Chapter 62
Once our feet were back on the ground, we took a moment to assess one another. Climbing a mountain, even with superhuman abilities, was not a simple feat. Zachariah and Guy were somewhat out of breath, but Bridgit and I were barely staying on our feet.
My arms felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets, and that's to say nothing of the pain shooting through my legs. Even with the reinforced outer layer of my hardened flesh, I still tore out multiple fingernails and scraped my arms to the point I had dried blood all the way to my elbows. Zachariah was healing Bridgit’s similar wounds while I downed a potion.
The taste was foul as ever, and my muscles tightened to a painful degree as the liquid worked its magic.
“How can you stomach that stuff? !”
Guy stuck his tongue out and gagged.
“Just let Zachariah heal you, you'll save money taste buds.”
I smiled despite the burning sensation in my throat that seemed to linger far longer than it should.
“It's a personal thing… I don't like healing magic being used on me.”
Guy raised a brow.
“You're nuts, man. I mean, if you were like me, it'd make sense, but you've actually got a choice.”
I turned from him with a dismissive wave and addressed Bridgit.
“Are you good to keep moving throughout the night?”
She nodded, but failed to stop herself from wincing with each step.
Healing magic had the downside of increasing fatigue, which was why it was rarely ever used mid-combat. Bridgit’s pain may be gone, but her legs were even weaker than before. Moving at her pace would probably take even longer than stopping for a rest.
“Never mind, there’s a good spot nearby, we’ll take a six-hour break before we continue.”
I led them through a tightly packed trail of shrubbery, allowing Zachariah to cut through with one of his swords. He began using his Gift, adding a hot golden gleam to the blade and making short work of any obstacle. However, he seemed to reconsider and dismissed it after only a couple of swipes.
Nevertheless, it took little time for us to emerge on the other side to a small clearing with a pond in the centre. A blue-furred deer with crystaline antlers was drinking from it, but hopped away the moment it caught sight of us.
“We’ll rotate in two-hour shifts; Zachariah, Guy, then me. Bridgit, you focus on resting.”
“I shall take your shift, if that is fine with you?”
Mr. O said to me.
As a matter of pride, that should have been insulting, but I didn’t care much for pride, and I knew I needed all the rest I could get anyway.
“Thanks, I’ll take you up on that.”
It was still too early for anybody to be sleeping, and if I stayed too long in the Feral Abyss, the Crucible would force me to remain for an extra eight hours. In other words, I had nothing to do besides sit and massage my aching joints.
Bridgit lay flat on her back with her eyes closed, a faint golden wisp of light dancing along her body.
“What’s she doing?”
I asked Mr. O.
“Aura cycling. Are you not familiar?”
“I think one of my teachers has mentioned it, but a refresher wouldn’t hurt.”
“Hm. Very well. Aura Cycling is the simple process of selectively running aura through one’s body, segment by segment, to promote recovery. It won’t heal wounds, but it provides the same benefits of bed rest in far less time.”
I watched her with interest, noting the furrowed brow and flickering wisp of light that occasionally disappeared and slowly reformed.
“Is it difficult?”
I asked after a moment of quiet observation.
“That depends on your perspective… it is one of the basic fundamentals of aura usage.”
That sounded like an awfully polite way of saying she was struggling with a simple task. I suppose this his daughter we were discussing.
“If you’re interested, why not give it a go?”
I shook my head.
“Aura doesn’t come naturally for me.”
“You can do something similar with mana. I could teach you.”
“No mana organ either.”
I tapped my chest and shrugged.
Mr. O quietly observed me. Although his eyes were not visible, I could feel them scanning over my body.
“Here.”
He knelt down and placed his hand on my chest.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh.”
The palm pressed up against my body began to heat up, but not to an uncomfortable degree. My danger sense wasn’t kicking in, so I trusted this was not an attempt at harming me in some way.
“Hmm… Remarkable.”
He mused to himself as the warmth crossed from the outside of my clothing to behind my ribcage. Soon, it filled my entire body, and as it faded, so too did my exhaustion.
“Rex, would you like to spar with me?”
“...sure.”
***
Mr. O swept his leg in a wide arc, and a circle was carved into the ground around us.
“This will be our arena. You may use any method you like to attack me, but weapons are forbidden, as are your animal companions.”
I left my axe by my other belongings with Tiara.
The others watched with interest, though Zachariah looked somewhat worried. I took a ready stance, careful not to let my guard down even when my opponent remained neutral.
“Come.”
His tone deepened as he spoke and beckoned me to attack.
A chance to learn from the King of Soleo was rare, though I didn’t know what it was that had drawn him into this confrontation. Whatever it was, I intended to respond earnestly.
I came in low, feigning an attempt at knocking my foe off balance while I prepared to spring up and deliver an uppