in learning new things. Jade on the other hand was utterly fascinated by the information. The researchers at Grimspire kept a constant staff at the camp. So much so that a couple of merchants had moved in and started up shops in a couple of the carved out rooms. Because of their constant work here, they also possessed the most up to date copy of the world''s current understanding of the demonnguage. Jade was ecstatic to learn about this and requested to see it, which the researchers were all too happy to do so long as she agreed to provide them with the definition of her mark. One of the researchers went up to Lucius to ask about his mark, but then saw how it stretched around his wrist and thought he had tattooed around the original symbol. That made the researcher furious and the rotund man began to scream and berate Lucius for his stupidity. Before anyone could react, Lucius had quickly struck the researcher in the gut, knocking him unconscious and kicking his limp body to the side of the ravine. From that point on no one was willing to go and talk to him from the researcher''s group, though many adventurers had no problems continuing to try andmunicate with the man. All of this, of course, happened before Natali fell asleep. What she was hearing as she woke up was nothing like the series of events she went to sleep to. Screaming echoed through the walls of the ruins and the sounds of metal beating against stone and other hollow-sounding materials. Something akin to the rattling of marbles also met Natali''s ears. Jade was asleep beside her and had woken as well and began to clutch the shortsword she always hid under her clothes. Natali pulled her daggers at the ready and stepped to the doorway. The nighttime fires were still going, but the people monitoring them were missing. Most of the camp was empty and the mocked-up doors to several of the rooms were closed and sealed shut. The lights inside werepletely doused to further conceal their presence. The shadows created by the moonlight trying to peer over the ledges above created a strange jumble of shapes that prevented Natali from determining what was going on without getting closer. When she fully stepped outside, she saw one of the researchers from earlier, the one that got along well with Jade and introduced her to their documentation, panicking and rocking back and forth on the ground. "Youwhathappened?" Natali managed to say. She was getting better, but talking with any sort of volume above a whisper was still very difficult. "The undead. They appeared again. More than before they broke through the lines. So many adventurers" Natali quickly grabbed the researcher, threw them into the room with Jade and sealed the door aftermanding them, "Stay." She hurried to the nearest sound of battle and thought she smelled the familiar scent of ozone, which indicated that Lucius had activated his Thunder Magic. Even though she could smell the results of the spell, she could not hear the telltale signs of him battling. Rounding one of the corners, she caught the eye of a few of the adventurers who were talking with her and the other girls about boy talk earlier. One of them was dead, her eyes zed over and in her hand she held her partially severed leg. She was surrounded by a pool of blood which indicated she died from blood loss. Rena was frantically casting healing spells on another one of the girls who had arge sh wound across her chest. Fortunately, it looked to be healing with Rena''s help and would soon no longer be life-threatening. "Natali, good, you''re here. Lucius left camp an hour ago to prepare for tonight''s horde, but it''s bigger than we anticipated. We lost contact with them and the horde is closing in on the camp from both sides." She exined quickly then moved to another injured warrior. Rena''s face was pale, but she swallowed the contents of a rather foul-smelling potion, which returned some of her color. "We need a moment to regroup. The creatures can''t seem to climb, can you maintain an ice wall?" Natali nodded and rushed towards the fighting. The adventurer who greeted them when they first arrived wasmanding the front lines like a veteran sergeant. In betweenmands he wouldsh out with attacks of his own. It was here that Natali finally saw the enemy. There were hundreds of shambling creatures filling the once empty streets. Almost all of them were made up of bones, though a few had strips of desated flesh still clinging to their bones. Among the shambling bones were a handful of creatures that looked to be rotting corpses. They moved faster than the skeletons did and hit harder. "Stand back!" Rena shouted. The entire front line retreated backward several paces, opening space for Natali''s spell. "[cies: Ice Wall]!" Pale-blue light poured out of her hands, fell to the ground then surged toward the gap between the monsters and them. It spread across the width of the ravine and sprouted a ten-foot-tall wall of opaque ice. "Normally, I''d ask if we could get that to be see-through, but I think a bit of ignorance of the enemies'' faces would do us a hell of a lot of good. Thank you, little missy." The grizzled adventurer was clearly exhausted and his light chuckle even sounded forced. No one could me him though. Chapter 197: The Undead Horde [Part 2] Desmond was supposed to be a part of Lucius''s group pushing deeper into the area where the undead tended to originate every night. However, at thest-minute ns were changed up and he was asked to assist in the defense of the camp. Desmond held noints about the request because it did mean he could keep a better eye on his sister who was not capable of fighting in a ce like this. She had no Compatibilities at all and her mark was rather useless in an area like this. Jade possessed the Mark of Water Control. If she were near a body of water she could manipte it to her heart''s content. At their academy back home, she was a rather terrifying opponent as it was on a small ind and they were surrounded by infinite amounts of ammo for her to use whenever and however she desired. The only water near here was reserved in canteens, buckets, and other containers. The nearest body of water for her to use to defend herself was almost a twenty-minute walk away. Jade was no slouch with a shortsword, but she would likely struggle with fighting off the undead. Shortly after Lucius left with a small group of experienced fighters, the undead suddenly appeared. They materialized out of the ground and from the walls of the ruins. Among the monsters were skeletons, zombies, and other strange abominations like flesh golems. Individually, most undead were weak, but their strengthy in numbers. ''Numbers'' was certainly something they had. In mere moments, the front line was overwhelmed and hundreds of undead creatures poured into one of the camp entrances. Desmond flew into action with a strong opening attack meant forrge groups of targets, "[Spear Arts: Aura Sweep]" Arge wave of golden mana arced at the oing skeletons and cut through their aged bones like a hot knife through butter. Desmond repeated the process a number of times, but was only able to use it at the center of the group. The creatures pouring in through the sides were not able to be targeted or else his attacks would hit his allies. He was relying on the other adventurers to take care of the stragglers, but the numbers were great enough that several researchers and nonbatants fell to the onught. Even a small number of veteran fighters fell to the horde. Sweat beaded on his brow as he felt mana exhaustion start to hit him. The consecutive use of his Aura Sweep drained much of his reserves. Everyone else was able to hold back while he took the brunt of the initial assault, but they managed to push the enemy back into the narrower streets and away from therger space the camp upied. Someone handed him a rancid tasting potion, but he recognized it as a mana restorative and drank it with gratitude, doing his best to ignore the taste. A few momentster he was fully restored and ready to fight. His fellow warriors continued to push the enemy back, but were starting to struggle against some of the worst monstrosities. While most undead were weak, some could be rather strong. Among the stronger ones were flesh golems. They were creatures made of an amalgamation of bones and rotten flesh jumbled together into a creature that very loosely resembled a bulbous troll. They were nowhere near the size of the creatures they resembled, but they were equally as hideous. "Shit those things are uglier and smellier than I thought." Desmondined and pinched the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to block the stench. Ultimately, he gave up on the effort and stepped into battle once more. "[Spear Arts: Heavy Impact]" A sickeningly wet sound erupted from the point of impact as the flesh golem was thrown backward as though it had taken a direct hit from a catapult. If the sides of the ruins were not made of the ridiculously strong stone-like material the demons used to build this ce, then the force would have cracked the wall too. Since the creature was unable to feel pain, it simply stood back up and continued to limp forward to continue its attack. One massive swing with its arm knocked aside three of their men. Two hit the wall and groaned in pain, but still alive. The third was not so lucky. The force threw him directly into a group of zombies that were fighting against a few other people. The ones in the back immediately turned around and set upon the man and tore into his flesh. Screams of pain and anguish echoed through the ruins and everyone present did their best to ignore the man''s pleas. They were unable to save him now and if they did, the damage to his body would be impossible to heal. Even moving to end his misery would distract them too long from the fight with the main enemy force. Desmond stepped forward again andbined two Arts. He was never very good atbination Arts, but when push came to shove, he could pull it off. "[Spear Arts: Heavy Impact], [Spear Arts: Triple Thrust]" Three rapid strikes, each with the same force as his first Heavy Impact, struck the body of the flesh golem. Since all three attacks hit simultaneously, the creature erupted into a fountain of gore, coating the monsters behind it. With the flesh golem dead, they were able to quickly dispose of the current wave of undead. Based on the sounds, even after they cleaned these ones up, more were on the way. ording to the men still alive, the first wave was already many times worse than it was before. "We need to regroup and refresh. Those who feel like they can push on for a bit longer, to the front. Those who are in absolute need of immediate recovery to the back. Prioritize healing potions to the most injured. Anyone with Light Magic, step away from the fight and do that. Don''t kill our healers." Everyone quickly grouped themselves together. Since they were all adventurers, and experienced ones at that, everyone was honest about their capabilities. They ended up with a pretty even number between those needing immediate help and those who could push on. Desmond was in the group that could push on. He took no attacks and all he needed was a mana recovery potion and he was good to go. Thanks to all the undead attacks, the research camp was very well stocked. In terms of supplies, they had enough recovery supplies tost three nights of this before running out. The hope was that they would not have to use them though. Chapter Find: Chapter 198: The Undead Horde [Part 3] Even though he had yet toe to trust Desmond, and doubted he ever would, Lucius was not too pleased to hear the change in ns that separated the man from his side. He was not afraid to admit that Desmond had great potential and for someone of the Intermediate Rank, he was a skilled fighter. Lucius knew that hispatriot was no match for him with his Channeling, mark, and generalbat prowess, but Desmond was still useful in a fight. Instead, he was stuck with a team of five Advance Rank fighters. He did not bother to learn their names, but one was a mage, one was an archer, and the other three used various one-handed weapons with a shield. Chapter Read: For a moment, he was unsure if the six of them would be enough to figure out the source of the undead and destroy it, but he had to make due with what he was given. One thing that helped keep his sanity was knowing that Desmond would assist Rena and Natali. There was no need for him to hope that Desmond would protect them as they were powerful in their own right. Lucius also believed with his whole heart that Natali would wipe the floor with Desmond in an all-out fight with her general attack speed as well as the way she seamlesslybined her Dagger Arts with her Mark of Recall. "Let''s go." He growled before leaping from the ruins up to the surface twelve feet above them. With channeling mana into his muscles, he was able to clear the hurdle with no effort and waited for the others to have to climb up. While waiting for them he did his best to sniff and listen to the surroundings. He was somewhat hopeful he could pinpoint something that felt out of the ordinary, but so far no luck. While he was rather uneducated about the types of monsters in various areas, he did know a little about undead. As part of his education for the battlefield, he learned the importance of burning bodies in a warzone. He also learned the consequences of not doing that. Over time the residual mana in the bodies would coalesce into a singr mass that would absorb the bodies and weapons. That mass would take on a physical form that resembled a living human with pale skin and red eyes that fed on the deceased and added their flesh to its own. This abomination of undeath was known as a vampire and they could get to be very powerful if left unchecked. They were easily killed by sunlight and were extremely weak to Light Magic and Fire Magic. When fighting one, they were most powerful when they were alone and not using their summoned undead army. In order to create their soldiers, they needed to use the mana and corpses that they gathered to generate the monsters. This pulled away from their personal stockpile and would make the vampire physically weaker as their army grew stronger. Basically, the smaller the army, the more powerful the vampire, the bigger the army; the weaker the vampire. Once the other warriors joined him on the surface, they headed in the direction they tended to see the horde appear from. Even though it could have been a misdirection, it was their only lead on where to start looking. Almost twenty minutes after running across the forest and dodging the entrenched ruins, Lucius heard the cries and shouts ofbat from the direction of the camp. At the same moment he felt a strange presence that was oddly familiar. ''Oh my'' a raspy voice echoed in Lucius''s head. It had been a while since hest heard Grimm''s voice. ''Luciuswhatever you do, you must kill that vampire it has something you want after that, head to the tower. Oh, this is so exciting!'' After sharing that bit of advice, and a little bit of a demand, the voice faded. Somehow the odd, yet familiar feeling became stronger and he was able to pinpoint the source''s location. If Grimm was really that interested in whatever it was that the vampire possessed, then it was likely he helped in locating it. "Let''s move, the vampire is this way." "Vampire?! That''s what we are up against?" "Dumbass! Of course! That''s how undead work" "Cut the chatter, let''s go." Lucius whispered angrily. The others quickly silenced themselves and followed his lead through the forest. From what he could tell, they were very close to the vampire''s location. They were so close that it took just a handful of minutes to locate the beast''sir. In the middle of an open space simr in size and shape to the location the research camp was in, a pale skinned man stood alone. His arms were outstretched and his eyes were closed. Moonlight bathed him in an eerie glow as if he were a cat basking in the sun. Lucius felt his heart clench as the vampire slowly put its hands down to its side and looked directly at him. He cursed under his breath and jumped down into the open space just in time to dodge a spike made of blood that had been aimed where his head used to be. It shattered against a tree trunk like an ice spike, but the shards dug deep into the surrounding trees like shrapnel. Noticing it had missed, the vampire''s face contorted in frustration and it snapped its fingers, generating a red whip in its hands. The whip was several feet long and had razor-like spines along the length of the weapon. Vampires were incapable of human speech, but they were capable of high-level thought and nning. It was not umon for them to act uponplex strategies like attacking the weakest link or the healer while engaging groups. They had even been known to use party members as bait or shields, knowing that their allies would try to save them. A scream sounded from behind Lucius as the party''s mage was forcefully yanked into the hands of the vampire. It had the ability to use Dark Magic and Blood Arts. While it distracted Lucius with the whip made from its Blood Arts, it had manipted a shadow spell to wrap around the mage and pull him into his grasp. Lucius simply sighed. "Nice try, but that won''t work." He held out his hand and casually struck the monster and mage with a lightning bolt. Electricity wrapped itself around the creature and caused both it and the mage to twitch uncontrobly. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near enough to kill the monster, but the mage was more than dead. Chapter 199: Fragment of the Abyss [Part 1] "What in the world are you doing?" One of the men following Lucius shouted. "That mage was our ally!" Lucius chose to ignore the man''s outrage and focused purely on the vampire in front of him. Its injuries from the Thunder Magic spell were already healing at a rapid pace, making many of the char marks vanish quickly. The creature twitched its wrist, sending a wave of dirt and debris directly at Lucius. Instinctively, Lucius drew his sword and shed into the center of the debris, forcing the blood whip to fall back to the ground. It attempted to hide its attack using the dirt, but he was able to see right through its attempt. The creature bared its extended fangs and angrily hissed at Lucius. It jumped towards him with one hand extended forward with fingernails as sharp as daggers. The other hand was held back, but still maintained its grip on the whip. Lucius sent mana into his legs and dove to the left, leaving behind a trail of electricity. Instead of striking him, the vampire collided into the wall with a loud crack. The beast roared in defiance and pain. While watching this happen, the other men finally descended into the ravine to join the fray. Both warriors rushed to surround the vampire while the archer maintained a healthy distance to fire their arrows. "[Bow Arts: Piercing Shot]" "[Sword Arts: Double Strike]" "[Shield Arts: Double Bash]" As the mana infused arrow shot towards the target, a mana de and mana shield mmed into the back of the vampire who somehow maintained its concentration on Lucius. Immediately after the impact of the mana attacks, the actual sword and shields hit the monster. Once the warriors made physical contact with it, the creature wheeled around and flicked the whip at them. The man with the shield and mace was able to block the attack, but the tail of the weapon continued past him and struck the swordsman in the neck. The tail-end of the whip had a sharp hook that dug into the man''s neck. Having caught one of its prey, the vampire smiled and pulled the whip back. The swordsman screamed in terror and pain as the vampire picked him up by the neck. The hook dug deeper into his flesh and pierced his spinal cord. His arms went limp as he lost the ability to control everything below the injury and he began to gurgle and choke on his own blood. Once the man was in its clutches, the monster sunk its fangs into the now limp body and drained itpletely of the remaining red liquid and turned the corpse into a dried husk. The other two men watched in wide-eyed horror while Lucius simply stood in fascinated awe. He had never seen something like that before. "Fascinating." He muttered, eliciting a disgusted look from the archer who was closest to him. While the three warriors attempted to attack it alone, Lucius simply stood back to observe and see if there were any patterns to the creature''s attacks or behaviors that he could exploit. However, he started to notice that the deceased swordsman''s body began to twitch and move, so he decided to prevent adding an additional adversary to the battlefield. Red and blue lightning swirled around his wrist and into the shaft of his custom-made weapon. As he drew the weapon from his back, the de elongated to a nearly sixty-five inches from its original twenty-eight. Now that the de was fully extended, he needed to wield it with both hands. The electricity continued to dance along the de as he imbued a [[Thunderp]] spell into it. Lucius raised the weapon up and mmed the de onto the ground. A massive wave of concussive force mmed into both the twitching corpse and the vampire. Even the mace-wielder was struck and thrown backwards. What used to be the swordsman was shredded into pieces of flesh and bone. The vampire''s hand that was holding the corpse in ce was destroyed along with the rest of its arm up to the shoulder. "Gods dammit all, you struck one of ours again you rotten" The archer started to shout, but his anger turned into confusion when his world turned upside down. Lucius stood still as the archer''s head tumbled from his body. After losing its arm, the vampire immediately counterattacked. He was able to use his mana enhanced body to quickly duck beneath the whip''s strike and close the gap. However, since the archer chose to talk instead of fight, he was struck down by the weapon, forfeiting his life. "No! You damnable" The mace wielder charged towards the monster at the same time as Lucius, his movements became filled with openings and mistakes caused by his blind rage. He failed to notice the shadows that had entrapped the mage earlier had begun to wrap around the man''s legs and yanked him to the ground. Losing his bnce made him panic more as he struggled to break free. Luckily for him, the vampire was not interested in him as prey. A far more delectable meal stood before it and was putting up more of a fight than the creature expected. It found itself smiling, which made Lucius wonder if beasts could enjoy things More red energy flooded into his de, creating jagged red teeth along the length of the cutting edge. He activated his [Savage Strike Art] to enhance the attack power of his next swing. Lucius lunged forward while the mace wielder continued to shout and il. He was forced to dodge stone, dirt, and the iling blood whip that seemed to have a mind of its own now, no longer requiring being flicked about by any movements from the beast. Just as Lucius was going to swing his weapon, he found his wrists bound by some unknown force. He looked down and saw a shadow tendril wrapped around his wrist. The shadow continued to wrap around his arms until they were pinned together up to his elbows. Chapter Explore: "Very interesting this isn''t Dark Magic" Lucius mumbled. "Where is this powering from" Chapter 200: Fragment of the Abyss [Part 2] Shadows wrapped around him, continuing to press his arms together. The vampire gave out a halfugh, half-hissing sound, thinking that it had won the fight already. When it saw that its prey was no longer resisting, it naturally assumed that it had given up. Even the mace warrior had tired out and was no longer struggling against the shadows wrapping around him like a cocoon. His mouth and eyes were soon covered and the dark capsule that contained him began to shrink andpress his form. It seemed the capsule blocked sound, so nothing could be heard as he was slowly crushed to death by the vampire''s strange ability. Meanwhile, Lucius continued to look intensely at the ability, tracing it to its source. At first he thought it was a magical ability, but the skill seemed to not emit mana of any kind. This meant it was neither Magic nor Arts. There was only one other kind of power in the world, but how could a vampire use the strange source of energy that marks could use was it even possible. At no point in time during their battle did he witness a mark on the vampire''s left hand, so it had to be something else. Lucius tuned into the sensation that powerful marks gave off and tried to hone it down to search for the source of these tendrils. By the time he figured it out, he was wrapped from his fingertips to his shoulders and from his feet up to his knees. Following the source of power that empowered this strange ability, led Lucius''s eyes to a ring on the vampire''s still attached hand. It was a in, silver ring with a ck gemstone set into it. The power seemed to being from the gemstone itself. ''That''s the one. You will want to take that.'' Grimm whispered into his mind. Chapter Continue: ''Why should I?'' Lucius demanded. ''Ugh such an impertinent child sometimes. I liked you better when you just listened to me fine, take the ring and go to the spire in these ruins. If you do that I''ll give you a little bit of information.'' Grimm grumbled before his presence vanished. "Well, that''s enough of that," Lucius said with a sigh. "You seem to be used to using these things, but I''m a little more experienced than you. [Abyss Break: Abyss Armor]" The vampire''s eyes opened wide in surprise as it felt the control of the ability granted to it by the strange ring be ripped away from it. The shadows rapidly covered Lucius''s entire body before they slowly faded away from his hands, face, and neck. Everywhere else on his body became a shining set of metallic ck armor that reflected the moonlight from above. What was once a hint of dark power that pooled around the vampire, became a tidal wave of oppressive force that made even the creature of darkness tremble. Lucius slowly advanced and tried to get limated to his upgraded ability. It had been a few years since hest used this specific ability and there were a few notable changes since then. For one, instead of looking like shadows covering or enting his original armor, it instead generated a temporary set of its own design. Additionally, instead of the one shadow tendril that assisted in watching over his blind spot, he now had a set of six that folded off of his back like a set of demonic wings. "Alright, Grimm the look is a little much, don''t you think?" He asked aloud. With a panicked roar, the vampire swung its blood whip furiously at Lucius only to have each strike effortlessly pped away by the shadow tendrils protecting him. Blood sttered across the walls of the ruins with each impact, shortening the length of the whip with every strike. Lightning once again crackled around Lucius''s body before concentrating at his feet and fingertips. The vampire had no time to react as Lucius''s hand mmed into its face and a massive bolt of energy shot down its throat. Its eyes boiled from the inside out while its body twitched. All six of the tendrils then pierced into the creature''s body and pinned it in ce as it attempted to force its body away from Lucius. "Not good enough." He growled while swinging his sword downward and cutting the vampire''s head in half. The twitching stopped instantly. A few momentster the body began to turn to ash. The ring ttered to the ground and began to ''call out'' to Lucius. He felt himself drawn into the beautiful darkness of the gem. Once his fingers touched the piece of jewelry, it jumped onto his finger and began to absorb into his skin and vanish. ''Good job, boy, on retrieving a fragment of the abyss tomorrow visit the spire and I will share more.'' Grimm whispered before disappearing again. Once the ring disappeared, Lucius felt a sense of panic rise in his chest. Before it could get too bad, an almost forgotten sensation spread from the base of his skull. It was a chill that seemed to eat away at the anxiety in his heart, returning him to a state of apathy about the situation. ncing around, he saw the deceased bodies of the other warriors and torched them with a strike of lightning to prevent any more undead creatures. After he was satisfied with their level of destruction he returned to the research camp. While he had been gone, they suffered a number of casualties from the waves of undead. Dozens of people were breathing heavily while a few others ran around and cast healing spells while constantly draining mana restoration potions. One of those doing healing was Rena. He decided to leave her to her task and searched for the other party members. Desmond had a few cuts and scratches on him but was otherwise okay. Natali looked perfectly fine, though a bit tired. From what he overheard while asking around for her, she was able to cast multiple Ice Walls between waves to allow for frequent regrouping. "Lucius, are you alright? I take it you found out what was the source of the problem?" Desmond asked. "It was a vampire. The rest of the task group is dead. Tomorrow we are going to the spire," Lucius answered. "There''s no point. There is no way to enter the spire that we have been able to find. Why do you need to go there?" a portly researcher asked while raising his sses. "That is none of your concern. Desmond, Natali, Rena. Rest. Everyone else can split up the night''s watch. We have earned our keep." Lucius stated inly before disappearing into the small room that he and Rena shared. Chapter 201: Fragment of the Abyss [Part 3] Everyone part of the work study woke up the moment the sun rose and gathered in themon area of the camp. The dead bodies had been gathered and burned in the hours before the morning started. Since the undead had been absorbed and summoned by the vampire, their corpses simply vanished and needed no additional efforts to remove. All ounted for, the losses among the camp included five researchers and eight adventurers. ording to the camp leaders they were expecting a supply run in a few days which would also refresh their missing staff members. Jade received several copies of notes and trantion cyphers for their visit to the spire. In case they needed to read any runes that looked important it was possible it could help. However, the Grimspire ruins were heavily researched and the spire itself was a particrly well investigated construct in the area. No one had figured out how to open it over the decades it has been studied, but the researchers granted them copies of the material anyway. Once they gathered some rations from the camp supplies, the group of five headed to the ominous tower in the distance. In order to skip jumping and dodging the ravines from above they took the longer trip there by navigating the ruins themselves. Jade was not athletically inclined and Lucius had no intention of wasting time trying to help her across every single jump. "Lord Kane" Jade managed to squeak out. She was nervous and she was twisting her hands. "Why are we heading to the tower? It''s inessible and everything to be studied about it has been studied." "The reason is simple: I need to go there." He answered in a t tone. "Okay but why do you need to go there? What is there to find?" "I don''t know, but it will be something." Lucius grumbled. Jade went silent after the useless exchange, more confused now than she was a few minutes ago. He wasn''t trying to be ambiguous; it was simply that he was told by Grimm to go there so he could learn something. Whatever it was, he had no clue. For the rest of the trip, no one said much of anything. The ruins themselves were very much unchanged. Along the walls of the ''streets'' were various carvings of the strange alphabet of the demonguage. However, something strange stuck out to them. Every three hundred feet or so, the symbols would repeat in endless patterns. Jade started to pull out her notes, but Desmond coughed and shook his head at her to keep her on task and moved forward to their primary destination. She looked somewhat dejected, but he assured her that they would be able to take a look at the symbols around the tower itself. Almost an hourter, they arrived at the base of the tower. The area around the base was a massive circr depression in the earth that was hundreds of feet in diameter. At its center was the Grimspire itself. Stones of various shades of cks and grays extended hundreds of feet into the sky. The circumference of the tower was quite small and it seemed like the interior was a single spiral staircase leading upwards. There were no signs of possible entry into the building except for what appeared to be a blocked off doorway where an arch surrounded by jet ck stones was filled with bleached white bricks. Around the exterior of the arch were symbols in the strange demonnguage. Jade stepped up and began to touch the stones and trace the symbols with her slender fingers. She had a notebook in her other hand and nced between the two trying to read what was there. "What does it say?" Desmond asked. "I don''t know no one does. The demonnguage is extremely contextual when the symbols are put together. They can sometimes change meaning whenbined with the symbols around them. Too many of the symbols here are unknown, so the ones that are known cannot really be pieced together until the key subject is determined." Jade rambled. "What are you" Jade pointed to the symbol centered on the keystone of the arch. "This. It is the primary subject of the surrounding symbols. Without knowing what it means we cannot determine the surrounding parts." Lucius looked at the symbol Jade indicated and smiled. "Abyss." Jade looked at him for a moment. "Excuse me?" "The subject. The symbol is the Abyss." "What abyss?" Lucius shook his head. "No, Abyss, the noun. It''s a ce. Think of it as the opposite of Celestia. It is home to darkness, pain, chaos, and destruction." "How do you know" "[Abyss Break: Abyss Armor]" Shadows gathered around Lucius and created a ck metallic armor around him. The mark on his left hand glowed while darkness danced around him. Rena coughed as she pointed at his hand where a golden ring with a ck gemstone had appeared on his pointer-finger. It gave off a strange glow of its own separate from that of his mark. Acting on instinct, he pressed the palm of his hand on the white stone. The shadows surrounding him sank into the archway and began to fill in the cracks between the stonework. ''The gateway shall open to those who understand the depth of the abyss and its endless hunger.'' Grimm''s voice echoed in his mind. ''You have an inkling on what the Abyss is, but until you understand its hunger, the gate will not open'' ''So what information are you giving me then?'' Lucius asked. ''I will let you ask three questions, and I will answer them honestly.'' Lucius thought carefully about the questions. What could he ask? What would Grimm even know? He only witnesses the world through Lucius''s eyes as far as he could remember, so what of it could he have to offer that Lucius did not already know himself? ''What waits for me at the depths of the dungeon?'' ''Power.'' ''What waits for me in the tower?'' ''Knowledge.'' Grimm chuckled, ''Onest question Lucius, ask wisely.'' ''Aside from going to the dungeon, what should I do next?'' he asked after a few moments. Grimm sighed, ''I was hoping for a juicier question fine. You aren''t strong enough to reach the depths so your next task should be to return to the academy and hurry.'' The shadows vanished and Lucius pulled his hand away from the tower. Rena stepped up and inquisitively ced a hand on his arm. Natali also stepped up to him and asked, "Lord Kane, is everything alright?" Her voice was quiet, but her eyes showed genuine concern. His conversation with Rena the other night entered his mind, so he contemted what to do for a few moments. "I''m alright. We must return to the academy at once. The tower won''t open right now, but it will." He ordered and walked back in the direction of the camp. Lucius stopped and turned to Natali, "You can just call me Lucius, Natali. I want to get to know you a little better, per Rena''s request. I don''t like speaking formally with friends." Natali''s eyes began to water and a small smile pasted itself onto her lips. She turned to Rena and gave her arge hug. Lucius could overhear her repeatedly thanking his wife for helping them bridge the gap. He was not opposed to getting closer to her. She did help take care of Rena after all and she had never done anything to upset him. If anything, she almost reminded him of himself with how she separated herself from others in a way. They used different methods to do so, but the core of their actions were the same. It also helped that she was rather cute but it would take time for him to look at her in the way he was almost certain that Rena wanted him to. For now, they would start as friends. The promise he made to Rena was to try and be friendly, where it wentter was something he did not know. Chapter 202: Lady al Famyn Elize al Famyn had spent a short amount of time licking her wounds from losing in her first fight at the Exhibition Tournament. She was not given the chance to fight against Titan or rather Lord Kane, let alone time to speak with him. Several hours after the tournament concluded, the banquet began and she lost any and every chance to interact with Lucius on the floor of the ballroom. Nobles continued to introduce themselves to him as a powerful nobles from Eroa and left her little opening to try and advance. However, the moment he was free, the aura around him was oppressing, like he was forcing people away from him. Elize had no choice but to give up the chance of interacting with him. She returned to her aunt in defeat. When she approached her aunt Voltara, the woman had a look of horror stered on her face and several empty bottles of wine scattered about her room. Voltara told her to forget about the mission and ignore Lucius Kane. Their ns to bring him to their side had halted for the moment, but she declined to exin why. Elize thought back to those moments sometimes, but she no longer cared. Instead, she had a better distraction at the moment. Rustling around in the sheets next to her was a young-looking elven man. His arms were wrapped around her with one of his hands cupping her chest tightly. She disentangled herself from his grasp, leaving him toy in the bed alone under the silk sheets. The elf was her aunt''s personal guard, Alerion. He was marked and very good at his job, among other things. "Mistress, the information you requested." A woman in a fancy maid outfit bowed and gifted her a letter sealed with wax. Elize took it gingerly and gave the maid a sweet smile before kissing her on the cheek. As she pulled away, she dragged her finger down the maid''s neck. "Thank you my sweet, you may go for now." The letter was from her aunt Voltara who had been visiting Aedrider. She granted Elize temporarymand over her spywork in passing. The letter discussed a few actions that were explicitly banned. One of the most prominent requirements was to leave Lucius Kane and anyone rted to him alone. Elize was not supposed to help them, hinder them, investigate them, or even interact with them in any capacity. Everything else felt pretty standard for her aunt''s wishes. This had been done a few times before, so Elize had a good understanding of how things worked by this point. Rustling nkets sounded out behind her as Alerion climbed out of bed and approached her quietly. He was not trying to conceal his presence, so much as he was choosing to not interrupt what she was doing. Elize recognized his presence immediately and turned around to look at him with a sly grin. "You know," she giggled, "I have to say this is the greatest perk of Auntie leaving the country. Having you serve under me, Sir Alerion." "And here I was thinking that I was protecting you from above, Lady Elize al Famyn." He returned her giggle with a shy smile. "What is it you would ask of me? Though I enjoy mixing business and pleasure on asion, business is still important." "Ah, I don''t really have anything pertinent for you specifically. I was going to ask you to look into someone for me, however, Auntie expressly forbade it. So, we will skip that one for now." She advised. "I have a few more documents here, let me see if there''s anything that could use your attention" While she slowly thumbed through the documents she had been gifted, Alerion read the direct order from his master, Lady Voltara al Famyn. "So you do not want me to investigate this Lucius Kane?" "Hmm?" Elize muttered, fully distracted by her reading. "Oh, no. You should definitely not do that. He is not what you would expect from an Intermediate Rank. There also seem to be a number of people moving on in the background for various reasons right now, so I think the waters surrounding him have been muddied with confusion for now. "Though, I might have something. This cult that Auntie has been looking into. I''ve heard that attacks are bing more frequent. There was even one in the capital city just before the event started We are tracking down some leads. Can you help in that investigation for now?" Alerion bowed and kissed Elize''s hand. "Of course, mydy." "Good. You are dismissed, Alerion but do return, I have other assignments for you to perform." She said with a wink. Without a sound or any warning, the elf stepped away from her desk and vanished into thin air. He was extremely adept at his job and stealthing around, so she was not surprised he simply vanished like that. Thinking she had spent enough time with thoughts of Alerion, Elize returned to looking over her data. It seemed that Voltara had overstretched herself by offering a number of men as resources to assist in researching the nut jobs that have been randomly attacking cities and popted areas. So far, none of the attacks had any clear reasoning or pattern between perpetrators. The only thing that matched them to each other was the fact that they attacked out of nowhere, used slurred speech, and mumbled incoherent words that mentioned a ''throne of creation''. Even then, most of them couldn''t be understood well enough to hear even that. It was unclear if it was directly rted to what was happening, or if there was a secondary religious group taking advantage of the chaos caused by psychopaths to co-opt the notoriety that gave them attention, then direct that attention into the religion''s fame. Something Elize had heard long in the past was ''there''s no such thing as poor advertising'', came to her. That referred to the possibility of multiple groups being involved with one taking advantage of the negative fame to garner attention however would that apply if the attention referred to multiple counts of attempted murder? That was not very likely, or at least it was not like that to Elize. The next few steps she took were to organize all the units she was aware of being out of the country and focused on tracking down the strange attackers. Though there was unlikely to be something new, she simply had to look. Of the countries, it seemed like Arcadios was experiencing a higher rate of violence than the other countries around it. The situation was strange and it felt like it was pointing to a big event on the horizon. Either way something exciting was brewing in the air. Chapter 203: Old Enemies? Kalliope and Lyrah had started getting closer since she had her vision and exined some of her strange behaviors. At first, the girl was a bit of a brat. However, knowing the truth behind her methods smoothed things over. Now, Kalliope had every agent they had in the capital posted in and around the academy, save for a few on standby for their critical projects. Just as Lyrah had said, they could not work jointly with Arcadios''s forces because it would require them to reveal how they obtained the knowledge. Lyrah was still avoiding returning to the castle and avoiding being found by the elders that monitor the Oracles. She also continued to go out on her strange errands. A few times, she invited Kalliope and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The woman would asionally give her the slip for a few minutes, butter returned with a smile on her face and a teasing gaze in her eyes. To Kalliope, it seemed like Lyrah enjoyed making a game out of disappearing from an excellent tracker and beastman like Kalliope. "Lyrah you are half-beastman as well, since you are Lucius''s twin do you also possess the same strong senses that your brother does?" she asked out of curiosity. They had never discussed it before, but it was a question that popped up asionally. Lyrah shook her head slightly. "No, it seems that he got all the good genes. He has the senses, thepatibility, the strength though I think we were equally lucky in the looks department at least." There was no other option but to agree. Kalliope had to admit that her crush''s sister was a very attractive young woman. Her and Lucius looked quite simr, save for thetter''s scars and one golden eye. "Did Lucius always have that strangely colored eye?" She asked while sipping a warm cup of coffee. "No, from what I remember of my visions, he started life with the same silver eyes as mine. However, a traumatic event triggered some sort of change in him that I don''t understand maybe he always had it and the incident triggered the trait''s expression I honestly do not know, but it''s pretty cool, right?" "Yes." Kalliope answered dreamily. They continued to converse while walking through the markets and sipping drinks in these new ''to-go'' containers that had been introduced during the Exhibition Tournament. They were made of ceramic and if you brought it back, the drink was cheaper because you did not need to buy a new cup with it. "Have you found anything about the incident?" Lyrah asked. Kalliope had to answer honestly, which was that they had not. So far everything they looked into came up empty. It was like the threat that Lyrah had seen waspletely spontaneous because there was not so much as a whisper of anything regarding an attack on the academy. At the moment, there weren''t even any conversations about frustrations with it, aside from wishing their representative would have won in the tournament. Every once in a while, they would check with Lyrah to see if the attack had been thwarted somehow because of the sheerck of evidence. However, each time, Lyrah would inform them that nothing had changed and the academy would stille under attack. Since they could not seem to figure out how to prevent it, they moved to the next best option from prevention, which was mitigation. King''s Shadow agents could support the academy when the attack began and assist in keeping as many students and faculty members alive as possible. The two of them continued to browse the marketce when Kalliope caught a whiff of something familiar. It was the scent of people she had met before, but a very long time ago. She looked around quickly to find whoever was the source of the scent because she could not ce who it might have been. Her eyes settled on a human man with arge axe strapped to his back and a much smaller human woman wearing light clothes and robes. The woman appeared to be a mage. Once they turned slightly so Kalliope could see the sides of their faces, she immediately bared her teeth in anger. It was Renton and Marie, the two surviving members of The Marks. Without thinking, Kalliope lunged at their backs. They were unable to react in time, so both her hands found purchase on the backs of their necks with ease. The strength of her attack forced both humans to the ground without issue, which shocked onlookers whopared Renton''s size to Kalliope''s. Marie yelped in pain, but Renton said and did nothing, only moving his hands above his head in a surrender-like pose. "Lady Kalliope we mean no harm, we are only shopping." "K-Kalliope? Gods we we d-didn''t" Marie stammered. "What do you two creatures want in the capital?" She roared. "Tell me why I should not just kill you right now. I need only to apply a little more pressure and your lives will be snuffed out." There was a crowd starting to form around them. People looked on in panic and started shouting for guards. Though they were far away, Kalliope could hear the metallic nging of running soldiers rapidly approaching. She needed to end this quickly and started to squeeze her hands tighter. Marie began to whimper. Renton on the other hand remained calm and shouted out, "There is no need for rm everyone this is all a misunderstanding, please do not fault the young Lady here. We have not properly exined ourselves for an incident. Everyone please remain calm." His request to the crowd surprised Kalliope enough for her to rx her grip and remove some of the threat to their lives the two former allies felt. Marie still sobbed slightly, but attempted to control her emotions through a series of breaths. "May we move somewhere else to talk, Lady Kalliope?" Renton asked. His hands were still raised awkwardly in a surrender and his face was pressed against the ground. Kalliope thought about it solidly for a few seconds before releasing them and standing up. Marie and Renton immediately stood. Renton approached the guards that had finally appeared and indicated that there was no need for any actions on their part. They looked reluctant to let such an incident slide after such a public disy, but since Marie and Renton were the victim party, the guards would look the other way for them. Chapter 204: The Meeting After the kerfuffle at the market, the group of four individuals found themselves sitting together in a private room at the adventurer''s guild. The suggestion was made by Lyrah to head there because fights break out in the guild all the time and no one would immediately call the guards if Kalliope lost her temper again. Lyrah sat in the small room eating some of her favorite deserts absentmindedly while the other three looked at each other intensely. Kalliope''s ears were perked straight up and her tail was ever so slightly bristled. Every movement that came from either Marie or Renton made her hands reflexively twitch in the direction of the daggers in her boot. For Renton and Marie''s part, they could not have approached the situation any more differently. Marie was extremely timid and shy as a person so she looked exorbitantly ufortable with the situation. Renton simply looked at Kalliope with a patient gaze waiting for a moment he felt like it would be safe to speak without her snapping at him. Every few minutes of silence or so, Marie would awkwardly nce in Lyrah''s direction, which she responded with a teasing smile and wiggle of her fingers. Lyrah chose not to say anything and simply enjoyed the scene spread out before her. Despite the tension, now that things had softened after the market incident, Kalliope would not do anything to cause permanent damage. Kalliope sighed deeply and waved her hand to indicate that Renton could start speaking. Lyrah smiled at the gesture. This very situation was pre-determined by Lyrah. It was a future that she was able to guarantee. Depending on how things went, it was hard to say there would be no fighting but at least no one would die. Rather, that''s what Lyrah had foreseen happening today. With prophecies things were seldom guaranteed. There was always a room for chance and randomness, though in general the overarching theme of the prophecy woulde to pass. For example, she knew that Lucius would go to war. That was a fixed oue that nothing could change. However, when and how he went to war was something that could be different. Had he gone on time after his dungeon raid was over, then the next fixed point would have been his death. However, if he went to war early, then the fixed-point would be his survival. Part of the Oracle''s powers were to dive down these branching paths and find the fixed points. Their rmendation to the kingdom would then manipte the factors leading up to the event in question. Just like today, since Renton and Marie survived the war, they were guaranteed to run into Kalliope. Because they did so while Lyrah was present, they survived. Lyrah then suggested the guild hall to meet in, not because of preventing fighting, but rather the long walk would allow everyone to calm down and gather their thoughts, leading to a productive meeting. She continued to smile and quietly enjoy her desserts, wondering what would happen next. There were a few oues, but she decided to see which ones woulde about on their own. "Lady Kalliope," Renton began after taking a deep breath, "I want to start off by saying that we had nothing to do with the attempted assassination of Lucius. Truly, we had no idea that Mia was nning such a thing." Marie furiously nodded her head in agreement. Though she was still on edge, Kalliope did seem to visibly settle a little after Renton''s resolute tone. Even she could tell that he was not built for lying. "Say what you are proiming is true tell me what happened." The wolf-girl demanded. Renton and Marie carefully exined their recollection of the events. They noticed that Mia was acting strange as they approached the ridge over the valley where the assassination attempt urred. She had even volunteered to scout ahead alone just before arriving. When they had recruited Lucius, he took over all of their scouting needs because of his superior senses. Though Mia was better at hiding thanks to her specific skills and mark, Lucius was able to scout further ahead without traveling the immense distance that Mia would need to in order to cover the same area. Though they thought it strange, no one thought anything of it because they had just lost their member, Lynn. Everyone had agreed to give her the benefit of the doubt on ount of loss and grief. Renton then went on to exin that the assassin was a ck-haired elf with amber eyes that seemed to have known Lucius. Kalliope was not privy to this new information because Lucius had declined to exin much about his connection to everyone. She knew he had been betrayed by people he looked up to, but that was it. Apparently after the attack, Mia and Lucius were presumed dead and the three assassins took Renton and Marie back with them. Richard von Petra and Commander Laris kept their promise to Mia and shipped Renton and Marie away from the battle lines, allowing them to be dismissed from the war effort. The elf, Shiyani exined some of her backstory with Renton and Marie for reasons they did not understand. Even though Kalliope had calmed down at the beginning of the exnation, her discovery of the details of the betrayal served only to infuriate her more. Lyrah''s untrained eyes could almost see the residual mana falling off the woman from the amount of anger she was expressing after the two former party members of Lucius finished exining everything. The room fell silent once more as neither of the two wanted to do or say anything that might further trigger Kalliope''s anger. "Thank you for your information." She managed through gritted teeth. Herrge canines had lengthened slightly as she seemed to barely be able to hold back shifting. "Do you know where Shiyani is now?" Marie shook her head, "N-n-no we separated from her the moment we arrived back in Arcadios four years ago. We have not seen or heard from her since. Though I did overhear that they might have been going to Aedrider. Again, it''s been a long time since then, so I doubt they are still there" "Thank you both." Kalliope almost whispered. "I am sorry I attacked you, I just well I''m sorry." "It is understandable, Lady Kalliope." Renton affirmed. "You were simply wanting to protect him. Even though youcked the information to truly understand everything, I believe anyone else would have made the same conclusions, and we do not fault you for that." "Th-that''s right!" Marie stuttered, "If y-you need anything at all please let us know. Our party has kept its name, though there are only two of us now. We are at your service." Kalliope bowed her head slightly and the two adventurers left the room. Now it was empty save for the young Oracle and the wolf-girl. The only sounds were those of Lyrah snacking. "So!" Lyrah sang out, "How are you feeling?" "Ill" "Understandable!" She continued, "I knew this would happen of course, but it was interesting to witness!" "You knew?" Kalliope''s brow furrowed. "I thought you could only see visions of Lucius. He''s not here and I doubt that it only needs to be about him for you to see it." Lyrah gave her a smile, "Perhaps." "Have you been lying to us?" Kalliope used. "That''s funnying from you, Lady Kalliope." "What do you mean by that?" Lyrah put down her te. The vision of amusement and yful attitude she normally portrayed vanished in an instant and was reced with a stone-cold expression. She leaned in close to Kalliope and locked eyes with her, "You''re a liar." Chapter 205: Liars "You''re a liar." Kalliope felt her body stiffen. She was not aware of what lie the ck-haired girl was referring to, but the steely gaze she was receiving made her body reflexively shudder. Her beautiful silver eyes were cold and held none of the warmth and mirth they normally did. "What do you mean?" Kalliope demanded. Though she intended for her tone to soundmanding and direct, she could not help but feel that it came out more like a whimper. She felt like a child who was being scolded by a parent and could not understand for the life of her why. Every decision and secret she thought she had rushed through her mind, but she was sure that at least Lucius knew them all. Kalliope could not think of anything she might have told Lyrah that was a lie either. So, what was the woman referencing? What did she lie about? "You put on an act." Lyrah continued. "Don''t forget that I have seen everything my brother has done, might do, and will do. Nothing about his life is a secret from me. By extension, anything you have done around him and to him is known by me. "You throw yourself at my brother like a whore, desperate for attention. Pining for a connection you might never have. You do this despite him having a wife. You did this despite him loving another. You tried to take what isn''t yours before you were allowed to have it." Kalliope felt her blood boil. The surprise she felt earlier was gone and no longer did she feel like a pup being punished; now she felt like a woman being attacked. Her pride was insulted by this brat who was trying to y tough in a fight she could never win. "I''ll have you know that there was a time where I could have taken everything I wanted from him. If you ''know everything'' little girl, then you should have known that too." Kalliope growled. "For a moment I had the future I desired in my hand, but I didn''t take it. I knew it wasn''t meant for me, so I let it go. If you are such a god damned know it all, then why are you spouting such utter bullshit?" The room felt hot. Kalliope could feel her body temperature rising from the frustration she felt. She had even stood up and got into Lyrah''s face to yell at her. Where was thising from? Everything made no sense. One minute, they were chummy and getting along and now the woman was criticizing things about Kalliope that she knew nothing about. Instead of backing off, Lyrah stood and matched Kalliope''s energy. A sly smirk momentarily graced Lyrah''s face before fading, "I''m aware. Yet, here you are, every day since then continuing to act like a bitch in heat. You finally have a connection and then you pushed him away, only to turn around and mock him by continuing to openly pine for him. "Why? Was it all an act? Do you love my brother? Or is this a game to you? Do you find enjoyment in looking like a homewrecker?" A loud p echoed throughout the room. Lyrah''s cheek turned red as a handprint began to rapidly form on her cheek. "Don''t you dare act like you know Lucius better than I do." Kalliope roared. "All you are is an observer. Sure, you have ''seen everything he''s done,'' but it is no different than reading a book. You sit there and watch the pain he goes through. You see his failures and triumphs sure, but I have so much more. Rena has so much more. "I was there. I watched him work himself to the bone every day. He took beating after beating without rest from one of the strongest beings on the continent. He faced brutal training regimens and faced terrifying hurdles all in the name of bing stronger. "You know nothing about what kind of man he is. What he felt. What I felt. Seeing his determination tested constantly, watching him break, being there to pick him back up experiencing those things mean so much more than just watching it happen. "Compared to me, you are nothing to Lucius. So don''t act like you understand us; like you understand how we feel." Lyrah ced a hand on her face and rubbed where she had been struck. "Do you even love him?" Kalliope red at the woman in silent anger. She took a deep breath to keep herself from striking Lyrah a second time. "I love him with all my heart. At first it was out of duty, desire to have a strong bloodline but seeing who he was, changed things. Then one day when it seemed like my feelings were being reciprocated I was scared. I pushed him away because I was afraid that he did not truly feel the way he thought. Everything he had done up to that point was for revenge and for Rena. I was afraid that the moment I gave in I would simply lose him the moment she returned. "Judge me if you will, to maintain a mask of normalcy. I''m sorry for wanting things to stay the same. If I couldn''t let myself have more, then I wanted to at least keep what I already had. I made it hard on Lucius to remain true to his goal by letting my feelings through. If I acted yful and disingenuous, he would be able to say no and focus on what he really wanted." Both women stared at each other. The tension between them was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. Neither knew what would break this stalemate they found themselves in. Kalliope felt herself about to break when Lyrah spoke first. "At least you are finally being honest." The young oracle said with a smile. The stern look she had vanished immediately. "I have a lot of respect for those who can lie well for others. To lie to yourself as well as him, so that he may achieve his goals is worthy of respect. However, things are different now and I was worried you might be a lost cause, but there is hope for you yet." "Of course it was you who saw through me." Kalliope admitted. "You''ve ''seen everything'' anyway" Lyrah chuckled and shook her head. "Even if I had not a liar knows a liar." "What do you mean?" Lyrah''s face took on a sad expression and her tone became somber, "To see what I see and make what I want to happene true, I often must tell lies. My friends and my family I must lie to them for their own good. It is lonely and painful I don''t want you to have to do it anymore, Kalliope." Kalliope pulled Lyrah into a hug and rubbed her back gently. For a moment, the oracle stood there stunned, but slowly returned the embrace. "Lyrah, if you ever need to escape from your lies, you can tell me. I will help with your burdens from one liar to another." "You are sweet." Somehow, Kalliope knew that the girl would not take her up on the offer. There would probably be times when Kalliope would be lied to, and there was nothing she could do about it. For Lyrah, she would probably continue walking this path alone to create the future she desires Yet, Kalliope wanted to know what kind of future her new friend was trying to obtain. Chapter 206: Teacher Kalivas Dozens of young men and women grunted in rhythmic patterns together as they practiced swings and martial techniques in unison. They were a part of the current round of knights being trained in Eroa''s capital. Almost all of them were fresh-faced graduates from their national school, but a small number were guards and soldiers who wanted to try their hands at moving up in the world. Kalivas toured the grounds as repayment to his friend, King Verdayl, for allowing Lucius free reign in the tournament. Originally, Verdayl was only going to allow Lucius to announce his title while crashing the banquet as a guest of Eroa. Things changed when Kalivas realized that there was going to be a prize for first ce as well as representatives from a majority of the nations on the continent. He argued that if they sent Lucius in as their representative, then they would guarantee the prestige of winning thepetition on top of showing off that they have the strongest warrior of the generation. Unfortunately for Kalivas, Lucius went a little further than necessary which created the need for King Verdayl to apologize to the other nations'' leaders for the day''s events. Neither the king nor Kalivas were aware of what Lucius''s ns were, save winning the tournament. In fact, neither even knew what ''wish'' the boy was going to request be granted. It could have been almost anything, but they were pleasantly surprised at the actual request itself. Kalivas knew a little about Rena, mostly from listening in to conversations between Lucius and Kalliope while they were training together. His son was not one to divulge information freely with anyone really, so there was no way that he was going to have a heart-to-heart about his crush with him. Though, through the snippets he heard, it was easy to glean just how much the boy felt for this girl. Seeing her fight was rather pleasant too. Though she was eliminated by the spear fighter, Desmond, she showed a remarkable talent for someone who only fought with magic. Truly, she performed much better than anyone expected without being able to utilize any Arts at all. She had a lot of potential and that made Kalivas proud of his son for choosing a strong partner. "Widen your feet. Square them up with your shoulders or you will lose your bnce." He barked at a trainee that stumbled after making one of the wider swings. "Alright, enough. Five minutes of rest, then pair up for non-contact sparring." All the recruits quickly put down their weapons and copsed to the ground where they were. Kalivas was a devil of a trainer, but he was going easy on these knights. Of course, his methods were many times more intense than the ones normally used by the regr trainers, but he was also being many times less aggressive than with Lucius and Kalliope. "How goes the training, Kalivas?" King Verdayl''s voice called out from behind him. The man was in a disguise so the knights-in-training would not jump to attention and be distracted from their studies. "It''s alright. They are performing as well as could be expected." He answered. "Is that all? You are not impressed?" Kalivas eyed the king like he was insane. "You know who my son is, right?" Verdayl grimaced, "Painfully slow I had to marily appease King Aleksander for the situation. Though we did not vite the rules, he imed we vited the ''spirit of thepetition'' so he made me reimburse them for a quarter of the cost in setting up the tournament." "You know, I could just pay you back myself so I don''t have to waste my time training newbies. In fact, I would dly reimburse the entire amount if I could just leave." Kalivas was almost begging with his tone. Verdaylughed and denied the request. To him, having their country''s King Ranker train a group of their knights, even if only for a short time, was many times more valuable than the preparation costs for an international event. There was no way he was going to pass up on the opportunity. Verdayl admitted that he would dly experience many more far more embarrassing moments than what Lucius put him through to achieve this oue. "Have you heard anything from the boy? From what I hear he has left the capital on a ''work-study'' with some other students. I don''t know if you have heard anything else about that or not." Verdayl asked. The trainees all stood now that their break was over and began to pair up for no-contact sparring. Their goal was simply to hone the feeling and movements of their maneuvers in both the attacking and defending formations. Satisfied everyone was paired up and there were no ring corrections needed made, Kalivas finally answered. "No, I have yet to hear anything from him. I know that Kalliope was left behind to take care of things in Arcadios''s capital in his stead. They might be having some run-ins with the Church of Celestia." "That does not bode well. Such an institution has little reach here, but in the heart of the human nations that is a different story." He nodded along with the king''s words. "That''s true. However, I don''t know how that will y out. The human nations seem very interested in the House of Kane for reasons we haven''t really figured out. Something about a prophecy was whispered in some circles, but the context is unknown." "I see So you don''t think the church will make a move while the human leaders have an interest in him?" "Yes, but I also believe they will make moves to try and pin the boy for something. Launch an inquiry into him and have him either expelled from the country or worse." Kalivas sighed heavily. "You know" Verdayl said with a smirk. "If you want, I can pull some strings if ites to that. All we need to do is extend your little substitute instructor job. Say the word and it''ll be done." Verdaylughed as his friend''s face visibly paled at the prospect of training these whelps any longer than he had to. Though he wanted to be a good father and help his son where he could, Kalivas also understood that Lucius needed to stand on his own and figure these things out for himself. With that in mind he declined the offer and stepped through the lines of trainees to examine their movements a little more closely. He would be kinder with mistakes with them than he was with Lucius, but he still needed to correct them on asion to prevent any bad habits. Chapter 207: An Unexpected Alliance It had been a few months since their defeat and the leaders of Alorek were still licking their wounds. Lady Tierga, their Empyrean Ranker, was assisting them in moving their troops past the blockage preventing them from supporting Alvora. However, they were unable to reach the city before it was taken and mostly destroyed. Because of the distance between Alvora and the nearest city or fortress, Alorek would have lost a significant amount of ground to the enemy and would be facing a two-on-one fight without the benefit of the natural bottleneck that Alvora created. Pana was punished for her failure as an example to their forces, but her call was a difficult one. That warrior, Titan, held the city''s civilian poption hostage, and then proceeded to eliminate a majority of its citizens without restraint or emotion. Truly, what Pana had done was an honorable thing and she saved many lives. However, she failed to notice their infiltrators until it was toote and created a scenario where their loss was all but assured. "King Zethis, there is someone requesting an audience." A messenger entered the room with a bow and pulled him out of his thoughts. "Who is it?" If at any other time he would have been furious to have his alone time disrupted, however the energy for such behavior simply wasn''t there anymore. "They im to be an envoy of another nation" The messenger began. "If it''s from Eroa or any of the Union nations, send them away, I''m busy." "Sire, they im to be a representative of Haedda." The messenger finished. Zethis''s interest was already piqued. Haedda was the second of two elven nations. Aedrider was in the northern part of the continent, while Haedda inhabited the south. Aedrider had open borders and trade with every country on the continent, but Haedda was the exact opposite. Very rarely did the istionist nation interact with the other countries and their peoples. There was a vast mountain range that isted them from all the surrounding nations with only two natural passes leading in or out of theirnds. One entrance connected to the nation of Docia, while the other connected to Alorek. Seldomly they would allow trade caravans through the pass, but very few people ever left the country and even fewer people were allowed in. Zethis quickly moved to the throne room to receive a rare and honored guest. With his powerful legs, he sprinted there in a very short amount of time, leaving the messenger in the proverbial, and literal, dust. Once in his throne room, he sat in hisrge chair, overlooking the main floor which hosted a single,rge rug that led directly from underneath his chair and all the way to the doors. With a wave of his hand, the guards at the door slowly opened it and allowed an enchanting elven woman to step into the room. She wore a long, flowing white gown that hugged her figure tightly. Though the dress went all the way up to her neck, the way the clothes fit left little to the imagination of Zethis on the exact size and shape of most of her body. Trailing behind her was a longce train with the tail of the material barely kissing the ground. nking the woman were a handful of guards and servants. Each of the guards wore strange, glittery armor. It looked like steel te armor that had flecks of emerald infused throughout the metal. Zethis had absolutely no idea what kind of material it was that was folded in with the steel, but it looked expensive and intimidating. Once the entire procession had entered the room, the woman in white kneeled before his throne. Her luscious, pink hair entuated her perfect face and pale, blue eyes. "I, Princess Enaeria of Haedda, greet you, King Zethis of the Raging Sands, ruler of the nation of Alorek." The woman spoke with a voice as smooth as silk and sweet as honey. Her manners were perfect and everything about her felt otherworldly. Zethis couldn''t help but gulp in response. "Greetings, Princess Enaeria." He stood and walked down the steps. Zethis offered his hand to her and helped her to a standing position. "I greet you, but please do not lower yourself to kneel to a person such as me. A woman of your caliber should never have to kneel before another." Honestly, he felt like he wasying it on thick in his response, but for some reason he could not help it. The princess smiled at his words and made his heart jump. "Thank you, your majesty. Ie as an envoy of my great nation, Haedda, the kingdom in the mist." She continued before pausing. She then looked at her gown and frowned at the bit of dust that had dirtied her perfect dress. With a simple wave of her hand, water formed over the dirt and pulled it out of the cloth. A single snap of her fingers and a small gust of wind quickly dried the fabric, leaving her just as perfect as before. Zethis almost had to pick his jaw up off of the floor. What he had just witnessed was an effortless example of Channeling. The elven princess had used it as if it was a trivial matter for her. "Apologies, my liege." Enaeria said with a smile. "I havee as an envoy for two purposes. One is that my king and queen, or my mother and father, wish to form an alliance and trade partnership with the nation of Alorek. As their third daughter I have been sent to offer my hand in marriage to you as a token of our desire to ally with you." The king of Alorek stood there dumbfounded. Not only had he witnessed Channeling ur in front of his very eyes, but this heavenly vision before him was also offering herself in marriage. If that wasn''t enough, the very reason for her visit was because the infamously istionist nation of Haedda was wanting to enter into an alliance with them. Truly, today was an interesting day. "Of course. I graciously ept both the offer of alliance and my fairdy''s hand in marriage. As a show of respect, I offer the forfeiture of my nation''s traditions of multiple wives. Out of respect for you and your kingdom, I promise myself to you and you alone." Enaeria beamed at him with a smile brighter than the desert sun. "I am d to be shown such a measure of respect, my lord husband. Or rather my lord husband-to-be." She giggled at her own words, lightly covering her mouth with her spare hand. "There is one more matter to attend to, however. I have brought with me the representative of another nation who wishes to speak with you." Chapter 208: The Far Shores After Enaeria informed him a second guest entered the hall. They had short elf-like ears and animal-like slitted eyes. The figure was a towering seven feet tall with a torso nearly half again asrge as Zethis''s own. Though he was wearing nice clothing that appeared to be made in Haedda, he also wore various pieces of jewelry made of animal bones around his neck and arms. Bangles with small animal bones decorated his wrists. Where a warrior might have metal pauldrons on his shoulder, there was the top half of a beast''s skull. His arms were exposed and he had a series of ck and green tattoos covering the entirety of his skin. It was clear the artwork went underneath his clothes as the piece continued up to his neck. It was umon to see a half-elf, half-beastman in Alorek which was already a slight shock. What was more shocking though was the rest of his aesthetic. Tattoos were not something that weremon to find on the continent. Save for small pieces kept in hidden locations on the body, this man unted the art for everyone to see. "My lord husband-to-be," Enaeria cooed, "Please wee Sir Mer''Krul, a representative of the nations of the Far Shores." If everything up till now was not a surprise, this was certainly one. Everything seemed to be moving faster than he couldprehend. Mer''Krul''s presence here represented nothing short of a miracle of the highest caliber. Haedda was known as an istionist nation, the famed ''kingdom in the mist,'' so named for the magical mist that epassed their borders which seemed to magically prevent entry by people not granted ess to the kingdom. This same mist prevented many countries with ess to the oceans from venturing beyond the shelf surrounding their continent. Any ship that moved into the deep waters of the ocean found themselves turned around or disappeared forever into the mysterious mist that surrounded their continent. One exception to this ancient barrier''s rules were the mysterious ships belonging to a country simply known as ''The Far Shores.'' "Greetings, King Zethis." Mer''Krul said with a bow. "I am representing my homnd in this endeavor. We of The Far Shores are allied with Haedda through marriage with their second prince and the daughter of our Great Chieftain. Haedda wishes for us to trade with Alorek as well." "Trade?" Zethis was shocked. Ships from The Far Shores were rare sightings among nations who actually had ocean ess and they would frequently trade with the ports theynded at, but no ships ever agreed to make long-standing trade pacts. They were also extremely secretive for how it was that they could navigate the mist barrier. The goods they typically possessed included extremely unique and powerful charms that would make the likes of Aedrider jealous. Along with that, they possessed powerful alchemical mixtures with far more potent effects than the ones avable on the continent. He found himself wondering where these offers were before the war''s end. "Perhaps we should discuss the details at length over dinner?" Zethis said, trying not to sound too desperate to establish trade rtions with the elusive foreign power. "As you wish," Mer''Krul stated. "Would you mind if I invite my wife, Mar''Dena, to join us?" "Of course, please, all and any of both of your entourages are invited to partake in a grand feast. I shall inform my kitchens to spare no expense in the preparations." Zethis nodded at his messenger to prepare the kitchen staff. Mer''Krul excused himself and left the room. One of the pce maids directed him and his party, who stayed out in the hall, to their quarters. Zethis was about to have his new fianc taken to quarters of her own, but she ced a hand on his arm as he started to wave over for another maid. "My lord husband-to-be, I think it best that we retire to your personal quarters. You see, in Haedda, those to be wed offer their hand while wearing white clothing. On the eve of epting the offer, the one asked will remove said clothing, sealing the marriage in the eyes of the gods." She whispered into his ear. "Let us be wed now, under the watchful gaze of Celestia." Zethis did not try to conceal his nervous gulp and could barely contain his excitement as he led the beautiful woman on his arm away from the throne room personally. He was not stupid. The entire situation was extremely convenient and there was no doubt that he was getting the short end of some aspect of the deal. However, Alorek''s future was stagnant and sealed as it was. The way he saw it, no matter what it was these two nations wished of him, their offers were far more likely to benefit Alorek if taken than if left to its own devices. Zethis decided that even if they wanted his soul, his money, or his country, if they could destroy the Union or even that despicable man named Titan, then they could take whatever price they wanted. "Lord Zethis, what is it that is bothering you?" Enaeria questioned, though her tone indicated she was already aware what weighed on his heart. Zethis took a deep breath before asking in a dark tone, "What do you want from me? Haedda and The Far Shores possess many secrets and wonderful technologies. Things that Alorek could only dream to possess. What do you want?" Enaeria smiled and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Sweet Zethis your time for thinking is done, my sweet." Before he realized it, his mind became foggy. Thoughts became harder to form and grasp and any words he wanted to say simply caught in his throat. He noticed a dull glowing from the back of the princess''s left hand from a ck sigil that he had not noticed before. For a moment he thought about raging against the charm effecting from the elven princess, but those thoughts faded and all he could bring himself to feel was desire. He had to make this woman his. She offered herself to him. Her mere presence brought promise of greatness to his country. Though their children would be half-elf, their blood would be strong. They would be perfect. Zethis tensed his arms and picked his bride-to-be off her feet. "Enaeria, my love.Let''s make our nations prosperous and powerful. With you by my side, we will move mountains." Any concerns he had before were gone. Zethis went to bed that night content in both heart and body, with a perfect vision of beauty clung to his arm. Nothing else mattered; only Enaeria. Chapter 209: The Flames Deep in a densely packed forest, several people stood together outside of a log cabin. Once upon a time, this area was nothing but a few small houses surrounding amunal fire. Now, there were dozens of buildings and many people to fill them. A vige was forming. Though there were new buildings, the original source of the vige and the buildings within it were unchanged. No one dared to rece them or encroach upon the former hunting camp, treating it as a vige center of sorts. The cabins themselves at the center were far less fancy or cozy as the new ones, but the vige leadership still took up residence inside these lesser buildings. It was their right as leadership. Inside one of the smallest of the three cabins was a frighteningly beautiful woman. Though her very visage would make men and women swoon, none dared approach her. One word and she could make someone vanish as though they had never existed. Even their families would forget that their loved one went missing. Not due to the loss of memory, but out of fear of reprisal. Verona Fangorath was an illegitimate daughter of a snake-kin beastman from the country of Raleron. He had sired her with a human prostitute in Lelvern almost three decades ago. She grew up on the streets of the trade city, barely scraping by until she managed to get herself a job at the Merchant''s Guild as cleaning staff, then worked her way up to receptionist. Roughly ten years ago, she worked her way into the position as the Head of Acquisitions of the Arcadios branch of the guild. Her name and fame as a cunning and ruthless negotiator became well known in mercantile circles among merchant families of bothmon and noble blood. That was when her father finally decided to show himself and ept her into the family as a legitimate daughter so her sess would boost the prestige of his family. Insulted though she was, she was also a clever merchant and epted his offer even if it was only to have an extra leg up in negotiation tactics. This same woman would spend a few days out of every month in one of the more rundown cabins in the center of this unmarked and unnamed vige. She did so happily. "Mistress Verona, good day to you." "Lady Fangorath, a pleasure as always." "By the Fire, may we be cleansed." "Long may the mes be fanned." Everything frommon greetings to phrases of their holy sect greeted her every day she spent in this vige. She epted these greetings warmly and happily spent time among her fellow adherents. Currently she and the other followers of The me had begun to gather for the daily ritual of lighting themunal fire at the center of the original camp. Today''s bonfire was spectacrlyrge and would be more beautiful than ever. She had obtained through her trade routes a strange metal powder that would change the color of the fire to a brilliant gold, representing the radiance of godhood. She slowly stepped to the small stage they constructed for their sermons. Slowly, but surely more of the residents and devotees poured in from the surrounding buildings and trees. When a sizable enough crowd finally started to form, she began the sermon. "Wee brothers and sisters of The me." Verona began. Her voice wasmanding and deep for a woman. Even if the crowd were not already invested, her presence and tone would havemanded their attention. "I am once again leading us in our glorious lighting of the holy pyre. "Though in our daily lives we experience different things, travel in different circles. Wee from all walks, from beggars to nobles, from warriors to schrs; The me that burns within us all is but a piece of the One True Fire. "One day The me shall consume all, and through its consumption we will all return to its warm embrace. Though the world is not ready for the truth, it is our duty to burn it into them. It is our duty to fan the mes of destruction. It is our duty to spread the truth to those who are unaware of the bliss we offer. "May The me burn brightly in our souls and in our hearts." Verona mmed her left fist into her sternum before sying her fingers outward, simting the me burning in the core of their being. Everyone in the crowd imitated her actions simultaneously. Then a man passed her a ming torch which Verona took and threw onto the pyre. The dried leaves and twigs at the heart of the construct lit first and began to rapidly grow into a roaring me; the peak of which reached a dozen feet into the air. Once the fire started to burn in earnest, she pulled a leather pouch out of her pocket and cast it into the heart of the fire. Slowly, the mes changed from the normal reds and oranges to a brilliant gold. This elicited a series of sighs and cries of devotion from the crowd as they witnessed the beauty before them. "Golden mes represent the divinity of our god. By the righteous fire we will burn." Verona whispered to herself while shedding a tear. Each of the devotees present then gathered and took turns sacrificing things into the fire. Some sacrificed food, some money, and others mementos of their lives and memories. Verona had long since burned her painful memories away in the pyre. As one of the oldest devotees, she learned the truth of The mes over eleven years ago. Which was just before she worked her way to the top. Verona gave everything to the fires of their god and in return she was granted what she needed to seed. In a single year she worked her way from a receptionist to the Head of Acquisitions for the country. Verona Fangorath became the youngest person in the position in the history of the guild and has the most amount of sess. She no longer relies on the wisdom of The mes to make her decisions within the guild, but she did use the guild to siphon off resources to feed to the cult. Once things died down a little, she smiled as her direct subordinates took over managing the rest of the ceremony. Verona bowed and left her station to begin her meeting. Chapter 210: A Tale of Two Faiths Verona walked back into her small lodging and flipped up a hatch that led to the basement of the building. This was an addition they had added for their faith''s purposes. It was a basement that led to arge chamber under the center of the vige. The hall leading to the central chamber spiraled downwards until it reached a massive room with arge domed ceiling. Along the entirety of the dome were scenes of fire and destruction, buildings burning, and at its center sat a broken throne. The Throne of Creation. Standing at the center of the chamber were four other people. Each one led a sect of their faith in another nation. Four of their number were unable to make it to the meeting, which was understandable due to the distance they needed to travel. Verona represented the country of Arcadios and the other four each represented the four other nations in the Five Kings Union. The other four had been waiting for her arrival and even though they wanted to join in on the service above, they knew their presence would prove too much for the other devotees, so they remained hidden. "Mistress Fangorath, a pleasure for you to join us. I hope the service went well." One man said. Each wore a mask covering the top half of their faces. Even Verona had one on. They knew each other''s names but still stood on decorum by wearing the mask as requested by their leader. "A pleasure as well. Shall we begin?" She said with a smile. Several hourster when the meeting was over, she returned to her home in Lelvern. The sights around her disgusted her. The home she lived in inside the walls was gifted to her by her biological father. It was the height of excess. Every wall possessed a fine painting from various artists. Each painting was wrapped in expensive wooden frames from different rare species of trees or tree monsters. The very vision of such things was enough to make her vomit. Frankly, her job disgusted her. She was constantly handling money and goods for people who had an obsession with things, but her position was useful. Other than what was required to keep up appearances, everything she possessed was given to her faith. All her money, all of her possessions, all of her heart belonged to The mes. She sighed with satisfaction despite her surroundings. In their final meeting, the Council of Nine, or at least the five of them that were present, discussed the uing celebration at the Arcadios Royal Academy. Arge number of their adherents had decided to fan the mes in the heart of Arcadios and it was their responsibility as the Council to support them. Though it set back some of the ns they had in ce, the faith these devotees wanted to show had to be nurtured. It was truly awe inspiring that they wished to spread the word. ***** Father Urd slowly walked down the marble halls of the Grand Cathedral. He walked past the usual statue he used as a drop and noticed that its head was turned slightly askew. With a smile, he looked around before gently turning it back into its normal position. A small click could be heard from inside the statue and a tray popped out of its base. Inside was a small scroll tied up neatly, waiting for him to retrieve. Urd quickly pocketed the document and closed the drawer, locking it back in ce. He swiftly walked back down the hallway back to his office, preparing to read the report that was provided. Contained within was a list of known associates of the ''Lord'' Lucius Kane. Among them were his ''wife,'' Rena Kane, Kalliope of the Gray Wolf n, Desmond and Jade Adler, as well as the young Oracle and her maid. One final person was his adoptive mother that someone had attempted to assassinate in her home by way of artificially triggered monster attack. She managed to survive by being rescued moments before the attack urred and was now staying in the Eroan embassy with Kalliope. The younger oracle''s maid was out on a work-study as part of her education, but the young oracle herself has been difficult to locate. Many of their men had tried to track her down, but they seemed unable to tail her for very long. Somehow the woman managed to give them all the slip in a matter of minutes. "Of these members, it seems that the most valuable targets would be Rena and Rubellia if we can find a way to use them to manipte Lucius Kane into making a mistake that we can use" Under normal circumstances, the actions that Lord Kane had taken would grant him a private room in the castle dungeons while he awaited trial. However, everything he had done was already punished, and those that had been unpunished were forgiven. What the church needed was something new that they could use as leverage. "If only we could tie him to something because of the prophecy all of the leaders are petrified into doing nothing against him, but if it''s not framed as a ''betrayal'' but rather was considered a natural consequence, then the prophecy should note to pass. "However, barring that, if we could just get him removed from our borders that would be ideal. It goes against everything holy in this world to have a Marked One parade themselves as a noble, let alone be married to an actual member of nobility." Father Urd had a habit of speaking to himself, but thankfully he had sound dampening crystals from Aedrider to keep anything he said inside a secret to him alone "Aedrider" he muttered, "That''s it! The queen requested assistance for a long-term need. If we could get the king to at least force him to do that, then we can be rid of him while we look to find a more permanent solution!" Father Urd quickly penned a set of instructions to his normal recipient and hurried to ce it back in the dead drop location. No matter what happened, they would put their best on tailing Lucius at all cost upon his return. If men died, they could be reced. It was callous, but having a noble Marked One in their midst was dangerous. King Aleksander''s decision to continue allowing them ess to the Adventurer''s Guild and Merchant Guild was enough of a pain to deal with. It only served to make the beasts think they were better than they truly are. Lucius parading as a noble made other Marked Ones have hope that it was a future they could achieve as well. If the Church of Celestia had any say at all, then the demon cursed cretins would never see the light of day. He had to crush their spirits. It would take time but the church would prevail, just as it always had. Chapter 211: The Church of Celestia The church teaches that Celestia is the realm of the gods. Though there are many and all remain nameless to the mortals of the earthen ne, the truth was they watched over all the mortal races and guided all their actions. Every child born was graced by Celestia and the gods within to be given life. Each person was gifted their favor in times of need when they showed their piety. Though the mortal races knew not which gods governed which forces of the world, it was known that the gods were always there through everything. Of course, every rule has an exception. Celestia''s grace had its own limits and could never grant its blessings to the demon-cursed. The demon-cursed were those who had high enough concentration of demon blood in them to be marked by Celestia. This mark showed the other members of the mortal races which beings were deemed unfit for the grace of the gods. These marks branded the heathen creatures that could never stand beside the pious among them. These marks even went so far as to gift these beings powers as if the curse ced upon them for their sins became the very source of their power gifted by the demons. As such, ording to the teachings of the Church of Celestia, these creatures could not be allowed to mingle withmon society. Every sermon was filled with warnings about the truth of the sins of the Marked Ones. How they are cursed to be denied the blessing of the gods. Of course, the church also taught that anyone among them could suffer the same fate. Before thest of the demon armies fell centuries upon centuries ago, some of the vile beasts decided to y onest trick upon the gods who deemed their destruction. Some of them hid themselves among the masses of humans, elves, and beastmen. As such their blood runs through the veins of almost every living being and at any point a cursed child could be born to any family. Yet despite the warnings that the church preaches, some ignore the information. They choose to avoid the truth and continue cavorting with the children of demons granted power by evil. By rtion, those people could never experience Celestia''s grace. These were all things that Father Urd knew to be true. This was why he was so resolute in his desire to be rid of Lucius. The monster had shown his true colors time and time again, yet no one seemed willing to listen. Somehow, he is given chance after chance and the benefit of the doubt. Such a thing could not be stood for. He massacred almost three thousand people in the battle against Alorek. A thousand of them were the human nation''s own men. Then, under the mask of another name, he personally destroyed a city with the intention of harming the innocent. At the Exhibition Tournament, he took the winning seat from a true believer such as Thomas von Petra and the other nobles who had entered the match. To top it all off, he sullied the heart, mind, and soul of an innocent woman by pretending to take her as his wife. Though it was recognized by two kings, the church would never ept their bond. The gods did not bless their union, so it did not ur. "Utterly disgusting" Urd mumbled. He had been thinking a lot about Luciustely and it triggered in him a series of thoughts and memories about both him and Marked Ones in general. Unfortunately, he caught himself toote and the look of disgust on his face had already been seen by some of the worshipers in the temple. He bowed profusely to the young woman and her children that had just dropped off an offering to one of the many braziers in the church. Though his look may have scared them or worried the mother that his feelings were about her, he assured them he was simply pondering the existence of Marked Ones and that his thoughts had simply leaked out. The statement did little tofort the woman for reasons Urd did not understand, but he still apologized for his behavior andck of decorum. She swiftly left the church building with her small children in tow. "Ugh" He grumbled, now in a poorer mood. "I really must be more careful." He turned to one of the several nuns that were managing the prayer hall and advised that he would be canceling his duties for the day in favor of resting. He acted as though he was under the weather, but really he needed time to think. Urd found himself wondering if there was time for him to review scripture again when he found himself suddenly being osted in his study by one of his agents. "Father Urd, I apologize for breaking from protocol, but you must know immediately. Is the room safe?" The priest red at the nameless agent who barged into his office as well as vited their protocol for dead drops, but decided to wave for the man to continue, indicating the room was safe. "It seems that Lucius''s forces in the capital are gearing up for an attack on the Academy." Urd instantly started choking on his own spit. Then he turned to the man with a voice filled with excitement, "Truly?! When? Do we have all the proof needed to take it to the authorities." The agent shook his head. "No, we have nothing that we would be able to legally share with the kingdom. Also, we have heard they might be trying to protect it from an attack? However, we have heard no mention of such a thing until now." Urd snorted, "Of course you haven''t! The ones nning the attack are those infernal demon''s forces. Move at once, ignore all previous directives, recall all avable agents. I want double no triple, the amount of men monitoring every known agent of that demon. Monitor them and watch for the first sign of betrayal of the kingdom. Once we have what we need we can finally rid ourselves of the beast." Suddenly he found himself feeling happier and rxed than he was before. He found himself wondering if he should read scripture anyway, but instead of it being used as a calming method, he could view it as his reward. Chapter 212: Investigating the Dungeon "How goes it?" "Morning, milord!" "d to see you up and at ''em so early, sir!" A dozen or so guards in full te armor bearing the crest of the Kingdom of Arcadios patrolled a medium sized vige that sat next to a massive cave. The cave itself was not set into the wall of a mountain or anything, like one would expect of a cave with an entrance asrge as this to be. Instead, the opening was a perfectly symmetrical rectangle that looked as though it had been carved into arge hill. Starting at the cave mouth there was a massive set of stone stairs that spanned the entire width and led down several dozen feet to a set of bronze-looking doors. They were engraved with various unknown symbols and depictions of different monsters that would be found behind those very doors. Each one also had a massive ring that one would use to pull the doors closed. This was assuming, of course, that someone would even be strong enough to do so. Each door easily weighed several tons due to their size, thickness, and the density of the strange metal they were made of. An elderly man gingerly ran his fingers across the doorway, appearing as though he was gleaning unknown knowledge from the carvings on it. Yet he pulled awaypletely dissatisfied. Whatever it was he was looking for, the door seemed to refuse to give him an answer. Wally Carmichael was the foremost expert on marks and by extension demonguage and culture. The construct before him was the infamous dungeon, the Demon''s Stomach. A few days ago the doors began to refuse opening to allow ess to any of the adventurers that wanted to fight through its floors. The dungeon was a major attraction to adventurers, schrs, mages, and warriors from all over and to lose ess to the resources held within that those individuals would bring back to the surface was a massive loss for the kingdom. King Aleksander himself requested that Wally personally investigate the dungeon and see if he can find a cause. If he can, then he was to try and fix it or at least confirm when it would open again. Thanks to the stairs in the rectangr cave being made of the same, strange stone that made up the ruins of demon cities, the door itself had demonic runes and strange markings on it that indicated it too was constructed by them. What was not known was whether or not the dungeon was somehow created by the demons or if it was found and modified by them. "Lord Carmichael, how go your investigations today?" one of the guard captains asked him. There were a contingent of soldiers under the kingdoms employ that lived in the sizable vige outside the dungeon entrance. Their entire job was to monitor those who challenged the dungeon and what they retrieved. Once everything was categorized, the adventurers would take the equipment into town and exchange or register it at the guild with a small percentage taken off the top as a tax to the kingdom. There were also several resources that appeared in the dungeon that were required to be sold to the kingdom no matter what. asionally there would be extremely valuable pieces that the Adventurer''s Guild and the Kingdom would ''persuade'' the challengers to part with forrge sums of money. While not perfect, the system did provide the nation with a fair amount of ie and valuable pieces of equipment that was provided to valuable soldiers and nobles, or sold at auction to make many times more money than they purchased it for. With Wally''s experience studying marks, he was rather attune to the strange power the demons possessed that flowed through Marked Ones when using their special abilities. This same power also flowed through a dungeon at varying concentrations. It was as though this power was part of the core functionality of the entire construct, though no one knew how it functioned. "Lord Carmichael?" the guard prompted a second time. "Hmm?" Wally said, finally noticing the man. "Oh yes, sorry Captain. Well, from what I can tell, the power that runs through the dungeon seems to be fluctuating for some reason. It is as though the dungeon itself has be unstable. "We have some records of instability in the past that caused the doors to close, but they all opened again within a few weeks. I am thinking this is simr. Though, thest recorded incident was well over a hundred years ago" The guard captain sighed, "Well, the Guild Master in the vige is going to have an aneurism over this he hates when things affect the guild''s bottom line." "Well, he can take it up with the demons, I can''t do a thing about it." Wally said with a sigh. "I had toe all the way out here only to learn a fat lot of nothing. That whelp Aleksander needs to sit down and apologize to me properly when I get home making an old man like me venture out to the sticks" "Sir? Are you sure you should talk about his majesty like that?" The guard captain flitted his eyes around nervously to make sure no one overheard what Wally had just said. Technically his statement was a crime, to talk ill of the king. However, Wally was a very strong mage and the guard captain had no inclination to try and arrest him. "Bah! I taught the boy and his father how to use magic. If I have the mind of it, I can put him over my knee." Wally said. "You know, I''m about half way to Pelith right? Maybe I should go give Richard a piece of my mind about giving my grandson a hard time" Wally stomped off leaving a bewildered country guard to stare at his back. It was likely the man was questioning everything he ever knew to be true about nobility for such a crass old man to behave in such away. Even as a member of nobility himself, Wally was not excused from behaving appropriately. The other guards above quickly moved out of his way. Even they could tell that the old man was annoyed at his inability to figure out a solution to the dungeon situation. It just so happened that being unable to solve this problem led him to be angry at other things. Without much word to anyone else other than sending a child to tell the Guild Master what he found out, Wally got into a carriage and ordered the driver to head directly to Pelith and to do so without stopping. "I think its time I give that redheaded prick a piece of my mind" Wally grumbled. Chapter 213: Lord Carmichael Richard walked amongst his guards going through their basic training. Among them were a number of different age groups. Some were children as young as nine. This year''s batch of trial participants was ratherrge and because of that, his forces had an influx of trainees. The training groups were broken down from nine to eleven, twelve to fourteen, then at fifteen they joined training with the adults. Other than surviving the trials at age nine by entering the forest, the other factor that granted his domain the strongest soldiers in the kingdom was that their training began at nine and continued until they retired, deserted, or died. Richard would not let even veteran warriors rx when it came to daily practice and maintenance. To rx your training was to weaken your senses and in essence dull your de. One thing he was particrly proud of that he felt bore great fruit was to make sure the different training groups still trained at the same intervals so the young could learn from the more experienced. "Attention! Your lord is present!" With practiced precision, every person on the field ceased their movements and knelt before him with their heads hung and their weapons leaning against their shoulders. Looking at the perfection before him as everyone had organized themselves into perfect ranks gave him a sense of satisfaction. Something about himself that he struggled with was appearances. He always needed to look the part of the noble. To be the perfect representation of nobility in the kingdom. To that end, Richard worked to build the perfect life, the perfect military, the perfect domain. Everything was perfect or it should have been. "Lucius" he grumbled to himself as he nced about the grounds. He then shook his head and called out to the trainees, "At ease, return to your drills." Richard felt the urge to join in on some of the training so he would not lose his edge and moved to grab a practice weapon. Just as his fingers grazed the hilt, one of his servant staff came up to greet him with a curtsy. "Lord Petra, you have a guest calling for you." She said while maintaining her position. "One Lord Carmichael has requested to speak with you." Richard felt his hand twitch for a moment, then he turned around and thanked the maid. She bowed before him as he passed, then followed behind him slightly to the left. This way she could be called upon before or during the meeting if needed. The two stepped into his luxurious parlor decorated with trophies of his achievements in hunting and war, along with a number of gifts he had received from foreign dignitaries. He had gifts from the royal family as well, but those were saved and held in his office for private viewing. "Wally!" Richard said with a smile. He felt isted recently after everything with the war, Lucius''s survival, and his daughter''s marriage to a Marked One. It wasforting to see a friend. Instead of the old man''s jovial smile and rambunctious personality, he bore witness to a refined gentleman with a well-maintained beard and perfect robe. Normally he was a little unkempt to suit his actual personality. "Lord Petra." The elderly man said calmly. "I believe the proper greeting would be to refer to me as ''Lord Carmichael.'' I assure you that I would prefer you pay me the respect I am due. Our families are of equal rank, so please use the correct manners." Once again, Richard felt like someone had sshed him with a bucket of ice water. Yet another person had turned against him. After everything else he had gone through, Richard once again found himself more alone. He straightened his face from the seemingly useless smile he originally had on it. "Apologies for my behavior, Lord Carmichael." He stated with a small bow. "How can I help you today?" "I came to discuss Lord Kane with you." Richard''s back stiffened and he reflexively clenched his fist and teeth. "What, pray tell, do you wish to discuss about that man?" "That man? I do believe that Lord Kane is your son-inw, is he not?" Blood leaked out of tiny cuts in his palms as he managed to clench even harder. "Apologies. You are correct. Lord Kane is in fact my son-inw. It seems that I am still getting used to the change in our rtionship. He was once a guard to my daughter, if you recall." "I do." Wally answered. "I figured that since you and him share a connection as sacred as the vow of marriage between your families, that you should be more aware of his roots." For a moment, Richard felt a sensation spread through his heart. It had been so long since he felt hope that he almost forgot what the sensation was "What is it that you have for me, sir?" He nearly shouted, his desperation for anything against the boy. Wally''s next words shattered what little else remained of his delicate psyche. "I wanted to let you know, that since you are part of the family, that you should be aware that the Oracle, Lady Adellia, is my dear sweet granddaughter. By blood mind you." Richard felt like screaming. He could no longer maintain his noble demeanor. The servant staff watched in horror as the perfect noble fa?ade he constructed began to crack. "As such, that would make Lucius my beloved great-grandson. I do not know how well you treat your own family, Lord Petra, but I look upon my own very favorably." Wally continued. Each word sunk into Richard like knives. "I figured now would be a good time to let you know that while I am unable to make certain moves I am not required to make any. I have two jobs in my position, and defending the honor of nobles is not among them. Take care to watch what you do from now on, Lord Petra." Wally finished before turning to leave the mansion. When the great doors to his home mmed closed, Richard finally snapped. "Ha.hahahahaha" Richard''sughter sounded foreign to everyone in the room, including himself, but no matter what he did, he could not stop himself fromughing. How could he? The life he built for himself and his family went up in smoke. He raised a killer and failed to put him down. He raised a perfectly noble and beautiful daughter, and she chose to whore herself out to a Marked One. Richard was givenmand over Watcher''s Retreat, and he failed to do more than push Alorek back by a few miles. Meanwhile Eroan forces defeated their forces under themand of the same child he failed to kill everything he had done to ingratiate himself to the crown was taken away. His prior sesses meant nothing in the face of all his failures. All of it was one man''s fault: Lucius Kane. "Lucius You will regret this. I will make you regret this as much as I regret choosing to kill your father instead of you. In fact, maybe I should have punished the whole family for the sins of the son." Chapter 214: What Do You Want? After seeing nothing more than some shadows dancing around only to be absorbed by some rocks, the group felt more than a little defeated. Desmond expected a little more fanfare when they arrived. Lucius seemed so sure when they went to the tower that it would open for him. However, now he was saying they had other things to do before it would work. They went ahead and returned to the vige of Spire Hollow, bypassing the camp. Since their paperwork had already been signed showing that theypleted the request, there was no need for them to trek back to the camp when they could simply head back to the vige proper. Once they left the perimeter of the ruins, Lucius moved to the head of the party, staying a few dozen paces ahead of the group. Desmond watched with admiration at the skill and concentration the man had when it came to scouting. Though Lucius was only a half-beastman of a feline lineage and had no ears, Desmond could almost imagine them twitching at each and every sound he heard. Every once in a while, he would ask them to stop and hold while he vanished into the trees away from sight. He would then reappear silently and advise them to continue towards Spire Hollow. The vige came into view several hourster at the pace they moved. ording to Lucius, he made sure to avoid monsters on the return trip because he had to get back to the academy in a hurry. When he was asked if they could have avoided the Ent from before they went to the ruins, he looked at Desmond like he was insane before answering, "Of course." At first the vigers were hesitant to let them back inside their walls, but after one of the vige women informed them of Lucius''s feats at the battle against the undeadst night, the guards relented. It seemed that the research camp sent word to the vige for supplies while they went to investigate the spire. When they fetched the supplies, they of course exchanged information which was how they knew that Lucius had killed a vampire. If that vampire had crushed the research camp, it was highly likely that it would have continued and attacked the vige next. Despite knowing of what he aplished, many of the vigers still looked at Lucius with scorn. Not that any of it seemed to bother him. Like a duck in the rain, the insults rolled off his back. Desmond could not fault the vigers for feeling this way, though the man was their savior by circumstance. There was no way it made up for what many of the people felt about him. Some of them were among the survivors of the spell that Lucius used at the beginning of the war. "Two rooms please." Rena ordered from the innkeeper, who seemed like a kind and homely woman. "Meals and drinks for all of us as well. To prevent conflict, perhaps we shall take them in our rooms?" "Yes dearie, that sounds like a fine idea. I will have the food delivered to your rooms. They are next to one another for ease and security." Rena took the group to one of the rooms and found that one had three beds while the other only had one,rge one. It seemed the innkeeper remembered them from theirst visit and already knew the sleeping arrangements. "Now I want you to behave this time, Lucius." Rena chastised lightly, "My cat seems to have gone slightly feral since thest time we lived together." Desmond, Jade, and Natali all choked on their spit simultaneously. Rena looked at them confused while Lucius seemed to have what looked like a slight tinge of flush to his cheeks. Honestly that part was more surprising than what Rena said. After they entered the room with three beds to talk and share their meal, Jade chimed in with a question they all had on their minds "Why did you call him your cat?" Rena exined that one of the first things she said to someone about Lucius was that she had ''found a feral cat'' in the woods and thought he was ''quite cute'' so she asked her father to keep him.From that moment, throughout their childhood she would tease him by calling him a cat or her pet cat. Once again, that strange and rare flush entered Lucius''s cheeks as he listened to his wife tell the story of their pet names. Which then devolved into the telling of their love life, and almost continued into Rena exining to the girls the more rigorous parts of their love life. Lucius cut the chatter clean when he turned to Desmond and asked, "What do you want?" "Pardon?" he answered. Lucius sighed and exined, "You receive a letter to befriend me and join the academy. So, you join the academy, then give me this letter, and still continue to try and interact with me despite literally telling me that you were doing it on orders. So, what do you want, Desmond? Jade?" Desmond knew this talk wasing, but did not expect it to happen so soon. However, if they could at least start on the same page, then maybe they could improve their rtionship. "I want my sister to live a normal life." Desmond answered. "She is marked and I am not. Even though we are twins, I was always treated as her better, but she is part of me. When our family treated her like trash I felt it too. I felt her pain, I felt her sorrow from a young age I knew it was us against everyone else. "My dream was to get her to Eroa, where one''s mark was less likely to determine one''s fate. Strength determined your fate, and I figured if we went there, and I showed them how strong I was then maybe Jade could finally be free." "I see" Lucius nodded. "Then I lost to Thomas." He continued, gritting his teeth. "I lost my chance. However, you won. You were a champion of the very nation I wanted to join. Not only that you are a noble, and still a Marked One. Lucius, you are the proof I needed that my goals could be realized." "I''m a special case, if I am being frank. My house is not a normal one, so I cannot say that your desired future is guaranteed even if I could help you." Lucius exined. The words dashed Desmond''s optimism and hopes before they could be realized. "I see" then he had a thought. "Wait, you''re a beastman, maybe if Jade could" "Desmond, I advise you not to continue with that line of thought." Lucius said. His eyes burned with intensity and the words he had for Lucius crumbled into nothing. Food arrived a short timeter and the group ate in silence. When everyone finished, Rena and Lucius stood to leave. Desmond caught a nce from Rena who tugged gently on her husband''s sleeve before gesturing towards Jade and Desmond with her eyes. Lucius looked at his wife, then up at the ceiling and sighed. "Desmond Adler." The man turned back to face the twins. "I make no promises for the oue. I will not try to persuade anyone of anything but, I am required to write reports to King Verdayl on asion. Should you continue to work with me, the likelihood of your cooperation being mentioned is quite good so, think about what I said thest time we were in this vige. Have a good night." The duo left the room quietly, leaving those words and hopes dangling in the air for the twins to grab, should they choose to. Chapter 215: Another Day [Part 1]- R18 Rena and Lucius walked into their room together, quietly, and locked the door behind them. Lucius walked to the bed first and sat down on the edge of it while letting out a breath. "You are certainly something, my love." He said with a slight grin. "I haven''t the foggiest clue as to what you are referring to." Rena answered innocently. "Might I have done something to upset you, dear husband?" Lucius shook his head, "No, nothing at all. Just making my life a little more difficult. Are you trying to make friends with half of the world?" "Not really, but if I am being honest, you need more people in your corner than your wife, your mother, and your illicit lover." "Hey, Kalliope and I have done nothing of the sort, and you said" Renaughed, "I know what I said, and I meant it. Nice of you to acknowledge that Kalliope was the illicit lover though!" The red headed woman''sughter was akin to a choir of angels singing to Lucius. There was nothing in the world that he loved more than her smile and her joy. She was his everything and always had been. However, her tendency to tease him seemed to return from childhood now that the honeymoon phase was settling down. Lucius stood up suddenly while Rena was preparing herself for bed. She stood by the nightstand preparing to wash her face with the small basin and some water magic. The rapid movement from the corner of her eye, apanied by the rattling of Lucius''s armor shocked her into turning around. When she did, she was face to face with her husband who had pinned her in ce by cing his hands on the nightstand with her stuck between them. Her lips were mere fractions of an inch from his. She gulped from abination of nervousness and excited anticipation. "Umm, Lucius" She squeaked. The look in his eyes was one akin to hunger. "Seems like my lovely wife has found her tongue. Teasing me again like we were children?" Lucius said with a sly grin. "How shall we handle this?" Lucius leaned in and kissed her. Heughed as her body seemed to quiver and weaken from his passionate teasing. His tongue intertwined with hers in a delicate dance. Rena began to feel sad and lonely as he pulled away, continuing to tease her. "You know, Rena" Lucius grinned at her, making her heart skip a few dozen beats. "You''ve spent a significant part of our lives calling me your ''pet cat,'' but if I remember correctly. I''m not the one who is cored, my sweet kitten." She felt her abdomen tense for a moment as her husband said those words and slipped his fingers underneath her choker. With a gentle tug he pulled her back in for another kiss. The second one was much more aggressive than the first. Rena felt her lover''s hands reach around her back and tug her shirt up. He swiftly pulled it over her head and threw it to the ground. As they continued kissing each others'' lips, cheeks, and neck, bits and pieces of Lucius''s armor ttered onto the floor boards. The moment he had shed all but his inclothes, he aggressively ripped open the front of his shirt, no longer caring about keeping it in one piece. Rena traced the scars on his neck and chest with her mouth, savoring every muscle and inch of skin along the way. She yelped as her feet suddenly left the floor and shended heavily on her back on the bed, shaking the frame against the wall. Lucius climbed on top of her, pinning her down. "No more waiting, Rena." He growled. The hunger in his eyes she saw earlier had worsened and for a moment, she was concerned what he would do. Lucius reveled in the blend of excitement, lust, and tinge of fear in his lover''s eyes as he stood over top of her. Her heavy breathing made him lose his sense of reason and he ripped off her bra and pants, exposing the entirety of her body to him. At one time she was nervous and shy, but they had explored nearly every inch of each other several times by now, so there was no need. Instead Rena slowly slid her hands up her own body, starting with her upper thigh and ending with cupping her own chest. "Lucius, now." Those two words ended any hesitation he still had. Lucius trailed down her body, starting at her neck, leaving small, red marks every few inches. As much as he wished to stay at her chest, his goal was much lower. Rena''s body shuddered with every kiss he left on her stomach until he reached his goal. Using his lips to part her own, his tongue twisted and coiled around her. His fingers slowly teased her as she grew more and more wet. Rena''s hands tightly gripped the side of his head and her thighs pressed against him while she contorted in ecstasy. Not satisfied with his performance yet, Lucius pushed into her with his two forefingers. Attacking her most sensitive areas simultaneously forced her to breathe out, "Lucius, I again, I can''t Please!" Once again his hearing was deafened by her thighs squeezing the side of his head, her hands now locked in his hair. Finally happy with his abilities to help his wife, he moved up and gently pressed himself against her. Lucius yfully teased her with his tip eliciting a number of gasps tinted in excitement and disappointment. Finally having enough, he felt her legs wrap around behind him as she pulled him into her in one quick go. The instant rush of pleasure made both of them gasp and she clung to his back with all her might. "Gods, Rena every time, you are amazing." The look of pleasure on Lucius''s face only served to excite Rena more as he pressed into her harder and faster. Each thrust increased in strength and speed brought each of them to the highest peaks of pleasure. When Rena felt herself reaching one more peak, she gripped his shoulders tightly. "Rena where?" With a teasing grin, Rena leaned into Lucius''s ear and whispered, "Inside, my love. Stay with me." Lucius let out a groan coupled with a slight whimper as they wrapped tightly around one another,pleting simultaneously. When they were satisfied, they stayed within one another and copsed into a satisfied slumber. Rena fell into a deep sleep with the love of her life gently stroking her hair, while Lucius experienced the joy of her soft breaths tickling the side of his neck. Chapter 216: Another Day [Part 2] – R18 Lucius awoke to a strange sensation. Unlike usual his wife was not in his arms. Not only that, his body felt hot and tense as though his night of passion had not ended. The gentle sounds of licking and slurping came from further down in the bed. They were apanied by very pleasant sensations somewhat unfamiliar to him. He saw the beautiful and familiar red hair of his wife bouncing up and down just below his stomach. One of her hands was on him while the other held some of her hair back, exposing one side of her face and her ear. When she noticed that he was finally awake, she slightly changed her position so that she could look him in the eyes. Her gaze was one full of mirth while Lucius''s own was contorted from the joy she was giving him. She seemed to relish in the fact that his own body was moving against his will, the way he would often make her feel. Lucius could not help but wonder if this was some form of payback. Though, even if it was, it was a form of payback he was happy to receive. "Rena, wait a moment" he breathed, slightly panicked. Instead of stopping Rena''s eyes took on a look that could only be described like a sadistic smile. The hand on his lower extremity as well as the one holding back her hair both moved and gripped the sides of his stomach, just above his hip. She took him into her mouth deeper and faster. Lucius groaned from the pleasure and noticed the gentle rubbing of her chest against his legs. Unable to contain himself, he called out her name as a warning, but she continued despite it, only stopping her movements when Lucius had surpassed his limit. A momentter, she raised her head, leaving himpletely clean. She gulped and gave him a yful smile. "I heard about this technique from one of the female adventurers at the research camp. I heard that it was an enjoyable method to employ. I must say, I enjoyed it considering how you do much the same for me. You, my love? What do you thi" Rena was unable to finish her sentence as she felt herself be yanked upwards and towards the head of the bed once more. Her facended in the soft embrace of her pillow and she heard the bedsheetsnd on the floor. Her stomach and face pressed against the bed while her husband held her in ce. She felt herself quiver as she felt his heat radiating against her. "Oh? Well then, my love. This morning is yours." Rena moaned with anticipation. "Do with me as you will, as penance for my behaviorst night." Though neither of them thought that she needed to pay penance for her teasing, she desperately wanted to coax him into continuing. Rena felt her body warm up and prepare itself for him. She needed him to keep going. "As you wish, Rena." Rena gasped from the sensation of him entering her once more. Lucius felt an intense amount of control over her while holding her down from behind. He felt as though anything he wanted he could take and she could not stop him. The amount of trust she gave him in this moment was something neither could ignore. Lucius leaned down and gently raised Rena''s head. The ends of her messy hair bounced rhythmically since he made sure to continue his movements. "You know, carrying on like we have can be dangerous." "A-and?" She breathed. "I''m aware of the risks. I don''t care. I will take them all on for you." Her answer brought a smile to his face. Lucius kissed the back of her neck and leaned back up. Though surprised, sheplied with him moving her to a position on her hands and knees. He remained behind her and grabbed her hips tightly. "Lucius, wait, this is a lot to take! Gods, how are you so every time" Rena''s words served only the purpose of spurring him on. His movements became wilder and faster and prompted her to move with him. As their bodies collided with one another, Lucius decided not to warn her this time. He took her words to heart, she knew what could happen, but neither of them cared. Why should they? They were married after all Once again, both of them copsed onto the bed in a pile. Though the light of the morning had already begun to filter through, they continued as they had for another hour, leaving both of them with a number of small red marks and Lucius with a few extra scratches. No one in their party dared to look at them or ask questions as they made their way out of the vige of Spire Hollow. Rena''s face held a deep flush as she held her hand over her abdomen. She did not know what the future held, but she meant every word she whispered, or rather shouted in some cases, this morning andst night. Though the world was tough, it always had been. Truly nothing now was different than it was before other than their connection finally being realized. On top of that, they were fabulously wealthy and would be able to afford anything they would need. "Is everything alright, Lady Kane?" Jade asked quietly. "Are you feeling okay?" "O-oh, yes" Rena answered with a flushed expression. "I was simply imagining the future is all." "I see, I can only believe that it will be wonderful. The feelings you two share, despite all that urs, is simply beautiful. No doubt anything that is created from such emotion would be as well." Jade''s knowing blue eyes locked with Rena''s own. "Yes." Rena smiled while looking at her husband''s back. She felt herself pulled back to when she was thirteen and she admired a simr view under far different circumstances. "I''m sure they will be." "Come along you two, no carriage runs this way unless you request it, so we have quite a long walk back to the capital. A few weeks if we are slow. I would prefer to get there sooner rather thanter if I can at all help it." Lucius called back. The two girls giggled with each other and hurried to catch up with the others. Chapter 217: A Fading Light Two halves of a void faced one another. One half of the space was bathed in a white light, while the other appeared to be made of endless darkness. Neither time nor substance existed here; only these two halves. The darker of the two was an entity known as Grimm, so named by the boy whose mark they could interact with the earthen ne through. The other was Luz, Grimm''s counterpart. "Luuuz" Grimm called out. "You haven''t been talking to me as muchtely. Are you perhaps getting tired?" There was no response from the light. "Come on Luz, I''m getting bored. Lucius is taking a long time to get things done. So, entertain me." Grimm continued, but still the light said nothing. "Bah, who needs you. At least I know you can hear me. You don''t really have a choice in that after all. You know he hasn''t used your gifts hardly at alltely. It seems to be taking its toll on you, old friend. "Meanwhile he uses the abilities I grant him all the time! It really feels good to be needed, you know? Oh right, I guess you wouldn''t. Ha, it''s okay buddy, I''m sure the world will change any day now and Lucius will turn over a new leaf!" Grimm began tough. "You really never shut up do you?" The white space answered. "Luz! Finally! Come on, I was bored." "I fail to see how that is my problem." Grimm continued tough. Luz was not wrong. It wasn''t his problem that Grimm was ''bored.'' However, his boredom was vastly overexaggerated. Grimm simply wanted to gloat that for the first time in their long history together, someone had finally chosen to work with him. No more were they attached to self-sacrificing and self-righteous nutjobs that Luz tricked into calling heroes. Every time a window to the earthen nes opened, the people they reached always took Luz''s offer. Of course, because Luz was big on the whole ''self-sacrifice'' thing, they often led meaningful, but very short lives. They experienced loss like no other and had most of their lives and possessions taken from them. This time around, Grimm vowed to make something different happen. That was when he found Lucius. Now, he was not going to pretend his motives were pure as to protect the boy from self-sacrifice. No, the reality of it was that he was just bored of seeing the same kind of idiot make the same mistakes every time they were granted another host. It had be almost too much monotony to bear. Eventually, Grimm shrugged, or he would have if he had a body. "Yeah, you are right. I can resolve my own boredom maybe by taking Lucius to the dungeon that the mortals call ''Demon''s Stomach''? Oh! Or how about I help him ess that tower they named ''Grimspire.'' Honestly I can''t say I disagree with the mortals'' naming sense. I kinda like it." "Grimm you wouldn''t" "I would and I am. Lucius knows what to do and where to go next. Granted he still isn''t strong enough for the dungeon, but we can fix that Okay well he''s strong enough, but the timing is off!" Grimmughed at his counterpart. "You know," he continued. "You look dimmer and dimmer every day. I''m worried you are going to disappear at this rate. Don''t worry, from someone with experience, you''lle back when Lucius dies and we get a nice little reset. It''s the curse we share after all, forever tormenting one another." "I think you are the one tormenting me, Grimm." Luz muttered. "Yeah? How about you try to watch hundreds of people do the same thing over and over again on repeat. Excuse me for trying to make life have a little extra spice to it." Grimm whined. "You''re a child." "Maybe." "What are your ns then?" "Hmm?" "Your ns, surely you wish to aplish something in the earthen ne. I highly doubt that you are doing this solely because of the need for entertainment. You are up to something, you always are." Luz used. Grimm thought for a moment. What was he trying to achieve? He didn''t know if there was anything he found important. Honestly, he started this journey thinking it would all end the same as it always had; Luz winning the affection of the wielder and Grimm eventually fading away until the wielder died and they started over again. "Nope! I just think it will be fun! Truly I enjoy Lucius because he seems to defy my expectations. He knows I try to manipte him and he doesn''t seem to care. In fact he seems to appreciate the fact that he can always trust that I am untrustworthy. Haha! Such a fun guy." Grimmughed. "However, there are others around him that I find interesting and I don''t know how I feel about them. Time will tell." "Who might that be? I''m partial to that Desmond fellow." "Yeah, you would be" Grimm then felt something strange. "Wait a minute, hold off there Luz! I don''t think so!" While engaging Grimm in conversation, Luz attempted to take control of the gate they shared to talk with Lucius and grant him power. If Luz took control, there was no telling what damage he would do. Blocking any of Lucius''s progression now would be deadly to him. "Are you trying to get him killed?" Grimm used. "I have no idea what you are talking about." "Oh you sick bastard." Grimm began to chuckle. "That is downright dastardly! You would think I was the one who came up with it, props to you, Luz. Trying to forcefully reset our little game before it''s ready." The only response he received was simr to that of someone clicking their tongue. It seemed that Grimm was right on the money. If Luz had gotten through, then it was entirely possible that he could have blocked Lucius''s progression again. Doing that now would set not only him, but those close to him up for failure and eventually death. "Not very heroic of you." "I don''t want to hear that from you." "Then don''t be a dick?" "Where did you learn that phrase?" "You know what, you are going to keep trying to distract me, so I''m going to ignore you now. We will see how you like it." Grimm then stopped speaking to his counterpart. Instead, he busied himself with thinking. The biggest thought on his mind was what their host would feel when he reached the bottom of the dungeon. Chapter 218: Time to Reminisce Rubellia looked around therge building that she had recently learned to call home. It was filled with dcor from a nation and culturepletely unfamiliar to her, but she had grown used to it day by day. The moment she arrived here, her world was turned on its head once again. There had been many times in her life that things took a sudden change. Not all of them were good. She still remembered the night that herte husband, Wayne, walked into their home with an infant in his hand. The baby had been no more than a few days or even a week old at that point, but he was opening his eyes and greeting Rubellia. When the child was passed to her it was the most gorgeous pair of silver eyes that she had ever witnessed. Never before had Rubellia witnessed someone with eyes as beautiful as the baby that she had been passed. Yet, she knew that despite their beauty, the reason he was given up was because of the curseid on him that showed itself on his left hand. As the child grew, it became clear that he wasn''tpletely human either. From what they gathered, he was some mixture of human and beastman. After several traumatic incidents, finishing with the trial in the forest, one of his mesmerizing eyes had turned a deep gold color. That was where her son was today. Sometimes she would think back to the day he was brought home and when that happened, she would feel a sense of nostalgia for his original eye colors. However, she could not deny that her son had grown into quite the handsome man. Despite his physical scars, she knew that the boy she raised had be quite the looker. Many of the servant staff and diplomats of all persuasions were smitten with him. The strangeness of his eyes helped add to the mysterious and brooding aura he had. Rubelliaughed to herself as she realized that one of those people infatuated with him was the beautiful and perfect Rena, formerly thedy of House Petra. Rubellia could not help butugh at the humor behind the nobledy falling for the ''bad boy'' bodyguard turned prince Well not that Lucius was a prince, he was simply a noble but it still sounded like one of thescivious novels the maids would exchange with one another. "Lady Rubellia," One of the servant girls walked up to her with a look of concern. "Please, do not sully your hands by helping with the cleaning. Leave it to the staff, please." That was the first time anyone had asked her to not clean something. It was also the first time someone acted so deferentially to her and it made her burst outughing, which shocked the poor girl. "Sorry, sorry." Rubellia said. "I am no Lady. I am a humble maid who used to work in service to a noble. I am no better in rank than you are, sweetie." "I beg your pardon Lady Rubellia but while you may not carry noble blood or title, you are still the one that Lord Kane calls his mother." The servant exined. "It would be impertinent to treat you with any less respect than we do the Lord and Lady." Though she knew it very well, it still shocked her to once again be reminded of her son''s position. Apparently he was the long lost son of the Oracle of Arcadios and the heir to a forgotten and mysterious noble family. "Hmm to think my little Lucius would be such a man one day." She mused. "You know, when he was a little boy, he was so obsessed with watching his father train anding to the lord''s manor with me for my duties He was once afraid of being seen by a girl with red hair hiding amongst the flowers" "Was that" Rubellia giggled. "Yes, it was the first time he saw Lady Petra I mean Rena. I told him not to get caught wandering around and he ran like a scared animal when she saw him. Of course I had to warn him to be more careful, but to think all these yearster" The servant quickly passed Rubellia a handkerchief to wipe her nose with. Other servants quickly surrounded the former maid and offered words offort. Many of them were also mothers and some of them had sons of their own. Because of that, they were able to sympathize with Rubellia''s feelings knowing that one day their own children would leave the nest as hers had. Having gotten all of the tears out of her system, Rubellia moved on to talking with the other women about Lucius as a child as well as Lady Rena. They seemed to have a lot of questions about the two of them. Most of them revolved around their young love life. Rubellia was not privy to much, but she was aware of their young love blossoming. Though she was sure that Lucius was not aware of it at the time, Rubellia was convinced that Rena understood her own feelings right from the beginning. Tales of the two''s childhood interactions, at least those she was aware of, made the girls among the staff swoon and giggle at young love as well as the many attempts Rena made at showing Lucius her affection. The boy was more stupid back then and did not notice her actions for what they were. Rubellia smirked to herself at his growth. Apparently, years of being pined for by a woman made him understand some of Rena''s actions when she was younger. Whenever Natali was around, he seemed slightly ufortable, which meant he was likely aware of how she felt. Of course, it was obvious to everyone, so she probably would have pped her son if he didn''t already know. Suddenly the door to the embassy was thrown open. Kalliope and Lyrah charged in followed by a number of embassy guards who were hot on their tails. They mmed and barricaded the door. No one looked injured, but Lyrah, who was not used to physical effort, was visibly heaving and gasping for breath. "What happened?" Rubellia questioned. She felt her chest tense as she clenched her fist over her heart. "The road outside of the academy. Suddenly people just changed. Everything was normal, but then" Lyrah started. "The academy is under attack. A bunch of strange people in robes and masks have blockaded the streets. Guards are having a hard timemunicating between each other due to pockets of confusion throughout the city." Chapter 219: Lady Lindtforth Thomas walked from ss to ss today with his group of friends as he did every day. They had gotten back from their work study just the other day and were able to pawn off the written portion to a group of mages who fancied themselves future schrs. He promised to help them find positions in a noble court after graduation if they did so and the better the score they got him, the better the position he would grant them. Many different people were given this promise, but only the talented among them would be given anything of import. "Lord Kirby, what do you think of this year''s first years? We have seen a number of their practical lessons. Anyone stand out?" Thomas asked one of his friends. Alex Kirby was the heir to his family''s title, though he was only a minor noble. They ownednd on the outskirts of Arcadios that was of little importance, but the man himself was quite talented with his sword and shield. In fact, of the senior ss, Alex was given the nickname ''Bulwark'' because of his skill with his Shield Arts. "Honestly, Lord Petra, I do believe there are some potentially talented people within the Martial Courses. There is one young gentleman who seems to use a Halberd. Arts like his are a rare find." Alex answered. Thomas had also heard about this student, but had also heard he was amoner on schrship. Worst case scenario he could make him a retainer if he had enough prowess, but really it would have been better if he was from even an unded knight family. "I don''t know much about magic, but I hear there are a few talented individuals amongst the Magical Courses this year?" Alex continued, "What are your thoughts, Lord Arnold?" "I hear there is a Ritual Magic user among the first years, though shecks talent in any other capacity. She is also a Marked One." "Absolutely not." Thomas growled. "I will not work alongside creatures like that. They could be King or Empyrean Rank for all I care." While he was busy fuming and raving, he felt a gaze fall upon him. It was intense and unfamiliar to him. Feeling concerned someone might have been trying to assassinate him, he moved his hands to the practice weapon on his belt out of instinct and began looking around. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a small woman sitting on a bench looking directly at him. Her eyes were unphased by him catching her gaze and she gave him a kind smile. The girl stood and made her way over to their group. "Good afternoon, my lords," the woman said as she bowed, "Especially to you, Lord Petra. What an honor it is to meet the heir to the illustrious House Petra." "I am sure it is." Thomas said carefully, "To what do I owe the pleasure, miss" "Oh, do forgive my manners." She said as she went into a perfect curtsy, "I am Lady Briene von Lindtforth, third daughter of the Lindtforth family. Once again, it is a pleasure, Lord Thomas von Petra." A massive grin spread across Thomas''s face. The Lindtforths were one of the great houses of Arcadios, along with the Petra''s and Carmichael''s. They were one of the wealthier groups and excelled in trade. They were also known for being a family of extremely devout followers of the Church of Celestia. Knowing of their connection to the church, he was confident that she was an ally worth making. Though not profoundly religious himself, he certainly agreed with many of the church''s tenants. Especially those having to deal with Marked Ones. "Actually, I believe the pleasure is all mine, mydy." Thomas smirked and kissed the back of her hand, "I believe this to be quite the fortuitous encounter. The future of the Petra family and Lindtforth family looks bright indeed if we were to cooperate. Our goals may align more than we think." Now that he was thinking about it, she was a very attractive young woman. She was a senior student like himself, despite her diminutive size, so upon graduation he could see himself marrying her. Since she was the third daughter, the Lindtforth''s would be in a weakened position for any marriage negotiations because the primary heir to House Petra was the one seeking to be wed. He could not help but smile at his cleverness as he continued toy on the charms. If he made her fall for him before the year was done, then the negotiations would go even better. "Say, Lady Briene, might we continue our discussions over lunch? I heard of an excellent shop just inside the noble district that serves a small selection of Eroan Pig from the castle''s personal ranch." He offered. "Why of course, I would love" Her response was cut short by a series of screams near the entrance to the academy. The jarring sound shocked everyone around them, not just Thomas and his group. Quickly jumping into action, he and his friends pulled their real weapons out of their storage rings, casting aside the practice ones they usually had equipped. Briene also pulled out her weapon which was a thin and light rapier with a beautiful golden hand guard. "[Lux: Enhance Speed]" Golden light wrapped around her and the men as they all felt lighter than before. Thomas quickly thanked her and they darted toward the source of themotion. Students were in chaos, running different directions. Even though they were trained in Arts and Magic, the surprise of everything scared the training out of many of them. Academy guards attempted to rally themselves and some of the older students into groups. Though everyone was reacting to what seemed to be an attack, they had yet to see who it was. That was when it hit them. Thomas could smell the fire before they saw it. At first it was no different than the smoke of any other me, however as they drew closer to the source, the odor changed. It became a sickening, rancid smell that he had experienced once before when fighting bandits with his brother back near Lelvern. It was a smell many people would never forget because of how bodies were treated in this world after death. "Everyone, be prepared for what we are about to see." He warned. Chapter 220: Smoke The entrance to the academy had fallen. Arcadios Royal Academy''s grounds were surrounded by arge wall to prevent any mishaps from escaping into the city. Spells and Arts were frequently used all around the facility and the walls were put in ce to contain them within the academy and prevent any errant fireballs from heading into the city. This meant the academy looked like a fortress on the outskirts of the capital. There was also only a single entrance on the whole of the walls and that was the one that led to the city. This entrance had fallen to the control of these unknown attackers which had cornered the students inside. Due to the speed and suddenness of the attack, the guards were pushed back and those that resisted were killed easily. The attackers themselves used a mixture of weapons and magic, though the primary spells being used were fire spells. It was unclear if it was because those were the only type of mages that were present, or if there was another purpose to it. Thomas looked on as he saw his home of thest four years going up in mes. Trees on the grounds that were used for resting and shade by the students were turning ck and cracking from the intensity of the mes. Bodies of students and staff littered the stone footpaths that winded through the beautiful scenery. Blood seeped into the ground, so much of it that the air had a tinge of copper intermingling with that of burnt flesh. Still, the residents of the academy were not giving up. Though many people were dying, there were still those that refused to give up. They worked together to form groups to fight off their attackers. While assessing the situation Thomas noticed a group of people rushing in their direction with swords drawn. Some looked like normal townsfolk while some others were wearing strange robes and masks to hide their faces. "[Umbra: Silence]" Briene calmly cast her spell on two of the robed people attempting to cast spells of their own. The mana umting around their hands dissipated as they found themselves unable to verbalize the activation phrase. Thomas rushed forward with his men at his back to meet the attackers. Swords and shields shed in a shower of sparks. The first person he struck was thrown into the dirt immediately, unable to withstand the force and speed of his blow. One by one the attackers fell to their might. Just as thest two were dispatched, an arrow sunk into the neck of Terrance Rolf, one of his men. He coughed and choked on his own blood and desperately pulled at the arrow as he fell to the ground. Thomas rushed to try and help him, but was stopped by the tip of Briene''s de. The look on her face was one of sorrow as she shook her head. Of course, he knew that his friend was beyond saving, but he could not help but try and reach out to him. With a sigh, he plunged a dagger into the back of Terrance''s neck to swiftly end his suffering. "Let''s go" The remaining members of their group charged off to meet another bunch of students who were fighting off warriors actually capable of using arts. Of those that remained there was Thomas, Briene, Alex, Warren, and finally Gregory Burgess. They were some of the elite of the senior year and they knew that their presence would embolden their forces. Thomas tookmand of several of the survivors and began to issue orders to the ones specializing in defense. He put those students under a unit led by Alex. Any students versed in archery were put to the back and under Briene''smand. The mages were put under Warren''s lead. Finally, Gregory took charge of the warriors while Thomas took position over the entire operation. His orders were swift and clear and proved why he was the heir to his house. Alex and his men stepped to the front of their lines while he used one of his arts to quickly block a barrage of [Fire Lance] spells. "[Shield Arts: Grand Bulwark]" The reason for Alex''s nickname was that he was able to produce a [Grand Bulwark] despite the art being above his rank. Everyone assumed he was simply sopatible with his shield arts that he was able to pull this stunt off. It was what made him so valuable as a retainer in the future. Centered on Alex''s shield, a wall of golden light erupted in front of them, covering the entirety of their lines. The others in his squad put up their own [Bulwark] Arts to reinforce the lower parts of Alex''s. Since he was of a higher rank, the wall he created was three times taller than their own and intercepted severalnces that tried striking the rear lines. Alex canceled his Art, but ordered the rest of the line to maintain their own. Briene countered by ordering a volley of arrows from their archers. It appeared as though none of the enemy had anyone with shield arts and they fell one by one under the assault. It was beginning to feel like they might have a chance. Maybe they would have a way out of this nightmare and now that they had a functioning strategy, they could choose to either advance and retake the front gates, or look for survivors. Thomas quickly looked towards the very gates he was thinking about when he saw another horde of people rush in. They easily quadrupled the number of people they just fought off which made his next decision an easy one. "Everyone, retreat to the main building. The gate is lost, we can only hope to hold it while awaiting reinforcements." He shouted. His voice was much louder than before and almost hurt his throat with the amount of force and volume he used. It also exposed him as a leader which made him a target. However, he wanted to ensure that his voice carried to the other groups of students and staff trying to fight back. "We need something more than just our Shield Arts to hold them offwe need to buy time." He muttered aloud. Briene tugged on his sleeve. "My lord," She said, "I can do something to hold them back, but it will drain the remainder of my mana. Run, take everyone and flee." Briene quickly left the cover of the [Bulwarks] and held her hands firmly out in front of her. Arrows whizzed by her head, threatening to end her life in a moment. "[Eruptio: Magma Field]" A surge of energy shot out of her small frame and sank into the dirt. The ground quickly heated up and turned into molten rock. The field expanded toward the gate and created a giant U-shaped barrier between the rest of the grounds and the entrance. As she had predicted, the spell wiped her out and she fell to her knees with sweat pouring off of her face. Three enemies charged at her and she attempted to draw her rapier once more. Unwilling to let her bravery be wasted on self-sacrifice, Thomasunched forward with a massive swing of his sword, "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]" The first robed figure was cut clean in half, but the other two were simply thrown backward into the pit of magma that had rapidly begun to cool. In only a short amount of time, her barrier would coolpletely and the enemies waiting on the other side would be able to rush across. "I can still use you, let''s go." Thomas said, picking her up in his arms before running to catch up with the rest of their group that he had sent back to the main building ahead of them. Chapter 221: Infiltration Shouting and crying people along with the barking of orders among guards and soldiers echoed throughout the streets outside of the Eroan embassy. Some of the servant staff were ordered away from windows as they tried to peek at what was going on. Kalliope stood with the embassy guards and tallied up her men. Unfortunately she was at least two heads short. Two of their King''s Shadow subordinates were unounted for and were likely on or near the academy grounds. Whatever was going down must have prevented them from bringing word to her. She silently cursed to herself because she felt responsible for their well-being. If they had gotten hurt while following her orders to monitor the academy grounds, then she would be directly responsible for anything that happened to them. Of course, in their line of work conflict was inevitable and often led to death or injury She was still concerned for them. Though Lucius thought of his men as tools, Kalliope simply couldn''t. She had to make sure they were okay. All of her attempts to reach them through theirmunication crystals provided no answers. It could mean they were already dead or too injured to respond. Or it could mean they are surrounded by a high concentration of mana and the messages couldn''t get through. "Lyrah, Lady Rubellia," Kalliope whispered, "Stay here, I have to get to the academy. Some of my people are missing." "No," Rubellia cried out, trying to grab her by the wrist. "It''s so dangerous out there if you get hurt" "That''s my job. It is also my job to make sure my men are alright." Kalliope answered, cleanly breaking away from her grip. Since the door was already barricaded shut, she immediately headed to an upper floor. Once there she opened up a window, double checked that her equipment was equipped and that she was wearing her armor properly. Satisfied that she was up to snuff, Kalliope leapt out of the window andnded solidly in the streets of the city. Her bestial body allowed her to take the impact in her knees with little effort. The people running through the streets stopped for a moment to stare at her in awe. There was a little bit of a storm rolling in so there was wind making her hair and the fur on her wolf-ears flutter a little. From what she could tell immediately, there were not really any issues along the streets. asionally there would be a single psychopath screaming about ''throne of creation'' and ''fiery truth'' that would be swiftly put down. However, it seemed the concentration of their forces were around the outside of the academy. The guards were being kept at bay by a series of magical walls of fire that the enemy continued to cast to keep the city''s forces from advancing. Most of their dedicated magic users were already inside the academy itself, so the soldiers were having a hard time getting earth or water mages that could beat down the barriers. "This is like hell on earth" Kalliope whispered as she looked at the walls of the school and the pathway up. Walls of fire littered the roads and [Fireballs] were beingunched from the gates. Whoever it was that was behind these idiots had nned well. "[Lux: Enhanced Leap], [Lux: Enhanced Speed]" Kalliope quickly cast enhancements on herself then triggered her shifting ability. Starting at her neck before trailing down to her hands, fur sprouted out of her skin. Kalliope''s fingernails turned into ws and her muscles twitched and grew to twice their normal size. With a massive roar, she jumped over the first then the second [Fire Walls]. Enemy mages fired spell after spell at her to stop her advance, but they were outmatched by her speed. Still, there were too many of them to face directly so she used her Arts to assist her in getting over the wall. "[Beast Arts: Iron w]!" The ws on her hands took on a metallic shine. At the same time she jumped onto the wall and sunk her strengthened ws into the stonework, using it to assist her in scaling the academy''s defenses. Unfortunately, this slowed her down enough for a [Fire Bolt] to strike her in the center of her back. She felt the skin underneath her armor begin to boil and crack. Blood leaked down her leg, trailing from the injury. Most likely it was able to pierce a piece of her armor, but she could not let that stop her. Another spell struck her shoulder de, but adrenaline, her enhancements, and the shifting kept her from feeling too much of the pain. Gritting through it, she finally made it over the top and was able tond safely on the other side. Once over the top, she saw a number of students and staff holding off against the robed attackers. Kalliope rushed over since her [Iron w] was still in effect and shed across the back of a few of them, cutting through their skin and bones like butter. "Lady Kalliope!" One of the students shouted. They appeared to be one of the Marked Ones that attended Wally''s sses and had recognized her. Kalliope gave the students a quick nod before asking, "Where are the other students concentrated?" They all pointed to the main building where they had been trying to get to while being harassed by arrows, fire spells, and the odd robed fanatic. Based on their screaming and shouting, this seemed to be a mass attack by the same people that have been terrorizing cities and viges all over the continent. "Alright, let''s get there as well. We need a solid location to hold on," Kalliope stated quickly. She could feel her adrenaline leaving her and the pain in her back was beginning to intensify. "Has anyone seen any beastmen?" All of the students shook their heads, making her curse in frustration. She could not smell them either. With all the smoke and blood in the air, it was nearly impossible to differentiate between the various other smells. She shook her head clear and rushed towards the main building with the people she rescued. On the short trek there, she had to use four of her five daggers that she kept strapped to her thigh which left her with one more there and then one in each boot. By the time they reached the building, the pain in her back was almost unbearable. The students and staff inside the building saw them and allowed them entry. Once inside, Kalliope immediately noticed one of Lucius''s least favorite people: Thomas von Petra. They locked eyes for a moment before she felt her vision go blurry. The pain and stress of fighting and running with her injury became too much and her body gave out the moment she was able to rest. Chapter 222: Temporary Allies By the time Kalliope had infiltrated the academy, the guards and soldiers had more than enough time tounch a counter-offensive to retake the walls and the school. Their numbers far exceeded that of the insurgents, but they had one thing that kept them from making a move and that was hostages. Not only was the academy the location where most of the city''s mages stayed to perform research and teach, but it was also home to arge concentration of the heirs of many of the country''s noble families. There was no way to know how many noble children were alive, but if they made a move too rashly, it could result in more deaths. They were paralyzed into inaction. After Kalliope''s infiltration, the enemy had tightened their defenses and spread their barriers to epass the entirety of the walls around the academy. Infiltration of any kind moving forward would be nearly impossible. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the wind began to whip at their faces. A storm was rolling in, however since the fire barriers were made from magic and were maintained through mana, winds and rain from natural sources would do little to impact them. All this storm would do was make fighting harder. Thomas was aware of all of this. Trying to think of a solution had him chewing at the fingernail on his thumb. It was not behavior befitting a noble of his stature. However, this was not the time for him to be concerned about such trivialities. When Kalliope first appeared, Thomas recognized her immediately. He almost did not want to let her into the facility out of spite, but given the state of things, there was no reason for him to turn her away. Simrly, he had no choice but to dedicate resources to healing her because she was a strong fighter and had made her way past the enemy forces. It was likely she came here for a reason other than freeing the students and staff, but now that she was stuck here too, she would have no choice but to help them sort this situation out. Kalliope started to stir to consciousness and Thomas was able to observe the visible wincing in her face as she attempted to move. The healers in their group had spent nearly an hour trying to heal the horrible wounds on her back. They were mostly gone, but the residual pain wouldst for some time. Luckily for her, the spell that hit her was not so powerful that the healers couldn''t overwhelm the residual mana left in the wound. So after all was said and done, her skin would look as good as new. Not that Thomas really cared about that of course. As long as she was in fighting condition, that was the only thing that mattered. "Lady Kalliope of the Gray Wolf n, right?" He asked to confirm her identity. If looks could kill, then Thomas would likely have been dead several hundred times over. Kalliope''s face was morphed into a mixture of pain, anguish, and hatred. She did not seem to be his biggest fan. "I am." She finally said. The fur on her ears and tail were bristled, but she made no indications she would hurt him. "I take it you don''t like me very much?" "No." "Because of the tournament?" "No." "Then" "Shut it, you vile Petra worm." She spat. Though she was baring her teeth which made his men grip their weapons, she was still making no moves to attack. "Well, strongly though you may feel about me, it seems that you are aware that in-fighting is not something we need right now." Thomas sighed. "We are surrounded, cut off, and buying time. We can thank the gods that they don''t have anyone capable of magic other than fire. Since this building is stone, we should be mostly fine. "A storm is brewing outside. It might make them more cautious of us since we have magic users with Compatibilities for Wind Magic and Water Magic. Though the storm will do nothing to inhibit their fire spells, it will strengthen ours." "You have none with Thunder Magic?" The woman asked. "No." His answer was curt, mostly because Lucius was currently the only student with Thunder Magic. And though it would be helpful, he was not present. Even if he was, Thomas''s pride would not let himself ask Lucius for any kind of assistance. Kalliope grumbled something about if anyone had seen any beastmen, but their answers were in the negative. Other than students, staff, and the enemies attacking them, no one else had been seen on the grounds. Their answers seemed to upset her, but she did not press further. With her question out of the way, everyone set about putting together a n for counter attack. ying defense alone would aplish nothing. If they wanted their best chances of survival, then they had to make a y to push back. The enemy''s numbers were finite and there was no way for them to get reinforcements, so if they could push back "Wait a minute" He mumbled to himself. Realizing the enemy was surrounded and that their numbers were limited, made him realize something he hadn''t thought about until this very moment. "What is it, Lord Thomas?" Briene asked. "They don''t intend on surviving this. Whatever their n is, it involves dying here." His words hung in the air like rocks. Everyone could feel the looming threat of death, like a dozen daggers were pointed at their necks. Facing off against an enemy was dangerous. However, facing off against one prepared to die was infinitely more so. "It''s fine. If they want to die, then let''s just help them." Kalliope said, her voice firm. Everyone began to share as many aspects of their abilities to each other as they feltfortable. If they were going to fight together, then they needed to know who would work with who. In the end they separated everything out the way they did before, except now Kalliope was tasked with taking over for a small group of students who excelled at guerri tactics. She would use enhancement spells on them to increase their speed and they wouldunch hit and run attacks from behind their shield wall. The first attack they would be in charge of was the blitz attack that would open space directly outside the building so the rest of the students could assemble. Chapter 223: Problem at the Capital Jade stared at the sky darkening overhead. Though she had no magicalpatibilities, she was able to tell that the storm was not mana induced and appeared to be a natural phenomenon. After witnessing Lucius whip up a storm in the center of Spire Hollow, she could not help but immediately jump to the conclusion that he was causing this. However, he wasn''t. Not only was there no mana in the air, the man in question was fast asleep and napping on Rena''sp in the back of the wagon they were riding on. The side of him facing her revealed many of his scars along his neck. On the back of his neck were several severe burns and then there was a long, jagged scar from some sort of cut along his face and neck that continued underneath his armor. Rena seemed to catch her staring at his wounds. Jade tried to apologize to her, but she simply waved her hand dismissively, "No, it doesn''t matter. After all, it is a wonder that someone like him could have so many scars." Rena paused and rubbed her lover''s cheek gently. "This," She continued while beginning to trace the scar running down his face and front of his neck, "is from an incident outside of Lelvern. We faced off against a series of goblins much stronger than we were capable of at the time. "We joined up with a cousin of mine who became an adventurer. One of his party members used an explosive crystal from Aedrider. The mana infused in the st made it impossible to heal this scar." Jade nodded along to the story as Rena exined in detail some of their early adventures. She could not help but smile at the parts Rena liked to focus on. Especially of interest was the part where he first confessed and also the part where she received the choker on her neck. "What about the other ones? I''ve heard his back is littered with them." Jade asked. Rena''s face darkened. "He won''t tell me the full story, but someone betrayed him and tried to kill him. All of those are from that. Though I suspect he gained a few more through his training and deployment after the fact." Jade continued to listen to the rough exnation of events that Rena had been told by Lucius. Both women knew it was not the full story and that it had a lot of missing pieces. However, there was enough to at least get a general understanding of what happened. "That sounds" Jade started before being interrupted by Lucius shooting up off of his wife''sp. "What is it?" The man looked into the sky and began to sniff. "Smoke and burnt flesh." Everyone tensed and watched as he looked and squinted at the sky. They followed his gaze as he pointed towards the capital. "The storm clouds are covering it and the wind is blowing it the opposite direction of us, but there is no mistaking it. Something in the capital is burning." Lucius said calmly. Desmond and Natali stood next and the carriage driver began to halt their wagon. Desmond reached over and threw a sack of coins at him to keep him going to the capital at all costs. Meanwhile Lucius simply watched the skies for anything strange. Dragons were very rare creatures and tended to live in more mountainous areas. Their cousins were wyverns however Arcadios was not home to any breeds of wyverns capable of breathing fire. It was unlikely that someone was able to advance their army this far into Arcadios without anyone hearing about it, so whatever was going on waspletely in the air. Natali tightly held her hands to her chest in a sort of hopeful prayer. It was likely the girl was worried about her only other friend, the young Oracle. Desmond looked prepared to fight at a moment''s notice and had a white-knuckled grip around his spear. "It''sing from the academy." Lucius finally said while pointing out a terrifying sight. As their vehicle rounded a bend, the walls of the academy came into view. The entire length of the walls were ringed in a giant wall of fire. They could not hear or see much else, but ording to Lucius, he could hear sounds of fighting and shouting. "Who would be stupid enough to try and attack the capital?" Jade questioned. "It''s the heart of Arcadios and the center of all human nations I doubt that any of the other union members would betray them without cause" "It''s not. Only the academy itself appears to be under attack. There might be shes throughout the city, but as far as I can tell, the only ce they focused on was the academy that''s just a guess though. I don''t see or smell smokeing from any other part of the city, however the wind makes it difficult so we will find out once we get inside." Lucius interrupted. They continued to watch in careful silence until they approached the gates of the city. As their cart pulled up to the stables, the guards at the gates moved to block their path forward. It was clear they had no intention of letting anyone inside. The exterior of the walls was surrounded by merchants and travelers who simrly were not allowed entry. "Hold, the academy is under attack by unknown zealots. No entry is allowed until the situation is resolved." A small man squeaked. Lucius raised his eyebrow at the guard and looked to someone else. However, it was clear no one else intended to speak to him or disagree with what the small guard said. Instead of simply joining the others waiting, like the guards thought their group would, Lucius grabbed the man in front of him by the shoulders and shoved him to the side. "I am Lord Lucius Kane. Apanying me are my wife, Lady Rena Kane as well as Lord and Lady Adler. Of course, we also have with us a direct servant of the Oracle. Allow us entry. Now." His eyes shed brilliantly for a moment at thest word, which made a few guards take a step back. "We have no way to confirm you are not involved with this incident. So just like everyone else, you will remain outside our walls until the problem is solved." A woman shouted from inside the guard station. The woman''s armor was a little more ornate than the others. Because of that, Jade deduced she was in charge of the men here. Her face was stoic and showed no signs of concern about Lucius''s promation or threatening tone. Instead, she had a slight smirk of contempt. "You know" She sneered, "I love small moments like these where I can tell nobles where to shove it. You aren''t allowed inside the city at this time, Lord Kane." The captain''s voice dripped with venom and her lips turned from a sneer to a mocking smile. Jade was concerned about how Lucius would react, but he lookedpletely calm. "One more time." He said slowly, "Let me into the city." "No, I don''t think I" As expected, the woman''s finalment met dead air as her body flew into the air and rolled to a stop along the dirt. Left in front of where she was standing was Lucius who was slowly returning to a normal standing position from having punched the woman straight in the face. Chapter 224: Barricade As the guard captain finished rolling along the ground, the others drew their weapons and surrounded Lucius in a semi-circr formation. He made no moves to engage the others and simply stood and waited. Before making his move, he had realized that a handful of people were watching them. A few of them stayed just outside of his sensory range and he felt like a few others had managed to evade his nose and ears. However, the one he was waiting for was making his way down from the wall to join the other guards. "Stop at once!" A loud voice boomed, making everyone sheathe their weapons immediately. The voice came from a man that Lucius had not spoken with directly, but was somewhat aware of. He participated in various training drills for the military and the guard units at the capital and many people knew him as a very harsh instructor; hence the rapid response to hismand. The man himself was Commander Arturo Hiroth and he was considered to be the right-hand man of King Aleksander. Though Lucius was notpletely sure why, the leaders of the Five Kings Union wanted to stay on neutral terms with him as much as they could. Of course, Lucius was gambling with that behavior at this point in time. "Lord Lucius Kane," He said with a stiff bow, "please beg our pardon for the captain''s behavior. I will be more than happy to let you into the city. If you would just follow me" His response was mechanical and forced and that made it clear that he had no desire to help Lucius at all. Luckily for him though, Lucius did not care about his tone or politeness since he got what he wanted. The group followed Commander Arturo through a series of smaller doors separate from the main gates which were muchrger. They were the doors and pathways used by the city guard for changing staff without interacting with the public who was entering and exiting the city. "As you have heard we are under attack." Themander exined, "Whoever is behind itunched a blitz attack from inside our city and specifically targeted the Arcadios Royal Academy. Unfortunately we haven''t been able to route them with" "I don''t care." Lucius cut themander off in his exnation. Commander Arturo had started to walk in the direction of the school, likely believing that Lucius would help them sort the situation out. However, he had no interest in that. Lucius''s only concern was ensuring that his mother and Kalliope were okay at the embassy. ''Lyrah is there too I suppose'' he thought to himself with a sigh. He found it inconvenient that he was starting to think of her in a positive light. The feelings he held were nowhere near a sibling or even an acquaintance. Rather, if something happened to her, then he would feel that it was simply unfortunate. Arturo''s jaw dropped as Lucius led the group away from the academy and towards the Eroan Embassy without another word. Lucius continued to stare forward despite the man''s shouts andints at his behaviors. Eventually the mountain of a man threw his arms up in resignation and continued to the academy on his own. "Are you sure that was wise, my love?" "I need to check on Mother and Kalliope." "As you say." Wordlessly they continued to the embassy where they saw the Eroan guards fortifying the building. Outside of it there were a handful of corpses wearing strange robes and masks over their faces. They had been piled in one location but no one wanted to burn them until they had been properly searched. "Lord Kane!" One of the Eroans ran up to him panting. "It''s chaos sir. The academy is up in mes Lady Kalliope" Lucius felt his heart stop momentarily. "Where is she?" "At the academy sir we tried to" Before the man could finish his sentence, Lucius had already taken back off towards the academy. Without hesitation, Rena was already on his tail. Jade and Natali stayed behind as Desmond moved to follow. "No! Stay here. Protect my mother and Lyrah!" Lucius barked at him. Rena was keeping up but only barely. She cast enhancement magic on herself to keep up, but it almost wasn''t enough. "I am sure she is okay." The woman panted. He continued to stare at the ming walls of the academy with his nose honed in on any hint of Kalliope''s scent. If so much as a whiff of her hit him, he would instantly adjust his trajectory. As he was, it took no time at all for them to make it to the barricade that the Arcadios military had set up. Between the two sides, no one was exchanging either an arrow or spell. There was an uneasy calm between them. The military knew that if they pressed, they risked the lives of those inside. The enemy knew that if they attacked, it would force the military''s hand. "Lord Kane" Arturo grumbled. "So kind of you to join us" "I''m going inside." Lucius stated. "No!" themander shouted. "There are many noble sons and daughters inside that school. If we provoke the enemy into" Lucius was no longer listening to what anyone was saying. Rena gripped onto him, but he continued to move, dragging her along with him. "My love, please remain calm. I am sure" Rena tried to calm him, but it wouldn''t work. He already smelled it. She followed his gaze and his hand as he pointed to the top of the walls. She could only faintly make out severalrge streaks of red along the stone. "That is her blood." He said simply. The storm above continued to swell and the wind began to pick up once more. The walls of magical fire, which hadpletely resisted the storm until now, began to flicker and fight against the storm. Lightning crackled across the sky and thunder shook the earth. "Lucius please calm down." Rena pleaded. "You can''t do this here. We have to be smart about this." He continued to ignore her words as he drew his weapon from his back. A ring with a gem cker than night appeared on his hands while his shadow danced beneath him. Lucius saw his reflection in his lover''s eyes and noticed the twisted grin on his face. "Hmmm" He muttered. "Interesting" The ring imbued him with a strange power. It felt as though his connection to his mark felt stronger and more stable. Grimm chuckled in the back of his mind as Lucius came to realize this. ''If you find more you can have a lot more fun.'' Chapter 225: Gatecrasher "Lucius please calm down." Rena continued to try and sooth her lover''s rage, but nothing was getting through to him. Mana continued to swell around him and throughout the air. She began to feel heavy. The brilliant mes of the enemy''s barriers had almost dwindled to nothing and they scrambled to close the gates to the academy. Rena watched as shadows and dark tendrils danced around Lucius''s wrist and arms as he stretched his sword arm outward with the tip pointing directly at the gate. She noticed that the source of the darkness was the ring on his hand that seemed to vanish asionally. Apanying the ring''s appearance was a dull glowing from Lucius''s Mark of the Abyss. The look on his face was a dark and twisted smile that struck fear into her heart for a moment. "I want you to know the name of the spell that killed you." Lucius shouted at the gate. "[Tempestas: Roaring Thunder]!" Rena looked on in abject horror as Lucius raised his empty hand to the sky. Clouds swirled in the air above him and a massive bolt of lightning struck down and absorbed itself into his palm. The energy of the lightning twisted around his body and up his sword until itpressed into a ball at the tip of his de. Thunder reverberated through the air in rapid session and it began to sound like that of a dragon''s roar. Thepressed energy exploded outward and a massive dragon colored in red and blue lightning with streaks of darkness down the length of its body suddenly appeared out of the energy. It impacted the gate of the academy and instantly tore through the wood and stonework. Many people in the line of the attack were instantly vaporized, some leaving behind sizzling husks of body parts that had managed to escape the spell. On the other side of the destroyed gate was a small army of robed figures who had prepared dozens of fire spells that they were ready to release the moment the gate came crashing down. Lucius quickly grabbed Rena and twisted her into his arms as he threw up a [Wall of Lightning] to block a barrage of fire spells from striking them. When the spells ended, he released her from his grip and began to walk calmly into the academy grounds. ***** Kalliope did not like the idea of taking orders from Thomas von Petra, but the other students and staff had already deferred to his judgment. If she created any issues, then it was unlikely anyone would take her side as a neer to the situation and the academy in general. His n was solid though, and he yed well to each of their strengths. Kalliope was a fast and hard hitter, so ying gueri tactics was something she was pretty well-versed in doing. Simrly, they had a student that was exceptionally proficient in using the [Barricade] skill as part of their shield wall. The only odd one out was the woman, Lady Briene Lindtforth. Kalliope could not ce a finger on it, but something about her smelled off. Not literally, but metaphorically she seemed very suspicious. Regardless of how Kalliope felt, the woman did save her life, so she was grateful enough to let the feeling go for the time being. However, she found herself d that Lady Lindtforth was not assigned to the same unit as Kalliope. "On my count, we will exit. Kalliope, prepare to create us an opening." Thomas called out. "Got it." She grumbled. "Now!" Kalliope and five other warriors who specialized in hit and run attacks quickly threw open the double doors and struck against the enemy. Blood and sparks flew through the air as the surprise attack gave them plenty of openings to keep the enemy from counter-attacking for a few moments. Thomas and the others made sure to use the opening and began to advance out of the building as well. They worked together to create a small foothold and push the enemy back from the building. That was when they felt it. It was a feeling of intense pressure. Off in the distance, along the tops of the academy walls, the magical [Fire Walls] began to flicker from the storm. At first the storm was natural, but it seemed that someone had infused their mana into it and began to use it to their advantage. Kalliope smiled because she recognized the sensation as someone extremely familiar to her. "Everyone better dive to the ground, and fast!" Instead of continuing to fight, Kalliope dove to the ground. The sudden change in behavior threw the robed men for a loop and they found themselves stunned long enough to not attack. That was when everyone found themselves showered in debris. Moments before the gate exploded, they found themselves momentarily stunned by what sounded like the roar of a dragon. Kalliope stood after the falling wood and stone ceased to pepper her back. Many of the robed people had either been vaporized by the spell or heavily injured. Unfortunately, a small number of people on their side ignored her warning and also received some of the damage from the spell. Many of their own injuries were minor, but they still were struck by Lucius''s spell. She felt her heart swell with excitement watching the very man she hoped would appear step through the cloud of dust and smoke. Red mana emanated from his sword which was currently elongated into a two-handed weapon. He had a smile on his face as he slowly cut down anyone who attempted to stand in his way. "Lucius!" Kalliope called out from excitement. However, that excitement was reced with fear as she saw a dozen archers suddenly appear along the top of the walls. They aimed their bows directly at Lucius from behind. He waspletely distracted by her call out and he probably couldn''t tell they were there given the amount of distractions on this side of the wall. "Lucius! Watch out!" Kalliope called out in panic. At that same moment, the archersunched their arrows with the assistance of several Arts. Rena was able to react quick enough to bump Lucius out of the way andunch a spell of her own. "[Ferrum: Iron Wall]!" The arrows were blocked effortlessly, save two, which sunk straight into Rena, making her fall to the ground in a spray of blood. Chapter 226 Congratulations? Thomas watched as his cousin fell beneath the volley of arrows. For a moment he felt a sense of relief that she might have finally been taken care of, but then a sense of unease settled in its ce. His eyes locked onto the man she called her husband. The look on his face was one of horror as he rushed over to protect her from the next wave of arrows. Lightning danced around him striking down every projectile that threatened toe close to them. That was when he heard a series of words that cemented the sense of unease into terror. "[Abyss Break: Touch of Corruption]" Lucius gently moved Rena and ced her against her [Iron Wall] from earlier. She seemed to be both breathing and conscious as Thomas could see her chugging down a series of high quality potions. Even from this far away, however, he could tell they weren''t working very well. "Lady Briene" Thomas whispered, "I think it would be highly advantageous for us at this moment to lend your healing magic. Loathe though I am to assist those two I have a feeling that being in his good graces for the moment might be safer." Briene locked her jaw and did her best to hide the look of disgust on her face. As someone very close to the Church of Celestia, the idea of helping a Marked One or someone cavorting with one made her sick. "It is unfortunate, but I think you might be right." Briene looked to Kalliope, "Lady Kalliope, may you assist me in getting close to Lady Rena so I may use my healing magic on her? I fear that the Marked One ahem Lord Kane might not react well to my solo approach." Kalliope clearly sized them up, but nodded in agreement as she took Lady Briene von Lindtforth by the wrist. They quickly darted across the open space between them and the injured woman. Lucius nced at them momentarily, but ignored them once his eyes fell on Kalliope. ***** Briene steeled herself and gritted her teeth before casting a series of spells. The red headed woman who looked just like Thomas was downing another potion and cursing under her breath. The wounds appeared to be closing, but for some reason the potions did little but slow the bleeding down. From what Briene could tell, the potions Rena Kane was drinking were extremely high-quality. They should have healed the wounds almost immediately. "This is strange" Briene muttered before casting a spell to aid in the healing process. "[Lux: Heal]" She watched as a golden mote of light floated towards Rena. However, just before it sank into her skin the light split into multiple smaller orbs and spread along her body. Each orb of light sank into Rena''s body at the location of an arrow wound. Briene grumbled again because the spell looked like it only worked about half as well as it should have. "Why isn''t the magic working" Rena said through gritted teeth. "I I don''t know has this happened before?" "No." Rena answered. "I''ve never had an issue. I also cannot seem to cast my healing magic on myself. It''s like the spell is being absorbed by something before I can cast it" Briene''s eyes widened as she examined the woman in front of her. Once again, she cast a healing spell, "[Lux: Greater Heal]" This time she watched more closely as the spell split into pieces. Each piece entered a wound site, but one additional portion of the spell sank into the woman''s abdomen, despite there being no injuries. Rena''s eyes opened wide, matching Briene''s own expression. "W-w-what does that mean?" Read new chapters at empire Briene looked away from Rena and towards the man known as Lucius Kane. His ck cloak billowed in the wind and dark veins ran along his neck and arms, looking as though they might pop out of his very body. Surrounding him was a pile of corpses that each looked to be withering away and decaying at a rapid pace. The very air itself reeked of death and corruption. The aura around him was oppressive and unnatural. Despite her extensive training, Briene could not keep the hint of fear from showing on her face. She watched in twisted wonder as he cut down person after person with a sick grin. Every wound he inflicted appeared to immediately turn ck and rot. Some people were left alive, if only barely. They suffered as their flesh rotted around them, leaving them with the look of hopelessness and writhing in pain. Lucius Kane danced along the battlefield swinging a magical sword that would grow and shorten depending on the attack he made. It felt as if she was watching death itself at work. It was, put it bluntly, like watching a demon at work. Briene turned to Rena, who was still staring at her, waiting for an answer expectantly. With a tone that was a lot more sardonic than she intended she answered, "Congrattions?" The wounds on Rena''s body had finally healed after the more intense spell and she put a hand gently on her belly. Briene felt her hand twitch and she contemted the possibility of getting away with gutting the witch right there. However, one more quick nce at Lucius who was already slowly walking back in their direction told her that the answer to her question, which was that doing so would lead to her immediate death. "Step away." Luciusmanded. Briene locked eyes with him for a moment. They glowed with an otherworldly intensity. Without hesitation she stepped away from Rena and Kalliope as Lucius moved closer. He pulled the wolf-girl into a tight embrace with a look of relief. In an instant, the aura was gone and the man almost appeared normal to her eyes, but only for a moment. Lady Briene shook her head and left the trio behind to go to Lord Thomas''s side. They needed to have a very serious discussion. "Is everything alright?" Thomas asked her when she approached. "That depends on how you look at things." She answered inly. "Well, it seems that Rena survived, so maybe we can buy a moment of calm from her husband." "Maybe." Briene agreed. "I have some things to inform you about, we should talk in private. Do you mind?" "Of course not. However, perhaps it should wait until after this fiasco is resolved. I imagine many people will want to talk to us." All Briene could do was nod along. Though the topics of discussion between them were of great importance, they would indeed have to wait until they spoke to the military and city guard. There would no doubt be many questions they would be required to answer and it would be a long night before they could talk. She took onest nce at the red-haired woman who was smiling at her husband while he embraced another. Chapter 227 What Are Their Goals? Discover stories at empire After the incident was resolved by an exceptionally angry noble, the military moved in to take control of the campus. They sent additional patrols through the entirety of the academy to ensure that all remaining students and staff were ounted for. Commander Arturo ordered his men to work with professors to collect copies of their directory and student lists topare them to the body count. So far things were not looking very good for them. Current estimates looked fairly grim with estimates on the low-end putting student casualties at about ten percent. Staff mortality for the incident was closer to thirty percent. Another thing that made things difficult was that Lucius Kane made moves on his own, separate from the wishes of the military. They purposefully were working on a n to break the enemy''s control, but they needed to do something that would not have ced the students at any additional risk. It would be hard for Lord Kane to prove that he was innocent in any of the deaths of the noble children at the academy because his attack did cause several injuries to some of the survivors. It was likely he would be med for many of the deaths he was not responsible for. None of this was any concern to Arturo though, because he was going to ask for the man''s assistance and was tly rejected and ignored. Since Lucius Kane decided to only join the fight when it proved convenient for him, Arturo would offer him no assistance in his defense. "Lord Kane, a word." Arturo called out as he stepped up to the man in question. Lucius was grouped with two women. One was a wolf beastman and the other was his wife, Lady Rena Kane. It seemed they were having a discussion about their injuries. Lucius appeared to be checking over both women for any signs of lingering damage. "What is it, Commander?" The ck-haired man answered with a twinge of annoyance. "We need to discuss your brazen disy of arrogance." "Excuse me?" "First, you ignore and dismiss me as I prepared to ask for your assistance in this matter. Then, you turn around and provide that assistance the moment it directly impacts you." Arturo shouted. "On top of that, the ''assistance'' you provided was a reckless disy of power that resulted in numerous injuries, deaths, and damage to the grounds. Finally, we now find ourselves without anyone among the enemy who was inside the academy to interview about the incident." Arturo''s face was flushed with anger. The more he yelled, the more his frustration increased. He was aware that he was pissed off at the man, but did not expect how much. When the Commander really thought about it, the biggest issue for him was actually the strike to his pride that he took. When Lucius made a move and resolved the situation himself, it made Arturo and his men look ipetent in a way. It would not be beyond the nobles to paint Lucius as a reckless idiot while also berating Arturo for his inaction. It did not matter if these two things were diametrically opposed, they would attack them both if it suited them "So what you are saying is that you are pissed off I did what you couldn''t?" Arturo clenched his fists to keep from pummeling the young man to death. He was a Master Ranker and could easily smash Lucius into a fine paste. However, he was not allowed to due to the prophecy. The prophecy proved to be a muchrger annoyance than they expected. Mostly thanks to the man in question being a thorn in everyone''s side. He was utterly impossible to work with and stepped on so many people''s toes that it felt like he was being obtuse on purpose. "I would refrain, Lord Kane, from acting in such a manner. Immortality in politics is not something that exists. You will be brought down a peg one day, I can assure you. Have a good day, sir." Arturo warned. He gave Lucius a stiff bow and returned to his investigation while the man and his friends left the premises. Some guards made moves to intercept them, but Arturo waved them off and allowed Lucius to leave. Honestly, the man was a hindrance to have around. It wasn''t like he would disappear without them present. "Lady Lindtforth, Lord Petra," He said while giving a proper salute. "Might we discuss what happened before Lord Kane''s intervention?" "Of course." They answered simultaneously. They regaled the series of events that brought everyone to this moment. It seemed the attack at the academy happened at the same time as the random attacks throughout the city. He had figured that the random violent outbreaks in the city were a distraction, but this confirmed it. Every attacker at the academy also wore the strange robes and masks, unlike some of the people in the city who wore a mix of the robes as well as in civilian clothes. Another thing of note was the fact that all the attackers using magic, focused only on using Fire Magic. There was no way to know what everyone''s truepatibilities were, but if they had anything, they refused to use it. A fair amount of them showed off Arts inbat, so it was likely they purposefully were avoiding using magic that was not rted to fire. The perpetrators also randomly shouted things regarding ''throne of creation'' just like the random attacks that had urred all over the continent. All this information confirmed that the random attacks and this one were connected. This attack also meant that whatever group these people belonged to was elerating their violent tendencies. This begged the question: what were their goals? "Commander, our data collection ispleted. Cross checking this with the list we have only a few individuals unounted for. We simply need to check with the Adventurer''s Guild to see if they are out on work-studies, then our count of the deceased will beplete." Arturo took the report from his subordinate and sighed in resignation. The list was too long even if there were only a handful of names. Unfortunately, this list had many more than a handful. "Today is a sad day for the capital" He whispered while sending a silent prayer to Celestia. Chapter 228 Confirmation Rena slowly walked back to the embassy with Lucius and Kalliope. She walked hand-in-hand with her husband while Kalliope gripped onto his other arm. For once, he did not shrug her off or chastise her for the behavior which surprised Kalliope. The look in her eyes was one of caution and concern, wondering if she did something wrong. It seemed that Lucius was not nning to have the conversation with Kalliope yet. Rena also felt it was not her ce to bring it up to the woman herself. Their rtionship was between them after all. In addition to that Rena had something else on her mind that was distracting her. Her head was somewhere among the clouds and she failed to notice that they had eventually arrived at the embassy. It was still heavily guarded and the lower floors were barricaded tightly. "Lord Kane! Lady Kane! Lady Kalliope!" one of the men rushed toward them with an expression of relief on his face. "I see you have returned. Are you all okay?" "The incident at the academy is resolved. We should remain on alert in the event anyone else decides to pull something in the city. Should things stay calm over the next few days, then we can rx procedures." Lucius ordered. Everyone saluted him and shared the orders among the other men around the perimeter. One went inside to ry the information to those inside the main building. Lucius turned to the two girls and kissed Rena on the cheek. "Both of you head inside. Let everyone know you are alright. I will be back. I''m going to look for our still missing men." Kalliope had told him her reasoning for heading to the academy in the first ce. He scolded her for her decision, but he could not say too much since she could protect herself and was currently fully healed. The amount of blood she lost initially scared him, but she was fine now, so he relented. Before he left, he gently squeezed Kalliope''s wrist, which shocked both women. Rena giggled at his antics because he was acting just as shy as he did when they were younger. With Kalliope still trying to figure out what was happening, they both entered the embassy. Lyrah called out her name and began to dive at her for a full-body hug. Rena reflexively stepped back and gripped herself for protection. Natali, Rubellia, and Kalliope looked at her oddly because she had never recoiled from a ''hug attack'' from Lyrah before. Not only that, they all looked at her strangely. Rena followed their eyes and noticed that she had her hand hovering protectively over her abdomen. Lyrah was the first to say something and did so with a sly grin. "Something to share with the ss, dear sister-inw?" Slowly, Rubellia''s eyes opened wide and tears started to form at the edges of them. Natali was next to realize what Lyrah was referring to. Kalliope was thest to react, but picked up quickly. Rena''s hands started shaking and her vision became blurry. It had been a little while since she found out, but it had not sunk in yet. She found herself in disbelief still about the situation. After all, it could be a mistake andpletely unrted to why she was having difficulty processing those healing potions and spells. "I-I-I can''t say isn''t it too early to tell" "Anyone in this damn building use Light Magic and can cast healing spells?" Rubellia shouted. One of the cooks came running out of the kitchen with his hat in his hand and imed he could cast healing magic. He was immediately ordered to cast the strongest level healing spell he could manage and pulled out a more powerful one than they expected. "[Lux: Greater Heal]" Everyone watched as the orb of light split into two. One sank into Rena''s chest and the other sank into her lower abdomen. The cook bowed and quickly returned to the kitchen with a face slightly flushed. Lyrah stepped up and smiled gently, "Congrattions, Rena!" "No way" Rena began to sob. Despite how she sounded, she could not contain her happiness. They had only been together for a short while, in the scheme of things. However, Lucius and her were both sure to make up for lost time with nearly every free moment they had. Truth be told, it was liable to happen sooner orter. "Am I really?" Rena whimpered. "Do you want to know if it is a girl or a boy?" Lyrah asked. The simple phrase triggered Rena to cry even harder. "N-n-no. I want to find out when the timees" She cried out. Rubellia pulled her into a tight embrace and gently patted her head. Rena could feel the drops of tears falling on top of her head, but happily epted the affection. Though she could not see them, she heard and felt the other girls surround her in arge group hug. Kalliope''s tail was wagging in excitement for her and she kept whispering about how excited she was for her. They continued to give her messages of love and support until one of them asked the question weighing in the back of all of their minds. "When are you going to tell Lucius?" Rena paused and felt panic rise in her chest. How was she going to tell him? Would he be happy? Would he be a good father? Would she be a good mother? All of these questions whirled throughout her mind and she had answers for exactly none of them. "I don''t know Do you think Do you think he will be happy?" "Of course! He loves you so why wouldn''t he be? Besides we''ve all heard you two" "Stop it, stop it!" Rena quickly covered Lyrah''s mouth. She had no issue with sharing details of her love life, but she did not want to talk about it with Rubellia present. "I don''t know how to bring it up. Or when Oh! What should we name it? Should we choose names now or wait till it''s born" Rena continued to rant to the background of several people smiling at her. The kitchens and staff worked themselves into a frenzy as they started to prepare arge meal. Rubellia took the lead on the preparations for the event as the girls started to talk with Rena about the method of her disclosure to her husband. Rena eventually decided that she woulde up with something on her own which triggered them to start making bets on how he would react. Lyrah was left out because they could not trust that she would not have cheated. Of course, Lyrah pouted, but she had no choice but to shrug and agree. However, she did lord it over them that she knew the baby''s gender and what the baby would look like. Chapter 229 Does it Matter? Though he had searched all over the capital, Lucius found no signs of the missing men. He had located a few of his people blending into the general crowd, but still, two remained missing. It was highly possible they had fallen in battle and their corpses burned but the attackers were not particrly strong. He had picked up from conversations among many of the investigators that the predicted rank of most of the enemies was around Intermediate Rank. This exined why Lucius was able to take care of so many and so easily. There were definitely people of higher ranks including at least one potential Master Rank. However, the higher ranked fighters were nowhere to be found and were believed to have fled in the confusion. Their motivations remained a mystery. It was unknown if the attack on the academy served a greater purpose or to simply create fear. The idea that someone could raise such a force in the middle of the capital without warning raised a lot of concerns. It also created seeds of doubt among the popce on whether the kingdom could protect them or not. Lucius sighed to himself and started to wonder if he could ask Kalliope to write the reports of his men''s missing status. The King''s Shadow would send letters to the men''s families on his behalf, but he hated writing them. He simply found the task tedious. The one time he did write one, Kalliope berated him for nearly an hour about the level of insensitivity in it. When a King''s Shadow went missing, they were assumed deceased immediately. It was up to the individual unitmanders on if there would even be a cursory search or not. While he was walking random soldiers or citizens woulde up and try to engage him in conversation, but he saw no purpose in interacting with them so he chose to ignore them. Many of them made insultingments, but it did not bother him in the slightest. Whatever problems they had did not concern him. There were also people watching him. Just like at the front gates, they were able to keep out of his sensory range, but he could basically feel the eyes on him. It was like a sixth sense he developed "Some sixth sense" He muttered, thinking back to Rena just a few hours ago. Lucius was so enthralled by the battle that he let his guard down. Not one, but several archers had lined up to shoot him and he did not notice they were there. Kalliope called out just in time for Rena to react with an [Iron Wall], but she still ended up taking a few arrows as a result of her trying to protect him. It was his fault and it bothered him immensely. As he was thinking about it, he heard a small crack beneath his foot. When he looked down, he saw that the stone had cracked. That was when he noticed his mana was leaking out from his frustration. Allowing his mana to run rampant like that was dangerous. Since he could exhaust himself so much that it would kill him, he needed to be constantly conscious of how he used it. He shook his head clear of those thoughts and opted to ignore the people watching him. Since taking up residence in the capital, he had been under nearly constant surveince. It was strange these new people were much more skilled, but he assumed they upped their efforts after the incident with the church. "Lord Kane. Wee back." The guards at the embassy greeted him with a salute and opened the gate for him. Sounds of food being prepared and excited chatter wasing from the embassy''s interior. Curious, he opened the door to the sights and smells of arge dinner that had been prepared. Callous though he was, he was slightly confused as to why everyone seemed to be in a celebratory mood. Natali calmly walked up to him and gave him a slight bow before gesturing with a wave of her hand for him to enter the dining room. "Natali!" Rubellia called out, "In this ce you are not a maid, you are a dear friend of my daughter-inw as well as my family. Don''t act so formally girl. Come sit, both of you." His mother had one of the biggest smiles that he had ever seen her with since his father''s death. The other women in the room also had huge grins. Desmond looked out of ce and slightly confused, but generally happy to be included. "What''s going on?" Lucius asked apprehensively. His wife stood up from her seat and walked over to him. Her eyes were slightly puffy from crying. For a moment he felt his heart start beating, furious at whoever it was that had brought tears to her beautiful eyes. "Rena who made you cry?" He demanded. Her response was to simply giggle and give him a beautiful smile that made his heart skip several beats. Despite knowing the truth, seeing her in this way was still surreal to him. "I guess that you did, my love." Rena answered in a teasing tone. "What? What did I" He stammered, thinking back to everything he had ever said and done with her around. While he was panicking to figure out how he upset her, Rena gently grabbed his hands and ced them gently on her stomach with hers over the top of his. Still confused, he began to mouth his next question, but was interrupted by a finger on his lips. "Lucius, you are going to be a father." Rena said, tears once again pooling in her eyes. Lucius felt his world shift. It felt like before this moment, his world was gray and empty. Everything almost appeared to take on a rose-colored hue. He gently removed one hand from his lover''s belly and ced it on her cheek. With all the care and tenderness in the world he wiped away a tear with his thumb and kissed her. Suddenly, Kalliope shouted out, "I win! I called it for the kiss!" Natali clicked her tongue in response while Jade giggled. They both passed small pouches to the wolf-girl whose tail began to wag. It was unclear if she was happy for winning the bet or for the lovely couple. Lucius turned to Lyrah, "Is it a boy or a girl?" "I promised sister that I would not say, brother dearest." Everyone began tough, but their amusement was stifled by Lucius''s next question, "Will they be marked?" His words hung in the air like lead. No one knew how to respond until Lyrah returned his question with another, "Does it matter?" Her silver eyes glowed, something that none at the table had seen before. Even Natali was slightly baffled by the situation. Before Lucius could answer, Rena moved in to hug him tightly. She smiled at the table before answering with confidence, "Not in the slightest." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 230 Fragment of Celestia A few weeks had passed since the incident at the academy and a lot of things have happened since then. One of the more morbid things was the academy had installed a bronze memorial with a list of all the fallen students and staff at the entrance to the campus. Several smiths and artisans in the city chipped in to offer supplies and time to make sure the disy was ready as soon as possible. After that, many of the city''s finest stonemasons worked around the clock to repair the walls themselves which had been destroyed by Lord Kane. When everything looked to be back to normal physically, sses resumed. A few ss periods were a little more empty than they had been prior. The final total of deceased put the student loss at about nine percent. The final total loss for staff was a little under a third. It turned out more people were still on work studies than they originally thought and after news of the attack spread, all those out on their assignments returned to the school as soon as they were able. Even though the numbers were lower than they had feared, the loss of life was still tragic. Briene Lindtforth spent several of the days she had off speaking with Thomas von Petra in her estate in the capital. His father and uncle allowed him to attend these meetings alone since he was going to be the new head of House Petra upon graduation from the academy. Briene was aware that her family was negotiating with Thomas from a weakened position, but since she was so far from session, it mattered little to her. For Briene, there was a much more important factor in trying to marry into the Petra family. That was the proximity to Lucius Kane that it gave her. Though Rena Kane was technically disinherited from her family prior to her marriage into House Kane, she was still a close rtive to the current head and the next. This proximity to her and Lucius would give her the advantages she needed when monitoring the marked noble. Negotiations went well and they would likely be wed shortly after he takes ownership over House Petra. Currently though, Briene''s mind was focused on something else. She was on her way to the Grand Cathedral to speak with a close friend of her father and a mentor to her. "Ah! Lady Lindtforth, wee back." One of the nuns greeted her with a smile. "Here to see Father Urd again?" "Of course, might he be present to speak with me?" "For his beloved niece I am sure that he will make time." The old woman finished with a smile before disappearing into a hallway. Briene stood in the main hall of the cathedral and admired the beautiful stonework. Just as the gods were not given names, they were also not given faces. Instead, the art decorating the space was that of previous Archbishops and images that evoke happiness and warmth. Several beautiful murals of fields of green bathing in warm, golden light were painted across different walls. She felt aforting warmth being surrounded by the walls of her faith. "Briene! My darling niece, how are you?" The voice of her uncle Urd called out to her from behind. Briene quickly rushed over to him and gave him a strong hug. "Uncle! I''m well. I don''t know if you have heard, but I am engaged now to the heir of House Petra!" "So big now! To think you used to be small enough for me to change your diapers. Come! Join me in my study and let''s chat over some tea." The man offered with a smile. The nun smiled at the two a bowed gently as they passed by her and went to Father Urd''s study. Once the two were inside, Urd quickly sat down behind his desk while Briene locked the door behind her. "Tell me, what have you learned." Urd''s voice was no longer warm and inviting as it was earlier, but it did not surprise Briene. Rather she hade to expect this rapid switch in behavior. "Lucius Kane''s wife. Is pregnant. I confirmed it myself with healing magic." She exined. "During the battle, the smell of blood and smoke seemed to overwhelm his sense of smell. He also used this horrible skill from his mark that turned bodies into rotten muck She went on to describe in great detail the aspects of Lucius''s "Abyss Break" as he had said. When she uttered those words Urd shuddered as if he recognized them. "You are certain he said ''Abyss Break''? Absolutely sure?" He questioned. "Yes, I heard it inly. Though I was healing his wife at Lord Thomas''s behest, I paid very close attention to Lucius for any openings that was when I heard him use that phrase. The moment he used it, his left hand glowed and a ring appeared out of nowhere" "A ring you say? What did it look like?" "I don''t know it had a ck gem on it." Urd pondered her words for a moment before he collected a few loose bits of notes and some dust-covered books from the upper parts of the shelves behind him. "What do you know of the other realms the ones that man does not reside in?" he asked. "There is Celestia, where the gods are and" "The Abyss." Urd finished. "The Abyss is the home of the remnants of demon kind. Those who were not killed and did not hide, were sealed in a realm known as the Abyss. It is a ce of endless darkness and nightmares. It is the exact opposite of Celestia. "Within the Abyss resides the worst of mankind''s sins. As well as the horrors of our past. Put simply, you can think of it as a prison in our universe for all that is considered evil. There are some born that can tap into this ne and ess its power." Urd sighed before continuing. "These Abyssal marks are gateways to that ursed ce and I believe that Lucius Kane''s mark possesses quite a powerful gateway." "Truly?" Briene whispered. "Such an evil thing is allowed to exist how" "Where there is darkness, there is also light." Urd said with a smile before opening one of the books. "There are artifacts from the times of demons that possess fractions of the power of the gods. We call these Fragments of Celestia sometimes they appear to great men and women who use them to help humanity thrive but many are lost to time." "Why are you telling me this" Briene began. She watched in amazement as her uncle slowly unsped the ne he carried on him at all times. From what her father had shared, Urd carried a ne passed to him through their family for generations. Once he had fully unhooked it, he ced it into Briene''s hand. "This is yours. It is one of the fragments I spoke of. Carry it with you so it might protect you from the whispers of the Abyss if you ever meet someone who makes it glow no matter who they may be, what their background trust them." "That sounds" Your next chapter awaits on empire "I know." Urd whispered. "Thank you for the information Briene. Congrattions on your engagement and whatever you do, keep an eye out for that monster and his spawn." Chapter 231 Founding Family Rena felt several eyes on her in the ssroom which made her sigh for the third time in the past twenty minutes. The reason for her ssmates staring at her was thanks to the behavior of her loving husband. He stood slightly behind her as if he was her bodyguard once again. Ever since she told him about her condition, he had gone to sometimes excessive lengths to protect her or help her. His behavior was endearing of course, but was a little much when in the ssroom. Truth be told, she certainly appreciated and relished the special attention she was paid outside of school, but in public things were different. Lyrah and Jade giggled at her while Natali have her asional looks of quiet concern. Desmond sat nearby awkwardly and seemed unsure of how to address either Lucius or Rena. "Love" Rena said with an even and patient tone. "Can you at least sit next to me? I''m sure the time it would take for you to move to a standing position to defend me from these non-existent threats is less than it takes to blink. Sit." Lucius sighed and took a seat, albeit reluctantly. She felt his hand intertwine with hers under the desk. With a contented smile, she rested her head on his shoulder while they waited for the professor to enter the room. A short, old man walked up to the front of the ssroom a few minutester and began his lecture. "As all of you know we have had to initiate a number of changes to the way we do things. So from today, I shall be your instructor for both sswork and practical work. "Also, sses will be broken down into sections for standard work, Magic Application, and Arts Application. Everyone in this room will stay together for each of these courses." Jade raised her hand, "What about those of us learning about marks?" "Professor Carmichael will be busy for some time with other matters. As such students enrolled in his coursework will be presented the opportunity to practice their mark usage during the Magic and Arts Application portions of ss. Any other questions?" No one else had anything to say, so the professor moved on to the next topic which was about the addition of new students to each ssroom. Since sses now stayed together instead of moving between electives, they also condensed the number of separate sses. This meant they were getting an influx of students that they would be seeing every day until the end of graduation. None of this mattered to Rena because she was already spending time with her only friends at the academy, so not seeing a handful of students did little to dampen her mood. After the professor''s announcements, the new students entered the room to introduce themselves. A small number of them were new faces to Rena which was likely due to them focusing on the Arts rather than Magic. However, one of the new students was a rather familiar face. Lady Briene von Lindtforth introduced herself to the ss and included that she was now the fiance of Lord Thomas von Petra. While Rena felt thankful to the woman for healing her and helping her find out about the baby, she felt her skin crawl that the woman was engaged to her cousin. Rena also noticed that the gaze Briene had when looking at Lucius was not one of respect, admiration, or even indifference. No, when Briene''s eyes settled on Lucius, there was nothing but contempt, disgust, and malice to be seen. Again, Rena shuddered. If she was this bothered by Lucius, then what did the woman think of Rena? It was likely not a positive set of thoughts which made her decide that avoiding Lady Lindtforth would be a good option moving forward. After all the technical information was out of the way, they moved on to the actual coursework. Today''s coursework was on the history of the Kingdom and the Five Kings Union. ording to the founding documents, the Five Kings Union was founded by a number of different human ns that were running from Alorek. At that time, Alorek controlled the entirety of the eastern part of the continent. When the human ns found themselves cornered, they fought back with the assistance of the elves and dissenting beastmen, fracturing Alorek into three kingdoms: Alorek, Eroa, and Raleron. Most of these human ns that led thebined armies against the oppressive Alorek became the leading families of the different kingdoms. The ns in question were Keinydd, Docia, Arcadios, Paede, and the most powerful of them all, Kane. Stay updated via empire Instead of taking over thend assigned to them, they simply gave control of it to the people who eventually formed the Wisteria Concord. The Kanes kept to themselves for a number of years before disappearing into obscurity. "No one knows why they vanished from our borders." The professor finished. "It is a great mystery and for a time we thought their line extinct. However, in recent months we havee to find out that this belief may not be correct." Rena also wondered what the truth was. It was possible that Lucius knew, but she had never asked much about his blood family. There were many things they both still needed to talk about it seemed. "Lord Kane. Might you be able to shed light on the subject?" the professor called out. "I am." "Will you?" "Hmm" Rena looked at her husband with a hopeful gaze. He sighed in response before standing. "House Kane chose to leave the human nations because of one main reason. They were despised." "borate young man. Why would House Kane be despised for leading us to our freedom?" The room was dead silent as they waited for his answer. Rena looked to Lyrah who had a sly smile on her face. Lyrah noticed her gaze and gave her a wink. "This is going to go over well." She whispered to Rena sarcastically. "Many families have lines of session that differ from the norm. The Petra''s for example, require apetition for great deeds. The Carmichaels measure mana capacity. House Kane had the most abhorrent among these rules. Or at least that''s how the Five Kings Union viewed it with time." The entire ss continued to wait with baited breath for Lucius to continue. He smiled and held up his left hand, "The requirement to take over as the head of House Kane is that you must be marked. Man or woman. Elf, beastman, human, or any mix of the above. None of these things mattered. The person with the closest rtion to the current head that also bears a mark, is the next in line." A chorus of shouts erupted throughout the room from the various nobles. Many of them called him a liar and used him of besmirching the name of a founding house. Others imed that this strange tradition only happened after the war against Alorek because there was no way such a house would have been allowed to work alongside the other founding families. Just as Lyrah had predicted, the information went over very poorly. Lucius simply shrugged and sat down, waiting for ss to continue. It seemed like he felt the need to stir the pot more, so Lucius decided to continue from a seated position. "It was often imed that we were the adventurous sort. That we could not be held down of course this was a lie. We simply enjoy being left in peace. Everything a Kane does is a response to what was done to them. Take that information to heart." Rena noticed thest few words contained a barely concealed threat. She also realized that Lucius was ring directly at Thomas when he said it. Chapter 232 A Mysterious Resource Princess Enaeria or rather Queen Consort Enaeria smiled at her handsome husband who was still asleep thiste into the morning. Ever since their bedroom ceremony, she had been trying her best to cement their rtionship even further by ensuring a physical representation of their union woulde to be. These things took time though, and it was not as though the man would be able to leave her in the meantime. He was thoroughly entranced by her Mark of Charm and would do everything for her until the end of his or her days. Once ensnared by her mark, no one could escape without dying or by intervention by someone with a closer rtionship. Through thorough research, they were able to determine that King Zethis had no ties or bonds of any kind save with one of the country''s Empyrean Rankers. Even then, their rtionship was one born of fear, not of trust. Without a trusting bond, it was unlikely Zethis would ever escape her clutches. Since they spent every day together from now on, their own bond would grow stronger and stronger as well. Essentially, the Beast King himself was now her pet. Experience tales at empire "My Liege!" a knock at the door brought Enaeria back to reality. Outside the door there was a servant needing to speak with her husband. Enaeria wrapped herself loosely in a robe and opened the door slightly. "I am sorry, my husband is still asleep. I shall rouse him for you." "Th-thank you, my queen." Zethis was already moving to a standing position by the time she had turned around. His bestial senses alerting him to themotion well before she even answered the door on her own. "Thank you for giving me time toe to sorts." He mumbled as he put on his clothes. Enaeria stepped forward to assist with adjusting his cloak and then moved to dress herself. As Zethis kissed her neck before leaving she giggled. "Thank you darling, now go. You have duties to attend to. Do not forget we have another meeting with Mer''Krul this afternoon." "Of course." Before Zethis left, a few maids walked into the room to assist her in preparing for the day. Though the climate of this nation was not well suited for her, she was getting used to it slowly. The people were earnest and hard-working which presented them in a good light. Frequently she found herself thinking that this situation was not so bad. With her Channeling capabilities she was able to cool herself off easily and slowly adjust to the heat. The sunlight was a different story. There was no way she would allow her perfect skin to be marred by the desert sun. Because of this, she spent precious little time outside of the pce itself. Not that there was much else to look at. Though she looked favorably on the people, they were still quite simple whenpared to her ownnds. Haedda was a ce deeply steeped in magic and knowledge. Its citizens benefited from the power of the Grand Mages of their nation and the instruction provided to all the magically gifted. Because of this they had advanced their culture to a point beyond what the beastmen of Alorek could imagine, which made her feel quite sad for them. After several hours of dealing with her own ns, the afternoon meeting was ready to begin. Zethis, Enaeria, and Mer''Krul sat around arge, circr table and enjoyed a series of snacks. Or rather, Enaeria enjoyed them while Zethis drank the country''s foul swill they imed to be wine. "Are things going well Mer''Krul? Those of the Far Shores and Haedda have been working for several weeks in the untamed sands outside our cities. Did you find what it was you were looking for?" "We have found some, yes. There is a cave that was inhabited by a few of those ''Sand Wyrms'' as you called them. When we cleared them out, we found a small amount of Orichalcum. We believe that it might be connected to a muchrger vein and have begun mining." The muscr and tattooed man answered. He too was sharing in the same drink as Zethis. Though Enaeria charmed the king to feel the way he did towards her, she was unable to change his feelings towards others. Zethis and Mer''Krul truly did get along. Though even those in Haedda knew little of the Far Shores, the culture shared a lot of simrities to those of the beastman nations. Strength was valued highly. These two men recognized each other''s strength and used that to form a beneficial rtionship. "I must say, when you informed me of this strange material and that it might reside in ournds, I was skeptical. However, I now have no choice to believe you. I find it strange that our own smiths are unable to utilize this material as of yet." Zethis sighed. "I wish you would share your knowledge of it with us, but I do thank you for being honest about its importance." "Of course, King Zethis." Mer''Krul chuckled, "Though taking advantage of yourck of knowledge would have worked well for us, those of the Far Shores are an honorable sort." The two men chuckled together and clinked their sses in a toast to friendship. Orichalcum was a very rare resource. So rare, in fact, that most countries were unaware of its existence. A handful of schrs knew of it, but even those that did had no idea that it was valuable. The only nations with knowledge of its potential were the Far Shores, Haedda, and Aedrider. Aedrider did little to try and utilize it because they were so far away from anyrge sources. Instead, their growth and technology was based along the magical crystals that grew in the deepest of their caves. Haedda and the Far Shores had worked together to discover the secrets of the strange material over the course of decades of cooperation and found that it behaved in ways that were simr to mithril, but was capable of so much more. There was no way for Alorek to figure out how to properly utilize Orichalcum alone, so there was no concern in them knowing of some of its capabilities. Besides, there was no way for them to pretend it was useless when it was folded into the weapons and armor of every soldier they had brought with them as escorts. "This one mine is all that I grant with our current terms though, Mer''Krul. Any future expansions into locating this strange metal will require new negotiations." "King Zethis, do you have in mind what it is you would like for that? I can ry that information in advance to our leaders so that way when the timees we can work more quickly than before." Queen Consort Enaeria smiled because she already knew what the bloodthirsty lion wanted. Zethis leaned forward and gave a massive, toothy grin, "Weapons, Mer''Krul. Weapons to annihte my enemies. Weapons to bring all of beastman kind under our great banner and erase the Five Kings Union from the continent." Mer''Krul returned the king''s smile. "It will take time, but I can promise that if you are patient, we can fulfill your greatest desires, oh mighty Beast King of the Raging Sands." Chapter 233 The Long Sleep Corva had spent every waking minute since her fight with Lucius in the tournament reviewing every move and step she made. The hammer she had forged and enchanted for the event had been broken as if it were another stick along the trail. It was her masterpiece. ''Titan Killer'' was a weapon with three different enchantments on it. This was a new record for Corva in her work and a rare feat in general for weapons. Currently, the limit for high-end weaponry was two enchantments. Though items with two enchantments were exceptionally rare and expensive. Her reveal of the weapon she named ''Titan Killer'' was supposed to be a grand reveal of her prowess in Enchanting and forging, but they were overlooked by her opponent, Titan. "Ugh, what a monster" She whined as she copsed onto her desk in a heap. "If he hadn''t been there I might have won and then everything would have been fine. Right, Yue?" Her maid, a rabbit beastman, gave her a defeated smile. "I''m sure you would have stood a better chance had that man not been there." "He entered under a false name! He wasn''t even really called Titan! Which means my baby''s name was pointless I even made a big show out of saying that I looked so cool" Yue continued to give her master a defeated smile as she set down a cup of tea. The gentle young woman then grabbed a damp cloth and dabbed it around the exposed parts of Corva''s face and neck, cleaning away the soot from her hours in her workshop. "Mydy you have visitors soon. Perhaps it would be best if you readied yourself for them?" Yue advised. "I really don''t want to" Corva grumbled, "Besides it''s natural to feel pride as an elf of Aedrider to be caked in soot after a long day of work." "Perhaps that is so for people in other positions, but, mydy, you are in a different position than others." "Who is even visiting?" "Representatives of your mother, I believe. Though I think one or two of your sisters are visiting with them. Shall I rouse my sister?" Corva shook her head. "No, let her rest. She will rise as the sun sets. No need to wake her for this ugh, fine I will get cleaned up. Will you bathe with me Yue? I love how you shampoo my hair; it is very rxing." "Of course." The elven cksmith and noble, stood and made her way to her massive bath on the first floor of her residence. Near to the door that led to the hot spring fed bath were a set of iron doors that called her name. Every part of her body desperately begged her to abandon Yue and head into her workshop. Just as she took a step towards her workshop doors, Yue coughed and lightly grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt. Corva found herself surprisingly helpless as the rabbit-eared woman dragged her effortlessly into the baths. After having a few days'' worth of grime washed from her body and hair, Corva''s natural beauty once again shined through. Her slightly tanned body was as enchanting as any other elf''s and her upper body was well toned from her time in the forge. Though a normal smith would have muchrger muscles than she did, her magic assisted in her forging techniques and allowed her to develop a body that was much more physically desirable to most. Not that it mattered to Corva. Even if her hands and arms were calloused, muscr, and rough, she would not care. To Corva, all that mattered were her projects. "Mydy, you are ready." Yue was the one responsible for maintaining Corva''s presentability around other members of Aedrider''s nobility. Without the woman, Corva would have long since been abandoned by the rest of her family for sheerck of manners and presentability. "Lady Corva, your guests have arrived, I will escort them to your parlor." Yue said with a bow. A few minutester and several deep breaths, Corva finally stepped into her parlor room to greet her mother''s representatives as well as two of her sisters. Seeing as they had different fathers, her sisters looked only slightly simr to her. Not only that, but they were the epitome of elven nobility. Their skin was fair and unmarred. Their hair was silky and gorgeous. Unlike Corva, her sisters were ephemeral beauties that represented the pride of Aedrider just like their mother, the Queen. "Dear sister, so d you could take the time to host us." "Yes, thank you for hosting us, little sister." Corva was the eighteenth princess of the kingdom of Aedrider and was the youngest of her siblings. She also had thirteen brothers, though as men, they were not in line to inherit the throne. As such, they were not considered princes, since the position did not exist in their culture. "Princess Corva, a pleasure. We bring you news of your mother''s condition." Experience new stories on empire Her breath caught in her throat and she forgot the manners that Yue reminded her of out of concern. "Is she okay? How is mother? After she left the tournament she did not show up for the banquet and I have not seen her since" Her mother''s retainers had a sad look in their eyes. The lead retainer, a handsome elven man with deep purple eyes and golden, blonde hair answered her with a crack to his voice. "The queen is showing signs of falling into the Long Sleep. As weeks go by, she spends more and more time asleep. We fear it may not be long until her position passes to the next chosen queen." The Long Sleep was what happened to elves who died of old age. Normally, an elf would live for up to four hundred or five hundred years. When they reached full maturity at age thirty, they remained unchanged in appearance up until their death. As their death approaches, they sleep longer and longer, until finally they fall into an unshakable sleep and pass peacefully. The queen of Aedrider, Corva''s mother, was one of the rare elves that had lived for almost a thousand. Precious few of their people remained who had the wisdom and experience of their mother and it was a great loss to their people to lose her. Not only that, Corva deeply loved her mother and as the youngest of her thirty siblings, she was the spoiled child who was granted all that she wanted from her mother. The queen did not expect to have had a child aste in life as she did, so Corva was only in her thirties. Though she was an adult, she was so much younger than her closest sibling who was still over a hundred. "I see" "We needed to discuss the terms of session. Many of your sisters have already been informed of the next steps as they still live in the pce. However, we wanted toe out to your personal manor and discuss the situation with you directly. "I am sorry to bring you such terrible news and then immediately move on to business, but we must discuss the next steps. We must decide on the next queen of Aedrider, Princess Corva." Chapter 234 Two Factions "I don''t want it. There, that should make it easy." Corva said inly, trying to suppress the tears threatening to fall. "Now, go." "It isn''t that simple. We know you possess no interest in presenting a im to the throne. The reason we have decided to visit is that we want to gather your support for our sister, Lethaya." One of her other sisters said. "She is a much better candidate than Aya." "Why should I care?" Corva questioned. As long as she could do her own work, what did it matter who sat on the throne? All that mattered was her work and that her mother would soon be gone from this world What did session matter "Aya would turn our country into Haedda. She would have us close our borders and cease trade with other countries. Aedrider prides itself on our technology. It was at Mother''s and Lethaya''s request that we attend the tournament in Arcadios You enjoyed that right?" "I did" "You wish to see your inventions in the hands of others, yes? Then by supporting our sister" "Leave All of you. Get out!" "Corva" "I said, get out!" Corva''s scream echoed throughout the manor and left shocked and saddened faces among her guests who quickly nodded and left the premises. She found herself alone in a beautiful room filled with fine furniture she never used and gorgeous art she never looked at. The very building she lived in and called home was a gift from her mother. The freedom she enjoyed was a gift as well. Everyone knew that Corva had no chance at being queen. Nor did she have any interest. It was her mother who recognized that first and opened her eyes to an alternative path one of an artisan. "Mother" Yue gently opened the door and was nked by another individual. Corva''s scream had awoken one of the scant few other residents in the home. Yue''s sister, who only went by ''Snow'' much as Lucius once went by ''Titan'', entered the room. Her skin was as white as that for which she was named. Her eyes a pale blue. The woman''s hair fell gracefully down her back, reaching almost to her butt and looked as though it was made of silver. "Lady Corva" Snow whispered. "Shall I follow them?" "No it was just some of my sisters" "I see." "They informed me of Mother she is not far from the Long Sleep" Corva sobbed. "Snow can you watch over her. Report everything to me. I can''t make an appearance in the capital just yet" Snow nodded and quietly hugged Yue before leaving the room. Though they were unrted, the two women treated one another like siblings. Corva often found herself jealous of their rtionship because none of her siblings cared for her as deeply as they did. ***** Continue reading at empire The pce of Aedrider sat halfway up the side of the tallest mountain in the country. The city was built in tiers below it all the way to the base. It was one of thergest and most grand cities on the entire continent. The reason for the city being built on and into a mountain? It was the fact that the mountain itself was the source of over half of all the magical crystals that their country relied upon and used for trade, research, and daily life. Unlike minerals that were finite and could be exhausted from mines. The crystals that Aedrider used regrew over time. Each type of crystal had different rates of growth and as long as the core of the crystal remained intact, it could be replenished. The process was like a blend of mining and farming. Snow found herself in the sprawling metropolis at the base of the mountain. She was unable to use her employer''s name and identity in order to ascend higher up the tiers of the city, so she needed to find some way to move up. She was a master at infiltration, so she would be able to do that. Though, bypassing eachyer of security would take time. She would need to analyze rotations, habits, and gaps in patrols at each gate before finally making it into the pce. However, Lady Corva gave her and her sister a home to belong to, so she was willing to do it. Snow found herself yawning again fromck of sleep. It was still daytime and was normally when she would still be asleep. However, night woulde in a few hours and she would absolutely need to stay awake through it. Deciding that a few hours was better than none, she quickly searched for an inn to rent for the next few nights. As a ce with many tall buildings and one with which she waspletely unfamiliar with theyout, Snow found herself lost on a few asions. She carefully avoided alley''s with little or no light, which made navigating the sprawl more difficult. Many of the ''helpful'' shortcuts she was provided by local residents included paths she refused to take. Without Yue with herthere was no way she could brave the darkened alleyways of the city. All of her resolve would be needed for her investigation. The whispers could wait to assault her until then. The sun began to set by the time she found a suitable ce. Her time with natural daylight had been wasted by herck of foresight into investigating theyout of the capital. The ce she chose seemed to be rather expensive, but it was worth it. The more expensive ces supplied light crystals instead ofmps and fireces. The inside of her chosen base of operations was a warm and inviting bar with a kind woman behind it. The woman greeted her with a smile and offered meals and a drink. Snow declined and requested only a room. "That will end up being ten gold coins a night, dear." "How much for extra light stones?" "Extra? Do you have children with you?" "I do not. I simply need extra light crystals." The proprietor looked at her strangely but offered her three extra stones for a price of one gold per crystal per night. Snow readily agreed and took the crystals to her room. She strategically ced them around the room to eliminate as many shadows as possible. She also made sure to purchase extra nkets for the room. One was to fold and stuff beneath the door to block the light from leaving and shadows from entering. The other blocked the single window when she draped it over the curtain rod. "This should help. No shadows no whispers no shadows no whispers." Snow gently chanted this mantra as she tried to fall asleep. Her n to investigate security was ced on hold for a day, but she needed to sleep. Chapter 235 How Many? Nearly a month had passed since the incident at the academy and things had been strangely calm. The people following Lucius seemed to stop for a while ording to Lyrah and Natali. If her daughter knew who they were, she did not share that information. Of course, it was unlikely that her daughter did know. After all, Oracles looked at the far future or at least that''s what Adellia had taught her. Looking into the future too frequently or too near to the present would result in debilitating headaches and pains. Often the Oracle would have to suffer through these experiences while trying to scan through the potential futures based on possible actions. It was an unpleasant experience that felt like someone split open your skull with a rock, healed it, and repeated the process over and over again. "Lady Adellia" Mylene gently called out. "Oh sorry just lost in thought." "Is it about Lord Kane?" Adellia sighed. Her maid and best friend was right. Lucius had not even attempted to see her since the banquet after the Exhibition Tournament. Everything she knew about him came from her letters and conversations with her daughter. The fact that she seemed to hold no ce in his heart, hurt Adellia deeply. She wanted nothing more than to be reunited with him like a true mother and child, but from her conversations with Lyrah as well as Kalivas, before he left for home, indicated that such an event might as well be considered fantasy. Lucius held a lot of hate in his heart. The traumas of his past twisted him into a being who trusted few and loved even less. As Lyrah put it, the only people on this ne that Lucius would admit he loves are Rubellia, Rena, and Kalliope. Adellia desperately wished to be included in that number, but she did not know what she should do. Lyrah promised to help her, but asked for time. Time was something that an Oracle was used to, but when it came to this Adellia found herself impatient for the first time in her life. "Lady Adellia I" Mylene looked as though she wanted to say something. "What is it? Is something the matter?" "Has Lyrah told you about Rena?" Adellia paused and turned to face the city beneath the balcony of her tower. At one time, this view was all that existed of her world. The inside of the castle and the single perspective her balcony provided. However, since Lyrah managed to get into the academy and her long-lost son returned slowly, her world becamerger. "Yes." Her voice took on a mncholy tone. "It seems my world growsrger still. And yet, like almost everything else, it is beyond my reach." "For now, anyway." Mylene spoke softly to her, but was still firm. "Do not forget that just because something may be out of reach for now, does not mean it will be forever. You just have to try and reach out." "Yeah I think you are right." The vision Adellia saw about the academy attack. She was thinking about whether or not she should have informed the elders who track her visions. However, Lyrah had asked her to keep the vision a secret. Her daughter had the same vision and advised her to think about the impact. From the vision, she inferred that Lucius was involved. However, he had many enemies in the capital and unless they knew what his involvement would look like, the kingdom might infer his involvement negatively. She had also asked her to not scan the oues of the battle and to make no moves. Lyrah told her the most important thing to do to handle the situation was to allow it to y out as it was intended. Adellia found this task to be difficult. Her guilt weighed on her mind after learning about the loss of life that urred. As Arcadios''s Oracle, she spent her entire existence trying to save as many lives as possible, but this time she didn''t. It was like the first vision she had prior to her children''s birth. In the vision, she witnessed a being that looked like her son destroying so many lives and doing so without mercy. What was she to do? Though at the time, she did not know that this man was her son, she felt a connection to him and hid the truth Somehow it felt like she did the same with the attack on the academy How many lives would she sacrifice for a son that she could not reach? A knock on the door echoed throughout the chamber. It was stiff and unfamiliar. Adellia had no idea who it could be because she had no scheduled meetings today. Mylene bowed and went to answer the door. Discover more content at empire A handsome young man stepped in wearing fine clothes dyed in a charcoal gray. The clothes barely seemed to stretch over his muscr form. His eyes glowed with power and his hair lightly moved in the slight breezeing in from the open balcony. Scars ran along the side of his face and neck before disappearing below his clothing. His voice was smooth, deep, and calming. "Hello, Lady" He sighed before closing his eyes and re-opening them, "Mother." "Lucius" Adellia ced her hand over her mouth and stood to greet him. "You''vee" "Yes I have something I wish to ask of you though it feels unfair to ask a favor of you as I have done nothing for you." "That''s" She smiled. "That''s not how family works. You don''t need to do anything for me in order to ask for help." "I see." "P-please,e, join me for drinks. Mylene, please fetch us a fresh pot of tea and join us as well!" Adellia said excitedly. There was a hint of urgency in her voice as though she was terrified that this opportunity would vanish before her. Thankfully, Lucius silently sat down at her table and made no indications that he would leave or abandon her. Whoever it was that spoke to him had all the appreciation in the world from her and she silently scolded herself for any of the thoughts she had before. "I''m sorry for trying to touch you at the banquet your fa I mean Kalivas informed me of many things I was not aware of. Truly, I am sorry." Her son looked at her with an appraising gaze before he took her hand in his. She could not keep herself from giving out a slight yelp as he took her hand and ced it gently on his cheek. "I am sorry for acting in such a way. Rena convinced me that I should be friendlier to you Lyrah also told me that I should be grateful to you and Miss Mylene for my life. So I am here to make some amends where I can, as well as ask you for a favor." Chapter 236 A Favor Lucius sat before her and Mylene as they shared the details of his birth and what happened after. Though he seemed unphased by most of the story, his facial expressions did move slightly when he was told that Mylene and Derrik were the ones who transported him to the parents who raised him. He agreed that their gamble to curse a newborn with dark magic was risky, but it worked out in the end. Derrik had taken the infant Lucius directly to his cousins in a single, non-stop horseback ride. He brought with him two horses, both of which he ran into the ground to make it happen without notice. When Lucius arrived at Wayne and Rubellia''s home, he was in perfect condition thanks to Derrik''s liberal use of his Light Magic. However, the man himself was ragged and worn. It seemed his adoptive parents had never told him the entire truth of the matter. Lucius turned to Mylene and bowed his head. "Thank you." Then he turned to Adellia, "Thank you as well. Were it not for your efforts, I would not be here. I don''t know where Rena would be and well, just thank you both." Adellia smiled and gently stroked his cheek. She could tell by the look on his face that he was nowhere near ready to ept her the way she had epted him. But, he was willing to open up to her, if ever so slightly. "So, you never got the chance to try and name me?" "No, I did not you were taken before I could give you one." "What would you have named me?" He asked carefully. Truthfully, Adellia had thought of this question many times. What would she have named her son if she could have raised him or even if she was given just a second to name what she thought was his corpse. Adellia thought carefully over these many years, but there was only one true answer. "To tell the truth," she said with a smile, "I don''t think it matters. I think that your mother, Rubellia, gave you a wonderful name, my dear Lucius." Never in her life had she felt so much conflict within herself. She felt happiness, pain, shame, and loss. They whirled together inside her as if fighting for dominance amongst themselves. However, looking upon her son''s steady gaze and the strength behind his eyes, she settled on one: contentment. Though this was not the path for her life that she would have chosen, it was the hand she was dealt. Adellia yed her cards the best she could in the circumstances and it ended with her seeing him in the end. "Thank you." Lucius whispered. "Now for my request, if I may. You of course can ask for anything in return and it shall be yours." "As I said before" she sighed, looked at him hopelessly, then continued, "Never mind What do you want me to do?" "I have reason to believe I will have to leave the kingdom soon. I do not want to send my pregnant wife on a trip to Eroa alone or with help so" "You want my help?" "Yes. I need you to be there for Rena. Her mother she never really knew her and even though I never experienced it from you, I can tell that you care deeply for Lyrah. Can you please watch over Rena and" "Your child?" Lucius nodded, but chose to correct her for a moment, "And your grandchild." "Lucius" "My rtionship with you is my own. There are many things I have to sort out. However, my feelings are not my child''s and my rtionships are not theirs. You have not done anything that shows me you don''t deserve a chance to be in their life." Adellia could not contain herself and threw her arms around her beautiful son. The man awkwardly tapped her shoulder as she cried into his neck and whispered gratitude to him over and over. It was not until Mylene had to pry her off due to Lucius''s ufortable expression that Adellia finally pulled back. Her face was flushed and her eyes were puffy. "I don''t know if it will happen, but I hope that you will be able to help me." "Would it not be dangerous to have her here in the castle. I know you are not on good terms right now" "There is nowhere in the kingdom that Arcadios protects more than the home of the Oracle. Only the King''s inner pce is under stricter guard and if I have to leave I don''t know that the embassy will be as safe. If you could house Rena and Rubellia" "Of course." Adellia answered firmly. "I will do this, no matter the personal cost to me. I swear it." Lucius thanked her and awkwardly bowed to them before taking his leave of her tower. His request was an earnest one and Adellia had no reason to deny it. Not only did it give her a chance to show that Lucius could trust her, but it also gave her a chance to be a grandmother. She had never thought she would live to see the day that she could enjoy such a life. Mylene said nothing, but did gently pat her shoulders. The maid knew how much this meant to her that Lucius would speak with her directly. Though the young man made a request, he did show signs of at least trying to close the gap between them. "Do you think that the castle will ept their residence here, no matter how temporary?" the maid questioned. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire "They can certainly try! I will not let anyone ruin my chance at being a grandmother!" Adellia shouted. "This is my best chance to hold a precious baby again the gods only know when Lyrah will finally take a husband. Even then, it would only be a rtionship like what mine was with Kalivas" "Of course" "Besides, you know how exceptionally handsome Lucius is. Couple that with Rena''s beauty I''m sure their child will be the most beautiful and precious baby on the continent!" Mylene could only roll her eyes at the Oracle''s antics as she ranted and raved about the potential adorableness of her unborn grandchild. Adellia noticed the judgement, but said nothing. After all, why shouldn''t she enjoy the moment? Chapter 237 Work Meeting Rena, Natali, and Lyrah walked through the halls of the academy together, cheerfully talking and enjoying the calm day. Lucius followed slightly behind them because he did not want to interrupt their friendly banter. He felt that he monopolized much of Rena''s time as it was. Even though he was more than happy to take all of it, he also knew that she deserved time with her friends. Lucius felt that he had to give in somewhere and that was where he decided to do it. However, he still improperly assigned one of his remaining men to guard her at all times even when Lucius was around. In his reports to King Verdayl he would always report that he was working on a "private task concerning the future of the House of Kane" when reporting on that specific assignment. It was a bullshit answer that the king and his retainers would see through instantly, but as long as his other endeavors bore fruit, they would be content to ignore it. On that front, Lucius had met with the remaining soldiers under hismand andpiled a list of possible locations to search for the brains behind the assault. Many possibilities existed including the city of Lelvern, Spire Hollow, a few small towns on the outskirts of Paede and a number of other viges and cities with strange movements happening around them. He did not have the manpower avable to address all the potential areas of concern, so he strategically chose to focus on specific areas instead of throwing arge. Given the amount of people wearing the same robes and masks, it seemed they would havee from or at least been provided supplies by locations with a lot of resources. For the most part this cut out many of the smaller towns and viges. However, cutting those out still left too many locations to scout even if he did only assign one person per location. Typically they would work in teams of two for safety and logistics. "Hmmm" "Everything okay, my love?" "Rena, my ever clever darling, might I get your opinion?" "Of course." Rena smiled at his clumsy excuse for ttery, but let him off without any teasing. Lyrah noticed theck of fun and pouted ever so slightly. "Let''s hypothetically imagine that a group of people were able to simultaneously supply hundreds of people with simple robes and masks. However, they did not supply these people with weapons, potions, or any other supplies. What would you think?" "Well, if that were to ur I would say initially that the supplying of simple robes and masks would indicate that they were receiving their goods with a lot of the resources avable to craft such things however, I feel it would be a front. Rather you should not be looking in areas where such resources are abundant. "You should also not swing the opposite direction and look for areas where those resources are fewer. What you should look for are locations where the import and export of those goods are too normal and too stable for too long. It is natural for the market to ebb and flow. However, it is impossible to simte that natural flow for long periods. "Evidence of tampering with the local supply chain in order to amass such a specific need would be indicated by long and unnatural looking periods of stability in various locations." Natali and Lyrah looked at their friend in slight surprise. They did not expect her to have given such an in depth and thoughtful answer to the question. Lucius on the other hand, asked because he knew that she would have good advice. Prior to their separation and even before bing adventurers, Rena was a thinker. She was raised to have a mind suited for strategy and cunning. It behooved her to learn such things since she only had a talent for Magic and had no Compatibilities within the Arts. Lucius knew that Rena would never let such a tool go to waste, but it seemed she did not expose her friends to the fact that she was rather intelligent. "Thank you, Rena." "Of course," she responded with a nod, "By the way. Should one be wanting to look into matters like what we discussed, they might want to start with the merchant''s guild. By the way you have a meeting with Kalliopeter?" "Yes, business rted matters, I''m afraid." "So we will miss you for today''s coursework." Explore more at empire "Yes, I will see you at dinner this evening." Lucius took her into his arms and gave Rena a deep kiss in the middle of the hallway. Several students stopped and stared for a moment, but neither of them cared to pay attention or let others interrupt their moment. Ever since learning about the child, their affection for each other had only seemed to have grown. This was much to the chagrin of Natali, who was not a fan of public disys of affection. They tended to make her rather nervous and shy. So far, the increased amount of Lucius''s and Rena''s public affection had done little to temper her feelings on the matter. "Yes, yes, you love each other very much. Thank you, go now brother dearest." "Goodbye Lucius." "Bye for now, Lyrah, Natali." Lucius gave Rena''s hand a light squeeze before pausing and cing a gentle touch along her stomach. He then turned and went to Wally''s study where Kalliope waited for him. The old man was conveniently away on urgent business for the king at the time of the attack and had yet to return. From what his sources said, there were issues at the Demon''s Stomach, a major dungeon halfway to Pelith from the capital. Wally was a subject matter expert on dungeons and many things considered rted to the extinct demons thanks to his focus on marks. Kalliope was waiting inside the study. She was wearing leather armor ented by metal pieces on her shoulders, chest, and thighs. Lucius found himself slightly entranced by her for a moment, but quickly cleared his head and got into his business demeanor. "Commander, I have news." "Go ahead." "Eroa experienced a small revolt around the same time as the academy attack here in Arcadios. Simrly, every other Union nation as well as Aedrider suffered small instances of these violent outbreaks. However, none were asrge as what we experienced." Kalliope exined. "Any news on Alorek or Raleron?" "None." "And we are sure they are the same group?" "ording to reports at every location of incident the people starting the revolts were shouting phrases rted to fire, mes, truth and the ''throne of creation.'' Which is something we still have yet to uncover." "None of our information sources know what this ''throne'' is? I find that strange is it some object of worship?" "I do not know" Kalliope shifted around ufortably for a few moments. "Say whatever it is that is on your mind." "I have more news. I learned of it prior to the academy attack. However, I needed to independently verify some of the details via more reliable and trustworthy channels" Kalliope swallowed a lump that seemed to have appeared in her throat. "It''s about Shiyani." Chapter 238 Old Wounds "It''s about Shiyani." Kalliope''s words made the scars and burns on Lucius''s back itch and ache. His body felt hot as though his very blood was about to boil. The woman''s face appeared before him surrounded by Paul, Lethen, and Mia. Only one of the four that betrayed him died and it was by her own hand. "L-lucius c-calm" Kalliope looked at him as though she was struggling to breathe. Outside the window clouds were forming in the sky. Lucius slowly began to breathe and try to regain his sense of reason. Kalliope gently ced a hand on his arm and looked at him with eyes full of concern. It was a rather sweet andforting gesture that he was unfamiliar with from her. He half-expected her to make a pass at him, but since Rena''s news and the academy incident, she has not said anything. However, he suspected there was more to it than that. He also noticed that the air between Kalliope and Lyrah seemed odd. It was not hostile, but something had happened between them and Lucius was at a loss for what. "What have you learned about her?" "While you were on your trip, Lyrah and I ran into Renton and Marie. I attacked them and almost killed them but they said" "They weren''t part of the attack. I know. Shiyani used her mark to incapacitate them. They were innocent of everything that happened that day." "Well, they said that after bringing them back to the capital in Arcadios, Shiyani and her party made mention of heading north to Aedrider for their next jobs. That was four years ago, mind you, but it is more than we have had." Kalliope finished. He closed his eyes in quiet contemtion. She was right. Though the news was four years old at this point and any sane person would consider the trail long dead, it was still a clue. He could go to Aedrider and seek out any information he could about Shiyani. She was once a well known and used assassin in political circles. However, after Lucius''s attempted assassination, Shiyani and her cohorts had never appeared again within human territories. All their contacts lost the ability to reach them. It simply appeared as though they had vanished from the face of the continent. "I believe I read a report iming that Aedrider was Shiyani''s homnd. I figured it was obvious since a scant few natives of Haedda leave its borders, temporarily or otherwise." "That is correct. It is likely she had many contacts there that could get her a new identity or something else to hide her from the public eye." "Why would she do that though? I know for a fact the amount that Richard paid for my murder was high, but it was not the kind of sum that gets one to quit that line of work." Lucius pondered. "Perhaps without proof of a body she was worried I would hunt her down" "Perhaps." Kalliope nodded, though she sounded unconvinced. "I choose to believe she has taken up another identity to start taking contracts again. Something tells me that she was less worried about you and more worried about the impact it would have on her reputation. Starting over would be a good way to avoid both scenarios really." Lucius nodded in agreement. What Kalliope said was the truth. Hiding her identity would solve both problems at once, so it would be hard to say which one was the reason for the behavior. Not that it mattered in the end. As the facts stood, she was gone and he could not find her. Frustration began to build as he thought back to the battle. If he found her again, it was likely she would be using the same magical crystal that disguised her under the visage she used as ''Jen''. Thanks to his keen sense of smell, he could probably detect her with prolonged exposure, but she likely had ways to mitigate that issue as well since she knew so much about him. The thing that caused his boiling frustration though were neither of those things. Instead it was the fact that he was unable to strike her with his [Forsaken Arts: Merciless]. Had hended even a scratch on her with it, then he would be able to noticed her the moment he saw her, no matter what lengths she went to in order to hide her identity. No concealment magic or technique could hide from that skill''s curse. "What do you want to do?" "I want to hunt the bitch down." "Then shall" "No" Lucius shook his head. "I have to stay here for Rena as long as I can. Lyrah warned me that something might take me away from Rena for a while, but if I tried really hard, I could avoid it and stay by her side. So we should stay. For now." "Of course and about these attackers?" Lucius went on to exin Rena''s assessment of the situation. Kalliope agreed with every point that was made and took down notes as they discussed their options. What they settled upon was that they would have a team of two infiltrate the Merchant''s Guild to uncover as much information they had on shipping records and trade throughout the kingdom. They would focus on Arcadios for the moment and not worry about the other kingdoms. If anything did not show up, then they would move beyond the kingdom''s borders. While their team on the inside analyzed shipping and trade records, they would have another pair join up as caravan guards and see if they can find anything suspicious that urs on the trade routes themselves. It was not beyond the realm of possibility that any skimming of resources would happen between locations instead of at the trade destinations directly. Of course, all of this hinged on the idea that someone was skimming off the top from the most secure and money-minded organization in the world. "Anything else?" "No, I don''t" Both of them stopped and turned towards the door of Wally''s study. A gentle thud grew ever louder as a group of men in heavy armor seemed to be approaching the door. Kalliope began to draw her sword, but Lucius held her back. She remained at the ready, but kept her de in its hilt. As much as he would have loved to fight his way out of whatever was happening, it would put Rena at risk. The doors to the study were thrown open as a group of almost thirty men in armor stood in the hallway outside. Standing in the doorway was Commander Arturo and some strange man wearing abination of robes and heavy armor. "Lord Lucius Kane of Eroa," Commander Arturo barked, "By authority of King Aleksander Verall von Arcardios, you are ced under arrest. You will yield to mymands and apany me to the castle to face trial at once. Do you submit?" Chapter 239 To Justice "You are to bring Lucius Kane to trial at once." Those were the words handed to Commander Arturo by King Aleksander. Though they were said through gritted teeth, the truth of the matter was that the man in question had finally pushed too far. Luciusmitted more than a few crimes on the day of the attack on the academy. On top of that, the crown was facing immense pressure from the Church of Celestia to remove the noble from the city. They could not do so without a formal trial and conviction of his guilt since the man was technically an envoy of Eroa. Both the King and the Church were aware of this. Due to the prophecy warning them about House Kane, the crown did its best to ignore Lucius'' behavior, but when the Church confronted them with irrefutable evidence and eyewitness reports, his behavior could no longer be tolerated. Arturo was a powerful warrior and as a Master Rank fighter, he could most likely handle Lucius in a fight. However, it would be a hard-won battle and result in a lot of coteral damage. If at all possible they needed to figure out a way to avoid direct conflict. The man sat in silent contemtion trying to muster up some form of n to carry out his orders. There was a decent amount of Master Rankers in the capital at the moment that could be used, but that would mean nothing if Lucius attempted to escape. Of course they could just as well go after him with a team full of Advance Rankers but then Just as Commander Arturo was nning out how to make this work, a man walked up to him who was wearing pristine white robes. His demeanor and dress easily identified him as a high-level member of the clergy with the Church of Celestia. "Hello, Commander," the man said with a gentle smile, "I hear you have a task at hand that you might need assistance with." "Father Urd, it is a pleasure to see you. We do not typically have the pleasure of your visits anymore. You spend so much time holed up in the cathedral that we thought you had forgotten about us!" "Nonsense! I am but a busy man, nothing more, nothing less." Urdughed. "So, about this task I have heard about. It seems you will be going to arrest that devil?" Arturo sighed once again, reminded of his conundrum. "Yes. I must apprehend him. I know he hasmitted several crimes and generally is unpleasant to work with and I appreciate the Church''s desire to see justice properly served However, he is a particrly difficult case to deal with." "I have heard of this ''Lucius Kane'' and his exploits. I understand he is quite the powerful warrior such that he is." "Not only that, he is the son of Kalivas of Eroa and is also an emissary of Eroa it makes diplomatic rtions tense to say the least. There are other matters, though I am not at liberty to discuss them here." "Mmmm quite right, Commander." Urd paused and sighed. "Since I feel horrible for being the one to have helped thrust this responsibility upon you perhaps I might be able to be of assistance? "We have a number of our Church Guards avable at the moment. There are a few Masters among them, but there is one additional person who is particrly useful." As Urd said that, he gestured down the hallway. Approaching them was a man of simr build to Arturo, but he was d in te armor with a clergy robe draped over it. On his back was a massive warhammer and etched into the center of his helmet was the symbol of a lightning bolt. He was the most powerful tool that the Church of Celestia had at their disposal. The man was also one of the reasons that Arcadios had such close ties with the church. Losing their support meant potentially losing the support of this man. Commander Arturo was at a loss for words, but he mechanically stood and bowed to the visitor. "Sir Theos the Thunder King it is an honor" Arturo was greeted with silence. The man known as the Thunder King was one of the two Empyrean Rankers that defended the Kingdom of Arcadios. His loyalty was owed to the kingdom second and the church first, which was why they had so much pull. "T-truly? Father Urd, you are lending his services to me?" "Yes. We know that this Lucius Kane person is quite the tricky customer. If he were to use his Thunder Magic, it could cause problems. Sometimes one must fight fire with fire, so to speak." Urd said calmly, "Sir Theos will assist you if necessary, but we don''t imagine that will be needed. I don''t think the man is that stupid." "You''re right. Thank you very much. I really can''t thank you enough" Arturo bowed deeply. They bid each other goodbye and went separate directions. Sir Theos followed him to gather a selection of soldiers that they would use to confront the used. Though he did not know exactly how the incident would go, having backup in the form of one of the kingdom''s strongest guardians guaranteed them safety. Of course, the man could still resist. As he was about to turn the corner, Commander Arturo felt a hand ced on his shoulder. When he turned he found Sir Theos had ced his hand with a note in it on his shoulder. Themander awkwardly took the note and read its contents. What he saw inside piqued his interest. "With this, I know we can take him in quietly Honestly, the church is very terrifying when I think about everything you all prepared for this" Sir Theos said nothing as he silently continued towards the barracks, intent on gathering together the men they needed to bring the demon, Lucius Kane, to justice. The Thunder King''s massive footfalls echoed throughout the empty hallway as he trudged ahead of Arturo. Though things appeared rough at first, everything the church had given them today made his life much easier. "Truly, thank you for your kindness, Father Urd." Arturo said with a smile while running to catch up to one of the ''gods among men'' that defended their great home. Chapter 240 Castle Dungeon "Do you submit?" Commander Arturo''s words hung in the air in an oppressive manner and was answered with silence. Lucius carefully looked at the men with him. He could tell every one of them was strong. However, one among them attracted his attention the most. The man next to the Commander whom wore clergy robes over his te armor, exuded an aura that surpassed even Lucius''s father. He made no attempt to hide his strength. It took Lucius a few moments but he was eventually able to remember who this man was. In all of his documentation about Arcadios. In his conversations with his father, he had been informed of a man in armor who always hid his face. The helmet had the symbol of a lightning bolt on it and he always carried a massive two-handed hammer on his back. This person was known as the Thunder King and an Empyrean Ranker who served the Church of Celestia faithfully. There was no way that Lucius could fight against such a being, let alone get away from him. On top of that, even if he could get away, Kalliope was still in the room and Rena was still at the academy. "Well, Lucius Kane?" Arturo called out. "Do you submit, or must we handle this matter with force?" All of the men apanying themander ced their hands on their weapons, save for the Thunder King. Lucius remained silent for a few moments before sighing and nodding his head. There were no other options avable to him at the moment. Trying to resist posed too much of a risk. Kalliope looked at him worriedly as he gingerly took off his storage ring and weapon then ced them in her hands. "Lucius what are you doing?" "I cannot in good conscience put you and Rena at risk. I have no choice but to obey." Kalliope tried to protest, but she seemed to have found her voice stuck in her throat. Instead she nodded in understanding while Lucius walked over to his captors. He quietly ced his hands out in front of him, waiting for them to take him into custody. Arturo quickly ced a set of iron cuffs on Lucius''s wrists, which earned him a raised eyebrow from the prisoner. The cuffs were made of in iron and were not enchanted in any way. A simple sneeze from Lucius could snap them. However, he quickly realized they were not on him to keep him from escaping. Rather they were a statement. He was to be paraded out of the academy in front of as many students as possible and humiliated by being dragged about in chains. Not that Lucius really cared what everyone thought of him. Though they might have enjoyed a look of shame or guilt upon his face, Lucius would give them no such satisfaction. In his mind, he was innocent of any crimes. "Come with us, Lord Kane." He was swiftly led away and emerged from the building that housed Wally''s residence at the academy. Outside of the building, arge group of students had already gathered. It seemed that the news of arge group of guards appearing on campus had already spread through the grounds. As such, they gathered to their location in order to satisfy their own curiosity. Among them were a few familiar faces, including Thomas and Briene. They smirked at him when their eyes met, seemingly satisfied to see Lucius in such a state. Unfortunately, they were not the only ones who were present. Rena was lightly running up to the crowd, worried about what was going on. nking her were Natali and Lyrah who both looked concerned that Rena was trying to run in her condition. Though she was still early on and this light jaunt would do nothing to harm the child, they were almost as protective as Lucius was. "Lucius! Unhand my husband! What do you think you are doing to him?" Rena demanded. "Stay back, Lady Kane. Lord Kane is under arrest for crimes against the Kingdom of Arcadios, her people, and the Church of Celestia. He is to be brought before a council of his betters and tried for his crimes." Arturo answered mechanically. Her interruption and their answer did not slow their pace as they continued to exit the academy grounds. Lucius''s friends and family followed them through the city and all the way to the castle. No one attempted to stop them as it was Rena''s right to apany her husband to the castle. Those who were with her would be considered her guests as well, so they were also not stopped. While they were escorted to the castle, many citizens would stop and stare at the procession. It wasn''t every day that this many powerful looking people escorted a single person. Unfortunately for Lucius, his face was easily recognizable in the capital after the exhibition tournament. Several even recognized him from the academy incident and were able to remember that he did nothing to help out within the city. Experience new stories with empire They shouted at him and called him names. No one dared to throw anything because they might strike his escort. This would result in their own arrests, so they settled for shouts and cries of anger and frustration. Lucius could hear Rena slightly sobbing behind him at the way he was being treated and he silently wished that his hearing wasn''t as good as it was. If he couldn''t hear her, then he wouldn''t have to worry about how this might be affecting her. Shortly after, they finally arrived at the castle and entered the dungeon. Lucius was ced in a locked cell and informed that he would be there until a council was formed to go over his charges and crimes. Rena and the others were allowed to stay outside of the cell and speak with him for a short amount of time. "What is it that they used you of?" She whispered softly. "I don''t know. I was not told of my crimes, only arrested. One of the men they had with them was the Thunder King and he is a force I could not hope to ovee. I had no choice but to acquiesce to their request" Lucius whispered back. "I am so sorry to put you through this." "No, it isn''t your fault. It''s theirs." Rena said angrily. "I have no doubt that they drummed up some charges simply because you are marked. This is nothing more than a farce to" "It doesn''t matter if it is a farce or not. The fact of the matter is that I am stuck here until the trial. So do me a favor. Continue your life as though nothing is wrong and try your best not to think of me. "I don''t imagine that you will be allowed to return to see me until the trial begins. You don''t need to add additional stress right now. So, stay with Rubellia, go on trips to the market with Natali, Lyrah, and Jade. Kalliope will protect you as well." Lucius asked. He did his best to put on aforting smile and reached through the bars to grab her hand. She took it in hers and he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "All will be fine, my love. Now, go. I really don''t want you to keep seeing me like this if I can avoid it." "I will. I love you." "I love you too." Lucius continued to smile at her warmly. He then turned to Kalliope, "Do what we discussed and protect them." "With my life." Kalliope responded before saluting him. "Try not to let ite to that." Lucius ordered. His words brought a faint blush to Kalliope''s face, but she nodded in understanding before they left him to his thoughts in the dungeon of the castle. Chapter 241 Trial "The used will rise." The trial that Lucius had been waiting for took two days to set up. For those two days he had been stuck in a damp dungeon cell with nothing to do. They were not trying very hard to keep him there because the cells themselves had no protections against Magic, Arts, or his mark. If anything, it felt like they were tempting him to break out. Even if he did, he would be stopped rather quickly, but Lucius still felt like it was not a smart decision on their part. Still, he behaved and used the time to think about all the things he had experienced and learned over thest month. None of their investigations had turned up much of anything about the source of this mysterious group. The only thing they had done was start identifying them as the ''Cult of mes'' because of their obsession with fire magic during the attack. No one knew what this ''throne'' they talked about was either and no one had discovered anything. Since Kalliope, Rena, or really anyone other than the person who delivered his meals could visit him, there was no way for him to know if anything had been learned since his orders. The two of them hade up with a decent n to start additional investigations. If anything had managed toe up in the two days since, he would be unable to learn about it. After the two day wait, he was taken to arge, circr chamber where a number of people were awaiting him. On the opposite side of the entrance was a set of three, long desks in a row. The first desk was elevated on a tform a few feet above the ground. Each desk after was another tier higher. Sitting there was a group of men. Four at each desk for a total of twelve. Lucius figured this was the ''council'' they constructed. None of the noblemen looked familiar to Lucius. Around the circumference of the room was a number of seats for those viewing the trial. Among those seats were Lucius''s friends and family as well as a number of nobles who he also did not recognize. Something he found odd was that Wally was present in the seats as well, sitting right next to Adellia and Lyrah. He had been away from the capital for some time and Lucius was surprised to see him return just in time for this. Wally''s face was frustrated and he appeared to be upset at the very concept of this farce. Yet, despite his frustration, he could not interfere with the rule ofw. Lucius rose as he was ordered and felt the eyes of everyone in the room turn to him. He continued to match the gazes of those presiding over the trial and ignored the rest. "Lord Kane, have you ever faced trial in our kingdom in the past?" "No" "Then are you unaware of our legal processes?" "No." Lucius was painfully aware of them. He made sure to look them up at his father''s request because he was aware that the possibility of running into legal troubles was high. Trials were reserved for members of nobility who were used of crimes. First, they would bring in witnesses to provide their evidence to the council and the audience members. After which they would finally bring in the used to read them the charges they settled on, based on previous testimony. The used could then attempt to defend themselves or exin their actions for the behavior. After all that, their sentencing would begin. "Lord Lucius Kane from the House of Kane and Eroa, both our steadfast allies. You stand used of several crimes. Namely you are charged with: Assault of an Officer of the Kingdom, Destruction of State Property, Interference with an Investigation, Destruction of Private Property, Assault Resulting in Injury, Refusing the Orders of an Officer of the Kingdom, and Incitement of Panic and Mayhem." Lucius barely contained hisughter at the charges held against him. Not because they were false, but rather they were spot on. "How do you plead to these charges?" Lucius nced around the room before settling on the council once more. "Guilty." Read exclusive chapters at empire The room erupted into a series of murmuring and chatter. It quickly developed into a dull roar thanks to the echo generated by the room''s domed ceiling. Sir Theos, who stood behind Lucius as insurance of his good behavior, stamped the butt of his hammer on the ground to cease the noise. "What say you in defense of your actions? What reasoning could you possibly argue for behaving in such a destructive and dangerous manner within our city?" All eyes fell upon the used once again. Lucius stuck his lower lip out in quiet contemtion. The chains attached to the iron cuffs on his wrists rattled as he moved to scratch his chin. "You know, I think it had something to do with the fact that the city was under attack and your own forces were useless." Lucius said calmly. "Just like in the war against Alorek, I took down the stronghold city of Alvora when you could not. I broke the siege against your own city, when you could not." Lucius looked around the entire room before continuing, "If anything, the fact that you are putting me to trial is a joke among jokes. Though, I must say, if this is what you find funny, hire a new jester because I am notughing... Instead of trying to put my head on a pike. You should thank me for ridding the city of vermin." At the end of Lucius''s speech, the people in the audience erupted into an uproar of angry shouts and demeaningments. They hurled slurs of all kinds towards him based on his mark, his history, and his heritage. Lucius simply smiled at their antics because nothing they said refuted the facts he hadid bare before them. "Silence!" One of the council members shouted. "Lucius Kane, is this your defense?" "It is my exnation." The councilmen sighed and mmed their gavels simultaneously on the desks in front of them. "Lord Kane, you may rest in a private chamber in the hall while we deliberate the information provided to us. Your family may wait with you. When the determination on how to handle you is made, we will call for you." Lucius was led out of the room by Sir Theos and taken to a decently sized room with a number of fine leather chairs and velvet sofas. There seemed to be some basic refreshments in the form of tea and cakes as well. His family and friends joined him shortly after, with Rena and Rubellia rushing to give him a hug. Adellia looked as though she wanted to join in, but refrained from doing so. They were still working on repairing their rtionship and she did not want to force anything that Lucius did not want. Chapter 242 Sentencing Rena and Lucius cuddled next to one another on a two-person sofa the entire time they were in the waiting area. The Thunder King stood silently at the door, watching over everything happening in the room. Lucius made no moves that would have set the man off in any way. Not only for himself, but also for the safety of his family. Kalliope looked over them in a blend of happiness and jealousy which Lucius had gotten used to over the past few months. However, since they had returned from the work study, he had yet to sit down and discuss with her what Rena had told him. They needed to talk about it, but time was never really on their side for much of it. Things kept getting in the way. Then they found out about the baby and almost everything else fell to the wayside. "Kalliope." "Yes?" The woman sat up with her ears and tail atplete attention. She was not expecting to hear Lucius call out for her. "After this trial is over we need to have a discussion." "What" Rena smiled at her, "It''s important that you two talk, okay?" Kalliope closed her mouth and nodded in understanding. Rena curled back into Lucius for a few more minutes until there was a knock at the door that indicated it was time. Sir Theos walked over and yanked Lucius off the sofa using the chains attached to him. Rena looked like she was about to protest, but a quick nce from Lucius kept her from saying anything. Instead, she red at the warrior''s back in silent anger. Lucius was led back into the same room he was before and in a few minutes it was filled with all the same people from earlier. The council members looked down on him from their seats with disdain while they waited for the audience to settle in. "Lucius Kane." One of the counselors boomed, his voice echoing through the chamber. "We have determined that you are indeed guilty of the crimes levied against you. As you have admitted to your own guilt, the decision on this was swift. "In regards to your sentencing, we took many factors into ount. You are a noble from an allied nation. Though this does not make you immune to our kingdom''sws, it does impact the oue of your sentencing. We also looked at how your involvement sped up the resolution of the insurgency and a number of other factors that will remain undisclosed to the public at this time. "With all of these factors considered together, the punishment carried out shall be temporary exile from the Kingdom of Arcadios, removal of your position as an envoy of Eroa, and expulsion from the Arcadios Royal Academy. "Your exile period shall begin tomorrow and end when you havepleted a special task at the request of King Aleksander and a Queen candidate from Aedrider." "Understood." Lucius responded. "I shall prepare my things and my family, then I''ll" "No." the counselor interrupted. "Your wife and unborn child will stay here. Until the time when your task in Aedrider ispleted, your wife is to stay within Arcadios''s borders to ensure that you willplete the task requested of you." A small bolt of electricity arced between Lucius''s fingers, but he had predicted this oue. So had Lyrah. It was for this reason that he had made sure to ask for a favor from Adellia. While he was away, Rena would be safe in Adellia''s tower with Natali and Lyrah. "I understand." Lucius answered quietly. "I imagine that this means my wife and child will be protected while I am gone?" "We will protect those of House Kane. Our protection does not extend to those outside your family." Another counselor smirked. He was wearing a set of clergy robes and seemed to be representing the church''s interest in the trial. Lucius felt his anger welling up within him. The single bolt of electricity from before became several. Before his anger could get too out of control, Sir Theos smashed the back of his leg with his hammer, forcing Lucius to his knees. "Do not worry." The voice of an older gentleman called out from the audience. Lucius immediately recognized it as being from Wally. "Lucius, I give my solemn vow that nothing will happen to Rena or your child. After all, your unborn child is my great-great grandchild by blood! How could I not protect them?" "Grandpa," Lyrah cooed, "There is one more thing isn''t there?" "Hmm? Oh yes! That''s right, thank you, Lyrah, my dear." Wally coughed and pulled out a piece of paper from his robes. "One of the reasons I was so dyed in my return was because I was running an errand in the Petra domain. I also stopped off in Eroa for a spell to visit a friend. I have a decree from King Verdayl." "Please, Lord Carmichael, do share." "Oh yes, right. As we have heard of House Kane, birth into the house is not allowed in Eroanw. It is a strange rule they have for reasons yet unknown to us instead members of the house must be inducted by the king of Eroa. As such, King Verdayl has instructed me to announce that Lady Kane''s child is considered to be a member of House Kane by birthright." The council member representing the church and several other clergy members around the room began to shout and grumble. Lucius was happy to know that his child was safe under the council''s promise and Wally''s watchful eye. Yet he was furious that so many people were relying on the child being born without rights to his name. There was no telling what their ns were, but Lucius had several guesses. He took several moments tomit all of their faces to memory. When he returned No, when he was stronger they would be among the first to pay. "This court is dismissed. Lucius Kane, report to the main gates tomorrow morning for your assignment. You will join the representative of Aedrider who requested assistance there." Sir Theos reached around him and cracked the cuffs off with his hands, letting the pieces fall to the ground. It was a not so subtle threat, though Lucius could have easily done the same to the flimsy object. Rena and Kalliope rushed down from the stands and hugged him simultaneously. Kalliope awkwardly stepped away from the hug after a few seconds. Desmond and Jade also joined them in the center of the room. "Thank you, Wally. And thank you again Mother Adellia." Lucius whispered while gripping Rena in his hands tighter, "Please watch over them." "We will." They answered at the same time. "Lucius, take Kalliope and Desmond with you. I need to know you are safe. Do not go without them." "But I need you" "No, I can''t be the only one keeping their lover safe. I have Natali and Grandpa Wally. I need to know you are safe." Rena cupped his face in her hands. "Please, take them with you." Lucius looked to Kalliope and Desmond who both nodded resolutely. Jade also nodded which made Lucius smile. She was determined to join despite herck of ability. However, he knew that Desmond would demand her participation regardless. "Alright, I will. We set out tomorrow then." Chapter 243 Friends Desmond and Jade returned to a shared room they had rented down the street from the Eroan Embassy with some assistance from Lyrah. ording to Jade, Lyrah wanted to help them get closer to Lucius and the others. Jade exined that she and Lyrah had be close due to them both possessing marks, but no additional abilities to go along with them. This shared experience helped them understand each other. When Desmond closed the door behind him after they entered the residence, Jade came up to him with a pale face and scared expression. "Brother" She whispered. Desmond''s eyes were pulled to a letter in her hand. On the outside of the letter was a single symbol indicating the sender. It was the same as after the Exhibition Tournament: a shattered orb. He gingerly took the letter from her and opened it. ~Desmond Adler, It seems you have made progress in developing a rtionship with Lucius Kane as we requested. It was interesting to learn that you simply gave our private letter to him. The decision left us dumbfounded, but it seems to have worked in your favor. We wished to make another request of you, Lord Adler. It is likely that Lord Kane will be forced to leave Arcadios. When he does, we want you to join him. Lucius Kane is an unpredictable variable to our ns. As such we wish for you to remain his ardent supporter. He may make decisions that most sane people would never imagine. His actions will appear questionable, but we ask that you act as his intermediary. Our ns rely on him being unpredictable. Sometimes throwing chaos into an unstable situation is what is needed. Whether you decide to disclose this request to your newfound ally or not is your decision. If you feel that it is for the best then do so. Should you share it with him though? Please ensure to highlight this: Good luck finding us. Await further information. But do not worry We shall find you.~ Desmond slowly put the letter down before rubbing his temples. Part of him did not want to show this new letter to Lucius because he was not sure how the man would take this challenge. Lucius seemed somewhatpetitive at times andpletely uncaring at others. "What will you do? What should we do? If they could get into our home" Jade questioned. "Don''t worry. We will be leaving anyway for some time. So do not worry about security. I will also check with Lucius that we can stay the night at the embassy. I have a feeling these people would not dare infiltrate his actual residence." Desmond quietly patted his sister on her head as they gathered some of their important items and left to go to the embassy. When they arrived, the guards let them in without fuss. Lucius and Rena had already retired to their private room for the day. There was no way of knowing how long they would be away, so it only made sense they wanted to have as much time as they could together. "Desmond, wee." Lucius''s mother, Rubellia, greeted them just inside the doorway. She had a soft smile on her face and wore simple clothes. Though she now had the funding from her son to afford much more expensive clothing, she simply felt morefortable dressing as she always had. "Hello, Lady Rubellia. Might Jade and I stay over for the night?" "Of course! There are many spare rooms in the estate to be used." "Thank you are there any on the first floor? I think I would rather leave the second floor to the love birds." Desmondughed. Rubellia and Jade joined him inughing at the duo upstairs. Things for Rena were unstable at the moment, so it was highly likely that they were up to their usual antics together. As such, no one really wanted to be nearby if they could avoid it. Rubellia guided them to a table where Kalliope, Natali, and Lyrah were already at the table enjoying some simple drinks and snacks. They seemed to be chatting about the trial. Kalliope in particr seemed to be rather upset about the whole thing. "It was simply a sham. Though I don''t know what I expected from a human nation. Yourws are constructed to benefit the nobility." She grumbled. "You know, that trait isn''t unique to us, right?" Lyrah advised. "Even beastmanws favor those in power." "Right, but in beastman kingdoms you can gain nobility by being strong. Some are lucky and born strong, others make themselves strong." "Name one person who made themselves strong and were not so by right of birth." Lyrah smiled sarcastically. "Your father." Kalliope answered with a deadpan expression. "He may have been born into the House of Kane, but he was weak before he made himself what he is now." "Your brother as well." Desmond interjected as he sat down in an empty space next to Lyrah. She nced at him with her beautiful silver eyes. "That may be true, but what if it was destined for Lucius to be strong? What then?" Desmond smiled, "Are you saying all futures are resolute? Do you not challenge the future in your position as an Oracle?" Lyrah smiled at him, "A fair point, Lord Addler." "Just Desmond." "Of course, Desmond." Lyrah then looked back at Kalliope, "All I am saying is thatws are unfair no matter where you go. As far as punishments go, brother dearest got off well I think." "We still don''t know what he will be doing. Though I guess you do?" Kalliope grumbled. "I don''t have an answer for every little thing, you know. It takes a lot of effort to glimpse our futures. I only look at the important things." Lyrah said with a shrug. "Besides, I see many futures well past his exile for him still, so I at least know he will be okay and that is good enough for me." "That''s unfair, Lyrah You can''t just say that and not tell us!" Jadeined, though only half-heartedly. "Of course I can. If I tell you things about the future, then you might act to change it in unpredictable ways. Now, not all things can be changed but some of the important parts might. For example" Lyrah stood and walked over to whisper something in Jade''s ears. It was quiet enough that even Kalliope did not hear because the wolf-girl did not seem to react. Jade, on the other hand, reacted very visibly. Her face became flushed and red. "Surely not" "Well, if you don''t want it to be true, you can make it not be. Congrattions, your future is truly in your hands. Of course if you choose to do nothing, then everything will go as predicted." Lyrah smiled, then she added with a giggle, "That is unless it is an unchangeable truth Who knows?" "Lyrah!" Jade shouted. Desmond smiled andughed at the antics of the two. He was starting to feel like he was part of the group. At first he wanted to keep himself separate for protecting his sister and also to avoid getting on Lucius''s bad side. However, moments like this made him realize that his friendships with these people were a separate matter. Though they were all connected to Lucius, they were not Lucius himself. Desmond felt himself start to rx for the first time in a while as he realized that he was making friends for the first time in his life. Chapter 244 The Request Lucius was woken by the rays of the morning light. Cradled against him was his beautiful wife, Rena. Her red hair was draped over his arm which she used as a pillow for the night. He squeezed his hand into a fist several times to get the blood flowing through his arm again as it had fallen asleep from the weight of her head. She snored softly in his ears and filled his heart with so much joy. Lucius gently caressed the side of her face before nting a gentle kiss on her forehead. After that, he pulled away and ced a hand on her belly. "I have to go away for a little while, my little one. Be it gods, demons, or man they can all try to stop me, but I will return in time to see your birth." He whispered. "See that you do." He felt a small hand run through the hair on the back of his head. Rena had woken and heard his kind words to their miracle. "Of course." They kissed passionately for several minutes before finally getting out of bed and ready for the day. At the base of the stairs all of those joining Lucius on his journey had gathered and were waiting for his appearance. Rubellia hugged him tightly around the neck before giving him a small kiss on the cheek. Lyrah was not shy about requesting a hug from him as well. Which did elicit a smallugh from Lucius, but he decided to allow it. Natali chose to give a slight bow and promise to watch over her friend. "Mother Adellia chose not toe say goodbye?" Lucius asked. "She figured you would only want to be seen off by those close to" "Tell her that I would have loved to have seen her. Also tell her we have many things that I am looking forward to discussing upon my return, would you?" Lucius interrupted. His words put arge smile on his sister''s face. "Of course, brother dearest. I shall tell her. I am sure she will be delighted." With one final round of tearful goodbyes, Lucius left the embassy grounds and turned for the main gates of the city. Those remaining turned the opposite direction and headed toward the castle grounds. Desmond, Jade, Kalliope and Lucius walked closely together until they reached the main gates where Lucius had previously knocked the daylights out of a guard captain. That same captain was present today and had a small bandage over her nose to keep it stable. It was likely that his punch had broken her nose and some other facial bones which would take a few months to heal properly on a guard''s sry. The guard red at him, but said nothing as she ordered the gates to open for the day. Standing outside the gates were a group of elves along with threerge carriages. Each carriage depicted a picture of crossed hammers on its doors, indicating they belonged to Aedrider. Standing in front of the other elves was a gentleman with beautiful blonde hair and deep purple eyes. He wore a pristine ck suit overtop a snow-white shirt. After seeing the party, the man bowed deeply with both hands at his side. "I greet you, Lord Lucius Kane, Lady Kalliope of the Gray Wolves, Lord and Lady Desmond and Jade Addler." The man said with absolute poise and grace, "I am Therentil, a servant of Queen Aedrider. I am representing her daughter, Lethaya din Aedrider, fifteenth princess of our country." "Therentil? A mouthful." Lucius grumbled. "We shall ride with you in the center carriage. Exin our purpose on the way, I do not want to dy our departure longer than necessary." "As you say." Everyone hurried to file into the carriages and embark the city at Lucius''s insistence. Therentil joined Lucius and his group in the center carriage and after a few minutes of preparation, they were off. Lucius felt the stares of the strange people able to evade his senses fade into the distance as they left the Capital behind. Once they were a few miles away from the city and he felt safe to discuss the mission. Lucius turned to Therentil, "So, what is it we need to do?" Therentil sighed as if preparing to regale them with a great tragedy, "The Queen of Aedrider is showing signs of beginning her Long Sleep, the process by which elves die of old age. Currently there are two daughters that have a chance at taking up the crown. "One is the fifteenth princess, Lethaya din Aedrider. The other is the twelfth princess, Aya din Aedrider. I am acting as a representative of the faction supporting Lethaya. There are rumors that Aya is involved in unsavory acts to gather support and resources for her faction." Lucius raised his hand to interrupt the man. "What are these factions and what do you want me to do?" Therentil nodded and answered. "Lethaya supports the maintaining of open borders and trade with other kingdoms as her mother had kept for the past several hundred years. Aya wishes to militarize our forces and iste ourselves from others. Much like Haedda to the south. "As I said earlier, we believe that Aya is involved in several unsavory business ventures to gather support and we are concerned for a potentially violent revolution by her side against the current regime. If she is not chosen, we believe that she will force her way to the throne." Kalliope smiled. "I see what is happening You specifically asked for us to assist you. I''m guessing that you asked Eroa for assistance from the King''s Shadow and they told you Titan was their best operative, but he was currently living under Arcadios''sws so you had to request through them." "You are correct, Lady Kalliope." "So this was all one giant farce to force me to ept a request from Aedrider to solve their inheritance problem? You could have just asked me." Lucius growled. Therentil began to sweat, noticing the dangerous glow developing in Lucius''s eyes. "I assure you we only found out about the trialst night. We had no involvement in the way things broke down. We only made the request and were told to wait." The man hurried to answer. Continue reading on empire Kalliope gently shook Lucius''s arm. "Would you have epted the request if they asked, given Rena''s pregnancy? I don''t think so. Likely the crown wanted to send you on the job to stay in the good graces of Aedrider, while the church simply wanted you gone." Lucius contemted her words carefully and came to the conclusion that she was right. It was an unfortunate set of circumstances, but Kalliope was absolutely right. Lucius looked out onto the horizon. In a few days they would reach the border of Aedrider. Though they were still some distance away, Lucius could not escape the feeling that something threatening loomed on the other side of the elven borders. Chapter 245 Log in the Road The roads connecting Arcadios to Aedrider were very well maintained. They also flowed through the kingdom of Paede who assisted in the maintenance of the roads for a series of tolls they collected from merchants. Representatives from each nation were exempted from such tolls, so they were not required to stop at any of the checkpoints aside from the entrance to the country itself. This was the first time that Desmond had ever set his eyes upon Paede. It was a fairly serene country with a number of small forests and grasnds that they passed through. All in all, it was a very basic ce to live. If one read a fantasy novel, Paede could fit anywhere within its non-descript world. The people themselves seemed to be a friendly sort with many making their living off farming and trade. Trade was Paede''s biggest source of ie. Since all trade with Aedrider flowed through it, the country made a decent profit off the merchant caravans. Continue reading at empire They had been traveling for several days at this point and Desmond had found himself growing bored of the monotonous scenery of the countryside. To quench his boredom he had taken to teasing his sister a little by trying to poke fun at the girlish crush she seemed to be developing on Lucius. Desmond did not particrly mind that she had developed an interest in him. After all, while they were on their work study, he was about to ask that Lucius take her as one of his wives. However, the man seemed to sense what was about to happen and shut him down quickly and coldly. This wasn''t to say there still was still not a chance for his dear sister if she so wished, but it was clear that Lucius had no intention of allowing political marriages into his life. Every time Desmond started to tease Jade about her crush, they would get a sideways nce from their carriage mates regarding their antics. Jade would get embarrassed and then apologize for his behavior, but that would only stop him for a few hours. So the cycle continued for days on end until Desmond finally worked up the courage to do what he had been wanting to do since they left Arcadios. He wanted to share the letter they got with Lucius. On one bright afternoon, he asked to trade seats with Kalliope so he could sit next to Lucius for a quick conversation. The woman was rather displeased with the thought of separating from Lucius, so Lucius instead switched with her. This let her stay on his other side, leaving her happy. "What is it?" Lucius asked him. Desmond produced a small letter and passed it over to the man. He made sure that the symbol of the shattered orb was facing upwards and in in view. The moment Lucius''s eyes settled on it, the bright sunlight outside seemed to momentarily dim. What seemed to be a nice and beautiful day began to turn to a rainy and dreary one. Desmond watched hispanion slowly read the letter. The further down he got, the worse the wind outside blew. It was clear that it was an artificially induced phenomenon and their elven escort was sweating slightly from the pressure falling upon them all. By this point Jade and him had both gotten used to it, so it hardly affected them any more unless Lucius was specifically trying to create that feeling. "I see. Why did you wait so long to show me?" Desmond sighed, but gave an honest answer, "I figured if I showed you while within reasonable distance of the capital you would try and meet their challenge about finding them. I haven''t been around you long, but you are somewhat predictable, you know." Kalliope snorted at hisments, but held herughter inside so Lucius would not get mad at her. For his part, Lucius grumbled but nodded begrudgingly, "You are right I would have. Thank you for sharing this with me, Desmond." "Any leads on this symbol or who these people might be?" Lucius shook his head, "None. I have heard nothing from any sources rting to organizations using this or any derivative symbols. As far as we can tell it is wholly unique." "Then is a new faction trying to make waves?" "One would think, but how would a new and unheard-of faction benefit from me ''causing chaos'' for a whole country?" This time Kalliope could not hold back herughter. She started reading the letter too and found it highly amusing the way this mysterious third party viewed the man next to her. Therentil, on the other hand, blotted a cold sweat away from his forehead. It seemed he was worried about the thought of Lucius ''causing chaos'' for their country. "It does indicate they might berger than we think. For them to think they can influence the oue of a country''s session disputes" "But if they arerge enough to y on that level, then we should have heard something. It''s just too strange for my liking. Also, I know that we have only seen these two letters, but whoever these people are seem strangely interested in me." Lucius thought aloud, "I don''t like it." Desmond agreed. It was strange they had such an interest in Lucius. Not only that, they wanted to use Desmond to do it. Granted there could be others that are receiving these orders and following them. Without more information all they could do was specte. "Everyone, take a look. There is the capital of Paede. A bitrger than Arcadios''s capital city, eh?" Therentil said wanting to move the conversation on. He seemed ufortable talking about their current subject. Sure enough though, he was right. The capital of Paede wasing into view and it was indeedrger than Arcadios''s capital. If one were to put them side by side, Paede''s was almost three times the size in terms of sprawl. It also seemed to have differentyers. There was arge wall surrounding the castle in the center of the city. Surrounding that were thousands of buildings and then another wall. Outside that second wall was yet another encirclement of buildings. There seemed to be an ongoing construction project to build a wall around the otheryer of the city. It was a rather impressive city. If Desmond were a betting man, he would easily put money on it being thergest city within human territories. Part of him wanted to investigate it, but they really needed to get to Aedrider. If he did anything to slow them down, Lucius might kill him or maim him for dying his return to his wife and child. However, before he could imagine the horrors inflicted upon him for such a crime, the carriages suddenly stopped, nearly throwing Desmond off his seat. No one said anything for a few moments, but it seemed like Lucius was listening to whatever it was outside. "Seems that there is a fallen log on the" He started, then sighed, "Really?" A momentter, someone mmed on the side of their carriage. Due to the height of the window, they could not see more than the top of the person''s head, but it seemed to be someone with unwashed and unkempt hair. "Everyone, pile out and no funny business." A gruff voicemanded. Kalliope took on a sly grin before turning to Lucius. "Hey can I have some fun?" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 246 Familiar Substance "Go for it." Lucius''s confirmation of her request made Kalliope very excited. She felt like she wanted to let loose ever since watching him take over the attack at the Academy. She got to let loose a little, but it was while injured so she had to hold back a lot to prevent her injuries from getting worse.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om After seeing him not hold back, or at least not very well, her blood had been boiling for a fight. Kalliope desperately needed to let off some steam. She excitedly locked her fingers into a w-like position and bared her fangs as she began to shift. The nails on her fingers turned into sharpened ws. When the bandit outside got impatient, he finally yanked open the door only to see an armored beastman waiting for him. Kalliope rushed at him using her surprise attack to take advantage of the attack. Her ws sunk into his neck and face sending a spray of blood into the air and along the stone paved road. She could smell and hear a few other bandits in the immediate surroundings and rushed to the rear carriage to take care of the ones behind them. Instead of using Arts or Magic, she simply relied on the enhanced speed and strength her shifting gave her. A second enemy rounded the back of the rear carriage and his eyes immediately fell to hisrade on the ground. He opened his mouth to shout for help, but before he could make a sound, Kalliope''s ws had already pierced the back of his throat. What was supposed to be a shout turned into a squeak and a gurgle as he drowned in his own blood. Stay tuned with empire "Ahh that feels good More! [Beast Arts: Iron ws]!" Her wed hands glowed with golden mana as she engaged the Arts. Her activation phrase attracted the attention of the bandits now who all rushed to the source of themotion. They saw the two dead men on the ground, one of them still twitching on the ground at Kalliope''s feet. "Kill it!" They shouted and rushed her. There were only four additional men attacking at once. None of them seemed particrly strong or possessed mana worth noting. Kalliope had finally started getting the hang of mana maniption after the many years training with Lucius and Kalivas. Using that skill, she forced some of the energy into her feet and lunged to meet the rushing attackers. The first of the four fell in less than a second, showering the face of one of the horses with blood. She swiftly turned around and gored the stomach of another, letting him fall to the ground in pain and scrambling to put his innards back inside himself. The wolf-girl squeezed her hands and cracked her fingers while eyeing the two remaining men. They each reached into their pockets and grabbed out a strange potion. She decided to let them use it because if anything went poorly, she had Lucius and Desmond. On top of that, Therentil did not appear to be a slouch himself. When they uncorked the strange potions, a smellpletely unfamiliar to her assaulted her nose. Deciding that she shouldn''t let them drink the potions in the end, Kalliope started to rush forward, but then a more familiar smell appeared. It was ozone. In a blur of speed and crackling lighting, Lucius rushed out of the carriage. He appeared several feet away with both bottles in his hand. The look in his eyes was one of confusion and concern. Though she did not recognize the substance, it seemed he had. "Where did you get this?" He asked. "Why should we tell you?" One of them shouted nervously. "Wh-when did you" "Answer." Lucius said. Thunder rumbled above and a bolt of lightning struck near the men''s feet, throwing pebbles into the air. "Now." "W-we just got it from some guy. He gave them to us as payment for letting him pass." "When?" Lucius pressed. "Uh-uh I don''t know" Kalliope watched as another bolt of lighting struck the ground. This time it also struck one of the bandits, boiling his skin and burning the hair and armor off his body. The remaining man began to whimper and Kalliope picked up the smell of urine. "Try. Again." Lucius warned, his eyes glowed with power. "Three weeks ago we intercepted this caravan with a guy who looked like an elf, but also not. He was too ugly to be an elf, but he had all these potions and promised to give these to us if we let him pass." The bandit answered. "He said it would make us" "I know what it does. What was his name? Where was he from? Where was he headed? Where did he get it?" "I-I don''t know he showed us how it worked and we took them that''s all I know" Kalliope winced as drops of bloodnded on her cheeks. Lucius had vanished from where he stood off the side and reappeared at the side of the carriage. He was in a crouched position and in his unupied hand was a bloody mess that used to be the final bandit''s face. He crushed it into the stone like a watermelon. "Therentil, have your men move the log. I''m done." "As you wish, Lord Kane." Kalliope undid her shifting and released her Art before climbing into the carriage. She saw that she was not the only one giving Lucius a strange look. Jade and Desmond were just as shocked at Lucius''s change in behavior. He seemed content to let Kalliope handle it alone. It was clear he was not concerned about her safety because she could handle herself, but something about those potions triggered him. "What is it about those things?" She asked. "When I was younger, Rena and I were adventurers. A short time into our adventures we took on a bandit camp with the help of Mia and her allies." Lucius started to exin while Kalliope felt herself growl at the mention of the traitorous bitch''s name. "Anyway the bandit leader was an unranked human, yet he had a potion that enhanced his strength. Pretty normal thing to find. However he was able to fight on par with my party leader for even a short time. Nearly killed me too. Mia and her group were supposed to look into it, but we separated there and I heard nothing more." "So this potion is strong enough to have an unranked person fight against mid-level rankers? That is an insanely powerful substance" "It is and a dangerous one." Lucius then growled himself. It was something that Kalliope had only heard a few times. He had no control over it like a normal beastman. For him, it only happened in intense anger or annoyance. "What''s wrong?" "I want to investigate this but we need to gah. Therentil, get these fucking carriages moving. I need to be in Aedrider yesterday." Lucius yelled before closing his eyes and leaning back to practice some breathing exercises. "Understood." Therentil called back. Kalliope kept it to herself, but she felt bad for him. It seemed this strange substance really struck his curiosity, however he clearly wanted to resolve the elf problem first for Rena''s sake. The best they could do was reach out to King''s Shadow contacts over Aedrider''s borders to initiate an investigation. Kalliope smiled helplessly and ced a gentle hand on Lucius''s leg. To her surprise, instead of pushing it away, he simply rested his atop hers which brought a faint blush to her cheeks. Chapter 247 Varris Kalliope watched as Lucius continued to swirl one of the potions in his hand. asionally he would pull the potion bottles out of his storage ring to look at it, as if trying to determine the origin of the item by senses alone. Of course, there was no way for him to do such a thing. As good at battle and strategy as he was, Lucius was not a learned individual. He barely remembered most monsters, let alone tried to understand alchemical ingredients and the process of potion creation. Even the most skilled of alchemists would be unable to determine such information by simply swishing a liquid around in a bottle. However, his curiosity did reveal some interesting information. The day after they retrieved the potions, he decided to test the potion. Since it was unknown, he did not take the whole potion. Lucius had decided to taste test the potion with a single drop on his tongue. The result of that was intense and immediate. It had made all the blood vessels in his face and neck swell and turn blue as if it was magically poisoning him. Thankfully they had a few healers in the group that Therentil brought with them. They were able to fight off most of the symptoms quickly, but they could easily tell that if Lucius had drunk the whole potion, it might have killed him. To continue his tests, after his recovery, Lucius ordered one of the unranked carriage drivers to taste a drop of the potion under threat of death. The carriage driver momentarily had a massive increase in his strength, but did not suffer any of the negative effects that Lucius did. After a few more tests and unfortunate test subjects, they determined that the strengthening potion of mysterious origin was poisonous to Rankers. However, for an unranked person, they would experience extreme growth in their abilities putting them on par with an Intermediate to Advance Ranker. The amount of strength gained seemed to be dependent on the individual and was rather unpredictable. This strange difference made the potion even more interesting and dangerous. "I really don''t like this" Lucius grumbled for the thirtieth time over thest few days. Kalliope gave him a strained smile because she was getting tired of his repeating phrases. "I know" "It''s just" "I know." "And then there''s" "I know!" Kalliope quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry, I did not mean to shout, it''s just Lucius, you won''t be able to figure it out Can you at least give them to me? I will put them in my storage so you don''t feel tempted to torture yourself continuously with them?" " Fine."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Desmond and Jade silently mouthed ''thank you'' to her. It seemed she was not the only one getting run down by Lucius''s non-stop attempts at analyzing something beyond his level of understanding. Thankfully, he seemed unphased as always. "Oh!" Therentil called out. "Wee to Aedrider. We are passing the borders now." "No checkpoint?" "No need, we are representatives of the royal family. We do not need to be checked." Everyone nodded in understanding. Since they had just passed into the country, their next step was to find an inn to rest. They needed to do something other than sleep in the carriage on the side of the road. It was something they had nned for a while. In order to get to the job faster, they simply pushed through as fast as they could through human territories, but now that they were in the target location, they could take at least one good rest before continuing on to the capital city. The city they stopped off at was a decently sized city called Varrise. It was a small trading city that served as a stopover for trading caravans arriving and leaving the country. It was one of the first andst stops in several days of travel in both directions of the main road. Because of this, it had arge number of inns, restaurants, and various goods from all over. Normally a city of its size and focus would not have such varied resources, but many merchants traded goods and services here. It was just asmon to barter for something as it was to simply buy something with regr coins. Explore stories at empire "Finally! A good bed and decent food." Kalliope groaned while stretching. Lucius was looking around suspiciously as always, but to her everyone around them seemed to be in a good mood and simply going about their day. The city was filled with arge number of elves and half-elves. It made sense due to the geographical cement of the city, but it was still the most amount of elves that Kalliope had ever seen in one location. It was somewhat intimidating to be around so many beautiful people. As a rule, elves and half-elves were born beautiful and stayed that way until death. Kalliope began to feel inadequate for some reason. It was the first time in her life that she felt that way. She felt herself looking to Lucius for assurance, but then remembered they did not have that kind of rtionship. Instead, she found Jade''s hand on her shoulder and smiling at her sheepishly. It seemed they were in the same boat. It was only a short walk from where they stored the carriages for maintenance and boarding the horses for the night. ording to Therentil, they would be staying at the highest quality inn within the city. It was famous for its amazing food and supple beds. They chose to reserve a room for each of them separately. Since they could afford it, then why not? It was not like they were the ones footing the bill. Something being a member of a governmental organization taught her was to expense everything you can, or at least have someone else pay for it. "Kalliope" Lucius whispered to her. "Tonight, I need to talk to you." "Oh, what about?" She turned to face him and saw a slight redness in his cheeks. The sight made her heart beat faster and thump against her chest. She was sure he could hear it with his exceptional hearing. "Us I promised Rena I would talk with you about us on this trip. So make sure to leave your room unlocked for me tonight. We should discuss this in private?" Kalliope felt her face heating up at what he could have meant. Thanks to that, she could hardly focus on her food or rx in her room while waiting for his arrival. It was unlikely that anything was going to happen, but she still felt the need to freshen herself up. Kalliope found herself selecting a fine pair of undergarments and nightwear. She never thought she would useced clothes like this in her lifetime. Part of her almost gave up on the possibility. The only option for her was Lucius. No one else couldpare and she thought he would never bite, but now There was a light knock on her door. "Come in!" she answered, almost two excitedly. "Hey Lucius so" "[Umbra: Sleep], [Umbra: Silence]" Kalliope''s consciousness quickly faded as she copsed to the ground. Chapter 248 Pressure Jade happily watched Lucius getting ready for his conversation with Kalliope. For some reason, the room meant for her and Desmond was not ready yet, so they stayed with Lucius in his until someone told them it was avable. Her idiot brother attempted to suggest they stay with Kalliope for a bit, but using her profound female intuition, she was able to convince Desmond that it was not a good idea. Eventually he relented, but it did take some convincing. Lucius seemed to be fumbling around clumsily with his clothes in the mirror, so sheughed and stepped in front of him. "Pardon me, I can help." She said with a smile. She was well-versed in assisting Desmond in preparing for formal parties and other matters, so she was able to use those skills for the simple task of preparing Lucius for his intimate conversation. No one chose to point out that one did not prepare for a conversation in the manner he was. Instead, they opted to go the route of silent encouragement. Lucius had several wrinkles in his clothes that he was trying to smooth out. Jade quickly determined that it was because he had not properly tucked his shirt into his waistband. He had also somehow managed to misalign the buttons on his shirt, so she had to correct that. She had seen bits of his muscles before and the scars, but this was the first time Jade had been so close. Not only was she much closer to him than before, she was actually touching him. She felt the softness of his skin being marred by the scars along his body. Every vein and every muscle in his abdomen was excellently defined that she momentarily forgot what she was doing. "Jade?" Lucius''s voice brought her out of her daze. "Oh, right, sorry!" She apologized with a bright red face. "You look great um, go get ''em, tiger!"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Tiger?" Lucius raised one eyebrow and cocked his head, "I''m a panther beastman." "R-right" Jade''s flush got deeper, this time out of shame at her sudden behavior. She mentally berated herself for the stupid words she uttered in panic. Still, it seemed that Lucius was content to forgive, or at least ignore, her strange behaviors. He pulled his jacket taut over his chest and stepped into the hallway. The twins leaned their heads out of the doorway to watch the man walk up to Kalliope''s door. He tapped on the door lightly with two knocks. They saw it open slightly. With a shared smile, they ducked back into the room. Desmond smirked and looked at Jade. "I have a feeling that it won''t matter if our room isn''t prepared tonight. I don''t think Lucius will being back to" Jade felt something off. Desmond stopped speaking. His eyes started to bulge slightly and his words started to catch in his throat. Before she could ask what the problem was, she felt a frighteningly familiar feeling. Unlike before, the pressure was malicious. The other times she felt this, there was no malice behind it. That changed now. She could feel the hatred and desire for destruction behind the source. Jade slowly turned to face the shared wall between their room and the one that Lucius was in with Kalliope. Cracking sounds cascaded throughout the room. Tiny fissures rapidly raced along the floors and walls as the intense mana began to destroy the very building. "Lucius!" She cried out with every ounce of strength she had. The moment her voice rang out, the shared wall shattered into thousands of pieces and rained down upon her. Standing in the middle of the destruction was a ck-haired man. His hair seemed to be blown about by an imaginary wind that also whipped at his jacket. In his hands was a letter. No matter where she looked, Jade could not see any sign of Kalliope. Her equipment and all of her belongings were gone. Save for the destroyed walls and furniture, nothing seemed to be in the room to indicate where she had gone. "Lucius" Jade squeaked. Her brother limped up to her side and steadied her feet. The strength in her legs were starting to give and it seemed Desmond could tell. "They took her" Lucius growled. "Therentil! Get over here. Now." A sh of lightning struck just outside the inn, bathing everyone in a bright, blue light. The handsome elf who guided them here basically crawled into view. His well-kept hair hung in sweaty strings down the side of his face. Even now, his elven beauty was unmatched. Despite his pathetic state, Lucius showed no signs of lessening the pressure he was creating. Thunder shook the inn. If the people below them were even still conscious, they were like them and struggled to breathe. Due to this, only the storm created by Lucius''s mana permeated the deathly quiet. "L-lord K-kane What" Therentil gasped. "This faction you want us to hunt do they typically resort to kidnapping?" He asked. "I-I don''t know for sure, but I wouldn''t put it past them" "And your faction? Would you go so far as to kidnap someone to ensure support?" "Never!" Lucius cast the letter in his hand to Therentil''s feet. He swiftly picked up the document and read it. His eyes slowly opened. "Sir, we would never we already have your cooperation" "Yes, by holding my wife and child hostage in Arcadios what reason do I have to trust your words?" Lucius raised his hand slowly and pointed a single finger at Therentil. A ball of blue light formed at the tip and a bolt of lightning struck the ground next to the elven guide. "What happened to Kalliope?" Desmond questioned. He was standing at full attention. Jade could see his arms and legs trembling from the pressure, but he was using everything he had to meet Lucius''s gaze. Desmond slowly stepped up to their benefactor. "I know this is for her. What happened?" Read exclusive chapters at empire "Someone took her and left a letter asking me to ''support the true queen'' as if I would know which of the two these fools meant." "I don''t think it is Therentil''s group. As you said, they had your cooperation, this makes no sense Please calm down. Let''s think this through." "I will kill them. All of them." Desmond nodded. "As you should but kill the right ones." Lucius maintained his stance for several moments. Sweat poured off of Therentil like a waterfall. The ground next to him still smoldered from thest threat. Lightning and thunder continued to rage outside the building and the pressure remained. Finally, Jade felt her ability to breathe return to her. Her muscles rxed all at once, and she fell into a heap on the ground. Desmond managed to maintain his stance and continued to walk up to Lucius. He offered a hand. "We will find her. Trust me. I will stop at nothing to help you find her." "Me too" Jade managed between ragged breaths. There wasn''t much she had to offer, but whatever she could do, she would do. Chapter 249 Mole Rage unfamiliar to him coursed through his veins. The world itself became tinged in red and ck. Someone dared to take Kalliope from him. Someone dared to threaten someone important to him, and they would pay with their lives. Desmond made more sense than he would have liked, though. If he got what he wanted, then Varris would be burning. He had the spells to do it. However, Kalliope could be anywhere in the city. It had not been long since "What is our next move?" Desmond''s blue eyes were locked onto his. They held a strange determination. It was not out of the question that he was still in this for himself. Hell, it was basically certain. However, Desmond never hid his intentions. He was upfront that he was doing this for Lucius''s help, and Lucius could trust that. He pondered for a moment what he should do next and settled on the fact that he needed to be someone else for this. Lucius was too conspicuous and would be even more so now. Lightning danced around his feet and wrapped up his legs. As it reached his waist, the energy started burning away his shirt and jacket, leaving him shirtless. The storage ring on his hand glowed momentarily, and a set of clothes with a cape dropped onto the ground. A t, ck masknded in his hand. Lucius quickly donned the uniform of his order of the King''s Shadow. Once the mask was securely in ce, he was able to verify that it was properly limiting his mana output. Therentil was still crouched on the ground and breathing heavily from the situation. The neckline of his shirt waspletely soaked through from the amount of sweat pouring off him. Lucius pulled the man to a standing position and looked him straight in the face to analyze his expression. "You are going to help me. Officially, my subordinate, Kalliope of the Gray Wolf n, has been kidnapped. To keep this from turning into an international incident, I suggest you do what I need to help me recover her." He ordered. "As youmand, Lord Kane." "Currently, I am Titan of Eroa, Commander of the King''s Shadow. Until my Vice-Commander is found and returned to me, that is how you will address me." Lucius turned to face the twins, "You as well." "Does it matter? After the Exhibition Tournament, everyone knows who you are" "Desmond." He growled, "I''m not doing this to hide myself." The man nodded solemnly and put a kind hand on his shoulder. It seemed he understood the real reason that Lucius hid behind the mask. If he did not try topartmentalize this in some way, then he would go off the deep end again. Next time someone might not be able to stop him. Lucius quickly looked around again. When he first entered the room and saw no sign of Kalliope, he quickly scanned the ce. Whoever it was that took her was able to do so silently enough to avoid his hearing. They were also aware of his enhanced sense of smell. They had somehow managed to hide Kalliope''s scent. There was no trail to follow out of the inn. Since they also took all of her belongings, he could not try to track her out in the city. It was unfamiliar and filled with an overwhelming number of new smells. To take down Kalliope without much issue indicated either extreme skill or the use of powerful magic. While not the strongest person he knew, Kalliope was still exceptionally skilled which would require someone equally or more powerful than her to take her out. A well-timed ambush could help as well. They might have taken advantage of their meeting to sneak up on her. It was likely she was just as excited for their conversation as he was and had let her guard down. Did that mean this was his fault? If he had just talked to her beforeing all the way to Aedrider, would she have been more alert? Would they have already been in the same room andn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Gods dammit all!" Lucius grumbled while squeezing a bedpost he had set his hand on hard enough to shatter it. "It is not your fault" Jade whispered. "I" Lucius raised a hand to stop her from continuing. Though she meant well, he could not handle it at the moment. On top of that, there was a group of armored men approaching the building. It was likely the city guard. "Therentil. Inform them that a hired retainer of Fifteenth Princess Letheya has been kidnapped. The room was destroyed in the aftermath that ensued." Luciusmanded. "I will be speaking with our fellow caravan members. Only people close to us, physically, were aware that I was speaking privately with Kalliope." Desmond went with Therentil to speak to the guards outside, but Jade decided to join him. Despite his warnings that their interactions with the rest of the caravan would not be pleasant, she insisted on apanying him. He sighed at her stubbornness but was slightly impressed. The first floor of the inn still had a number of people recovering from the pressure of his mana outburst. Among everyone trying to gather their wits were all of the caravan members that had joined them. Thankfully, whoever the mole was decided it was a worse idea to flee the group after the incident. Your next chapter awaits on empire He quickly gathered them all in the center of the bar area. Everyone looked physically ill and terrified. No one had taken the time to exin to them what happened, so they were all shaken about the incident. However, one among them was the least shaken out of them all. Lucius approached the man who was responsible for driving the center carriage that they had ridden in on their trip to Aedrider. He was short for an elf, and among their race, he must have had an exceedingly average face. Lucius had noticed the man would linger on them when stopping during the trip. Now it appeared it was because this elf hated foreigners. "How long have you been an inside man?" Lucius growled. "I-I don''t have the foggiest idea" "I''ve learned something in all my years fighting, and yes I know that may sound silly from someone my age, but I have been fighting since I could hold a sword." Lucius chuckled, but then continued, "Normally, you don''t want to let your opponent know your next move. However, sometimes it is worth it to tell them exactly what is going to happen." "What do you mean?" The man whispered, his eyes going wide with fear. Lucius smiled and flexed his fingers into a w-like position. With the kindest smile he could muster, he happily stated, "[Forsaken Arts: Pain Amplification]" Chapter 250 Where? "[Forsaken Arts: Pain Amplification]" Red mana encircled Lucius''s fingers which had developed elongated fingernails. With a simple flick of his wrist, the man he had cornered began to bleed from a small cut in his cheek. The red mana that was on Lucius''s hand had wormed its way into the small cut. The veins in the man''s face and neck momentarily bulged before returning back to normal. He began to gasp and ask, "What the fuck did you just do to me?" "[Pain Amplification] It is quite a nasty skill among my repertoire of abilities." Lucius exined carefully while examining his fingers. "It coats a weapon in a parasitic form of mana that invades a wound created by the wielder. This mana parasite, forck of a better term, invades the host''s body and amplifies the pain receptors there. "At the current level, every ounce of pain you feel is amplified by a few dozen times. Another fun trick to it is that the skill will not let you lose consciousness So let''s talk. Shall we?" The carriage driver slowly backed away from Lucius and bumped into a few stools, knocking them to the ground. "You''re bluffing! No such ability exists You''re a liar!" "Who took Kalliope?" "Why should I tell you? She''s just some beast-blooded bitch. The likes of her and you don''t belong in Aedrider!" Lucius closed the gap that the driver had created in a second. He seized the man''s hand on his own before grabbing one of his fingers. With a grin hidden behind his mask, Lucius slowly bent the man''s index finger backward until there was a sickening snap. Painful cries echoed throughout the inn. The other members of the caravan stepped back with their faces pale. The suspect screamed and clutched his hand. "That should feel like I broke all your fingers and toes, healed them, and broke them a second time. You have nine more fingers, which means you have nine more sensations like that to experience." Lucius expelled a hint of mana from his body, sending shivers through everyone''s body. "Who took Kalliope?" "I''ll never" A second crack echoed through the room, sending more painful howls into the air. "Who?" "I-I don''t know! They just support the true queen candidate! I don''t know their names they promised that if I helped them they could remove an obstacle to her ascension." "When did they contact you?" "I don''t" Before he could finish his sentence, a third crack erupted from his fingers. "Before we left Aedrider! Before we left, they learned that Letheya''s faction wanted to recruit Titan. I needed to present an opportunity for them that was all!" "Did they target Kalliope on purpose? Did they assume she would being?" "I don''t know. They only mentioned Titan which is you, I suppose." Jade stepped up and ced a gentle hand on his arm. "Lucius, maybe we should" "Don''t interrupt, sister," Desmond interrupted her. He and Therentil returned from speaking with the guards. One of them had also entered the building while the other''s guarded the entrance. "Where did they take her?" "I can''t tell you" Lucius angrily grabbed the man''s hand and mmed it onto a table. The movement of his shattered fingers caused him to cry out again, but Lucius was not done with him yet. He pulled a dagger from his storage ring and pinned the man''s hand to the table and sent blood stter over his and the suspect''s faces. "Where?" It took a few minutes for the man to respond. Because of the dy, Lucius wiggled the knife as he pushed it deeper through the man''s hand and into the table. "I can''t say! I really don''t know I just know they wanted to take someone from your party they probably won''t stay in town" "Where will they go next?" "If they want to keep her then a safe house. If not, then they''ll visit the ve market outside the capital Argh!" At the mention of the ve market, Lucius quickly pulled a second dagger and severed the man''s hand in a single stroke. He lifted the man by the throat and mmed him into the wall. Blue electricity arced around his body. Every few seconds one of the small bolts would strike the suspect, forcing his body to twitch uncontrobly and make him scream at the top of his lungs. "Where is this market?" "I don''t know!" "Try again." Several more arcs of lightning entered the man''s body. Soon the smell of burning flesh and hair invaded everyone''s noses. "Idon''t know" "Useless!" The ck-haired man roared while throwing his victim across the bar. The mannded in a wet thud among a group of splintered tables and chairs. He whimpered but refused to move from where hended as if he was fearing retribution for doing so. As he quaked in fear, the very object of his fear descended upon him once again. "Everything." "What?" "Everything. Tell me everything. From the moment they first contacted you up until this very moment." Lucius ordered, "Tell me everything you ever thought of or spoke of with them." "Will you let me live?" "I''ll stop your suffering." "I can''t die I can''t die" The man started to cry and beg for his life. Just as he started to break down into tears, the liquid evaporated off his cheeks as more electricity coursed through his body. It took a few minutes of extra persuasion from Lucius to get everything. He learned the descriptions of the conspirator''s faces, the clothes they wore, and the ces they met He truly received everything the man knew. Unfortunately, none of it was solid enough to truly act on. He was almost as lost now as he was before. "Please, spare me. I told you everything!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Lucius looked at the man with a t expression. Though it was hidden by his mask, the man could clearly see theck of mercy behind his eyes. "No." With a single squeeze, Lucius snapped the man''s neck and crushed his windpipe. The break was clean and precise so as to prevent him from moving, but would not kill him. Instead, he would lie in a pool of his own blood, suffocating to death and in intense pain. "Was that really" "Captain." Lucius interrupted Therentil, who started to speak. "There is a beastman woman that has been kidnapped. She has blonde hair and gray eyes. She is the first daughter of the n leader of Eroa''s Gray Wolf n. I trust you to handle this matter appropriately and provide me with the support necessary?" "Look I don''t know who you think you are, but you cannot just destroy private property and then torture and kill a man." "Captain." Lucius said one more time, but more dangerously, "I trust that you will provide me the support necessary?" "What do you" Continue your journey with empire Therentil coughed awkwardly, "Sir, this is Titan of Eroa. His services have been retained by Princess Letheya. As such, he has the support of Her Highness to move through the country as he sees fit." The guard captain appraised the masked individual in front of him and nodded. He proceeded to discuss with the group some of the city''s issues with the two different factions, the istionists and those who wish to maintain open borders. He also discussed the ve trade in Aedrider; a conversation topic that required the intervention of Desmond and Jade to keep Lucius calm. Chapter 251 Mercenaries, Thugs, and Loansharks Water sshing against stone woke Kalliope from her slumber. Every part of her body was in pain, and all her joints were sore. It was as if she had slept on a rock, which turned out to not be too far from the truth as she woke up. The floor beneath her was hard and damp and made entirely of stone. In the small room she found herself in there was a small pile of hay in the corner with a torn leather hide ced on top of it as a makeshift bed. In the opposite corner was a cracked y pot. Three out of the four walls were made of the same stone as the floor. Where the fourth wall would have been was arge set of bars. Each bar was as thick as Kalliope''s leg and seemed to be enhanced with some form of enchantment. Kalliope could follow the stream of mana that supplied the enchantment with power, down the hall and saw a series of strange crystals on pedestals. The construction was odd, but something she figured she should have expected from the elven nation. It was also far tooplex for her to figure out with a simple nce. Not that she could even reach the crystals in the first ce and was imprisoned in the very cell they powered. Several sets of footsteps echoed through the hall as a group of elves walked past her cell while carrying another person between them. They gave Kalliope a sideways nce before opening the cell across from hers and tossing the person inside. They mmed the door closed, then tapped the bars with a crystal that they ced on the same pedestal the others rested on. The person they had dragged in showed no signs of moving anytime soon and was assumed to simply be unconscious still. While waiting for her new housemate to awaken, Kalliope continued to investigate her surroundings. Other than what she observed earlier, the rest of the cell was empty. Other than her in clothes, she had a set of cuffs on her wrist that seemed to inhibit her mana usage. Any time she attempted to use an Art or Magic, the mana was sucked away. "Hmm" she grumbled. "Stupid elves, always making fancy shit with their magic crystals."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I take offense to that remark." A voiceined. The person who was thrown into the cell across from hers was standing, albeit shakily, and facing her. They were clearly a half-elf of some sort, but their eyes were strange. "Ah, trying to figure me out?" the half-elf woman chuckled, "I''m quarter beastman. Mom was an elf, dad was a half-blood with a wolf-beastman side. Only got the eyes out of the deal." "I see. That is why you seem so interesting." "Ha, yeah, maybe it''s the wolf in me that''s resonating with you. Anyway, I''m Ethi, nice to meet you" "Kalliope." She answered carefully. It was possible this person was a nt of some sort, so she needed to be cautious. "What got you thrown in here?" Ethi asked, trying to maintain the conversation. "I''m an enchanter that owed some money to the wrong fellows and defaulted. How about you? Get sold by your master to settle his ount?" "I don''t have a master. I''m a free woman." "Doesn''t really look like it at the moment." Kalliope felt an annoyed growl begin in her throat, which Ethi heard and made her put her hands up in mock surrender. She stepped back and stayed quiet for a while, leaving Kalliope to her own thoughts. Kalliope sat and tried to go over the course of events that brought her here. However, thest thing she remembered was hearing someone she thought was Lucius enter the room and cast a Dark Magic spell on her. Next thing she knew, she woke up on the cold stone of her cell. "Ethi. Who are these people?" "Oh, these guys? Just some thugs, mercenaries, and loan sharks for the most part." Ethi''s tone was measured as if she was worried she might offend Kalliope again. "That doesn''t make sense" she muttered. "We just arrived here." "You could have been sold are you a fighter?" Ethi asked. "You look like one." "Yes, I am a warrior." "Well, getfortable then they like to keep hold of fighters. Likely we will get moved to the markets hidden outside of the capital. They host fights there and can make quite a bit of money off people like you." Ethi exined. "I doubt I will be under their thumb for long." Kalliope smiled. "Oh?" Ethi smiled back, "Got it in your head that some great prince is going toe save the day? Rescue the warrior princess in need and all that?" Kalliope thought about Lucius wearing princely clothes andughed out loud. "A prince? I think not. He''s more like a walking nightmare. When he finds me well, it will not be pretty." "Oh my," Ethi giggled, "What faith you have in such a person!" "Absolute faith. As long as I stay alive, he will find me." Kalliope grinned and bared her teeth, imagining the rampage he would go on. The two continued to talk about random things. Though she still did notpletely trust Ethi, she slowly warmed up to the woman. It was nice to havepany in the damp prison they both found themselves in. ording to Ethi, she was in deep debt with a number of loan sharks. She fancied herself an inventor of sorts and was always trying to do something new and innovative with her enchantments. Though many enchanters focused onrge-scale technologies or weapons, Ethi liked to focus on individual items that made a difference to a family. One item she imed to have created was a cooking appliance that used a fire enchantment on a mana crystal that would heat the air in a chamber where food would be put to cook. The food would be lightly spritzed with oil, and then the superheated air in the chamber would ''fry'' the food without the exceptional amounts of oil used in a standard frier. Continue your adventure at empire "That almost sounds like I would use it a lot." "I thought people would think so too but it turns out they only thought they would use it. A lot of the units sold ended up not getting used very often people started giving them away to others and no one bought any new ones so I went bust and now I''m here." "Wow, I''m sorry to hear that" "Hey, it is what it is who knows what they''ll do with me. I''m not a fighter, and clearly, I''m not a good inventor. Oh well, time will tell." Chapter 252 Will he come? "Wake the wolf. Now!" "What about the enchanter?" "Bah! Her too, they''re both going to Seteste. Whatever the bastards there want to do with them is fine by me. Move!" Kalliope was already awake before the men started barking orders at each other. They were far from quiet, and she could not sleep well in this ce anyway. It seemed they wanted to move them quickly. She had only been here for twelve hours or so since she had woken up. She had been here less than a day and they were already moving her. Which meant that someone was concerned about keeping them in one ce for too long. Asforting as the thought that they wanted to move her out of fear for Lucius, it was just as concerning that she would be harder to find. The men grabbed crystals from the strange pedestals in the hallway and approached the cell doors. They tapped the crystals against the metal, which caused the mana flowing through them to dissipate and nullify the enchantment. Kalliope stood, appearing proud and defiant before the men. Part of her wanted to resist, but a quick nce over at Ethi reminded her that she was not the only person present. That was when she realized the purpose of cing Ethi near her and moving her at the same time. They needed someone weak to act as a deterrent and keep her in check. While Kalliope would likely resist and fight despite the threat to herself, they figured that someone weaker than her would keep her from acting out. Unfortunately, she was not Lucius, and this tactic worked wonders on her. There was no way she could sacrifice someone else''s well-being for her own defiance. It would be better to y along for now and work with them. She followed their directions and walked with the guards out of the cell. They shoved her and pulled on the chains binding her to try and get a rise from her, but Kalliope remained calm. Her beast blood boiled begging to be unleashed on these elves but she kept herself in check. To distract herself, she began to analyze her surroundings. The ce their captors imed they would be taking them was called Seteste. Kalliope was slightly familiar with the name through a report, but she did not have any in-depth knowledge of the location. Find more chapters on empire All she could remember was that it was a haven for the ve trade in Aedrider. While very was technically illegal in every country on the continent, that did not mean it was not practiced. Many underground rings existed across all of the kingdoms. However, Seteste was a more well-known one thanks to its size and age. As the oldest ver haven on the continent, it gained a lot of power and prestige in history alone. Most of the continent''s vers would travel through Seteste at one point or another during their careers. "[Umbra: Sleep]" Once again, darkness settled into Kalliope''s vision, and she crumpled to the ground. After an indeterminate amount of time, she awoke once more. This time her senses were filled with unfamiliar nature. The familiar sound and sensations of a wagon driving along a broken road threatened to lull her back into sleep, but she fought against it. Next to her were a number of other ves, a mix of men and women. In total, there appeared to be twenty of them in the wagon. Some had also woken up and tried to pry apart the metal bars of the cage around the wagon.N?v(el)B\\jnn Ethi was leaning against her and was still unconscious, but everyone else seemed different. The others were either asleep or trying desperately to w their way out, save for a few calm ones. Kalliope turned to one of the other calm prisoners and noticed that he was arge elf man with tinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His face was stoic and strong, befitting a warrior. Like all elves, he exemplified a near other-worldly beauty. However, some of that beauty was marred by small scars peppering his face. "Hey, what''s your name?" She asked. "Gett." He grunted. "And you?" "Kalliope. I take it you''re a warrior?" "I was." "What are you in for?" "Murder. I was imprisoned, and then I escaped. I tried to borrow funds to escape the border, but I was trapped. Now I imagine I''ll be sold to the fights at Seteste." He answered, clearly trying to intimidate her. "I see. You look strong." "My crimes don''t bother you?" "How many people did you kill?" "Ten." He smirked as if the number was impressive. Kalliope did not react, which seemed to bother him. Gett shifted ufortably until, finally, he asked, "What is wrong with you? Why aren''t you scared? Many people have heard of Gett the Butcher, but you don''t seem to care." "I served in the Alorek war alongside Titan of Eroa. The conqueror of Alvora." Kalliope grinned. "Ten people, really? Please." Gett closed his eyes and acted like he was going to fall asleep and ignore her. Kalliope decided to let him and continued to wait. Though everyone present was an elf, and elves had pretty decent hearing, she was a beastman. She concentrated on trying to hone in on any conversations between the guards. What she was able to discover was that she had been knocked unconscious for about four hours. This meant she had been missing for about sixteen hours or so from Lucius. He was likely searching all over Varris for signs of her. She wondered how much of it remained by this point. Or if Desmond and Jade managed to keep a handle on things "Is he really, though?" She mumbled to herself. These past few hours, she was so confident that he would find her. She felt like he woulde and find her; like he would stop at nothing to bring her back but would he? They weren''t an item like Rena and him. He only mentioned they needed to talk about what they were to each other. She had assumed that it was positive news. The thought never urred to her that it could be the opposite. Would he simply cut his losses? He could be rather callous at times. There were times where she led the search for missing men that he was content to ssify as deceased. Would he do the same with her? She went missing in action after all. That showed she was a liability. "Is something wrong?" Ethi asked, having woken up a few moments ago. "Worried about your prince?" "Slightly." "Well, you seemed so sure that he woulde. I may be a useless enchanter with bad business sense, but I have a good eye for people. Based on the way you look when you talk about him I can''t imagine he would feel any differently about you." "Thanks, Ethi. That means a lot." Kalliope smiled. Ethi was right Lucius woulde. Until then, she just had to fight to survive. "Besides, I promised father I would give him five grandchildren with Lucius!" Ethi blinked at Kalliope''s idental promation of her thoughts. "That was randomSure, okay. Good luck?" Chapter 253 Next Steps Desmond and Jade toured the city visiting many different bars and businesses to see if anyone had seen or heard of a female wolf-beastman in the area. They had been at it for almost two days at this point. Lucius wanted to move on from Varris, but was convinced by the guard captain that without a hint of what direction they went, then the likelihood of finding her would be impossible. After the incident at the inn with Lucius''s explosive episode of anger and the torture of one of their carriage drivers, the city guard decided to work closely with him. They wanted to prevent future incidents with simr oues. As Desmond suspected though, their efforts were in vain. One of the co-conspirators who was in contact with their carriage driver was found a few blocks away from the inn. She had been trying to keep an eye on the situation after Kalliope''s kidnapping. Lucius was able to locate her quickly and chased her halfway across Varris. Almost immediately after promising to help the man, the guard captain was chasing him through the city streets and trying to keep civilians out of the path of danger. The elf woman was extremely agile but was ultimately no match for her pursuer''s exceptional speed when enhanced by mana. The aftermath with the elf was not pretty. Somehow, it was worse than the carriage driver''s incident. Though Desmond and Jade did not witness the second ''interview,'' the looks on the faces of the guards told them everything they needed to know. He discovered that the group that kidnapped her intended to sell Kalliope to a ver group heading to Seteste, outside the Aedridan capital. They could go straight to Seteste, but without being invited in, there was no way for them to infiltrate it. Being one of thergest ve trade locations in existence meant that a lot of powerful individuals made their home there. Of course, many of these individuals were of the Master Rank and were beyond Lucius''s reach at the moment. The best course of action would be to find someone who could permit them entry into Seteste. They would also have to figure out a rough time of arrival for Kalliope as well. It was likely she could be sold off to someone else before they arrived. However, since she was a beastman, it was more likely that she would be recruited to fight in the arena.N?v(el)B\\jnn Desmond and Jade searched bars and businesses on the nicer sides of town to look for a more reputable individual to escort them. Though trusting anyone involved in that line of work was a stupid thing to do, if they had a public persona, then they would be less likely to betray them due to the risk to their reputations. At the same time, Lucius was reaching out to contacts his organization had in Aedrider for another solution. He was required to simultaneously assist Therentil in investigating the connections these vers and kidnappers had to the istionist faction and Princess Aya din Aedrider. "Brother," Jade asked, "Do you think she will be okay?" Desmond smiled at the waitress who brought them food at the bar they stopped at for lunch. They had visited it before, but it smelled like it had good food when they investigated earlier. The woman shed a coy smile back at him and left a small note underneath the te she set in front of him. "I don''t really know What I do know is they better hope we find her unharmed." Desmond''s face was grim and matched his sister''s expression. "Brother I am concerned about his behavior. He is rather violent at times, and I" "I think he has earned it, don''t you?" Desmond pointed out. "You know what you have experienced. Though your life was far from perfect, you had me to protect you. Who did Lucius have?" "That''s a fair point" "On top of that, they took someone that he has known for many years and, we presume, to be very important to him. Honestly, I apud him for holding back as much as he has. I can''t imagine the state I would be in if someone were to kidnap you." "You make a fair point I suppose" Then she smiled. "What are you going to do with that note?" "Nothing. We have something else on our minds at the moment." "So pure, brother." Desmond eyed his sister, who was giving him a mischievous look. He thought for a moment and then returned her smile. "You know I could say the same to you He was getting ready for a date, and I saw you looking at him. Have something to share?" "I''m allowed to appreciate a nice body" Desmond started to say something, but then he saw Jade''s eyes lock onto someone behind him. He slowly turned around and saw a man in a in ck mask. "We''re leaving." That was all that he said before leaving the bar. "Right" Desmond left a small pile of coins on the table to pay for the uneaten meal and left a nice tip for the waitress. Jade quickly followed them with a look of shame on her face. It seemed she felt guilty being positive while their cohort was missing. Discover stories with empire Lucius was not in a good mood, so she felt like it was a form of betrayal to be happy at a time like this. Desmond was able to understand what she was thinking because he felt the same. A part of him felt ashamed to have been acting so frivolously at a time like this. "Lucius, I" Desmond began. "Don''t worry about it. I can hardly me you for taking a moment to yourselves. I have been pushing you rather hard" Lucius sighed and turned around to face them. "Thank you for helping me." The man turned around again and continued to the location of the inn they had been staying at since their arrival. It had be their base of operations. Apparently, Lucius had also purchased the building from the owner aspensation. He also funded the rebuilding, which would begin after they left Varris. "Have you found any leads?" Jade asked. "We have had no luck in finding anyone willing to support us. Those that we suspect as having ties to Seteste wouldn''t budge on admitting their connections." "Yes, but they are not in this city It seems we will need to keep helping Therentil for the time being. Our best contact is apparently in Aedrider''s capital city and the only way to meet them is by also meeting with Princess Letheya din Aedrider." The twins nced at each other. They could tell that there was a little bit of pain in Lucius''s voice. He was nervous. The longer this took, the more likely that Kalliope would be in danger. They knew he had every ounce of confidence in her abilities, but they also knew that he was simply worried for her. Chapter 254 Chained Beast [Part 1] The trip to Seteste was long and rough. Some of the other prisoners tried to get smart with Kalliope and Ethi, but they were quickly put in their ce by Kalliope''s strength. Though she was physically smaller than many of the other prisoners, she was much more powerful than most of them. Even without Arts or Magic to enhance her body, she was easily able to put others in their ce.N?v(el)B\\jnn None of the guards seemed to care about any roughhousing during transport. It seemed they followed a survival of the fittest mentality. Though she did doubt they would actually let any of the prisoners kill each other. After all, every person that died was lost profit. Ethi seemed scared at first, but seeing Kalliope in action a handful of times allowed her to regain some sense of confidence. If she was not sure before, then Kalliope was definitely convinced that Ethi was strategically ced with her to keep her tame. Suddenly, the wagons stopped and a number of people began conversing with each other. From what she could overhear, it seemed that they had arrived at their destination. Kalliope could smell minerals and musty air, which told her that the ce was in a cave of some sort. She had been smelling food, smoke, and hundreds of different people for a while now. It seemed that they had skirted around the outside of where the actual settlement was. The ce they would be kept was inside a cave system outside the main settlement. The usage of the natural caves probably saved them time, money, and manpower in holding people captive. It was easy to defend, and it would prove difficult for any escapees to fight their way out. A few moments after they stopped, the tarps that covered the cage surrounding the wagon were pulled off. Standing at the locked door at the back were a few men with crystals that seemed to be set to cancel the enchantment around the door. The metal gate opened with a high-pitched squeak, and the men started pulling the chains of the various groups of prisoners. At first, a few tried to resist and were simply yanked out of the wagon and fell face-first into the muck outside. Kalliope decided not to face such embarrassment and simplyplied with orders for the moment so she could save herself some frustration. Ethi simply followed her lead. Once they were out of the wagon, the guards led them around the front of the wagon and into the mouth of the caves she had smelled. It didn''t seem like the paths were all thatplex. If she escaped, she would be able to find her way out easily. However, there did seem to be arge number of guards at every corner. Some were hidden cleverly behind rocks and in small little offshoots of the main tunnel. Though she could not see them, Kalliope could smell them hiding, just out of sight. This setup would make it tricky to try and escape despite the straightforward pathway out. After being led to the back of the cave, the smell of musty cave water changed. It took on a more metallic scent. It was the all-too-familiar smell of blood, and there was a lot of it. Some of the other prisoners started to pick up on the smell as well and their expressions turned sour. It seemed they knew where they were. The elf from before, Gett, was right in front of her, so she lightly tapped on his back. "Hey, what''s with the blood? Are we getting killed or something?" "Fights." "Oh?" "Yeah, these caves are for fights. The normal ves go to the market in town. The fighting onese down here." Gett answered. "Then why am I here? I''m not a fighter at all. I can''t even use Arts or Magic other than for Enchanting." Ethi whimpered. "Don''t worry, I doubt you will fight," Gett said, his voice had a strange twinge of amusement. After all, sometimes dogs like me need a warm up before the actual fight." Kalliope growled at the elf, but he simply chuckled in response as they continued to march forward. A few minutester, they arrived at a series of cells. The guards separated the chains and ced each prisoner in their own cells. A few people were doubled up, just like Ethi and Kalliope. The cell was simr to the one she was in before being put on the wagon, except the floor was gravel and craggy, as the floor of a cave should be. There were two stacks of hay in this room, each covered with a tattered piece of animal hide. "Well this looks cozy" Kalliope muttered. "Very" Ethi agreed. "I don''t think you will be fighting. Just stick with me, and I''ll get you out of this." Kalliope promised. She kept her ears and nose alert for any changes in her environment but settled into the makeshift beds to rx as best she could. Being cooped up in the wagon with all the other prisoners made her joints feel stiff, so being able to stretch out wasfortable enough to let her fall asleep. Kalliope was used to sleeping in dangerous situations, so being here did not bother her too badly. Instead of worrying about what others were doing, she found her mind upied with thoughts of Lucius and the times they spent together training in the jungles of Eroa. They would trade shifts keeping watch throughout the night so the many monsters in the jungles would not surprise them. Those dangers were nothingpared to what she was going through now, but the memories gave herfort enough to start to fall asleep. Of course, as a warrior, she always slept with one eye open. Were it not for that ability, she would have missed Ethi sobbing to herself in the corner of their cell. She seemed to be acting tough this entire time. Frankly, Kalliope was surprised she had made it this long without breaking down. After all, Ethi was simply a normal person who had a normal job before now. There was no way she could handle a situation like this well. What normal person could? Kalliope thought about her options and decided that for the time being, she would let Ethi handle her emotions alone. Besides, Kalliope was sure she would have a busy day tomorrow. Find exclusive stories on empire Chapter 255 Chained Beast [Part 2] Just as she had assumed the night before, today was an early morning. Kalliope awoke to the sound of nging on each of the cells. One of the guards had decided to walk up and down the cellblock and bang the end of his sword on each of the metal bars to wake up the prisoners.N?v(el)B\\jnn Kalliope had woken up when he started at the far end, so it was less of a rude awakening than most of the others. When the guard got to her cell and already saw her standing waiting, he grumbled in annoyance and continued down the line. A few momentster, another set of guards came into view and stopped outside her cell. "You, wolf-girl. You areing to the arena." One barked out. "The mixed-blood stays here." Ethi put on a brave face, but her eyes were still puffy from crying herself to sleep. The carefree persona she had days before was starting to crumble. It was likely in the face of almost certain death if she were to be made to fight. Kalliope stepped forward and asked, though she knew it was a bad idea. "What is going to happen with her?" "You fight, she stays. You win, she lives." The guard answered, which surprised Kalliope. She had expected him to strike her for trying to speak. "Fair enough." Kalliope stepped forward without hesitation and followed the guard into the hallway. Joining them were dozens of other people, many of whom she recognized from before. However, there were also a few people who were new to her. The new faces were likely prisoners who arrived slightly before they did and she did not pay attention to them as she was ced in her own cell. The guards led everyone further into the cave, and closer to the source of blood smell. The cave opened up into a massive cavern. The entire cavern stretched out below them with the only way down being arge set of stairs carved into the rockface. Kalliope could make out a few people already waiting at the bottom of the space. A cursory nce around the area showed that it was a massive arena simr in size to the one in Arcadios for the Exhibition Tournament. Surrounding the arena were walls and stands. Everything was carved out of stone. No one was moving about the stands, but a number of people appeared to be practicing movements down in the actual arena. Their group of prisoners were walking down a specific path that led them into the arena itself, where they joined up with the people training. "Wee newbies. This is The Pit, as we like to call it. Every day you will train here for at least eight hours. You will train with practice weapons while still in your anti-mana chains." Arge man with a face that was strangely pig-like exined. His beady eyes assessed the group and spent a little extra time lingering on Gett and herself. He smirked and continued, "During fights, there will be no training. You will be brought here, the chains removed, and you will fight. Some fights are deathmatches; some aren''t. You''ll find out when the fight starts. Questions? Alright Don''t care. Grab a weapon and start swinging." Some of the others started to grumble, but Kalliope ignored them, grabbed a wooden sword and shield, and began to perform practice swings. She made sure to only practice standard movements taught at the academy she attended in Eroa. As a beastman, it was normal for her to be practiced in all of the standard methods. However, she would not use any of the motions or positions that she learned from the King''s Shadow and Kalivas. Still, despite holding those secrets from others, she could feel the watchful eyes of the other fighters. They were analyzing her movements and trying toe up with strategies to counter her. "You. Spar." A deep voice called out from behind her. She recognized it to be Gett, the alleged murderer. His face was contorted into an angry re as he peered down at her. Though he was clearly trying to be intimidating, Kalliope was unmoved. The fact that the wolf-girl, who was much smaller than him, was unphased by his intimidation made Gett extremely angry. His ugly expression somehow became worse as he lunged at her with a wooden battleaxe. His anger made him project every move seconds before he made it. For a warrior as practiced as Kalliope, it made his movements seem sloppy and slow. Even with her mana sealed and unable to use Arts or Magic, Kalliope was able to dodge every one of his wide swings. Soon the elf began to sweat from the exertion, sending beads of it flying with each wide swing. "Stop. Dodging. Fight!" He grunted. With a massive grin, Kalliope dodged yet another swing. On this attack Gett had stepped forward for more power. Instead of side-stepping the swing or exiting his reach, this time she opted to move closer to him. Kalliope swung her sword at his forward ankle which broke his bnce and sent Gett sliding into the rock. "Good spar." Kalliope mocked. Gett''s ankle was immediately turning ck and blue. It seemed she had broken it identally. Were the man conscious he might have been shouting out in pain. Luckily for him, the massive tumble he took sent him into a deep slumber. One of the people who came down here when Kalliope arrived started smiling at her. She felt his peering gaze and turned to see him appraising her again, but much more intensely than before. Though he had not introduced himself, it was clear to her that he was the man in charge of these fights. She could also tell from the way he carried himself that he was quite the practiced warrior himself. Kalliope had to hold back the urge to fight him boiling up inside her. She felt momentarily grateful to Gett and this mystery man for distracting her from her worries. "You''re going to make me a lot of money, bitch." The mystery man said. "Prep her for the fights. She will be our starter tomorrow." Kalliope tightened the grip on her wooden sword, an act that did not escape the man''s notice. He smiled wider, exposing a set of perfect teeth. Despite how much he disgusted her, his elven features made him a beautiful man. He walked up to her and looked her straight in the eyes while grabbing the chains still attached to her. Kalliope was pulled to her knees with a powerful tug of the chains. Enjoy new adventures at empire "I''ll break that defiance." The man said with a horrible glint in his eye. "I can tell you''re a warrior to the core. The best way to break you is to run you into the ground. "This is your life now. When I say jump, you jump. When I say run, you run. When I say fight, you fight. I will break your body repeatedly until you beg for rest. Then, I''ll break your spirit. Just remember this, you are nothing but a chained beast." Chapter 256 Shattered Heart Lucius had spent seventy-two hours since Kalliope''s disappearance constantly searching for her. Varris turned up without any leads to get into Seteste. Therentil finally provided an answer to their problems and pointed them to someone in the capital who might assist. When pressured on why he didn''te forward with the solution before then, all he would say was it was hisst-ditch effort. This answer did not sit well with Lucius. In his mind, he should have been the one to decide if something was a final option or not. However, Therentil maintained that the person they could contact was someone busy with other tasks. He insisted that they still try to search for other people, but Lucius put a stop to his whining with a series of lightning strikes in the center of Varris. Each one came within inches of striking the elf guide which persuaded him to simply guide them to their contact. Jade and Desmond pestered him about sleep, but how could he? Every time he closed his eyes he relived the moment he read that letter and every emotion after. The strongest among them was shame. He was ashamed that he allowed this to happen under his nose. They were simply separated by a single wall, yet the attackers managed to evade his senses. Somehow they covered up their scents as well as Kalliope''s. There were many times in his life that he had faced setbacks and struggled with sess, but this was the first time he truly felt like he failed. Experience more content on empire For what felt like the thousandth time that day alone, Lucius faced the sky. His eyes and head stung as he fought back tears of loss and frustration. He felt the warmth of the sun on his mask, which he had not taken off since the incident. Not only did it hide the way his face looked right now, but it acted as his shield. While the mask was on, he was Titan; Commander of the King''s Shadow, Conqueror of Alvora, Hero of Eroa, Champion of Arcadios Royal Academy bearer of the Mark of the Abyss/Celestia. An all too familiar chill settled at the base of his skull, trying desperately to calm his nerves. This sensation invaded his consciousness every few hours and just like every time prior, he felt the sensation shatter. No matter how hard Grimm tried to control his emotions, in the face of Kalliope, the entity was powerless. Grimm was not afraid to let him know its displeasure. It warned him that acting too rashly and on emotion could mess up their ns in Aedrider. Grimm continued to argue that using rage and grief was helpful when needing to fight, but detrimental when trying to think logically. Even Luz joined Grimm in trying to persuade Lucius to calm his nerves. Lucius was having none of it, though. He simply told them to shove their opinions where the light didn''t shine. After the first thirty-six hours, they stopped talking to him, but Grimm was still trying to manipte Lucius''s mental state.N?v(el)B\\jnn A wave of exhaustion washed over his body, making him stagger momentarily. Desmond rushed up behind him and steadied his gait. They were walking through a small vige where they asked around about travelers taking a Gray Wolf with them. Unfortunately the simple vigers knew nothing, or at least imed to know nothing. "Had I the energy then" Lucius mumbled. "Then what? You would have threatened to wipe them out?" Desmond questioned. "Yes." "But you don''t have the energy, do you?" Lucius responded with a simple re, but it had no weight behind it. For once, Desmond appeared as though Lucius''s steely gaze had lost its effects. Instead of mocking the ck-haired man, Desmond only gave a pathetic smile. "Look, I get it." The man said while adjusting his spear so he could hook Lucius''s arm over his neck. "You feel like you failed. I''ve been there." "Is that so?" Desmond smiled again, this time one filled with regret. He shifted a nce to his sister, who was enjoying the wind blowing through her hair at the side of the carriage they brought with them. "You think I enjoy lugging her around the continent with me?" Desmond asked. "Truly, this isn''t a life meant for her. Every day she waits, the worse my failure bes." "How could you say you failed when you fight every day to give her that future?" Lucius demanded. "Do you not give yourself grace for" Desmond chuckled while Lucius fell silent. "Do I not give myself grace for still trying? A great question, my friend." Lucius stopped and cocked an eyebrow at the purple haired man. "Apologies, Lord Kane." Desmondughed. "You may not call me such, but if I am to be honest, you Rena, Kalliope, Natali Lyrah you are all the closest thing I have to friends. I don''t disparage you for not wanting me to call you that but aside from that, what I said remains true. "What you were about to ask me was a great question, and it is one you should ask yourself. Sure, you feel like you failed her by ''letting'' her get taken. However, you have done all you can, short of mass murder, to get her back. I would say you haven''t failed yet. Failurees when you stop trying to seed. I think." Lucius reappraised his thoughts about Desmond who halfway carried him back to their carriage. He never would have guessed such sage advice toe from one such as him. Desmond had the vibes of a warrior through and through, not one of a schr. Though, Lucius did remember that he was a member of a noble family. "Wise words," Lucius whispered. "Thank you for your input." "Merely the ramblings of a disgraced noble''s son. Pay me no mind. Though, if what I say resonates, then maybe you will repay me by getting rest." "Even though I will have the energy to pull off that massacre you mentioned?" Desmond pondered the question for a moment. "Then I suppose we will handle it when the timees. Though I don''t agree with your methods, I cannot argue the results or the purpose." "Noted." Desmond and Jade helped him into the carriage where Therentil was waiting. He had long gotten used to Lucius''s temperament and chose to remain silent for the moment. Lucius mbered into the carriage with his unsteady legs. It took him little to no time to copse into a heap in the corner of the vehicle. He thought back to the conversation with Desmond and smiled for a moment before allowing sleep to take him for the first time in days. Chapter 257 Time in the Tower "What do you think you are doing?" Lyrah''s voice echoed through the top of the Oracle''s tower. The person she was yelling at was Rena. Unbeknownst to everyone currently taking up residence in the tower, the woman would practice sword swings along with her magic on a daily basis. Lyrah appeared to be confused as to how the red-headed woman was able to hide such activities in the four years they had known each other. "You know, exercise is supposed to actually be quite" Rena tried to argue. "Don''t give me that! Those are light jogs, long walks, and stretches. I am pretty sure that did not includeplex sword drills, you dumb girl. Also, what would you do if you overused your mana on ident" Lyrah mumbled. "Aren''t you the same person who is always looking at the future? Just look at mine and tell me if the exercises" "Gods above, Rena! Stop over-exerting yourself! I swear you are going to give me gray hair before I''m twenty."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Natali, Mylene, and Adellia giggled at what had be a nearly daily routine. Rena appreciated her friend''s support, but felt like Lyrah was being a little too overbearing. She was like her brother in that respect. This, of course, was something that shocked her to some extent because the two never met until adulthood. The fact that they had simr personality traits was intriguing. Still, Rena sighed and relented a little. "Can wepromise? You cane with me. I won''t do the sword drills, but I do like to keep my magic training I won''t give up until I nail Mana Maniption." "Still trying to be like brother dearest?" Lyrah teased. "You know, why don''t you just let him do all the heavy lifting in the fighting department? You are a mother now; that''s plenty enough, I think." Rena shook her head rapidly, "No. I''m not going to simply give up on growing stronger just because I''m a mother. Besides, do you think I''ll be able to keep up with one of Lucius''s children without ranking up? If they have the potential, he does, who knows what they will be like in an environment we can provide." Natali nodded grimly. "Yeah, that''s a good point." No one pointed out how she looked at her own stomach rather than Rena''s. Instead, Rena gave the girl a pitiable smile. She desperately wanted to go on the trip to Aedrider as well, but they needed someone to stay that could still reliably fight. On top of that, Rena had taken her position as ''first wife'' rather seriously. Though she had personally known Natali longer, she wasn''t the one that would be making love to her. In that respect Lucius needed to get to know her. However, it would be unfair to take Kalliope''s position as next for that honor. They had known each other for a long time and were very close. On top of that, Lucius''s feelings were his own and Rena needed to respect that. Never in her young life did she imagine she would find herself in the position of managing her husband''s love life with other women. However, it did not bother her. Somehow she had grown rather used to the idea. Realizing Lucius was a noble of a beastman house where such a thing was not onlymon, but basically required, helped her cement that decision in her mind. On top of that, getting to know Natali so well and hearing from Lyrah how much of a savior Lucius was to them in their istion it moved her. Perhaps that was intentional on Lyrah''s part? Rena eyed her best friend who caught her gaze with yful, silver eyes. ''She''s such a dangerous rascal,'' Rena thought with amusement. Adellia walked over and ced a gentle hand on her belly. Rena and her had grown rather close during her time here. It seemed to make the Oracle very happy to be included in her biological grandchild''s life, so Rena was all too happy to ept the doting woman''s love. Something that had surprised her was how well Rubellia and Adellia got along. Part of her was worried the two would be at odds given that Adellia had the biological connection Rubellia did not, but Rubellia had the memories of a life raising Lucius. Neither woman had a vengeful spirit though, and they got along swimmingly. On the first night in the tower, the two of them had a very long chat on the balcony and discussed everything in depth. Rubellia also shared stories of Lucius as a child from the perspective of a worried mother, while Adellia shared stories of what it was like growing him inside her and the kind of life she had wished for him. Both women were sad about the discrepancies, but they got along great. Neither had a desire to upy a position as a preferred grandparent or preferred parent in Lucius''s or the baby''s life. They were content to maintain a position equal to one another. "Rena, I think you ought to listen to the youngdy." Rubellia scolded as she walked into the living area. She returned from the base of the tower with freshundry. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire "Though I carried twins and things were a little more difficult than normal, I also agree that you should be careful." Adellia said with a sharine smile. "You never know what might happen, so it is best to take it easy." "I feel like everyone in this tower is against me at the moment" Renained. Though her tone was whiney, there was no heart in it. In truth, she was happy so many people cared so deeply for her. "We can go train in the barracks below while you can still easily go up and down the stairs." Natali offered. "Thank you, at least someone supports me." Rena giggled. She looked out at the city in the distance. It was a beautiful afternoon and people were moving about below doing their daily tasks. They were too far away for her to actually see, but she could tell that it was a normal and peaceful day in the capital. Thoughts of what kind of ce her child would grow up in filled her head. Would they be able to find a ce and settle down away from the politics of the Five Kings Union? Would they be able to keep the child from experiencing the pain of prejudice if they were born marked? If they could, would it even be wise to set them up with expectations of a world vastly different from reality? ''It doesn''t matter in the end; you will be loved by us all. That is enough. As for a ce? No doubt your handsome and powerful father will carve out one for us. He''s headstrong enough to do that, you know?" She said to her belly while rubbing it gently. Though it was much too soon for the child to react in any noticeable way, she liked to think that these words made the child happy. Chapter 258 Betrayal in the Union? King Aleksander Verall von Arcadios sat on his throne. Though the presence he exuded was one of power and strength, upon closer inspection, one would see worry lines creasing his brow. They would see the small beads of sweat forming. They would witness the pallid nature of his skin. From a far enough distance, King Aleksander looked as regal as ever. As such, the messengers delivering him notices from Lucius''s escapades in Aedrider were unphased by the impact their words had on the King. Silence hung in the air while Aleksander processed the information. He had just learned that Lucius''s group was attacked, and one of their number was kidnapped. Specifically, it was the Gray Wolf who seemed to be rather close with the young man. Aleksander was already not enthused by the idea of sending Lucius on a mission to Aedrider. With his destructive tendencies, he was worried about how his behavior might reflect on Arcadios. Even though he was a citizen of Eroa, it was Arcadios who sent him on his way. To make matters worse, the young man went on a small rampage and almost destroyed an entire inn out of frustration. A future where someone of his rank were to advance shook Aleksander to his core. At only Intermediate Rank, Lucius could contend with Advance Rankers and some Master Rankers. On top of that, he had an attack that was capable of severely injuring a King Ranker. Though much of the information about that skill, save for its overwhelming power and its name, [Overcharge], was unknown. It likely had many limitations for him, but it would not be long before those limitations were pointless. Aleksander waved his hand to dismiss the messenger. The moment they had left the room, he stood and exited the throne room from a side door behind and to the right of the throne itself. This was his private entrance into the room that was saved for his use and the use of his wife. The only person that was allowed entry besides them was his steward and that was only when apanied by the King or his Queen. "What are your thoughts on the matter, your highness?" His steward asked. "I think we predicted something like this to ur. However, there is nothing we can do for the moment but sit and watch. How are things going with our guests?" "The temporary residents in the Oracle''s tower seem to be doing adequately. Lord Carmichael has taken it upon himself to upy the rooms at the base of the tower all on his own. He ims he needed them for research. I should note that it seems that he has used Earth Magic to reform the rooms into a singlerge one." Aleksander sighed. "Let the man do as he pleases. We know he would, anyway. Has anyone tried to ascend the tower?" Explore more at empire "No. Lord Carmichael forbids those who are not currently residing there to pass his ever-watchful gaze. I doubt we need to worry about the church attempting anything." The King nodded in understanding. The Church of Celestia pushed very hard to get him to agree to Aedrider''s request for Lucius'' help. They also pushed to ensure that his wife stayed within their borders. At first, when the royal family pressed for information as to the wish for Lady Rena Kane to stay behind, they refused to answer clearly. Thankfully, their own spies were able to interceptmunications among the clergy. The information they collected imed that the youngdy was expecting Lucius'' first child. Once again, the prophecy quoted all those years ago yed in his brain. But at what point will they have to stop bowing to the whims of this boy? At what point do they simply say enough is enough, and they put Lucius Kane in his ce? At what point does his existence embolden others like him to think they can be the same? Aleksander understood the sentiment behind the church''s actions. Every day that Lucius stays within their borders, the more likely the Marked Ones in their own nation would assume they can achieve something like him. The fact that he is a noble of a different nation would mean nothing to the uneducated masses.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om All they recognize is that he was a noble, he was a Marked One, and he was living in Arcadios. It was an extremely dangerous and ugly precedent to set. The only person in the Union who could help him figure out how to solve this situation as amicably as possible was away from her pce at the moment. Currently, Lady Voltara al Famyn was away on business and it was her niece, Lady Elize al Famyn, currently leading things in the Wisteria Concord. "Hm. Can they even be trusted anymore?" Aleksander mused allowed. "Sire?" "Wisteria Concord. Can they be trusted? Surely you''ve heard about the historical revtion that Lucius Kane dropped at the academy before leaving? The history behind House Kane. It is said that they gave up rights to thends that eventually became the Wisteria Concord. if they did not do that, the country as it is today would not exist. Did they know?" Aleksander questioned. The more he thought about it, the more he was concerned for the truth. Did the Wisteria Concord still hold loyalty to their founding house? Surely not surely, they would not but they could, and they would. Wisteria Concord is well known for its information gathering, after all. Who was to say that they haven''t known this entire time and were waiting for the return of House Kane. Or maybe in learning House Kane still existed, they shifted their loyalty? "Investigate them. I don''t care about the cost. I want our best. I want mercenaries. I want information brokers. I want to know everything about the Wisteria Concord. We need to know where their loyalty lies." Aleksander ordered. "As you wish." "That''s it." Aleksander muttered as the steward bowed and ran off toplete his orders. "Prophecy or no, Lucius is done if he took the Wisteria Concord from the Union. If they betrayed us for him, then anything we do is retribution and not betrayal." The echoing clicks of his footsteps through the hallways began to unsettle him. Aleksander felt as if there were eyes on him. He turned around carefully, but no one was behind him. Aleksander hurried to race through the hallway. As he turned to face the original direction he was headed, he saw a glimpse of long, flowing ck hair and the tips of long, elf ears. "Guards! Guards! Intruder, intruder!" Aleksander shouted while drawing his sword and backing away from where the elf disappeared. Guards ran to his position, but no sign of the elf appeared again. "The castle, turn every stone. Find that elf with long ck hair. Find them, now!" Chapter 259 Baby Gift Shiyani smiled to herself as she heard the guards running around the castle in a panic. They rushed to secure the royal family within their quarters. All of their forces would be pulled to search for the glimpse of the ck-haired elf that the king had seen. This likely meant that Wally Carmichael would also be pulled from his man-cave at the base of the Oracle''s tower to assist in the search. This would give Shiyani the opportunity she needed. As it stood, only the older women were present alongside Rena. The young oracle and her dangerous maid were at school for the day. "Perfect time for a chat," Shiyani said with a smile as she slowly crept down one of the many hallways of the castle. She stuck closely to the shadows where she could. On asion, a guard would spot her, but it took her no time to manipte their memories with her mark. Each time she simply reced it with a memory of spotting a maid wandering the halls. Each use made her more progressively tired. It was not meant for rapid and frequent usage as that often took too much out of her, but Shiyani was left with little choice in the scenario. Using her memorized map of the castle for reference, Shiyani finally made her way to the bottom of the tower. As she had predicted, Wally Carmichael had left his post to assist the guard with their task. So without any issue, Shiyani climbed the spiral stairs up to the top of the tower. There was no longer a need for her to remain quiet at this point. If, for some reason, a guard was stationed at the top of the stairs, then she would simply take care of them. Thankfully, no such person was stationed in front of the door. It was also unlocked, and Shiyani was able to enter without incident. The inside of the room smelled of chamomile and lemon. These weremon scents in the homes of expecting women. It was believed that the smells calmed their nerves and kept them calm and content, easing their stresses and allowing for the healthy growth of the child. Shiyani almost could not believe that the very person in question was the young girl she taught to be an adventurer. However, it was hard to argue that the red-headed woman standing at the edge of the balcony was a young girl. She had developed into a top-tier beauty. Her hourss figure had be perfect, and her finely shaped chest was exemplified by the tight dress she was wearing. "Hello, Rena." Shiyani called out. The woman in question turned around quickly and reached for a weapon that was not present on her hip. She cursed and stepped into a ready position to cast a spell at Shiyani. "Who the fuck are you?" She demanded. "Ah, that''s right, you haven''t seen me like this," Shiyani said with a smile while tapping a crystal brooch pinned to her. Mana enveloped her body, and she felt theplex illusion take effect. "You probably remember me like this. Long time no see, Rena." "Jen You backstabbing bitch, what do you think you are doing here?" Rena shouted. Her cries attracted the attention of the others in the tower. A woman with blonde hair and silver eyes stepped out into the main chamber, along with a maid and a woman in in clothes. "Oh, nothing. I am simply here to congratte you. I''ve heard you are expecting the kid''s well, kid!" Shiyaniughed. She pressed the brooch one more time to remove the magic. "Yes, I''m expecting Lucius'' child. No thanks to you. After all, you tried to murder him!" Rena''s usations were scathing and filled with deadly intent. Shiyani could feel the woman gathering mana for a spell. "I wouldn''t do that, Rena. I''m faster than you in every way. I am also a rank above you. You aren''t him. You cannot take me on. Besides, I''m just here to talk." Shiyani said while raising her arms. Rena lowered her defensive stance and nodded at the other women in the room before pointing to a chair for Shiyani to sit in. She did not hesitate to ept Rena''s new hospitality and took a seat with her back facing the balcony. One of the maids came up and began to serve tea. Before she could pour a cup for Shiyani, she put a hand over her cup. "I''ll pass on anything served in the tower, if you don''t mind." The maid huffed and walked away, leaving Rena, Shiyani, and the blonde woman with silver eyes, who could only be the Oracle.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "What do you want?" "So hostile. To think we used to be so close" the elf teased. "Seriously, I''m here to grant you a gift. To wee the baby. After all, they''re like an extension of our party. It is customary for party members to give gifts to expectant members." "We stopped being party members when you decided to betray us for money. When you decided to kill Lucius." Rena pointed out, "Why? Why did you do it?" "Look, sometimes pieces just y their part, Rena. You''re a strategist, so you know that better than anyone. Sometimes you need to try and remove a piece from the board." Shiyani exined. "He was a liability, but since we failed things have changed." "Who is this ''we'' you are talking about? Were you even working for my father?" Rena asked. Shiyani smiled and passed a small, silver chain across the table. It was too small to fit on a grown human and was decorated with charms of cats, dogs, foxes, and rabbits. It was beautiful and no doubt very expensive. Along with the jewelry, she passed over a letter. "An anklet for the baby. It''s from Aedrider and is made by one of the finest craftsmen in the nation. Every coin from your father went into making that the moment I learned of your condition and Lucius'' survival. The letter is for his eyes only when he returns. I trust you''ll ept these?" Shiyani''s eyes and mark glowed for a moment as her suggestion activated. Rena''s and Adellia''s eyes momentarily clouded over and became unfocused. During that spare moment, Shiyani jumped over the edge of the balcony. The wind brushed past her face as she hurtled toward the ground. "[Ventus: Wind Step]!" After several dozen feet, shended on what felt like a solid tform, invisible in the air. She ran at a full sprint away from the castle. The spell canceled about halfway to the walls, but she managed to reach the meeting spot with Paul and Lethen, who were patiently awaiting her return. "Are you done with your errand?" Lethen asked. "Yes." "Can we take a break now? We''ve been moving non-stop since the whole Raleron thing you had us deal with. We were neck-deep in shit over there for weeks." Paul griped. "Sure, let''s hit up some of the fancy hot springs in the Wisteria Concord. On me, how''s that?" Shiyani offered to the resounding cheers of herrades. Chapter 260 Dagger Practice Natali rushed up the tower with Lyrah on her back. They had heard of an intruder in the castle that had gone after the King, but they were concerned for Rena and the child. It was possible it was a distraction. As they had feared, Grandpa Wally was pulled from his self-appointed post at the base of the tower. Natali did not even wait to check if the door was locked or fullytched. She mmed through the doorway, shattering some of the wood. Inside, four startled women almost jumped out of their skin at the sudden intrusion. Mylene, in particr, looked upset with her daughter. "What in the world did you do that for?" Mylene demanded. "We heard" Natali struggled to exin while gasping for breath from all the running. She had run at full speed to the castle the moment they heard word about the incident. Natali did not wait for Lyrah to respond before she scooped her onto her back and ran out of the academy with her. No doubt they would receive some sort of reprimand, but Natali was not concerned about that. She had promised that she would protect Rena for Lucius. Gods be damned if she would not see that task through to the end, even if at the cost of her own life. "Rena, are you okay?" Natali whispered. The redhead smiled gently and nodded. "Yes, of course. Nothing happened. We simply had a messenger deliver a gift for the baby and a letter for Lucius." "Who was it from?" Natali questioned. Rena''s face took on an expression of confusion. Adellia also looked confused, as if they could not recall who had given them these items. "Some sort of messenger. I imagine the letter says who it is, but it is for his eyes only, so I have already hidden it away until his return." Natali said nothing. She found the circumstances to be strange, but she was in no position to ask too many questions. She was the head wife, after all, and to get on her bad side would work against Natali in the end. Instead, she simply epted the information as it was given and apologized for the damage. The damage to the door would be easily fixed, and they would be able to have it repaired before the end of the evening. However, she was unable to escape her mother''s harsh lecture about her actions. It reminded her of when she was a child and had gotten into trouble for breaking something. After almost an hour of lecture, Natali was once again free to do what she needed. She decided to head to the barracks for training. While Mylene had been lecturing her, the search for the ck-haired elf had ceased without them finding any clues to her whereabouts. Though she did not want to, given the possibility of this person still being atrge, Rena was allowed to join her for her training. Lyrah also insisted oning, and it soon turned into a group trip to the training grounds. Several different weapons were attached to the wall for practice purposes, but she preferred her own weapons for practice. After all, they were made of mithril and were nearly indestructible. Not only were they insanely tough, but they held up almost forever. The targets were also simple wood and would not even leave so much as a smudge on the beautiful des. Lyrah chose to stay close to Rena the entire time and basically supervised her every move while she practiced her magic and cast spells at different levels of strength. On a few asions, Lyrah would lecture Rena for overdoing it, but overall, it seemed to be going well for them. It also brought the faintest of smiles to her face. After watching the two friends of hers for a few moments, she turned her attention to the targets. Sheunched her two daggers in rapid session at the first target, the des sinking all the way to their hilts. With a simple snap of her fingers, each de instantly materialized in her hand. Natali repeated the attacks dozens, then hundreds of times. With each throw, she got faster and stronger. She was finally getting into her rhythm. Every attack shook the entire target until it eventually shattered, and she instantly moved to the second target. "Faster" She muttered as she increased speed once again. The sounds of Rena''s spell practice faded into nothing as the space between Natali and the target became the only part of her reality. The daggers became blurs after a few more minutes. It became almost impossible to tell when a de was in her hand, in flight, or in the target. "[Dagger Arts: Illusory de]!" The daggers began to glow and dozens of weapons appeared around her head in a ring. They flew towards the target and acted as though they struck. Even though many of the daggers were simply illusions created by the Art, it became even more impossible to tell which daggers were real and which were illusions. Natali then pulled out another trick in her sleeve. She added several daggers from her storage ring. She had been working on speed-equipping items from it and had started to master being able to summon the weapon into her hand in mid-throw.N?v(el)B\\jnn A cacophony of thuds and splintering wood reached her ears. One by one, the different targets became useless. They were either peppered with daggers orpletely shattered. By the time she finished, Natali was covered in sweat and a veritable sea of daggers sat on the other side of the range. "Damn," Rena said while letting out a low whistle. "That''s the skill you used to hit Lucius, right? No wonder he took a hit That was insane, Natali. How many weapons do you have in that damn ring?" "I filled it to the max with only daggers. This ring is only for daggers." The maid answered inly. "I-I see" Rena stuttered in surprise. "Scary" Natali felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She could notpletely tell if it was from joy or exertion. No matter which one it was, she had to clean up after herself. Being able to store the weapons was the worst part of the technique. She had to pick up each of the daggers before storing them in her ring, which meant she had to manually clean up two hundred and fifty daggers. "You''re getting stronger, Natali. I daresay you might be close to ranking up to Advanced!" Lyrah said excitedly. "Wow, you are getting so strong." "He''s still stronger" "I mean, you like that don''t you?" Rena pointed out. "Yeah" Natali answered, "Hey, Rena could you tell me again?" "Tell you what?" Rena asked innocently. "About what he''s like, you know" "And with that, I am out of the conversation. This is not information I think I need to know. If you need me, I''ll be up in the tower." Lyrah shouted before covering her ears and running upstairs. "Don''t pretend. Last time we talked about this, you kept saying ''that sounds like my brother dearest'' and imed it was in his blood to be good in bed." Rena said in a t, judgmental tone. "Oh, that''s right, continue!" Lyrah giggled. Chapter 261 Discovered Find exclusive stories on empire After weeks of trying and failing, then trying again, Snow finally managed to infiltrate the highest level of the capital of Aedrider. It took many long nights of scouting and days of lost sleep in order to finally make it there. Things would have been much simpler if Lady Corva decided to simply make her way to the capital alone. They would have let her and her retainers into the pce at the highest level of the mountain city with no issue. Despite how easy it would have been for her to do that, Snow understood why. There was currently no way for Lady Corva to visit the capital without being forced to pick a side in the session. Currently, among Corva''s siblings, they were split equally between the two sisters, Letheya and Aya. Corva could upset the bnce, but that would put her in danger. Honestly, the safest thing for her to do was remain impartial until one side started taking some sort of lead in the power struggle. However, she did not want to ignore her mother and she needed Snow to infiltrate the pce without her seal to grant entry, to monitor the fading queen''s condition. Snow understood this sentiment and was all too happy to help her Lady out in such a way after the amount of care she took of both Snow and her sister Yue. The only thing she wished she had was Yue to help keep away the darkness. She had to make do withmercially avable light crystals to keep away the darkness at night. Without them, who knew what could happen? Sometimes, it only whispered but other times, it screamed and demanded her to do horrible things. There was no way to tell which night would be hard or which would be easy, so it was best to treat them all as potentially dangerous. Sometimes though, Snow did wonder What would happen if she gave into the voice that came out of the darkness Snow shook her head to clear it. There were only a few hours of twilight remaining, and then the sun would rise, and only then could she rest. Sometimes the darkness would trick her like that. It would hint at the what ifs. Instead of asking or demanding it would sometimes attempt to persuade her like just now. "I will not have it" She started to mutter before her thoughts were interrupted by an interesting prospect. Inside the pce grounds was a woman dressed in beautiful thin and nearly see-through silks. The strangest thing about her and her entourage, though, was that they were all human. Someone granted ess to the pce to humans! This was something that never happened unless the humans were extremely important. Snow quickly got as close as she could without arousing suspicion. Based on their clothes and general appearance, she guessed they might have been from the Wisteria Concord, a kingdom that bordered Alorek and was known for its information-gathering and counter-spy techniques. "Lady Voltara, might it be best that we return to our quarters?" One of the woman''s guards asked out of concern. Snow understood the man''s predicament. It was quite often that her Lady would be doing something that caused her or her sister a headache. It was never out of conscious malice; rather, the woman was just stubborn and strange for a noble. "I think I will stay in the gardens for a short while. After all, I''ve been waiting for a guest" The woman referred to as Lady Voltara said. She then turned her head and looked directly at Snow, who was nearlypletely hidden in the shadows. "Ah, there you are, my sweet. Wee atst." She felt her heart shudder for a moment as she locked eyes with the woman named Voltara al Famyn. Snow remained still in the case that the woman was referring to another person that she could not see. "Come on, you, the pale elf thinking she''s hidden in the shadows. Come on. You serve Corva, yes? Come on then." The human patted the empty space on the bench next to her. She carefully stepped out into in view. Snow grasped the hilt of her weapon at her side in the event the guards made any moves. However, none of the guards made a move to act as though they were on edge or watchful. It was as if they did not view her as a threat to their charge. "What do you want, Lady Voltara al Famyn?" She asked. "Oh! You know me then. Good, that will make this easier." The woman said while pping her hands together. "I want to ally myself with Princess Letheya din Aedrider, and I think that your master would be making a good decision to join as well." "Lady Corva is not my master." Snow growled. "Ah, yes, you have that thing right. Well then your employer then, if that makes you feel better." Voltara waved her hand dismissively, irritating her greatly. "Anyway. I think I can get your employer into the pce district to see her mother without needing to publicly make a note of her loyalty." "What is the catch? There is always one." "Good, you aren''t stupid." Voltara nodded. "She won''t have to publicly announce her alliance, but she will need to side with Letheya in reality. That is my condition. Take note when you inform Lady Corva that her mother is not long for this world. Her Long Sleep, as you call it, is due to start any day." "I will inform her." "Ah, that''s not all, I have one more condition." "What?"N?v(el)B\\jnn "On their way here are more allies for Letheya. One of them is quite vtile. Lady Corva will recognize him. When they inevitably meet, help keep them from fighting, would you?" Snow could not imagine Corva being driven to violence by the mere presence of someone, but Voltara sounded very sincere. "Deal." Voltara nodded and stood up to leave. Snow caught a whiff of exotic spices and smells unfamiliar to her nation. For a moment, she felt enraptured by the scent. At that same moment, a small gust of wind teased at Lady Voltara''s silk clothes, exposing small bits of her wless skin. Though she was not Snow''s type, something about the sight still moved her in some way. She had heard rumor of the wiles of the leader of the Wisteria Concord. That among humans, she was one of the most alluring of women. Lady Voltara al Famyn, from the nation of spies, was no stranger to using her natural charms on anyone, including people like Snow. However, her mind was stronger than that, and she quickly cleared her head of the thoughts invading it. Voltara chuckled at her. "Good, you are able to resist the aphrodisiacs. If you weren''t, I would have disposed of you as a typical tool, but you are much better than that. Lady Corva is lucky. Though, if you and your sister, as you call her, decide to change residence, then I think I can make a ce for you." "I''ll pass. I have no desire to serve a human flirt." "A pity." Chapter 262 Aedriders Capital [Part 1] Jade and Desmond took watch over the next leg of their trip. Lucius was finally sleeping regrly again, satisfying their desire for him to maintain his physical and mental health. Though, now he had the energy to stop holding back so much. In thest small vige, Lucius secretly singled out people who held loyalty to Aya and her Istionist Faction. When night fell, he secreted away a number of them to ''question'' privately about Kalliope. If he found anything out from his escapades, he did not share that information with the twins. Jade was starting to worry about Lucius through all of this. She was wondering why this was affecting him so badly. Desmond informed her of some of the contents of the private discussion that urred while he basically dragged Lucius back to the carriage the other day. After years of watching her brother torment himself on her behalf, she hade to understand the impact of guilt and ming yourself. Both she and her brother had be experts on this concept by this point in their lives. So if there was anyone to coach Lucius through this difficult time, it would have been them. Jade listened to his quiet sleep breaths as he snoozed away in the carriage despite the bumpy ride. She had taken it upon herself to act as hisp pillow on this asion. Though it frequently resulted in her legs falling asleep, she figured it was worth it to provide a little extrafort where she could. Because of this arrangement, she had a lot of time to study his handsome features. Though he was a human and beastman, one could almost mistake his lineage for elven at some point. When ignoring his scars, his skin and features were wless, and he would not lose to any of the elves they had seen so far. Unlike many people, though, the scars marking Lucius''s otherwise perfectplexion only served to entuate his good looks. On top of that, his hair was extremely soft. She found herself petting it lightly on asion without realizing it. Thankfully, her brother chose not to say anything and refused to tease her about it. This was already almost too much for Jade to handle emotionally, and the teasing would have put her over the edge. "Lord and Lady Adler," Therentil called out from the coach box of the carriage. "We are a few hours away from Aedrider''s capital. There is a single vige between here and there. It is but a simple farming vige. Shall we stop and investigate it as well?" "No, continue to the capital. I am done interrogating farmers. Get me in touch with your contact." Lucius responded with his eyes still closed. Jade felt her cheeks beginning to flush and heat up. Her hand was mid-stroke through his hair. She had thought he was asleep, but apparently, that was not the case. It was embarrassing to imagine that he was awake and stroking his head. How many times had she done this by this point, and was he aware this whole time? "Lord Kane I-I" She stuttered. "If it bothered me, I would have told you to stop. If anything, it helped me rx. It reminded me of my mother. So, thank you." "O-of course!" Lucius kept his eyes closed the entire time, but Jade figured he could hear her heart beating rapidly in her chest as though it threatened to escape. Her brother smirked at her, indicating he was aware of the man being awake the entire time. Jade responded by throwing a spare shoe at her twin, which he dodged with ease. "Stupid." She mumbled. As Therentil stated, it took only a few more short hours of the bumpy ride to make it to the elven capital. They indeed passed through a small farming vige, but the sun was still not up, so they did not see any of the citizens out and about. Jade was concerned that if they arrived at a bad time, then the gates would not open to let them inside. Therentil assured her, though, that this would not be the case. It was yet another perk of traveling in a carriage belonging to the royal family. True to the man''s word, as they approached the gates the guards on the exterior side of the gates shouted to their cohorts to open the gates to allow entry. Gazes of jealous merchants and travelers fell on them after themotion awoke a few from their slumber. Since cities closed their gates at a certain time, the line camping outside waiting for the opening in the morning had grown very long overnight, and they just skipped ahead of all of them. One look at the symbol on the side of the carriage, made most of them shrug and lose any hostility they had. After all, what could they do when it came to a royal carriage? It was likely carrying someone important to the crown. Once they passed through the gates, the ck-haired man in Jade''sp sat up to take in the surroundings. A pang of sadness struck her for a moment, but it was quickly dashed by the impressive sights. The elven capital was simply a marvel. Every street light was powered by a magical crystal and supplied consistent and uninterrupted light. Unlike the normal fire-based lights many human cities still used in most areas. Not only that, simr shades of light illuminated the windows of many of the buildings. Enjoy new stories from empire The only thing this meant was that these light crystals were also being used inside homes. Jade imagined the wonder of being able to read by the light of one of those crystals instead of the flickering and uneven light of a candle. Also, falling asleep while reading would no longer present such a danger to her Jade made a mental note to acquire as many of these crystals as she could before they left. She was sure that they would have time to be able to gather a few. Maybe they could even barter for them to be part of their repayment from assisting in the country''s problems.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Jade." Her brother''s voice snapped her out of her daze. The look in his eyes was one of judgment and she averted her eyes out of guilt. "We will be unable to ascend the city to the pce until after dawn. Even traveling at the request of one of the royal family, we cannot ascend the mountain at this hour. When day fully breaks, we will begin our ascent." Therentil shouted back to them. Chapter 263 Aedriders Capital [Part 2] When Therentil made thement about moving up the mountain, Jade found her eyes finally pulled to the very mountain he referred to. At first she had not seen it because of her intense focus on the abundance of light crystals in all the homes. Not only that, they were currently in the shadow of the mountain and there was no sunlight to illuminate it. Looking forward, she noticed the peaks stretch high above the clouds. She could make out lights of the upperyers of the city twinkling as the city wound itself around and up the mountain. Jade could also make out massive walls in various intervals up the side of the mountain. Those were likely the gates that separated the various tiers of the city. ording to what she had been told, the pce took up the entirety of the peak. It was currently out of sight due to the clouds. "Impressive, is it not?" Therentil bragged. "That is the sacred mountain of Aetherous. So named for the legendary S-Rank beast that sleeps in its depths." Those words caught Lucius''s attention. "S-Rank beast? Like the Fenrir in the Petra domain?" "Yes, though Aetherous is an ancient golem made of mithril. They say his immense magic power is what causes the magical crystals we rely on to grow. His power spreads throughout the mountain and crystalizes into clusters, and that is what we harvest." Therentil exined. Were that the truth, it was rather impressive. It was like the creature, Aetherous, had a beneficial rtionship with the elves. They guarded its home and it gave them ess to an infinite supply of magic crystals. The very same crystals that made the country a technological powerhouse on the whole of the continent. "It''s so wonderful that you live in harmony with such an impressive-sounding beast!" Jade praised. Therentil responded withughter. "As if that would be the case. Aetherous simply slumbers, and we do our best not to disturb him. That is why at the lower levels of the mountain, you will not find any mines. He sleeps deeply beneath it and we only mine at the second tier of the city or higher." "Interesting nheless," Lucius responded. "Quite. Though, if you could, might you inform me of this Fenrir? I''ve heard tales of it, but do you know much else?" "Not much to tell. Its home is in the heart of the forest in thends belonging to House Petra. It simply slumbers there, waking asionally to feast upon the monsters within the forest." "Does this forest have a name?" "None dare give it one. The forest belongs to Fenrir. To name something is to impart some idea of ownership, and no one was stupid enough to try." Lucius smiled ruefully and his eyes became distant, as if remembering one. "Sounds terrifying. To think such a beast would care so much. No one is worried about such a thing here. However, it is said that our queen was the one who named the mountain and learned the name of the monster that sleeps beneath. She does not speak of it, though, so we do not know for sure."N?v(el)B\\jnn For a short while longer, Therentil and Lucius continued to discuss the discrepancies in how their two cultures treated these legendary monsters beyond mortalprehension. Desmond joined in when discussing the Leviathan that lived off the coast of Keinydd. Find exclusive stories on empire Students at the academy there often imed that sighting Leviathan while attending was a sign of good fortune and that your life was destined for greatness. Of course, these were just rumors. Leviathan had not been spotted by anyone in nearly a century. However, everyone could feel its watchful gaze from beneath the treacherous waves on asion. It often felt like you were being devoured. Jade had experienced this once before when she was practicing with her mark in secret. She took it to mean that Leviathan was unhappy with her exercising authority over its domain, so she eventually stopped practicing for a while there. Over time, the asional gaze from the sea stopped, and she was able to rest peacefully again. Something inside her told her not to mention this to the men sharing their stories. It felt as though this experience was for her alone. Even Desmond was unaware of her experience. A short whileter, they stopped outside the gate leading up to the next tier of the city. Behind the gate she could see a walking path that wound slowly up the mountain. However, that did not appear to be the main way to ascend the mountain. Rather there were these strange metal objects that ran parallel up the side of the mountain. Near the top she saw yet another metal construction that appeared to bepletely t and surrounded by railings and glowing red lights. Therentil called it a ''lift'' and imed that it was a magically powered construct that would take people up to the next tier of the city. These ''lifts'' existed between each of the seven tiers, with the final one being to the pce. In the event of failure, there were physical pathways to walk between levels. However, using those paths without permission from the city was a crime punishable by a decade of jail time. Jade and her friends had never heard of such a contraption before. Many people spoke of the impressiveness of the elven nation of Aedrider, but no one could exin in detail what that meant. Finally, they understood why. How could they hope to describe such a strange contraption? They also used this thing for everyday usage. If something like this was usedmonly by its citizens, then what else did the country hold for them? Jade''s mind suddenly turned towards the darker side after the amazement started to settle. Since they had the knowledge to supply all these light crystals to even the most basic of their citizens and create these giant lifts to move up and down the mountain, what else have they created aside from that. She was familiar with the explosive crystals that Lucius had used in the past. He exined in depth how he used them at Alvora. She also witnessed the magical broadcasts of the Exhibition Tournament throughout Arcadios''s capital. If Aedrider was willing to part with those, what resources and technology did they not want to part with or expose? Jade found herself looking at the beautiful city in a slightly new light. There was no telling what dark secrets awaited them in this ce, and she wondered if Lucius was truly equipped to handle them. Chapter 264 An Excuse to Visit Corva was sitting in one of her parlors and stared out the window. Ever since she heard about her mother''s condition, thedy of the house had not returned to her forge below the mansion. Seeing her savior in such a state left Yue in a somewhat distraught mood. She also no longer had her older sister, Snow, with her to help her talk to Corva. Yue was the primary caretaker for Lady Corva, but somehow Snow had a way of speaking to her that would easily bring Corva out of moods like this. For what must have been the thousandth time already today, Corva sighed to herself. She was still dressed in her night clothes, not having the energy to even prepare for the day. Not that she really needed to. People did not visit the mansion often due to how out of the way it was. "My Lady," Yue called out gently. "You have correspondence from the capital. I have already screened it. It is not regarding your mother." For a moment, Corva remained silent, but she eventually waved for Yue to read the contents out to her. The letter contained a request for her presence at the pce in the capital city. It was written on behalf of Lady Voltara al Famyn, the leader of the Wisteria Concord. ording to the information contained in the letter, Lady al Famyn was allying herself with Corva''s sister, Letheya, to oppose Aya''s istionist regime. Voltara indicated that they were bringing in outside help to assist Letheya. "And who is it that they think will bring me to the pce and risk being forced to admit my loyalty?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "A young man by the name of Lucius Kane?" Yue was puzzled at this name. It seemed familiar to her, yet she did not immediately recognize its importance. Corva, it seemed, did. Her low-energy demeanor changed instantly to one of interest and excitement. "Truly? That man is going to be there?" Yue felt a nervous lump form in her throat. "Is this man someone who caught your interest?" "Indeed. He might be the most interesting person I have ever met." Corva was getting more excited. At this point, she stood from her window seat and flew up the stairs to her room. Yue followed after her, her rabbit-like ears bouncing with every step. Despite running, Corva seemed keen on continuing the conversation. "I never thought I would see the day that mydy expressed interest in a man. He must be excellent husband material to distract you so." Yue breathed out once they reached the inside of Corva''s room. When Yue suggested a romantic interest, Corva ceased digging through her dressers and armoires. "Wait a minute Do you think I''m romantically interested in this man? Not in the slightest. I assure you. No, what interests me are his abilities. Lucius Kane is the person who destroyed ɦӦͦϦʦ?ͦ? (pronounced: Titanoktnos, meaning ''Titan Killer'') and is its namesake." Corva huffed at Yue''s suggestion of the possibility of having a romantic interest and returned to gathering different types of clothes. Of course, she had to assist Corva in the packing. Otherwise, the woman would simply bring pajamas and clothes meant for working in the forge. Since she was visiting the pce, she needed to ensure that Corva had appropriate clothes. "I swear, mydy, you are just a handful. Don''t worry, I''ll attend court with you. I am curious to meet this person who impressed you so." Both women dug through the piles of clothes that Corva had created on the ground. Yue assisted in folding the chosen outfits into different bags to take with them and then called to the coachman that they would be heading to the pce. The coachman understood immediately and rushed to get the horses and carriage ready. The smell of sulfur and soot started to waft through the manor''s air. When Yue turned around, she saw that Corva had once again disappeared. She had run into her smithy and left the door open, exposing the space''s nasty smells and heat to the rest of the prim and proper house. Some of the maids wrinkled their noses as they walked by and performed their daily tasks. However, everyone was used to such an event and said nothing negative about it. In fact, many of them simply had tired smiles on their faces at theirdy''s antics. Corva reappeared from the depths of her forge, wearing a new storage ring and holding arge warhammer in her hands. Yue recognized the object as something that Lady Corva had been working on since returning from Aedrider. "I''m ready! Oh, this will be fun!" "What are you nning to do?" Yue asked hesitantly as if she already knew the answer. Corva blinked at her and said the words Yue feared she would as if it were the most normal thing in the world, "I''m going to challenge Lucius to a rematch, of course! That shouldn''t be a problem. Besides, everyone in the pce knows about my loss against him. So if I challenge him to a duel, then it''s like the reason I showed up was ''cus of him and nothing else! Two birds, one stone, and all that." There was no reason to argue with this point, mostly because the woman was right. As wild and unpredictable as Lady Corva could be, she was not stupid. However, Yue had no doubts that the reason for this offer was for the rematch and not for the cover-up of her appearance at the pce. Yue could not help but sigh and join Corva in entering the carriage that had been sitting outside the mansion''s main door. The ride to the pce was rather short, and since she was a royal family princess, they were allowed to take the paths up the mountain rather than wait for the lift like others were required to. The checkpoints simply waved them through without a hassle. Under normal circumstances, using these pathways without express permission was a grave crime. With Corva being who she was, though, it was a non-issue. Because they were riding along the pathways up the mountain, it took them an hour to reach the pce gates. Had they waited for the lifts to ascend, it might have taken them most of the day. Explore more stories with empire The pce gates stood before them and swiftly opened to allow Corva into the main pce. Yue could see the excitement basically falling off herdy as they approached the beautiful and ornate structure. She almost thought she could hear the woman muttering something about how she hoped Lucius wouldn''t hold back this time, but Yue chose to ignore it and y it off as a trick of the wind. Chapter 265 Meeting Princesses The Pce of the Elf Nation of Aedrider was a wonder to behold. It was the highest level of the city and was framed by the gorgeous open skies behind it and the peak of the mountain the city was built upon. The pce itself was made of pristine, light gray stone and had dozens upon dozens of octagonal towers reaching towards the sky. However, even the tallest among them dared not surpass the peak of the mountain. Many clouds passed by the mountain below the ground level of the pce, sometimes giving it the look that it was built in the heavens. Today was a perfectly clear day, and from the lift that Lucius and his group rode to the top level, they could see the entirety of the Aedridan capital stretching out below them and wrapping around the base of the massive mountain. Jade seemed timid, looking behind her, and kept her eyes glued to the walkways below their feet, refusing to realize how high off the ground they really were.N?v(el)B\\jnn It seemed she was so scared of heights that even Desmond was choosing not to tease her for it. Instead, he simply moved to walk closer to her and kept a hand hovering behind her back. From an outside perspective it might have looked like he was ushering her forward, but it was clear he was cing his hands in close proximity to his sister so that she feltfortable that he would grab her if she fell. The gates of the pce were absolutely massive. They were made of solid iron and had abination of artistic etchings and bronze trim to create a masterpiece of design without forfeiting the functionality of its defensive purpose. A pair of guards approached them wearing pale-gray leather armor with metal pauldrons and breasttes. They also wore metal bracing on their upper arms, forearms, upper thighs, and shins. Only the guards'' eyes and ears were visible through their face coverings. Explore stories on empire This armor design seemed exclusive to pce guards for the purpose of hiding their identities from the public. It was a rather pragmatic decision. Without knowing who was working at the pce, bad actors would have a harder time tracking them or their families down. It helped close off a very effective form of infiltration. "When we reach inside," Therentil advised, "Please be on your best behavior, Lord K sorry, Sir Titan. Princess Aya and her supporters are present in the pce. I urge you to remember where you are." Desmond and Jade both turned to look at Lucius who decided to simply click his tongue in response. Therentil appeared wholly unsatisfied with that answer but was in no position to continue chastising his guest. Instead, he sighed and continued to guide them through the pce grounds. Sounds of chirping from various different birds of strange and exotic colors surrounded them. Despite being so high on a rocky mountain, the grounds themselves were all manner of different shades of green, from the grass to the trees. It seemed the flowers were not yet in bloom, but the beginning of buds were forming on a handful. To the group, it seemed as though they had stepped into a castle from a fairytale. Everything had a sort of ephemeral beauty that could not be seen in thend below. Lucius found himself oddly entranced at the sight, which was something unfamiliar to him. asional thoughts of bringing Rena and Kalliope here passed through his mind. However, when he thought of Kalliope, the ornate pathway beneath his feet cracked. Therentil stumbled for a moment from the sudden expression of mana. Several other people near them also faltered momentarily from the shock. Before anyone could take notice, Lucius quickly calmed down and suppressed his frustration. At the same time, another, even more oppressive force forced him to his knees. He felt as though a sack of stones had been strapped to his arms and legs, holding him in ce. "That must be Lady Tenia. She is the sole resident at the peak of the mountain Aetherous. She is one of our kingdom''s two Empyrean Ranked warriors. It is because of her that I rmended you to be on your best behavior." Therentil informed them. Murderous intent saturated the air for several moments but quickly vanished. When it was gone, Lucius felt himself freed and could once again walk like normal. He caught his breath after another moment and red at the peak of the mountain. Staring back at him were a pair of intense eyes that were filled with confusion, then mirth. Something about this exchange clearly amused Lady Tenia. Though he could not see her, Tenia''s presence was being purposefully projected down the mountain. She was testing him and it seemed that Lucius had passed. The man rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck, ensuring that everything was freed from her pressure. Then continued to follow Therentil without a word. Their guide looked back at him asionally with a look that suggested the man known as Titan was insane. Desmond, on the other hand, was quite enthralled with the disy, as was his sister. Her face had taken on a slightly pink hue, which her brother decided to tease her for lightly. While the twins poked and prodded at each other with verbal jabs, pce workers and guards stared at them in a mixture of confusion and awe. Strangers and guests of a non-elven sort were notmon inside the pce itself. However, Lucius could smell trace scents of other humans somewhere within the halls. At least one of them was familiar to him. "Titan." A voice that was not quite feminine or masculine pulled his attention from the faces of the servant staff and dignitaries. Instead, his gaze was pulled to a familiar elf with darker skin and roon-like markings around her eyes from what seemed to be wearing goggles for long periods. Titan''s former opponent in the Exhibition Tournament stood in their path, blocking the way forward. Her hands were clenched in front of her, and her legs were spread apart and squared with her shoulders. To put it bluntly, she looked like she was preparing for a fight. "Corva. It has been a little while. How is your hammer?" Lucius teased. He expressly remembered breaking the toy she was proud of during their match. However, he also remembered the multiple enchantments she had engraved on the object. After the match was over, he did some digging into the woman and was surprised to find that she was the youngest child of the current queen of Aedrider. On top of that, she was an avid enchanter and smith, possessing a talent for all forms of metal craft and the ultra-rarepatibility with Enchanting. "I want to challenge you to a duel. A rematch if you will. I will prove that my weapon really is a ''Titan-killer''." Corva smiled. A petite and exasperated rabbit-eared beastman stood at Corva''s side and bowed deeply. "Lord Kane, might you please grant mydy''s selfish request?" "I don''t think that I" He began before noticing the rapid approach of a handful of people. Two mind-shatteringly beautiful women appeared from a hallway, each followed by a number of otherworldly gorgeous men. The two women had very simr features to Corva, though they were not affected by long hours of hardbor like her. Lucius immediately recognized them by both sight and smell, as if they were rted to his former adversary. Therentil initiated a deep bow, which Desmond and Jade copied. Lucius, on the other hand, stayed standing with his gaze locked on the neers. One of the women smiled while the other red angrily at him. The smiling woman raised a hand in greeting, "Hello, Lord Kane. I am Letheya. This is my dearest sister, Aya. Might you please grant us all the honor of epting our baby sister Corva''s request?" Chapter 266 Clash with the Abyss [Part 1] The princess''s entourage guided everyone to a duel arena deeper into the pce. They descended a few sets of stairs on the way, making Lucius think that the arena would be underground. However, when they reached their destination, he was surprised to find a wide-open expanse of sky above his head. The same octagonal towers he had seen from outside surrounded the arena, blocking any view in or out of the arena. It felt like they were at the bottom of a giant stone tube. The arena itself was also shaped like arge octagon. Several massive crystals glowing with a pale blue-green light were embedded at even intervals along the walls up the sides of the tower. A few dozen crystals emitting light lined the wall about head height above the ground topensate for the inability of natural sunlight to prate this deeply into the arena. "Quite a setup." Desmond whistled. "What''s with the big blue-looking ones?" Therentil moved to the side of the entrance where there was another blue-green crystal. However, this one was about the size of a person''s head, while all the ones forming rings above their heads were easily the size of an entire person. When his hand pressed on the smaller one, all the crystals of the same color above them started to glow simultaneously. A magical barrier began to form between the crystals and coated the pristine stone walls of the towers and arena. As a test, Desmond walked up to the newly formed magical barrier and with a few simple taps, whistled again. Lucius agreed that it was rather impressive. At a nce this barrier was many times stronger than the one used at the Exhibition Tournament. A cruel smile formed on his face as he started to think about the possibility of him breaking it. It took a few moments for him to remind himself that it would likely be a bad idea. Since the walls of the pce were behind the barrier, it was likely the damage could result in coteral damage that he was not willing to be held responsible for at the moment. "Alright,e on, let''s go!" Corva shouted as she walked to the opposite end of the arena. Therentil closed the door to the arena behind them, leaving only the two fighters inside. They would observe through the same viewing technology they donated to Arcadios, eliminating the need for seats. As Lucius moved to his starting position he felt a strange set of eyes on him. Someone was watching him, but he couldn''t tell from where. The Empyrean Ranker was watching, sure that much was obvious, but someone else had started to observe. A strange tugging sensation formed in the pit of Lucius''s stomach as he felt a strange desire to look for the source. "Hey, pretty boy!" Corva shouted, "Are you going to get ready or not?" He shook his head clear of the thoughts and decided to focus on the battle ahead of him. The princess leading the faction behind Kalliope''s kidnapping was observing. If he could scare her enough, then she might pull strings and help him into Seteste. "I''m sorry Corva, but I will not be holding back. I will use everything at my disposal." "As will I. Come at me, Titan." The elf summoned a somewhat familiar-looking hammer from a storage ring. Unlike the first time he saw it, the weapon exuded several times the amount of mana. Whatever work she had done to it had massively increased its potential and power. Not only that, but she also summoned and equipped a strange armor set. To the average person, it looked like simple leather armor, not too different from what a hunter might wear when going after dangerous game. It, too, had a number of strange enchantments attached and made Lucius raise his level of caution. At first, he assumed this battle would go much like the first, but the woman''s pride seemed a little wounded. Because of this, she made adequate preparations for him. Lucius smiled at her tenacity and felt sorry for her because this fight would not go the way she wanted. "Alright, Corva." He called out, "Ready to go?" His opponent responded by activating her hammer. Mana condensed behind the back of one of the hammer faces and formed a massive, blue me. He could feel the intense heat from across the battlefield. Lucius began to ready his machete. As he reached for it, Corva activated her Arts, "[Hammer Arts: Earth Shaker]!" At the same time the Art was activated, Corva jumped into the air and clicked her boots together. The same blue me formed behind her hammer formed at the soles of her feet. In less time than it took Lucius to blink, the Enchanter Princess disappeared from view and reappeared before him with her hammer less than an inch from his face. With not even a second to spare, Lucius dodged the strike with a [Lightning Charge] enhanced step. Since he recognized the Art she used, he made sure to appear on the other side of the arena. As he had predicted, her hammer impacted the earth and sent massive shockwaves throughout the battlefield. Lucius was rather unaffected because of the distance he created, but Corva was not done. She once again vanished and reappeared near him, forcing them to entertain each other with a dance of strike and then dodge. Corva seemed to have him on the run, as Lucius''s only moves were to dodge. After almost a minute of that, Corva stopped then activated the other face of her hammer. Mana condensed in the front face of it and a massive cyclone originating at her hammer reached forward, threatening to grab Lucius. Explore hidden tales at empireN?v(el)B\\jnn Wind whipped at his hair and cloak, but he refused to move. For a moment, he thought she was simply repeating the same tactics from their first fight. He started to feel disappointment, but that stopped when he realized what was happening. Lucius''s head began to hurt, and he felt slightly faint. Breathing became harder. His eyes opened in the sudden realization that she was using the wind magic to suck away the breathable air from around him. Lucius continued to hold his ground and extended his machete into its two-handed configuration. As mana filled the de, he activated his [Forsaken Arts: Savage Strike] and [Tempestas: Lightning Strike] simultaneously. Red lightning crackled along the length of his de, with asional streaks arcing to the ground. "d you are taking this seriously." Corva shouted with a smile. Her voice was barely audible over her own magic. Lucius simply smiled. Chapter 267 Clash with the Abyss [Part 2] Snow watched with bated breath as Corva stepped into the ring with the person known as Titan, Lucius Kane, or whatever the fuck his name was. The only thing she noticed was that an oppressive darkness surrounded him. No one else seemed to see it, but Snow somehow saw the truth. Darkness poured off him like a waterfall and infected the very earth upon which he walked. It made her sick to her stomach. Yet... it felt right. The darkness called out to her and begged her to join it. Despite herself, she felt tempted to ept its offer. A cold sensation tickled the base of her skull, and the mark on her left hand began to burn slightly. Snow felt the urge to follow, to bend, to obey. Why? Why now, why here, why him? Yue''s hand lightly squeezed her own. She did not realize that her adoptive sister had found her waiting in the viewing room. Yue could clearly see that something was bothering her and offered herfort. Slowly but surely, the desire to submit to the darkness faded and was reced by thefort of her sister''s presence. "Thank you." She whispered. "Of course, dear sister. Besides, that man is terrifying." "You can see it?" Snow asked incredulously. Yue shook her head. "I don''t see anything. But something about him I see a light surrounding him, yet it fades in and out. Something is eating away at it slowly." Yue muttered. A wave of mana managed to pierce through the barriers and wall, washing over everyone in the room. Snow steadied her sister who almost fainted from the intensity. Even the two princesses in line for the throne looked pale. That was when her eyes settled on a pair of humans. They had beautiful light purple hair and eyes as blue as the ocean. It was clear they were twins. The man was tall and muscr and held his sister steady. Their eyes met momentarily, making Snow turn away quickly to look at the viewing projection. Titan had magically extended his sword and was imbuing it with magic silently. She could not believe it; the man was using Channeling! Only a handful of people on the continent were known to be able to use that, and this man was one of them. Once he had fully charged his mana, Titan made a shing movement with his weapon. Erupting from the de''s edge was a red streak of lightning in the shape of a de. Three more shes followed by three more arcing des of lightning surged toward Corva. The first two shed with the mana of the cyclone and shredded it to nothing. Corva was forced to fly upwards to dodge the final two lightning des. She nced to the ground and saw that Titan was missing. "Above you!" Snow found herself shouting despite the fact that Corva could not hear her. At the same instant the elf dodged, a massive p of thunder echoed throughout the arena. The people in the observation room watched as Titan stopped his foot on the ground, sending a shockwave of mana and force in a circle around him and propelling him dozens of feet into the air. Corva looked above her and was face-to-face with her opponent. The man had an evil grin on his face as he brought a fist coated with red lightning onto the side of the elf''s helmet. With explosive force, sheunched toward the ground at a speed many times greater than an arrow. She attempted to stand, coughing up blood for her efforts. Pieces of her armor fell off of her and crumbled to pieces. Blood dripped from the side of Corva''s head and a small dribble of it formed at the corner of her mouth.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Titan on the other handnded with a loud thud a few feet away, absorbing the impact in his knees. He rested his de on one shoulder and strode slowly towards Princess Corva. Snow watched as herdy attempted to pick up her hammer to make another strike. "Not broken yet? You built it better this time. Yet" The man''s terrifying voice echoed throughout the observation room, sending chills of fear and excitement down Snow''s back. Yue looked as though she would vomit. Princesses Letheya and Aya were shivering. If the effect was this bad, why did someone invite him here? Why was their Empyrean Ranker allowing him free reign? Unable to resist anymore, Snow rushed out of the room. She saw Titan gearing up for another attack and knew that herdy would not be able to withstand yet another impact. One more hit could end up killing her, and Snow could not let that happen. She threw the doors open and leaped into the middle of the fight. Snow took a defensive posture, prepared to block Titan''s next hit. However, the man''s de stopped just short of her own, leaving fractions of an inch of space between their two weapons. He stared at her with his head cocked to one side and appraised her. Something stirred within her, and she hoped that he approved of her. She ached to please him and desired his eptance. Snow carefully moved to a standing position but kept her weapon trained on the man. Her mind was cleared of the strange thoughts with a few shakes of her head. He continued to watch her with eyes glinting in curiosity. They were beautiful. One was a shining silver rivaling the very beauty of the moon itself. The other was a brilliant gold that challenged the intensity of the sun. She could only barely see them through the slits in his mask. As she admired the man''s eyes, they suddenly turned ck. The whites of his eyes, their gorgeous hues, were engulfed by the darkness. What was once admiration of beauty was now reced by fear, respect, and reverence. "Kneel." The voice Titan spoke with sounded like a dozen different voices speaking together. Some were clear and gorgeous, others terrifyingly dark and deep. Yet others were that of a whisper, and they all echoed in her mind. Snow felt her body quiver and begin to move. No matter how hard she tried to resist, she found herself on one knee with her head bowed in respect. The man''s hand slowly lifted her chin to bring her eyes to meet his gaze once more. "You are" "Snow!" Yue''s voice rang clearly through the fog that started to envelope her mind. Titan''s dark eyes also reverted to their previous form, and he huffed in annoyance before walking away. "I win this one." He proimed. Yue rushed past him without giving him a second nce and pulled both Snow and Corva into an embrace. She was crying andughing, and saying she was so d they were okay. Snow did not know what happened, but having her there saved her from Titan''s clutches. Not that he would have done anything to a simple elf like her, but she found herself worried nheless. Corva finally spoke with a slight pout, "He was still holding back. I''ll get him next time!" Chapter 268 The First Match "Wee one and all to our glorious arena!" An excited voice rang out, echoing off the stone walls of a massive cavern. Nearly a thousand people had gathered in stands carved out of the rock. They all looked down at arge, oval-shaped arena. At either end of the oval were two fighters. One was an elf dressed in light armor that barely covered her upper torso and upper thighs. The woman''s midriff waspletely exposed. It was an impractical set of armor but was mostly for show anyway. Her opponent, standing on the opposite end, was a blonde woman with wolf ears, a tail, and gray eyes. She wore a simr set of armor to the elf. One major difference between the two was that while the elf had a sword and shield, the beastman woman had nothing to arm herself with. The discrepancy in their gear caused a frenzy at the different betting booths set up in the stands. Some believed that the proprietors of the arena were punishing the wolf-girl and setting her up to lose. While others thought it was a trick and that the beastman was a powerful warrior designed to set up the house for a win. None of this mattered to Kalliope, though. This was her first match in front of the public. During all of her training sessions she had purposefully held back her skills so that her captors would underestimate her. However, it ended up working against her. The man in charge of the training seemed to be able to sense that she was hiding her real strength and skills, so he set her up in her first fight against a powerful opponent. The elf that Kalliope was facing was a former champion fighter and had almost fifty wins under her belt and only eight losses. Kalliope, on the other hand, was fresh blood in the ring without a record. That did not matter to her because, as far as she was concerned, only two people had bested her so far in a direct match. Those two people were Lucius and Kalivas. She would be damned if one of these dirtbags would join that list. "In one corner, we have a former champion. The killer elf herself, Neshia the Blooded! And her opponent facing her tonight, a new addition to the ring! We have the Feral Mutt!" Kalliope gagged at their poor naming schemes while the crowd above roared with excitement. She could pick out a handful ofughs and jeers directed her way. It was also not lost on her that the announcer omitted her name from the introduction. It was possible they were worried that some among the crowd might recognize her name. "Betting is now closed. Please enjoy as the fight begins!" "[Tempestas: Lightning Charge]!" The elf''s first move caught Kalliope by surprise. Thunder Magic users were very rare. So rare in fact, that Kalliope only knew two off the top of her head: Lucius and Wally. However, the surprise onlysted a moment and was reced by a disappointing realization.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "She''s slower than him. It''s basically no contest" Kalliope muttered dejectedly. "[Beast Arts: Prey Drive]" Golden mana concentrated in her eyes before enveloping her body in a thinyer of light. Her heart began to beat faster and harder. The sounds of the crowd quickly faded away and were reced by the sound of her own heart and that of her opponent. The elf''s movements slowed to a crawl while Kalliope felt her own quicken. Her teeth grew in length, and extra fur grew along her skin. Her nails elongated and hardened into weapons of their own. Dust and gravel scattered through the air as the shifted wolf-girlunched herself at her opponent. The elf responded quickly with a downward slice. However, it too was moving in slow motion allowing Kalliope to simply palm the t of the de, sending it mming into the rock. Sparks flew into the air from her ws raking against the elf''s sword. In response, the elf leaped backward and tried to exit the beastman''s range. It was a hopeless endeavor, and Kalliope vanished in ce before appearing behind Neshia. She delivered a swift kick squarely into Neshia''s back. The former champion flew a dozen feet away, caught herself in a roll, and returned to her feet before sliding a few feet more. Sweat dripped onto the ground, and a small drop of blood dripped from behind her shield. Neshia looked down at her arm and saw jagged sh marks that had cut down her arm, piercing her armor near her elbow. She spat in frustration after realizing that Kalliope had cut her without her knowing. "Damn, rabid mutt!" Neshia growled. Kalliope''s ears twitched in response to hearing the insult. Instead of being angry, she simply smiled and got down onto all fours. Her fur bristled at the same time as all the muscles twitched. Again, she vanished the same instant Neshia blinked. This time, she prepared and was able to predict Kalliope''s path of attack. Neshia raised her shield to cover her vitals while also swinging her sword in a diagonal sh. Kalliope changed course at thest moment and transitioned into a slide. Her sudden change threw Neshia off her rhythm, making her unable to react properly. Kalliope slid past her opponent, but not beforetching onto the elf''s exposed calf muscles with her teeth. Neshia cried out in pain and blood sttered across the ground. The momentum yanked Neshia''s leg from under her, mming her face into the dirt. Explore more stories at empire Kalliope jumped into a standing position but refused to let go of her opponent''s leg. A horrible, wet tearing sound filled the arena as the audience watched in stunned silence. Kalliope stood over the screaming and crying elf and spat out arge chunk of bloody meat to the ground before releasing a victorious howling into the air. No matter how hard the elf tried, her body refused to listen to hermands to stand, forcing her to admit surrender. "And that''s it, folks! Our winner is the Feral Mutt! This was the fastest takedown of a former champion in our long and bloody history! Don''t worry about Neshia, dear audience! We have the best healers avable and she will be back on the field of battle in a few days!" The announcer shouted to a mixture of cheers and boos. Many people decided that betting on the wolf-girl was too risky and tried to y it safe by going with the powerful, known warrior. Those who chose to risk it all earned arge sum of money from the house. Chapter 269 Ethis Story Several guards and a few healers entered the arena. All of the guards were powerful in their own right, but they also carried with them arge number of enchanted weapons and essories to further enhance their abilities. This ensured that they would be able to handle any and all of their participants. In addition to their gear, one of them held a control crystal linked to Kalliope''s armor. If she did anything out of line, only a single thought was necessary to send amand for her armor to shock her into unconsciousness. The medical personnel quickly staunched Neshia''s bleeding and stabilized her condition before throwing her on a stretcher and carrying her out of the ring. Kalliope was poked with the sharp ends of a few spears and was escorted back to her cell. Waiting for her patiently was her fellow prisoner, Ethi. Ethi''s face was clearly that of a worried friend, but seeing that Kalliope was uninjured, save a few scrapes, gave her relief. Kalliope was thrown into the cell, and it mmed close behind her before the lock was secured with a dull thud. Enjoy new adventures from empiren/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Kalliope, it seems that you are unhurt. I heard they wanted to throw you into the fire on your first go." Ethi said, scrambling to treat some of the small scrapes that had started bleeding. The cells were damp, dingy, and very dirty. If one were not careful, even the most moderate cuts or wounds could be infected. Ethi was surprisingly well-versed in treating minor injuries. Having an expert in such things would help Kalliope out when she started being pressed beyond her abilities. Today''s battle with Neshia was only the first of three that she was going to be forced to participate in. Tomorrow she was scheduled for five additional fights. The leader of the fighting ring was not kidding when he said he was going to try and break her on the field of battle. Kalliope was no princess, but she was slightly concerned at how well she would have been able to hold on without Ethi to help. The beast-blooded elf had turned into an excellent asset for her. "Thanks, Ethi." Kalliope answered. "But if all my fights are like that, then this will be a piece of cake. I''ve dealt with worse." "You keep saying that, is it that man who is supposed to save you? I''m starting to wonder if he''s a savior or a former captor, the way you talk about him. Are you safe with him?" A sh of concern crossed Ethi''s face again. However, Kalliope onlyughed. "Really, he is a great person. I just had a habit of trying to challenge him a lot. And though I''m a maiden, he knows I am not delicate, so he never held back in training. It''s not in his nature." "I see" Ethi mumbled, still unsure if something was broken in her cellmate''s brain. They both settled next to the wall of the cell and talked about their lives prior to being captured while waiting for the next fight to start. Most of what they talked about were family and what they were doing in Aedrider. Ethi had admitted that she only asionally stayed in the country. For thest few decades, she had frequently walked the border of Aedrider and Paede, asionally crossing into Eroa. Ethi shared that most of her family was long gone. They had passed away in a bandit attack on her home vige, which was actually on Paede''s side of the border. It happened about twelve years ago. Bandits had sent threats to their vige everyday for almost two weeks. The vige head, her father, sent many requests for help to the lord overseeing that part of thend. However, they were often at odds with the human lord, and because of this, no one arrived to help them. The bandits had arrived outside of Ethi''s vige and numbered nearly a hundred strong. The vige itself barely had that number of residents, including children, the elderly, and the infirm. It was a simple farming vige with little wealth and very little in the way of means of defense. On the day of the attack, Ethi was hidden with the other children in a secret cer in themunal barn at the center of the vige. It was well protected and had the most defenses of anywhere in the vige. Even if the barn itself burned down over their heads, those in the shelter would have been safe. The former vige head had predicted something horrible would happen in the future. None of them had faith in the human lord stepping in to help them, so they took measures to protect the next generation on their own. Ethi recounted the hours that passed for them under the simple cer door that stood between them and their impending deaths. The other children whimpered and cried for parents they could no longer see. Every second was torture for her. After several hours, they began to hear the objects the adults ced over the door, their safe banging around. Someone had started to dig them out. Ethi remembered the hope in her heart that their vige had somehow won; maybe the lord did send help, and everything was fine. When the door finally opened, they instead saw an unfamiliar elf. The elf never shared their name and Ethi could not recall what they looked like, but they were a wandering adventurer and stepped in to help. The adventurers apologized that they only managed to appear halfway into the fight. What was once a thriving vige of almost a hundred had been reduced to a smoldering husk filled with only thirty people, nearly twenty of whom were children. Among the dead were Ethi''s parents and other rtives. The bandits and the inaction by the human lord had left her an orphan. "I''m surprised you do business in Paede at all." Kalliope''s tone was one of surprise. "Well, money is money, I suppose. Besides, that lord died in a session feud anyway and bandits are impossible to track down. It''s not like I have anyone left to seek revenge for. I simply had to move on." Before Kalliope could say more, the guards appeared again at the cell door. "Alright, mutt, let''s go. Keep putting on a good show. Also" the guard began tough, "Since you handled that so easily, the boss says you get to fight your next three back-to-back. Hang in there, won''t you?" Chapter 270 A Meeting with the Strongest [Part 1] Several members of the Aedridan royal family sat in a court-like chamber. Two women, in particr, sat on opposite sides of the room in elevated thrones. On each side, a handful of people, clearly their siblings, had gathered behind them. Letheya had six siblings behind her, and Aya had five behind her. ording to the sisters, there was at least one brother who was not present and had thrown his support in with Aya. This brother was apparently away at Stark Academy, the major academic institution in Aedrider. Lucius was standing near the doorway, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Desmond and Jade stood beside him, exuding an aura that befitted their noble upbringing. Lucius had been taught how to carry himself in a simr manner. However, the way he saw it the elves needed him, not the other way around. With that in mind, he saw no need to try and present himself in any special manner. "So, sister," Aya broke the tense silence. The word ''sister'' dripped out of her mouth as though the very concept of the word would make her vomit. "You wish to prove your point that we should maintain open borders with the savages outside our nation by inviting the single-most boorish non-elf you could imagine. "Not only that, but you allowed him to beat our poor baby sister within an inch of her life. What an embarrassing disy you have shown us today." Above their heads, the match between Lucius and Corva had been ying on repeat for the audience. No one in the room looked happy at the sight. However, the loser, Corva, watched it intently while taking notes on a small pad of paper and using a strange writing utensil that Lucius didn''t recognize. "Aya," Letheya said carefully, "It was our sister who desired the match. If you remember, she fought against yhis man in Arcadios. Her honor demanded"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Honor!" Aya spat. "What good is honor when talking about this man? This Titan. Do not think I didn''t look into him. Have you heard what he has done since his entry into our borders? Varris may not be the same for months. The popce still speaks of a man of ill-omen that brings storms and the rage of the skies. I fear they will scare children with this story one day. "You would have us allow more people like him into our country? You would expose our citizens to such barbarism for the sake of coin and trade? It disgusts me. Our siblings who insist on supporting you for the throne should simply join me. It is inly clear that I am the one who cares for the safety of our people and culture." Letheya scoffed at her sister''s speech. "Safety? I think you mean purity. We all know that you dislike the other races and the mixing of their blood with elves. You don''t care about safety, you care about purity. If you truly wanted our people to be safe, then you would have supportedst month''s measure to expand funding for security in outlying viges. Yet you did not" "This again, I told you" "Quiet." A voice reverberated through the room along with a deep rumble, shaking the stone and furniture. The elves eyed the suspected source of the voice and saw that Lucius was casually leaning against the stone. His expression was still hidden behind his strange ck mask. "You dare" Aya began to snarl. Lucius raised a finger to where his lips would have been and then pointed to the center of the room. Everyone had been so preupied by the thought that Lucius was the problem that they had failed to notice that they had an additional guest in the room. Standing in the center of the room was a tall and slender elf with long, flowing pink hair. Her eyes glowed a brilliant gold, simr to Lucius''s own. Lightning crackled around her feet, asionally being absorbed into an ornate spear made of a strange, green metal. From the right angle it seemed that there were faint golden wings slowly vanishing from her back. Small pieces of broken ss were scattered around her as well. One look at the skylight above showed the hole she left from her entrance into the room. Leaving everyone to wonder how she managed to appear without a sound. No one said a thing as they all stared in awe at Lady Tenia, the Empyrean Ranker of Aedrider. She smiled at everyone in the room before settling her eyes on the nonchnt human. "You, boy. Take off that mask. I cannot see you through that damned enchantment. Your hood as well." Lucius slowly stood at attention and removed the mask from his face. He also pulled the hood of his cloak down. His deep ck hair and glowing eyes were now exposed for all to see. One silver eye and one golden one locked on the strongest entity on the continent. The realization that Lucius was a handsome half-beast caused several female elves in the room to suddenly blush. The warriors in the room began to pale, their focus being drawn to therge battle scars around his face and neck. "You look so much like him" Tenia whispered so quietly that only Lucius could hear her. Her statement caught him off guard, but he quickly realized that this was not the ce to press further into why she reacted in such a way. Aya was the first elf to recover. "Great Auntie I mean, Lady Tenia, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Aya''s voice quivered with concern. Tenia was known to spend most of her existence at the mountain''s peak. Save for holidays and other important reasons, she rarely descended to the pce. Everyone seemed concerned as to what the purpose could be. None of them felt that she would be involving herself in the session dispute, but that only made her motives more mysterious. "I came for him." Tenia said, still looking at Lucius. "I have a favor I wish to ask of him. You do this, and I will give you one favor in return. There is a human in this pce that little Letheya wishes you to meet. My own goals align with hers. "Meet with the leader of the Wisteria Concord. Perform the task she asks, and you will have the ear of the Strongest as well as whatever it is that the human offers." "I came here for" Lucius started. An intense pressure weighed down on the room. Many of the elves dropped into unconsciousness, saving only the members of the royal family, Lucius, and his friends. The walls and stone floor cracked simultaneously. "Perhaps I should be clearer, boy. This favor of mine is not a request. It is amand. It is by my own kindness that I offer you anything in return at all." Chapter 271 A Meeting with the Strongest [Part 2] Lady Tenia din Aedrider, the strongest known being, issued amand to Lucius. Though she verbalized no threat, every fiber of Lucius''s being inferred that to be her intention, should he refuse. While Lucius himself would be the first to admit he was headstrong, he was not stupid. Lady Tenia''s request would be fulfilled without fail. What did surprise him was that the human scent he picked up belonged to Lady Voltara al Famyn. He found it strange she would be present in the elf pce and stranger still that she needed something from him. Along with all of that, the ce he needed to go was Stark Academy. What would they need from him there? Surely, they didn''t need him to be a teacher. "Well then," Tenia pped her hands, and the pressure she exuded vanished. Her face was covered with a kind smile that was miles away from her intensity earlier. "Let''s end this little squabble. I wish to converse with the handsome young man who has decided to visit our great country. Come, Lucius, join me for tea, won''t you?" "Ldy Tenia," Letheya stuttered, "H-he is m" "Don''t worry, my little Letheya! We shall return him to you unharmed, and he will be able to assist you with your little squabble." Tenia beamed at the shivering elf princess. She ced a dainty hand on Lucius''s shoulder and guided him out of the room and along the pristine hallways of the pce. Neither of them said anything. To an outside observer it would look like he was scared of her, but in reality, Lucius didn''t have anything to say to her. The twins followed behind them at a healthy distance. Their faces were in as day, and they had fear painted across them. Yet they still followed Tenia as she basically kidnapped their friend from an important meeting. Tenia stopped before arge set of wooden doors and lightly pushed them open. Inside was a beautiful yet simple room. For a pce as grand as this, it was rather average. However, the quality of the furniture was still exceptional. They were led to a handful of chairs surrounding a rectangr table. At the center of the table was a simple bell, which Tenia rang a few times before setting it back in its ce. The three guests found seats across from the elven warrior and waited in silence. "Well" Tenia started.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Who do I look like?" Lucius interrupted. He was very curious about her statement after she saw his face for the first time. "You haven''t earned that information yet." Tenia said icily. "Nor are you allowed to ask for it as part of your favor. Look at this." Tenia ced her spear on the table and gestured for the trio to examine it. To Lucius, it was simply a weapon made with a strangely green metal. Desmond was entranced by the weapon''s beauty and construction. As a spear user himself, he was naturally drawn to its beauty. Jade, on the other hand, had a very inquisitive mind. She knelt down to the weapon. Sensing that Tenia did not want them to touch the spear physically, she traced her fingers above the shaft of the weapon. Along the weapon were a series of runes that looked both familiar and not. They were carved in a familiar pattern. It was cyclical in nature just like the runes at Grimspire. For some reason, Lady Tenia''s spear was engraved with Demon Script along its entire length. Judging from the confusion and wonder on Jade''s face, many of these runes were unknown to her. Which was even more surprising to Lucius. She still had a copy of the workbook the researchers shared with her and had been reviewing it nonstop. At this point, he was sure she had basically memorized every known rune and their meanings, so for her to be wowed in such a way was a shock. "Lady Tenia" Jade whispered. "What is this weapon? Why is it carved in Demon Script? How old is this?" Tenia smiled warmly at the purple-haired girl, "It was old when I was born, so really, I do not know the answer to your question. However, my birth was around the time of the public execution of thest known demon. So at least two thousand years. Give or take a few centuries, I suppose." Tea had been delivered by a kind maid. A gentle steam rose from the fine porcin cup while Lucius sipped on it. Unfortunately, the wonderful vor of the drink was lost on him as he spat out everything in his mouth when Tenia proimed her age. "I''m sorry, did you say you were over two thousand years old?" "Yes, I did, again, give or take a few centuries. When you get to be my age, time has a way of just passing by. The calendar used has changed since then, so I don''t think I can really figure it out either." Tenia mused, ignoring the wasted liquid that was running down the wall next to Lucius. "How is that even possible?" Jade questioned, the gears in her mind rapidly turning. Tenia let out a soft sigh and ced her teacup back on the table. "At some point, you be so strong that it feels like the world itself relies on you. Time seems to ignore your existence so that it may continue to rely on you until someone stronger takes your ce. "I have witnessed the rise and fall of many nations and regimes. I have witnessed the birth and deaths of an incalcble number of lives. Oh! And do not think it is because I am an elf. I am hardly the only example of someone with a life longer than what is natural. If I remember, there is an old goat somewhere in one of the beast kingdoms older than me. What was that old bastard''s name?" Lucius coughed awkwardly. "Lady Tenia,sorry to interrupt, but our purpose for joining you here?" "Oh, you are right, apologies. Take a look at the head of the spear. This green metal?" "Yes, what is it?" Desmond asked. "Orichalcum." Tenia exined. "A very rare resource and a very hard-to-work-with material. I scarcely know anyone who is aware of its existence and even fewer who can work with it. Anyway, someone is leaking information regarding our country''s research into this material to unknown parties. I want you to stop them." "We can certainly do that, but mydy, why can''t you? Surely you can search for and apprehend the culprit in a matter of hours if not minutes." Lucius wondered. "Of course I can, boy!" Tenia scoffed, "But as I said before, the world relies upon me, but so too do I rely on it. Unless certain requirements are met, I must maintain a watchful eye. I cannot intervene in this. No matter my desire to do so. As such, you will be my eyes, ears, and de." "Is that all mydy?" "It is. Go see Voltara." Jade and Desmond watched as the woman retrieved the weapon from the table and returned it to her back. She smiled once more and then went to leave the room, but before she could reach the door, Jade called out to her. "Wait! Mydy, please, what does this ''orichalcum'' do? Why is it so important?" Tenia turned and smiled. "I am sad to say, but that is also information I am not willing to share at the moment. I will take my leave." Tenia continued out of the doors, leaving the trio in stunned silence. As well as with dozens of more questions than answers. Chapter 272 Voltaras Request Lady Voltara al Famyn waited in the parlor of her guest quarters at the pce in Aedrider. The quarters they gifted her wererger than her own at home and possessed several rooms that were joined together by a shared parlor room. The parlor had five doors. Four of which led to other rooms and thest that led to the main hall. Voltara waited for her guest on a plush, blue velvet sofa facing the main door. nking either side of her seat were her two best guards. A few more nked the door to her room, which was directly behind her, and a few more still nked the door that separated her space from the rest of the pce. A light knock emanated from the door, and a gentle voice announced iing guests. With a wave from her hand as permission, the guards at the door opened it to allow the guests entry. There were three of them. A pair of beautiful twins with purple hair and blue eyes and a brooding gentleman with scars marking his face, neck, and the slightly exposed parts of his upper chest. Voltara felt like a schoolgirl for the first time in years as the young man''s handsome face made her blush. She did not have the capacity to pay much attention to his features at the banquet after the grand reveal of his identity. Now that she had more than enough time to process that information, as well as the information about the truth behind House Kane. Or its connection to her home country. She realized he was quite handsome. Voltara coughed lightly before standing to greet the guests. "Wee, Lord Kane, andpany. I am afraid I do not know the identities of yourpatriots. I am Lady Voltara al Famyn, current head of the Wisteria Concord." The twins bowed simultaneously, and the male spoke on their behalf. "I am Desmond Adler, and this is my sister, Jade Adler. It is a pleasure to greet a leader of the Five Kings Union." The young man''s words and manners brought a smile to her face. She had already assumed that Lucius would not showcase such impable manners, so it was afort to have someone in his party who knew proper etiquette. Lucius simply grunted, "Lady al Famyn, a pleasure to meet you again." He ignored the fact that she was still standing and proceeded to sit down in one of the chairs opposite her sofa. In proper custom, he should have waited for her to sit first before they joined after. His improper behavior made her lips twitch, but she proceeded to sit anyway. "I''ll get to the point." Lucius said. "I am here with you at the request of Lady Tenia din Aedrider. She says that your goals align with hers, and I am to assist you with a spy in Stark Academy." A cough found itself stuck in Voltara''s throat. Under no circumstance would she have expected that a being such as Lady Tenia would have goals that aligned with her own. However, the fact they had a shared concern with what was happening at Stark Academy only furthered Voltara''s own beliefs that she was on the right track. Choosing to ignore further pleasantries, she continued to exin her purpose for appearing in the elf nation. There were concerns regarding new movements and alliances within Alorek after their concession in the war. Informationing out of the desert nation was concerning. For some reason, the Beast King had gotten married to one of the elven princesses of the elusive nation of Haedda. Not only that, there was a mysterious third party involved in their new alliance. Rumors had it that this mysterious other party had initiated mining operations all across Alorek. They were excavating a strange, green metal that Voltara only recently learned was called Orichalcum. No one she could find knew what its purpose was, but the country was putting a lot of resources into mining for the enigmatic material. In order to even find out the name of this metal, Voltara had to reach out to old allies in Aedrider. This trip was initially for that purpose, but she also received a request for assistance from her only ally in the pce, which was Princess Letheya. After the long exnation was finished, she waited for Lucius''s response. Voltara found that the young man had quite the poker face, and he waspletely unreadable. After a few moments, he sighed. "It''s them again, huh? Alorek has been a thorn in my side for years. Though I suppose I should thank them, it was their idiotic need for war that allowed me the freedom I experience now. "Still, I would have expected that idiotic lion-faced bastard to stay quiet for a few years. It hasn''t even been one since I embarrassed his forces at Alvora, you would think he was a glutton for punishment." Desmond coughed and sputtered the tea he was drinking. "That was a bit much, don''t you think, Lucius?" "It was?" "Yes, it''s not like his actions are purely to inconvenience you. He''s the king of a nation, and you are just one man. I doubt you even crossed his mind." Voltara shook her head, "I doubt that. Lucius was at the signing of the peace ord we struck. King Zethis was particrly annoyed at the man we only knew as ''Titan,'' and I am sure that faceless mask haunts his dreams as the personification of his defeat." "That''s kind of impressive, to be honest" Desmond whispered softly. His words brought a smile to Lucius''s face, shocking both Jade and Voltara. "Anyway," Voltara redirected the conversation. "While looking into things with my allies here, I learned that some researchers have been experimenting with Orichalcum, and there have been intercepted leaks of information bound for Alorek. We don''t know if they are trying to determine its purposes or if they only want to know what Aedrider knows." Lucius thoughtfully thumbed his lip. "If I were to guess, they are trying to determine Aedrider''s knowledge level. If they did not already determine the metal''s purpose, they would not be mining it so fervently as you have exined. Alright, so what is in it for me?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Voltara sucked in a breath of air out of concern for how the temperamental man would react. "I heard of your ally being captured. As a gift for you agreeing to my request, I can confirm that she was indeed captured at the request of one of Aya''s supporters. "If youplete my request to find and stop this information leak in Starke, then I will give you the names of the culprits as well as ess to Seteste. I have contacts that can get you in. They have been monitoring the situation and" "Is she safe?" Lucius''s face was twisted with worry. Fear twinkled in his eyes as he waited with baited breath at her answer. "As safe as she can be, no one has touched her. We are lucky she is a strong fighter. They have her making money in their underground arena. As long as she can fight, no one will touch her." Voltara answered. Lucius sighed in relief, and for a brief moment, he rxed. "I''ll help you." Chapter 273 Snake King All of Raleron was covered in dense, hot jungle. It was a harsh yet lushnd of plenty. Of all the kingdoms on the continent, it had the highest concentration of dangerous animals and monsters that stalked itsnd. Many of its citizens lived in viges built amongst the canopy of the trees. Like the capital city of Eroa, these cities and viges were beautiful. Yet, unlike Eroa, the cities had no ground-level construction. Other than what was required to grant ess to the levels above, the ground floor of the jungle was left uninhabited. The pce of Raleron was constructed much in the same way as Eroa''s pce. However, much of the pce and surrounding capital city were damaged. Over thest few years, the heirs to the throne had gathered allies and waged a quiet political war behind the scenes. But, after years of tumultuous peace, the dam finally broke, and a multi-sided war erupted within the capital. Brothers and sisters fought against one another as the citizens and nobility divided themselves between the siblings in line for the throne. The breaking point for the conflict was the assassination of the Queen Regent, who was ruling temporarily in ce of her deceased husband. She was the glue holding the king''s children back from bloodshed. When an assassin took her life, her body was strung up in the throne room for all to see. All ten brothers and sisters vying for superiority unleashed years of tension at once and started what had be known as the Night of Tears. When the dust settled only one prince remained, and that was Prince Isthith, the youngest of the former king. He was also the only child born from someone not part of the former king''s harem. His mother was a maid taken by the king after a night of drinking.N?v(el)B\\jnn People feared what kind of king the child of amoner would be for Raleron, but their fears were abated when he instantly opened the coffers of the royal pce and his fallen siblings to rebuild the capital and provide economic relief to the suffering citizenry. Istheth stood on the balcony of his room overlooking the reconstruction of his capital beneath. His green, snake-like eyes carefully investigated the surroundings to ensure things were progressing smoothly. asionally his forked tongue would taste the air around him as was the natural habit of snake beastmen like himself. Knocking interrupted his thoughts, and the new captain of the royal guard entered. "My liege, I bring you reports of the guard selection process as well as the other matter." "Excellent." The king replied. "Have the representatives arrived?" "Haedda has sent a scout ahead of their party, apologizing for the dy. It seems a young dragonling has started hunting near the border with Alorek and they had to detour for fear of its parents being nearby." The captain responded. "As for the representative of the Far Shores, they await your presence when it is convenient for you." "And the assassin?" The captain gulped and whispered, "She and her group have been paid and we received word they reached Arcadios. They are no longer within our borders." "Good." "Sire, perhaps you should be more cautious of verbalizing your involvement in the queen''s death." Istheth began tough, the shining scales peppering his neck shing in the sunlight. "Why? I am thest of the king''s clutch. Even if the public learned of my involvement, what would they do? We all know one of my blood must sit upon the throne. As I am thest of the former king''s clutch, I have nothing to fear or hide." "As you say, my liege. Shall I escort you to our guest." Istheth walked with his hands behind his back to the throne room to receive his guests. A while back, he received notice of a request for an alliance from Haedda and the Far Shores. As far as he knew, he was the only one among his siblings who received such an offer. They promised financial and military support if they allowed the two nations ess to the mountains outside at the edge of their territory. It was a simple enough ask, so Istheth had no problem with agreeing. However, as a bastard child born of a maid, he needed support up front to make things work. Around that time, he heard word of a powerful and skilled assassin who had appeared in the country. Her name was Shiyani, and she was a well-known tool used by the different nobles in many countries. This assassin proved worth every coin she asked. Within hours ofing to an agreement, the queen was dead, along with a number of nobles loyal to his siblings, weakening them greatly. Istheth then waited as his brothers and sisters tore each other apart. When all that remained were a few bloodied and battered forces, he struck and annihted all that remained. Istheth sat upon his throne at the same moment the doors to the room opened, allowing a strange-looking group of men to enter. Several were clearly of mixed blood, but the head of the group was purely human. All of them were decorated with shoulder-to-wrist tattoos. A few also possessed tattoos and piercings on their faces. These strange-looking people were the representatives of the Far Shores, the mysterious sea-faring people who lived beyond the mist that surrounded the continent. They hade to im what was promised, mining rights to the mountains. Istheth asked them what they wanted to mine, and they showed him an oddly pretty green metal. They called it orichalcum but declined to exin its use. Though he was curious, the king had no issues letting them keep their secrets. After all, it was because of them and Haedda that he was able to seat himself on the throne of Raleron. Haedda asked for nothing for their assistance other than an alliance through marriage, which Istheth had no problem granting. Normally, he would have denied their request because any children would be half-beastman and half-elf. Raleron had a history of only fully beast-blooded kings. Haedda, however, was a powerful and enigmatic country that rarely interacted with those beyond its borders. Its citizens were almost as unknown as those of the Far Shores. The only reliably known fact about the country was that all of its citizens were magically gifted. As such, Istheth agreed. He would meet his new wife when their delegation arrived in a few days. After that, a coboration between Haedda, the Far Shores, and Alorek would begin. Only time will tell what they will be able to achieve together. Chapter 274 Future Love Rena and Lyrah giggled together while looking at the wares being sold among the clothing vendors at the market. Natali desperately desired to join them but remained at attention. She could feel a number of eyes on them. Some of them were likely Lucius''s fellow King''s Shadow members, but more people were watching them than just Lucius''s men. Natali was not skilled enough in espionage to identify where they were watching from, but she could still feel eyes on her nheless. She knew she could probably rx a little since they had allies among the crowd, but it did not feel right to do so. After all, she promised Lucius she would watch over Rena and the baby. A dragon would not be able to wrench Natali''s eyes off Rena when they were out in public. That was how seriously she took her promise. "I think this would be just adorable," Rena said while holding up a small blue outfit. Draped over her shoulder were a few more outfits she had picked up to inspect. Since she only had two hands, some of the baby clothes had to hang out on her shoulder and wait their turn. "Oh, that is just so cute!" Lyrah said while pping her hands together. "Oh, but this one is just so wonderful." Natali looked at the outfit Lyrah had picked up. It was a onesie with extra patches and bits of fabric sewn onto it to resemble armor. The tag attached to it imed it was from the ''Little Adventurers Collection'' and only cost a few coins. "I cannot handle how cute that is" Rena said with tears in her eyes. "Oh my" The next outfit in her hands was another onesie with a ruffled skirt and puffy shoulders. Its tag imed it was from the ''My Little Princess Collection.'' Natali felt her heart wrench. She was not immune to the pure adorable nature of the clothes and imagined a tiny Lucius in the outfits, which made her cheeks flush. "Look at our resident ice queen," Lyrah teased, "looks like we broke through that shell of hers you know it''s been so much easier to get a reaction out of her since Lucius came around." Rena giggled, "It has, hasn''t it? I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that she is lusting after my husband. What a shameful young woman you are to be lusting after a married man." "But Rena, you" Natali protested weakly. She and Rena had already discussed their situations many times. A few nights after their wedding night, Rena came to Natali to discuss her feelings toward Lucius. Natali hade clean about her feelings for the young man when they were first told he was dead. Neither of them found an issue with it at the time because nothing could have been done about it. What did it matter if they were both in love with the same man if they would never be able to see him? Things became many times moreplex when the same man they harbored feelings for announced that he was still alive before an audience of thousands. Natali was content to let things stay as they were. She would watch from the side as Rena lived her happiness, but then Lyrah went and said something while Rena was getting prepared for the banquet. Because of that and of Rena''s promise to talk about it afterward, Natali spent hours wondering about the possibilities. When Lucius then proimed his position as a beastman noble, those possibilities opened up to something greater. At first, she thought that Rena was thinking that Natali could be a concubine or simply hire her as a maid who could service her lord. Either of those things was enough for her, but knowing Lucius was from a country and culture where he could have multiple wives, she began to hope for more. In their discussion, Rena said that she would not mind allowing Lucius more than one wife. ording to her, she expected that Lucius harbored feelings for his Gray Wolf ally. Since Rena had grown ustomed to the idea of sharing Natali, it became no issue for her to be okay with sharing him with Kalliope. Lucius admitted to Rena that he loved Kalliope, and the redhead agreed to allow her to be his wife. She also added the condition that Lucius look at Natali in a friendly manner rather than as a stranger. Rena was setting the stages for Natali to hopefully im what she wanted. "Rx, Natali," Rena said warmly, "I was only joking. I am rooting for you two, of that I can assure you. I can think of no other woman who I could trust more with Lucius." "Hey, what about me?" Lyrah pouted. "You don''t count. Besides, you''re his sister that would never work." Renaughed, "Unless you are into that kind of thing?" Lyrah made a mock retching noise, "No, thank you. I love my brother dearest, but I assure you my bonds are familial in nature." "Speaking of, is there anyone that catches your eye at the moment Lyrah? What kind of man interests you? Or woman, if that''s what you''re into." Rena continued to tease. "No." Natali was surprised at the curt response. Thankfully, Lyrah continued after taking a small breath. "While I love people in love, and I am so happy that my brother is starting a family the concept is not a pleasant one for me. Allow me to remind you that oracles like myself are told to breed with people so I can simply continue my mark. "Every Oracle was made to breed, never granted the opportunity to love, to have a true family. The thought of all that leaves a series of veryplex feelings in my heart." Lyrah then smiled and ced a hand on Rena''s belly, "I am content to watch your love grow. For me, that will be enough." Lyrah then looked at Natali, "Your''s too by the way. I will do what I can to give you what you deserve. It is the least I can do for everything you have done for me."N?v(el)B\\jnn Natali felt tears form at the corner of her eyes. Lyrah and Rena pulled her into a group hug. Both of her friends gently pat the back of her head, helping her remember how much she loved and respected her friends no, more like her sisters. Chapter 275 Stark Academy While the elven pce of Aedrider sat at the highest tier of the city, Stark Academy sat one level below it. The academy itself took up most of the tier it sat upon. There were a handful of residential areas for those who ran and worked the shops and businesses on the academy''s level. Still, a majority of its buildings were for the academy students and staff. If one attempted topare the size of Stark Academy to the Arcadios Royal Academy, then Stark was easily five timesrger. It could almost be considered a city of its own. On top of that, if the rest of the capital was filled with technological wonders, then the academy was filled with even more wondrous things than that. Students and researchers ran all sorts of experiments within the walls of the school''s many researchboratories. The academy''s studies also consumed nearly twenty percent of the country''s production of magical crystals. Jade found herself in awe with every step she took. Every new sight and sound was even more mystifying than thest. On more than one asion, she witnessed strange vehicles resembling small, rectangr tforms with room for one person. On either side of the tform were two small wheels. The people riding these machines seemed to control them by simply leaning their bodies in different directions. Other people walked around with strangely colored potions and armfuls of rare ingredients. Many of them seemed to make Lucius cringe his nose in response to their odors, which brought a smile to Desmond''s face. Onemonality that Stark Academy had with the other higher levels of the elf capital was that everyone they saw was an elf or mixed elf. There were no humans or beastmen to be seen on the academy grounds. If that was the case, then Aedrider''s mole was likely a resident and a traitor rather than an infiltrator. "The administration building is only a few more blocks away. The headmaster is there waiting for us." Therentil remained their guide at Princess Letheya''s request after they left the pce earlier that day. The process of leaving was quite the ordeal. Not only did their party leave for the academy, but so did Aya and her supporters. She had announced that she needed to return to her ownnds and ensure that things were still running as she hadmanded. Corva and Letheya both elected to stay and a small argument broke out about who was doing the most to support their dying mother. Aya went on a tangent about how it was pointless to remain by the side of someone in aa as the queen wouldn''t even know she was there. Letheya maintained that it was the thought that mattered and said Aya had no proof that their mother was not aware of her surroundings, even if muddled by her condition. Of course, following proper etiquette, they had to stand there and awkwardly listen to the sibling banter. Since Princess Aya was leaving at the same time, she had the right to leave first, and she had no qualms about making them wait for her to be ready. "We have arrived, please follow me inside." Therentil informed them. He entered a beautifully decorated building. While the pce was made of geometric shapes with octagonal towers, the administrative building here was a little more traditional. It was made with a mix of stone and wood. Every piece of wood was ornately etched with imagery depicting the elves'' storied past. Therentil informed them that several buildings on the campus depict the founding of their kingdom, an homage to their ancestors'' stories. Lady Tenia, whose older sister was the founding queen of the country, filled in any gaps in their knowledge that existed from the text. The inside of the building looked nothing like the outside. It seemed that the building was originally constructed entirely out of stone. Then had an additional exterior built around it. The inside was made of the same light gray stone as was used in the pce, but the floors were a beautiful aquamarine. The walls were lined with paintings by different elven artists depicting the beautiful and emotional scenes representing different popr folktales of their people. Along the back wall, behind the receptionist''s desk, there were painted portraits of people that Jade could only assume were former headmasters. "Headmaster Orn will see you now." The receptionist said quietly while bowing. She led them up a set of stairs beside the desk and to arge office filled with more ornate furniture. Something Jade had noticed was that every elf in this country really appreciated fine craftsmanship. Even small glimpses through the windows of normal citizens in town indicated they appreciated the finer things. It made sense because elves lived very long lives. Their smiths, carvers, jewelers, and really any tradesman had centuries to perfect their craft and pass that knowledge on to their apprentices and children. Because of that, even the finest of goods were rtively cheap to purchase. "Wee." A sweet voice called out. Sitting behind arge, wooden desk on the other side of the room was an elven woman with brown hair and brown eyes. Her features were somewhat umon among her people, as many elves tended to have hair and eye colors that were a little more umon. Jade assumed the headmaster might have been a mixed-blooded elf to receive more standard colors.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "I am Headmaster Orn. You must be the representatives sent by little Voltara." Orn shed them a perfect smile. "Ah, I suppose I should exin my impertinence regarding her position. She is my Oh, how many removed is it now? Ah, anyway, let''s just call her my cousin." "A pleasure." Desmond said with a bow. Jade followed his example. "Where''s theb?" Lucius cut through the decorum once again. However, unlike anyone before, Orn seemed perfectly fine with it. "Finally, someone willing to cut through the bullshit." She sighed. Her entire demeanor shifted from warm and open, to annoyed and withdrawn. "Look, I don''t like that someone snuck into my school and is stealing my research material. The Orichalcum Project is my bread and butter. Someone is trying to keep tabs on me and copy my research data, they need to die." Lucius nodded. "I understand. Give me full ess to yourb, a list of every researcher and student with ess. I want everyone. I want to know if they are a living, conscious person who has been in that building. If they are currently dead, show me their grave. I want to know everything." Chapter 276 Finders Fee "When will that damnable bitch give up!" A handsome elf by the name of Itorin mmed his fist onto his desk. The Gray Wolf woman they brought in had won every single fight since her arrival. They even put her in ten fights in a single day, but still she endured. Seteste did not frequently receive pure-blooded beastmen as ves, so Itorin was quick to me her stamina on her race. However, the handful of pure beastmen still broke long before this one. Even attempts at humiliation did not work. First, they chose an awful fighter name for her. Then they gave her skimpier and skimpier armor. For one fight they went the opposite direction and outfitted her in full te mail despite her fighting style relying on quick movements. Still, she endured, winning every fight with a smile on her face. The only thing they had left was to throw her against a stronger opponent like an Advance Ranker or Master. The woman was only an Intermediate Ranker, and they had plenty of those. Even though they could easily break her with stronger opponents, it would create a problem with betting. All bets would be on the stronger opponents, and the payouts would be tiny. Eventually, any fight with the wolf would bring in fewer and fewer bets, and then the actual audience could dwindle. Itorin chewed on his fingernail as he tried to figure out the magical solution to everything, but nothing came to mind. While he was muddling through his thoughts, a light knock came from the door to his office. "Enter." A woman with a small frame, covered head to toe in dark armor and clothing, stepped into the room. Her face was hidden behind a strange veil. Other than her exceptionally dark clothing, something else about her stood out. From her shoulder down, her right arm was missing. In its ce was a metal prosthetic imnted with a handful of crystals around the joints. "How''s the dog?" The woman questioned. "Fighting better than I thought. You weren''t kidding when you said she was a talented warrior. I find myself wondering how you managed to capture her as easily as you proim." Itorin sighed. The woman in front of him was an Advance Ranker at the precipice of Master. Even with her being stronger than Kalliope, the woman would still have put up a pretty mean fight. However, the person in front of him had shared with his men that she was an easy grab. A metal creaking sound came from her legs as she sat down in the chair across from his desk. It seemed that one of her legs was also a prosthetic, though she didn''t walk as though it was. She must have dealt with the issue for many years to be able to walk with such normalcy. "How much money has she brought in? Do I not get a cut of her first week as a finder''s fee?" "Ah, yes, that" Itorin tossed a bag onto the desk with a loud thud. One thing he could notin about the woman was that she made him a good amount of coin. The woman in ck said nothing and simply tied the pouch to her belt without bothering to weigh or count it. With a groan of protest from her metal leg, she stood to leave. "By the way," She said without turning around, "You may break her, tame her, mutte, or maim her; but under no circumstance are you allowed to kill her. Our ns include using her to draw in bigger prey." After saying that, the woman disappeared through the door, leaving Itorin to his thoughts once again. "What a mess! Who is it that she wants to pull in? It couldn''t be that ''Titan'' fellow, could it?" He muttered before opening his eyes wide. "Wait a goddamn second! Is she trying to pull that walking harbinger of chaos here? Gah, it''s no matter.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om We have at least twenty or more Master Rankers on standby at a moment''s notice. I doubt even he could get through that." ***** Ethi gently wrapped some gauze around a handful of cuts and gashes on Kalliope''s arm. She had been taking care of her cellmate to the best of her ability with the piddly amount of materials they were given. While it seemed they were trying to break her, for some reason, they wanted to keep her alive. None of the supplies they were given amounted to much. It was barely enough to close or cover wounds. They also limited the amount of food they received. Ethi tried to give her portion to Kalliope several times, but the hard headed woman refused to eat it. Rather than let it rot, Ethi ended up eating her own portion in the end, but not without letting her roommate hear her grumbles ofint. "How many fights have you fought now?" She asked Kalliope. "I''ve only won a handful. I guess more like two handfuls!" Kalliopeughed as she held up all ten fingers. Ethi couldn''t resist smiling at her antics. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Kalliope continued to keep a positive attitude about the entire thing. She was starting to wonder if Kalliope was all there in the head or if she was really enjoying all this excessive fighting. "Hey, I heard from one of the other fighters that there''s going to be a tournament soon." Kalliope informed her with a twinge of excitement. "Supposedly, everyone is going to get to participate, and it''s going to be a knockout-style tournament. Non-stop fighting until you''re beaten unconscious!" Ethi gave her a tired smile. She had heard that the manager of the fights had made a im to ''break'' the wolf with fighting, but it seemed he chose the wrong way to go about it. She could not help but wonder if the man was tearing his hair out over the woman already. "Is that so?" "Yes! I wonder if I will win. Maybe they will put me up against" Kalliope stopped talking and then sniffed in the air. Something had caught her attention. Before Ethi could open her mouth to form a question, Kalliope put a finger to her lips and cocked her head to the side. Then she walked over to the bars of the cell and pointed her ears down each hallway in turn while continuing to sniff at the air. "Who is that?" Kalliope mumbled. "I think it''s the person that captured me. What are they doing all the way out here? Are they checking up on me?" "I hear that there is a finder''s fee. A portion of your proceeds goes to the person who sold you to the fights." "Hmm is that so?" Kalliope still looked confused and spent the next few hours looking and listening down the halls. The fights were over for the night, but the woman insisted on staying near the bars all night and even fell asleep on the floor. Ethi wondered why this person had her interest so much. In the end, she chalked it up to a pride issue among beastmen. Chapter 277 Guide Two people sat at the counter of a nearly deste bar. They slowly sipped on their drinks from dented metal tankards that were long past their prime. Though the rest of the bar was of fine construction, it seemed these reserve dishes were kept for the very specific crowd that frequented the building in the small hours before twilight. Neither human spoke to the other and despite the open avability of every seat in the ce, they were seated right next to one another. The bartender sighed and picked up a few gold coinsying casually on the bar. He quickly reced their ales and then picked up a sack of gold between them before heading upstairs. With both humans alone, they dropped the hoods covering their faces. One of them was aely woman that you would easily identify out in the sticks where they were drinking, but in a ce like Arcadios''s capital, she would just be another woman in the crowd. The man, on the other hand, was a rough-and-tumble sort of person with poorly maintained stubble and a nk look in his eyes akin to that of a dead fish. "What do you want?" The man grumbled. "To prepare." The man chuckled wryly. "Why, you nnin'' on takin'' me to my bed?" "No." The woman answered coldly, "A visitor is expected in the not-so-distant future. You''ll know them when they arrive. When they do, I need you to guide them." The man spat on the floor in disgust. He could not believe what this stranger was suggesting. Not only did she intrude on his private drinking time, but she also had the audacity to speak to him and bother him. The moment she walked in, he knew that she wanted something from him. After all, he was the only drunkard up at this hour still knocking them back. In fact, if he weren''t a partial owner of this bar, there''d be no way it would even open. He studied his guest a second time. As he thought before, she was pretty for a small town like this. She would definitely stand out from the other residents here. Especially since she did not look like much of a fighter. Again, she was another city girl; worth a dime a dozen. "I don''t do that anymore." He grumbled, swirling the rancid ale in his cup. He could ask for finer stuff with his money, but somehow the awful taste made him feel better. It matched his spirit. "If you know what I did, then you know why I won''t." "I know a lot more about you than why you won''t go down there. I also know exactly what happened. I know why you had to go down there in the first ce, and I even know who is to me for that." "Bah, so what if you" He started to shout. His words were ripped from his throat when he saw a simple envelope sitting on the counter. There was nothing special about it other than a strange, shattered globe on its front. Without additional prompting, he reached for the letter and opened it. Every line of the letter was more intriguing than thest. As the man''s eyes ran down the page, his hands gripped the side of the paper tighter, crinkling the edges. His fingers squeezed tight enough to begin to tear the edges, but he was able to maintain his calm well enough to finish it. "You''re certain." "I am." The woman answered his question swiftly. No matter how hard he searched her eyes, there wasn''t a trace of uncertainty or lies. "There''s another thing I know about you." The woman proimed with a small smile. "I know you want to die, but you are too afraid to do it yourself. Follow the steps in this letter, and then await further instruction. You''ll get what you want." The woman put another letter on the table with the same symbol inked onto the front before she got up from the bar. Wordlessly, she left and disappeared into the dark vige outside. The man eyed the letter on the table and the partially crumpled and torn one in his hand. Many thoughts went through his mind, but the primary one was ''finally.'' "Did your guest leave, sir?" The bartender asked as he reappeared from above. "Aye, she did" "Shall I turn in the hush money she paid me?" "No, keep it. Every coin is yours." He answered before swallowing everyst drop of alcohol in both his and the woman''s cups. He ced down a handful of coins and then ventured into the vige. The roads were quiet and dark. Only a handful ofnterns hung along the side of the roads to light the paths. No guards were on patrol either. Most of the town''s guards were concentrated nearer the dungeon entrance. It had been a few years since the incident that forced him to turn to alcohol, but he still felt the call of the dungeon. Those who spent years inside its depths developed a strange desire to return. After years of drinking, the sense had started to dull, but tonight''s conversation reawakened the desire within. After several minutes of wandering around, he found himself standing in front of the massive doors to the dungeon. They had been sealed for months at this point and business in town was starting to dry up. There was no doubt that it would open. He could feel it in his bones. "Berk!" One of the guards who watched over the dungeon entrance called out to him. "What are you doing here? I haven''t seen you in a" "Put my name on the list. I''m signing up as a guide again." "Sure, I can do that. I don''t know when you will be able to enter again at this rate." The guardined. "The doors have been locked tight." Before Berk could say anything, both men looked back at the giant doors. A red glow began to form at the bottom corners of the doors. It moved towards the center crevice where the doors met and then traveled upward until the glow finally reached the top.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The glow then vanished, only to be reced with a bright, red sh. The doors clicked and then groaned as they slowly opened inward. Once again, the entrance to the Demon''s Stomach were open. Berk turned to face the guard whose mouth was agape. "Guess I''ll start tomorrow." Chapter 278 The Research Lab Lucius followed Headmaster Orn to arge building that looked suspiciously like a ball that had gone t on one side. The roof was made entirely of ss, but the ss was darkened and unable to be seen through from the outside. The walls were made of the same stone found everywhere else. When they made it inside, the ss roof continued to amaze everyone. Not only was it colored nearly ck from the outside, but when they stepped inside, it looked as though the ss was normal. Somehow, they could see out from the inside, but not in from the outside. "What is this?" Jade asked. "I think the scientist who invented it called it ''two-way-ss'' or ''two-way-mirror''. Or maybe it was" Orn began to devolve into a series of technical exnations that made no sense to any of the presentpany. It was clear she was very passionate about research. Lucius looked at their resident brainiac, Jade, who looked like her head was spinning while trying to keep up with the Headmaster. Meanwhile, they were being guided deeper and deeper into the building. Several times they were required to descend different staircases and pass locked doors with checkpoints. All of this security was making Lucius wonder two things. The first was how important was Orichalcum that research regarding it was this closely guarded? The second was how did someone manage to get through all of this security with any copies of notes or data in any capacity? At the same time, Lucius was personally cataloging the different scents of all the people present. He asked Orn to ensure that he had interaction with each shift of guards and informed her that he needed to meet with every shift to ensure that he knew all of them. Orn quickly agreed to his request and advised that they could stay in theb itself for the next few days. ording to her, only a handful of people left theb during the week, and even during off days and holidays, there was at least a skeleton crew ensuring nothing went wrong with the experiments. They were not allowed any information as to what experiments were being performed. Though, because it would be a moot point for them to be a source of a data leak while investigating one. Lucius did not care about it, but Jade had a slight look of disappointment on her face after learning that she could not gain any new knowledge here. As the particrs of thisb''s research would suggest, the group was able to catch glimpses of green metal being moved about the lowest level of the building. Much of it was in an unrefined state, still mixed with other metals or stuck inside chunks of rock. There were a few pieces of broken weaponry that looked simr to what Lady Tenia had shown them back in the pce. "Do you have that list of involved employees somewhere down here?" Lucius asked. "I do, it is in my personal office. We are headed there now, so please be patient." Orn answered. "By the way, it should go without saying that anything you see down here is confidential, yes?" Everyone quickly agreed and followed Orn into her office. Unlike the rest of the facility and many of the offices they had seen already, the one down in Orn''s researchboratory was rather normal. By elven standards, it likely looked like a trash heap, but for humans and beastmen, it was just a normal office. Orn exined that she was not one for the stuffy excess her countrymen disyed, and she professed a certain admiration for the simplicity of human design standards. Desmond and Jade''s lips twitched because even though she said she didn''t like elf stuffiness, she simultaneously called human design simple. Orn dug around in a few drawers and scattered a few important documents, which started to exin how a data leak was possible. In the end, she produced two simple sheets of paper with a list of names on them. They did not exin what these specific people did on the project, but that was likely on purpose. Lucius quickly checked through all the names to see if any of them stood out as concerning or recognizable in any way from his knowledge base created through his work with the King''s Shadow. None of them looked familiar to him. So to be safe, he also asked for the twins to review them. If any of them were recognizable to the twins, then they had the highest chance of being the leaker because they had known connections outside of the academy. One could look at Headmaster Orn as a threat for that reason. However, since it was her research and the level of ire she seemed to possess at her research being stolen, Lucius had extreme doubts she would be the culprit. "I need to set up interviews with everyone on this list, starting with the ones currently present. I see that the list is broken down by the three shifts. We will start with shift one, then two, and finish with three." Lucius requested, "It goes without saying, but all projects will be put on hold while we do this." Orn nodded in understanding and escorted them to arge meeting room with a semi-circr table in it. Lucius sat at the head of the table in the center and was nked on either side by the twins. The n was for them to interview each person one-on-one and ask them standard questions about their history, motivations, jobs, and other information that they had provided on their documentation. Before the interviews started, however, they first needed to review said documentation. A secretary of the Headmaster was more than happy to provide them with the requested materials. Lucius quickly dove into the research, taking down all the important pieces of information and chunking that information with each person''s name and face. Any discrepancies would be an immediate g for concern. He felt the twins'' eyes on him. Jade was clearly impressed by his abilities, but Desmond''s look only served to confuse him slightly.N?v(el)B\\jnn "What is it, Desmond?" "Well you seem to be reading through all of these really quickly. There is no way you are able to remember all of this. Especially giving the short cursory nces you are using." He was used. "Not so." Lucius answered. "It''s a technique taught by the King''s Shadow so we can memorize orders, maps, and really any information quickly and without leaving evidence." Desmond formed a sly smile. "Then why haven''t you used that ability to learn about the monsters in Arcadios like Lady Rena requested? Or perhaps you might be more inclined to answer why you did not use it for studying at the academy?" Lucius coughed with embarrassment. "It, uh, didn''t ur to me to use it for that purpose." Desmond broke out intoughter at his admission of guilt. Which only served to embarrass Lucius more. He expected the behavior to irritate him, but for some reason, he found himself enjoying Desmond''s teasing. A momentter, Lucius joined in on theughter, shocking both of the Adlers. Who had never heard such a sounde from Lucius. Chapter 279 Change and Graduation "Oh, Luz!" Grimm sang out in glee. Using a form that had not been able to materialize in eons, he bounded around in his dark space like a child. "How are you doing over there, old buddy of mine." Grimm continued to prance about and flex his fingers and arms. He had been unable to enjoy these actions for quite some time, and it felt freeing to be able to experience them again. Sometimes, it was about the simple things in life. "What do you want?" Luz whispered. "To talk. They''re moving, you know. Every time wee to this stage, they begin to move about. Such loyal pawns, don''t you agree? We haven''t been able to speak to them since Well, I can''t remember!" Grimmughed. "Yes. So they are. You act as though you have won already. There is still time. Lucius can still make different choices. The others can even find the other Fragments." Grimm smiled. The Fragments were a very important piece to the puzzle. They were ''lucky'' that Lucius and his friends managed to find a Fragment of the Abyss. One of five pieces. If they were all assembled together and granted to Lucius, then Grimm''s power would awaken within himpletely. However, Luz was right. The others could always assemble the Fragments of Celestia. After which the opposite would ur. Assembling the Fragments was the only way to absolutely crush the other side. Time and time again, Luz and Grimm would have this dance. Every time before now, it was Luz''s side that had won. Grimm would vanish, only to reform once again after Luz''s ''hero'' died. It was an endless game since neither of them could die. Grimm had long grown tired of watching the same thing happen again and again. Forever on repeat. Then, one day, things changed. Someone else changed it. For the first time since the beginning of their game, their host used Grimm''s powers. Then he continued to use them and came to rely on them. What was the most surprising was Lucius was the first host to ever absorb a Fragment of the Abyss. Of course, even with victory after victory, Grimm would not let his enthusiasm distract him from the possibility of losing. After all, Luz''s pawns were numerous, while Grimm''s were extraordinarily few. It was always possible for them to assemble the Fragments of Celestia and flip the script, so to speak. "You know, the girls we found are interesting," Grimm said with a smile. "So they are" "The rabbit is one of yours? She''s weak. It seems the bonds that hold our pieces together are weakening." "She is still holding back the elf." "For now." Grimm said with a smile. "You saw it as well as I did, right? The elf hears the call. Being near Lucius only strengthens her desire to obey. Soon enough, there will be cause for her to give in to her base instincts. Meanwhile, all your rabbit sees is a fading light and feels pity." "I have others, unlike you." Luz proimed. "So you say, my friend, but what if I don''t only have one?" Grimm''sughter echoed through the void. His final question went unanswered by the fading light. ***** Lady Briene von Lindtforth sat among a crowd of her peers. After four long years of study at the Arcadios Royal Academy, the day hade for the graduation ceremony. There were usually two ceremonies every year. The first was for honor graduates whopleted the required coursework in advance. The second was the general graduation for everyone else. Also among the early graduates were her fiance, Thomas von Petra, Gregory Burgess, Alex Kirby, and Warren Arnold, whom he nned to make his retainers. Unfortunately, also among their number were Rena Kane, the young oracle Lyrah, and Lyrah''s maid. The maid''s name escaped Briene because she was not important enough to be remembered. The three girls sat together as they always had while attending the academy. They had the gall to giggle and smile during the speeches given by the illustrious members of the nobility and famous schrs in the country. It was a time-honored tradition of the academy, and those three girls chose to defile its sanctity by cooing over the monster in the redhead''s womb. "To conclude today''s festivities we have one final speaker to invite to the stage. Please, everyone, wee King Aleksander Verall von Arcadios!" The headmaster of the academy stepped off the stage and was quickly reced by a number of guards escorting the king of their country. He stepped up to the podium and waved a hand, allowing the audience to return to a seated position after they had stood to greet him. "Students of our nation''s illustrious academy. This year''s crop of students has faced much in the way of hardships. A scant number of weeks have passed since the attack on this wonderful institution. Instigated by cowards who continue to hide in the shadows of our great nation. "You who have remained are among the best of us, and you carry with you into the future not only the legacy of those who walked this path before, but also the hopes and dreams of those who were unable to take this next step. As we all believe you will, strive to make this kingdom a better ce to live. Make it a stronger nation so that we may stand proudly as a leader of humanity. "Fight back against the corruption that desires to steal away our futures. Bring forward the light of our people''s hope. Build a future where Arcadios always stands strong. As a nation blessed by the gods in Celestia, always carry yourselves in a manner befitting their benevolence." King Aleksander closed his hand in prayer and a second man wearing the garb of the Church of Celestia stepped forward. "With the power granted to me by our benevolent gods, so it is proimed that King Aleksander speaks true. Join us in silent thanks and prayer to the gods above. Pray that they cleanse thisnd of darkness and strike those who would vite our sacred traditions." The priest said before bowing his head in prayer. Briene''s eyes settled on Rena as the partner to one of those the priest referenced. She expected to meet Rena''s gaze, but instead she found her re met by an unexpected individual. Staring directly at her were two glowing silver eyes that belonged to a beautiful ck-haired woman with an energy that made her shudder.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Lyrah maintained her gaze and smiled. Chapter 280 : Corva’s Desire After a few days of waiting, Corva started to get impatient. She had been expecting Lucius to return from Stark Academy a long time ago, but he was still there. So far, he had been gone for three days. Corva had been obsessively watching the saved recording of their rematch. He said he would not hold back in their duel, but after witnessing what happened with Snow, she could tell he lied. There was another power that he did not use in the fight. The recording showed he used his Arts, Magic, and of course, Channeling. However, not once did his mark glow. That meant he did not use it. That was until the end of the match when he told Snow to kneel. Even Corva felt the energy pouring off of him when he made thatmand. It was terrifying and gave her the urge to vomit. For Snow''s part, the look on her face was one of pure terror. She looked more like an injured animal than the powerful assassin Corva knew her to be. After watching the recording multiple times, Corva also saw that when Lucius gave hismand, Snow''s mark also shed for a moment. She tried to ask her friend about it, but Snow kept her silence. "I''m sorry, mydy. I do not wish to speak of it." That was all she kept saying. Yue appeared to be concerned for her adoptive sister and was also clearly aware of what was going on, but Corva did not press them for an answer they did not want to give. Instead, she changed her focus to trying to figure out ways to improve her items. The hammer made it out rtively unscathed this time. However, her armor was another story. It was designed with runic enchantments that would absorb and dissipate electrical energy like that from Thunder Magic and naturally urring lightning. However, Lucius somehow managed to overwhelm the rune''s capacity and shatter the armor in a single blow. Even with the recording crystals reying that portion of the fight in exceptionally slow motion, he moved too quickly to be able to be seen. Whatever it was he did to overwhelm the enchantment was unknown and would remain a mystery until he chose to reveal it. "I swear. Every time I blink I see shes of my fights with him." Corva whined, not even caring that someone had opened the door to her room, "My mind is consumed by him." The person who entered began to giggle. Corva turned around to see her older sister, Letheya, standing in a casual gown meant for resting in the evening. "Have your mind stuck on a boy?" She teased. "My, my, it seems that our little Corva is finally growing up. Who, pray tell, caught your eye?" Letheya looked at the image hovering in the air in front of Corva and squeaked after seeing Lucius''s mask. The image had frozen on the man while he was punching Corva in mid-air. Letheya eyed her youngest sister warily with eyes full of concern. "What? Oh, no. Nothing of the sort. My only love is my work. The reason I can''t get him out of my head is because I cannot think of a way to beat him!" Corvained. "Every idea I think of, I can see him countering." Letheya listened to her younger sisterin for almost an hour as she detailed several working theories. Every idea she shared for possibly beating him was then shot down with exnations of how he would get out of it. Though night had long since fallen, the elder sister listened quietly and thoughtfully. When Corva was finally done, she nodded and pondered the situation for several more minutes.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Well, what do you think?" The younger elf asked. "I think you want to build something powerful." Letheya said simply. "What do you mean? Of course I do! Were you even listening at all, sister? I can''t just power something up, then he could" "I did not say you need or want to beat him. I simply said you want to make something powerful." Letheya interrupted. "Baby sister, everything you do is to advance your knowledge and prowess with your smithing and enchanting. I think you see Lucius as an obstacle you must surpass in order to grow. However, I believe you are looking at it wrong. "Let''s say you make something that beats him. What next? Just because you made an item that can defeat a single warrior, what good will it do if it cannot beat another? Will you simply find someone else to defeat? The lessons you learned from defeating Lucius might not even apply to the next warrior, or the next after that. "I would say it is a safe bet to even guarantee that learning to defeat Lucius would actually hinder you in trying to n for someone else. That man is different. He fights differently, acts differently, and thinks differently than any other warrior that I''ve seen in my two hundred years." The younger of the two elves contemted her elder sister''s words briefly. "But then What should I do?" Corva asked. "If it''s pointless to try and beat him, what should I do?" Letheya smiled and pulled Corva into a tight hug. "Instead of trying to best him, ally with him. Do not learn how to fight him; learn how to fight beside him. From what I know, he is a clever fighter, capable of defeating those much stronger than himself. Learn from that. Don''t ovee it, embrace it." Corva sat in stunned silence. Why had she not thought of this before? She could ally with him instead of trying to beat andpete with him. She could make things for him and learn to improve items based on his ever-evolving needs! "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Corva threw her hands around her sister, gripping the elf tight enough to make Letheya wince. "Oh, sorry! I forget my own strength. By the way sister, I imagine you already knew that I would be supporting you. Right?" "I had a guess, but thank you for confirming. After this is over, why don''t you return to Arcadios with him? If I either fail or seed in ascending the throne, I worry that others may target me. I feel that Lucius will be able to protect you." Letheya exined. Corva nodded slowly. She understood why Letheya wanted to protect her. After all, Letheya was the one who basically raised her. Their mother had started suffering symptoms of the Long Sleep shortly after Corva''s birth, and because of that, Letheya was the one who cared for her the most often. Truly, there was no question of who Corva would support. Chapter 281 : Fearful Spy The researchers and assistants in the Orichalcumboratory had been on edge for a few days. Headmaster Orn suddenly showed up out of the blue with three extra guests. At least two of them were human, but the third seemed to be some sort of mixed blood. Whatever they were, their presence was a break from the norm, and that caused many people to feel stressed and concerned. How were they to assume their purpose or intentions? What made them trustworthy enough to be allowed around the research material? "Hey, Silis, what are you doing?" One of the other research assistants noticed that Silis was moving samples from oneb to another. Since he was usually doing jobs like this, no one thought his behavior was strange. "Oh. I am just moving these samples to Hall C for Professor Itone. Did you need something?" Silis asked. "Yes, actually. They are performing interviews with the research staff right now. We are being grouped up and told to wait outside the main meeting room near Orn''s office. I found out you and I are in the same group. So I guess I will see you over there in half an hour or so!" Silis''s fellow research assistant smiled innocently and trotted away, leaving him to his own devices. While his friend left, Silis maintained a smile. However, the moment his friend was gone, Silis went into a small panic. He hurriedly ced the Orichalcum samples into their containers and rushed over to Professor Itone''s office in Hall C. It was fairlymon for the assistants to run around theboratory in a hurry like he was. Many professors required their helper staff to respond rapidly at any given moment, so no one gave Silis a second look at his behavior. Once the material was deposited in Itone''s office, Silis quickly turned around and gathered his personal things. He made sure not to grab so much that it was obvious that he was trying to leave for a long period. Despite that, he still needed to ensure he had anything deemed personally important as well as anything he needed to flee the academy. "Tonight. No, not tonight. Right now. I need to leave the academy right now." He muttered to himself repeatedly while dropping things in a hurry. Storage rings were not allowed inside the research building in the event of theft, so he had to figure out how to carry what he could out in his hands and pockets. Whatever wouldn''t fit, Silis simply ced it back into his storage locker. Those items would end up left behind. Silis quickly exited the office and headed toward the lower-level exit. He noticed there seemed to be a decently long line at the doors. A number of people were trying to leave the researchboratory at the same time. Many of them were arguing with the guards, who kept putting their hands in the air and proiming there was nothing they could do. When Silis asked what was happening, a coworker informed him that the doors to the facility''s exit were locked, and no one was allowed to leave. The strangers who hade down earlier had requested that Headmaster Orn block entry and exits to the facility. Basically, they were trapped. Silis was not cut out for this kind of work. He never wanted to help the people who confronted him in the first ce. They had basically forced him to do their bidding. Now, here he was stuck like a rat in a trap, simply waiting to be discovered. While he was panicking, a hand settled on his shoulder. The sudden sensation made him almost jump out of his skin. Yet the hand held firm and kept him in ce. It wasn''t forceful or painful in any way, though. Silis followed the hand upward to its owner and locked eyes with a handsome man with purple hair and eyes as blue as the ocean. He was human and he was smilingfortingly at the elf researcher in an attempt to settle the young man''s nerves. If Silis could hazard a guess, he assumed the young man was at the beginning stages of the mature cycle of human growth, which would ce him around eighteen to twenty-three years of age. Silis would easily be five to six times the human''s age, but still, he did feel settled by the man''s warmth. "Hello, my name is Desmond. Is everything alright?" "I''m Silis. Student of Professor Itone." "Nice to meet you Silis. Are you wanting to go out tonight?" Desmond asked with a voice filled with concern. "I wanted to go see my mother. I have not seen her in some weeks now." "Let him." Another voice rang out from behind Desmond. Unlike the soothing tone that the purple-haired man had, the other voice was one thatcked any emotion. There was no hostility, but neither was their warmth. Somehow, that was worse. The owner of the voice was a ck-haired man with different colored eyes, burn marks along the back of his neck, and several scars. Next to him was Headmaster Orn. She simply watched as the other human walked up to the guard station and whispered something to them. They nodded and proceeded to unlock the doors to the stairway. "You all are allowed to leave. My investigation has been concluded. Please enjoy your night." Silis sighed in relief. It seemed he could get out of there withoutint or concern. He still decided to leave only with what he had already prepared, though, just in case there were any unforeseen incidents. "Well, I wish your mother the best." Desmond said with a gentle p on his shoulder. Silis quickly thanked him with a smile and exited slowly alongside his coworkers. If anyone among the staff attempted to leave in a hurry it would only draw suspicion. So against his better instinct, Silis simply moved with the flow of the crowd to maintain a sense of normalcy. If they were investigating something, he had to wonder what it was. At first he was concerned that it was him. Since he was leaking information to the person that confronted him several months ago. However, it seemed this was not the case. If it were, then he would have been caught. Relief washed over him as he realized that something else must have been happening. Since the investigators were mostly human, save the ck-haired man, they were likely investors that were unhappy with something. A number ofb idents recently resulted in lost material. So the academy was likely going after the staff responsible for those failures. Thankfully, Professor Itone was a brilliant man. So there were no issues with any of his experiments. His genius allowed Silis to leave the facility without any concerns for unnecessary oversight.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Still, even though he seemed to have escaped, Silis still felt as though a predator''s eyes were upon him as he left. He assumed it was a trick of the mind after being unsettled by the ck-haired man. After all, there was no way for them to know. Chapter 282 : Found Him Desmond was shocked at Lucius''s level of efficiency in the interviews he demanded to be set up. Within the first few hours, they had already reviewed the documents of all present staff and analyzed their personal and work histories. He also broke them down into manageable groups to be interviewed in sections, with small breaks in between to discuss the results of the interviews they had justpleted. Desmond''s head was spinning from the influx of information and the speed at which Lucius was processing it. He had taken the man for a bit of a muscle-head, but it seemed he had great information-gathering and processing abilities. Jade was able to keep up as well, which was no surprise to him since she was the brainiac between the twins. By the time they hadpleted the first five interviews, Desmond decided he would simply be there as moral support. He did not add anything of value to the conversation and was unneeded for the intimidation factor. Lucius had both of those things covered, leaving Desmond feeling like he was simply taking up extra space. At the first break, he said as much to the other two. Jade triedforting by reminding him that he was just as important as everyone else in the group. Lucius decided to smirk instead and say, "I''d rather have an extra piece than one less." While it sounded like apliment at first, the man''s smile indicated it was simply a back-handed one. Desmond smiled back and yfully pushed Lucius in the shoulder with his fist. "You''re a bastard, you know that?" "Ha, technically, that is correct." Luciusughed. They both broke down into a childishughing fit for a few moments, giving them both a reprieve. Lucius really needed every moment he could get to rx. Desmond could see the weight of Kalliope still missing weighing on him. While the man took his words at one of the viges seriously, there was still a part of him that could not let go of the guilt. It was wrong of Desmond to think he could eliminate it with a simple conversation, but he still felt for Lucius. He was a long way from his wife and unborn child. Whilst away, he had someone else dear to him taken. "Desmond" Lucius whispered, "Thanks. I appreciate what you are doing. I don''t trust people. At least not easily, but I wanted to let you know that I did take what you said outside that vige to heart. I also remember hearing you and Jade talk about me back in Varris." Lucius awkwardly rubbed his neck before continuing, "Anyway, you make a really good friend I guess." "Same to you, man. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to finally obtain a ce for Jade. It is the most I''ve ever had and you did not even ask for anything. So yeah, you make a good friend, Lucius." Desmond admitted while raising a hand. Lucius smiled, took it on his own, and squeezed it tightly before giving a gentle shake and letting go. They started to return to the meeting room before Lucius stopped suddenly, making Desmond smack into his back. "What" Desmond stopped himself from talking when he saw that Lucius was sniffing the air. His eyes settled on the group of disgruntled people crowding the exit. They had ordered every level of the facility to be locked down with Orn''s help, so no one could actually leave without their permission. However, Desmond figured that was not what had attracted Lucius''s attention. He followed his friend over to the crowd. Jade and Orn also noticed his behavior and joined them from a short distance behind. "That panicked-looking one. Get his attention, don''t make him think I suspect him. He smells familiar, and that''s not a good thing. Just follow my lead." Lucius whispered to him. Desmondplied, kindly greeted the man, and did his best to calm him down. He had a tag on his coat that said ''Ss''. So Desmondmitted it to memory. Lucius took the opportunity to approach the door guards and allowed everyone to leave, giving approval for the lockdown to end. Desmond maintained his fa?ade offort and confidence, but internally he was extremely confused. He did not understand why Lucius would simply let everyone go, including the person he seemed to be suspecting as being involved. He watched as Silis disappeared into the crowd and tried to maintain a calm demeanor. Unfortunately, Silis was aplete novice at this and began to ovepensate and instead of blending in, he appeared to be someone trying too hard to not be noticed. The man''s antics could only make Desmond shake his head while he looked over to Orn and Jade who were as equally confused as he was about Lucius''s n.N?v(el)B\\jnn The man in question approached them and instructed them to wait for a while and return to the conference room. With nothing else to do but follow Lucius''s strange whims, they followed him back into the room. Where he sorted through the pile of documents. He pulled one out with Silis'' name on it and began reading. "As I thought, his mother is dead." Lucius informed them. "I overheard his conversation with you, so clearly he is hiding something. Also, he smelled familiar. I can''t quite ce it, but he has something in his possession that he got from someone I''ve met before." "That''s not good." Desmond muttered. "No, it''s not." Jade agreed. "You meet some pretty dangerous people. If they are involved in something that has the interest of not only the Wisteria Concord but also someone like Lady Tenia Well that''s a problem." "Who is it?" Desmond asked. "Who is it that you smelled on him?" "If I remembered, I would tell you. Also, something is off about it. I don''t know quite what, but something about the smell is not right." Lucius exined. "Either way, we are following him. We are following him when we get word that he has left the building. Headmaster Orn, please stay here." "As you say." A few momentster, one of the guards entered the room and informed them that Silis had left the premises. He was seen heading toward an inn not far from the facility. Without a word, he and Lucius left the lower level and shortly after, the building itself. There was no doubt in Desmond''s mind now that this Silis person was the culprit. The real question was who was the person that he was working with, that Lucius seemed to know? Chapter 283 : Gett vs Kalliope [Part 1] Crowds roared in excitement and anticipation for the fights toe. They had already been treated to a handful. Some of which had major upsets. They won a few brave souls a lot of money, while costing those ying it safe their earnings. Such was the way of gambling on fights in the arena. However, the next few rounds would be easy bets. No one would win much because they already knew the oue. But if they did choose to bet on the unlikely winner, then they would walk home very wealthy men. Kalliope knew this already. She had been fighting non-stop for a while now and was still undefeated. Everything they had chosen for her to fight with was to try and put her at a disadvantage. Short of pitting her against higher-ranked opponents, they had failed. She beat all the challenges. In fact, she had started to find them entertaining and wondered if they would give her any sort of edge in future spars with Lucius. Something like that required getting out of this ce, though. Which looked extremely unlikely. The security in the fighting arena was extremely tight. Not only that, but they wore equipment that was designed to knock them unconscious with a single thought. So long as a guard had one of those mysterious crystals controlling the armor. Unfortunately for her, every single guard had a control crystal. They were not attuned to a specific prisoner. Any crystal could activate any of the prisoners'' armor at any time. This created a host of issues for any escape attempts, but there was a way to circumvent that. ording to Ethi, the crystals the guards carried were actually ve crystals to a single master. The main crystal was hidden in the personal office of the arena master, Itorin. If someone managed to destroy that crystal, then the special armor all the prisoners wore would essentially be normal pieces of fabric and metal. No longer capable of electrocuting them. This was all a pipe dream at the moment, because they had no way to actually get to this master crystal that kept them all as ves. "And now we have it folks, the night''s final event! ce your bets now or forever hold your coin! We have our new rising star, the Feral Mutt! Facing off against a rival from when she first graced these illustrious halls! Gett the Destroyer!" The crowd cheered at the announcement of Gett. Kalliope had yet to fight him since their initial spar when she kicked his ass into the dirt, but she had heard a little about his fights. Apparently, he had also been undefeated since his debut and was looking forward to her fight with him today. Lately, his preferred strategy was to take hits from his opponents while hitting them back harder with the massive swings of his axe. So far, none had stood to his onught. Nor had they been able to scratch him even when he left himself open to their attacks. She had no idea how he managed to gain that ability so quickly because he did not show such a skill in his fight with her. Normally, she would assume he was holding back. If that were the case, he would not have been as pissed off about it as he was. "I''m going to kill you this time, she-wolf." Gett growled. He lookedrger than normal, and the rage in his eyes seemed wilder than before. Something about him was unnatural, but Kalliope could not tell. For a moment, her mind went to the strange potions Lucius found, but then she remembered that Gett had Arts. So if he drank it, he would have died already. That meant something else had to be going on, and Kalliope didn''t know what that ''something'' was. Instead of worrying about that, she got into a ready position. She still fought without a weapon, so she readied her ws instead and shifted into her bestial form. After the first few fights without a weapon, she actually came to enjoy it for the training aspect. This style of fighting would help her hone her Beast Arts. Which she felt she had neglected for the past few years. Part of her stopped relying on them after Lucius had told her what happened to his Beast Arts when he was a child. Some part of her felt guilty for it for some reason. So she chose not to remind him of it. But for right now, he wasn''t here. It was free game to use whatever she wanted. "Fighters" The announcer called out. "Begin!" Gett roared in anger, the veins in his neck and face threatening to pop from the strain. He charged for her, nearly causing the arena to shake with every step. Kalliope decided that meeting this opponent head-on was a bad decision and decided to charge around instead and kite him along for a short while to gauge his reaction time. She could tell immediately that he was physically stronger than her. Kalliope had to admit that the same was true before, but he felt on a different level now. A single blow from him might take her out of the fight. It was quickly proven that while his speed was enhanced with his strength by whatever mysterious method was used, she was still many times faster than him. Kalliope was able to duck and dodge under several strikes as though he were moving in slow motion. Still, she did not want to let herself get over-confident. Over-confidence was the killer on many battlefields and was a lesson she had learned well with Lucius. Instead, she maintained a cool head and tried to analyze Gett''s weaknesses. He seemed incapable of protecting from attacks aimed toward his back at the moment. Due to the size difference, any attacks by her would not have a major impact. There was also the chance he was hiding his true reaction time and waiting for such a strike tond a grapple on her. "Only one way to test that theory." She mumbled to herself. Kalliope rushed to the side and then straight at her opponent. He raised his axe for a downward swing, but she slid along the ground and between his legs to dodge it. The moment she cleared his range, she hopped up andunched a kick into the small of his back. Unfortunately, she was right in her guess that he was hiding his true speed. "Got you!" Gett said with a smile as he whipped around and grabbed her by the ankle. "You''re mine! You bitch!"N?v(el)B\\jnn Chapter 284 Gett vs Kalliope [Part 2] An ufortable pressure continued to squeeze down on Kalliope''s foot until she felt the bones in her ankle begin to crack. In less than a second, she felt tiny fractures spread through the bones in her foot, forcing her to scream out in pain. "[Beast Arts: Iron w]!" To try and escape the hold, she put years of training into the technique that Lucius and Kalivas trained her in. The moment the mana coalesced in her ws, she forced it into her free foot. She then sacrificed her captive foot and twisted with all the enhanced force of her Art, shing across his wrist with the free limb. Gett immediately reacted and pulled back, clutching his now bleeding wrist. For a moment, Kalliope caught a sh of white, indicating she managed to get down to the bone with her attack. However, the move was not without cost. The bones in her foot were basically shattered, and she was unable to use her left foot at all. The pain was immense, but in the event of being hit by Gett, it would likely keep her conscious. Thankfully, she was already shifted into her more bestial form and was able to move about just as quickly on all four limbs as she could on two legs granted she was now moving on three, but it was still better than only one. "An arm for an arm, eh?" Gettughed while gripping his axe tightly with both hands. Blood spurted out of the open gash on his wrist, but he simply ignored it. "I think I''ll win that bet, if that''s how you want to y!" The massive elf roared a battle cry and rushed at Kalliope, who howled in response. Her eyes red with mana, and she snarled, exposing her sharpened teeth. In a blur of blonde hair, she vanished from her spot. Dirt and gravel showered down on the charging elf. Gett was unsurprised by the swift movement and wheeled around to follow Kalliope as she raced around the edge of the arena. Both he and the audience could feel her building mana for something, but no one knew what she was up to. Though Gett was strong, like Kalliope, he was not stupid enough to underestimate an opponent. "[Berserk Arts: Rage]!" Gett roared. Mana coursed around his body, erging his already swollen muscles even further. His skin seemed to stretch to its limit, barely able to contain the mass of pure power just beneath the surface. The air in his immediate vicinity seemed to almost quiver with power, shimmering like the surface of the desert sand. Kalliope rushed toward him and swiped at his legs with enhanced ws. Though the strikes had manage to almost sever his hand from his arm, now they simply bounced off his skin as if it were armor. A cloud of dust formed along the surface of the arena as the two warriors seemed to fly across the battlefield; each one making a strike at the other. Every hit sent shockwaves of mana into the stands apanied by a wave of force. Though the mana passed through the barriers harmlessly, they would asionally shimmer to block the debris and force from harming spectators. What was once a loud roar of cheers had fallen into stunned silence, with the two fighters keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. "Why won''t you just stand still, you damned mutt?!" Gett shouted in frustration. His speech was barely decipherable, being garbled by the oppressive ocean of mana both fighters created. "[Beast Arts: Savage Fang]!" Kalliope shot out of the dust like an arrow and aimed straight for Gett''s axe. Her mana-enhanced teeth crunched through the handle of the weapon like it was a simple toothpick. The axe head fell to the ground with a dull thud, essentially useless. Without a usable weapon, Gett tossed the remaining wood aside and pounded his fists together. As the wolf-girl dove at him again, he mmed his fist into the ground and sent her flying back into the dust with a wave of force. Like her, Gett did not possess anypatibilities with his fists, but his other enhancements did not make him a slouch in unarmedbat. The elf charged into the cloud to chase his opponent. No longer would he stand still and wait for her to make an attack. There was no telling what else she had in her arsenal, especially since the mana she was building continued to grow. Instead of decreasing with each attack, the mana in Kalliope''s body continued to condense. Gett found himself getting worried at what this could mean. Did he push her too far? What else was she hiding? "Get back here!" Gett screamed, chasing the blonde tail in front of him. With a stomp to boost his speed temporarily, he managed to grab a handful of Kalliope''s tail, making her yelp in surprise. Gett immediately spun in ce, mming Kalliope into the wall beside them. The stone cracked under the force and Kalliope spat out a glob of blood. Luckily for her, the pain kept her awake and helped her maintain concentration on building her mana. Gett''s fist arced down toward her face, but she managed to move to the side in time for it to imnt into the stonework and get stuck.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om She attempted to escape, but the elf still had a firm hold on her tail. Gett yanked her into position for another punch, but she managed to dodge it yet again, trying desperately to punch and w at his arms and face. Every strike seemed to nce off his skin, incapable of bypassing his enhanced defense from his [Rage]. Since she was saving her mana up for the moment, she was unable to surpass the defense with any additional Arts. All she had to do was buy time for a few more moments "I''m going to turn you into a paste!" Gett proimed, "I will pay you back for humiliating me. I''ll be the only undefeated champion of this arena!" "You can keep that title!" Kalliope shouted, dodging an attempted knee into her gut. "I only want out of here. So keep your goals, fight your battles, and be a champion in this hellhole. I have greater things in mind!" "Don''t mock me!" Gett screamed. He readied another strike and began to swing Kalliope into the wall a second time, but he was caught by a wild look in her eye. "What are you doing?" Kalliope released a breath that seemed to steam despite the warmth of the arena. "Time''s up, you fucking elf, [Beast Arts: Therianthropy]" Chapter 285 Co-Conspirator Lucius tracked through the streets of Stark Academy with Desmond hot on his trail. Despite the differences in speed and stamina, he was surprised that the human was able to keep up so well with him. The scent of the elf known as Silis was still strong and easy to follow, yet there was a second, slightly familiar scent on the wind as well. Whoever it was that Silis was working with was somewhere within the academy, though Lucius was struggling to pinpoint where they might be at the moment. Since the other individual was a lost cause, he redoubled his efforts to follow the elf traitor. Silis was none the wiser about their presence as he twisted and turned through different alleyways to try and hide his route. His movements were that of an amateur, making it easy to guess which of the inns he was looking for. Desmond nodded at Lucius when he also predicted where the elf was going and went ahead to scout the area out. Though he was certain the co-conspirator would not make themselves known out in public, there was still a chance, so Lucius did not want to lose physical eyes on Silis. After a few more minutes, Silis entered a smaller inn without incident. Desmond was waiting around the side for Lucius to approach. When he reached his friend, they headed inside together and found a rather normal-looking business. The bar was filled with a few students who were drinking away the stress of sses andining about different lectures. The few tables on the ground floor were filled with a handful of students nibbling on the small meals that they could afford on their limited budgets. There were three employees handling everyone in the front, and Lucius could hear at least two more in the back manning the kitchen. Of the three in the front, the bartender appeared to be in charge of the ce. She was stocky for an elf but still decently attractive, and she had an expression that begged for someone to cause trouble. "A shifty and scared-looking elf just came in here. I imagine he has a room here or was allowed into the room someone else purchased. This is for you to close shop and look the other way." Desmond said with a carefree smile while cing a sack of coins on the bar. The woman looked up at him and raised an eyebrow without saying anything before politely pushing the back into his hands. Desmond refused to take it and exined, "My friend here is on his best behavior at the moment. However we are on a task at the behest of Headmaster Orn as well as Lady Tenia din Aedrider. Perhaps it would be best to ept the offer, miss." Desmond''s charming smile was so bright that a few of the female, and even some male, students in the building began to blush. The bartender on the other hand, was starting to tremble a little when he mentioned Lady Tenia''s name. Most outside of the pce would not even mention thedy''s name, preferring to refer to her as the Lady of the Mountain. The fact that Desmond had no such fear of her name nor of reprisal for iming to work on her behalf convinced the bartender that he was speaking truthfully.N?v(el)B\\jnn This time, she grabbed the sack of gold and instructed her employees to shutter the building and push all the customers outside for their own safety. While they did that, Lucius went up the stairs to the second level, where the rooms were, and he could hear Silis speaking to someone. As Lucius approached the door, he heard Silis panicking and talking rapidly. If he had not heard the heartbeat of a second person on the other side of the door, he would have assumed that Silis was talking to himself. The familiar scent was stronger now as well, indicating that the person Lucius somehow knew was in there with him. It took a few moments to remember because the scent had changed so much as if it was being masked somehow, but he finally managed to ce it. Rage welled up inside Lucius as he burst into the room. ***** Silis made sure to take several alternative routes throughout the academy on his way to the meeting spot. His contact had told him to randomize his turns whenever running away from a pursuer so he could throw them off the trail. He did as he was told and took nearly a dozen unnecessary turns before finally arriving at the usual ce. Without even a simple nod at the proprietress of the inn, he rushed up the stairs to the furthest room on the left. Waiting for him inside was the contact, who was dressed in ck from head to toe and wore a ck veil over her face. The only thing that indicated the person was a woman was a slight protrusion from the chest, but otherwise, none of her other features were visible. None except for the metal prosthetic that hummed with mana due to the crystals embedded around the joints of the artificial limb. In her hand was a simple letter, and she silently tossed it at him for him to read. Silis had no idea how she was able to remain so quiet all the time, nor did he understand why the letter made no sound as he tore it open. On the outside of the letter was the usual symbol, a shattered globe. He quickly read the letter, the contents of which made the blood drain from his face. "No no, no, no, no!" He shouted, "You can''t do this to me! Just cutting me off I gave you everything you asked for!" The woman in ck stood in silence as he berated her and screamed. Soon his anger turned into fear. Silis resorted to begging her on his hands and knees to change her mind. The letter informed him that the people his contact worked for no longer needed him and that they were terminating their contract. "I even sabotaged the research data! I did everything you asked! Thanks to me, Aedrider will never discover the truth behind Orichalcum I" Silis suddenly found himself unable to speak. The woman gently touched his shoulder and at the same moment, all attempts at making sound failed. He could not even hear his own heartbeat and started to worry that he was already dead. A loud bang came from his right side, and the human from earlier with the beast-like eyes burst through the door. His face was contorted in anger, and his eyes were lockedpletely on the woman. The woman slowly removed the veil covering her face, exposing a horrifying mask of scarred flesh that had once been her face. She quickly removed a dagger from her cloak and mmed it up to the hilt into Silis''s neck. Due to whatever magic was at work, his gurgling was silent, reaching no one at all. As the world began to darken around him, he heard a handful of words from the woman. "It''s been a long time, Lucius Have you missed me?" Her voice was hoarse as if the mere act of talking brought her pain. "Mia" the human known as Lucius growled. That was thest thing Silis heard before darkness consumed him. Chapter 286 Beast Arts It has long been said that the Beast Arts were granted to the beastmen by the gods at the time of creation. The elves were gifted long lives filled with beauty. The humans were granted adaptability and bountifulnds. However, the beastmen were left to fight in barrennds and relied upon strength to survive the harsh world and one another. The gods took pity on their struggle and granted them Arts meant only for their kind. At least, this was the story that was passed down from generation to generation. None could say if this were truth or fanciful fiction, but there remained one truth regardless of which it was. Beast Arts were something that only those who shared in a bounty of their blood could ess. Many strong abilities were hidden within this branch of the Arts. They included abilities that would erge the user, strengthen their ws or limbs, and even enhance their senses. Each and every one of these was avable to all beastmen. However, among these skills, there remained one that was considered a myth. It was known as the peak of the Beast Arts, only ever being used by great kings and legendary warriors. This was the hidden skill, [Therianthropy]. Normally, all beastmen are capable of Shifting. This allows them to temporarily increase the strength of their bodies and senses outside of the use of Arts. They retained their human forms but often grew extra fur or scales for as long as they remained in that form. [Therianthropy] was different. This hidden skill allowed its user to transform their entire body into that of a beast. Kalliope had just activated this ability. Her bones cracked and groaned as she grew to almost eight feet in height. The muscles in her arms bulged and the skin ripped itself apart from the rapid expansion. Blood sttered over the ground, wall, and Gett, who still had a firm grip on Kalliope''s tail. Metal ttered to the ground as the armor the Gray Wolf was wearing ripped itself free of her body. Where her skin had sloughed off was reced with lustrous golden fur to match her blonde hair. Her face had elongated into a wolf snout, and her teeth were reced with two rows of razor-sharp ones. Kalliope released a howl into the air upon thepletion of her transformation. Gett, who used to berger than her, now had to look up at her standing almost a head and a half taller than her, though she was still slightly hunched over. Stay tuned for updates on empire The formerly beautiful warrior now resembled ancient werebeasts from ages long past. She leaned in closer to Gett''s face, which was frozen in terror, and snarled while snapping her teeth. Gett let out a small whimper and attempted to retreat to reassess the situation. Before the elf could get too far, Kalliope reached out her wed hand as fast as lightning and wrapped her talons around his neck. She lifted him into the air before quickly mming his face into the dirt. While holding him in ce, Kalliope began to run at a full sprint, plowing the cavern floor with the elf''s head. Gett left a streak of red around the circumference of the arena, with Kalliope only stopping after making a full circuit. The crowd above still sat in stunned silence. It was hard to tell if they were frozen out of excitement or fear. Kalliope could sense dozens of guards grouping themselves behind the gates leading into the arena. Mana poured off of Kalliope, and her logical mind started to fade. At first, she wanted to turn the tide of battle, but now she was beginning to entertain other thoughts. Thoughts about what elf tasted like. Thoughts about how many warriors she could devour before they put her down. These were thoughts of the beast, not of the warrior within. Not only had she managed to activate a hidden skill, but she had burst through the rank of Intermediate and into Advance. Right now, she was fighting at the peak of Advanced Rank. Gett stood no chance. The armor that controlled her had also been destroyed andy in a pile near the wall. "Bring in the Masters! Bring them in now!" "They''re on their way! Damnit what the hell is happening!" "I don''t know, we have to hold her back until they arrive from outside!" The guards were in a panic and trying to figure out how to handle her increased power. Kalliope roared at the men who started to pour into the arena. Several attempted to attack her at once with a few wielding strange metal rods that sparkled with lightning. A single swipe of an arm was enough to knock back the first wave. One of the smaller guards had the unfortunate fate of ducking under the swing and bing the only target within reach. Unable to resist the urges her new form gave her, Kalliope eyed the young man hungrily. His supple flesh caused her to drool, and she blocked out the other charging soldiers, focusing solely on him. The guard screamed and turned to run, but that only further exacerbated her new instincts. Kalliope pounced on her fleeing target, sinking her teeth directly into the back of his neck, tearing out a chunk of his spine. The moment the blood touched her lips, all reason finally left her body. Kalliope''s mind had gone into hibernation, and the body left behind operated for the sole purpose of feeding and destroying. Screams and shouts filled the arena as the guards continued to attack the feral monster in front of them. Several members of the crowd began to flee, but many continued to watch the new blood sport that erupted before their eyes. Soon, their eyes were drawn to a group of five individuals that entered the arena. These five people immediately locked onto the werebeast and charged toward it. Kalliope sensed the approach of the new opponents, who each far outssed her in power. Instead of being wary of them, she saw their presence as a challenge and left the pile of gore she had created. "Don''t kill it! We have to keep it alive! Itorin''s orders!" the leader shouted, "[Lux: Blinding Light]" ""Right!"" the other four agreed. Kalliope found herself temporarily blinded but continued to charge at her enemies using her other senses. She made a wild swing and made contact with what felt like a shield. "[Shield Arts: Shatter]!" An explosion rocked the right side of Kalliope''s body, and she felt her arm go limp and useless. A slight whistle to her left indicated a hammer was heading toward her face, and she ducked below it before countering with a sh that harmlessly bounced off the attacker''s armor.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Goodnight, wolf." A calm voice appeared out of thin air from behind her. "[Tempestas: Thunderp]" The p of hands was swiftly followed by an explosion of force right next to her ear and rocked her to her core. Kalliope stumbled about for several moments,pletely disoriented, before she fell into a slump on the ground. Just as her vision was returning from the spell, it was darkening once more from the loss of consciousness. Itorin''s voice called out, "Well, looks like we are going to have to rank up her fights. That was very, very impressive. Thank you, guys, for keeping her alive. Gods, I had no idea you would be this good of a money maker." Chapter 287 Old “Friend” "Mia" Lucius growled. He simply ignored the elf gurgling on his own blood silently next to her. The half-elf he once called a friend no longer looked like she used to. Her face was covered in burn scars so bad that she did not even look like a ghost of her former self. Her right arm was made entirely of metal from the shoulder down. Her left leg from the hip down was alsopletely artificial. "You look good for someone who got blown up." Miaughed. "You don''t." Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing ever closer and deeper with each passing second. A few small coins that had rolled onto the ground rattled about along the floor from the vibrations. Lucius could also tell that Desmond was trying to maintain steady breathing through the pressure of Lucius''s anger. "You''ve gotten pretty strong, haven''t you Lucius? I''ve seen you fighting. Great job in Alvora. Oh, and the Exhibition Tournament and I suppose at the Arcadios Royal Academy too. You have been quite the busy boy." Mia said with a strained smile. "I hear you got married to Rena! Congrattions are in order, I suppose. I bet your wedding was a grand affair, filled with love and happy cheers! I also hear you''ve been making friends too, good job!" She continued. Lighting struck just outside the building causing a sh of light to fill the room through the open window. The smell of ozone filled the air. "Why are you alive?" Lucius asked. Mia''s smile faded, and the twinkle in her eyes dimmed. "I should be asking you. You should be dead. I sacrificed so much to kill you you know. Since I''ve joined up with my new friends, I have learned a lot about you, Lucius. "You and that Mark You''re dangerous. At least as long as you use those infernal powers of yours. Some are saying it''s not toote. They are saying you can still change, that there is still time!" Mia paused to take a deep breath. "But I don''t. I don''t think that at all. I think you still deserve to die. Nothing else will satisfy me." Tired of listening to her rant, Lucius summoned a [Thunderp] spell into his foot. He stamped the ground and sent a wave of force into Mia, sending her flying through the wall of the second floor. Without waiting for her tond, Lucius jumped out of the building after her. Mia, as expected, was perfectly fine and sent a [Dark Bolt] hurdling at him. The mark on her left hand was glowing, meaning she had silenced herself so he could not hear her activating her Arts or Magic.N?v(el)B\\jnn Lucius was forced to take the hit, but absorbed a part of the blow with a sudden activation of a low-level [Lightning Bolt]. It still left a smoldering patch of skin on his shoulder, but it did not cause him much pain. Mia smiled at his strength and loosed a barrage of arrows, each infused with golden mana. Lucius swung his sword through a number of them as he chased after her through the alley. Lucius wrapped his body in [Lightning Charge] supplemented with his [Savage Strike] skill. Red lightning sparked off of him as he sped up after the half-elf. He was surprised at her ability to stay ahead of him and attributed that to whatever mana was powering her artificial leg. "Get back here, Mia!" He roared, "I''m going to kill you for betraying me!" Mia smiled even wider and released several more arrows in his direction. The speed and power of the attack continued to shock him, but he assumed that she was Advance Rank with some powerful equipment. Something about the arrows did not seem right either. As expected, some of them were illusions created by her Arts, but the real ones had a strange smell to them. This told him they were poisoned, but he had no clue what with. The only thing he knew was that he had to avoid them out of caution. Mia was not an idiot. If he caught up to her, then this was her n the entire time. She was prepared for him toe to her, so she likely poisoned these with something that was prepared especially for him. On top of that, he needed to head her off quickly. If she were leading him somewhere, that would only make the situation worse for him. She continued to dodge through the alleys of the academy. A few times, their des crossed, and Mia was blown back by the force. There were still a few people walking around the academy, and their screams filled the air as they dodged arrows and magical lightning from the battle. Stark Academy''s guards knew that something like this might happen, so they were prepared and tried to cordon off the area for the battle to ur. Students and staff who managed to get past their line were carefully escorted to safe areas, and a few of the buildings were carefully evacuated. Lucius found a small opening and swung his enchanted machete, extending it at thest minute to strike her in the gut. However, it was a ruse, and she managed to toss a dagger at the opening he left behind. The de sunk hilt deep into his thigh. Due to the adrenaline from the fight, he barely felt the pain, but he knew it was likely poisoned with whatever it was Mia was using. Lucius figured he had only a short amount of time before it started working and decided to resort to hisst resort. "[Abyss Break: Abyss Armor]" Inky-ck shadows enveloped Lucius''s body up to his neck and solidified into a glossy, metallic armor. Six massive tendrils erupted from his back and hung off him like demonic wings. Each one writhed like a snake with a mind of its own. "You''re done, Mia!" He roared, charging after her twice as fast as before. In the past, his armor only had one tendril, but thanks to the Fragment of the Abyss he found, he now had six. ording to Grimm, this was the second of three ability levels for [Abyss Armor]. On top of the six independently controble tendrils, it also enhanced his durability and speed. The burst of speed was finally enough to close the gap that Mia was able to consistently regain. Sweat poured off of her like a river as she tried in vain to create space between them again. Lucius could feel a burning sensation in his leg but bit his tongue to keep his mind clear for long enough to catch his enemy. After a few more moments, they came to the edge of the academy, and Mia was left with nowhere else to go except off the cliff. For a moment, she looked over the edge as if to contemte that being the better option. Just as she was about to leap, two tendrils shot out and grabbed her by her ankles, stringing her up off the side of the cliff. Lucius limped up to her, feeling more and more faint from the poison coursing through his body. Continue reading at empire "You aren''t looking too good!" Miaughed. "Who do you work for?" Lucius managed between ragged breaths. "Might as well kill me." Mia chuckled, "I wasn''t supposed to survive this mission anyway. Besides, best not to waste any time. Your bitch, Kalliope, is being worked to the bone as we speak. She''s tough, but I don''t know how long she''s going tost!" Mia cackled maniacally, forcing her to cough and wheeze. Lucius contemted whether or not he should try any harder to press her for information, but he felt his power waning in the face of the poison coursing through his veins. "Bye, Mia." He grunted. The remaining four shadow tendrils flew at the woman. Two pierced through her heart and lungs, while two more sliced through her neck, sending her head cascading off the side of the mountain. With thest of his strength, Lucius threw her headless body as far as he could with a swift whip of the tendrils. The moment the body disappeared over the edge of the mountain, Lucius copsed to the ground and continued to wheeze on the ground. Though he managed to stay conscious, every moment of being dragged to a medical center felt like hell on earth. Chapter 288 Poisoned Fire coursed through every inch of Lucius''s body. He felt like his entire body had been set aze. The sensation was thousands of times worse than the explosion in Alorek''s desert. At least then, the mes were real and burned away his nerve endings, taking away the pain. However, no such mercy was granted to him now. Whatever poison was at work sapped him of his strength. Any attempt to move on his own was futile. Even his senses had been dulled, and his vision blurred. Faint voices echoed around him, and he could feel himself being carried somewhere. Unfortunately, Lucius was unable to tell who was moving him or where they were taking him. Find adventures on empire A quick sh of purple moved in front of his eyes, apanied by two small blue orbs. It seemed one of the twins was trying to talk to him, and though he could not hear or understand them, it wasforting to know one of them was by his side. After what felt like hours, his scenery changed from the open stars above to a stone ceiling. He also felt himself no longer being moved around, which did help ease some of the pain he was feeling. Other people gathered by his side and poked him with their fingers and sharp instruments. Every sensation sent a shock of pain through his body. Despite being very ustomed to injury, the intensity forced him to groan and shout with every touch. The people surrounding him were wearing bright, white gowns and had strange masks covering their faces. asional shes of different faces entered and exited his vision in rapid session. Wherever he was, there seemed to be a number of different people who had reced his friends. Ever since he noticed the purple hair of one of the twins, he had not seen them again. Despite the pain, he knew he wasn''t in danger, but he still felt a sense of anxiety building in his chest. It had been a long time since he had felt this weak. It was different than after he used his [Overcharge] in the Exhibition Tournament. Back then, he had been drained of all his mana, and though he felt drained, he still had his physical strength to rely on. Right now, he would have been shocked to even stand on his own. Feeling so small and dependent on others was not something he enjoyed As he started feeling sorry for himself, someone ced something small and cold in his ear. It was a familiar sensation and was easily recognized as the receiving part of amunication crystal. Jade''s calming voice echoed in his mind, "Don''t worry, Lucius. Brother got you some help. You''ve been brought to a medical facility in the pce. I know you cannot respond, but we are here for you." Knowing that Jade was safe and nearby helped ease some of the anxiety. She continued to talk to him and let him know what it was the medical staff were doing. He appreciated her insight since he was lost at what was happening in the world beyond his blurred vision and intense pain. ording to her, he was struck with a nasty concoction of different poisons. None of them were particrly deadly, but the blend made it hard to create a cure for them. Some of the poisons conflicted with themon antidotes for others. On top of that, one of the poisons was hindering the application of mana, so healing magic and cure magic were ineffective. One final obstacle to finding a cure for him was the fact that one of the poisons waspletely foreign to elven knowledge. Lucius wracked his brain to think of options for poisons that the elves would not know about. He thought back to the scent of the poison and how it was odd. After trying to mentally sort through the different odors, he realized why it smelled odd. Lucius turned his hand to face his palm up and activated his storage ring. A small potion vial appeared in his palm. "Potion poison to Arts." He mumbled There was no way for him to exin further to the elves around him and he had to hope that either they would understand or that Jade was close enough to understand. It had taken almost everything he had to do that much already. "Lucius! Is that what I think it is? Okay, I''ll tell them." Jade yelled into his mind. The weight of the potion vial vanished from his palm, and more elves scurried in and out of his vision. There was only enough time and potion avable to develop a neutralizing agent, so he did not have to worry about them investigating all of the substance''s effects. Lucius also hoped that the Adlers would not exin further the significance of the potion because they still needed to find the source, and adding potential other sources for copycats would slow that progress to a halt. Nearly an hourter, someone cradled his head and pressed something cool to his lips. A foul-tasting liquid entered his mouth, and despite the taste, he made sure to swallow what he hoped was a potion. For a moment after, nothing happened, but then the fire in his blood began to recede and some of his strength returned. Additional bottles were given to him, each one tasting just as disgusting as the first, but with each sessive potion, Lucius regained each of his faculties. The final potion returned his sight to him. Though the poisons were no longer hindering him, much of his strength was still recovering. It seemed like it would be a short while before he would be back to normal, but the light was at the end of the tunnel.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Lucius, I am so d you are okay!" Jade rushed up to him from the other side of the room and nearly tackled him back onto the bed he had been ced on. Desmond shook his head and pried his sister off of him before chastising her for potentially harming him. "You know he''s not fully recovered, dummy Anyway, d you are okay." "Thanks, I" "We need to talk." Desmond''s face was deathly serious. "I don''t know how long you think you''ve been out, but it has been nearly a week since your fight with Mia and some things have happened" "A week?!" Lucius jumped to his feet and nearly fell over, only to be stabilized by Jade. "No, I killed her only a few hours ago. I swear it''s only been five hours or so. Kalliope has anyone gone after her while I was out?" Desmond grimaced and shook his head, "No. We haven''t been able to do anything. When I tried, we were told that things had changed." If Lucius had not expended most of his mana, then the floor of the room they were in would have shattered, but luckily for them, he was nearlypletely empty. "Nothing else matters." He growled dangerously, "I have remained calm. I yed the slow game. I did the favors I was asked. I met the people I was told to meet. I want Kalliope back. Now." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 289 A Hitch in the Plan Princess Letheya din Aedrider carefully entered the medical pavilion in the pce. Several guards followed her, as did one of her brothers, who begged her not to visit the patient.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You cannot visit him personally! What if he attacks? He''s not going to be happy!" Her brother begged. "I know we need him, but he''s dangerous. We must tread carefully. Arcadios and Eroa both said as much." Letheya continued to walk to the medical pavilion with the mission of speaking directly with their guest. Things had changed in the time he had been in and out of consciousness. Because of what they intended to ask, she figured that she should be the one to break the news. She approached the double doors to the man''s room and pushed them open gently. She was able to feel the frustrationing off Lucius, but it was nowhere near as threatening as it had been in the past. Were he not in a weakened state, Letheya was sure that she would have passed out from the pressure of his mana. "What do you want?" Lucius growled. "Lord Kane. Please, I have a request, you see my sister" Letheya exined what had urred over thest few days. Aya left the pce the same day as the investigation in Stark Academy. She went to her territories in the northern part of the country and then wentpletely silent. All of the intermediaries they had set up stopped reporting, as did several of their spies. At the same time, the intermediaries within the pce and Letheya''s own territories were found dead by apparent suicide. Everyone feared the worst at the sudden turn of events. A dayter, their fears were realized as Aya''s troops in the north began to mobilize and march in the direction of the pce. The elven kingdom of Aedrider was now embroiled in a civil war. Its borders had been closed, and citizens from outlying viges and farms had started to flee into therger cities for protection from the battles. Letheya''s forces and those of the allied nobles and siblings had met Aya''s and slowed their advance, but reports had started to indicate additional forces gathering near Varris. This would put Letheya''s armies in the poor position of fighting a war on two fronts. Lord Kane sat on his bed, listening intently to her exnation with an expression on his face that was impossible to read. She hoped that what she was getting at was clear, but there was only one way to be sure, and that was to ask him directly. "So, Lord Kane, I need" "I''m not lifting another finger for you damned elves until I get Kalliope back!" Lucius shouted. The sudden yell made Letheya jump and the guards with her instinctively drew their swords. The man known as Desmond Adler put a hand on Lucius''s shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "As I told Desmond, I''ve done enough. Get me my Kalliope, now. I will watch your kingdom burn before I move another step without her." Lucius''s presence was nowhere near as threatening as before. Yet, for some reason, the look in his eyes forced Letheya to shudder in fear. Though the sheen of his eyes were entrancing, there was something within them that threatened to devour her. "I understand your concern, Lord Kane However our n to fight back relies upon having every strong fighter we can get. That includes you. Our n also includes using your skills working behind the" "Princess Letheya din Aedrider. I swear on everything that I am that if you do not assist me in rescuing Kalliope, I will personally end the war for session right here in this very room." Never in her life had Letheya felt so afraid. For the first time in her century or so long life, she finally looked death in the face. Not having Lucius on their side immediately put a big hitch in their ns. However, not having him help them at all was infinitely worse. She had no doubt in her mind he would follow through with his less-than-subtle threat. "Fetch Lady Voltara al Famyn. Tell her that Lord Kane has awoken and wishes to move forward with her n in Seteste." One of the guards at the door bowed and exited the room swiftly. The rest of them maintained a firm grip on their weapons and kept them leveled on the half-blood in front of them. No one spoke while they awaited the arrival of thedy. Only the sound of breathing and the asional shifting armor of Letheya''s soldiers broke the silence. A short whileter, Lady al Famyn entered the room, followed by Corva and her two attendants. The human leader of the Wisteria Concord had her typical charming smile on her face. It seemed the awkward air was still not enough to break her imprable fa?ade. Or maybe it was more the fact that she expected such a scenario. In truth, Voltara al Famyn warned Letheya not to broach the subject of joining the war effort. However, she stupidly ignored that advice and tried anyway. "Princess Letheya, Lords Kane and Adler, as well as Lady Adler. Hello once again." Voltara said with a bow. "I understand you wish to collect on the favor I owe you for helping with the Orichalcum research theft?" Lucius nodded affirmatively, allowing Lady al Famyn to inform them of her n. She admitted to having several contacts within the city of Seteste. The n was to smuggle Lucius in as a fighter. Since he happened to be in a weakened state, there was no need to hide his identity. Voltara''s contacts would happily proim his identity and im that his weakened state was what allowed him to be captured. They would then put their special armor and equipment onto Lucius which would make them feel secure in their decision to have him as a fighter. Corva also added her expertise to the situation. As someone who was knowledgeable in runes and enchantments, she was able to teach Lucius some of the tricks to escaping from the binds they would ce upon him. "Also, I will be gifting you Snow for the mission. She will sneak into the arena alongside you, but she will do so under the guise of a participant. With her help you should be able to escape with your friend." Corva said with a huge smile and thumbs up. Though Letheya could not say for sure, Corva''s retainer, Snow, almost seemed scared of the prospect of going on this mission Chapter 290 Protect The sun had not yet risen over the horizon when a single cart approached the main entrance to the cave outside of Seteste. It was cold enough for the traveling cart''s driver to see their breath. He was wrapped in a warm cloak, but still trembled asionally. Outside the cave entrance, a handful of elves stood watch and slowly approached the cart as it came to a stop. A gentle sprinkle of water started to fall from the sky, and the clouds began to darken. It seemed like a rainstorm was beginning. "What business do you have, stranger?" The driver pulled down the hood of his cloak. "I am here to make a delivery at the request of Lady Voltara al Famyn. She says that a man by the name of Itorin would ept this prisoner transfer?" The guards looked at one another carefully before looking at the back of the cart. There was a man in torn clothes with shaggy ck hair. His eyes were different colors, and he red at them with pure hatred. A few of them subconsciously stepped back despite him beingpletely bound and gagged. One of the guards whispered to another, who then vanished into the cave entrance. A few minutester, another man emerged with a few people whom the carriage driver assumed to be Master Rankers. Whoever this ''Itorin'' was, he seemed important. "I hear you have a package for me. Is that true? Who have you brought on behalf of Lady al Famyn?" The man assumed to be Itorin asked. "She said that this man caused a lot of trouble in the capital of Aedrider and Arcadios. The Five Kings Union view him as a problem and so she wished to be rid of him." The carriage driver answered. "His name?" "Lucius Kane, otherwise known as Titan of Eroa." Itorin''s eyes went wide. The Master Rankers at his side grabbed their weapons and immediately surrounded the cart. No one made a move while the leader of the arena circled around to inspect the goods. Just as the guards had seen, a man with one gold and one silver eye, ck hair, and several scars and burns along his neck, face, and back were present. Everything about him matched the known description of the infamous Titan of Eroa. Itorin could feel his mouth watering at the mary potential of having such a man under his control. "How did you capture him? He seems a lot weaker than what the rumors suggest." "He was poisoned. We cured him before arriving here, but he has yet to fully recover from the effects. He''s currently bound and cuffed with mana-sealing shackles, but I would suggest doing whatever it is you do with prisoners before he regains his full strength." Itorin did not miss the shiver that wracked the carriage driver''s body. It seemed he had witnessed the infamous Titan at work at some point. With a simple snap of his fingers, the Master Rankers grabbed the prisoner and dragged him out of the wagon. They were not trying very hard to be gentle, and the man fell t into the mud behind the cart after being yanked out. Itorin pulled arge leather sack out of a storage ring and handed it to the carriage driver. "Tell the illustriousdy that this is the initial finders fee for such a specimen. Also, let her know we hope she attends the fights soon. Several of her former products have performed exceptionally well, and I think she would enjoy witnessing their development." Itorinughed. He began to walk inside before the carriage driver called back out to him. "Sir! Please be careful with that one He is a terrifyingly clever and destructive beast." With a crack of his reins, the driver nodded and turned back toward the capital. Though it was a mere hour or so by carriage, it was easy to see from where the cave stood. Itorin smiled and nodded for his men to drag their new prize into the cave behind them. They quickly followed and dragged the resisting man behind them. Even at full strength, they knew that Titan would be unable to resist their might. One of them alone would be enough to subdue him, though it would require a fair amount of effort. Watching them from a distance, hidden within the shadows of a small collection of trees was a pale, white elf with white hair. Her ice-blue eyes watched the events unfold with a strange intensity. With her training in lip reading and the spyss she was using, she was able to get a good understanding of the conversations urring as well. ''Attack'' The words appeared in her mind, forcing Snow to cradle her head momentarily as if stifling a powerful headache.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ''Kill'' ''Defend'' ''Avenge!'' These ideas came one after another, each bringing with it another wave of pain. Snow''s very body felt like her enemy as she had to force herself to stand still, to let them carry Lucius away. Corva had requested she assist Lucius Kane in the mission to rescue his friend, but even from the beginning, she was opposed to her own involvement. The darkness surrounding him only grew in size and scope. The call from within her soul to follow it only grew stronger, and this time, she did not have her sister, Yue, to pull her out of it. No light crystals could chase this darkness away, but Corva did not listen. "Dammit all! What is that man" Snow whispered while cradling herself. Yue sensed something different about him from what Snow saw. The rabbit girl had told her that a fading light surrounded Lucius Kane. However, there was no possible way for any kind of light could be within that man. If there was, Snow could not see it. She even tried to exin what she felt to Yue, but all her sister could do was smile weakly and hug her. Her touch chased away the call of the mark, but the effect faded over time. ''Protect!'' Snow gasped. Before, everything her mark whispered had been a feeling or an idea. However, for the first time, a voice echoed in her mind. It was more powerful than any sensation she had felt before. Snow''s eyes glossed over for a moment. "Protect." She whispered before vanishing into the darkness, leaving behind only a wisp of ck smoke. Chapter 291 Important Some portions of Stark Academy had been damaged in the events that urred a week prior. The half-blood beast known as Lucius Kane had proceeded to chase a half-elf around the academy level of the city and destroyed chunks of the road and sides of buildings.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Earth Magic users and specialized construction workersbined their efforts to repair the damage, but some of it was slow to progress because the school did not halt sses. So far, no one had reported any injuries urring as a result of the incident. Which was something that Headmaster Orn was thankful for. Another thing she was thankful for was the fact that the elf who had been the spy was already in and that elf, Silis, had no living rtives. She had thought it odd when she heard he imed to need to see his mother or something to that respect, but since he was simply an assistant it did not register to her immediately. There were far more important things taking up space in her mind. Remembering the family situation of every research assistant was not among them. ording to the human man named Desmond, Silis had not only reported their progress to an unknown third party, but he had also modified the results of hundreds, if not thousands of their research documents. There was no way to know what data was modified and what data was not. This set their research back to almost the beginning stages because they needed to perform many of the base experiments on Orichalcum again and then slowly work to verify the data of every record they had. Orn estimated that it would take them almost four decades to recover from the incident. Which was almost as long as they had been doing experiments. Orn had also attempted to submit a request to speak with Lady Tenia din Aedrider to see if she could catch them up to speed. As expected, the Lady''s answer was the same as it always was:plete silence. The exhausted headmaster rubbed her temples to ease the headache setting in for what may have been the tenth time that day. Though they could recover, the timeframe was all messed up. This was Orn''s passion project for thest few decades, and it all went to shit, thanks to a single intern. "Headmaster, you have a letter addressed to you." "Put it with the others. I am busy." "The messenger said it was vital. It has to do with the matter of Lord Kane''s poisoning." The secretary''s voice sounded slightly panicked at the thought that she would not ept the document. To settle their nerves, Orn epted the letter. The envelope was on a high-quality stationary, but it was one that she did not recognize. At first, she assumed it was from the pce, but instead of Aedrider''s crest, the front of the envelope had the image of a shattered sphere. ***** "Ugh Urrp" Rena''s groans echoed across the tower room and put sympathetic smiles on the faces of Adellia and Mylene. As mothers themselves, they remembered what it was like to feel ill in the mornings. They also felt bad for her because the morning sickness hit her much harder than was usual, but it was not unheard of. Rubellia was massaging Rena''s back gently while she leaned over a bucket they had set beside her bed for just this urrence. Natali sat on the opposite side of her friend, gently wiping her face with a cold cloth while holding her hair out of her face. "I don''t like this part very much." Rena grumbled. "I promise you there are worse parts toe. Forcing an entire child out of you is not what I would call a pleasant experience." Adelliaughed. "Though there are many magic spells avable that can assist. Potions too. Though I imagine you want to experience the miracle of childbirth in all its glory, right?" If looks could kill, Adellia might as well have had a heart attack then and there. Rena''s re was as cold as ice when she retorted, "Screw the miracle, give me the damn potions. Especially if my husband wishes me to do this again." Lyrah smiled as she chimed in, "Oh, so you n on doing this again? How many times?" "Why ask a question you probably know the answer to?" Rena shot back. Lyrah began tough, but her mother approached her and lightly tapped the top of the girl''s head. "How many times have I told you not to look for things that are unnecessary. Using our abilities in such a way is a waste of time and energy. You should be dedicating your time to getting past whatever block prevents you from seeing anything not connected to your brother and looking at truly important things." Lyrah smiled gently. "Nothing in the world is more important than brother''s family. My family. What good is my power if I cannot use it to help them or ensure their happiness?" Adellia sighed. "Our abilities are to be used for the greater good only, not for fulfilling the selfish desires of one person or even one family." "Hmm. I suppose you have a point. Using my abilities should only be used for the greater good. I would have to agree with your point, mother." Lyrah said after spending a moment contemting her mother''s words. For a moment Adellia felt relief that her lesson got through. However "Hey, Natali, want to know how many kids you are going to have with my brother?" "Lyrah!" Laughter echoed throughout the tower as the mother scolded her daughter for being smart with her. It seemed their antics served as a decent distraction as well and Rena was able to cease her vomiting for a few moments. The slight reprieve gave Rena great satisfaction as well as time to finally drink some water. It was much too early after getting sick to try and eat something. In fact, Rena was beginning to think that the simple sight or smell of food would put her right where she had started. This theory was put to the test when Grandpa Wally entered the room with freshly baked bread, berries, and cured meats. Rena felt her stomach gurgle in excitement before the smell of the meat wafted in her direction and returned her to a life of staring at the bottom of a bucket. Chapter 292 Make Your Choice [Part 1] Water dripped rhythmically onto Lucius''s face from the cave ceiling. His cell was entirely carved into the rock with a set of metal bars covering the opening. Guards walked back and forth in front of his cell on a rotating basis, with at least one person walking past him every five minutes. Knowing who he was seemed to put them on edge despite having more than enough troops to hold him back in the event of the worst. They also already had him outfitted with a full set of armor and a dozen essories, each of which would shock him into oblivion should they activate one of their control crystals. Lucius chose to sit quietly in his cell and wait for his strength to finish returning to him. He had been well on his way to recovery even before he was taken in by Itorin and his Master Rankers. Using Channeling, he was able to hide a lot of his strength. Currently he was slowly releasing more and more of his mana to feign the speed of his recovery. While concentrating on this, he had been trying to pick up on any conversations rted to Kalliope. He could smell her scent within the cave, but due to the length of time she had been here, he could not pinpoint how far away she was. It was enough for him at the moment to know that she was at least still present. "Titan of Eroa." A voice called through the bars. "I''m a big fan, you know. I heard about Alvora, and ever since, I''ve heard lots of great things." "Thanks. Always nice to meet a fan." Lucius answered with his eyes still closed. "The name is Itorin. I run this ce. When you are back to full strength, I will use you to make a lot of money." The elf said with a huge grin. "Oh, and before you ask, your woman is here. She''s a little out of sorts at the moment, but you will see her soon enough." That statement caught his attention. Lucius opened his eyes and red at the elf. "I changed my mind." Lucius let loose all of his saved-up mana, giving up on the fake recovery period. Itorin gave him a snarky grin as if he knew what was happening. "I don''t know who it was that got you in here, but I promise you that your understanding of the situation is woefully poor. Any ns you had of escaping, consider them null and void." Itorin began tough and walk away. He stopped for a moment and turned back around. "By the way, your first fight is tomorrow morning. I hope you''re excited." Lucius growled to himself. He could feel his frustration rising and could feel the armor around him hum with energy. Any second and it could trigger an automatic response from the equipment. Corva had warned him of such and told him needed to be careful of the feature. identally triggering it would knock him out for a day or more and mess with the timing of their ns. While he was waiting in the cell, Snow was likely somewhere within the facility locating the centralmand crystal that controlled all the prisoners'' equipment.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ***** Kalliope stirred awake. A new yet familiar scent wafted through the air. For a few minutes, she blinked several times and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. However, the scent stayed in the air. "Lucius" She mumbled before her eyes opened wide. "Lucius! He''s here!" A guard at the door banged on the bars and yelled at her to shut her mouth. The rattle of the metal woke Ethi up who was snoozing away in the corner of the cell. She had been looking a little worse for wear because of the poor nutrition andck of exercise. Though Kalliope was forced to fight, she was still moving around and getting some time to work all the muscles in her body. Ethi was stuck in the cell doing nothing but rotting away. Recently, on more than one asion, she hade down with a fever and tried to hide it from Kalliope. However, being a beastman she could tell when the elf was not feeling well. Ethi was currently in one of her fever states. Her breath was turning ragged on the asion and Kalliope was worried that she might notst much longer. Ethi''s condition had worsened over thest week and showed no signs of future improvement. "Don''t get up, Ethi, please. You have to" Kalliope heard someone approaching. "Itorin what are you doing here?" The familiar elf stood at the bars of the cell, his signature cruel smile on his face. "I just talked to your boyfriend. I figured you probably already detected his arrival." "What. Do. You. Want?" "You''re going to take your new rank, and you''re going to crush him for me. Don''t worry, I''ll soften him up for you. I know he punches well above his weight ss." "Why would I do that?" Itorin smiled once again and produced a small potion from his storage ring. It was a vibrant green liquid and though Kalliope knew nothing of alchemy or potions, she was smart enough to realize what the man was getting at. Her options were to fight Lucius seriously or let Ethi die of whatever disease was guing her. "You have until tomorrow to make your choice." Itorin said before turning to leave her. Kalliope growled but was distracted by Ethi bursting into a coughing fit. Sweat poured off her like a river. When she opened her eyes, they seemed distant and unfocused. The woman was not delirious, but that could only be a matter of time if she did not help. "Kalliope," Ethi whispered, "Don''t do it. He''s here. You have been talking about him every day. Don''t risk him or yourself for me." "Shut up, Ethi. You don''t get to make any decisions for me, you dumb elf." Kalliope answered. She brushed Ethi''s matted hair out of her face and wiped a cloth across her head to clean away some of the dirt and sweat. Her pallid skin and body temperature told Kalliope everything she needed to know. Her new friend was not long for this world without help. She apologized silently to Lucius, who likely got himself in for the purpose of saving her. Kalliope knew the man was able to fend for himself and hoped that he would forgive her for dying his ns by a day. All she had to do was fight him for real, and she could save Ethi. Chapter 293 Make Your Choice [Part 2] By the next morning, or rather what Lucius assumed was morning from being stuck inside a massive cave system, all of Lucius''s strength had returned to him. Much of his mana was being tempered by the equipment ced upon him. For most people, it would havepletely blocked the flow of mana, but for someone like Lucius, he used his Channeling to temper the mana in such a way that it was unable to be restricted by the shackles. Lucius found himself looking at the manacles on his wrist. They were far more effective than anything in the human kingdoms and he realized that for training his Channeling efficiency, these items were the best thing he had found to help. "I have to get myself a pair of these. Maybe I can get them with different designs? I wonder if I got something more stylish, the girls would let me use them to teach them how to Channel properly" "Get up Titan!" One of the guards shouted. "Time for your debut in our wonderful arena. Itorin has a special set of events set up for you! Haha!" The elf opened the door of the cell and yanked on the chain attached to Lucius''s bindings. He momentarily thought it would be interesting to resist but decided to simply follow along. The guard looked slightly dejected at the fact that he didn''t get to shove around and bully the prisoner, but he also did not press his luck. Something about Lucius being nonchnt about the whole ''prisoner'' situation unsettled him. That difort was written inly on his face and projected by his posture and was something that did not escape Lucius''s notice. "Something the matter?" He asked. The guard shuddered subconsciously. "Nothing at all. Just a little chilly in this cave is all." "Really? And here I thought it was ratherfortable. After all, several of the crystals lining the halls are keeping the ce temperature controlled right? Shall I ask that Itorin fellow to turn up the temperature for you?" "Shut it you" The guard whipped around and was about to yank the chains to pull Lucius to his knees. Instead of him being several paces behind, Lucius''s face was directly in his own. Lucius could almost smell the fearing off the elf as he nearly pressed his nose to the man''s. "For the future, it''s safer to always have more than one guard when transporting a prisoner." He smiled and ced a bundle of chains in the guard''s hand before walking further down the hall. Lucius paused and looked around before pointing down a hallway to the left. "This way right? Let''s go and get this over with." Lucius followed the sounds of an excited crowd echoing through the hall. It took him no time to locate the doorway that led to the arena in which he was to do battle. The gate leading out was still closed, but the preparation room had a few other guards standing at attention, waiting. They jumped simultaneously and lowered their weapons at what appeared to be an unapanied prisoner. Neither made a move because the man still had his shackles and the trapped equipment on his person. The original escort quickly rushed into the room in a huff and attempted to calm his cohorts while Lucius moved to stand in front of the gates. "Remove these please." He asked while holding his hands to the side. He could sense the concern from the elves, but the escort approached and utched the cuffs. They fell to the ground with a thud, letting Lucius rub his wrists to soothe the skin that had started to chaff. A momentter, the gate rose and Lucius stepped out into the arena. The crowd in the stands was ratherrge and it looked as though most of the seats were filled beyond capacity. He was shocked that so many people found the time to gamble at a tournament such as this when the country around them was erupting in civil war. It was then that he remembered nearly everyone in these caverns were either vers, nobles, or merchants who had the money and funds to buy their safety no matter who sat upon the throne. Unlike themon people, they were not under threat by this war. It wasn''t that this fact bothered Lucius. Rather, he understood it in a way. After all, if they possessed the means, why not use them. That was how he had lived his life the moment he had started to obtain the strength to do so. It was how he would continue to live his life in the future. "Wee to tonight''s main event!" The announcer sounded oddly familiar to him for a moment, but Lucius chose to ignore it and listen to the man prepare the crowd. "We have brought our best here tonightdies and gentlemen. Before you we have the one, the only, the legendary Titan of Eroa! "You know him for his exploits in the Alorek War, for the destruction of Alvora! Others may know him from shattering the ''Unbreakable Barrier'' at the Arcadios Exhibition Tournament! And others still know him for his more recent endeavors right here in our very own nation!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Well tonight,dies and gentlemen, we are granting you the chance to see a rising legend in action. Is the rumored strength of the Intermediate Ranker truly what they say? Or is it a fairy tale to help Marked Ones sleep at night and dream of a future out of their reach? "We will find out! Titan will bepeting in non-stop, back-to-back battles against many of our bestbatants! How many warriors will it take to put these rumors to rest? How many battles can this ''legend''st? Let the battles begin!" The crowd roared with excitement after hearing his name. Lucius felt a twinge of pride that so many people knew of him, so he gave a slight wave. After all, many of these fools would be dead soon enough, so why not give them a show before their end? Three gates around the arena opened simultaneously, allowing three warriors to exit. One was an oversized elf carrying arge axe, while the other two were rather normal-looking female elves. The announcer mentioned one of thebatants was called Gett and another was Neshia but Lucius did not quite catch thest one''s name. After a moment of contemtion, Lucius decided to hold back for now. The three elves charging at him only appeared to be Intermediate Rankers, though something strange was going on with thergest one. "[Tempestas: Lightning Field]" Chapter 294 Make Your Choice [Part 3] A wave of blue light painted the ground beneath all four fighters'' feet. It originated from the man known as Titan, who stood calmly while three warriors, supposedly in the same weight ss as him, charged his position. The ground itself seemed to radiate mana, and that made two of the three elven warriors cautious enough to slow down. The final one, whose name escaped Lucius at the moment, continued their charge and for their troubles, received a massive shock of electricity coursing through their body. The man''s body convulsed and twitched violently before he fell to the ground, unmoving. A few gasps escaped some of the members of the crowd, but before anyone could say anything, Lucius snapped his fingers, and the blue light vanished. Gett roared in response, "[Berserker Arts: Rage]! [Berserker Arts: Iron Skin]!" The elf grew slightlyrger and a golden light washed over his body before he resumed his advance. The elf named Neshia followed quickly behind Gett and held a shield protectively in front of her while also pointing her sword slightly downward, as if in preparation for an upward swing. Lucius was intrigued that Gett did not already have the [Rage] ability activated. He had originally assumed the reason therge elf looked strange was because he was prepared before the battle started. As Gett grew closer, he smelled something strangeing off of him. Some sort of chemical was being exuded along with his sweat and mingled with his natural scent. "Well, that''s not fair. You get a weapon and an enhancement potion of some kind? A strong one too." Lucius clicked his tongue and stepped to the side to avoid an overhead swing. "Meanwhile, I get to fight with my fists" Gett''s axe nted into the ground and became stuck for a moment. Somehow Lucius believed this was not the first time the idiot had done something like this. Neshia, meanwhile, approached from Lucius''s blindspot and attempted an upward swing. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]!" Lucius had heard her approach and decided to wait for her to initiate an attack before countering with a palm strike to her sternum. Neshia was stunned that Lucius was able to avoid her swing by stepping closer into her space, and that created the opening for him to hit. Neshia skidded back several feet but stayed standing. Spittle dripped from her chin, and she looked as though she might have cracked a rib or two from the impact. Gett freed his axe from the ground and made another wild swing at Lucius from behind. This time, he was prepared for the man to dodge and rapidly changed the direction of his swing with the help of an Art. "[Axe Arts: Tornado Swing]!" Right as the axe moved past Lucius''s body, Gett initiated the Art, and the axe forcibly changed direction, bringing with it all of the previous momentum. The rapid change caught Lucius slightly off guard, but it was a non-issue. There was a fundamental barrier that the two elves needed to ovee. They were too weak. "[Tempestas: Thunderp]" Lucius empowered his gauntlet with the spell the instant before he let Gett''s axe touch the palm of his hand. If the elf was an Advance Ranker or higher, the attack would have destroyed Lucius''s hand. However, Gett wasn''t and instead, the spell triggered and a wave of force mmed into the elf''s massive frame. Tearing skin and crunching bones arose from Gett''s body as his arms were torn to pieces. Blood sttered across the ground and Lucius''s face. Neshia looked in horror at the perpetrator and several members of the audience vomited, though it seemed odd considering what they paid to watchn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Mmm, right. [Tempestas: Lightning bolt]" Lucius casually flicked a spell at Neshia, who attempted to hide behind her shield while dodging. Unfortunately for her, lightning hit faster, and the spell struck her in the center of the forehead, leaving behind a smoldering hole and the smell of burnt flesh. The gates of the arena opened once more, revealing two more opponents. These were of the Advance Rank, which meant that Lucius would have to y a little more seriously. "Amazing folks. Without a sweat, Titan took out three of our Intermediate Rank Champions! It seems that some rumors are true, but can Titan survive the second challenge? Wee to the arena two Advance Rank fighters. Eron of the me and Hetha the Silver Dagger!" Lucius could tell that the announcer was telling the truth about his new opponents'' ranks. He could see the mana flowing from them as well as feel the general strength from the way they carried themselves onto the battlefield. It seemed these two were well acquainted with working together as well. Eron was clearly a mage. His attire was a simple set of robes that allowed for freedom of movement and were only supplemented by a few random pieces of armor that gave only a scant amount of protection. Hetha, on the other hand, was an assassin-type warrior. She was adorned with skin-tight clothes with metal ting along her arms, legs, chest, and abdomen. The metal was thin and light but looked durable. It was also polished to an extremely fine shine, likely to help sell the name she was given. Hetha only carried the single silver dagger that was also part of her namesake. Lucius deduced this was likely because she had some sort of additional magic that she used alongside the weapon. She did not seem to have any other weapons on her, so that meant he was likely safe from any throwing attacks "[mma: Fireball]!" "[Umbra: Dark Lance]" A massive ball of fire nearly the same size as Lucius himselfunched toward him. Alongside it was a long bolt of Dark Magic. If it touched him, it would pierce right through him and also carried the potential of leaving him with some sort of status ailment. As he was up against two Advance Rankers, he could no longer hold back. On top of that, he was without a weapon, so some of his Arts were unusable. He quickly imbued himself with a [Lightning Charge] andunched across the arena in a single step to avoid the spells. Lucius made sure to keep one foot on the ground during his movement and threw up a massive cloud of dust that was empowered with mana thanks to his [Sand Veil]. Though he did not have a weapon to use his Arts with, that did not mean he could not use at least some of them. Under the cover of the [Sand Veil], Lucius was able to listen to the movements of the enemy. He purposefully willed the dust cloud to surround them, but not blind them, creating a cloud of dust around them that was visually imprable to the naked eye. This allowed him to quickly move to Neshia''s corpse to steal her sword so that way he had at least something. He also snapped the hilt of Gett''s axe to have a makeshift staff as well. Neither of these were his forte, but they were workable The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 295 Make Your Choice [Part 4] Lucius had been fighting against the fire mage and the assassin for almost twenty minutes. He had plenty of stamina left, but he could not prate their defenses without exposing himself to too much danger. "[Dagger Arts: Dual Strike]!" "[mma: Fire Spear], [mma: Fire Bolt]" Lucius twisted out of the way with ease to avoid the spells and was able to barely block the mana de from the [Dual Strike] thanks to his [Lightning Charge]. The actual de strike barely nced at his shoulder and left a light cut, but it was only enough to draw blood and no real damage urred. The broken hilt was ssified by his skill to be an improvised weapon, so he strengthened it with a [Savage Strike] and attempted to bash it across Hetha''s chest. Her quick movements made it seem simple enough to dodge, but Lucius would not let her get away easily and was able to zap her with a bolt of electricity before she could respond. It was not a powerful hit, but enough to hurt and make her disengage. He quickly took that opportunity to leap back and cast one of his stronger spells, [Roaring Thunder]. Lucius added in mana from his [Merciless] skill, giving the ensuing lightning dragon a streak of red. Fighting against two Advance Rankers at once was reaching Lucius''s limit for fighting above his weight ss. With the proper preparations, he could have probably taken them from a distance, but immediately being forced into closebat made it difficult for him. Getting space to cast [Roaring Thunder] was what he had been trying for during the past twenty minutes, and he was finally able to. The dragon flew at the two fighters, primarily targeting Eron, who had fewer defenses. However, just as the spell was about to hit, a sh of yellow intercepted and dispersed the spell. "[Shield Arts: Grand Barrier]" Lucius had been so distracted trying to create his opening that he failed to notice a neer on the battlefield. For a moment, a sh of joy settled within his heart as he realized that it was Kalliope who had joined the battle. "Oh! And it looks like our newest Advance Ranker has joined the fight! Wee to the arena the Feral Mutt!" Lucius clicked his tongue and vowed to kill the announcer for insulting Kalliope like that. Surprisingly, Kalliope did not seem to mind. Or rather, she seemedpletely indifferent to everything, even the fact that he was there in front of her. "Kalliope! I came for" "A word, Titan!" Itorin''s voice echoed throughout the chamber, "Your dear friend there agreed to defeat you to save a friend of hers. Things have changed, you see. So don''t go expecting any help from her! Ah, but a gift, I suppose." Lucius heard the sound of metal nging against the stone behind him. He turned to see a cheap-looking machete had been thrown into the arena. It looked no better quality than what a poor farmer would possess. Even the de itself was dull thanks to its poor craftsmanship and life of improper care. "Pick it up." Kalliope demanded. Her hand was tightly wrapped around her sword. He could see the tremble in her lips and fingers. It was clear she did not want to do this. "You don''t have to do this," Lucius said. "You can make a different choice." Kalliope sighed. He could hear the quiver in her throat as she seemed on the verge of crying. Whoever this person she was trying to help was, they must have been important. He knew there was no way she would let them kill him, but it still hurt that she chose to fight.N?v(el)B\\jnn "[Beast Arts: Queen''s Roar]!" Kalliope''s voice filled with mana and shook the stone in the arena. It was clear she had grown in power. The announcer''s information saying she was an Advance Ranker now was certainly the truth. Lucius felt himself momentarily stunned and frozen in ce by the skill. He gritted his teeth and managed to squeak out, "[Abyss Break: Abyss Armor]" The familiar feeling of darkness turning to metal surrounded his body. He still couldn''t move himself, but the six tendrils were able to do some work without his input. The trapped equipment he was wearing attempted to stun him for using his mark, but the power of Lucius''s Channeling kept it at bay. Since he was a Thunder Magic user, lightning spells were his forte. Corva had told him he would likely be able to resist the stun effect of the equipment himself if he concentrated on Channeling the Thunder Magic mana in his body to form a protective barrier along his skin. Sure enough, the elf enchanter was correct and every pulse of the Thunder Magic Runes dissipated across his skin the moment it came into contact with his barrier. To ensure that he was maximizing the effect, he also imbued the barrier with [Lightning Charge] so that he was using it to help speed up his movements. Granted, he couldn''t move at the moment, thanks to Kalliope "You''re in for it now!" Hetha shouted as she jumped straight in with a dagger attack. "[Dagger Arts: Piercing Strike]! [Dagger Arts: Mana des]!" Three of the six shadow tendrils protecting Lucius moved to defend from Hetha''s attack, with the dagger as well as the three additional daggers formed out of mana that seemed to hover around her. Lucius continued to struggle against the [Queen''s Roar], but before he could move, Kalliope also dove in to attack. "[Shield Arts: Double Bash]" The two other tendrils moved to block the mana shield and physical shield simultaneously, while the final one moved to try and harass Kalliope and keep her sword arm busy. Eron was not an idiot and took this excellent opportunity to cast a spell. "[mma: Fire Spear]!" A magical, ming spearunched straight at Lucius. One tendril each pulled away from Kalliope and Hetha to try and block the attack. Lucius also finally gained the ability to move and attempted to slice the spell with a swipe enhanced by a [Savage Strike]. The tendrils and weapon managed to block enough of the spell to not allow it to pierce his body, but it still shredded through the tendrils and mmed into his chest with enough force to toss Lucius a few feet into the air. Smoke and steam rose from a hole in the ck chest te. Searing, white hot pain shed across Lucius''s whole front side as he moved to stand. Hetha and Kalliope were already on him as he tried to recover. Eron was also preparing another spell. Lucius quickly fired out two [Lightning Bolts], one aimed at Kalliope and Hetha, as they were the closest. "[Shield Arts: Barrier]" Kalliope once again blocked the magic, though this time with a weaker version of the skill. "[mma: Fireball]" With both hands upied casting his spells, and being physically impaired by the pain, Lucius was unable to fully dodge the Fire spell. The four remaining tendrils formed a sort of shield as the spell erupted from behind him. The heat was immense and the force threw him face-first into Kalliope''s [Barrier]. Lucius still had the armor active but only one tendril remained. He used it as leverage to fling himself away from the two warriors, barely dodging another set of strikes from them. Thending was far from graceful, but he dodged the hits nheless. "Three''s the limit, eh Damn" Lucius mumbled. "Any minute now though" Lucius looked up at Kalliope with a smile and saw that her ears had twitched. It seemed like she had heard it, too. Off in the distance, there was a faint series of shouting followed by a small explosion. The audience, which had been roaring for blood earlier, suddenly began to scream and shout. Realizing the explosion did note from the battle taking ce in front of them. Kalliope and Hetha were on top of him now. "[Sword Arts: Heavy sh]!" Kalliope swung her sword angrily and with a sh of light, Hetha''s head rolled onto the ground at her feet. "Good choice." Luciusughed. The mana filling the armor on their bodies vanished without a trace. A momentter, the barrier separating the arena from the stands vanished, no longer being powered by the crystal in Itorin''s office. Chapter 296 An Empty Cave Snow stalked the in stone corridors of Seteste''s battle arena. It was a decent distance underground and was dug out of a natural cave that existed on the outskirts of the actual city known as Seteste. The halls themselves were dimly lit with light crystals, though they were not enough to push back the dark thoughts within. Ever since seeing Lucius had been taken away, the call from the mark in her hand grew stronger and stronger still. The word ''protect'' echoed through her mind constantly. It epassed the totality of her being. Every step was for him. Every thought. Every action. She had to protect Lucius No, that''s not right ''PROTECT'' Once again, the words echoed in her mind. A searing, mind-melting pain forced Snow to the ground. The pain was so intense that her voice failed her, and it threatened to reduce her to aatose state. However, that''s not what it wanted. It needed her to stay awake, to stay alive. Otherwise, it could notplete its goal. Snow found it odd that no one had intercepted her. Ever since she was told to protect Lucius, all she had done was walk right into the cave. For some reason, the guards at the door were gone when she walked inside. Simrly, the halls were devoid of life. Even several of the cells she walked past werepletely cleared of people. She also noticed this strange haze in the air. It was like dust, but when she tried to interact with it, it simply vanished as if it had never been there in the first ce. A few seconds after vanishing, it would reappear again. Snow could also feel an unsettling presence behind her at all times, but when she turned around to nce at it, nothing was there. What was the most interesting aspect of all this was that despite the strange haze and unsettling feeling, she did not feel like she was in danger. Rather, this strange ce felt safe. The elf decided to lean into this feeling and simply continued on her route to her goal of infiltrating Itorin''s office. Lady Voltara al Famyn had given her and Lucius a map of the interior of the cave. ording to thedy, it was fairly recently updated as she had several spies that monitored Seteste constantly. At first, she was disgusted that thedy kept such retainers and even had some form of a working rtionship with Itorin and other leaders in Seteste, but there was not much that she could really say. Lady al Famyn had asked her what it was that she should have done. Though Snow also despised vers, she had done nothing to save anyone either. Her reason? She couldn''t. What could she have done? It was that realization that made her realize the errors of her ways. Seteste was well connected within the Elven nation. Many nobles and high-ss merchants were customers of this ce. In addition, the people who ran it had amassed quite arge number of powerful warriors. The arena alone had almost thirty Master Rankers avable on call at any moment. If one included the ve fighters forced to obey, then they had a small army of their own that was at their beck and call. Essentially, Seteste proved too difficult to remove through either political or military means. Something that Snow had forgotten in the moment of her interaction with thedy of the Wisteria Concord. The elf paused for a moment to check her map. Where she was at was very close to the arena itself. At this point, she should have heard the audience cheering for the fights or even the announcer proiming something exciting asmentary, but still, the world was filled with silence. A nagging sensation tugged at her and so she decided to make sure everything was alright with Lucius. After all, what if something happened and the audience was stunned into silence? What if he died? She needed to know. Snow quickly moved down the halls to take a look at the arena. One of the doors was wide open, and she stepped out into the stands. There was no need for her to hide now since she would be blending in with the crowd. It was unlikely that anyone would stop her and harass her in a public area of the cave system. However, her n fell apart when she entered the stands. Instead of a stunned audience, all Snow could see were rows and rows of empty seats. The stands themselves werepletely empty with not a soul in sight. "Where?" She mumbled before her eyes caught sight of something down in the fighting pit. Standing in the center of the actual battlefield were two entities. Both looked vaguely humanoid, but their skin was as ck as night. One was muchrger than the other. From this distance it was hard to assess how tall they might have been, but the smaller of the two had to be at least ten feet tall or more. The smaller one was kneeling before therger one with its head hung low. Despite an overwhelming amount of fear, Snow found herself unable to look away. Therger one began to turn in her direction, further freezing her in ce, as if standing still would make her invisible to the creature.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om It had to have been almost twice asrge as the kneeling creature and had an extremely muscr body. Its face was very beastlike, with a nose that was pointed and shallow. Glowing, golden eyes stared directly at her as if prating her soul. Sharp fangs lined its entire mouth and massive wed hands hung at its side. Snow continued to stare at the creature and felt Before she could process the sensation, she blinked and found herself suddenly in front of the target she was sent to find. A massive blue crystal sat before her, pulsing with mana. The same haze still filled the air and seemed to interact with the waves of manaing off the crystal itself, mixing together and forming strange, wavelike patterns through the air. The sight was oddly beautiful in a way and threatened to put her into a trance. Snow suddenly felt the weight of someone''s hand on her shoulder. She looked slowly at the hand and saw massive fingers, each at least six to seven inches long, with massive ws at the tip of each finger. The ws themselves looked sharp enough to cut her if she so much as looked at it for too long. The hand stayed on her shoulder, but the index finger of the hand raised to point at the crystal in front of her. Then she heard it, a voice unlike any other. It echoed from within the depths of her soul. ''Destroy'' Chapter 297 Wont that be Exciting? Snow watched as the hand seemed to vanish into the same particles that hovered above her head. Slowly those particles also disappeared, along with the strange haze in the environment. The mana pouring off the crystal began to vanish and she could no longer see it, though she could still feel it. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of a crowd cheering and a few men clinking sses together. The cheers were muted because of the room she was in that separated the crowd from Itorin''s office. Snow nced around quickly and saw that Itorin was not in the room, but a few high-ss individuals were sitting near the windows at the front of the room, looking out over the battlefield. It was unclear how she moved from the arena to this space, but even more strange was the sudden appearance of hundreds of people who were not there a few seconds ago Suddenly, themand she was given echoed in her head again. Snow shook her head clear of the excess thoughts and moved to take out a bundle of gray crystals. Since the control crystal emitted a wave of mana at a near constant to control all the equipment and ve crystals attached to it, the explosive crystals she brought with her would slowly be powered by the ambient mana until it exploded. Quickly, she ced several explosive crystals at strategic points around the back of the room and the master crystal itself. The mana from the master crystal had already started to power the others, bringing a grim, but satisfied look to her beautiful face. ''Vanish'' "[Shadow Walk]" The strangemand phrase slipped from her mouth without her control. Once again, the people and the noise of the world vanished. Once again, she was surrounded by silence, the strange haze, and untouchable dust. ***** Itorin looked proudly down at the battle below him. The shing of des and the shes of spells drew out a primal satisfaction from the core of his being. The destructive power of warriors fighting for survival was a sight that he had loved his entire life. Ever since he was a child and he witnessed the grandeur of Lady Tenia fighting against a massive beast terrorizing the capital almost two centuries ago, Itorin had been obsessed with power. Nothing to this day has been able to rival the beauty of the destruction that the Lady of the Mountain left in her wake. Watching her stride through the crowded streets while gently dodging between panicked civilians, then leaping into battle with such force and grace that it might rival the gods in power and beauty. Lady Tenia danced around the beast with the grace of a butterfly dancing through the air. Unlike the gentle insect, she left behind a trail of destruction in her wake. Rumors had circled the continent about a strange boy with power beyond his means. He had allegedly ended the war between Alorek and the human nations and their ally of Eroa. It seemed like fiction, but he investigated these rumors nheless. When his men returned from the city of Alvora, the site of Titan''s wanton destruction, they brought with them crystals that had recorded images and moving memories of what they saw. For the first time since Teniast descended the peaks of their sacred mountain, something had moved Itorin''s heart. After that, Titan''s legend grew. At the Exhibition Tournament in Arcadios, he was observed shattering a barrier strong enough to withstand a King Ranker''s attack. Then he single-handedly prevented a strange uprising. Again, he continued by exhibiting his speed and power at Varris after capturing his ally. Itorin knew he had to have the man known as Titan, the man known as Lucius Kane. He needed to make this untamable beast his own and bring him to heel. With something like Lucius Kane under his control, Itorin would never feel bored again. He could have his destruction whenever and wherever he needed it. That was why he ignored such an obvious trap. Rumors abounded, iming Voltara al Famyn was intrigued by the boy. When that sly bitch was interested in something, she would never willingly let it go. However, with the potential of finally having the infamous person in his grasp, Itorin ignored his suspicions. After watching the man fight the three Intermediate Rankers, it was clear they stood no chance. The fact that he did not even use Channeling to beat them made it clear he was holding back. So instead of continuing the fight as intended, he changed it up and added in two Advance Rankers. The potential was there in as day. Anyone with eyes could see that one day, this young man would be a destructive force to be reckoned with. Under the right circumstances, he already was. It impressed and astounded the audience that he put up an even fight with the two Advance Rankers, even while still held back. Sure, he used his Channeling, but he did not have a true weapon, nor could he use his mark. So, Itorin decided to up the ante again. He threw Lucius a weapon and added in a thirdbatant. It was clear that with a proper weapon, instead of the scraps he picked up, the young man would destroy his opponents. As expected, when Kalliope entered the fray, Lucius was pushed back. He seemed almost helpless against three Advance Rankers. The stress of the fight was getting to him. Somehow he was able to awaken his mark and avoid the bacsh of the dozens of enchanted pieces on his body. Instead of being fearful or angry, the blood in Itorin''s body boiled from excitement. Lucius was still losing and being pushed back, but he held on. He persevered through the painN?v(el)B\\jnn Just as Kalliope and Hetha bore down on him, instead of looking dejected, Lucius instead nced up. Itorin almost felt as if the man''s eyes were focused directly on him. However, they were not. He was waiting for something. Before he could figure out what, arge explosion echoed behind him. The source was his office, where some of his more important clients were. More importantly, though, it was also the location of the crystal that kept all their prisoners in check. He nced back down at the arena once more and saw the decapitated body of Hetha fall to the ground. Lucius smiled triumphantly at the wolf-girl before grasping her hand and letting her help him to his feet. They quickly vanished from the arena, easily barging through the gates now that the barrier no longer protected them. Itorin should have been annoyed. He should have been furious. Everything he ever worked for was threatening to burn down around him. "Won''t that be so exciting to watch?" He muttered to himself whileughing maniacally. Chapter 298 Escape Fighting and shouting echoed through the stone halls of the arena in Seteste. When the explosion went off, every security measure in ce failed simultaneously. All the prisoners were free to do as they wished without worrying about their equipment. Even their cells had been weakened and were no longer protected by the barriers that kept them inside. Elven guards grouped together as best they could to fight against some of the stronger opponents. Many of the Master Rankers had already had their restrictions removed due to the length of time in which they fought in the arena. Because of their length of time as well as the perks they had been provided, they were loyal to the arena and its leadership. However, the sheer number of Intermediate and Advance Rankers with years of experience made it hard for them to handle them all at once. Kalliope chose to lead Lucius to her own cell as quickly as possible. Thanks to their advanced senses, they could avoid much of the fighting and only had to deal with a few enemies. For the most part, other ves chose to ignore them, and their opponents consisted of asional guards. Lucius was not in a state to fight prolonged battles. Though he appeared tough and strong on the outside, Kalliope could tell from his breathing that keeping up with her was a little tough for him at the moment. His mana and strength were at full capacity, but the wound on his chest from the fire spell had taken its toll on his stamina. "Don''t worry about me." Lucius told her with a smirk. "I nned for this oue. Take me to the reason you had to fight. I know they yed on your softer side somehow." Kalliope managed a weak smile at his words. She was tough and resolute, but as it came to other people struggling, she did have a weakness. Over their years together, she often encouraged him to look out for their subordinates. It was also her who wrote many of the letters home for lost soldiers. Lucius simply did not have it in him. From taking that responsibility off his shoulders, Kalliope developed a more tender heart on the inside for others'' struggles. With all of the raging destruction around them, a surge of anxiety welled up inside of her. Kalliope was concerned that some of the other prisoners might try to take advantage of Ethi while she was lying in the cell. She was helpless at the moment and would be incapable of fighting back against even some of the weakest among them. Kalliope''s hair stood on end as a presence she was unfamiliar with suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There was someone with a strange scent that she did not recognize, but at the same time, she was unable to tell where the source wasing from. Noticing that she was on edge, Lucius ced a gentle hand atop her head, gently rubbing between her ears. "Don''t worry, she is with me." He assured her. "Snow, good work." Strangely, after Lucius''s words, an elf with pale skin, ice-blue eyes, and stark-white hair appeared from the shadows. She wore a beautiful set of cream-colored armor and had an ornate longsword on her side. Though the armor looked like one a front-line warrior might wear, something about it seemed different and lighter than even studded-leather armor. Even stranger still, the moment Lucius congratted her, the elf kneeled before him with her head down. Her eyes seemed unfocused, and her expression was almost as confused as Kalliope''s. Lucius, on the other hand, did not react to the elf''s strange actions. "Lord Kane, congrattions on finding your mistress. I have found a clear path out. I suggest you follow me at once so we might escape." "No!" Kalliope shouted. "We can''t, I have to save Ethi." Before the elf could continue to speak, Lucius held up a hand and nodded. "Let''s go find your friend then." Kalliope nodded and turned to continue toward her cell. Once again, the elf surprised her and managed to vanish from sight. Not only that, her scent trail immediately ceased as if she no longer existed. She quickly decided it did not matter and chose to continue to find Ethi. The trip to her old cell took no time at all. Luckily, no one had attempted to break into the cell where the nearly unconscious Ethi had beenying. Everyone was focused on breaking out, so no one bothered to break into a different cell. Ethi''s breathing was ragged and her fever was just as high as before. For a brief moment, Kalliope wondered if the woman would survive, but shook her head clear of the negative thoughts so that she could instead focus on saving her. Ethi was very light and easily fit onto Kalliope''s back. However, this presented a problem. Lucius was not in the most prime physical condition with his wounds. Because of that, he was not able to carry Ethi with him and expecting him to fight would be out of the question for anyone that got within close quarters. Simrly, Kalliope could not really carry her because she needed to protect them. As if sensing her concerns, Lucius smiled and began to look around, possibly for the elf girl named Snow. Suddenly, she appeared before them once more, seemingly popping into existence. Kalliope noticed that the sclera of her eyes had started to shift from their normal white to a dark gray with small dots of ck. There was also a strange aura around her and the elf seemed to be struggling with breathing. Lucius was caught off guard at the elf''s appearance but asked for her help anyway. She quickly agreed and took Ethi from Kalliope before vanishing once more. Both of their presences and scents once again vanished. Clearly, her gaze had attracted Lucius''s notice because hemented, "Don''t ask me what''s going on. I don''t have the faintest idea how she''s doing that or knows when I need her." "Is she a new subordinate of yours?" "She serves Corva, the elf enchanter and smith that I fought in the tournament. Do you remember the one with the hammer? Her. Anyway, let''s move." Kalliope nodded and took up a protective position in front of Lucius. Part of her wanted to think about the fact that Snow had referred to her as his ''mistress'' as well as the fact he was treating her so gently. Thest time he acted so kind was when she was injured. And the time before that was when they almost The smell of ozone filled Kalliope''s nose. She quickly looked at Lucius who had a faintyer of mana covering his body and the odd bolt of electricity shot along its surface. His eyes were facing forward and ncing past her. In front of them was a man that she had seen a few times before. It was jarring that he seemed to appear like the elf girl did, but the aftermath of his appearance was less strange. Kalliope could almost sense the residual mana of whatever spell he used to sneak up on them, where Snow''s ability left no such trail.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You''re not going anywhere Titan Mutt. Itorin likes you too much, so you will stay." The man''s voice was deep and throaty, contrasting his somewhat diminutive stature. The man also wore dark armor that was ented by loose fabrics. He held two daggers in his hands and had several more glistening under his belt. "Careful, Lucius, this man is a Master Ranker." Kalliope warned. She could not remember the man''s name but recognized him for the few times he would vanish into the shadows. Based on his skills alone, it was clear he used Dagger Arts and Dark Magic. However, he could have had more skills hidden that he did not show. No matter what, the Master Ranker was very skilled and beyond Lucius''s reach, even if he was not injured. Kalliope carefully brought her sword up to attention, ready for the man''s attack. Even though she knew she could not face him, she hoped to buy some time for Lucius to escape. "I''m not going anywhere." Lucius growled. Dust fell from the ceiling as the stone halls shook. Kalliope could feel the faint cracking of rock beneath her feet. It seemed that Lucius had reached his limit on holding back and was starting to let his anger out. Perhaps he no longer needed to hold back because Ethi wasn''t around? "Are you threatening me, boy?" The Master Rankerughed. "You are at least a century too young to be able to scare me." The air grew thicker and more dense. Kalliope felt her breathing be slightlybored as she tried to maintain her calm. Her friend''s anger was bing harder to handle and she could not help but wonder if something happened to make Lucius stronger somehow. The weight was even starting to put pressure on the Master Ranker. Kalliope could hear the impact of sweat on the stone beneath them as the man started to feel it. "What is happening How are you" The voice of the Master Ranker was drowned out by thunder reverberating down the halls. Kalliope could not help but wonder if there was something else at work or not, but either way, Lucius held his gaze fearlessly against the much stronger opponent. Lightning crackled around his body, with asional bolts striking the walls and ceiling. "I would retreat if I were you." He warned. The Master Rankerughed. "Why would I listen to you, boy? Sure, you have more mana than what would be expected, but you are still only an Intermediate Ranker. You don''t hold a candle to me." The man raised his hand directly at Lucius. "[Umbra: Dark Spear]" Chapter 299 A Favor Repaid [Part 1] Kalliope watched in horror as a spear of pure dark energy bore down on Lucius. He had stepped in front of her and the speed at which the spell flew left her with no ability to intercept it or move him. She was doomed to suffer while watching his death in slow motion. A shrill screech tore itself from her throat out of the fear of his loss. However, at what seemed to be thest moment, a single bolt of electricity dissipated the bolt of energy. Since the spell was at the Master Rank, she knew there was no way for Lucius to have blocked it so easily. Even if he were able to, the amount of mana he would have expended would have left him drained. Instead of looking drained, Lucius looked proud and triumphant. Kalliope could sense no loss in mana emanating from him. The only change was that the pressure he exuded had ceased. Meanwhile, the Master Ranker sent several more spells at them, as if concerned that his spells backfired somehow. Yet, none of them reached their target. Each [Dark Spear] was struck out of the air by a bolt of lightning. Slowly bing more and more confused, the Master Ranker roared and lunged with his daggers each aimed for Lucius''s throat. Unfortunately for him, he never made it as yet another bolt of lightning struck his body. His hair was instantly vaporized and his skin rapidly bubbled and boiled mid-air before his smoking corpse fell to the ground at their feet. With their sensitive noses, both Lucius and Kalliope took a moment to adjust to the smell. Kalliope looked at Lucius incredulously. She was unsure if he had somehow grown many times stronger in their time apart, but he looked at her and shook his head. Kalliope jerked her head up with her ears twitching atop her head. She picked up on the sounds of the steady cking of heeled shoes on the stone floor. Approaching them with a confident smile was a beautiful elf woman with long pink hair and beautiful golden eyes. Her hips swayed sensuously with every step and at her side was a beautifully ornate spear with a strangely green spearhead. Everything about this woman radiated confidence and power. Kalliope''s animal instincts made her want to shrink back in fear of the woman. Though she was clearly friendly, her body screamed at her. "Lucius," the woman said with a voice more angelic than any she had heard before. "I see you found her." "Yes, Lady Tenia." Lucius responded. "I have. This is Kalliope. Kalliope, this is Lady Tenia din Aedrider, the infamous Lady of the Mountain and the Strongest Empyrean." Tenia smiled at her gently and quickly advised them to follow her through the cave to their escape. The route out was free and clear of any opposition. However, most of that was due to the fact that Tenia had either cleared it prior or electrocuted anyone before they were able to approach the group. Kalliope took the opportunity to put herself under one of Lucius''s arms and assist him with moving through the halls a little faster. Tenia seemed to find something amusing as she shed them a teasing smile every handful of steps. Though Kalliope found it somewhat annoying, she was not about to say something of that sort to someone like Lady Tenia. After a few minutes, they made it out of the cave where Snow and Ethi waited for them. Snow was starting to look as bad as Ethi. Her brow was saturated with sweat and her beautiful hair had be stringy and damp. The darkening of her eyes had continued to the point they were almost fully ck. Tenia gave the elf a pitiful look before delivering a swift strike to her neck and knocking her out. The woman then shot a bolt of lightning at the cave entrance, sealing it with rubble before she picked up Snow.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I believe the sick one is your friend?" Tenia said. "Lucius can walk on his own, so go ahead and carry the sick one." Kalliope did as she was instructed and picked Ethi up in a princess carry. Her breathing had be more faint and her pulse was weaker than before. Ethi would notst much longer at this rate, and Kalliope had no medicine to help her. Lucius understood her concern and did not know what to do to help. Though they had not known each other for very long, Ethi and Kalliope had formed an important bond. They shared their pasts and their traumas with each other. Through shared suffering, they forged a friendship. There was no way that Kalliope could let her die of disease after all they had gone through. "She will survive." Lady Tenia advised. "Don''t worry, I have just the needed medications here. It is a simple fix with the right herbs." "Can you really help her? Is it that simple?" "I''ve seen a thing or two in my time on this continent. I know of Cell Rot when I see it. It is but a simple infection. Though her recovery may take time, she will survive." Kalliope felt tears forming on her face, but instead of pausing to wipe them, she simply continued forward until they came to rest at arge hill away from the cave. Several guards and other people had left the main town of Seteste and had already begun trying to excavate the destroyed entrance. No one attempted to look further up the hill to see the group of people responsible for this mess standing and watching. rm bells rang in the main town, and arge number of elves began to gather in the vige. Kalliope assumed they were preparing to settle the outbreak of prisoners inside of the arena after they finished opening up the entrance. Lady Tenia turned to Lucius and asked him a simple question. "What will you do now?" The woman was alreadypounding a mixture of herbs and liquids that smelled atrocious to Kalliope''s superior nose. Tena seemed unbothered by the stench and continued to mix the medicine together. Lucius stepped forward with a smile on his face. He quickly took a drink of a strange-looking potion that Kalliope identified as a mana recovery potion. Once he had downed the entire bottle, any missing mana from his fight against the other prisoners had returned. Lucius was back at full strength and with a little extra mana to spare. Lucius carefully eyed the cave and town just a little past it. He carefully brought his hands together in front of him while facing Seteste. Kalliope sensed the convergence of mana within the palms of the man''s hands. "Lucius, what are you?" "[Overcharge]" The mana gathering in his hands condensed at an even faster rate. Electricity crackled around him and the ground shook. The lightning took on a swath of colors between red and blue. Sweat dripped from Lucius''s face as the spell neared itspletion. Kalliope noticed that the activation was slower than in the tournament, which meant he was goingpletely all out for this task. Before she could utter another word, Lucius opened his palms before bringing them back together with an ear-splitting p. A beam of white light mixed with streaks of red and blue escaped his hands and shot straight toward the cave and the town of Seteste beyond. The sounds of the world around them were drowned out by this spell, sounding like a thousand brass instruments ying a single note with none of them sounding in tune. The ground below the beam boiled and turned to ss. The elves in the path of the spell seemed to vaporize, not even leaving behind ashes. Rock and dust were thrown into the air as the spell bored into the earth destroying the cave that had been Kalliope''s prison. The spell continued beyond the cave and struck the center of the town of Seteste. For a moment, the spell stopped and Lucius fell to one knee while panting. However, the mana he used had not yet dissipated. Kalliope noticed that the spell had formed a ball of energy at the center of the town below. For a moment, the entire world stood still as everyone who saw the strange, glowing orb of mana, seemed to stare at it in wonder. They all seemed to question where such a gorgeous object could havee from. Seconds felt like hours as the silence remained. Some of the elves who dodged the beam had looked at the source, but they were too surprised by the orb in their hometown to make a move towards the attackers. On top of that, if the group they saw was capable of such destruction, what was it they were expected to do against such a force? Kalliope watched as several townsfolk moved to investigate the orb of mana. No one dared to touch it due to the power that it radiated. "Lucius, what" Before Kalliope could finish her sentence, Lucius snapped his fingers. At that moment, color and sound drained from the world. The orb erupted into a massive, bright light that swallowed everyone''s vision. Kalliope felt the oing heat and wave of force bearing down on them, threatening to swallow them up in the st as well. Chapter 300 A Favor Repaid [Part 2] Itorin barely ducked in time to witness the stone around him shatter and vanish before his very eyes. Several elves who were not so lucky seemed to have parts of their body disintegrate, leaving behind smoking lumps of flesh where the beam of light did not touch. The roof of the cave vanished and opened to the beautiful blue sky above. Itorin could feel the immense amount of mana in the attack. For a moment, his vision was reced with the image of the gorgeous Lady of the Mountain. "What''s happening?" "Gods above, help! Help! Mikai is Where did his torso go? Where?" Everywhere he looked, people were dead or dying. Those deeper underground where the beam had not reached were quickly approaching them. Though many of them were ves, no one made a move to attack. Just as Itorin and his guards were, so too were the neers shocked at what they saw. Just beyond the cave, Itorin saw a white sphere that radiated destructive power. No matter what he tried, he found himself incapable of averting his eyes. The sphere represented the perfect idea of death. When the sphere finally released its stored power, no one would be able to escape. Even the earth itself would find that it was no stronger than wet paper. Suddenly, the sphere shrank in size and then rapidly expanded. An intense amount of heat followed by a wave of force sted them. A moment before their world became only white, Itorin watched the town crumble. He felt the surface of his skin boil and melt away. "I knew he had potential." Itorin whispered, just before he vanished. "It''s beautiful!" ***** Lucius felt a rush of excitement as he looked down at the town of Seteste below as well as the orb he created. He decided for the greatest impact, it was better to condense the power of his spell into a focused and explosive st. Normally, [Overcharge] was a beam of energy, however this would have been highly inefficient for destroying the city and arena.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Once he had poured every ounce of his Magic and Arts mana into the spell that he could without killing himself, Lucius fell to one knee. His breath turned ragged and rough. The injury from earlier had not yet healed. Because of that, he could no longer hold himself uppletely. Without the bonus strength from his mana, he waspletely weakened. Kalliope and Tenia both stared at the orb he created in Seteste. Though he only barely had enough mana in his own body to keep himself alive, the mana in the orb from [Overcharge] still belonged to him until the spell entered its final stage. With a confident grin, he snapped his fingers together, releasing the spell. As the force and destruction bore down on them, he could hear Tenia begin to move in front of them. The bright white light prevented him from seeing her for the moment, but he could hear her begin to swing her peculiar spear. A momentter, the heat began to lessen and the wind created by the st came to a sudden stop. Lucius also felt the bright light lessen ever so slightly. He carefully opened his eyes so as not to identally blind himself. What he saw almost made his jaw drop. Lady Tenia stood in front of the four of them as a vanguard against the destruction. The mysterious green head of her spear glowed with a semi-divine light. Though Lucius knew nothing of divinity, he could only guess based on the pure, green light emanating from Tenia''s weapon. The mana in the air that came into contact with the weapon seemed to vanish into nothingness. Along with it, so did the heat and force disappear. Somehow Lady Tenia was holding back the force of Lucius''s strongest attack with a simple spear. No matter how many different ways Lucius tried to look at the elf, he could not sense the movement of any mana in her body. Whatever she was doing did not require mana to perform. This suddenly made him feel extremely inadequate. Knowing that she could block such destructive force by force alone wounded Lucius''s pride by a small margin. Then he remembered that she was the strongest mortal known to civilized races and lessened some of the expectations for himself. After nearly two full minutes, the spell finally dissipated. Once the light fully faded, Lucius and Kalliope looked toward Seteste. Where a small city once stood, there was arge crater that formed a perfect circle. The bottom of the crater was nearly a hundred feet deep into the ground. Along the side of the crater, Lucius could see a few broken hallways and a portion of the battle arena they fought in underground. A quick nce told them that no one inside the remaining tunnels was alive. If they were, they would be dead soon. Kalliope gulped slightly and came to her feet somewhat shakily. She quickly checked on Ethi''s condition and saw that her breathing had stabilized. The mixed elf was still partially feverish, but with stable breaths, she was clearly out of danger. Lucius watched as Kalliope slowly approached him. Her face had a somewhatplicated expression. He knew she was not afraid of him for what happened because she knew that this was the true force that [Overcharge] was capable of. Instead, something else seemed to be on her mind. Lucius nodded and struggled to his feet. Kalliope rushed over to him in a panic, "What are you doing?! You''re too weak to" Just as she reached him, he fell into her arms in a slump. Lucius slowly began to chuckle and could hear Kalliope scoff at him. Before she could say more, he slowly pulled himself up until his chin weakly rested on her shoulder. "I finally found you." He whispered with a voice that was slightly cracked. "I am so sorry it took me so long." After what felt like an eternity of silence, though in reality it was only a few seconds, Kalliope ced a gentle hand on his back. He felt her fingers dig slightly into his skin. "You''re an idiot but thank you. I knew you woulde for me." Lady Tenia coughed awkwardly as if hating to break up their reunion. The look on her face had settled into one of curiosity. "How did you do that? What spell was that?" "[Overcharge]. It is an ability I unlocked thanks to my Thunder Magic and Channeling abilities." Tenia shook her head in denial. She quickly exined that she also possessed Thunder Magic and that she had no such capability. The news stunned Lucius because he had assumed that the ability was from his Thunder Magic. If he did not forcibly use Channeling to push Arts into it, the spell simply used all of his Magic mana to create an overwhelming lightning-based spell. The woman quickly affirmed that she had been alive for a little over two thousand years and not once had she gained such an ability. Lucius attempted to ask Grimm and Luz what the deal was. It had been a little since he had a full-on conversation with them and hoped that they would have an answer, however they only provided him silence. After waiting for Lucius to contemte on the situation quietly for a few minutes, Lady Tenia coughed once again. She advised them it was a good idea to get moving because Lucius had a job toplete for Princess Letheya. She also reminded them that Ethi would need a real ce to recuperate instead of on the side of a road. Lucius attempted to stand, but stumbled the moment Kalliope released him. He could try to drink another mana recovery potion, however after having already drank one, a second would not do much. With both Ethi and Snow out ofmission, he would be a liability as well until he recovered. Thankfully he would recover his mana within twenty-four hours, but they did not have that kind of time. As Lucius started to figure out a solution with Kalliope, Tenia approached and ced her hand over Lucius''s heart. Crackles of electricity arced around her body before slowly moving towards him. Kalliope immediately reacted on instinct, worried that she was trying to harm Lucius. "Do not worry. It is a rare technique. By using Channeling, I can share a small amount of mana with someone who shares any form ofpatibility with me. Lucius and I both possess Thunder Magic." She exined, "This should give you enough of a boost to walk on your own." Lucius felt a strange tingling sensation wash over his body. It felt as though his strength was slowly returning to him like it would have with a mana potion. However, unlike a mana potion, this process felt almost instant from the moment Tenia started. He looked at the woman in awe as he had never heard of such a technique to share your mana with someone else like that. Though it made sense that she knew a thing or two with her advanced knowledge. "Thank you." Lucius said. "Simply a favor repaid, though at this point I would say you owe me a favor now." Tenia cut him off with a smirk. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 301 An Important Discussion Kalliope, Lucius, and the other three made it to the Aedridan pce within a few hours thanks to their speed. Tenia took Snow on her back while Kalliope held Ethi in a princess carry. She was too concerned that the elf did not possess the strength to remain wrapped around Kalliope''s neck. Lucius was able to rely on his mana to supplement his lost stamina and injury, though Kalliope could hear the asional breaks in his steady breathing as he reacted to the pain that asionally wracked his body. Guilt threatened to overwhelm her every time they stopped for a short rest because it gave her a moment to think. Once they had made it into the pce and Ethi was taken from her care to rest in the medical ward, time seemed to be all that Kalliope had. She numbly and quietly followed Lucius for him to receive treatment. Thankfully, the elves had a very strong healer on staff and he was able to heal the burns from the [Fire Spear] that had struck through Lucius''s shadow tendrils during the fight. Kalliope had no idea what she would do if he received permanent scars because of her betrayal. As if sensing her thoughts, Lucius gently reached out and brushed the back of her hand. "It''s okay. I knew what might happen and nned for it. You did not betray me. You knew I would survive. If you thought I wouldn''t, I have no doubt you would have chosen me." All she could do was nod. If she were to try and speak, she could not guarantee the words would not be choked out by sobs. He was right, if she had believed that Itorin would have let Lucius die then she would not have hesitated to fight by his side, even at the risk of her life. She operated under the assumption that he would be fine, so she went ahead with her n to save Ethi. Despite him knowing her intention, it still hurt her to look at the state he was in and know that it was her fault. A tear began to form in the corner of her eye and started to trail down her cheek. She barely noticed as Lucius stood up and wiped it away gently. She had only seen him act so tenderly towards Rena and wondered what it was that made him act this way with her A faint blush came to her cheeks as she remembered what was happening prior to her kidnapping. Something back then told her the conversation might have gone in a positive direction, so she had prepared certain things that never got used. "Kalliope," Lucius''s voice shocked her out of the small daze she was in. "We should talk." Kalliope quickly scanned the room and saw that all the medical staff had left. The only two souls in the room were her and Lucius. She did not realize that her thoughts had her entranced enough to miss them leaving the room. She quickly locked eyes with the man in front of her. Kalliope felt her heartbeat quicken as the thumping echoed in her ears. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" Lucius sighed. "The person who captured you. I found out who they were." Something small seemed to break inside her as her expectations about the topic of the conversation were left broken. Though, she did find herself curious who it was exactly had captured her. She remembered while in her cell there was a somewhat familiar scent in the air, but she never truly ced where it came from. "Who?" "Mia." Kalliope felt the hair on her body bristle. Her tail puffed up slightly and a low growl started to rumble in her throat. Hearing the woman''s name brought her plenty of anger. Most of the damage to Lucius''s body was the result of that bitch trying to blow him to pieces. Everyone expected that she had been incinerated by the st, but somehow she had escaped. Lucius did not have an answer for her, but apparently, she had lost an entire arm and an entire leg. When he chased her down as part of a separate investigation, he ran into her. He was poisoned during the fight and had a tough time recovering. Due to the timing, he was unable to fully question her and simply executed her. Kalliope had to ask if she was truly dead this time, to which Lucius had replied with absolute confidence. When he caught her finally, he reportedly separated her head from her body and tossed them off the mountain in different directions. "It''s good that she''s finally dead. It feels sad that you didn''t get to savor it. I would have taken my time for what she did to you." Luciusughed at the fire burning in her eyes and heart. Despite the humor he found in the situation, he also showed that he was aware of how serious she was in her statement. Kalliope gave him a gentle smile in response and could not help but feel a slightly awkward air develop between them. Before her talk with Lyrah, she would likely have made dozens of passes at Lucius by now. Though none of them would have been serious, and he would have absolutely rebuked them. She would have made them nheless. However, now things were different. She could not help but wonder if he would continue to rebuke her. She also could not help but wonder if she would even be able to say something to him. Previously, she had been joking, and that acted as a protective veil between them. Theck of serious intent protected her from the consequences, but did that same protection still exist? Would there be consequences to her actions now? Sensing the silence was torturing her, Lucius broke it with a simple grin. He gently grabbed her hand within his. The motion surprised Kalliope and she had to resist the urge to yelp. She barely managed to hold her voice in, but her body still flinched slightly despite her desire to remain calm. Lucius gently took her hand and ced it against his chest. Shecked both the strength and desire to resist the small tug. Her hand gently rested above his heart. Two things immediately came to her notice. The first was the realization that Lucius was extremely well-defined. She had seen him shirtless more times than she was able to count, but that suddenly felt different now that her hand was resting on his chest. The second thing she noticed was that his heart was beating almost as fast as hers. He was nervous. Just as nervous as she was, maybe even more. This realization both excited and scared Kalliope for what it could mean. "Perhaps we should have the actual discussion I wanted." Lucius said softly as he stood. Kalliope gulped as he stood before her. Lucius was a good few inches taller than she was, and suddenly his face became a lot more intimidating, despite the soft smile he wore. At this point she could not tell whether hers or his heart was beating faster. "Lucius" Kalliope hesitated. She remembered being as daring as she was back in Varris, but since then she had thought about several things. Primarily, her concern was that Rena was still back in Arcadios and pregnant with their child. She felt that acting on any feelings while in such a situation would seem opportunistic. "What?" "I can''t You have Rena and the baby and" Kalliope felt the words taken from her. Lucius leaned in swiftly enough that she could not react to his kiss. She felt his tongue gently probe the inside of her mouth. It felt as though her soul was leaving her body and by the time he pulled away, Kalliope was left breathless. "I told Rena this already," Lucius said, his face holding a resolute expression. "But I love you, Kalliope. I have for a long time. The love I feel for you is different than it is for Rena. Right now, you and her are the two most important things in this world to me. "I was going to have this conversation with you in Varris. Gods, I was going to have this conversation before that. However, I kept chickening out every time the moment arose. Having spent this long without you by my side made me realize that I could not wait anymore. Kalliope, I love you." In an instant, Kalliope''s vision blurred. She almost could not believe her ears. However, with her hand still on Lucius''s chest, she could feel his heart beating faster than she thought possible. He was telling the truth and he was terrified of her response. "But Rena" Kalliope weakly tried to put up a defense despite them both knowing she did not really have one. If anything, she was simply providing him with onest chance at an escape from the situation. Lucius knew this and chose to avoid it, pressing further forward. "I can love you and Rena. I told her how I feel about you and she told me that she supports this. Were it not for those rebels at the academy, I would have told you this when I returned from Grimspire. I will say this onest time, Kalliope. If you rebuke me, I will let you go. I love you, and I want you to love me too." For a moment, those words hung in the air. Lucius''s heart began to race faster. Kalliope wondered how she could best calm him down, and only one thing came to mind. She quickly jumped into his arms, knocking him back onto the medical bed.@@novelbin@@ Kalliope intertwined her fingers behind his neck and returned the passionate kiss he had given her only moments before. They continued to kiss one another passionately as if it were theirst moments in this life. After nearly two minutes, she pulled away and they both gasped for air. "Lucius, I love you too. I love you so much that it hurts." Chapter 302 What Comes Next? Lucius and Kalliope looked into each other''s eyes for what seemed like an eternity. It seemed as though entire conversations were had in the span of an instant. They leaned into one another once more but pulled apart quickly when the doors to the room were thrown open. Appearing in the doorway and shouting, "Kalliope!" Jade rushed into the room and dove into the wolf-girl''s arms. Tears flowed like a river from her eyes and soft sobs wracked her body as she threatened to squeeze the life out of Kalliope. Though Jade was technically Unranked and Kalliope was an Advance Ranker, the wolf-girl seemed to be struggling against Jade''s grip. Desmond approached slowly from behind with a knowing smile. "Did we interrupt something?" Desmond pointed casually to Lucius''s shirt, which had been thrown open, and then to Kalliope''s own clothes, which appeared to have been roughed up. Kalliope also had slightly disheveled hair. From the twins'' perspective, it appeared clear that they had interrupted something rather romantic. Jade stepped back with a crimson hue to her cheeks. "Oh my shall we go?" Before Kalliope could say anything, another voice joined the fray. "I think they can wait." Lucius immediately recognized it as Lady Tenia. Alongside her were Lady Voltara, Corva, Yue, and Princess Letheya. Snow was likely still in her own medical room and though Yue looked like she wanted to be with her, she was required to follow Corva wherever she went within the pce. Letheya moved beside Lady Tenia and bowed deeply to Lucius and Kalliope. She had a glint of fear in her gentle eyes when she gazed upon Lucius. It seemed she had already been made aware of the events at Seteste. On top of that, the light from [Overcharge] was clearly visible to almost all of the Aedridan Capital. Some of the citizens had referred to it as the rising of a ''Second Sun'' which amused Lucius. "Lord Kane," Letheya began carefully. She paused to swallow a lump in her throat before continuing. "I am d that you have found yourpanion, but I must ask you toplete the task for which you were summoned to our country. My sister''s forces have us pressed on two fronts and though you were gone for barely two days, things are not going well. "Too many of our promised ''allies'' have chosen instead to abstain from providing military support. Because of that, our forces are woefully outnumbered by Aya''s own. You are experienced in bothmanding troops and fighting on the frontlines. Please, help us win. If Aya is victorious, Aedrider may well be as withdrawn as Haedda and might be an elven ethnostate. I cannot let that happen to our people of mixed blood." Lucius was about to answer before he was distracted by a slight twitch in Lady Tenia''s hand. It was almost imperceptible, but he managed to catch it with his heightened senses. Something that Letheya had said upset her. It seemed like she wanted to take action somehow, but her oath as an Empyrean Ranker kept her from interfering. "If you hold her off for a month, I can just destroy her like I did Seteste?" Princess Letheya''s face went pale as she contemted the impact of his offer. She quickly refused, citing that one destroyed town was enough for Aedrider at this moment in time. Lucius simply shrugged dismissively as he thought the idea was simple and effective. It would allow him to finish the war within a month, and then he could return to Rena. By this point, she had entered her third month of pregnancy, and he did not want to miss more of it if he could. He continued to offer solutions which included various modes of assassination, like relying on Snow''s strange ability. However, this time it was Corva and Yue who opposed him. They were concerned for Snow''s health. Whatever it was that happened to her seemed to be a repercussion of using her mark''s power for an extended period of time. As it stood, they had no idea when it was she would wake up. Before this moment, Yue would look at Lucius with a in expression that contained hints of pity or sadness. However, when he mentioned relying on Snow''s strange ability, that all vanished under the weight of a sister''s fury. Corva was no different. Though she gazed at him with a look of respect and rivalry, that too vanished under the possibility of losing Snow to her mark. "Well then, what is it you would have me do?" Lucius said with an exasperated sigh. He wanted to do everything he could to avoid a prolonged war so he could return home for his child''s birth. "Simply takemand of the forces to the South. I will have my subordinates focus on the Western front, and I will focus on trying to engage the support of those who have chosen to abstain." Letheya answered. "Though you were only gone a short few days," Desmond interrupted, "I have already discussed at length with Princess Letheya regarding troop movements. Currently, the South is using Varris as its primary base of operations. It is situated several miles behind enemy lines and is blocking any potential for outside support. "We do not have word of them receiving additional support either, though. It seems that they are simply closing the borders to prevent outside interference in any capacity. If we manage to take the southern region first, we might be able to reopen supply lines and gain support from Paede nobility." Kalliope furrowed her brow at the mention of Paede, which surprised Lucius for a moment. He was unaware of them having any connections to Paede that were of any import, but he also figured he could ask her for rificationter. Focusing on the current situation, Lucius realized that Desmond had been taking the mission very seriously. The man seemed to have been gathering all the information he could so that Lucius would not have to waste time processing it entirely on his own, thus speeding up his ability to assess the situation.@@novelbin@@ After a few short moments of contemtion, Lucius buttoned his shirt back together, much to the chagrin of Kalliope and Jade. He requested that he be guided to the war room where they had been strategizing. Letheya bowed in thanks and left the room, gesturing for them to follow. Directly outside the room were the princess''s guards. They immediately ced their hands on the hilts of their weapons, not forgetting how Lucius had behaved in front of her not too long ago. Lucius chose to ignore them and continued following the princess through the halls of the pce. Content with not giving Kalliope a moment to rest from the blush on her cheeks, he pulled her to his side by intertwining his hand with hers. She found herself unable and unwilling to escape his grasp while her red cheeks turned crimson. Once they had made it to the war room, Lucius quickly moved to the map ced on the central table. It denoted thest known positions of different parts of Aya''s armies. For the southern border, it showed Letheya''s forces holding firm at arge river set between the capital city and Varris. This line was easily a hundred miles away from the capital city and almost one hundred fifty more to Varris. Though the river was a good point to defend, it would be better to push beyond it. From what Lucius could tell by the map, as well as recall from his trip to the capital in the first ce, there were very few natural formations that could be used defensively after the river. Once Aya''s forces broke past the line, there was little in the way of natural barriers to assist in holding them back. Unlike in Alvora, Varris was not within easy striking distance of their current lines. When Lucius took overmand of Eroa''s armies, they were only a few dozen miles away from Alvora. On top of that, once Alvora fell, the war was over. The same could not be said for Varris. It was likely they would have to continue to defend it from a counter-attack. "So, what is our next move?" Letheya asked timidly. Lucius looked over the map a few times more. "I''m going to take my group to the riverfront where we will make a push at one of the primary bridges. After that Well I suppose we will see." "Are you saying you are nning to ''wing it''?" "No, I''m saying I have a n, but I don''t trust exining it to people I don''t know. Send word to the southern forces that we will arrive in a few days. In the meantime, I will return with Corva to her home where I imagine she has quite the forge." Lucius exined while giving a side-eye to a few other people who were in the room when they arrived. "You want to wait before leaving? How is that wise?" Letheya nearly shouted. Her panic was understandable due to the state of things. "Corva is an excellent cksmith and enchanter. Though my weapon is more than adequate, Kalliope and Desmond could use a substantial upgrade." A fire was lit in Corva''s eyes when she realized that Lucius wanted her to forge weapons for him. It died a little when he said he did not want a weapon done for him, but she was excited nheless. Chapter 303 Dont Break the Balance Everyone continued to speak about ns on the Western Front for a few minutes after Lucius made his ns known for the South. Any time one of the other strategists tried to figure out what Lucius''s ns were so they could cooperate, he quickly shut them down. By the end of the meeting, it was almost assured that if anyone in the room had heard the phrase ''You''ll see'' again, they might have gone insane. Lucius was adamant that no one knew of his ns for the Southern border until he was there implementing them. Kalliope simply giggled at the interaction because he had done this in the past as well.@@novelbin@@ When Lucius was still training under Kalivas, one of the man''s old friends joined to teach him tactics. Kalivas was adamant that Lucius trained his mind as much as his body, so he asked a retired general to educate young Lucius on matters of warfare. It was thanks to this education that he was able to push back Alorek and even make the opening he did that helped him implement his ns. Kalliope remembered the old bastard being as secretive and paranoid as he was smart. Because of the man''s tendencies, Lucius had picked up a few of his other quirks alongside his knowledge. Being cagey about his ns, even among allies, was one of those quirks. Thankfully, she was included among his very short list of people considered fully trustworthy. So, any grievances the people had with him were not shared by her. Once Lucius had determined his presence was no longer necessary, he calmly announced his leave and turned to exit. Lady Tenia followed them outside and quietly pulled Lucius to the side. Since one of her hands was still held within his, she was also pulled to the side. Lady Tenia gave Lucius a cautious look before he simply stated, "If you can share it with me, you can share it with her." Tenia paused and gave her an appraising look. She must have passed because a secondter, she began to speak. "You and I must talk about that troublesome ability of yours. This [Overcharge]. Whatpatibilities do you possess?" "Forsaken Arts, Thunder Magic, and formerly Beast Arts." "Formerly?" "Long story and one I do not wish to discuss with you." "Noted. Regardless of that," Tenia paused. Kalliope noticed a pensive look on her face, as though she was second guessing whether or not she should actually continue the conversation. "A bnce exists in this world, Lucius. "It is a bnce that has been in ce for several thousand years, even before the downfall of the Demons. You know of the S-Ranked beasts, yes?" "Of course. I grew up near Fenrir''s den." "Then you have likely heard legends regarding what happens when beasts like it wake though simply referring to beings like Fenrir, Aetherous, or even the Ancient Dragon Gaellion, as mere ''S-Ranked Beasts'' does little justice to their might" Lady Tenia then quickly exined that monster rankings are simply a spectrum for mortals to try and quantify the rtive strength of a monster. S-Rank monsters existed at the top, but not all monsters in that level were the same. Beasts like Fenrir had S-Rank ssifications, but they also possessed names and legends beyond the simple understanding of ''S-Rank''. Tenia provided the example of dragons. Though all adult dragons were considered S-Rank monsters,paring an adult dragon to the legendary Gaellion was likeparing an ant to a bear. Simply put, there was no contest between them. "Regardless, these S-Rank beasts are the reason that Empyrean Rankers and King Rankers do not move about freely. We serve to act as a barrier between these legendary creatures and the masses. Myself and my cohort here in Aedrider are the first line of defense against Aetherous should he run wild." Teniaughed at herself, "As if I could do much other than annoy it. Thankfully Aetherous is a gentle soul. However, even a gentle creature can turn rabid if provoked my concern, Lucius is that with your power, your potential, running around without intention may provoke some of these creatures." Kalliope looked carefully at Lucius before casting her gaze on Tenia. "How does Lucius running around provoke these beasts? Aetherous you said is a gentle giant who currently slumbers deep beneath the mountain bearing his name. Fenrir sleeps in the forest outside Pelith. Gods, even Gaellion is content to leave Eroa alone, so long as we do not bother it." Tenia shook her head. "The reason most of these legendary creatures do not do anything is not simply because they arezy or content, but there is some threat to their existence from our Empyreans and King Rankers. However, Lucius here possesses a skill that can rival the power output of a King Ranker. Yet, he will grow stronger. "Those like me are constrained and bound by contracts and agreements with these creatures to stay within our territories. For the most part, we exclude ourselves from any involvement with our homnds well, other than that brat, Kalivas anyway, Lucius has that kind of output but remains unbound. Be careful. The bnce of the world is delicate and you are walking a precarious path that may very well disturb it." Lucius contemted her words carefully. Kalliope wondered what it was that he was thinking about, but his facial expression was a mystery to all, including herself. "I understand your concern, Lady Tenia, I do. However, most of the things I have done, the strength I have built the strength I will continue to build, it is all because of others pushing me. I only wish to live a life for my family. For Rena, my unborn child, and Kalliope." Kalliope''s heart began to beat faster at his words. Lucius smiled at her quickly, then turned back to Tenia. "Everything a Kane does is" Lucius began. "a response to what was done to them" Tenia finished with a sigh, "Yes, I know." "How did you" "I''ve been around a long time, boy, and I have known many people. Anyway, I said what I wished. I hope to see you again someday, young Lucius Kane." Both Kalliope and Lucius quietly watched Lady Tenia as she walked away. By the time she reached the end of the hallway, mana hadpressed around her body before she turned into a bolt of lightning and vanished from sight with a loud crack of thunder. Kalliope quietly looked over to Lucius who shook his head. "Nope, I can''t do that. Let''s go." They turned and followed where Corva and the others had gone. She mentioned she was going to try to collect snow before they left and have her transported to her manor. Corva was extremely energetic once she heard Lucius proim he wanted her to forge something. She mumbled something about her sister being right, but after that, the rambling became difficult to decipher, so Kalliope decided to ignore the elf. Kalliope was excited herself, though, because she had yet to have an enchanted weapon of her own. She still had her mask from the King''s Shadow, but it was only useful under certain scenarios. Unlike a weapon, which was useful in almost every fight. Desmond also seemed to have an extra pep in his step after hearing about a new spear and Jade seemed to look exhausted from the number of times he mentioned it to her. Kalliope could not help butugh at the twins for acting so much like siblings still, though they were now adults. For the first time in years, Kalliope found her mind wandering to her brother, who was killed shortly before the Alorek War. She still missed him on the asion, but he never came to the forefront of her mind as much as he did when she interacted with Desmond and Jade. Their friendly rtionship reminded her of her childhood. "You know" Lucius whispered to her, "Corva will need a little time to actually create the weapons. So I was thinking that once we get you sorted, that maybe we take some time to enjoy what the capital has to offer?" "During a war?" "I don''t see an army outside the gates just yet. I think it will be fine if we step away for a night while we are waiting anyway. Unless you would prefer to be couped up in some random elf''s mansion for a few days doing nothing?" Lucius challenged. Kalliope once again felt her face heating up. She found herself wondering how many times he had made her feel this way in the past few hours. Unfortunately, that number seemed rather high, and she suddenly felt an urge to return the favor. There had to be some way for her to make Lucius blush just as much as he had made her "Well?" Kalliope quickly nodded. Her answer was obviously yes. There was nothing on this continent that could keep her from going out with Lucius on the town. He had taken her to many ces, but they were all rted to work and business. She wondered what it would be like to go on a date for the first time. She quickly disentangled her fingers from his, leaving Lucius with a small frown. Choosing to ignore his pouting, Kalliope rushed to Jade and Yue who were chatting with one another. "I need your help. Please!" After she exined the situation, the two girls'' faces were stered with tworge grins. Looking at her friends, somehow Kalliope felt like a predator was bearing down on her. It was a primal fear that she had only ever felt around Lucius, Tenia, and Kalivas. Chapter 304 Mountain and the Forge At the peak of Mount Aetherous sat a simple stone house. Unlike the artistic and beautiful designs of the buildings below, this small building was more akin to the simple constructs one would find in a small vige or hunting camp. Enjoy more content from empire However, despite its minuscule size and sheerck of magnificence, the person who called this ce home was Lady Tenia din Aedrider. From here she overlooked her domain and watched over the legendary beasts across the continent. Thanks to the connection this peak had with the monster below, she could keep a watchful eye over everything. Everything except for Haedda. Well over two centuries ago, the other elf nation began to iste itself and shortly after, its borders became enshrouded in the same mystical fog that kept those calling the continent home from venturing to the Far Shores beyond. When this mist fully settled, Tenia''s sight over that entire domain was blocked and her connection to the beast presiding over Haedda was severed. Even the mighty Aetherous was at a loss for what urred. With his help, she spoke with Leviathan, who holds mastery over the seas. Unfortunately, even it was unsure of what had happened. Other than the denizens of the Far Shores, Leviathan was the only creature who could pass through the mist. Since then, peace had persisted for two centuries, but now things appeared to be moving "Tenia" The moment she thought she had a moment to herself after spending so much time around others again, a voice echoed through the stone. It reached out for a response from Tenia and waited silently for her to oblige. "Aetherous, so was I right?" Tenia''s lone voice bounced along the stone before expanding into the abyss of clouds below her. Though the elven pce often sat above the clouds, the peak of the mountain was higher still and was almost always shrouded from the eyes of those below. "Yes" the ground rumbled below her. Though there was no audible sounding through the air, the voice carried itself through the stone and into Tenia''s ears thanks to the stone on which she stood.@@novelbin@@ "The world is once again experiencing change. The old guard continues to fade into the background right as the battle begins once more." Tenia scoffed at the creature''s words. "Battle? I see no battle. All I saw was a one-sided victory. If a battle were urring, I don''t know from what eyes you saw it you dumb pile of rocks." The mountain shifted slightly below her feet as augh entered her ears that sounded more like the grinding of boulders. "Do not count a loss before the fight is finished. Many twists and turns are still possible; many cards left un-yed" "So you say, but" "You are eons too young to ignore my opinion. I was birthed before the First walked among the stone" "Stop ying the age card, you over-grown boulder" Tenia growled. "You''re just mad ''cus I lied and made you out to be a monster when you''re just a softie at heart." Theck of response from the mountain told her that she had made her point. However, she had one more question before her old friend slumbered once more. "What happens when the battle is truly over?" "The chains that bind will break and the Gate will be thrown open once more." ***** Corva pulled Kalliope away from Yue and Jade once they arrived at her manor. Kalliope was slightly grateful to the elf who was single-minded in her desire to outfit the wolf-girl with an enchanted weapon. However, the terrifying gazes of Yue and Jade remained on her back, and they continued their devious whispering. The most terrifying part was when they disappeared up the stairs leading to the second floor, while Kalliope was dragged into a basement of sorts. Desmond followed along with her. Lucius seemed mildly curious about the basement which smelled of soot. Before he could cross the threshold a voice from the second floor called him away. Kalliope tried to reach out for him to join her, but he only smiled and stepped away to answer the call of their friend and the strange-new rabbit girl. "Don''t worry, I''m sure he will be fine. Yue is sweet, but she''s not into men like Lucius." Corva said. Unfortunately, that was not the part that scared Kalliope. Desmond seemed to be aware of that and stifled a chuckle at the situation. Even though she could easily kick his ass up Mount Aetherous and back, he was unperturbed by Kalliope''s re. As they approached what seemed to be the bottom of the stairs, everyone noticed the marked increase in temperature. The smell alone indicated that this ce was a forge, but entering the room itself showed how impressive of a ce it truly was. The walls were made of smooth stone, and strange, glowing crystals were set at equal spaces around them. It was unclear what the crystals did, but they glowed with a healthy amount of mana. Lining the walls was a series of different kinds of equipment that neither of the non-elves had ever seen before. There were several different forges of varying sizes with some using different kinds of fuel to fire them. A few of them were even powered with what could only be described as coals that never seemed to dim. Corva exined them to be special mana crystals imbued with Magma Magic runes. They were not naturally urring objects, but they were created with the idea of mithril smithing in mind. Since mithril was a delicate material to work with, temperature control was extremely important. Though Corva said she preferred the more traditional method for her favorite creations, these crystals helped her forge an experimental piece quickly and efficiently for testing purposes. She also showed off some sort of magically powered hammer. It was made of metal and lined with dozens of mana crystals. Corva turned it on, and arge metal rod that hung over the top of a small anvil began to thrust down before being pulled back up and then repeated the process endlessly until Corva released the foot lever that activated it. "That''s a Mana Hammer. Good for quick stuff. But again, I prefer the good ''ol fashion touch." Corva exined. "Alright, Desmond probably wants a spear. What would you like, Kalliope? Sword, shield, dagger?" Still a little awestruck at the different equipment around her, including the dozens that Corva did not exin, Kalliope barely managed to answer, "Sword." The enchanter nodded and began to take measurements for both Kalliope and Desmond. Since she was making custom items for them, she wanted to ensure they were the proper weight and length for the users'' bodies. Sure, she could go with basic lengths and weights based on the type of weapons, but if Corva was going to make them something special, why not go all out? Rather, that''s what the elf exined. Kalliope was unsure about it because she had never had a custom weapon made for her. It was her assumption that all the personalization was in the enchantment requests or style requests if it was a showpiece for a fat noble. Both she and Desmond also provided theirpatibilities so that Corva coulde up with enchantments for their weapons that would best suit each of them. "Don''t we get to have a say in our new weapons?" Desmond asked carefully. His words were met with a dangerous re from Corva. "If I''m making you a custom weapon, I am customizing it." "If it''s for us" "Shush!" Corva interrupted, "I''m the master cksmith and enchanter here. You are just a numbskull with muscles for brains. I''ve got your measurements and your Compatibilities, now shoo! I have work to do!" Desmond hung his head and slowly left the workshop with Corva''s angry re still trained on his back. Kalliope stood stark still for a moment, trying to gather the courage to ask a question. Though she was much stronger than the woman in front of her, the chance at losing a powerful weapon was too great to earn her ire. "What do you want?" "Before we leave I have a favor to ask. Not about my sword." Corva raised her eyebrow before sizing Kalliope up and down for a moment. Though Kalliope had no idea why, she simply let it happen if it would appease the woman. After several moments, Corva stepped back and gestured for Kalliope to continue. She quickly went on to exin what she wanted to be made and hoped that Corva would pull it off quickly and before she started to work on the weapons. "Alright, you''ve piqued my interest sure, give me a few. Now scram!" Kalliope quickly rushed up the stairs to exit the forge. As she stepped out into the main hall, she was able to gather a fresh breath of air that did not smell of metal, oil, or ash. Once again, elven technology astounded her as there seemed to be some air purification qualities imbued into the doors leading to the house. "Oh, Kalliope" A shudder ran through her body as she heard a terrifying call from the woman named Jade, who she once called a friend. Before she could react, Yue and Jade mped onto either side of her arms and dragged her up to the stairs and to the baths. Chapter 305 Date Night [Part 1] Lucius stood next to therge entry door that separated the interior of Corva''s beautiful manor from the outdoors. To the side of the door was arge mirror intended to help someone makest-minute adjustments to their clothes before leaving the estate. For several minutes, Lucius stood there and tried to figure out why his cor looked crooked. However, no matter how many times he tried to fix it, he was dissatisfied with the results. Desmond watched him from the side with a mirthful glint in his eye for a little while before he finally decided to help his friend. It was obvious that Lucius was not used to dressing up like this. Most likely, one of the few times he ever had was at the banquet after the exhibition tournament. Desmond assumed that Lucius had only practiced how to dress in that specific outfit he wore that night. Unfortunately, in noble circles, there were as many different kinds of fashion as there were nobles. Desmond chuckled as he straightened Lucius''s cor appropriately and smoothed out a handful of wrinkles. He gave Lucius a few looks over to ensure that there was nothing else out of ce with his attire. Read new adventures at empire Lucius was dressed in a finely designed outfit meant for both portraying status while also being eptable for a night on the town, rather than being for a high society party. He wore fine ck cks with glossy ck shoes. Yue and Jade saw fit to adorn him in a crimson button-up shirt made of fine silk and a ck, sleeveless vest over the top. The top two buttons were left undone, per Jade''s rmendation. Yue rmended buttoning it up and adding in a tie, but after seeing what Jade pointed out, she agreed with Jade''s rmendation. Lucius was slightly thankful because whilefortable, buttoning the shirt all the way felt a little too tight and suffocating. Desmond nced over him a few times and decided to unbutton the cuffs of the shirt and fold them back once before bringing the sleeves halfway up Lucius''s forearm. The outfit was different than what he was used to, but seeing the ensemble made him realize that he cleaned up well. A slightughter echoed in his mind as he noticed a strange weight suddenly appeared on his right hand. The ring that represented the Fragment of the Abyss glinted evilly in the light of the room thanks to therge onyx that adorned the golden band. On Lucius''s left hand were a few in silver bands that held most of his belongings. It seemed that both he and Grimm wanted to stay prepared for any asion. Before he could mention the appearance of the ring too closely with Grimm, Lucius''s ear twitched at the sound of someone descending the stairs. Yue and Jade stood at the top of the steps while Kalliope slowly descended.@@novelbin@@ Her blond hair was tied up in a tight bun on the back of her head with a beautiful golden pin adorned with a handful of blue gems arranged to look like a flower. Her dress was a sleek, form-fitting ck dress that went down to just below her knees. Two long slits were cut on either side of her legs that started from the hem and traveled halfway up her thigh. The dress had an open back and no sleeves, and it was held up only by a small cor around her neck. Kalliope''s entire presence shocked Lucius into silence. He felt his mouth turn dry looking at how the thin cloth hugged Kalliope''s surprisingly womanly curves. Though she had spent her whole life as a warrior, the muscture of her arms and legs only served to entuate her feminine shape. It was not until she stood directly in front of him and looked at his outfit with her gray eyes that he finally found his ability to speak. "You look wonderful." Kalliope gulped but then smiled shyly, "So do you." "Shall we?" Lucius said after admiring her for another few moments. He extended his arm to her and allowed her to gently grasp his hand before guiding her out the door and into an awaiting carriage. Both of them were shockingly stiff despite them both desiring tonight''s events. In the over four years they had known each other, this was the first time they truly allowed themselves to indulge in such frivolous behaviors with each other. Kalliope was a warrior, strong and independent. Lucius was also a warrior, but he also bore the mark of a war hero or a viin, depending on who was talked about him. Because they both struggled to separate this other aspect of themselves from this moment alone, the ride down the mountain to the city proper was silent and awkward. Despite that, neither moved to dislodge their hands from each other. Once inside the cityyer below Corva''s manor, the carriage in which they rode began to attract attention from the crowds along the streets. They rode gently past hundreds of elves who gawked at the finely designed vehicle which bore the crest of the royal family. Perhaps what surprised the onlookers the most was the fact that inside the royal carriage was a human and a beastman. As the carriage stopped outside a high-end shopping district, Lucius stepped out first before extending his hand to help Kalliope step out, as a gentleman would. His behavior made herugh a little at the ridiculous thought of her being treated like such ady. However, Lucius had no intention of treating her any differently tonight. He had decided that there would be no more ambiguity between them. There would be no more ''joking''. Instead, he will treat her as a woman, as his woman. Their appearance before the crowd, now that they had stepped out of the royal carriage, caused another series of murmurs and whispers. Lucius and Kalliope both picked out several different statements with their exceptional hearing. Outside of the standard questions regarding their arrival, many of themplimented Kalliope on her outfit and beauty. Thesements caused Kalliope''s face to turn a rare shade of pink that Lucius was sure he had not seen before. Or if he had, he had long since forgotten. Several others remarked about the burns and scars that covered the back of Lucius''s neck and face. Kalliope did not take too kindly to those and Lucius noticed her body start to tense in anger. Before she could get to an unmanageable state of mind, Lucius simply turned his head in the direction of thements. He flicked his hair out of the way of his two eyes, shing mana through them while giving off a calm and gentle smile. In an instant, the negative statements vanished and were reced by enamored gasps from dozens of women in the crowd. Kalliope grumpily thumped his chest. "I''m not sure that was much better." "Come, ignore them. These are badges of honor. Proof I survived. Had I not, then I would not be here to enjoy the beautiful sight before me." Lucius whispered into his lover''s ear. She coughed lightly and wrapped herself around his arm before they continued into the shopping district. Since war had not yet reached the capital, many things had yet to change within its walls. The citizens continued to buy, sell, and interact the same as they always did. Ignoring the potential threat that loomed over a hundred miles away. Lucius was grateful that things remained calm enough for them to enjoy a night like this. He would have figured something out if the city was in a panic, but this made things simple. Yue informed him that she had already reserved a table at one of the finest restaurants in the district for them, so the couple quickly made their way to the location. The restaurant itself was named ''Mountainside Escape''. From the outside, the building looked simr in design to most of the others around it. Nothing in its architecture singled it out among the other locations nearby. However, the interior showed why they referred to it as an ''escape''. In opposition to the stone exterior, the inside made plenty of use of wooden furniture and dcor. The floors were beautiful granite, but the walls and support beams were made of wood. Many of the beams were designed to look like they were made of unshaved logs. Instead of relying on only the in and t light crystals, many of the light settings used a variety of different colored sses that spun slowly around the light crystals to create a me-like effect. Lucius was impressed with the uracy at which these lights were able to replicate the look of a fire dancing along the walls. A gentleman in a ck and white suit took their names and checked the reservation. Without a fuss, he bowed slightly and led the couple to an upper level of the restaurant that overlooked the other floors. It was a private room that was sectioned off byrge, clear ss that served to allow the space to remain open in appearance, but still cut down the sound for privacy. Kalliope looked around with eyes wide, but Lucius''s eyes were only glued on her. Even after all the time, he found himself unable toprehend that this was his new reality. Chapter 307 Date Night [Part 3] – R18 Elves all along the paths to wherever Kalliope was dragging him stared nkly at the image of a finely dressed half-blooded human and a beastman woman flying by them. Some of the faces seemed to be giving off knowing smiles as they suddenly came to a stop in front of a luxurious inn. Without any hesitation, Kalliope stormed inside with her hands around Lucius''s wrist with a vice-like grip. She quickly requested a room from the terrified young woman at the front desk and snatched the key from her with enough speed to leave a gust of wind strong enough to flutter the elf''s hair. "Sound-dampening crystalse pre-installed" The woman muttered as they vanished up the stairs. Lucius could only barely catch her words because of the amount of focus he was putting into maintaining his sanity. Ever since he had been pulled out of the jeweler''s shop, his heart rate had continued to increase and he felt his body temperature rose. Were it not for the fact that the sensation was strangely pleasant, he would have thought he had suddenly gotten sick or even poisoned. The food they ate tasted fine, and he did not smell or taste anything in the food or drink that would indicate an aphrodisiac was used. Yet, that is almost what he felt like was happening. Kalivas made sure that he knew what it was like to be poisoned or drugged and forced Lucius to sample arge number of poisons and drugs to build up tolerance. He was far from immune, but he was resistant enough to most things to have time to find a cure. The room they rented was ratherrge, easily twice the size of his room at the Eroan embassy where he stayed with Rena. The bed had four posts and semi-transparent purple curtains around all four sides. Two massive, floor-to-ceiling windows framed the bed on either side, but seemed to be made of the same ss as the research facility at Stark Academy. A loud click, along with dangerous-sounding breathing, echoed behind him. Lucius looked over his shoulder at Kalliope, whose face was almost as red as Rena''s hair. "So I was right" She whispered while slowly approaching him. "I was worried it might not happen. I would be fine if it didn''t, but it makes things easier for the future since it did." "What are you talking about?" Lucius breathed. He started to do breathing exercises to slightly calm his heart by breathing in through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. Despite what he thought, the action only made his symptoms worse. He also noticed a strange scent that was unfamiliar to him, though it was extremely pleasant. He felt his lower half beginning to stir as a result. "Beastmen." Kalliope breathed, still approaching him with hungry eyes. "We are a little different from humans. When we have rtions with a fellow beastman, sometimes our instincts well up. It affects us in a variety of ways, but the biggest one is it amplifies things such as desire and appetite." She paused for a moment, seemingly trying to calm herself. With a deep breath, she pulled out a potion from her storage ring. It was a sickly-looking green, and Lucius could tell by a nce that it did not taste or smell pleasant. "This is a counter-measure. It can stop this for us and we can resume the evening as normal. It also prevents other things from happening because the chances are high when in this state." Kalliope shyly looked away, but her hand lightly brushed against her stomach. Lucius swallowed a lump in his throat but stepped forward and put a hand around hers. His palm covered the top of the potion, and he gently wrapped his fingers around the neck of the sk. In one swift motion, he twisted his wrist, wrenching the bottle from her hand and throwing it across the room. ss shattered against the wall and the liquid contained within sloughed onto the ground. Without a word, Lucius brought his hands gently up Kalliope''s back, tracing her spine and feeling his fingertips brush against every muscle. What she had said earlier was not a lie, every single nerve in her body seemed to be experiencing heightened sensations as she writhed under his simple touch. Once his hand reached the back of her neck, he quickly unsped the cor of the dress. The front fell forward, exposing her shapely chest. Each breast was perfectly shaped and perky. The smooth skin of her soft mounds was broken only by the sharp protrusions at their center. Kalliope''s breath grew heavier as she dove into him, knocking him down onto the bed. Her lips furiously attacked his own as she rushed to rip his vest open. Without caring for the buttons, she yanked open the front of his dress shirt. Her hands traced over the scars and muscles on his front as she continued to intertwine her tongue with his. Lucius felt his pants slowly loosen after Kalliope''s hands had found themselves lower. Unlike the care he put into keeping her dress in good condition, Kalliope had no qualms with destroying his. The belt flopped to the side, having been cleanly sliced in half by her ws. Kalliope lowered herself, pulling his pants along with her, freeing his sword. Her eyes glistened hungrily as she shed off what remained of her own dress, letting it fall to the ground. "Lucius, I can''t. No forey. Please. Later. Need, now." Kalliope was in such a state that she could not form full sentences, her condition weakening her sense of reason. She climbed onto the bed beside him and stayed standing on hands and knees. Her tail twitched with excitement and expectation. Lucius could smell her excitement even more strongly than before and saw a slight reflection of light off of trails of liquid running slowly down her legs. He immediately understood what she wanted as she lowered her front half onto the bed and started to shake her butt. "Please," she moaned. Any hesitation he may have experienced shattered like ss at that moment. Lucius quickly positioned himself behind her, tossing the remainder of his clothes to the side. Her entrance seemed to pulsate in excitement, waiting for him and enticing him to join her. Lucius gently pressed his tip against her, making Kalliope whimper slightly. His hands gently rubbed her butt and moved up to her back. He gently wrapped one hand around the base of her tail and used it to pull himself in one quick motion as deep as he could. The strength he used was not enough to cause pain but rather sent shocks of pure pleasure through Kalliope''s entire body. She started to convulse lightly at the sensation of her lover pulling her tail and finally taking her as his own.@@novelbin@@ Lucius began to experience sensations and thoughts unlike any he had ever experienced before. Every part of his body wanted to turn Kalliope into his. He wanted to take her everything and mark her as his forever. Despite himself, he could feel his eyesight sharpen, and his teeth began to grow as they did before intense battle. Kalliope moaned helplessly as he began to pull and push repeatedly, constantly trying to bury himself deeper and deeper inside her. Every thrust was apanied by the pping of flesh and cries of pleasure. Though some women would be embarrassed by the sounds of their insides squelching as they were prated, Kalliope only continued to shout louder. "Lucius! More. Make me yours. Give me more!" Discover hidden content at empire His senses continued to drive him wild. Both his and Kalliope''s energy pushed them deeper and deeper into pleasure. Lucius felt his ws begin to extend, and his grip began to draw a small amount of blood from her flesh. He tried to loosen his grip so as not to hurt her, but Kalliope quickly growled, "No!" Though it was slightly awkward, she felt her feet slowly move to pointlessly attempt to pin him in ce by his calves. Lucius released a low chuckle and felt another piece of his sanity snap. By this point, Kalliope had raised her front to be back on her hands and knees. She assisted him by rocking her own body and hips back and forth. However, Lucius loosened the grip on her waist with one hand and slowly moved it up her back. She twitched slightly until his hand reached the base of her neck. With every ounce of strength he could muster, he gripped the back of her neck and pushed her face back down into the bed. At the same time, he slightly lifted himself up to improve his angle of entrance and pressed deeper and harder into her. Kalliope''s muffled shouts reached his ears, giving Lucius a sense of aplishment. Her body began to shudder more intensely as the periodic climaxes began to increase in intensity. Lucius felt his own pleasure begin to reach its height. With one final push, he released himself as deep inside her as he could muster. Kalliope, too, seemed to reach yet another peak, and though she could not pick herself up because of being pinned to the bed, she released a powerful scream. Lucius could barely hear his name being called but heard the tearing of sheets as her wed hands gripped the bed tightly. To ensure that he gave her everything he had at the moment, Lucius lightly pulled in and out and felt Kalliope''s insides greedily attempt to do the same. He felt a second, smaller release be pulled from him and pushed in once more, making Kalliope gasp. Without giving her rest, Lucius quickly pulled himself free and rolled her onto her back. Kalliope''s chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. Sweat poured down each of their bodies, but they could both tell that they each had the stamina to continue. Lucius leaned down and kissed her deeply, entering her once more as he did so. "I think your sword might be finished before I''m done with you." He whispered. "That''s fine, it can wait. The one I have right now is much, much better." Chapter 308 Retrieval A human half-blood woman sat at her desk going over a handful of documents scattered about it. There was a small group of tiny dark scales at the corners of her eyes. The corners of her nostrils had slits where the flesh would normally connect. Verona Fangorath of the Merchant Guild in Lelvern could be seen doing mental calctions regarding the potential profits or losses of this month''s imports. As Head of Acquisitions, doing this type of work was her primary job. However, there seemed to be a handful of people requesting a lot of data rting to market fluctuations within Arcadios''s branch of the Merchant''s Guild. Verona smiled because it seemed that someone had put a few things together and came up with the idea to look for signs of artificial control over market fluctuations. Normally their probe would have been a good idea and would have found the source of the gathering of the materials required to outfit the attackers against the Arcadios Royal Academy. Unfortunately for whoever these people were, Verona was the best at what she did. On top of that, the potential for this kind of probe was known far in advance. That''s why Verona carefully skimmed excess material off the top of shipments for the past several years. In fact, the individuals present at the academy were only given old equipment that had been gathering dust. It was nothingpared to the stockpile that their group had amassed for the true soldiers. Verona sighed and looked down at her left hand. Since she was a normal mortal, it was empty. She found herself wishing she had been gifted with the sacred power their more special brothers and sisters received. Mortals bashed and berated powers greater than anything they could fathom. For this reason, Marked Ones were scorned and hated. They were ridiculed, enved, and murdered. Normal mortals feared what they could not understand. They could not see the truth. Mana was weak and simplistic, but the power of the Marked Ones was something far greater. The mes recognized this. Their greatest warriors were those blessed by the Marks. Thanks to her skills, Verona held such a high position in their organization, but she would throw it all away to be so blessed "Lady Fangorath?" A voice called through her closed door, preceded by a light knock. "You have a letter." After a few seconds of fumbling, a small slip of paper was passed through the mail slot in the door. When working, she required her workers to disturb her as little as possible so she could maintain ultimate focus. There were few exceptions allowed, which meant this letter was rather important. She nced at the nk envelope for a moment before opening it and reading its contents. ording to the sender, things were moving precisely as predicted. The organization''s stockpiles had been topped off, and their numbers were swelling with new adherents by the day. Some of therger camps had to separate themselves into smaller ones and spread out so they could maintain a semnce of secrecy. Recently, they had spread towards the border with the Wisteria Concord and were trading with some of the other branches within that country. Verona and the other leaders ensured that their respective branches maintained independence from one another. They gathered resources, built facilities, and recruited members specifically within their own borders. All of this was to guarantee that if one branch fell, it was isted and would not impact them on a massive scale. Read exclusive adventures at empire One of thest lines of the letter indicated a location within Lelvern where an item was left. Verona quickly burned the letter in the firece on the far side of the room and secured the documents on her desk. The weather outside looked decent, so she left her coat behind and headed out. Before she left, she informed her secretaries that she would be doing some scouting for a potential acquisition.@@novelbin@@ "Are you still trying to purchase that devil woman''s store?" The secretary asked with an exasperated sigh. "Lady Fangorath, how many times will that woman rebuke you before you finally give up?" "It is a prime location for material storage. The proximity to the main market is much better for transport than any of our other warehouses." Verona answered. "Ensure no one enters my office." "As you say." The secretary nodded. The sights and sounds of Lelvern greeted Verona the moment she exited the Merchant Guild''s main office. Across therge open space was the Adventurer''s Guild which was as busy as always. A few hundred individuals with different types of armor and weapons were gathered outside the massive building, seemingly discussing their uing missions. In the past, the Adventurer''s Guild was simply an organization that was useful for gathering materials. However, since the continent-wide change allowing Marked Ones to participate in guilds, it had be a major resource for gathering recruits. Verona smiled as she gazed upon a few dozen of their adherents and quickly turned in the direction of the section of the market that had the smithies. One business in particr was a little out of the way, almost out of the market district itself. It was an infamous location known best for the poor attitude of its owner. ''Ironvein'', called ''Ironvain'' by the locals, was run by a shrewd woman named Molly. For years, Verona had been trying to acquire the location for her own purposes. She personally invested in a small number of weapon smiths and jewelers in the area. Having Molly''s shop would be a great asset for storage. It was the only building with enough space to house enough resources to be worth the acquisition space and that was thanks to her exceptionallyrge basement. Verona quickly reached the outside of the store where the defaced sign had the ''ei'' reced with an ''ai''. Sheughed a little before heading in. Thanks to Molly''s excellent venttion, a guest would have a hard time believing that there was an actual forge in the back of the building. However, it was impossible to remove all traces, so there was still a slight hint of soot in the air. "What do you want, you damn snake?" Molly growled from behind the counter. Many smiths had an employee handle the main shop while they focused on the actual forging, but Molly did not. Whether it was her pride over her work or the fact that she had an impossible personality, no one else worked in the store save the woman herself. "Hello again!" Verona said with a smile. "Have you thought any more about our offer?" "I''d rather watch the ce burn." Molly replied with a stone-faced expression. "What purpose would those mes serve?" "Only retribution." Molly answered while hiking a thumb to the door behind the counter. Verona smiled and stepped past the counter and through the door behind her. It opened up to a stairway leading to the basement below. Unlike most other buildings, the basement underneath Ironvein took up the footprint of the store as well as the stores surrounding it. It was the only building with a lower level within the market district. Per construction records, Ironvein and the surrounding buildings used to be a singr,rge building that was once the estate of the Lord of Lelvern. However, an uprising nearly a century ago burned the ce to the ground and the lord''s manor was reconstructed in the center of the city. Only Ironvein was given ess to the basement that once stored the old lord''s personal effects. A handful of recognizable faces were in the basement when Verona emerged into the enclosed space. They were organizing arge amount of goods that belonged to the organization. Among those goods was a box that had a familiar symbol that matched the one contained within the letter. Verona quickly grabbed the small box and returned to the shop''s main floor. The others in the basement nodded at her but said nothing as they continued to organize the space. Molly shot her an annoyed look but remained silent as Verona stepped back into the store. "I''ll see you again in the future. Maybe next time you''ll be inclined to sell?" "Don''t let the door hit you on the way out!" Molly grumbled. "And maybe buy something next time!" The merchant smiled wryly and tucked the box away in a storage ring before exiting the building to return to her own office. Since she was in a hurry, she took a few shortcuts through back alleys to return a few minutes quicker. The crowds began to thicken because of the approach of lunchtime and threatened to slow her pace. However, she was able to dodge the majority of them. Because of lunch, the office was mostly empty upon her return. Her secretary seemed to be enjoying a homemade meal at her desk and greeted her with a bow. "Wee back, Lady Fangorath." "Rx, I''ll be in my office performing a working lunch. No luck on today''s acquisition attempt, but maybe next time." "As you say." Verona stepped into her office and locked the door behind her. She slowly approached her desk and withdrew the box from her storage ring. After cing it in the center of her desk, she opened the lid to witness a familiar object inside. Chapter 309 Gifts The familiar object before her caused a shudder through her body. She remembered the horror and excitement she felt when she had first been presented one of these items. A mysterious woman with dark hair told her the crystal would change her life, all she had to do was touch it. Verona remembered what the first crystal had shown her all those years ago. She saw a world bathed in fire with corpses strewn about haphazardly. The source of the destruction seemed to be an ever-present me that burned brilliant gold. Though in its wake, it left destruction, something about the world it left behind felt pure. The fire consumed all, leaving behind a nk te on which a new world could be built. Something about this struck a chord deep within her. As someone who had been oppressed due to her birth circumstances, witnessing the world being consumed felt like a form of vindication for all her struggles. She felt a strong desire to repay these mes for the future they promised. Such was the start of her journey nearly a decade ago. Now, there was another of these crystals before her. What secrets would it contain? Tucked in the box underneath the crystal was a small slip of paper. On the paper was a simple phrase, "mes consume all." Verona felt her heart pound as she reached towards the crystal so she could consume its secrets. ***** Desmond woke in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by soft sheets and a plushforter. The room smelled lightly floral and the light of the morningzily peeked through the curtains. It took him a few moments, but he eventually realized he was in Princess Corva''s mansion. It still startled him that the strange elf who was clearly obsessed with forging and enchantment was a member of the royal family in Aedrider. However, he knew a handful of strange people already, and that included himself and his sister. "Can''t really judge others, can I?" Desmond sighed. "No, you can''t." A woman''s voice called out to him, startling him. Desmond quickly pulled the nkets over himself. Though he was notpletely nude, he was still only in his undergarments. Standing at the edge of his bed was a stoic-looking elf with long white hair. He recognized her immediately as the elf named ''Snow''. "Rx." She said while giving a brief nce down. "You''re cute, but that''s not why I''m here." "Why are you here?" "To ask a few questions. I figured I would ask you since you''re the first one awake out of you and your sister. The wolf-girl isn''t here and Lucius Kane is not present." Snow exined, "Tell me what you know about him." Desmond eyed the elf carefully. He did not know her very well and, as such, did not trust her. He was not about to betray Lucius simply to satisfy some strange woman''s curiosities. Sure, she had helped Lucius rescue Kalliope, but that did not immediately mean she was a trustworthy individual. In fact, hering to ask questions when Lucius was gone only went to prove that she wasn''tpletely trustworthy. "I''m not about to answer questions about my friend to a stranger." "Hmm, is that so?" Snow looked him up carefully. She seemed to be contemting something for a moment before she continued, "How about I just ask you the questions, and then you can just decide to answer them or not?" "Whatever." Desmond sighed. While she started to ask him her questions, he tossed the nkets off himself so he could get up and prepare for the day. "Is he a good person?" The elf''s first question almost made Desmond choke on his own spit. It seemed innocuous enough, but as it rted to Lucius, it was a hard question to answer. "Depends." He said finally. "If you''re his friend, then yes. If you upset him, then no. No better example than Seteste. He likely would have simply ignored its existence if they never took in Kalliope." "He would let vers continue? Would he not have tried to eliminate them anyway?" "Why would he? Lucius isn''t some kind of hero. He''s just a man who wants to be left alone. I''ve known him for a little while now, and the thing that I''ve learned about him is that he gives you back what you give him. He''s slow to trust, but he''s not unkind That is unless you''re unkind to him first." "Like Seteste" "Yep." Snow''s questions continued after that. She seemed particrly interested in how Lucius treated his allies. For some reason, she seemed keen on learning about his personality. None of her questions were regarding his abilities, secrets, or even motivations. Desmond was rather confused at what the woman''s motivations might have been, but simply let her ask the questions. By the time she reached the end of them, Jade and Yue had entered the room as well. Yue even started serving tea for them. "Alright, that''s enough." Desmond said with a sigh. "Why are you so interested in him? Do you have a thing for him or something?" A look of disgust shed over Snow''s face for a moment as she vehemently denied the allegations. "Absolutely not. There''s Well, I don''t really want to talk about it, but something about him seems important and" Yue calmly ced a hand on Snow''s shoulder to calm the elf''s rising emotions. "Lady Corva will be joining Lord Kane when he returns to Aedrider it seems. I told her as much when she awoke from her rest early this morning. Forgive us, but we are rather nervous individuals and if we are going to be concurrently serving Lady Corva and Lord Kane, then we simply want to know his motivations as much as we can." Desmond sighed, a part of his heart hurting because of his error in judgment. "I apologize for my usation." "I have no interest in a married man." Snow said inly. "Understood!" Desmond answered. Silence permeated the room creating an awkward atmosphere. Neither Desmond nor Snow seemed interested in breaking it, and Jade had scarcely been a part of the original conversation. Yue, on the other hand, let a sneaky smile grace her face. "Lord Adler," Yue beamed, "Are you married perhaps?" "I''m not." "How convenient, don''t you think so, sis?" Yue giggled as she nudged Snow with her elbow. Before her sister could yell at her, Yue''s ears twitched and she turned her head to the door of Desmond''s room.@@novelbin@@ Corva threw the doors open with a loud crash as she triumphantly held a spear in her hands. The shaft was a beautiful bronze color with different runic carvings etched along it. The head of the spear was made of a beautiful blue metal that was reminiscent of the deep ocean. At the opposite end of the spear was another metal head that was much smaller, but had the same coloration as the main piece. Desmond quickly rose and approached the princess to receive the weapon she presented to him. Once he felt it in his hands, he could instantly tell the quality of the weapon. It was perfectly bnced and seemed to cut through the air effortlessly. The deadly point of the spearhead seemed to glint in the sunlight of the windows behind him. After holding it for a few minutes, he began to sense an almost heartbeat-like pulse of mana through the weapon. At first it was faint, almost imperceptible, but it increased with intensity the longer he held it until it was as obvious as his own. "What is this?" He asked. "It''s like it''s alive." Corva smiled proudly. "That, my friend, is the power of mithril. This weapon lives and breathes mana. It uses the ambient mana generated by your body to power the runic formations carved into the shaft. By simply holding it in your hands, you can charge the weapon''s abilities." "Truly? That is simply incredible!" Desmond eximed. "It is, isn''t it!" Corva answered, "The true beauty is when you use your Arts and any magic. The weapon will siphon off any excess mana that leaks out from any skills or spells you use. Once the smaller de on the bottom of your spear begins to glow, you''ll know that it''s ready to activate. "When fully charged, you can activate the spear''s first enchantment which uses a powerful fire spell to elerate it when thrown. It is a simr concept to my Titan Killer hammer. I also ensured to enchant it with a Recall feature as well, so you can still use that." Explore stories at empire "What an amazing" He tried to praise Corva again, but she interrupted him to continue her exnation. "However, if you don''t want to throw it, you can instead transfer the fire spell from the rear de to the spearhead. This can be used to enhance all of your attacks with a powerful fire enchantment hot enough to melt through steel!" Desmond paused and waited to see if Corva would continue. They stared at each other for nearly a minute before he realized she was done. "Princess Corva, thank you. I cannot fathom your level of skill. To imbue three enchantments on a weapon meant for someone like me. I am beyond honored." Desmond bowed as low as he could manage before without falling over. He could hear his sister and Yue giggling in the background. For some reason he also felt like Snow''s eyes were trained on him, but he chalked that up to a figment of his imagination. "Right. Well, whenever Lucius and Kalliope return from wherever they disappeared, she can get her sword and his equipment, too." Jade interjected, "I thought you were only making something for Kalliope and Desmond? Lucius has a weapon and I don''t see him giving that up. It has sentimental value." Corva walked out of the room without answering, waving off Jade''s question. While Jade started to pout, Desmond looked at the weapon in his hand once more. He gripped it resolutely and smiled. He was not foolish enough to think that a weapon would make him a greater warrior, but he did know that it would give him more opportunities to show his strength. Chapter 310 Surprise? Luciuszily rolled his eyes open to find two wolf ears in front of his face. The slight tickle of his breaths made them twitch asionally and he felt the need to be slightly yful. He smiled to himself before he lightly blew a slightly stronger puff of air into Kalliope''s adorable ears, gently waking her up. She looked up at him with clear, gray eyes and a simple, satisfied smile. Neither of them were wearing any clothes, nor were they covered by any sheets or nkets. In fact, when Lucius attempted to pull a nket over them to sneak in a little more sleep, his hand came away with shredded fabric. It seemed that their night of passion had gotten rather rowdy. He remembered a strange sensation that had slipped his mind amidst the intensity of their love, but now that they were awake and more sane, he found his hand tracing a bite mark on his chest, a few inches above his nipple. Kalliope looked at where his hands were rubbing and attempted to hide her face in his chest. He simply chuckled at her suddenly acting shy and pulled her face toward his own by her chin. After nting a deep and passionate kiss that seemed tost several minutes, he asked, "Is that how it works for us all the time?" The woman''s ears twitched a few times before she mumbled, "I don''t think so. It doesn''t happen often when talking about mixed species mating. So I am doubly surprised that our instincts acted up with you being a different species as well as half-human. Not that I amining of course." "A shame." Lucius grinned, which earned him a light punch to the chest. With a heartyugh, he stood and began to hunt down his clothes. Unfortunately, though he found both his and Kalliope''s, they were not in any sort of shape to be used. "Something wrong?" Kalliope cocked her head as she asked what seemed to be a sarcastic question. "You didn''t happen to bring spares, did you?" Her gentleugh echoed through the room and sounded like music to Lucius''s ears. The only other time something like this happened to him was with Rena and it only served to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, his feelings for the rambunctious wolf-girl who had been by his side for four years. They began to draw clothes from their storage rings to wear on the trek back to Corva''s manor. While doing so, Lucius was not shy in taking peeks at Kalliope''s form. She was keenly aware of his gaze and though embarrassed, she happily made a little show of her effort for him. Seeing her tail move back and forth happily while her face seemed to turn as red as a me, nearly put Lucius back in the mood again. However, they had things to do for the day so he had to swallow his desires. Kalliope seemed to sense his trepidation and swallowed harshly before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "There are some things you should know. Since we mated." "You keep using that word and I don''t know how I feel about it." Lucius said, "Is it wrong to call it love-making, or throes of passion, or just sex?" He was genuinely confused by the situation. They had discussed sex before, though not necessarily within the context of each other. Kalliope had never been averse to the word, so suddenly using this new terminology threw him for a little bit of a loop. Also, it unsettled him slightly to refer to such an important act as something that sounded so animalistic and uncaring. She was important to him, which somehow made her feel more objectified than he would prefer. "Mating is what it''s called when our instincts kick in like that," Kalliope exined inly. "It''s not supermon, even among beastmen of the same species. But when you have sex with another beastman, or I guess in your case, a half-blood, sometimes our bestial natures kick in. When that happens, you tend to lose control a little." That much was clear to him. What used to be a massive and beautiful bed, covered in fine silks and high-qualityforters, was now a shredded mess. Despite how wealthy he was, Lucius was not fond of hearing what the bill for this would be. Kalliope smiled shyly before continuing, "But as I tried to warnst night, before you broke the potion, the heightened state also triggers ovtion and so there''s a good chance" "How good?" Lucius asked inly. "Seventy to ny percent? But that is when both are beastmen and, well, I don''t know how all these things apply to you." "That high, huh?" Kalliope looked at him with slight worry. Her hand slightly covered her stomach, "Is that an issue?" Her lips started to tremble a little, but Lucius did his best to give her a warm smile. He ced his hand gently on top of her head in a petting-like motion. "No, my love," Lucius answered. "If I had been worried about it, I would not have thrown the potion. Whether or not anything happened today, I am happy." "Maybe I''ll have all five of the grandkids that dad wanted at once"@@novelbin@@ Lucius felt himself nearly fall over from shock. He found himself doing the mental calctions of how he would separate his time and attention between six children at once. Trying to juggle that sounded like a nightmare, but he already made the decision to be with Kalliope in that capacity. "I really don''t know how I feel about that many at once, but I made my decision and will honor it." Kalliopeughed at him as they exited the inn. She exined to him how it was extremely rare for a beastman to have that many children at once. Lucius sighed with relief as he silently dropped a sack of gold containing nearly a hundred thousand coins. He hoped it would cover the damages, but if not, they could bill himter. They chose to return to the manor immediately after that. Somehow, the carriage had found their inn and was waiting for them right outside. The carriage driver looked like a simple enough man, but Lucius praised him for being so resourceful in locating them. The trip back to the manor was very simr to the night before, with them gathering the eyes of many passersby. Lucius could feel the princess enchanter''s wavering excitement the moment they pulled in front of the mansion. Before Lucius could guide Kalliope out of the carriage, Corva threw open the doors of her home with a simple longsword in her hand. "Look, you had your night of passion, I get it. Great. Congrats." Corva shouted, "Take the damn sword I spent all night making for you while you all went out and had fun!" Light reflected into Lucius''s eyes as Kalliope barely managed to catch the sword that Corva nearly threw at her. The elf was not actually upset, but she was clearly on some sort of sleep deprivation high. Lucius noticed a package sitting in her hands that she seemed to have pulled out of a storage ring. Wind blew hair about Lucius''s face from Kalliope swinging her sword off to his side. Mana ran down the length of the de and illuminated the faint runic etchings down the length of the de. The pommel of the de also glowed slightly. Lucius blinked because, somehow, the mana had gained a secondary color underlying the typical gold color. Along the length of the de, the mana flowing seemed to have green undertones while the mana condensing at the pommel seemed to have hints of browns mixed in with the gold. "What does it do?" Corva unceremoniously shoved the package in her hands into Lucius''s arms as she began to excitedly wave her hands about to exin the weapon she created. "That sword is made of an alloy between steel and ck silver that surrounds a mithril core. The de is enhanced with a wind de enchantment. "Though the mithril core will hold a small amount of mana, when you actively feed your own mana into the weapon it will generate a barrier of wind along the cutting edge to increase pration through armors and shields! The pommel is enchanted with an earth spell. When you power the pommel and m it into an object or person, it sends shockwaves deeper into the target." Lucius found himself slightly impressed at what Corva could whip up in a single night. Likewise, the glint in Kalliope''s eyes indicated she was raring to go and test the weapon out already. However, just before she leapt into action, her eyes fell on the wrapped object in his hands. She nced quickly at Corva before sheathing her weapon on her hip. Enjoy new adventures at empire "That''s for you, I think." Kalliope whispered while shifting her feet slightly. "Ah, yes. That is yours." Corva grumbled. She seemed openly disappointed that her sword was not going to get the full test run immediately but turned her attention to the final item nheless. "Right. That one. Go on, open it." "Surprise?" Kalliope said meekly. Chapter 312 A Wedding [Part 1] The capital city of Arcadios only recently experienced a graduation ceremony at its royal academy. Yet, the festivities were to continue only a few short weekster. Crowds of people swarmed into the capital from all over the kingdom. Each was a member of both major and minor noble families. All of them wished to make a positive impression on the two noble families holding a wedding at the Grand Cathedral. As promised, after graduation from the academy, Lady Briene and Lord Thomas would be getting married. The original n had them waiting several months longer, but for some reason, Briene requested to move the date up. Thomas did not mind that, of course, because the timeframe of the wedding did not impact his benefits for their marriage. Granted, there was still plenty of time between now and when he would take over his Uncle Richard''s position as house head. It would not hurt him to have already started the marriage process and gather his allies prior to his ascension to his future station. So far, many of the important nobles had already arrived and sent word of their presence to Thomas and the other Petra''s in the special wing of the Grand Cathedral where the groom waited. On the opposite side of the massive church was a nearly identical wing where Briene was likely being attended to by her bridal party. Though there were no feelings between them, Thomas had to admit Briene was a very attractive young woman. Add on to that, she was from another of the strongest families in Arcadios. Her potential connections could prove useful to Thomas in the future. The only thing about the situation that he found odd was Briene having some sort of strange interest in his cousin, Rena. She informed him that she was pregnant with Lucius''s spawn. Thomas immediately shared that information with his father and uncle. Richard was furious to find out and was only barely held back from going on a warpath. Over thest few months, Richard had be withdrawn at his manor. Anyone who interacted with him also noticed that he was quick to anger andshed out at everyone around him under the slightest provocation. Realizing what his state of mind was, Thomas realized that Briene''s rush for the wedding was probably the right y. "Lord Petra," One of the attendants bowed, addressing him. "I wished to inform you of the arrival of foreign dignitaries as well as members of the royal family." Thomas blinked slowly. He did not expect that the royal family would attend his wedding directly. Rather, he had assumed they would send proxies for their attendance. Not only that, but foreign dignitaries had arrived. He found himself curious who they might have been. "Thank you, I shall greet his majesty immediately." Thomas said quickly before leaving the room. Though it was against normal etiquette to leave the area cordoned off for his preparations before the wedding itself, it was worse etiquette to not immediately address the arrival of the king or his family. Thomas still made sure to avoid any paths that were sectioned off for the movement of the bridal party. Near the entrance to the main cathedral King Aleksander Arcadios stood with his wife, son, and youngest daughter. Though Thomas could not remember the name of the toddler being held by the queen consort''s personal attendant, he immediately remembered Aleksander''s daughter''s name. Many members of royal families from other human nations tried to betroth their sons to the unparalleled beauty of Princess Lefae von Arcadios. One of the many reasons for theirck of sess was another well-known trait of Princess Lefae which was her constant state of disinterest. Lefae maintained both a monotone voice and facial expression at all times. No one had managed to spark her interest in any capacity, and because of that, all attempts to court her had failed. No one outside those of other royal families had any willingness to attempt to court her either. Only the brazen personalities of royals could overwhelm the fear Lefae struck within the masses. Even Thomas found himself gulping as he approached her. Aside from beauty and disinterest, she was a terrifyingly powerful user of Dark, Magma, and Metal Magic. Rumor had it that she also possessed terrifying skills with an unknown Art, though it is unconfirmed. Because of her skill, she was the current runner for the next King Ranker. "Your majesty," Thomas bowed after he hade to his senses. "It is a pleasure to greet you and your family. It is a great honor that you graced my humble wedding with your personal presence." "Raise your head, young Lord Petra. This is a momentous union between two of the kingdom''s most powerful families. If it is happening within my own capital, how could I not attend." Aleksander smiled, "Please, Lefae greet the groom." Princess Lefae''s unfocused eyes finallynded on Thomas momentarily while she gave a brief curtsy. As she went to open her mouth to provide a greeting, she paused and mechanically turned her head to the side. Approaching from behind, a young woman with an elegant blue dress and long, blonde hair shaped into massive curls. Behind her was an elven man dressed in a fine white shirt and ck pants. On his hand was a ck mark. Thomas momentarily felt the urge to vomit at the presence of a Marked One at his wedding, however seeing as the current representative of the Wisteria Concord seemed to be the one he served, he held his tongue. "Lord Thomas Petra," Elize al Famyn said, her voice like a song, "What a wonderful wedding you have set up! I hope you don''t mind my presence. I happened to be in the kingdom for other matters when I learned of your wedding. By the way I have heard that your cousin would be in attendance? Might I meet her?" Thomas felt his eye twitch, but maintained a false smile. "I don''t know if she has arrived or not. She is my cousin, so if she arrived, I would not have been informed of it. I only receive notice of people of import." "Oh?" Elize smiled. "Correct me if I am wrong, but as the wife of a major Eroan'' noble, she would count as a foreign dignitary. My, my, Lord Petra, it would not do well to alienate the representatives of allied nations. Anyway, my attendant and I shall find ourselves a seat with an excellent view of the services." The she-devil known as Elize al Famyn giggled as she pulled the elf along with her. Both Thomas and Aleksander frowned at her implication. Not so casually reminding them of Rena''s position only served to ensure they knew how aware of her importance she was. Also, by ''finding a spot with a good view,'' she would also be in in view, which meant so would the Marked One she brought with her. Shortly after she vanished, another group of people arrived. It was a number of women apanied by an elderly gentleman with a long white beard and bald head. The man was instantly recognized by everyone as Lord Carmichael. Thomas however, immediately found his own eyes pulled to the familiar red hair of his cousin. She wore a simple, form-fitting ck dress that seemed to highlight the tiny bulge in her abdomen. Due to her small size, it was no wonder that she started to experience some showing despite the early stage she was at. Alongside her were the two Oracles as well as the two maids and the person that Thomas recognized as Rubellia, a maid formerly in Richard''s service. He was surprised she was still alive after hearing that his father had "Lord Thomas Petra," Wally said inly. "Congrattions on your wedding. Your majesty."@@novelbin@@ Find your next read at empire Everyone bowed in greeting to Aleksander and his family. Shocking everyone, Lefae approached the group and initiated conversation. "I am Princess Lefae von Arcadios." She said while giving a curtsy. "Lady Rena Kane, I have been wishing to meet you. Might I join your party when the wedding begins?" "Lefae!" Aleksander shouted, though hisints were muted by azy nce from his daughter. Though she put no effort into the look, even Thomas felt sweat forming on the back of his neck. "I do not mind Princess Lefae," Rena said, curtsying deeply. "Please, just Lefae. Shall we?" Thomas stood silently, watching the infamous princess of Arcadios walk away with the very group of people that he disliked the most. It concerned him for a moment that the royal family might have been trying to strengthen ties with Lucius and his ilk. Thankfully, Aleksander had a grim look on his face. It seemed he was unaware of his daughter''s intentions. "I am sorry about that, Thomas." Aleksander whispered. "My daughter has a mind of her own and does not appreciate myself or my position. She often acts in ways that ce me in a difficult spot." "Do not worry, your majesty. Please, simply enjoy yourself in today''s festivities. If I may be excused? I must finish preparations." With a nod of approval from Aleksander, Thomas returned to his preparations for the ceremony. Quietly seething. He had hoped that Rena would choose not to appear, however, it was a known possibility. Briene was obsessed with the woman for some reason and asked about her frequently. Were it not for the cold glint in her eyes when she mentioned Rena''s name, Thomas would think she was infatuated. Whatever Briene''s goal for Rena was, Thomas did not know, but it was not anything he would concern himself with. Such annoyances now were nothingpared to the possibilities of the future. The Petra domain was well within his grasp. If he yed his cards right, then he could create closer ties to the church and increase wealth and power within his domain. In a few decades it would even be possible that his and Briene''s children would hold positions of power within the church and in her father''s domain. Chapter 313 A Wedding [Part 2] While hundreds of guests were seated inside the main call of the main cathedral, the bridal party moved about through the sections of the church sectioned off for them. Any of the attendants serving the bride would use this area to fetch anything needed for the finalization of her dress or to fetch food and drink for the members needing sustenance. The only individuals allowed to interact between the groups were a neutral third party. Since Briene was well connected to the church, this was much more difficult than normal, but they settled for using a bishop unrted to her or her family. Briene smiled as she twirled on a small tform surrounded mostly by mirrors so that she could see every side of her dress, an ornate, flowing white gown. The train trailed behind her a few extra feet, and attendants had to carry it behind her as she walked. Within the white fabric of the dress, beautiful flowers and birds were stitched in along the train. As the decorative stitching moved up her back, it became an alternating pattern of a bird or a flower. Once the dress reached the small of her back, it opened up, leaving a majority of her back exposed to the open air before reconnecting again just above the midline of her shoulder des. This section of the dress was a nearly see-throughce that wrapped over the top of her shoulders and around her neck. The dress once again opened around her chest, exposing the top of her breasts before turning into an almost corset-like pattern and repeating the same design on the back again. "You look simply stunning, my dear." Briene turned to see her father gazing upon her with tears forming in his eyes. Though she was not his eldest child, it was still a sad asion to hand away his daughter to another family. After today, before both man and the eyes of the gods above, Briene would no longer bear her family name but rather join Thomas''s family. Though their blood ties could not be changed or ignored, for all intents and purposes, she would cease to be a Lindtforth. Briene felt a small knot forming in her stomach out of nervousness, but she steeled her resolve and forced the feeling away. Since she was not the eldest, she did not hold a lot of power by staying within her own family.@@novelbin@@ Marrying Thomas, who would be the next head of the Petra family, brought her as close to power as she could achieve. Not only that, but it brought her as close as she could get to the church''s primary interest, Lucius Kane. Both she and her uncle had many conversations regarding that particr Marked One. He was listed as a target of interest at first, however, he was now considered a target of extreme concern. After figuring out he was responsible for Alvora, the way he destroyed a King Rank barrier, and single-handedly ending the siege on the Royal academy, the church realized that he could not be left to his own devices. Already, there had been signs of Marked Ones in various towns being considered respectable members of society. Because the events of the tournament were quickly publicized, Lucius''s identity and involvement in the ending of the war spread like wildfire. By simply existing in the public eye, he had started to elevate the public opinion of Marked Ones. This put people in direct opposition to the views of the church, which was that Marked Ones were people born with the cursed blood of demons. The church itself evolved from the beliefs of those who survived the very that mortal races faced against the demons. The Church of Celestia rose in power and became the forefront of their rebellion and led the charge in ying their oppressors. It was only right that they prevent such atrocities from urring again. It was their duty to prevent anyone who used the power of demons from gaining power. A single man rose from a well-trodden path and threatened to overturn centuries and centuries of work "Briene" Urd''s voice broke Briene free from her thoughts. He slowly entered the room and joined his brother and her father, admiring the way she looked. His eyes held a hint of amusement because it seemed the look on her face gave away her inner thoughts. "I certainly appreciate the amount of time and dedication you give to our faith and to justice." Urd continued, "But please, for today, focus on your wedding. Despite the reasoning for you entering this union, the fact remains that you are to be wed, and one day to sire children. Let this day be one you remember fondly and not one tainted by someone who is not even present." A knock at the door pulled everyone''s attention as a small boy opened slightly and informed them that the services were beginning. Briene quickly took a deep breath and followed her entourage out of the door with her father linking arms with her. The doors to the main cathedral had been closed prior to the bridal party''s arrival outside them. Standing on either side of the massive, wooden doors were two knights dressed in ceremonial garb. They simultaneously stepped forward in a practiced manner and opened the doors, allowing Briene to witness the interior. Every seat was filled with faces both familiar and not. The front two rows were filled with high-ranked members of the nobility, foreign dignitaries, and the royal family, which shocked Briene highly. She had not been notified of their arrival, but Thomas most likely had been; since he was the groom and head of their soon-to-be family, he was to presume those responsibilities. While everyone else stood, the people in the front two rows remained sitting as they were deemed a higher-tier of guest that did not have to stand and witness the bride. Among them was a beautiful young woman with blond hair separated into tworge curls on either side of her head. Next to her was an elf with a mark, clearly visible on his hand. Worse than that, only a few spaces from them was Rena von Petra. Though she was invited by Briene, she had forgotten to realize that she would technically be considered a foreign dignitary. Next to Rena though, was the biggest surprise. A woman of god-like beauty sat by her side. She had raven-ck hair down to her waist and almost glowing green eyes. She wore an ornate purple dress with artificial flowers braided into her hair down the side of her face. The woman let off a tremendous amount of pressure that seemed unintentional. It was as though it were simply the result of her being present with no conscious effort required on her part. No guesswork was required in order to identify the woman as Princess Lefae von Arcadios. She seldom left her personal wing of the pce, so it was strange for her to attend a wedding like this. However, Briene maintained her fa?ade and barely managed to contain the sweat threatening to build on her forehead and ruin her makeup. At the altar stood the unknown bishop who would preside over the ceremony, as well as Thomas, who wore a fine ck suit that contrasted his red hair and blue eyes. Thomas stepped down from the top of the small stage and bowed before Briene''s father. He gently took her hand from her father''s and stepped back up to the top of the stage at the same time as her, with their hands still joined together. The bishop smiled and began the traditional ceremony. "All who are gathered here. We wee you before the eyes of the gods and all that they created. Joining themselves together as one are Lord Thomas von Petra and Lady Briene von Lindtforth. "Though they are young, they stand before you all, resolute in their journey that has brought them together. From this day forward, they ask that we watch them continue on the same path as one and seek a future that belongs only to them. We ask that the gods share in our vision and guide them along a path that is just, righteous, and holy. May they bless this couple with a life of happiness and joy. And though their paths may diverge in death, may they once again be reunited behind the gates of Celestia." For a few moments, the crowd and bishop maintained a reverent silence. After a minute of quiet, the bishop turned to Thomas. "Do you, Lord Thomas von Petra, swear before the gods and man, that you will serve as a loyal husband and partner to your wife?" "I do." The bishop nodded. "Do you, Lady Briene von Lindtforth, swear before the gods and man that you will serve as a loyal wife to your husband and forego the name you once had, bing a true member of his house?" "I swear." "From this day forward, it is recognized by thews of Man and thews of Celestia, that these two are wed as Lord and Lady Petra!" Thomas swiftly pulled her into his grasp as they sealed their pact with a kiss. Though this was to be a joyous asion, Briene could not shake the strange, ufortable feelinging from one of the front rows. Particrly, the same area where Rena Kane had been sitting. Explore more at empire When Thomas pulled away, she nced over in the direction of the strange feeling. However, Rena was not even paying attention to the situation and was simply smiling down at her stomach while rubbing it gently. Instead, her eyes met Lyrah''s, whose silver irises seemed to glow with something akin to anticipation. Chapter 314 Heading South "No, look, we are sorry, just ack!" Snow watched carefully from the side as Lucius casually lifted a woman up by her neck. This had been the second time in the past few days that would-be bandits had attacked their carriage. Each time, their attempted hijacking had gone poorly. During the first attempt, the group had been made up of normal bandits with little in the way of weaponry, armor, or even skill. Thanks to theck of those traits, Snow and Desmond wiped them out quickly. The second group, which was the one being finished off by Lucius, seemed to have been supplemented with a handful of deserters from the Southern Front. Lucius imed not to be a fan of traitors and requested that he be allowed to handle the incident personally. Though the attackers numbered nearly a dozen, Lucius was able to handle them without much effort. Most of the bandits were unrankedmon folk who turned to crime. Only a couple were even ranked, with the highest being an Intermediate Ranker. The woman, who was dangling from Lucius''s hands, acted as the leader of the second group and happened to be the Intermediate Ranker. Her eyes glistened with tears as she nced between the bodies of her former allies and Lucius''s in expression. Theck of emotion showing on his face was more terrifying than if he were furious. It simply appeared as if the woman''s life did not matter, that her existence was less than the effort it took to kill her. "Where did youe from?" Lucius asked. "A small vige outside of" "Give me your identification card. You''re military. Let me see it." The woman shakily reached into a pocket on her side and pulled out a metal tab. Lucius took it from her before tossing it toward Snow and asking who the lord was and which side they served. Snow was easily able to determine the woman to be a former service woman of a noble loyal to Princess Lethaya. Knowing that the woman was a traitor to their own forces and not the enemy, seemed to ignite a deeper hatred inside of Lucius. What was formerly an indifferent expression had changed to one of disgust and disdain. Snow watched as the runes on his new gloves began to glow. The body of the former elven warrior began to shake and she screamed out in pain for a few seconds before her voice was taken from her. Foam poured out of her mouth and the skin along her body began to smoke. After a few seconds, the twitching became less exaggerated and more mechanical and regr. Lucius deactivated his gloves and squeezed his hands until a loud crack sounded from the woman''s neck. Experience more content on empire He tossed her corpse to the side before wiping his gauntlets clean and tossing the rag aside. Without any further words, he stepped into the carriage and gestured for the group to continue moving. Before Snow could say anything, a wave of mana washed over her and several bolts of lightning fell from the sky, striking each of the corpses and setting them alight. "Let''s go. The bodies are burning." Lucius said simply. "Right." Snow answered before joining everyone in the carriage. She continued to monitor his behaviors during the trip and found Lucius to be a rather strange individual. He was quiet, indifferent, and rxed overall, until the moment that he was not. The triggers for his change in behavior seemed to have amon denominator of him minding his business until someone bothered him. It was as if the world around him did not matter, save for the people within the carriage. He had been shown to be rather attentive to Kalliope, Jade, and even Desmond. For him to converse with Corva, Yue, or Snow, he required prompting. However, he regrly initiated his own conversations with the others without them having to take the lead. He was also content to ignore signs of other bandits and highwaymen. Whenever they passed a potential problem, so long as the problem stayed away from them, he was fine to let them be. The only conflict that arose was when someone had been stupid enough to attack them. "Do you simply not care?" Snow finally asked. Lucius looked at her with an inquisitive gaze, so she continued, "You act aloof toward almost everyone and everything. It is as if the world itself bores you. Even back in the pce, though you had an interest in Lady Tenia, you seemed like you would have also been fine to have just ignored her." Lucius sat for a moment, mulling the question over in his mind before he finally answered. "The only thing that matters to me in this world are my friends and family. Anything outside of that is simply not my concern." "What about our war?" Snow nearly shouted. "What about it?" Lucius answered. "I''m only involved because I have to be. The sooner I find a resolution, the sooner I can return to my pregnant wife." Lucius paused for a moment and looked to Kalliope''s ear where she had a beautiful ck cuff ented with gorgeous orange-yellow stones. "Well, my other wife." Snow sat for a moment. She could not fault him for believing this way or feeling this way. In fact, if she had thought about it, she would probably have felt the same way had Corva decided to remain unbiased. She likely would have only reacted to things that directly concerned Corva''s and Yue''s safety. In the end, Snow figured she understood a little more about the person known as Lucius. Though she would never go so far as to say she trusted him, she definitely had a better understanding of his motivations.@@novelbin@@ One of his biggest motivators seemed to be the women in his life. His whole reason for involving himself in this fight for session and subsequent civil war was on behalf of a woman. The reason he left a newndmark on Aedrider''sndscape was for a second woman. Even more still, Snow could clearly see the affection and admiration in the other young woman''s eyes. Jade could hardly rip her gaze away from the ck-haired man from the moment Snow firstid eyes on them. She seemed to be holding herself back and might even not be fully aware of them herself. On the other hand, Desmond was keenly aware of his sister''s affections. Ever since they had met, she found herself mildly intrigued by the human man apanying Lord Kane. Unlike the man himself, Desmond was ordinary. He was charming and kind. Not to mention, he was decent-looking Snow shook her head clear of any of the thoughts she had previously been entertaining. There was too much going on in her life to entertain a cute boy. For starters, she had to continue serving Princess Corva. Snow also had to figure out why her mark was so affected by Lucius. Lately, it had been calm, but just being near Lucius normally threw her mark haywire. The urges that typically only gued her at night, reared their ugly heads in the in light of day. Those same urges seemed to have taken hold of a majority of her senses during the Seteste incident. She could only remember bits and pieces of what she did and how she got through the caves. One of the main parts she could not forget was the scene of tworge figures, made of shadows, standing in the middle of the empty battlefield. Therger of the two had stared at her with glowing golden eyes. Something felt familiar about those eyes, but the sensation vanished as soon as she focused on it. "Sister?" Yue gently tugged on her sleeve. "Everything okay? You''re looking more pale than usual." "I''m fine," She answered. "I promise. Just trying to recall what happened at Seteste. Much of it is still a blur." Yue gently consoled her by stroking the back of her head gently. Snow smiled and decided to take a rest so that she would have the energy to stay up through the night again. Though Yue was there to calm her down, she did not want to rely on her sister throughout the night if she could avoid it. Besides, it was the final night of the trip. Shortly after the sun rose tomorrow, they would be at the camp. They could have made it faster, but the carriage they rode in wasrge and weighed a lot. Snow found herself exceptionally curious regarding Lucius''s ns. Would they really be able to change the tide of the battle? Could the legendary Titan of Eroa truly break the stalemate? If he could not do so, then Lethaya would not have requested him. She likely knew that this was the direction things would head sooner thanter. Knowing that he was a great asset on the field of battle was likely why she asked for him directly. Not only was he stronger than most gave him credit for, but he was also exceptionally talented at war. In addition to that, he was not afraid toe up with ns that most other generals and strategists could never dream of. His penchant for winning at all costs prevented him from worrying about public bacsh or trying to remain honorable. He was practical like that. A win was a win, no matter how it happened. Chapter 315 Reception Once Thomas and Briene''s wedding ceremony had finished, the audience rose to bow to the newlyweds and greet them as Lord and Lady Petra. One exception to that was Princess Lefae. Though even her parents had taken it upon themselves to bow before the gods and the union they blessed, Lefae stayed upright. Briene gazed at the princess, though only for a moment due to the terrifying pressure she exuded at all times. She had no idea what it was they had done to upset the enigmatic princess, but it was clear that Princess Lefae intended to disrespect them publicly. Instead of making an issue out of it, both bride and groom chose to ignore the situation and walk out of the cathedral. They were guided by members of the clergy and escorted to the massive dining hall where a feast had been prepared. The Lindtforth family provided the finest chefs they could find to cater the event. Once the couple of focus had seated themselves at the head table, the rest of the guests were escorted in. The royal family sat at the same table as the head couple, while everyone else was seated in order of hierarchy, with the lowest ranking guests sitting at tables furthest away. Again, Lefae declined to respect the seating arrangements and ignored the space that had been added for the royal family. Instead, she chose to sit with Rena and the oracles. Several of the nobles had taken notice of Lefae''s brazen behavior and shot her disapproving gazes. Though they were far braver, or far more stupid than Briene, she appreciated their support in the situation. ***** Rena had no desire to attend her cousin''s wedding. However, when the invitation arrived with the names of Adellia, Lyrah, Rubellia, and herself, she had no choice in the matter. Ignoring the formal invitation in her political position would have reflected poorly on Lucius. Though he was already unpopr in almost all the human territories, Rena had no desire to make that situation any worse. On top of that, she did not wish to degrade her own personal standing any further. While she was in a weakened physical condition, she could not guarantee her own safety at all times. This was why Natali and Wally were constantly watching over them. Wally also ended up receiving an invitation of his own, though based on the wording and design of the envelope, it was clear that they did not really wish for him to attend. Wally simplyughed at the attempted disrespect that was supposed to convince him he was not wanted. He had every intention of remaining by Rena''s side as he had promised Lucius. The wedding itself went well, though there was one aspect of it that Rena had found strange. That ''aspect'' took the form of the strange and powerful princess who sat by her side throughout the ceremony and was now at the reception following it. Princess Lefae had not said much yet, but she kept a watchful eye over Rena the entire time, asionally ncing at her belly. After Thomas and Briene finished their couple''s speech, Rena finally turned to Lefae and asked the question on her mind as well as the minds of her friends and family. "Your Highness, I appreciate you being so friendly and kind as to grace our party with your presence. However, I find myself curious as to what about us has attracted your attention." Lefae gazed upon Rena with bright green eyes, not too dissimr from her own. Her face and hair were wless and though some may have felt a smile would have enhanced her beauty, the empty expression she maintained gave her an almost doll-like look. "Much of the world bores me. There are those stronger than me and they are numerous in number. However, even they bore me." Lefae paused and nodded her head at Wally, "There has been one exception." Rena felt a slight headache beginning to form. She had predicted something like this might happen with several people. At this point, the number of women with some form of interest in Lucius had reached five. There was herself and Kalliope, but also Jade, Natali, and potentially the princess of Arcadios. Lyrah seemed to find the situation amusing and simply giggled off to the side. This indicated to Rena that she was slightly aware of this being a possibility. Rena had to resist the urge to shoot her a dirty look and instead rubbed her temples before sighing. "I''m guessing that exception is my husband?" Readtest chapters at empire Lefae nodded quietly, her expression still unchanged. From the side of the table, Natali also nodded along. It seemed these two would be like two peas in a pod "What about my husband do you find interesting?" Lefae''s eyes seemed to glow with excitement for a single moment. "His potential." "Is that so?" Lefae went on to exin that she had witnessed his performance in the exhibition tournament. She was also present during his trial and heard of his exploits at the Arcadios Royal Academy. She, like almost everyone else on the damned continent, was attracted to his ''potential'' given his capabilities despite his less-than-impressive rank. Rena glowered at the ck-haired beauty. Treating Lucius as an object of ''interest'' had started to rub her the wrong way and she had be wary of anyone who felt that way. Wally moved from his own seating position across from Rena and asked Lyrah to trade him ces. When he sat down next to Rena, he ced a gentle hand on her own. She could feel his warmth and felt that he was trying to console her. "I understand your concern and feeling protective over Lucius. However, though Lefae is a bit of an oddball, she means well. She had no interest in taking advantage of Lucius. The young woman simply has a hard timemunicating her true feelings." Lefae quietly contemted his words before nodding quietly. "I wish to meet him." "Okay why?" "I want to fight him. He will lose, but I want to see him go all out. I promise not to kill or harm him, but something about him makes my heart move in ways I do not understand. It makes me want to fight him." Lefae answered. Natali again nodded along, much to Rena''s chagrin. Wally began tough, attracting the attention of several other individuals. Thomas and Briene noticed themotion and decided to go ahead and visit their table next as part of their rounds of discussion. When they approached, they both bowed before the princess. "Your Highness, thank you again for your attendance. Though I wonder why it is you choose to sit at a table of lower station than your family." "Because, I only associate with the strong and those with potential. My father, mother, and brother have no futures. These people will aplish something some day. I feel it in my bones." Lefae answered. "And myself?" Thomas asked with a smile. "You have less than my family. You are but an insect that is destined to be squashed."@@novelbin@@ "Why you" Before he could finish his sentence, Briene ced a firm hand on his shoulder and shook her head. Thomas nodded and took a deep breath before forcing a smile and leaving. "Weak." Thomas stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, "Fight me. Right now. There is a practice arena just outside the exit doors. Meet me there in a few minutes, I will show you my worth, Princess." "As you wish." Lefae quietly stood and began to walk toward the indicated location. Thomas''s words were loud enough to be heard by most of the reception hall and forced all ongoing conversations to immediately cease. Rena watched as Briene sighed slightly, but epted that the deed had been done. There was no way for him to back out without losing face There was a possibility that the situation could turn in his favor. If he managed tost against her for a decent amount of time, then his standing as a fighter would improve, despite a loss. Thomas quickly followed behind Lefae. They were followed by an entire procession of various nobles interested in additional entertainment for the evening. Despite the guaranteed loss, Rena noticed that Briene''s father had a look on his face that indicated he was impressed by Thomas''s behavior. If he felt that way about the situation, Rena could not judge him. Many of the other nobles appeared to feel the same way. Rena and Wally, on the other hand, felt vastly different. To them, the boy was rash and stupid. The battlefield itself was simple and clearly not frequently used. The stands were standing room only and devoid of any form of humanfort. Many noblesined, but their concerns forfort seemed to be mostly rted to the uing fight itself. "Alright," Thomas shouted as he moved to a position on the opposite side of the space that Lefae took. He had already removed his suit and donned light armor. "Unconsciousness, surrender, or maiming. No attacks that would cause permanent injury or death. Is that a deal for you?" "Sure." Rena stood in the stands alongside her family. There was no doubt in her mind about the oue of this battle. Chapter 317 Tomorrow The sounds of arge river roaring provided aforting and soothing backdrop to a good night''s rest. Earlier that morning, Kalliope and her group had arrived at the main camp for the forces on the southern front of the war. It was set up nearly half a mile away from the actual river to make it harder for long-distance attacks to strike any of the leadership. The river itself was ratherrge, and thanks to her exceptional hearing, Kalliope could hear the water crashing against rocks and the stone pirs of the massive bridge that spanned the gap. However, thefort of the constant rushing waterpeted with the solid thumping of Lucius''s heartbeat. After arriving at the camp, Lucius went around the forward camp directly in front of the bridge to inspect the troops. He had several men present their weapons and armor for him to inspect. She figured he had developed a small interest in the quality of elven armor and weapons. Even she realized that Aedrider''s military possessed much more impressive weaponry. They were the source of magic crystals that were exported to all other countries and thergest manufacturer of enchanted weapons and armor. Despite that, the bulk of their forces did not possess enchanted gear unless they supplied it themselves. Even being thergest producer of magic items, they were still prohibitively expensive to supply inrge quantities. While the troops'' weapons and armor were not enchanted, the quality and durability of the items were far superior to those provided in Eroa or Aedrider. Kalliope was rather impressed and wondered at the cost of providing this much. When Lucius was done inspecting the troops, he then investigated the bridge and river itself. After that he returned to the main camp to look at the most current cement of their own troops and thest confirmed cement of the enemy. The general in charge was an elf with jet-ck hair who went by the name of Fayril. Though many of the other elves present, each a leader of a different part of thebined forces, looked down on Lucius for being an outsider, Fayril did not. Kalliope immediately noticed that he took the time to make a genuine appraisal of Lucius and his skills. It seemed that he was convinced and allowed Lucius in on the strategy meeting immediately. The map they hadid out before them showed their main camp, the enemy''s main camp, and the bridges they were currently protecting. There were only four bridges that spanned this river, with the primary one beingrge enough for five carriages to pass side-by-side. The other three were smaller, with the smallest being a foot-traffic-only bridge. Only the primary bridge was made of stone, while the others were wood construction. Thanks to their training Kalliope quickly took in the information on the table and had the map in her mind. Lucius should have been able to do the same, but he paid a lot more attention to it than she would have expected. While the other leaders discussed their strategies, he stood at the map table, ignoring them. His fingers traced over different parts of the river and troop locations. A few times he asked questions, but they were all rted to the map. He waspletely ignoring the strategy meeting urring around him. Though the others were getting annoyed, Fayril simply let the man be. After the meeting was over, Fayril had approached them to introduce himself. Lucius exchanged pleasantries with the man before asking a few more questions about their forces, including the magic support corps. He informed Fayril about his inspection of the forward forces and wished to meet with the marksmen and mages as well. Fayrilplimented Lucius on his thorough inspection and guided him towards the requested destinations. Desmond and Snow followed along with them while Corva, Yue, and Jade were escorted to the tents set up for them. There was one,rge tent with a shared area with a few private areas cordoned off for sleeping. Before they separated, Lucius requested a tent separate from the one they had been provided. At first, the quartermaster in charge of dividing resources was going to say something, but Fayril cut him off and ordered him to simply do as requested. "Though I am the general in charge and Lord Lucius Kane may be considered an advisor, Princess Letheya informed me of his authority in this endeavor." Fast-forward several hours of inspection and training, Lucius and Kalliope retired for the night in the private tent he requested. Though they were tired from the trip and training, they made time to reconfirm their feelings for one another. This time, things proceeded as normal without the additional pressure of their bestial instincts. Kalliope found the experience to be pleasant and made her heart swell even more with affection for the man she had fallen for. While lying and listening to Lucius''s heartbeat, his hand subconsciously pulled her head closer to him. She could tell he was still deeply asleep, but still felt her face turn slightly red from the increased affection. His hand identally brushed against the cuff on her ear. Per Eroan custom, they were considered husband and wife. Kalliope felt conflicted because Eroa''s ceremonies were simply between the individual parties and included the ear cuff being offered and epted. She wondered if that was enough for Lucius who grew up with human customs. She learned from Uncle Kalivas that human nations practice a long and drawn-out wedding ceremony. Such an event sounded tedious and unnecessary because receiving the blessing and opinions of others who were not members of the partnership seemed inappropriate. However, she had resigned herself to such a fate if she ever did marry Lucius "Is something wrong?" Lucius''s calm voice whispered into her ear. Despite being asleep, he somehow knew something was weighing on her heart. His eyes glowed in the dark like light shining upon precious metals. Even though he normally carried a harsh expression, none of that expression existed now. All she saw was a soft and warm look filled with affection. "Was this enough?" She asked while gently cing his hand on her cuffed ear. "I know humans have different customs, and I worry that" Kalliope''s words were cut short by a sensual and slow kiss on her lips. She felt his tongue invade her mouth for several minutes before pulling away and leaving her breathless. "Don''t." He said, "You were there when I was married to Rena. That situation was not within human custom either. As it stands, there is no possibility for me to have a formal wedding. I am marked, and the Church of Celestia scorns me for it." "But" "Not only that, I do not care what it is the gods think or n. Their ''benevolence'' has often left this world more scarred than it would have been without them. The only thing I care for is the love I have for you and the love that you have for me. So tell me, Kalliope, do you love me?" Kalliope felt her eyes begin to water, but she held back her tears. She was a proud warrior and over thest few days, she had allowed her emotions to get the better of her too many times. After a moment of silence and trying to regain herposure, she finally answered, "I love you Lucius, more than life itself." "Then that is all that matters. I requested that cuff for a reason. I know what it means and I know what your decision was when you allowed me to ce it upon your ear. We are bound together, heart, body, and soul." Lucius said. "Now, let''s get up. Desmond and Snow are waiting for us already." Kalliope looked at him with a nk expression. She had been so distracted by him that she did not notice the movement outside of their tent, but when he brought it to her attention she was able to realize that there were indeed a few people having a conversation outside. It was still early in the morning, and the sun had barely begun to rise. The low light was not too different from that of a cloudy day. Desmond and Snow were fully dressed in theirbat attire and were having a pleasant conversation regarding previous battles when Kalliope and Lucius exited the tent. She made a poor effort to pull her undershirt slightly higher onto her neck to hide the mark her lover had left behind the night before. Unfortunately, it did not escape the notice of their two friends, and they both gave sly smiles. As if they had a silent agreement, neither mentioned anything and were content to acknowledge the mark and move on. Lucius pulled everyone to the edge of the camp where there was a training ring that had been cleared out. The ground was loosely packed dirt and easily disturbed. Lucius grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and began to use it to recreate the map of the area.@@novelbin@@ His n was to send Desmond and Snow to the bridge to the north, up the river. Along with them, he would be sending nearly half of the mage corps and a third of the archers as support. He began to make sketches in the dirt regarding the n that he had been ruminating on since they left the capital. Snow''s eyes widened and Desmond looked slightly ufortable, but neither said a word against him. Kalliope figured that he woulde up with something like this, but said nothing. Once he had exined to them the part of his ns that included them, he sent them off to gather the forces joining them. Lucius then took his weapon from his back and swiped it against the ground, using his [Sand Veil] to wipe away any evidence of the map he had drawn. Satisfied that the ns had been destroyed he turned to Kalliope and began to exin their part of the n in depth. She noticed for the first time that his face was a little pale and he seemed rather exhausted. They had not been so intense as to ce him in such a state, but something seemed off. He was exhausted for a reason that he had yet to exin. Kalliope was worried about his potential condition, but trusted him with her whole heart. If he was incapable of fighting the next battle, he would have said so. "How long do you think it will take for us to take the river?" She asked quietly after he exined the entirety of his n. Lucius smiled coldly, "Tomorrow." Continue your journey at empire Chapter 319 Visions Darkness spread through a seemingly infinite expanse. Standing alone in this void was a singr Observer. It was odd for them because normally, they observed events in the near or even far-reaching future, yet this seemed like neither. Though the Observer could feel themselves walking through the endless expanse of nothingness, they were unable to tell if they had truly gone ''anywhere''. They could feel the impact of their steps upon a solid surface, though no sound reached their ears. Slowly, after what seemed like hours of walking, something began to glow in the distance. A window seemed to open in the darkness. Finally seeing something new, the Observer rushed toward the window. Through it, they saw a field of flowers in a variety of colors. Walking among them were hundreds of people smiling and greeting one another. They looked like normal humans, though they had slightly pointed ears. Whatever these people were, they were not human, nor were they elves. Half of them had glowing, silver eyes, while the others had brilliant golden ones. The two groups intermingled among the flowers. Theyughed and yed with such vigor and happiness that the Observer felt their heart swell. Soon, the window faded and the darkness returned, turning the happiness to mncholy. It onlysted for a moment, and the window once again began to glow. This time, instead of a field of flowers there existed a beautiful city with buildings made of stone and metal. The same strange people walked along its streets. The scene in the window proceeded to follow behind a woman with golden eyes. She casually greeted other members of her race as she traversed the city before entering into a grand building with more floors than the Observer could count. The inside of the building was lit with oddly-shaped ss orbs. The energy given off by these creations felt entirely different than mana. The woman approached a doorway that seemed to be sealed shut. With a wave of her hand, the door crumbled to dust before she stepped through. Once on the other side, she waved her hand again, and the door rematerialized. At first, the Observer thought the woman used Channeling, but that was not the case. There was no change in mana usage that indicated the woman would have cast a spell. Though the Observer was befuddled by the circumstances, the image through the window continued. Inside the building there were numerous rooms hidden behind simr doors as to the one that the woman first entered through. Next to the doors were massive windows through which the woman paused asionally to observe the rooms'' interiors. Inside several of the rooms were dozens of her people with silver or golden eyes. Seemingly out of nowhere, they would materialize different substances. One man created a wless sword made of mithril where there was once nothing but air. Another seemed to create a mound of y. Once the y formed, it began to move about before taking the form of a small animal. The Observer''s invisible jaw dropped as the y figurine began to shake and move independently. Slowly, the y took on different colors and the carvings of fur became more pronounced until the y had all but vanished. Where the figurine once stood was a small, dog-like creature. It blinked its eyes and nced around at the glowing-eyed people before crying out in panic. Read exclusive adventures at empire The people began to talk amongst each other with excited voices. As an observer through this window, the voices were muted and unable to be deciphered, but the looks on their faces and the frantic moving of their hands indicated the level of excitement they all felt. Even the Observer was awestruck by what they had witnessed. These beings could not only create weapons and objects with perfection beyond what mortal races could create, they also brought simple y to life. Somehow they worked these miracles of creation with simple waves of their hands. The woman the image followed smiled widely as she continued down the hallway before stopping at another window. Just before the Observer could witness the room''s contents, the image faded into nothingness once more. If the Observer could speak, they would have shouted out in protest. They somehow felt as though a great truth had been hidden from them. What was it that was hidden beyond that second door? Before they could even attempt toin, the window came to life once more. This time, the golden-eyed people and silver-eyed people stood on opposite ends of a massive room. Each side had representatives confronting each other. They stood before a massive door. The door itself was in. The material from which it was made was unknown, but it was without any designs or door handles. Simply two massive doors with a single slit down the middle to indicate that it was not a wall. The people gestured toward the door as they argued in silence. The Observer desperately wished they could hear what it was that was being said. Even through the silence, she could detect the malice each side held for the other. After a few minutes of witnessing the silent debate, the Observer realized that the side of the room with golden-eyed people was nearly a quarter the size of the silver-eyed people.@@novelbin@@ Peppered among the golden-eyed people were a handful of silver-eyes. They looked saddened by the events ying out in the center of the room. The two parties arguing with each other turned to the opposite sides and began making their case to the people in the background. Suddenly, they all stopped moving. The door that had been ominously sitting in the background began to emanate a powerful energy. Ever so slightly, it began to crack open. From between the meeting point of the two sides, a bright, white light began to glow, enveloping the room in a strange warmth. Hundreds of the people began to glow. Most of those who became wrapped in this warm energy had silver eyes, though a few were gold. The light from the door grew brighter and forced the Observer to look away. When they returned to the window, every one of the people that were wrapped in warmth before had vanished. The crack in the strange door vanished and it seemed to m close. Of the people left behind, they looked longingly at the massive doorway. The room around them began to crumble, leaving only the door behind. Once again, the Observer saw the field of flowers from the first image. In the background was the city from the second image, though the massive buildings and structures within seemed to be crumbling into dust and blowing away with the wind. The remaining people sadly walked out of the scene, leaving only an empty field of flowers surrounding a door that went nowhere. A sudden sadness filled the Observer''s heart for reasons they did not fully understand. While they pondered the meaning behind their emotions, the image in the window faded, and darkness enveloped them once again. Two lights illuminated the void in the distance. The Observer turned away from where the window had been, faced the golden lights, and waited for them to approach. A feeling of dread welled up inside the Observer while the lights approached them before the lights stopped. A massive, toothy grin joined the golden orbs. Each tooth was as long and sharp as a dagger. The being to which the teeth and orbs belonged towered over the Observer''s diminutive form. Despite the amount of pressure and terror the being before them emanated, the Observer knew that no harm would befall them in this space. "As promised, I have shown you the truth, " the being said. Its voice sounded like a cacophony of hundreds of voices in pain speaking at once, each painful sound wrapped around an underlying tone of confidence and mirth. It was as if the being had taken the voices of people suffering and joined them with its own. The Observer stared in silent frustration, still feeling as though they were on the cusp of understanding. They seemed to be missing a minor piece of the puzzle, but it was an important one that would have solved a huge mystery. What was it that was only barely hidden by the fading of the second image? What was this being trying to show them? Unable to speak, the Observer attempted to project its questions and frustrations at the being that approached them. The eyes and smile towered over a dozen feet over the Observer''s head. "I know you wish for more, but certain things prevent me from sharing more with you. I have given what I can; I hope this is repayment enough." The voiceughed, "I will leave you with this: what was, will never be again. The pastid the stone on which the present is built, but those existing now are capable of shattering the foundation built by the past and change the future that was nned for the world." Slowly, the void faded away, leaving thest thing the Observer saw to be the hungry golden eyes that had gazed upon them. Chapter 320 Lights On Desmond and Snow arrived at the camp at the northern-most bridge, to little fanfare. In fact, if the camp leader had his say, he likely would have rejected them at first nce. They were a troop of elves that were being led by a human, which made them highly suspicious. Elves nearer towards the central part of the country were naturally more prejudiced against other races because of theck of exposure. Seeing a human this far into elven territory was suspicious, to say the least. This was especially the case when considering that there was a civil war going on. The camp leader''s tactical advisor recognized Desmond from a few days prior, which thankfully prevented any bloodshed from everyone involved. At first, nobody paid attention to the words shared by the advisor because they didn''t believe a human would be sent their way. Now, one of those very humans had arrived, proving the advisor''s point. Themander allowed Desmond and Snow entry into the camp, and they started discussing with him the parts of the n that Lucius had given them permission to share. He was not keen on the idea of throwing their soldiers at the bridge yet again, knowing that nothing had changed since thest skirmishes. Both sides were simply throwing bodies at one another under orders. Neither gained nor lost ground and it had turned into a war of attrition, though neither side seemed to run out of resources. The armies loyal to Letheya were backed by the massive concentration of resources within the central region of Aedrider. While those serving Aya hadrger swaths ofnd from which to extract resources. "Are you absolutely insane?" The camp leader demanded an answer from the two new arrivals at the camp. Desmond could not me him for his concern, but he was resolute in making sure they carried out the n. "Yes. Come tomorrow, we will start a rush on the bridge, intending to gain a foothold on the other side. While doing that, the Earth Magic users will work together to create a massive dam in the river, blocking the flow of water." Desmond exined. Though he had seen many people be angry with him or around him in the past, Desmond was sure this was the first time that he had witnessed someone nearly turn purple. The elf continued to ask questions and try to point out the stupidity of the n, but Snow and Desmond worked together to shoot down every one of them with a countermeasure that they had prepared. In the end, they could not convince the camp leader with words and had to resort to threats. "Look," Desmond said with eyes full of frustration and exhaustion, "You have two choices. First, do as we say and help us with the n. Second, you refuse and we remove you frommand. We are operating under the authority of Lord Lucius Kane, brought in directly by the rightful queen, Letheya din Aedrider." Finally, the elf acquiesced to Desmond''s words, which allowed the man to sigh with relief. Though he was prepared to act with force, it was not really his preferred method. Such actions worked well for Lucius, but Desmond did not have the constitution for such behavior himself. Explore more at empire As the night was falling, Desmond and Snow retired for the evening. They had the provisions necessary already prepared for them to set up their own tents within the encampment. There were likely empty spaces among the already established tents, but just in case, they set up their own. Since they were chosen as the leader''s, they were provided with a muchrger tent. It had a centrally shared area with two curtained off spaces meant for sleeping. Some of the men offered to assist them in setting up theplex structure, but they declined. Neither of them was unfamiliar with such construction, and they silently agreed that it was enjoyable to focus on something other than the impending fight. Once they set up the tent itself, they furnished the inside. Desmond was about to retire for the night when he saw Snow sitting down at the center of the shared area. She had turned on severalmps powered by light crystals. Laying in front of her was a small map of the bridge and river near their location. He watched her for a moment, curious about what it was she was doing, but then shrugged before going to lie down in his own area. Desmond tossed and turned for a few hours, barely able to fall asleep. It was unclear if it was the excitement of the impending fighting or if it was the fact that dozens of lights were still lit in the central part of the tent.@@novelbin@@ The thought of the strange elf having fallen asleep before turning the lights off as if she were a child made Desmond smile to himself. He went to turn the lights off for her so that he could eliminate them being on as a possibility for hisck of sleep. Much to his surprise, Snow was still sitting in the same ce, overlooking a handful of books. None of them appeared to be important. He was almost sure he caught that one of them was titled ''A Royal Lady''s Vengeance''. "Can''t sleep, I take it?" Desmond asked. Snow looked up from her bookzily. Her eyes had dark circles around them that seemed from something a little more intense than a simpleck of sleep. It almost looked like she had been punched in both eyes. "I never sleep at night." She whispered. "Not without Yue." Desmond paused for a moment before he gripped the back of his own head and sighed. "Alright, talk to me about it. I know, I know. I''m not the first person you want to talk to about stuff, but I am kind of the only person you have at the moment." Snow eyed him carefully before she slowly closed her book with a quiet snap. Desmond listened to her story carefully. Apparently, the poor thing suffered from the mark she was born with. At night or in intense darkness, she felt urges to do things that she never would otherwise. Desmond was aware of intrusive thoughts. Many people suffered from them, though some were much more violent than others. ording to Snow, this was not what she was referring to. These whispers, as she called them, came to her only in those scenarios. Whenever her sister used her simple mark that created a ball of light, they vanished. Simrly, during the daytime or when surrounded by intense light, they did not affect her as bad. "So that''s the gist of it." She finished. By the time the story was over, Snow had slightly withdrawn into herself. She cradled her knees in her chest with her hands wrapped around them and her chin resting pitifully atop them. Unable to resist the urge tofort someone he considered an ally; Desmond quietly ced a hand on top of hers and patted it gently. He felt her twitch beneath his touch, but she did not reject his kindness. Her eyes observed him, but he had no negative intentions with his methods. All he wished to do was to provide some form offort. "Well, I will tell you what" Desmond offered. "How about we take sleep shifts? I would hate to return to Yue and exin I let you get yourself killed thanks to exhaustion on the battlefield." "And you expect me to do the same if you lose enough sleep? I don''t think I''m prepared to tell someone their twin brother died because he was trying to be some kind of prince charming." Snow rebutted, "Why are you even doing this in the first ce? What do you have to gain?" "Nothing. You and Yue remind me of my sister and me a little. I''m not so stupid as to not realize you two aren''t rted by blood, but that matters little in the end." He exined, "You two would do anything for one another. Honestly, you exhibit such loneliness that it reminds me of Jade before she met Lucius and his family. "I don''t presume to know everything, but if I can reach out and help someone else find an end to that loneliness, like yourself well, then I have to try, right?" The tent was silent for a good several minutes as neither said anything to the other. An elf and human simply sat surrounded by glowingnterns with their hands touching. Were it not for the depressing context of their interaction, one might have confused the situation with something romantic. After a short while, Snow smiled lightly before hiding her face in her knees. "Alright, I''ll take my sleeping shift first, then. I doubt you''d trust me to do it after you, anyway." "You go that right." Desmond said with a smile while giving her a simple thumbs up. "Stupid human" Chapter 322 Close-Call Magic soared over the heads of hundreds of elves, as mages did their best to defend from enemy barrages and counter with spells of their own. Were it not for the excellent construction of the bridge, it would have certainly copsed from the battle atop it. Golden mana colored the battlefield in short bursts as warriors engaged their Arts to gain momentary advantages against their opponents. The fight soon crawled to a standstill. With introducing several barriers, neither side could prate the defenses of the other. Many times, war devolved into these awkward moments where each side uselessly flung spells and arrows at the enemy, only to watch them helplessly bounce off the manyyers of defense. It was in moments like these that people like Snow truly shined. As she approached the bridge, she took ast-minute deviation from the side, disappearing into the bridge''s shadow. "[Umbra: Invisibility]" So long as she remained in the shadows, only those with extremely sharp eyes attuned to sensing mana could see her. She quickly leaped along the support beams under the bridge, pausing asionally to regain her footing. The mist rising from the river hitting the supports made the beams extremely slick, and if she was not careful, she could fall into the raging waters below. After a few close calls andst-minute catches, Snow finally made it behind the enemy''s barrier line. She swiftly climbed up the side, using daggers to assist in her ascent. Once at the top, she peeked her head over the side of the bridge and located a handful of mages that appeared to be supplying mana to the defenses. Snow took a deep breath before readying her mana. Once she began casting a spell, her invisibility would be broken and any mages would immediately know her position based on the mana umtion. There were few options avable to her, so she quickly took one of her more jagged daggers and sunk it as deep as possible into the wood of the bridge. Once she was satisfied with how secure it was, she withdrew a rope from her storage ring and tied one end around her waist and the other around the dagger''s hilt. After the rope was fully fastened at both ends, Snow took a deep breath and cast her spell. "[cies: Frost Spikes]" In an instant, dozens of eyes trained on her position. Several archers readied their arrows and a few mages moved from attacking the enemy barrier to targeting her instead. A line of frost spread across the bridge''s surface before massive ice spikes sprouted from it. Each spike was at least two feet long and was as sharp as a knife. Though only a handful actually struck and injured targets, it interrupted many of the mages casting the barrier spells. Soon the spells cracked from the onught of Snow''s allies and the enemy was forced to retreat to the edge of the bridge. Snow grabbed another dagger and sliced through the rope now that she no longer needed an emergency escape. She retrieved the dagger she was using as a pseudo-piton and hopped over the railing and onto the bridge proper. Her allies charged past her as a barrage of enemy arrows fell upon them. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire Snow only barely dived behind a handful of elves, forming a shield wall before the sound of hundreds of arrows striking metal filled her senses. "Shit" she muttered after realizing one projectile had found a gap in her armor, leaving her with a slight wound that had begun to drip. The cut was on her left bicep and cut pretty deep. It was likely it struck as she was diving for cover because she could not feel it when it happened. After a moment of waiting, she realized there were no ill effects, so it appeared she was safe from being poisoned. Snow quickly sshed a healing potion on it to at least make sure her arm stayed workable. It was unlikely it would fully heal in the middle of battle, but it would keep her arm working. As soon as the arrows stopped, she ordered the soldiers to advance. By this point in the battle, they had gained supremacy over three-quarters of the bridge; far more sessful than any previous attempts, thanks to her ability to sneak past the barriers. Dark Magic users were scarce. It was even harder to find ones capable of using [Invisibility] like she could. The enemy had retreated off the bridge entirely at first, but had reinforced and re-engaged with just enough time to still hold a presence. Now, knowing that they would be at a disadvantage trying to engage the barriers again, they opted to simply meet Snow''s forces head on. Once her wound had healed enough to be moved with little pain, Snow rejoined the battle, giving smallmands from the front line. She left a majority of the troop orders to the othermanders who were better versed in such tactics, but asionally, she made calls where she could. A sword then suddenly came rushing in toward her head from the right side. With tremendous effort, Snow parried the blow, pushing it away from her using the t of her de. The warrior wielding the sword grunted in frustration and attempted to smash her smaller frame with his massive shield. His attempt to hit her failed as she jumped backward into a small pocket of space that luckily opened up in time for her to use. The warrior shouted in anger and rushed in, ignoring the other soldiers around him. Though, he did not need to pay too much attention, as almost everyone was focused on their own fights to step in to help her. Snow met his approach and swung her two daggers in an X-shaped pattern, "[Dagger Arts: Double sh]". With the mana enhancement creating phantom des, the warrior brought up his shield just in time to take the brunt of four dagger strikes from the much smaller elf. Snow followed up quickly by quickly casting a minor spell. "[cies: Ice Spear]" "[Shield Arts: Barrier]" The spell shattered against the barrier, but instead of feeling defeated, Snow quickly rushed in and jumped over the warrior, using the shoulder of a random soldier to gain extra air andplete the maneuver. As she came down, she activated another Art. "[Dagger Arts: Pierce]" Her rank was likely higher than the warrior because the [Pierce] shattered what remained of his barrier and sunk her de hilt-deep into his shoulder. Unable to remove the dagger before he rounded on her, she quickly jumped back again into another space, sliding across the bridge before regaining her footing and charging forward once more. Now that his sword arm was useless, all he had with him was his shield. However, he did not appear defeated and instead met her charge with his own. His arm hung limply at his side, flopping around uselessly with every step. Snow brought her dagger in an upward swing while he moved his shield to intercept. "[Shield Arts: Shatter]!"@@novelbin@@ Mana swelled in his shield and form cracks all along its surface. Unfortunately for him, Snow had figured he would make this kind of reckless move. The moment he met her charge without his weapon was the moment she understood he wanted to defeat her, regardless of the cost. To her, this easily identified him as a meathead with a single-minded goal for victory. It was a useful mindset in a one-on-one duel; however, it had no use on a real battlefield or in an actual fight. With her prediction proven correct, she quickly transitioned into a slide. Using her feet, she knocked the warrior off bnce with little effort. Since his movement had been predicated on her being within the attack range of his [Shatter], he was already slightly off his center, making him even easier to topple. The warrior went sprawling onto the wood, and his shield uselessly sent shrapnel into his own allies. Before he could recover, Snow jumped onto his back and sunk her weapon deep into the base of his neck. She swiftly retrieved both it and the other dagger stuck in his arm. Another attacker started a swing against her, but this time, she could not react. The crouched position she was in only gave her the ability to move forward, but the way was blocked by soldiers. She attempted to turn around and parry once more, but the attack came too fast and she noticed it toote. A massive spiked mace seemed to slowly consume her visual range. Just before it made impact, the weapon was wrenched away from her. She took a moment to blink, with her feeling like her life shed before her eyes. She gazed down at the soldier wielding the mace and saw a metal spearhead coated in mes sticking out of what used to be his eye. His face had been turned to pulp by the force of the blow. Off to the side, a purple-haired man gave a quick, two-fingered salute, and the spearhead disappeared with a sh. Chapter 323 Dam The camp was burning down around them, but despite that, the elves were recovering quickly. Those with minor or no injuries quickly jumped to assist those in more danger. They carefully triaged the people needing assistance, prioritizing those with the most chance of survival. Others quickly searched the remnants of the camp for usable equipment to rece any that had been lost in the brief confusion. Such efficiency and rapid recovery shocked Desmond, who was a human, and figured such a sudden attack would have done much more to sow discord amongst their armies. For a moment, he found himself distracted by the incident and trying to figure out the source of such an attack. If they had such a capability, then it was likely they would have done it much sooner. "Lord Adler! Assistance please!" One soldier near to him called for assistance, pulling his attention back to the present. The soldier was pulling an injured person out of the remains of a zing tent. Desmond quickly gathered his mana together into a spell. "[Aqua: Downpour]" A small cloud appeared overhead in a two-hundred-foot area and instantly dropped water over the top of the camp. Steam rose into the air as dozens of the fires died out. His actions earned him several hurrahs and approving looks. In minutes, they had gathered as many soldiers as they could that were still in fighting condition. Desmond ordered what remained of the archery corps a few hundred feet south of the bridge and ordered that they remain in range of the river''s center, but out of range of both the bridge and the other side of the river itself. Desmond then took the remaining mages and isted out those with Earth Magic capabilities. They ended up losing almost thirty percent of the mage troops they had brought with them, but they only lost a couple of their Earth Mages. Even with the diminished numbers, they could pull the job off, much to his relief. They were also fortunate because the only Thunder Mage was also mostly unharmed. He suffered a major injury to one of his legs and could not move on his own for several days, but he could still cast spells. Their n was made easier by his survival, though they could have still made it without him if needed. Up ahead at the bridge, Desmond had noticed that both sides had establishedrge barriers. This meant that they would be at a standstill soon. Such a stalemate would be useful for their purposes, but it appeared as though it was urring at the halfway point of the bridge. For it to assist them in their own task, the standstill needed to be at least two-thirds of the distance over the bridge. Desmond desperately hoped that Snow had some sort of n. Trusting that she did, he continued moving towards the river just north of the bridge. All the soldiers they located who were not part of the troops they brought with them from the main camp were sent to the bridge. Those that remained joined Desmond. Once they reached the bridge, Desmond ordered them a hundred feet to the north. Though it would have been safer for them to begin construction out of projectile and spell range of the enemy, Desmond wanted to make sure he could respond to any issues directly on the bridge without additional effort. Some of the enemy archers spotted their mage force and peppered them with arrows. Since Desmond had kept all the mages he brought with him from the main camp, they had a handful of people capable of providing cover through the means of magic. With a handful of magic walls and barriers thrown up in front of them, the Earth Mages began their work in building the barrier. The dam itself had to be built in sections to fill the gap between the other side. One of the other reasons they chose an area this close to the bridge was because of the natural shape of the hills that created a bowl once the river was blocked off. The amount of work that began from the mages attracted even more attention from the enemy forces. It looked immediately as though they were trying to construct another bridge. With two routes of attack, the enemy was concerned about the extra risk of having to divide forces between the two different bridges. Read exclusive adventures at empire Since they would rather avoid that, several more archers and mages concentrated fire on their location.@@novelbin@@ Desmond stepped forward and struck out at errant spells with walls of water and other spells. "[Aqua: Water Ball], [Aqua: Water Wall], [Aqua: Wave Crash]" Mana swelled around their forces with the sheer concentration of mages and spells being formed. With this many powerful spells beingunched at once; they risked spells going ''haywire''. Thankfully, they were not yet at that point. Desmond''s [Water Ball] intercepted an equally powerful [Fire Ball]. The [Water Wall] joined with several other wall spells to create a nearly imprable barrier for the barrage of archer fire. The water before him began to churn and swell with mana from Desmond''sst spell. The Earth Mages paused for a moment as if confused where the water had gone. A massive swath of the riverbed was now exposed to air as the churning water gathered together and rose into the air. The enormous wave peaked at over twenty feet tall and crashed onto the enemy force on the opposite side of the river. The resulting waves and water crashing against itself threatened the work on the dam. Five additional Water Mages leaped into action next to Desmond, who was wheezing from the exertion of three powerful spells back-to-back. They cast basic water control spells to create a safe zone around the early construction. Desmond was thankful and looked at the potential devastation on the opposite bank. Unfortunately for him, they had severalpetent Water Mages as well. Since their focus seemed on magic and his was split between specialties, they could prevent most of the damage he was hoping to cause. The positive of the situation was that he had given them pause enough to prevent them from attacking immediately after recovery. He did his best to hide his exhaustion and make it seem like he had more spells in the bank. These exchanges continued on and off with several pauses as they constantly estimated each other''s continued prowess. Desmond felt the mana building in his new spear, which was yet to have a name. He thought he would charge it faster by using only his Arts, since they were funneled through his weapon. It seemed he was incorrect, and it seemed to siphon off mana from his spells as well. "That crazy princess is a genius," He mumbled before smiling. By this point in the battle, their force on the bridge had pushed the enemy back, and another standstill was starting again, with the enemy forces holding firm at thest quarter of the bridge. He watched through his periphery earlier as Snow seemed to materialize out of nothingness and cast a [Frost Spikes] spell. The distraction disrupted the barriers and allowed them to advance. Feeling spurred on by his cohort''s sess, he and his mages felt a resurgence in energy. They quickly formed massive sections of stone, using enough magic to take several of them out ofmission. Up to this point, they had been cautiously building it using smaller spells that took up little mana. However, it was unclear how long this advantage wouldst, so they threw caution to the wind and began exhausting themselves. Desmond hopped onto the top of the dam to gain a good vantage point over the bridge. He caught shes of white as Snow advanced through the soldiers and began shing with enemy forces. He watched, almost mesmerized by the graceful dance she created as she moved across the battlefield. To any other person, she might have simply looked like someone defending their life. Unfortunately for the swordsman she was facing, she hadplete control over their fight. Every step was calcted. Even down to his reactions, Snow manipted everything. Truth be told, it was like watching an artist at work. Once she killed him in onest leap onto his back, Desmond felt panic well up in his chest. She did not seem to realize another soldier was preparing to swing a massive mace down on her. He felt mana well up inside him as he forced as much as he could into his new spear. The secondary de on the rear of the weapon glowed brightly. Remembering the features of the weapon, Desmond aimed his spearhead at the man and activated theunching mechanism. With a sh of light, the spearhead shot toward the mace-wielding warrior and struck him directly in the eye. Desmond nearly winced at the sudden explosion of flesh that used to be a man''s face. He quickly recovered his expression and shot a quick two-fingered salute in her direction before using the Recall function on the spearhead. Chapter 324 Lone Vanguard Since the incident with the mace almost turning her face to paste, Snow had moved a lot more carefully on the battlefield. It took her time to adjust her fighting style to be quicker and less methodical. Focusing all of her energy into killing a single target worked well for stealth and assassinations, but in arge-scale battle, some of that attention needed to be shared with special awareness. Desmond sighed with relief when he noticed she had evolved her methods quickly. Though he was not fully settled and still kept a spare eye on her in the event of her needing another assist. The Earth Mages continued to exhaust themselves and the dam grew every closer topletion. By this point, the enemy had given up in trying to attack them and simply waited for the construction to finish. Desmond did his best to use the lull in their need for defense to gather and recover as much mana and strength as he could. He figured that the moment they finished thest section of earth that the other side would probably rush along the top and start fighting a second battle there. Desmond was not fully prepared for it, but would need to do his best to hold them off long enough for the basin behind the construct to fill with plenty of water. Once that happened "Lord Adler! Thest stone is in ce! Here theye!" Dozens of warriors jumped up to the top of the dam, where he awaited them with his spear prepared. No one attempted to fire spells or arrows anymore after they realized that most of the forces were mages and could prevent their efforts from seeding. However, Desmond appeared to be the lone warrior among them. He gulped as he prepared to face his attackers. The first of which was a massive elf that stood nearly a foot taller than him. He wielded a two-handed hammer with a single hand. Behind him, two more men with great swords approached with faces eager for blood. Desmond stood alone as the sole vanguard against their advance. He quickly twirled his spear before pointing the main tip directly at thergest of the three advancing fighters. Several of the mages began casting spells at the other fighters, preventing them from moving up to join too quickly. Though they had to lower the output of their spells so their hard work would not be undone. With a quick nce into the basin that had begun to fill with water, Desmondunched into battle, leaving behind a puff of dust. The massive elf quickly brought his weapon to absorb the impact of the spearhead that had been aimed directly at his heart. Desmond quickly retracted, and with a small flourish, spun around and attempted to jab under the elf''s arm with the smaller spear tip at the rear of his weapon. The hit was knocked away with a simple swat of the warrior''s hand. This was a feint, though, as Desmond brought his fist into his opponent''s jaw with a swift uppercut. The impact left Desmond''s arm slightly numb while his enemy simply smiled and punched him in the gut. He had hoped to save more mana, but it seemed unlikely that any of his normal attacks would break through therge man''s defenses. As he jumped back, the other two soldiers advanced and swung their weapons where he had once been standing. ""[Sword Arts: Aura de]"" They both cast the same Art at once and two arcs of golden mana bore down on Desmond. Using the spear as a lever, he stuck it into the ground before catapulting into the air. He spun around in the air andshed out at one of them with a palm strike. "[Brawler Arts: Force Palm]" The strike connected with the man''s chest. Mana that had condensed in an instant within Desmond''s palm. Once the man and his palm made contact, it exploded outward. As if he were a puppet with its strings cut, the elf was sent limply flying into the air before snapping his neck on the drying up riverbed below. Desmond felt the hair on his neck stand up as therge elf swung his hammer directly at his head. "[Hammer Arts: Heavy Impact]" Without the ability or reaction time to dodge, Desmond opted to jump and change the impact zone from his head to his chest. Metal shards scattered through the air, apanied by a significant amount of blood. Desmond''s vision darkened for a moment and was filled with stars. The impact threw him several dozen feet backwards, thankfully not throwing him off of the dam itself. Once Desmond skid to a stop, he attempted to rise to his feet. The enemy was closing in on him rapidly, but his body was refusing to listen. Several cracking sensations cascaded through his chest. It was almost certain that he had broken several ribs. Snapping his fingers, Desmond initiated the Recall enchantment on his whole spear. It instantly vanished and reappeared in his hand. Using it as a prop, he rose to his feet to meet the remaining two warriors. The mages continued to keep the other fighters at bay, though by this point they had created small cracks in the structure. Though it was being damaged by the spells and fighting, it was still holding strong. Continue reading on empire The fighting was also getting too intense for any of the Earth Mages who still had mana left to get close enough to start any form of repair. Desmond noticed the end of his spear was glowing again. He quickly brought it into a throwing position before initiating an Art. "[Spear Arts: Pierce]!" As he threw the spear with the Art enhancement, he also activated the explosive thrust of the enchantment. The weapon sped away faster than a Thunder spell with enough force that it nearly knocked Desmond to the ground again. Barely keeping his bnce, he quickly brought his fist up to a ready position. By this point, the sounds of spells and shouts of soldiers fighting appeared to be filtered through water. Every movement seemed to be followed by a phantom blur. He could feel blood trickling from somewhere, and though he could not identify from where he was bleeding, he could feel his undershirt be wet and sticky. The world spun around him; his feet unsteady, as though he would topple any second. Desmond took a shaky step forward, resolute in finishing the task that Lucius gave him. The basin behind the dam was still filling. Though they did not need it to reach the top of the rocky structure, the taller the water got, the better the result would be. "You''re a tough customer. I respect your gusto, but you die here." Therge elf said while pointing his hammer at Desmond. Desmond gave his best smile. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth, giving him a rather pathetic look. Yet, he still smiled. "Give it your best shot." Desmond and the elves charged at one another. He raised his fist, preparing mana for an Art. Without warning, Snow appeared at his side. She quickly grabbed around his waist before the world suddenly changed. Everyone vanished, but they still stood at the top of the dam. The water below continued to rise and the surrounding air seemed to be filled with a strange ck dust or mist. Snow''s breathing was ragged and sweat poured down her face. It seemed she had expended a lot of energy disengaging anding to his side. The corners of her blue irises were slowly darkening. They were no longer a pale blue, but started turning almost ck. "I can''t do this for long. Quick, take this before I eject us from this space." Snow quickly passed him a potion, which he dly drank. It tasted awful. The vor almost reminded him of how a wet dog smelled. Despite its awful taste, it was an immensely helpful item; a powerful healing potion. Almost immediately, the blurry vision and copper taste on his tongue vanished. The bones in Desmond''s chest also itched as they tried to heal themselves. There would be no rest for them, unfortunately, but a small level of reprieve was better than nothing. Snow grasped onto his arm before raising a questioning eyebrow. Desmond nodded in approval after returning to his ready position. The sounds of battle returned once more, no longer muffled, as the world faded around them. Therge elf was looking around, confused, giving Desmond a small opening to start an attack. He lunged with an open palm and acted as though he would start another [Force Palm]. The elf smirked and dodged the strike that was aiming for his face. Once Desmond''s hand flew past the man''s face, he snapped his finger and re-engaged the Recall feature. Corva''s wonderful creation appeared in his hands. Desmond quickly gripped it with both hands and braced the shaft against the back of the elf''s head, using it as leverage to pull a knee strike directly into his opponent''s nose. The sudden appearance of the weapon threw the elf off his tempo and the strikended solidly on his face, forcing blood to gush from his nose. Desmond used the elf''s chest as a springboard tounch backward, wincing at the harsh movement''s effects on his broken ribs. Therge elf roared in anger and began another charge. As he closed the distance, at about half the coverage, his eyes shot wide open. His run slowed to a walk, and he slumped to one knee before falling forward, blood pooling around his body. Attached to his back was Snow, who used the opportunity to sever his spinal cord. "Debt repaid." She smiled.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 327 The Flood [Part 3] "[Shatter]" The moment the word loosed itself from Lucius''s lips, a seemingly weak wave of mana surged forward like a gentle breeze. It seemed to weave through the air until it met the soldiers on the bridge. One by one, various weapons and pieces of armor both still in use and thoseying on the ground, still equipped to the dead and dying, began to glow subtly red. The unexpected glow throughout the battlefield distracted friend and foe alike. No one understood why these random pieces of equipment had begun to release mana. Lucius on the other-hand grinned evilly. Before anyone had the time to react, the sound of fracturing metal filled the bridge. Thousands of pieces of shrapnel exploded into the air and into the bodies of hundreds of soldiers. Men and women screamed in pain as their bodies were peppered with the pieces. Lucius could feel Kalliope''s concerned gaze at the back of his head, but he simply watched on in slight amusement at the amount of confusion created by the sudden explosion of weapons and armor. With this level of confusion, the enemy waspletely oblivious to the raging wall of water quickly bearing down on their position. By this point the roar had grown loud enough to cause Lucius and Kalliope to cover their ears on reflex. Jade walked closer to the riverbed as if in a daze. Though Kalliope attempted to reach out and stop her, Lucius quickly ced himself between them and gave her a gentle shake of his head. "Watch. I want to see if she can truly pull this off." Lucius had a hunch that there was more to Jade than he realized. Sure his brief conversations with Desmond helped give him an inkling, but something inside his soul told him there was more than meets the eye with the normally clumsy girl. It was a simr sensation to what he felt every time he was around his sister. Though both girls were physically weak andcked any Compatibilities within Arts or Magic, something else itched in the back of his brain. This itch told him one thing: they were dangerous. The roar grew ever closer until eventually, the wall of water became visible. The surging wave stood nearly a hundred feet tall. It was easily enough to overwhelm the stone bridge. Thanks to the confusion, only a few of the soldiers had seen it. Those that had desperately ran for the safety ofnd, not even pausing to warn theirrades. This was true for both sides as elves tripped over themselves and theirrades trying to rush to safety under the threat of the massive wall of water. As the destructive force bore down on their position, Jade''s mark glowed even brighter. Her arms trembled as if she was under the strain of a massive amount of weight. Lucius and Kalliope watched, jaws agape, as the oing flood seemed to slow its advance for a moment. Slowly, but surely, the directionality of the river began to change. Instead of directly overwhelming the bridge, Jade began to push the water onto the opposite bank. ***** Everything hurt. Each and every inch of skin felt as if it was being stretched, every muscle fiber screamed in protest under an invisible weight. Never before had Jade felt such stress and pressure. On nights when the skies were clear and the air was warm, she would stand on the beaches of the ind on which Keinydd Academy was built. Waves wouldp at her bare feet as she stood at the intersection ofnd and water. Under normal circumstances, she felt weak whenpared to her peers. Jade was the only Unranked student at the school and was only granted attendance on behalf of her brother. He was an exceptional warrior and excelled at Water Magic. In his entrance exams he easily trounced his examiners, who were students in the upper sses. Seeing how strong and skilled he was, the school''s headmaster wanted Desmond in their school at any cost. Though everyone knew his identity as the shamed Desmond Adler, they were all willing to overlook such an issue if it meant increasing the strength and promise of the student body. With someone like Desmond at their school, they might have been able to stand higher on the continental stage against the other nations'' educational institutions. Desmond made a single request as a condition for his eptance. If Keinydd wanted him as a student, they would also have to allow his Unranked and Marked One sister entrance as well. Jade being a Marked One was not an issue, but Unranked was a first for the school. Of course, they epted quickly and withoutint. When she stood alongside her peers, she felt like an insect. However, those nights on the beaches of the academy, listening to the waves push and pull against thend, feeling the water run over her bare feet those were the nights she felt different. It was as if the water itself filled her being with power. Jade felt as though her power was only limited by the depths of the ocean itself. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself manipting the tide around her. Over days, weeks, and months, Jade slowly found herself able to manipte the rise and fall of the water around the circumference of the ind. Though she was physically alone, there was often a dangerous and deadly presence that observed her. Jade could never tell if the presence was proud or hateful. asionally she would feel its deadly gaze fall upon her, watching over her training. Those experiences led her to this moment. Flood waters roiling and rumbling down the riverbed it once upied fought against hermand. The amount of force greater and harder to control than the gentle rise and fall of the ocean. It felt as though the ''spirit'' of the water itself fought against her and raged against the injustice of having been manipted against its will. Where the ocean was like a gentle series of breaths that she could join alongside, the river was an explosive and angry shout. Yet, she was stronger. No matter how much it tried to defy her, Jade''s power was greater. She exercised her will and pushed the oing wall into the Aya''s armies. Men and women screamed in shock and terror as the rapids overwhelmed them. Jade carefully estimated which parts of the bridge was mostly devoid of their allies. She carefully split the wave in two, willing the new branch to rise nearly a hundred feet into the air. To those witnessing her exercise her abilities, she appeared as calm as a conductor guiding an orchestra. The new branch arced into the air. The moment it crested over the bridge, Jade calmly flicked her wrist downward, forcing the wave to crash onto the heads of the enemy force with explosive power.@@novelbin@@ Water rained down upon them as the impact sprayed thousands of gallons of it into the air. Elves and debris were pulled along with the rapids further downstream. Jade slowly rxed her forceful control over the raging rapids, allowing it to mostly flow as it wished. The enemy camp was no more and those that remained simply gasped for air, thankful for the fortune that smiled upon them. Faylin slowly approached with his hand around the hilt of his sword. His rage seemed barely contained, threatening to burst from beneath the surface. "Lucius Kane," Faylin growled, "What have you done? Do you know how many viges and homes border this river? Your actions do not only affect our forces, but the lives of innocents" he turned to face Jade, "Marked One, cease your actions." "I wouldn''t do that." Lucius warned. To make his point, Jade slowly rxed her control. The river instantly moved to fill the space that she had been forcing it to avoid. The water''s edge quickly climbed further up the bank. It threatened to overwhelm the top of the bridge once more. If she fully rxed her control, the bridge and all of them would be instantly swept away in the rapids. Faylin''s face paled as he watched the water greedilyp at the edge of the toes, begging to overwhelm them and carry them along with it. "Those that remain alongside the edge of a river that has be a warzone are idiots. If they wished to avoid being casualties of war, they would have fled. This is the cost of stupidity. Their sacrifice will secure Lethaya''s ascension to the throne." Lucius exined without even looking at Faylin. "You''re not the monster people imed." Faylin stated, "You''re worse. The lives of innocents mean so little? And what did you do? You are the one responsible for the detonation of our own men''s corpses. Were those sacrifices necessary?" "Yes." Kalliope''s fur stood on end. She slowly ced herself between Lucius and Faylin. The elf general paused for a moment and took a step toward Jade once more. Kalliope was about to move, but she stopped, her eyes going wide. Faylin''s own eyes also went wide. With a simple twitch of her finger, a rope of water wrapped itself around Faylin''s leg, crawling around his torso before tickling the side of his neck. The other end of the ''rope'' connected to the river. Jade flexed her finger again, giving the rope enough of a tug to force Faylin to take a step toward the water''s edge. "Prepare the forces Faylin. Recall all of them to our position. This bridge is the only one remaining. By the end of the day, the others will have be nothing but splinters. Send word to the capital that Aya''s southern defense has been breached. We will advance further south tomorrow. Be ready." Chapter 329 His Visit In a massive room atop one of the tallest towers of Arcadios''s royal pce a gathering of friends and family. Adellia smiled at having a muchrger group of people close to her than she ever thought imaginable. Once upon a time, she only had her mother and her grandfather to interact with. Now she had so many people in her life that filled it with happiness and joy. Chief among them right now was a beautiful red-headed girl named Rena. She moved into the tower after Lucius was sent to Aedrider and quickly became an important person in her life. Not only was she a very close friend of her daughter, but the young woman ended up marrying her long-lost son, Lucius. Now, that young woman was carrying the breath of new life within her. Adellia felt her heart swell that the prospect of holding her first grandchild. Would they look like Lucius? Would any part of them look like her? "Have you heard the recent news out of Aedrider?" A man said as he entered the room, slowly putting down a shield and leaning it against the wall next to the door. The man in question was Derrik, Natali''s father. Derrik was a good friend of Adellia ever since their entire family moved into the tower with her. He was a simple man who worked hard to provide for his family in any way he could. He was also an exceptionally doting father and adored his dear daughter more than life itself. Mylene and him had tried for a few years for another child, but were never graced with another during that time. Rena breathed apprehensively before asking, "What have you heard? I don''t get out to the markets much these days, let alone descending the tower." Rena gently rubbed her belly which had grown in size to amodate the young life within her. It had been a little over five months since Lucius left which meant she did not have much longer to go. He promised to return to her before the birth and she held on to that hope to this day. "Well news is a little hard toe by," Derrik sighed, realizing his mistake. However, now that Rena had a vested interest, he had to keep going. "The border is still locked down, so not a lot of information is flowing. Rumor has it the country has been gued by a number of small cmitiestely. "For starters, a town was wiped off the map. Then a major river flooded, wiping out arge number of soldiers and viges along its edge. Recently there have even been rumors heavy storms and rainfall causing wildfires near forested areas it''s a mess." Derrik sighed once more. "I haven''t heard much more than that" For a moment he had a guilty look on his face, but when he saw that none of the women in the room looked concerned, it changed to one of confusion. Rena had a smile on her own as she gently rubbed her stomach and began whispering something to herself. Just as he was about to say something, Lyrah interrupted with a giggle. Adellia nced with mild concern between Mylene and Rubellia, hoping they knew why it was that her daughter wasughing. Before she could say anything, Lyrah stopped and voiced in a teasing tone, "My, my to think Rena would be such a doting mother. Natali, do you think you''ll be just as sweet when my brother gives you a child?"@@novelbin@@ Natali''s face turned several shades deeper than her pale, white skin was normally. Rena froze for a moment before beginning tough. Even Mylene had been used to it at this point and also joined in. Rubellia and Adellia were the only two who sighed. Meanwhile, Derrik''s face also turned red in color, though for a slightly different reason. "I will have no such thing!" He shouted, "No man is going to take away my daughter''s purity. Let alone a man who is already married and has a child on the way! He would have to fight me first! I''ll take him out and show him that he cannot simply womanize his way through the kingdoms!" The door to the tower room opened slowly. From behind Derrik''s average frame, a massive man with tan skin and ck hair stepped forward. He ced his hand firmly on Derrik''s shoulder. Kalivas''s ck ears twitched while his tail flicked in annoyance. The look on therger man''s face was far from kind. "W-who are you?" "Kalivas Kane. The father of the ''womanizer'' you threatened a moment ago." Kalivas growled. Adellia rushed forward to cate the warrior''s frustration. While everyone else, even Natali, was content to watch Derrik face the wrath of a King Ranker, Adellia was not interested in bloodshed within her home. Prior to this moment, she would always maintain a healthy distance from Kalivas. They wouldmunicate professionally in front of others and save for a single conversation after the banquet that terminated the Exhibition tournament, they never spoke in private. Though Lyrah had tried to get her to converse with the man who fathered both her and Lucius, Adellia simply did not wish to. It was not that Kalivas was an unkind man. If anything, during their time together he had genuinely treated her as a true woman. Before him, everyone else aside from Wally treated her with children''s gloves. Not Kalivas no he was the first person that made her feel like a woman instead of a tool. Despite how much happiness he had brought her during their time together trying to bring a new oracle into the world, she could never reciprocate his feelings. He was a warrior of another country. On top of that, he was their King Ranker. There was no path to happiness toward them. That was why she avoided everything to do with him when she could. It simply was not fair to give the man hope. The moment Adellia''s hands grazed against Kalivas''s arm, the man''s disposition changedpletely. The harshness of his expression immediately softened and the strength of his gaze changed to something much gentler. It had been years since his beautiful golden eyes looked at her in such a warm and inviting way. For a moment, she lost herself within them. "Adellia" Kalivas whispered, reaching a hand toward her cheek. His actions snapped her back to reality and she jerked back reflexively before his fingers could reach her skin. Kalivas''s expression became mncholic as he smiled weakly at her. "Leave him be," Adellia said meekly, "You are here for another reason Kalivas. Let us not turn my home into a bloodbath." Kalivas looked away from her and quickly examined the surroundings. He had been in the tower a number of times in the past and not much had changed since then, save the new residents. "Home," Kalivas said, "It seems that even without me, you have indeed made this prison more like a home. Congrattions Adellia." Though his tone was kind and warm, the words themselves felt like a dagger driven directly into Adellia''s heart. She ignored some of the sympathetic nces that were cast her direction. One of those that she expected to feel sorry for her was the only person who remained aloof. Wally was someone who understood her situation best and she figured that he would have been on her side. Though she did not want him to start a fight, part of her hoped he would intervene in some capacity. However, he remainedpletely ambivalent about the situation. Kalivas walked calmly over to where Rena was sitting and knelt in front of her. From the small pack on his hip, he produced a small, wooden box. It was well worn and clearly extremely old. He passed it gingerly to Rena, who epted it graciously with a calm smile on her face. "Rena," Kalivas said, "My dear daughter-inw, you are every bit as beautiful as my son said you were. Though we had not been given the opportunity to meet, I feel that I know so much about you." Rena''s eyes opened wide, "Truly?" Kalivas chuckled, sending a warm sensation through Adellia''s heart before it turned into a churningplex feeling in her stomach. "Yes, though he did not have much to say about much else, any conversation about the woman he fought for would have him going for what felt like hours. I must say I know the feeling. "As for the box, it is a memento passed down through the Kane family. Upon his birth, it would have passed to Lucius, however, he was unable to receive it. Instead, I pass it to you so that you may grant it to my grandchild. You may open it if you wish, but Kane tradition has it remain sealed until after the child''s birth." "I shall keep it sealed until then, father. May I call you that?" Adellia thought for a moment she saw moisture forming within Kalivas''s eyes. It was a moment of weakness that only she noticed. Were she not as familiar with his mannerisms as she was, she might have missed it. The look quickly disappeared and was reced with a warm smile. Kalivas gingerly stood and embraced Rena, cing his hand gently upon her head. "You certainly may. I understand you do not have the greatest example of one, so I will endeavor to do what I can for you, Lucius, this grandchild and any others that may join us in the future." Kalivas chuckled while shooting a frustrated nce at Derrik, who winced. Chapter 332 Thoughts of an Elf General Faylin had spent the better part of three centuries in service to the royal family of Aedrider. In all of those long years he had earned the merits required to ascend to the rank of general. Though he had notmanded any great armies in war, he had led more than his fair share of forces against rebels and bandit armies. Over the centuries many upstarts had both risen and fallen around him. They shined brightly and burned out quickly, but in the end he still remained, strong and steadfast. Though his methods were far from spectacr, his performance was consistent and reliable. When he received word from the capital that he was going to be supporting themand of a young boy who was not even twenty, he figured them to be another one of the bright stars who would quickly fizzle into nothingness. Faylin had heard of the infamous Titan of Eroa and having met him, his opinion remained the same. His ideas were grand in scale and unpredictable. Yet they relied just as much on luck as they did skill and timing. Such tactics were grand in scale but were not repeatable. Such fantastic leaders would eventually run out of ''revolutionary ideas'' and fail spectacrly. Even knowing that, having to sit through and assist in implementing no less than two of these ns for Lucius grated upon Faylin''s soul. The incident at the river made brought Faylin the closest he had ever been to losing his temper. He had nearly tried to y the woman on whom the n hinged. Tried being the operative word in the scenario. One nce was all it took to tell that she would have been able to end him with a flick of her wrist. Even before she had wrapped the water rope around his body, his instincts screamed at him to retreat. It was only when he found himself bound that he fully registered the threat to his own life. After that incident, they had sent word to the capital regarding the results of the river flooding. Faylin had expected the capital to condemn Lucius''s actions, but their only response was to request a continuance ofmunication regarding their advance further south. After that they located a supply depot within an old-growth forest. It was a rtively famous forest known as the Unending Grove. It was famous for being one of the oldest forests on the continent with most of the trees being well over ten thousand years old. In the center of it was a massive clearing that housed a famous vige known for growing rare herbs with amazing healing properties. Discover hidden stories at empire Aya''s rebels had coerced the natives of the vige to allow them control over it and turned it into a supply depot. Since the forest was too thick to navigate, the only reliable way in and out of the vige was through two, pre-cut paths. Any other attempts to move through the forest would result in people getting lost or being killed by powerful monsters that inhabited the woods. Lucius and Faylin spent the better part of a month setting up the necessary pieces for histest n. It was yet another one where he refused to share the exact details of said n with anyone else, even his own close friends. One of whom hade down with an unknown condition at the time. The only thing that Lucius had requested from him was directmand over their force''s rangers and scouts. After he spent a few days separating out the ones he felt had the most promise, he continued to train them for a few weeks after requesting supplies from the capital. Once the mysterious supplies arrived, he and the selected soldiers disappeared into the woods for days before returning. Out of the twenty that went in, five did not return. Unfortunately for Faylin, one of the ones who did return was Lucius himself. Lucius then instructed Faylin to split their armies in half and position them outside the two paths leading to the ancient vige in the forest center. He tried to exin that Aya''s people inside would not need to exit within any of their lifetimes and that they only needed to wait for backup to arrive once they notice supplies stopped moving. However, Lucius simply smiled and told him to be patient. Three dayster, Faylin awoke to a strong smell of smoke. At first, he just assumed that fighting had broken out, so he rushed out of his tent in a hurry,pletely donning his armor. Other people around him were simrly confused, but no one was attacking. One thing that was off was a strange light that was brightening the sky at the time. As dawn approached, the light grew even brighter and the smell of smoke worsened. Somehow, Lucius had set fire deep within the Unending Grove and had set it topletely encircle the vige within, forcing its popce and upiers to flee. The fight was short and bloody with nearly no losses on their own side, but the damage to the ancient forest was devastating. It would be centuries before the forest even partially recovered and the concentration of mana within the woods was decimated. When they finally rejoined forces, Faylin felt yet another urge to attack Lucius, but knew that it would have been futile. When asked how Lucius pulled this stunt off, he simply informed him that he used basic heating crystals used in elven technology to pull it off. He relied on the insane concentration of mana within the forest itself to forcefully activate the crystals passively. Him and the scouts and rangers spent days imnting these crystals in hundreds of trees around the circumference of the forest to slowly start the fire without any obvious signs of tampering within the woods. Again, Faylin filed a report to the capital. Again, they simply responded with a request to keep them updated. There were times where he questioned his loyalty. If Princess Lethaya were so willing to sacrifice so much to win this battle, was she really right for the kingdom? Was it really worth it to burn their history to the ground, drown their people into oblivion, and permanently scar the surface of theirnd in order to win? Those dark thoughts pervaded his mind for weeks more as they fought, tooth and nail against Aya''s armies, who had been fighting a losing battle. Without a solid defensive line and supplies, they simply crumbled like paper in a child''s hand. It was only when they happened upon viges closer to the border that Faylin understood the truth of the matter. While he was concerned about what happened to the elves on the river, the health of an ancient forest, and the lives of a city full of criminals and vers Aya''s armies tore families apart, murdered innocent men, women, and children, all in the name of purity. The first vige they stopped through after leaving the Unending Grove was essentially barren. Only a handful of people were living there and each of them looked dead inside. After Faylin spoke with the vige chief, he had learned that Aya''s territories demanded the removal or execution of impure elves. Those who resisted, died, those who did not were carted away. Learning this new information let Faylin look at Lucius in a new light. Though he had sacrificed lives, the elves who remained on the river did, in fact, choose the risk of remaining in a warzone. The trees in the Unending Grove would be reced once more and the people living within the vige at its center were now free. Even Seteste could be forgiven as most of the residents were criminals and vers who had been allowed to fester so close to their ''illustrious'' capital. What Lucius had done was not for the greater good. He had no desire to help the elves. His only goal was to return home. If Aya had been the one to promise him this, then they would have fought on opposite sides of the war. However, what he had done paled inparison to the tant evilsmitted in Aya''s name. Now, they stood outside the southern territory''s most powerful city. It was a bastion of trade and a veritable fortress whenpared to the ces around it. Aya''s southern armies had no where else to run. Once the city was taken, trade could be reliable reconnected with the human nations once more, allowing Lethaya to finish the war against her sister. "General Faylin!" A runner hopped off of a horse and saluted him honorably. "Sir, we have confirmation that Lord Kane and Lady Snow have entered the city. If I may, sir, what is it Lord Kane wishes to aplish?"@@novelbin@@ The runner was but a boy, maybe fifteen or sixteen. He was a half-elf from one of the caravans they intercepted that was transporting the ''impure'' away from a vige. Many of their soldiers now consisted of volunteer soldiers who joined their cause in freeing the southern territory. The runner was one such boy. In his eyes there was genuine concern for Lucius''s well-being. Though somewhat misced, all the soldiers like him supported Lucius''s campaign as the leader of the army that would give them all their freedom. "I don''t know," Faylin answered honestly with a shrug and a defeated smirk, "But I''m sure it will work out." Chapter 333 Resistance Varris long stood as a primary trading hub near the Aedridan border with Paede. Because of the constant flow of trade and ease of passage between the borders, it had also be home to many mixed races. Most people of mixed blood were half-elves, though there were a fair number of those with beast blood as well. When Aya''s forces joined with the known elf-purist city lord, the citizens knew that their futures would be up in the air. Those who desired to close the borders were in the minority of the popce within Varris, but they still existed. Known allies of the city''s lord, Sir Indarel din Varris, quickly rose to power and cleared the guard of any with non-elven blood before instituting martialw. The people of Varris resisted the rapid changes, and the removal of mixed-blood politicians was slow at first. When Aya''s forces began to reinforce the city, thus adding extra support to the new guard force, those who resisted were quickly removed from power. So far, no one had been carted away from the city; however, many people were forced from their homes in wealthier parts of the city. Merchants and minor nobles were stripped of their rights and property, forced to work in menialbor, and their possessions given to the ''more deserving'' pure-elves. The face of the Varris Resistance was none other than Indarel''s younger brother, Kestis din Varris. As a half-elf himself, he was a favorite of the people who ascended to power. Unfortunately, as the younger brother, Indarel was first in line to inherit the family''s holdings. Kestis himself sat in a dingy basement below a bar in the slum district of the city. Under Indarel''s leadership, even before Aya made things worse, the slums had expanded in size. No longer was it only a home for criminals and rogues, but it now took up a sizeable portion of the city. Disproportionately, the poption consisted of mixed-bloods. The Resistance found most of its forces among the people of the slums. When Kestis sat at the head of his family, he would be the one to lift the citizens back to their former glory. For a city with such fantastic wealth, there was no reason for so many of its people to suffer in such a way. "Lord Kestis!" a young woman with bright blue hair down to her shoulders and half her head shaved burst into the room. What she saw was a disheveled man wearing tattered and dirty versions of fine noble clothing. The formerly beautiful blues and purples of his clothes had darkened a few shades. The woman quickly pinched her nose before asking, "How long has it been since you bathed, my lord?" Kestis rolled his eyes before looking at his second-inmand, a woman by the name of Sheza, who was half-elf and beast. He looked her over once with his eyes drawn to her striking yellow eyes with almost draconic slits for pupils. "How long have I been down here?" He asked with slurred speech. It was hard to tell time from within a sealed basement. There had been so much information to sift through and many different ns to ount for. Time had a way of getting away from Kestis under the best of circumstances. He lightly rubbed the corners of his eyes, "Sheza, I thought I told you to stop calling me ''Lord''? I don''t like it." "Kestis," the woman sighed before jabbing her finger angrily into his chest, "The whole point of this is to make you the Lord of Varris. Get used to it, dumbass." Satisfied that her point had gotten through, she informed him they had guests and that he should be somewhat presentable before meeting with them. The aspect of having guests was strange enough already, but Kestis was too exhausted to really process Sheza''s words. All he could do was follow her up the stairs to a bath prepared for him. The steam cleared his sinuses enough to realize that he did, in fact, stink. Days of sweat and grime clung to his skin and clothes, making for a highly unpleasant mixture of smells. For a moment he contemted simply throwing his clothes away, but he ced them in a collection basket. The building they upied was the only one in the surrounding area with such luxuries still functioning. The Resistance made sure to keep Kestisfortable and provide him with many extra resources. He tried to defy these gifts and luxuries since his people were going without them, but he lost the argument and relented to their demands. Times like this made him realize how thankful he was that his subordinates pushed for such things for him. Being able to rest his sore muscles was a wonderful boon. Kestis examined a number of fading bruises all over his body. Most of them were caused by Sheza. Kestis grew up as the second son of the Varris family and was instructed in the ways of domain management and actuarial studies. His older brother was the one who studied martial arts and became a knight. Because of this discrepancy in their skills, Sheza, a long-time childhood friend, took it upon herself to beat her own knowledge into him. After the bath was finished, Kestis donned his new clothes and joined Sheza once again outside the bath. Her face was slightly flush at the sight of him, which confused him for a moment. He thought he heard her mumble the word ''idiot'' under her breath as she went to fix some buttons that were misaligned. Kestisughed, "Sorry about that. Thanks Sheza, I wouldn''t be able to do anything without you." The only response he got to his thanks was a rolling of the eyes, but that only made Kestis smile wider. She had been like this for their entire lives and to have her continue this behavior still was afort to him. The world had changed rapidly in thest few months, so any familiarity at all was precious to him. Sheza led him back downstairs and into the main room of the formerly abandoned inn. Sitting at a rundown bar that was long past its prime, ocveredpletely in cracks, were two individuals. Drinks sat in front of them, but when Kestis moved to greet them, he saw they were still full. Such small details usually did not matter, but if this were to be a negotiation, it did not bode well that they were willing to share in drinks beforehand. It meant one of two things; either they were about to engage in veryplex discussions, or they were highly distrustful people. Either option exhausted Kestis at just the thought, but there was not much he could do. When he finally got a good look at his guests, he noticed one was an elf with white hair. Her face was mostly covered by a mask, but her blue eyes peered out over the top of it, analyzing both him and the surroundings. The second guest was more interesting. He was average height and clearly human or maybe he wasn''t? Every time Kestis tried to focus on the man in front of him, he felt a major headache begin to overtake him and his vision would blur. A momentter, any features he thought he made out had vanished from his mind. The only thing he could truly make out was that he was wearing ck armor, a slightly tattered cloak, and a featureless ck mask. Even the man''s eye color was unknown, as the only thing that could be made out through the mask''s eyeholes were ck pupils whose shape appeared just as ambiguous as the rest of him. "Nice to meet you; my name is Kestis din Varris." The half-elf said warmly while sticking a hand out for a polite shake, "I am the leader of the Varris Resistance. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" For a moment, only silence permeated the air. Sheza coughed awkwardly from behind him but said nothing. Because he was in front, he had no idea what look was on her face. Had he upset his unknown guests with his gestures? Kestis was extremely sure that his actions were universally epted on the continent. "My name doesn''t matter." The man finally said. Kestis had only assumed the person was a man before he spoke because of the strange blurring of his features, "What does matter is that we are here to help. Surely you have heard about what is happening outside the city at the moment?" "Yes, I do." Kestis sighed, "Queen Lethaya''s forces are stationed outside the city walls. Aya''s armies have retreated inside its protection. From what I know, General Faylin has initiated a request to pay and discuss a possible surrender." "Do you think Indarel will concede defeat?" Sheza snorted, "Not in a thousand years. He''d rather wait them out till everyone fell to the Deep Sleep. So, what? You two pissants serve Faylin or the monster he''s been working with?" "Sheza!" "What? Everyone knows what that man working with Faylin has done. We''ve all heard the rumors. Honestly, I give it a handful of days, maybe even hours, before half the city is turned to dust, just like Alvora. Or maybe he will figure out a way to turn us into a crater in the ground like Seteste." Experience tales at empire Kestis''s jaw dropped open. Sheza was a hothead, but normally, she had more decorum than this. He started to turn around and apologize to their guests. Before he could say anything, the masked man started tough.@@novelbin@@ Chapter 336 Remembrance Most of the businesses in Varris suffered as a result of the sudden change regarding non-elves. A lot of business were run by those same citizens and many others relied on their employees who were a mix of different races. The only ces that did not suffer were those that just so happened to only employ elves, or those that were run by purists prior to the change. The hardest hit types of businesses were cksmiths and transportpanies. Most of the cksmiths were elves, since Aedridan elves were basically born to forge, or at least that''s what all the elven cksmiths im. When massive swaths of the workforce that did transport work were exiled from most parts of the city, the smiths could not get the import of the necessary raw materials to continue their work. Luckily for them, it was a problem that had been prepared for, so recovery was rtively swift for most businesses. After that recovery period was over, they began to churn out arms and armor at rapid rates to replenish the supplies of Aya''s armies. Almost all of the smithies in town had been ordered to perform this work so it could bepleted quickly. As such, the transportpanies that remained, were constantly moving wagons full of arms and amor throughout the city. Kestis''s men had been keeping an eye on all known smithies within the city as well as the guard patrols that would cycle through the area. The closer the shops were to the slums of the city, the more frequently they were patrolled. As such, they had to make a choice. Continue your journey with empire y it rough close to home, but risk inevitable conflict, or venture further from the slums where patrols were fewer and they could slip out unnoticed. The benefit of hitting the wagons closer to home was that it was a shorter distance to retrieve the supplies, however, any battles would easily draw the attention of surrounding patrols who could swarm into the area and create arge and bloody fight. The benefit of the further away targets was a lower risk of massive bloodshed, but the distance for retrieving those supplies was longer. Sheza and Snow were told to work together to scout out a few of the locations and figure out which one was more worth it. With Snow being an elf with no other bloodlines, she was able to walk freely along the city streets and even enter some of the shops as a potential customer without attracting notice. Sheza was annoyed by this, but could tell that it was also not Snow''s specialty. She was clearly the type to prefer stalking from the shadows, so hiding in in sight was a foreign concept to her modus operandi. Still, the elf performed her job to the letter and under the watchful eye of the dragon-blood, quickly and easily slipped under the radar of the different guard patrols. The neers to the city were less than trustful. Even the normally easygoing Kestis was on edge when it came to the idea of trusting Wulf and his sidekick, which made Sheza feel like her friend had grown in his time leading the rebels. This had only been going on for a handful of months, just under half a year, in fact, but Kestis continued to grow through it all. At first, the rebellion suffered losses with many of their forces being captured or killed in raids. Every man they lost, Kestis would personally visit their next of kin and take responsibility for any anger they felt. The basement where he did his nning was lined with bricks that had the names of their fallen etched into them. When Sheza first saw Kestis seemingly wing at the basement walls with an old chisel, she had thought he lost his mind. However, something told her to simply sit and watch. After hours of simply observing her friend tapping away at the bricks, he finally finished before slumping down onto his knees. Silent sobs had wracked his body, though no tears ever fell. She let him sit there in silence until he was done, after which he stood and left the room without acknowledging her presence. Her curiosity got the better of her and she went to look at whatever it was that Kestis had been doing. That was when she realized that he had learned the first name, family name, and the age of the fallen. Each one was etched into the brick as a solemn reminder of his failures. With so many losses in the beginning, it was obvious that people would try to oppose Kestis''s leadership. Many wished to push him into the role of a figurehead, acting only as a face while true leaders with experience performed their roles. Those people who wished to use Kestis''s name had shown up at their hideout demanding he step down. Before their cries for his removal reached his ears, Sheza intercepted the angry leaders and showed them to the basement. When they saw the names on the wall, each carefully spaced so that they were easily identifiable, it brought tears to their eyes. Even they had not learned the names of every one of their men, but the man they thought unworthy did the work to find out and honor them. With such a sight permanently held in their minds, all talk of removing Kestis from power ceased and the rebels became more unified under his name. Since then, the other leaders formed a council, not taking away his power and changing his decisions, but educating and guiding him.@@novelbin@@ The wall of remembrance continued to grow because casualties in war are unavoidable, but each day, less and less names were added. Kestis''s growth continued to develop at a rapid rate, showcasing his extreme intelligence and adaptability. Him realizing he should not immediately trust these neers was yet another example of his amazing growth. Such thoughts often stirred Sheza''s heart and flushed her face. "Hey, dragon-girl," Snow''s voice whispered into her ear from behind, nearly sending her to the ground. "You alright? Your face is red." "Shut up," Sheza grumbled, "Anyway, what did you find?" "It seems that hitting the ces further into the noble district will be better. There are a lot of weapons due for a shipment near the slums, but I think it is better to hit one with a fair mix of both. Also, the wagons bound for transport in closer to base should be arriving in a few hours, leaving little time to prepare." Snow advised. Her words were urate. They truly needed to take into ount the amount of time needed to set up a heist varied, but having more time to prepare was better if at all possible. With that in mind, they would definitely hit the noble district facilities. The only thing left was to g extra time for transport of the materials back. Once the goods went missing, the guards would be on high alert, making it hard to move long distances easily. Sure, they had conspirators and supporters among the pure elves, but it would still look suspicious for anyone, regardless of race, to be walking around with equipment after arge shipment was stolen. Snow seemed to realize what thoughts had run through her head because she smiled slyly before she advised, "Wulf is already taking care of securing a location closer to the noble district. Inside of a few hours we will have a safehouse where your forces may store your goods. Once attention dies down, your people can retrieve them in small quantities. It might slow down the speed in which you can arm yourselves, but it should negate a fair amount of risk. Especially since it is a guard station." "Is that so?" Sheza whispered excitedly, "How is he managing that?" "He borrowed a healer from Kestis." Snow answered simply. A healer? Sheza had a hard time understanding how borrowing a healer would help Wulf take control of a guard post, but she decided to let it be. Their forces had a number of people who were well-versed in Light Magic, so if Wulf failed, losing one healer would do little to impact their forces. Though it was a cruel way to rationalize it, losing one person was better than losing multiple. Sheza briefly threw her thoughts back to Kestis and how he would feel adding yet another name to the Wall of Remembrance. She found herself hoping Wulf found sess in his endeavors. Though they were only tentative allies at best, he still had one of their men with him. "Well, I hope that he knows what he is doing." Sheza growled. Snow began to giggle quietly. Though it was not loud enough to attract attention, the sudden action still spooked Sheza, who found herself ncing around hurriedly to ensure they would not be discovered. After a short, but intense re, Snow stopped giggling and wiped a mock tear from her eyes. She also began to nce around, thinking that Sheza heard something she had not. When she realized that the girl was worried about Snow revealing their location, she shook her head and gave an annoyed sigh. "You don''t need to worry," She said, "He does." Chapter 337 Guard Station [Part 1] Though the Varris Rebels were made up of primarily mixed-race citizens of the city. Several elven supporters stayed hidden amongst the purists so they could provide support in the ways of information and safe harbor in the event of emergencies. Staven was neither of these. Rather he was a simple human whose only benefit was that he had exceptional skill with Light Magic. It was his only Compatibility and allowed him to focus on honing these skills and be a prolific healer. A handful of years ago, he fell in love with a half-elf merchant who visited his home vige in Paede and joined with her on her return trip. They had two lovely daughters and a young son now. His entire family was considered a blight upon the city by the current lord, so Staven quickly joined up with the rebels to try and retake the home that he and his partner had built for themselves in the city of Varris. At the moment, however, Staven found himself regretting his decision. While most of his assignments had been to heal any of their soldiers that returned from conflict, Kestis introduced him to a potential ally of their cause. The person in question was a terrifying man. He was shorter than Staven by a few inches, but his very presence shook Staven to his very core. A featureless, ck mask covered his face, leaving only his pupils visible from the outside. No matter how many times Staven tried to look at the man, that was the extent of his features that he could determine. Any further attempts resulted in a wave of nausea and head pain. Since it was a personal request from Kestis, Staven felt like he had no choice but to ept the request. He trusted their leader with his life, like almost everyone in the resistance did. Kestis even made the man, whose name was Wulf, swear to bring Staven back alive. It took a moment of awkward silence, but eventually Wulf agreed to the request. This was enough to satisfy the man and off they went to perform whatever job it was that Wulf was trying toplete. Their journey through the city streets started at just past midnight, where the guards had done their changeovers and were still waking up. It was also when there would be no bystanders out and about. Up until they reached the edge of the noble quarter, the trip had been rather uneventful. Staven almost let himself think some dreadful words regarding the ease of their task, but stopped himself in time. Had he finished those thoughts, any gods governing fate might have decided to y a trick on them. Though superstition was often just that, it never hurt to y things cautiously. Hitting the noble quarter was a rapid change. Dodging passing patrols became so frequent that the duo barely had time to breathe in between attempts. Their only moments of reprieve came when they ducked into alleyways and ceased their progression further into the district. While Staven used these small pauses to rest and try and calm his nerves, his partner would vanish across the rooftops. Wulf provided no exnation for his disappearances upon his return either. Seeing as the man himself was not in a talkative mood, Staven made no attempts to break the silence either. That was, until thest stop. "Your skills," Wulf asked without turning to look at him, "How developed are they?" "I''m Intermediate Rank, if that''s what you are asking." Staven replied with a shocked expression. "Not what I meant. If a man loses his finger, can you reattach it? If a person receives burns or cuts, can you heal them to the point of perfection, or does it leave scars and bruising?" The more in-depth line of questioning startled him for a moment. Why would the man need to know something like that now? Would it not have been better to ask before they left the slums? Knowing that he would receive no such answers, Staven sighed and answered truthfully, "I can reattach severed body parts, but they won''t be usable in anything less than a few days. Fingers maybe inside of a few hours, but they''ll be numb. As for scars and burns, I actually specialized in removing such features in my practice before the city went to shit." Prior to everything changing, Staven ran a small clinic. He healed a variety of ailments and injuries, but through his time practicing, he found that he was especially skilled at removing cosmetic defects. The realization made him quite a popr clinic for women and nobles to visit. They tended to find visible scarring repugnant and paid handsomely to have them removed. Not that it mattered now. "So even if the underlying injury is still causing issues, you can make the exterior look fine?" Wulf continued.@@novelbin@@ "In theory" Staven answered carefully. He had no idea where this line of questioning was going, but had already decided to answer everything as truthfully as possible. He had never attempted such a feat as a healer, but it was technically possible with his skills. Wulf gave a slight nod before waving him forward. Staven quietly approached and leaned around the corner of the alleyway that they had hidden in. Wulf pointed at a building where a few dozen elven guards were exchanging idle pleasantries before half of them continued down the street and the other half entered the building. The building itself was nothing impressive. It was a simple, three-story townhome made primarily out of brick and stone. One thing that made it different was that it was as wide as two of the surrounding buildingsbined. Guards being present in heavy-force as well as itsrger size clearly showed what it was. "Are you insane?" he said to Wulf in a strangebination of a whisper and a shout. "That is a guard station! It is the absolute worst ce to try and take over! Have you lost every ounce of sanity that the gods granted you?" "Shut your mouth and follow me." Wulf growled. He was about to shout out in anger again, but a strange smell not unlike the air after a strong thunderstorm reached Staven''s nose. Small shes of light pulled his attention away from the featureless mask and down toward''s Wulf''s hands. From beneath the man''s cloak, he revealed a set of gauntlets with long, talon-like protrusions. Discover stories with empire Between each of the armored fingers, small bolts of electricity danced violently, threatening to leap out and grab the human if he got too close to the source. It was clear that Wulf was threatening him and that Staven had no choice but to obey him in the matter. Reluctantly he nodded after swallowing the fear rising in his chest. Wulf grunted and turned around, flipping his cloak over the dangerous looking gauntlets once more. After a moment of hesitation, Staven quickly followed as close as possible. If they were to be seen, he figured he would need to be within quick reach of Wulf in order for him to keep the promise to Kestis about bringing Staven back alive. Part of him wondered if he should have really listened to Wulf''s threats based on that promise. However, he also quickly realized that Wulf only promised to return him alive. Under no circumstance did he agree to bring him back unharmed or uninjured. This realization made him gulp once more before continuing forward. By the time the entry doors were within clear sight, the sounds of mildughter poured out into the streets. Through the windows, they could see the movement of some shadows across the closed blinds. It seemed that some in the barracks had chosen to have a few drinks after their shifts before turning in for the night. There was no way to know if this was beneficial to Wulf''s n or not, but they would soon find out. Without hesitation, the man pushed open the doors to the guard station. They were unlocked because no one believed that someone would be so brazen as to attack them from within. Sleeping behind the desk in the warmly lit entryway was a young woman with soft features. Her head wasying atop a small pile of papers with her torso rising and falling in a stable pattern. As they approached, Staven noticed a small puddle of drool that had escaped the woman''s lips. Were it not for the scenario, he would have thought the woman adorable as she reminded him of his oldest daughter who slept in much the same fashion. Wulf quietly reached his hand over the back of her neck and with a quick flex of his fingers, activated whatever enchantment was on the gauntlets. Electricity ran up the length of the metal and down his fingers before quickly jumping into the elf''s body. She twitched momentarily, her eyes shooting open in a panic before rapidly shutting again. The puddle of drool increased in size as shey there, seemingly paralyzed, with her tongue sticking out. A small fire had sparked from the papers she wasying on, but Wulf snuffed them out before it could create too obvious of a smell. Strangely, even then, the smell of smoke from the tiny me never reached Staven''s nose, as if the stench of the enchantment''s electricity covered it up. "Hide in that cell. I will lock it. If anyonees in, simply beg to be let out and rattle the bars. It will tell me that we have additional guests." Before he could protest, Wulf shoved him into a small holding cell just to the side of the reception. It was clearly a temporary spot to ce prisoners before they were processed for further confinement. He had no choice in the matter and simply did as he was told. At least from in here, if they were caught in the act, being held prisoner was usible deniability Chapter 338 Guard Station [Part 2] The middle-aged healer had a clear look of distress in his eyes. It was as if he sensed the oing strife before it was about to ur. Though he would be unable to see it, Lucius, under the guise of Wulf, smiled cruelly at the man before turning around. From his sense of hearing and smell, Lucius could tell there were only a dozen or so guards on the first floor. Most of them seemed to be asleep. There were a few on the second floor that were drinking and sharing stories with one another as a way to rx. It had been some time since he had been able to flex his infiltration skills. Excited to shake the rust from that particr sword, Lucius felt his heartrate increase from anticipation. He took a few deep breaths before heading deeper into the building past the reception desk. His boots were leather and padded under the toes and balls of the feet to decrease sound. The cloak he wore on his back vanished as he stored it inside his ring. Additionally, he stowed any excess equipment including his special machete. The only weapon on his person still quickly essible were the custom gauntlets from Corva. As Lucius approached the first door, he quietly leaned his ear against the door. Satisfied that the room seemed empty of even the sounds of breathing, he continued to the next room. Time seemed to crawl as he paused at each door to check the interior for upancy. After several duds, Lucius finally happened upon a door with someone on the other side. From what he could tell, it was a single upant. They seemed to also be working on paperwork due to the fluttering of parchment and the smell of fresh ink wafting into Lucius''s nose. There were no markings on the door to indicate whose office this belonged to, but that did not really matter in the end. Without a sound, the door slowly swung inward exposing the inside to the man stalking the halls. Sitting at the other end of the room behind arge, oak desk was an elven man in disheveled clothes. Though his outfit was not in the best of states at the moment, it was still rather fine clothing. ced haphazardly on a nice-looking bed in the corner was a set of armor with a crest painted on it indicating an officer rank. The man in the room seemed to be in charge of the guard station and was clearly flustered by the amount of paperwork on his desk keeping him from his rest. Lucius shook his head at the man''s naivete for not securing his door or having his office in a much harder to reach location. When he took over, things in this ce were going to change for the better. While he furiously scratched away at the parchment before him, Lucius quietly stepped up behind him. Though he had no skills at the moment to assist with keeping him hidden, he was quite adept at moving without being noticed through skill alone. It took little effort to close the gap without pulling the elf''s notice. "So sad." Lucius whispered into the man''s ear, causing him to jump slightly. Without a moment''s hesitation, the gauntlets activated and zapped the man into unconsciousness, sending the elf sprawling onto the floor. Before he left, Lucius got a glimpse of one of the documents rting to pay distribution. He quickly memorized the list and number of names before subtracting the number of people who left as they entered. The next few rooms were yet again empty and continued to be so until he reached a door that seemed to open into arge open space. No light escaped beneath the crack in the door, so Lucius quietly opened it. Facing him were dozens of beds lined up side-by-side in neat rows. Many of them held snoring men and women who were off shift and trying to catch a few hours of rest. A quick headcount revealed the room held twenty men and women, allpletely out of it. A small light emanated from Lucius''s storage ring before four crystals, each the size of an apple appeared in his hands. They were given to him as a ''gift'' by Corva in camp one day. Apparently, he and Kalliope had been too loud one night in camp while their tent neighbored the elven princess. She bequeathed them to the couple on the promise that she be allowed a full night''s rest in the future. They had proven their worth several times over and were about to again. After cing one in each corner of the room, Lucius pushed a small amount of mana into the master crystal of the group activating a sound dampening barrier throughout the room. Because of the size, the effects would be far more diminished versus covering the space of a simple tent, but it was much more effective than not being active in the first ce. In a series of shing lights, Lucius quietly activated his [Lightning Field]. Everyone in the room immediately startled awake, their movement forcing the spell to activate and shock them repeatedly. He held the spell active for several minutes until every one of the soldiers copsed into smoking piles on the ground. He ensured the spell was not strong enough to be lethal, but most of them would suffer intense burns. Satisfied he moved up to the next level of the building. A quick check of his surroundings indicated that the ground level was no longer upied by conscious beings, save Lucius and the healer. At the top of the second floor, he heard the rowdy exchange of a group of five people down the hall from the stairs. The rooms between them and him were each empty. Since he knew they were there and would not notice him easily, Lucius continued to survey the rest of the second floor. When he returned to the upied room, he decided to go ahead and check the third floor of the building quickly. As far as he could tell there were no specific sounds or smellsing from it, but it was better to confirm than not. Thankfully, the top floor seemed to only be a wide-open storage area. The windows were even boarded up from the inside to prevent anyone from seeing inside.@@novelbin@@ It seemed this was where they kept all their extra supplies. Satisfied, he returned to the second floor and listened to the inside of the room. By his count there were six people inside. Each sounded to be in different stages of inebriation, though people processed alcohol differently. It would be hard to rely on that kind of guesswork. The safest option was to assume they were all functioning at full capacity when trying to n on taking them out. Opening the door with them inside would be a poor idea, so their positioning and the shape of the room itself were unknown quantities. Lucius sighed and powered his body with [Lightning Charge] while amplifying the effects with twice the amount of mana necessary. He also activated [Merciless] to further push the limits of his body. Thest thing he made sure to do was to summon forth the intense rage he always kept buried beneath the surface. Red filled his vision as he felt his senses sharpen even more. His fingernails sharpened and his already beast-like fangs grew even more. Though he was incapable of harnessing the full effects of shifting as gifted by his beastman heritage, he still benefited from a smaller portion of its effects. With all of these abilities in effect, Lucius felt as if he could see the movement of the very molecules that made up the air. Find your next adventure on empire In one swift motion, he threw open the door and charged forward. None of the men in the room could react fast enough to respond to the charge of the oing monstrosity. In a blur of red and blew light, Lucius wrapped his hands around the necks of two men standing close to one another. The gauntlets activated, electrocuting them. The other four began to shout and grab clumsily at the weapons on their hips. The amount of alcohol they had consumed had dulled their senses and reaction times too much to give a proper response. This made Lucius smile again, but did not regret his overabundance of caution. In an instant, he rushed forward and grappled two more to the ground. Their heads made a sickeningly wet crack on the floorboards while small bolts of electricity arced down their bodies. The final two decided running was the better option, but Lucius simply snapped his fingers, lunching apressed [Thunderp] at the base of their skulls. The two men stumbled for a few steps before copsing to the ground. Lucius released his active spells before beginning the arduous process of dragging everyone to a single location. The immediate choice seemed to be the third floor where the windows were boarded up. After starting with the six men on the second floor, Lucius moved to the barracks on the first floor to retrieve the sound dampening crystals. He then spent the next hour moving people one by one up to the third floor, making sure to space them evenly apart to make it easier on a new skill. When all of that was over, Lucius finally let the healer out of the holding cell. The man had almost started to nod off by the time he was freed, and he had a frustrated expression. "Wulf! What took so long?" heined. Lucius simply shrugged before throwing the receptionist over his shoulder. "Follow me upstairs. You will wait at the bottom of the stairs leading to the third floor. Under no circumstance will you move from that spot. Am I clear?" The man nodded quickly, clearly fearful of his thinly veiled threat. "Good. I would like you to stay alive so I don''t create any additional problems with Kestis. Things will go smoother for me if our rtionship stays amicable." Chapter 339 Terror in the Dark [Part 1] Life in Aedrider was generally peaceful. For most elves, they could live their entire lives in the country free from experiencing conflict. Even crime was rtively low amongst the popce. Arguments were almost always verbal in nature and rarely escted beyond that.@@novelbin@@ Such was the result of being a long-lived race. Each generation that passed on had centuries of knowledge that they shared with the others. This vast collection of knowledge that was eagerly shared between each other led to a rather harmonious environment in which elves thrived. At least, that''s how it was in the deeper parts of elven territory. Nerill grew up in a border vige. All of her rtives were pure-blooded elves, but rather than move away from the borders, they stayed in their ancestralnds, tending to the fields. Life for Nerill and the other vigers was not such a dream as was told to her by her grandparents as fantastical bedtime stories. Rather than the peaceful life free of struggles, they suffered constant attacks by bandit groups who were almost always made up of other races or mixed-bloods. Because of them, the life she was born into was filled with difficulty, forcing her to learn to fight and defend her home. Before she had even turned twenty, the love of her life and the man to whom she was to be wed was murdered by a half-elf brute who thought that he could get away with stealing food. The thief thought that because he had family struggling to eat that he could push their struggles onto Nerill''s family through theft of their own supplies. Nerill''s darling fianc heroically tried to stop the thief, but was unarmed. The perpetrator on the other hand, had a knife and nted it into her lover''s abdomen. He tried to im it was an ident and that the knife was not his, but he only defended himself. However, these were nothing but vile lies dribbling from the mouth of the people who kept her true people from the life of peace they deserved. Shortly after the funeral, Nerill left for Varris in the hopes of joining the guards and eventually the military. After bing a soldier, she could then finally move deeper into the country and away from as many of the other races and the mixed-bloods as she could. Things did not turn out as she had nned though. Nerill ended up under themand of one of these mixed-bloods and stagnated for nearly a decade. The guard captain was aware of her proclivity towards hating non-elves and railroaded any chances she had at promotion or transfer into the military. When Princess Aya''s armies formed and Varris allied with them, Nerill finally had her chance. She quickly was promoted to Vice-Captain of Varris''s guards. It was a pleasant posting and she figured that she would do well to help Princess Aya build the world that Nerill had dreamed of since she was a little girl. However, things were changing yet again. She was abruptly awoken by an intense amount of mana and light. Then as she attempted to move from her bed, was knocked unconscious by a constant stream of burning, stinging pain. By the time she came too, she was loosely bound by ropes behind her back. It took only a few movements of her wrist to force them off and once they fell to the floor, she peered around her. Everyone save their most recent patrol seemed to be in the room with them. It was familiar to her as well as she immediately recognized it to be the storage room on the third floor. "Vice-Captain, what''s going on?" One of her men next to her, a fresh-faced boy who was new to the force, asked her nervously. His gentle brown eyes and soft expression reminded her of her past lover. Because of this she had taken a liking to him, despite the protocols that opposed such fraternization. Nerill smiled kindly and reached out a hand, gently brushing his cheek. "Don''t worry. I''m sure we will be fine. After all, we are all still in the building and we all seem to be together." "Vice-Captain!" A gruff voice pulled her attention to theirmanding officer. He had stood up on the other side of the room. He had not yet seen her, but figured she was present. Without hesitation she stood and saluted. "Sir! Present." She watched his lips move to speak, but someone else''s voice spoke out first. They were unfamiliar to her and seemed coated in venom. "Not that I needed rification on who was in charge, but at least now I know the second-inmand." All the elves in the room quickly turned to face the person standing at the stairwell. He wore simple ck leather armor. His hair was as ck as night and the mask covering his facecked any features, save two holes for him to see. Nerill felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as a wave of mana hit them all. It was simr to when she had just woken up causing her to cry out, "Don''t move! It''s [Lightning Field]!" The man in ck chuckled evilly before he stoodpletely straight from his rxed leaning position. He slowly moved around the room, eyeing each person carefully. He had clearly already done so when everyone was still knocked out, but now that they were awake, there might have been a difference in his assessment. Nerill could not help but wonder what it was that the man wanted from them. It was clear that he did, because none of them had their throats slit. Neither were any of them injured. Even the suspected burns from when he captured them with [Lightning Field] before were not visible. "You''re all on edge! No worries. If you all simply y along with me, you will return home to your families at the end of this war without issue." He paused before he tapped his finger on his chin. "Though I suppose I can''t make any promises about what Letheya''s military will do to you How about this, I promise that I won''t hurt you. Deal?" His words boiled Nerill''s blood. She thought that he was some sort of powerful member of the resistance forces. Maybe Kestis had finally grown a pair and made arge move into his brother''s territory, but it seemed that was not the case. Neither was this person a mercenary hired by the mixed-blood brother of Sir Indarel. His words and intentions clearly identified him as a member of the army loyal to the bitch, Princess Letheya. "Who are you?" The guard captain asked from his corner of the room. The look on his face was grim which shook Nerill a little. She had hoped he was strong enough to break through the spell keeping them from moving, but it seemed that was not the case. "What do you want?" The man sighed and stopped his pacing around the circumference of the room. By the time the captain had spoken, their captor had almost made a full circuit around the captured elves. The man lifted his hand to his mask and slowly pulled it free of his face. Nerill turned away because she had heard that if a kidnapper showed their face, then it decreased the likelihood they would let you live. "Titan of Eroa!" The guard captain shouted. His words startled everyone in the room as they all instantly honed their eyes in on the man''s face. Indeed, he matched the description of the infamous man. He had two, glowing eyes that reflected the light crystals hung innterns on the walls. One was a brilliant silver and the other glinted like gold. His pupils had a cat-like shape to them and he had an extra set of sharper canines in his mouth. "I''m so d you recognize me. That saves me a lot of exnation." He said as he reached toward one of themps in the room and flicked it off. Four of thesenterns illuminated the space, but now there were only three. Satisfied, Titan moved across the room to a secondntern, turning it off as well. "What I want," He said after shutting off the second one, "Is for you to allow me the use of this space. No worries, you can do your work like normal. We will simply be sharing it." "Why in the world would we do that? You are a monster, an enemy, and a criminal!" Nerill shouted reflexively. She hated the position they were in, but the fact that it was a non-elf who had done it threatened to push her over the edge. Titan smiled as he flicked off a thirdmp. He slowly moved across the room without a sound to the final light source. His hand rested on the crystal. "What does it matter if you turn off the lights? Though we don''t have a beast''s eyes like you, elves are not so helpless in the dark." The captainughed. "Is this some kind of intimidation tactic?" "No, it just makes things easier. The darker, the better." Titan said with a smile before flicking off thest light. Your journey continues on empire The room was instantly plunged into darkness. It took Nerill a moment to readjust to the change. Though the light crystals were no longer active, there was still a dull glowing from the floor thanks to the active spell. asionally a spark of lightning would dance across the floor, providing a moment of additional light. As Nerill surveyed the surroundings, she settled her eyes on Titan of Eroa. He locked eyes with her gaze and smiled once more before snapping his fingers. Instantly, the spell vanished and they could move freely once more. Before anyone could do so, the man said in a tone just barely audible. "[Abyss Break: Abyssal Prison]" Chapter 341 More News After having ''convinced'' the guards to cooperate with his ns for the guard post, Lucius instructed the soldiers to conceal his identity as Titan to everyone. While in the city he was operating under the guise of ''Wulf'' and had no intention of revealing the truth to Kestis and his rebels. While there was no explicit reason to distrust them, there was a clear dislike and fear that his true identity possessed that could inhibit his work within the city. Learning that Shiyani may be in the city, or there was at least someone inside that knew of her location, changed Lucius''s entire focus for this final act of the war. He had already instructed General Faylin to send word to the capital that after conquering Varris, which would secure the southern border and re-establish trade with outside nations, Lucius would return to Arcadios. It had been nearly six months since Lucius had left the human nations and he did not have much longer to return if he were to be present for the birth of his first child. Life would likely get in the way for many important experiences, but the birth of his child was one that Lucius would never miss. He had promised Rena he would be by her side. The recovery of the guards was quick thanks to the healer that he had brought. Sure enough, the man was not lying when he said he was good at hiding scars. Some of his victims were more stubborn than others. Because of this, he had to push a little harder on asion which resulted in the healer having to hide thesting injuries by focusing on healing outside indicators first. Breaking the captain and vice-captain did a lot to help dissuade any of the others from rebelling against hismand. A simple sigh from Lucius''s lips was enough to send everyone in the building into a mild panic. Something that surprised him about the entire situation though, was the level of detail in the daily reports the post received. Being a simple trade city, Lucius had thought themunications would have been simple andckluster. Something that would reflect a longstanding practice of simple guards. However, Aya''s forces overhauled the reporting system the city had in ce and everything was much more standardized andprehensive. As it rted to troop movements and goods transport, Lucius figured that he would have basically no need to scout things out himself. When Snow showed up with a cart full of goods along with the dragon-girl, Sheza, he set up a dead-drop zone for this information to be shared. This was a much greaterpensation than Kestis expected from him, and it made Lucius hopeful that it would chase away some of the wariness the man had against him. He respected Kestis for staying on his toes as a leader, but for personal ease of involvement, Lucius would much rather he rx his guard and not make it so difficult to interact. Lucius sighed as he opened up a letter sitting on his desk. He had set his own desk up in a spare room on the first floor so he could keep tabs on all the voices of those working as well as keep tabs on whoever came and went. Through their dead-drop system, sometimes letters woulde to him from outside the city. Recently, Faylin had been keeping him apprised of the situation atrge. Recently, Letheya''s forces had fought to a standstill after spending thest two months gaining ground against Aya. Even now, it was clear that the istionist princess was fighting a losing battle. Her forces had started to stretch thin when trying to support her southern forces. Two months prior to infiltrating Varris, Aya had attempted to send a small army to hit Lucius''s troops from the side, but it was something Faylin had prepared for. While Lucius kept the main army moving south, Faylinmanded a smaller force broken into fourrge units to set an ambush. For that two-month period they fought the southern armies with a much smaller force to try and coax the waiting enemies out of hiding. When they finally made their move, Faylin''s group pounced, sealing their fates. The loss of those extra troops weakened her northern forces enough to allow Letheya''s troops to gain several hundred miles of ground. However, desperation is a powerful motivator and their progress has ground to a halt. Lucius tossed the letter aside and reached for another one written in familiar handwriting. The elegant penmanship of a Keinydd noblewoman brought a smile to his face. It had been a few days since he had received a letter from Jade, so he opened it rather quickly. Wulf: I hope this finds you well. My charge is doing well despite their condition. Though they are still hesitant to be moved from the front line, know that both myself and my brother are doing all that we can to ensure their safety. ording to those we trust, it seems that the package being carried contains not only gift but two! It has been a surprise to us all and though we wished to have informed you of this discovery in person, such an event is not possible at this juncture. Instead, we opted to inform you sooner. Please keep in mind that there are now three gifts awaiting your return two within this country''s borders and one outside. Make sure to return safely so that neither the gifts themselves, nor those granting them to you go without. All the best: J.A. Emotions were not something that Lucius did well. Feeling them was something that was hard enough, but processing them was a gargantuan task beyond that. A wave of these feelings hit him all at once causing him to simply drop the paper to the floor. It caught a small draft and floated to the ground gently several feet away before it skid to a stop at someone''s feet. A white-haired elf cocked an eyebrow at her boss before she leaned over to pick up the document that caused him to seemingly freeze in ce. A quick read of the letter made a smile form on her face. Enjoy more content from empire "Looks like you are a father to twins, ''Wulf''." Snow giggled. Though her tone was teasing, there was a small undertone of disappointment. Lucius followed her eyes to the stack of papers on his desk and realized that she was disappointed nothing was for her. "Sorry, nothing from Yue or Corva at this time." He answered simply. "Or Desmond, for that matter." "Why would I care about that?" "Mmm" Lucius closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Though he did not regret his actions, the weight of everything had begun to hit him. Things with Rena felt like a natural progression of their rtionship, and in a way, so did things with Kalliope. What weighed on him was his rash decision on their first night together. He felt like he should have asked more questions before making such a decision that sealed both his and Kalliope''s fates. In a short time, he became a father to three. Thankfully, things would be calming down soon. Once this task in Aedrider was done, Lucius would simply be able to lead a life all his own. Rena, Kalliope, and their children would be able to move to Eroa and be with him. Of course, he had every intention of bringing Desmond and Jade with him. The only thing that stood in his way was how to figure out what to do with Natali. Rena had asked him to get closer to the girl as the condition to her allowing him to let his love with Kalliope bloom. Since making that promise, he had yet to fulfill it. All that had happened since then was giving her the right to call him by his first name. They had not really talked or interacted much since that moment. ''What should I do?'' he thought to himself. Snow silently paced the room, but he pushed the sound of her impatient footsteps to the side. As it stood, he needed to figure out what to do to process and n.@@novelbin@@ A cold chill creeped into his mind, followed by a familiar voice, ''Find the fragment.'' Lucius paused as he waited for Grimm to continue, ''Find the Fragment of the Abyss in the city. It awaits your touch, if you find it, you''ll have a lot less to worry about.'' Grimm''s dry cackle followed his advice before his presence slipped away once more. It had been a while since Lucius had heard from either of the entities within his mark, and though he did not truly trust either of them, he did know that their advice often led to more power. Thest Fragment of the Abyss that Lucius found upgraded his connection with Grimm. Without it he would not have been able to use his [Abyssal Prison] abilities, nor would he have been able tost as long as he did against three Advance Rankers in Seteste. "Snow." Lucius barked out suddenly, "Begin searching for any rumors rting to strange artifacts that might be in the possession of any shops or noble families in the city. Look for essories or items that are believed to be cursed or enshrouded by darkness. They may have an onyx or obsidian set stone." "That''s not a lot to go off, Wulf." "Just do it." Lucius sighed. He reced his mask and stood to leave. It was night once more and he had more scouting to do. There was someone strong guarding the Varris family estate and he needed to figure out just who that person was. Chapter 343 Concerning Revolt Lucius watched as Sheza quickly darted off toward the slums. Their conversation turned out rather fruitful, and he was confident that her willingness to serve Kestis would turn out in his favor. In fact, her steadfast desire to support her leader and love was so resolute that the promise she made would likely elerate his ns in the city. When he was ready to make his move, she would be there with her best to give him everything he needed. The Varris family estate twinkled in the distance. Magical lights illuminated nearly every room. Most of the city worked in that fashion. It was still shocking to him every time he looked at the skies above and saw nothing where once he would see countless stars. It was as if their brilliance was drowned out by elven "ingenuity". Lucius deftly avoided notice as he approached the walls of the Varris estate. The walls themselves were mostly decorative and could easily be taken down by even an Intermediate Ranker. However, they stood over fifteen-feet tall and were topped with a row of artistically designed spikes. The intention was to remain pleasant to the eye, while still preventing people from easily climbing them. Two gates provided ess to the grounds with each guarded by a group of four soldiers. From Lucius''s vantage point, he could not make out the equipment they wore, but he could tell they were Intermediate Rankers. He could sense an Advance Ranker just inside the walls as well. He was likely themander and stayed out of sight unless his additional strength was needed.@@novelbin@@ Seeing as Intermediate Rank was the mostmon level formon people to ''cap out'' at, men like him usually would be able to sit on theirurels for the majority of their shifts. That level ofcency was also something easy to exploit; a fact that brought a smile to Lucius''s face. As the moon continued to fade in the sky, Lucius waited patiently atop a roof a few hundred feet away from the estate''s walls. He wanted to watch tonight''s change of the guard sine it was thest day of the week. By this point he had witnessed the shift changes a number of times and had gotten used to the pattern, schedule, and a number of small discrepancies between shifts. A servant inside the estate had also managed to leak a roster of the men assigned to protect the location to Kestis, who shared a copy of that information with Lucius''s alias, Wulf. They were able to figure out most of the people''s homes, abilities, and ranks by using theirwork of sympathizers among the elves, many of whom were prostitutes and innkeepers. Liquor and sex made for loose lips, a fact that held true no matter what country he was in. Time passes slowly and the sun began to rise, turning the ck sky into a purple and then a muted blue. It was just before the colors of the morning sky would burst that Lucius felt a strange pressure on him. Eyes from somewhere in the estate bored into him, despite his confidence that he had remained hidden. Someone much stronger than him had seen him from within the manor. Lucius''s hair stood on the back of his neck and his body began to partially shift against his better intention. Whoever it was that bore down on him was a major threat making every inch of Lucius''s body prepare to flee out of instinct. Using sheer willpower, he forced himself out of the panic state and surveyed each floor of the manor carefully. There was no point in fleeing or hiding again after being found out, so he figured the best option would be to locate the source. When Lucius''s eyes finally reached the fourth floor of the building, he still had not located the person whose power still weighed on him. Suddenly, Lucius found his eyes drawn to the roof of the building. Standing atop it was an elf in strange robes. Strapped to his waist by a simple cord was a curved de with a strangely green coloration. Thoughts of Lady Tenia filled his mind as the weapon at the stoic elf''s side reminded him of her strange spear. With his powerful attunement to the flow of mana, Lucius sensed that the elf was a Master Ranker and his sword seemed to repel mana in a small area around its de. Though the man did not move, Lucius hesitated for a moment as he backed up step-by-step. As he was, there was no way tobat the powerful warrior at this moment. Additional measures would need to be prepared for him to have a chance. Unfortunately, there was unlikely to be a way for him to infiltrate the manor to talk with the current lord of the city about Shiyani. After all these weeks, there was nothing that indicated she was in the city, but the strange person or group behind the letters with the shattered orb had never been wrong before. This city held some secret of hers and after investigating its entirety, the only ce left was the lord''s estate. Lucius had a desire to pay the woman back for trying to kill him. After all, if she learned that Rena was pregnant as well as learned about Kalliope, the girls and children would be in danger. The threat she posed was worth every risk to eliminate. Slowly, but surely, he retreated from the manor. The elf warrior in strange robes made no movements or actions that said he would follow. Instead, his gaze followed Lucius as he retreated along the rooftops before eventually disappearing from his line of sight in a random alleyway. The moment Lucius''s feet touched the stone walkway, a powerful pulse of pain surged through his left hand. It was unfamiliar to him, having never happened in the past. The intense sensation forced him to his knees as a scream attempted to escape his lips, only barely being suppressed by biting his own tongue. ''I found it it is in there. Lucius, you have to go back! Go back now! Retrieve it!'' a strange panic arose in Lucius''s chest, though he felt it was not his own. Grimm''s voice and desire seemed tosh out from with his mark. Continue reading at empire Tendrils of shadow shot out of his body, piercing the walls of the building next to him. From inside a woman screamed while another gurgled as though they were struggling to breathe. Lucius looked over at the wall and saw a trail of blood flowing down a few of the tendrils. In an effort to ensure quiet, the parts of the tendrils inside the building splintered, piercing the bodies of an unknown number of elves. Though Lucius was physically blind to the urrence, he could feel what was happening through the tendrils. "Grimm! Stop!" Lucius shouted aloud in panic. The pain in his arm and weight on his chest subsided while the shadows dispersed. A few dead elves did not phase him, but the fact that Grimm activated his mark without Lucius''s intent concerned him greatly. "Never do that again, Grimm. I will retrieve the fragment, but if you ever do that again, I will borrow Luz''s power to seal your own. Don''t think I haven''t caught on to the change between you two." ''Retrieve the fragment'' Grimm spat before his presence faded. Lucius sighed in frustration and concern. He doubted that a warning such as that would disturb Grimm enough to prevent another outburst from happening again, but it would likely buy him time. Thankfully, Lucius still had control over his own faculties and Grimm seemed to only be able tosh out using the Mark''s power. Chapter 346 By Your Side Lord Varris walked through the halls of his family''s home. Stepping in time with him, but slightly behind him were two servants. One was a beautiful young maid with a regal, calm expression. The other was an elderly elf who had served his family for many years. Both were loyal servants to him and remained on the staff after the purge of inferior bloodlines. They had just finished apanying him to the family vault for an inspection of their artifacts. One of them was being brought out for the night''s event; a beautiful ring with an unknown gemstone set as its centerpiece. This ring had made it into the Varris family collection nearly four centuries ago. Though the story was unclear, it was said by his father that his grandfather won it in a game with a merchant from Haedda. No attempts made by appraisers had seeded in determining the maker of the jewelry, nor could they decipher what stone made up the item''s centerpiece. The only thing that was known was that it was as hard as a diamond, and was such a pale blue that it almost appeared white from certain angles. There was also some sort of enchantment on it, though again, no one had determined what it was. The power of the enchantment rolled off it, but no one could locate the engravings that gave it such power. Tonight, the Varris family was holding yet another ball. This one would be the mostvish yet. While some of his criticsined at his alleged excessive spending, Lord Varris believed that acting the part of a noble was important for morale. After all, how else to tell your citizenry that the enemy outside their walls is nothing, if you simply treat it as such? The music ying from the band began to reach Indarel''s ears. A momentter, the dull roar of idle chatter joined it. Both sounds brought a wide smile to his face. At the end of the soire, he would gift his family''s treasure to the most beautiful of the attendants. While he had no intention of ceasing his y with the serving staff, it was high time that he worked on ensuring his lineage continued. *** Sheza spent the better part of a week convincing Kestis of her n. He was not a fan of such a maneuver, but the time hade to end the war. Not to mention, their terrifying ally had grown exponentially impatient. After the night she had the private conversation with him, Sheza had realized that her attempts to stalk him had not gone unnoticed. She asionally scouted the rooftops at nights, and whenever she ran into him, she would try to avoid his gaze. Yet, it seemed no matter what she did, Wulf''s eyes found her. She could tell from his mannerisms that he was being less cautious, and in any of their letters and exchanges he was shorter and more aggressive in his speech. Impatience was something that could get people killed, however sometimes it felt like that rule did not apply to the mysterious man they called an ally. Something about Wulf made him feel like an insurmountable wall. Looking around the room, Sheza saw the other leaders of the resistance staring with dark expressions at the city map at the center of the table. Laid across it was an ovey of their current hideouts and supply caches. Many of them had been emptied in thest several days in preparation for the uing n. Though she had spent this time convincing Kestis and the other leaders to follow through with ''her'' n, she kept two major aspects a secret. The first was that she was simply following the orders of Wulf. The second was the man''s growing impatience and frustration. Had any single person in this room known what she knew, then the operation would fail before it started.@@novelbin@@ Explore more at empire "How many of our people are in position?" Kestis asked in a barely hushed whisper. His voice cracked slightly, likely from the pressure of the uing battle. "Currently our messengers are reporting seventy percent of our forces are ready to move. Those that have yet to finish preparations are those closer to the estate. Extra caution is required for them to move into position without being caught." "Have we ounted for potential losses?" "Yes, and per Sheza''s directive, a few of our decoy units have already been creating distractions in order to move the main squads. So far we have suffered a handful of losses." Kestis rubbed the back of his neck and let out a deep sigh. He looked directly at the dragon-blooded woman with a knowing glint. "I imagine your n allows for additional losses?" Sheza nodded, "Yes, my lord. We should be able to sessfullyunch our assault with only sixty percent of our numbers. As we stand, we can technically move at any time. Though the more men we have in ce, the lower losses we take. I advise we wait a bit longer. Our allies will move the moment we do." "I see." Kestis closed his eyes for a moment as if he were contemting something deeply. He quickly opened them and leaned forward with two hands on the table. "Alright, regardless of where we stand, we make our move in two hours. Indarel''s party will be well under way within that time. You have your orders." The others surrounding the table saluted Kestis before taking their leave. Once they filed out of the room, Kestis shook his head. "Sheza." "My lord." "Remember it''s just Kestis when its us." "Apologies my lord. I don''t deserve it." She responded with a slight whimper at the end of her statement. Her hands moved to cover her mouth in a vain effort to retain the sadness. "So my suspicions are correct. This was Wulf''s idea." Kestis sighed once more before locking eyes with her. Instead of an angry re, he had a mncholic smile. "What do you expect our losses to be." "More than we would like, but less than you fear. Don''t worry. I will be on the front lines." She answered resolutely. "I will not sacrifice the lives of our people were I not prepared to do the same. When we storm the estate, I will be one of the first to breach the gates." "You can''t!" Kestis shouted. His fist punched through the thick wooden table as if it were wet paper. "I can''t risk losing you. Not like this." Sheza''s heart skipped several beats. She wanted nothing more than to rush forward to his side, but she made a personal vow. "I''m sorry my lord. But those who would send others to their deaths must also be willing to put their lives on the line. If I am unable to do that, then I am unworthy to lead." "What if I don''t want you to lead?" Kestis stood and began to approach her. "What if I only want you to remain by my side?" "If I callously throw our people towards their deaths, then I don''t deserve to stand by your side, my lord." The weight of the world felt as though it forced itself upon her shoulders. Yet, despite the overwhelming pressure, Sheza managed to resist it and ce her hand over Kestis'' heart. With more effort than she had ever put into anything ever before, she pushed him away from her before leaving him alone in the room. The cool evening air felt as though it was biting into her tear streaked cheeks as she walked towards the noble district. Chapter 348 The Dance [Part 2] Snow was against this entire n. From the very beginning everything about this idea was awful. However, there was nothing she could do about it. When Lucius made up his mind, it was impossible to change. On top of that, his voice, hismands, his desiresthey all stirred the darkness hidden within her soul. The darkness spurred her to action. It desired to serve, to fulfill his orders.@@novelbin@@ That same darkness sent an icy jolt of terror down her spine the moment she dared to utter the word ''pet'' in rtion to him. Even if it was for the purposes of maintaining a guise under Indarel''s watchful gaze, the darkness punished her for her heresy. Maintaining a pleasant smile on her face to satiate the disgusting elf noble before her was a challenge. "Mydy Everia, you would do me honor to apany me for the rest of this party. Your grace and beauty are unlike other in attendance." Indarel cooed. His honeyed words brought sighs of contentment and jealousy from the women surrounding them. However, for Snow, they made her skin crawl. She smiled despite the disgust and answered, "It would bring me great pleasure Lord Varris." "Please, just Indarel. Might I simply call you Everia?" "You may, Indarel." For the next few hours Snow was swept up in a torrent of dances, idle conversations, political debates, and other random interactions. Not many were of any import, however several discussions were had that were of interest as it rted to the internal power structure of Aya''s forces. It seemed that her followers were not as unified as one would have believed. The princess pulled many political favors and made promises that would have been impossible to keep. It seemed she had hoped some of the nobility who had been promised the same prizes would kill themselves off, leaving only one to collect on her debts to them. However, she was unable to keep these promises under wraps and several had begun to question her true ability to lead. If she had to resort to treachery and lies in order to lead this fight, what would that say about her actions when she ruled. Those nobles who felt wronged were, atrge, trapped. Their betrayal of Princess Letheya guaranteed their heads rolled before the headsman if she won the war. As well, they would be unwee if they tried to switch sides. Snow was surprised at the frequency to which these topics were discussed as well as the fact that they were brought up in in conversation rather than under hushed whispers. "Ladies and Lords, might I have your attention." After a few hours, Indarel approached the entry doors to the ballroom. The guests ceased their idle chatter and crowded around their benefactor. Painted on his face was a wide, confident smirk. From behind him, the doors swung open, revealing a parade of servants and guards. Two of thergest and strongest of them carried between them a cart upon which sat a single, small box. The cart glinted in the magical light of the room as it was made of abination of gold, silver, and other precious metals. Such a sight brought a wave of admiration for the disy of wealth. When the cart approached him, Indarel eagerly snatched the small box from atop it. He quickly approached Snow''s location near the front of the crowd. When he was within arms reach of her, he dropped to one knee and flipped the box open. "Lady Everia din Cortis. Would you do me the honor of joining the Varris family at my side? I believe that between your beauty and my physical and financial power, the Varris bloodline will flourish as our children rise above the rest in this realm." A lump formed in her throat, catching her voice. The moment the ring was exposed, Snows eyes were drawn to the pure beauty of the gemstone sitting atop it. The darkness within her recoiled, seemingly hissing out of anger and fear. Without thinking, she took a step back, which the crowd thankfully perceived as being of disbelief and shock. With years of training, she only barely maintained a fake smile on her face, but her ability was being tested. The longer the gem remained exposed to her sight, the stronger and more violently the darkness recoiled. Snow pushed through the sensation and reached forward with a trembling hand. She had no idea what was happening, but if she did not grasp at the ring to ''ept'' Indarel''s favor everything would be lost. Arge hand materialized around her wrist, locking it in a vice-like grip. Attached to it was a heavily muscled arm with tanned skin. Following the arm with her eyes, it settled upon a strong-looking elf with a bald head and closed eyes. His chest bare and exposed. At his waist, glinting with an almost evil-looking green light was a curved de tied to him with a simple chord. "Indarel din Varris." The man said. His voice radiated with power, forcing Snow and those around him to shudder. "Your dance is over. The estate has been surrounded." "What are you" The elf lord was interrupted by a violent tremor that shook the room. The chandelier shook and ttered while several sses of champagne shattered along the floor being tossed by themotion. A wave of mana surged through the building, an indicator at the usage of either arge-scale spell or dozens of smaller ones. "Guards! To arms! Defend the estate! Send word to all stations to support! These damned rebels have made their move and it is time we finally remove this festering disease once and for all." Indarelmanded. He then turned to the bald elf. "If you could let go of my Lady Everia, I would appreciate it. You may be an ally, but I will not have my future wife" The Haeddan elf quickly ripped the elbow-length gloves covering Snow''s left hand from her. Exposing the mark. "She carries a Holy Sigil" the elf coughed. "I mean she is a Marked One. Surely you do not desire one within your family line." Indarel''s look of offense turned to one of disgust as he looked at Snow in a new light. "Take her to my dungeons then. While I won''t take a creature into my family, she can still be enjoyed. When you are done, return the ring to my treasury. We can handle these cretins alone, but I will not have any sneakthief make away with my family''s treasures." The Haeddan elf nodded, receiving the ring from Indarel and yanking Snow through the halls. Dozens of guards and soldiers rushed past them as she was forcefully guided toward the dungeons. She attempted to activate her mark, hoping that if she Shadowstepped, then maybe Read new adventures at empire Her wrist bones started to creak and blood started to drip from her nose. "I would not do that if I were you. This gem will weaken you. It is your antithesis. A poisonous light to your darkness." Snow remained silent for a moment before asking, "How do you know about the darkness." "I can read the ancientnguage. Unlike you fools who deny ancient knowledge, our people learn from it and ept it. To fear that which is unknown instead of learn and benefit from it is foolishness." The elf stated, then shook his head. "Not only that, I also know who it is that attacks these walls. Your lord wille for you. He will alsoe for this ring''s twin. It is also within this estate''s vaults." "You know nothing! I serve no lord, but ady." The elf stopped in his tracks, spinning around to meet Snow''s re directly. "Lucius Kane is the man to whom you are bound. Your soul knows this even if your heart and mind do not. You feel it, yet you deny it. A fool like the rest. He wille, and then I will have my answers. He was thest to see her." "See who?" Snow''s question went unanswered as she was once again tugged forward. Chapter 352 Shiyanis Past Lucius stood silently in the doorway to the Varris Estate ballroom. The smell of scorched flesh and blood vited Lucius'' sensitive nostrils. In his hand was the head of Indarel Varris. The elf''s eyes widened in realization of his own demise while his body slumped to the ground in a pile of flesh and clothes bereft of control. Lucius grimaced as he tossed Indarel''s head toward the other nobles gathered at the back of the room. Several women screamed in response to the wet thud of their lord suddenly rolling to a stop before them. Already cowering as far away from Lucius as they could, the nobles somehow squeezed together even tighter. However, he was not sure if they were afraid of him, or the warrior who actually killed Indarel. "I was talking to him." Lucius growled, slowly turning to face the Haeddan elf. He resisted the tremble threatening to break into his voice as he hid his surprise. It wasn''t until Indarel''s death that Lucius even realized the man was present. He possesses it. Lucius. Take it. Take it from him! Lucius winced at a sudden pressure in his skull and left hand. Grimm was getting desparate from him. He carries with him poison. Avoid it. Take the Fragment of the Abyss and nothing else! Alongside the stress and panic, there was something else hidden. Was that hope? "He knew nothing." The elf responded. "You waste your time prattling about with nothings. Your destiny much greater than theirs. However, I am not here only for your destiny. I am here for things much more important to my liege." The elf''s muscles tensed. Faster than Lucius could blink, the elf closed the distance, ramming him into a wall. He could feel his stomach attempt to relieve itself of its contents. He had faced a Master Rank beforeGeneral Pana, back in Alorekbut this man was in a whole other league. Lucius was inly aware of the gaps between people in the same rank. Even barring his own situation, simply having a rank did not make you an instant equal to others within it. Lucius gasped for breath, his lungs screamed for oxygen, but no matter how deeply he breathed, it simply was not enough. The elf held Lucius to the wall with a single hand ced on his chest. Using his remaining hand he reached into the folds of the robes around his waist and pulled free a letter with a familiar symbol pressed into the envelope. "This letter arrived to my lord by way of an extensivework of couriers. People who somehow knew how to get this document to Haedda. Our people who act as our eyes outside of the mist-covered mountains that protect our borders are secretive beyond measure. Yet someone knew who to look for and when. Do you know this symbol?" Lucus coughed, still trying to fight for air. "The Shattered Orb. No one knows who they are. I also receive their missives from time to time. As do my allies." Lucius'' voice took on a deeper growl. "And my enemies as I''vee to find out." The elf stepped back, allowing him to fall to the ground. "Lady Shiyani din Actha is not here." Lucius paused. "Lady? Shiyani?" His blood began to boil as the scars tracing his back burned. "What do you know of her? Tell me know you damned elf. I will kill her for what she''s done to me." Mana filled his feet, lighting danced around him and he flew to the side, dodging another attack from the warrior. Without a moment to think, the elf followed him. They danced around the room, leaving cracks in the marble. Surges of mana rolled off them both. Lucius did not know what kind of magic the man possessed, but he was clearly capable of Mana Maniption. "You shall not harm a hair on herdyship! I will kill you for your insolence, destiny be damned!" The elf roared. Suddenly the mana vanished and the elf stopped moving. His muscles once again entered a rxed state and his voice took on a strange calm tone. Lucius noticed him turn his head to the side, as if listening to something. It was then followed by an almost imperceptible nod. "When did youst see Shiyani din Actha?" Careful, Lucius. Calm your heart. Learn before you fight. The familiar, calm voice of Luz entered his mind. Something was strange. He had notmunicated with the other half of his mark in a long time. What changed? Why can he speak so clearly? Regardless of how it was happening, Lucius agreed. He needed to be smart about this. While learning what he could of Shiyani, he would gather his power and strike this elf down. Keep him distracted, and then win. That was his only option right now. "She tried to kill me nearly five years ago now. Near the start of the Alorek War. The scars you see on my face and neck are the result of her handiwork. Couldn''t kill me herself so she used cheap tricks instead." Lucius spat. Though he was not trying to antagonize the man, he could not help his frustration. After all, it was because of her that he was scarred in such a way. She taught him everything he knew about being an adventurer, supported him and Rena as they tried to make a separate life for themselves, acted the part of an ally in the sands of the Alorek desertthough only for a momentonly to throw it all away and kill him for money. "Have you seen her true face?" "ck hair, amber eyes, long, elven ears and pale skin. I will never forget her face for as long as I live. My turn to ask you a question: why do you search for her?" Lucius calmly tried to prolong the conversation. He built mana under the surface, using an equal amount to try and suppress it. If the elf could use Mana Maniption, he needed to be careful. One slip-up and he could detect what Lucius was nning. For the first time in a while, he could not brute-force his way through this situation. "Lady Shiyani is the only daughter of Archduke Actha and engaged to his majesty Zestharin din Haedda, first of his name, king of the great elven nation of Haedda. Lord of the Mist and bearer of the Holy Sigil of the Covenant. It is by his will and his power that I am here today. She will return to ournds and wed his majesty as originally intended." Lucius suppressed a snort, thankfully unnoticed by the elf. To think of that bitch as a nobledy set to be queen of a nation? Simplyughable. The elf was about to continue, but then cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure? But sire! He had said such an affront to the Actha daughter is surely by your decree." "What" The elf finally opened his eyes. They were milky white. Where pupils and an iris would have been, there was simply a demonic symbol that Lucius did not recognize. "His majesty says your destiny is too strong to be killed. Instead, he wills you to receive a gift. You seek a prize within these walls, but you will not have it. I shall exchange it for something else." Lucius Run! Lucius, take it@@novelbin@@ Grimm and Luz spoke to him at once. One calm and collected, the other panicked. The elf produced a small ring with a sky-blue gemstone set into it. "You shall receive this for your troubles. However." The elf paused, the rage from earlier returned to his face. "Though his majesty wishes you to live, he did not forbid me from harming you. I will break every bone in your measly body and when I am done, I will do the same to your darling wife." Chapter 354 Clash [Part 2] Lucius was bathed in a familiar energy, one that he felt several times in the past when conversing with Luz and Grimm in their strange, liminal space. This same energy empowered the Mark of Celestia whenever Lucius used it, not that he had in quite some time. It was within that same moment, he remembered Yue. Having witnessed her light to soothe Snow a few times in the past, Lucius found himself intrigued by her ability. Her light, however, was weak. It was not until this moment, when the elf activated this ability and flooded the room with Luz''s familiar energy that he realized what it was like to sense it from a source other than himself. Yue gave off the same feeling. Now that he thought about it, Snow reminded him of Grimm Lucius suddenly vomited, as what felt like a mountain mmed into his gut. His limp body flew through the wall of the ballroom and the hall behind,nding in the rear garden. Dirt and blood sprayed into the air. Shadows condensed as armor took a brunt of the impact, but were unable to fully disperse the force behind the blow. The elf warrior jumped to the ground from the second floor,nding with a dull thud. He easily absorbed the shock with his massive knees. Three. Lucius gripped his chest. Three of his ribs were broken. Thankfully, even through the searing pain, his concentration on his Abyssal abilities remained. Lucius willed a small portion of the shadow armor to enter his body and stitch his ribs back in ce. The intense sensation nearly made him ck out. While not the same as healing, it would at least temporarily reinforce his bones. "That''s a few down already." The elf sneered, rapidly shifting into a sprint from his casual walk. "I will break you, Lucius Kane!" Dark energy coalesced around Lucius''s sword. The Fragment of the Abyss he had already bonded to appeared on his finger once more, adding to the energy and increasing the concentration of the [Touch of Corruption]. The serrated edges on his weapon grew sharper and the shadowy armor around his body thickened. Their weapons shed as the elf blocked Lucius''s de with his own. The dark liquid dripped onto the elf''s forearms, sizzling with each impact. Unlike when it was used at the academy, the corruption did not spread. Luz''s light purifying the spread before it got too far, but it was still unable to prevent the initial damage. Still workable. Lucius roared in defiance, bringing his weapon back and filling the enchantments on his de. It grew in length to match that of a greatsword, its weight increasing to match. With the increased heft, he felt the additional strain on his broken ribs, but gritted his teeth in defiance. His opponent grunted beneath the more powerful blows as he now had to reinforce his blocks with both hands. Even with his increased strength from the strange Mark brand in his eyes, Lucius pushed him back. It was a temporary buff. Lucius could feel his stamina draining rapidly, his body unfamiliar with drawing on his Mark for such prolonged periods. His mind was filled with worry and panic. Would he survive this? Would he see his wives again? The elf promised not to kill him, but would he still be the same after this? After all, this elf was a Master Ranker. Two leagues above his own. A long-forgotten chill settled in the base of his skull. The negative feelings and emotions filling him disappearing, being reced by a numbness. It had been years since this sensation started. It became a crutch. Something that removed Lucius''s guilt, fear, trepidation anything that could prevent him from fighting to his fullest. You must take the Fragment from him, Lucius Grimm whispered seductively, I can help. I can grant you power. Power has a price, of course. But I''m sure you won''t mind. "It speaks. I can see it in your eyes, Lucius Kane. The Abyss calls to you. Your soul wavers in its convictions and the Darkness feeds upon it. It offers to strengthen and support it by filling the cracks. How long before it consumes you in its entirety?" The elf shouted under the effort of throwing Lucius''s strike back. He stepped back, creating space for breathing. Take the deal, Lucius. I will help you. I will make you strong. I won''t harm your family. They are needed. I promise. Grimm''s whispers sounded even sweeter, despite the venom dripping from them. Just let me help you Lucius felt his hand begin to burn, just like when it erupted on its own and killed the elves back in the alleyway. At the same time, the ring on his hand began to emit a pitch-ck smoke. Every beat of his heart pounded in his ears, his lungs felt like they could not get enough oxygen no matter how much he breathed. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire Let go, Lucius The elf warrior''s expression changed. It went from vengeful to something more calcting. "It seems we are at a crossroads. I will take my penance from you once we have bnced your soul. I had hoped to break you firstwell no matter." Pain and anguish epassed Lucius''s being. Every inch of his body inside and out felt as if it had been set ame. He found himself unable to feel anything. He should be afraid of what was happening to his body, but the only emotion he found within himself was a calm eptance. This was meant to be. This was the only path forward. The elf shook his head as he once again produced the pale-blue ring. It seemed to absorb some of the energy from his ethereal armor. Not greedily, but more like a gentle sip, as if the elf was feeding it too the ring willingly. Lucius attempted to jump away, his body reflexively avoiding the energy from the ring. No! Grimm hissed from within. Don''t touch it! Keep it away! Luciusshed out with a ferocious growl, de and shadow simultaneously shing at his opponent. The elf grimaced as one of the tendrils found purchase in his shoulder. Instead of dodging or finding a new angle of attack, the elf grabbed the shadow tendril with his bare hands, pulling it and Lucius closer to him. Lucius tried to resist, but his strength was rapidly draining.@@novelbin@@ Not enough time. Not enough! Lucius! Take the deal. I will give you Grimm''s voice was silenced. The cold sensation in the base of his skull preventing him from feeling anything vanished, allowing his negative emotions to burst forth once more. How close was he to disappearing? What would Grimm have done? More immediately, how would he escape from this? The elf''s hand once more closed around his neck. He had once again locked his sword to his hip with a simple cord. His free hand was ced on Lucius''s chest. A strange warmth emanated from his palm and tore through the shadowy armor. For a moment, they stood like that, Lucius struggling in vain against the elf''s grip. With his strange weapon no longer in his hand, Mana was once again in y. Lucius tried calling it to him to form a spell, but the moment he did, the elf''s grip tightened. He could feel the bones in his neck creak. "Do not move. Once you have absorbed the Fragment of Celestia, I will finish beating you into submission. As loathe as I am to keep you breathing after insulting and threatening Lady Shiyani, future queen of my country, the world still has need of you. To allow you to vanish in darkness would ruin his majesty''s ns." A sound, like the shattering of ss, filled the air. The armor protecting his body vanished in an instant, his Abyssal abilities vanishing in a blink of an eye. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, but soon another energy filled him. Grimm screamed in anger, raging against the binds that kept him sealed. Those binds had been weakening, but Lucius noticed as they strengthened once more. A bright, blue light gleamed from within his chest as he crumped to the ground, now free of the elf''s hold The elf drew his sword once more standing over Lucius. The sounds of the Resistance battling at the front gates felt muted to Lucius. His senses dulled; his body unable to move. "Now. Lie there like a dog and take the beating you so rightfully deserve." Chapter 355 Blinding Light Snow winced as she tried to shift to a morefortable position. The damnable Haeddan elf threw her into a dungeon without a care in the world. Not only that, to prevent her from being able to escape, he stomped on her leg, shattering her ankle. Pain shot through her leg every time she moved, but there was little to nothing she could do. The ground was hard stone with a smattering of straw to try and absorb some of the dampness. Rot and mildew filled her nostrils. Several pieces of straw found their way to less thanfortable ces "If it weren''t for that stupid elf, I could have probably killed that fucking lord and been away with whatever stupid piece of jewelry Lord Kane wanted" Screams echoed from the floor above, followed by several bursts of mana. Snow grimaced once she realized Lucius was fighting the Master-Ranker. Several minutes ago, simr bursts of power spread through the manor''s walls. They pulled the Haeddan elf''s attention from her and he left the dungeon with such haste he seemed to blur out of existence. She knew that Lucius was strong, but harbored doubts about his ability to make it through this.@@novelbin@@ Something inside her demanded she stand. It demanded she go to his side. Give her life for his. y the enemy. Die for her lord. However, it was simply white noise. Useless to her given the circumstances. If the voice inside her wanted her to die for her lord, the only thing she could do to satisfy it at the moment was try and slit her own throat with a sharpened stone. Hurried steps approached her cell. By the sounds of the armor, it was not one of the manor''s guards. Whoever it was wore something heavier than them. She also did not hear the ttering of a sword in its sheath. "There you are!" Snow''s heartbeat quickened as a familiar voice reached her. It was smooth and gentle, with a hint of relief. A man with striking blue eyes and light purple hair stood on the other side of the cell door. The relief in his eyes vanished quickly, reced by worry and concern. Even from the other side of the cell, he could see the swollen and bruised ankle. "What happened!" Desmond shouted! His drew his spear and with a single, clean swipe cut through the lock on the door. The metal squealed in protest from its neglected hinges being forced to move again. The man rushed over, leaning his spear against the wall and examining Snow''s ankle much more closely. He was careful to avoid touching it directly, but moved some of the clothing out of the way to get a better look at the damage. Snow couldn''t help but gasp in pain, but remained as still as possible. "Last time I checked, you couldn''t use healing magic. Go. Lucius needs help, I will be fine." Snow urged. "Not a chance. I already hate myself for dying enough as it is. Besides Lucius can handle himself long enough. Right now, you need my help." Desmond stood and grabbed his spear. The spearhead began to heat up from the enchantment. Once it reached a certain temperature, he swung it several times at the cell bars. Several pieces of metal ttered to the ground. He removed his cloak and tore it into several strips. Using some of them, he wrapped the strips around a few pieces of the metal before framing her leg. Snow held her breath as he braced her ankle and foot, binding it tightly between a few pieces of the wrapped bar. "That should keep it stable. Come on. I''ll carry you, but if we need to fight, I''ll need to drop you. This won''t be pleasant, okay?" She nodded in understanding. Desmond turned his back to her, kneeling down for her to climb up. Snow''s cheeks warmed, but she fought through the strange embarrassment and wrapped her arms around his neck. She found herself suddenly realizing howrge Desmond''s back was. How toned hisrge muscles "Hey, you okay?" "Hm? Oh, y-yeah. I''m fine. Let''s go." "Alright, this will be a rough ride, but we are going to Lucius. If I let anything happen to him, Kalliope will kill me and Jade will help." Snow giggled at the idea of sweet, little Jade threatening Desmond. Then she remembered the stories of what happened during their operation at the river south of the capital. The humor of the situation vanished as quickly as it appeared. Perhaps Jade was scary after all *** Desmond did his best to ignore Snow''s soft body pressed up against him. He also tried to make the trip as gentle as possible, doing everything in his power to avoid shifting her too much. asional gasps escaped her lips, which only made his thoughts race harder. It was difficult to truly ignore the situation. She had rested her head on his shoulder, leaving her lips dangerously close to his neck. Each breath tickled the side of his neck and face, distracting him from his goals. He wanted to get to Lucius as quickly as possible so he could escape the situation, no doubt she did not enjoy being carried like a child The manor shook and the sound of an explosion echoed above their heads. It was roughly where the ballroom was, which was their destination. The sounds of fighting were strongest there even after there was a strange absence of mana. Desmond felt fear grip his heart for a moment when the mana vanished a moment ago, worried that it might have meant Lucius''s death. However, the familiar pressure of his Mark reced it, aying those concerns. A moment after the explosion, the sounds of struggle soon starteding from the back garden. Desmond changed his course to the rear exits as quickly as he could. The doors to the back patio were just down the hall. As he turned down that hallway, a bright blue light poured in through the windows. Snow cried out in pain, her arms tightened around him and she buried her face deeply into his neck, shielding her eyes from the light. Lucius''s scream rang out, a terrifying wail Desmond never thought he would hear. "I have to go to the light. I''m sorry in advance Snow." She responded by loosening her grip, tensing for a moment in anticipation of the iing pain. Desmond loosened his grip on her and let her drop to the ground with a thud. Readying his spear, he rushed through the door, holding his arm in front of him to burst through the ss and wood. He was greeted by the sight of an elf holding Lucius in the air by the cor of his armor. Lucius screamed in pain, shadows formed and dissipated rapidly as if trying to fend off the light emanating from a gem burning its way through his armor. Desmond quickly charged his spear,unching the spearhead at the elf. He spun the other end of the weapon around andunched it immediately after. The elf quickly dodged the iing spearhead, allowing it to fly uselessly past his head. He released his grip on Lucius, just in time for Desmond''s spear to cut through his wrist. The elf warrior cried out in pain, his hand falling to the ground. "You!" He roared. "Human!" Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire Desmond prepared for the worst. Sure, he took the hand from a Master-Ranker, but the man could likely kill him with both hands missing, let alone one. Despite the urge to close his eyes to wait for the inevitable, Desmond willed himself to witness his own death. Time slowed to a crawl as the elf''s outstretched hand closed in on Desmond''s face. A thunder rumbled in the skies above and a sh of lightning blinded him. Where the Master-Ranker used to be, stood a familiar woman wielding a spear with a sickly green spearhead. "Lady Tenia" "I have seen enough." The woman proimed. Her voice was even and t. Barely contained rage clearly being held at bay, though just barely. "You! Why does an Empyrean meddle in the affairs of Aedrider you should stay atop your" "You used the power of your king, Haedda''s Empyrean. Power which you used in mynds. This is a breach of the Contract. I am within my rights." "Lies! You wish to protect your" "Vanish." Lady Tenia waved her hand. A bolt of lightning dropped from the sky, enveloping the Haeddan Elf in blinding light. Desmond watched as the light faded, all signs of the elf''s existence wiped from the world. Save the greed de he had strapped to his side. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!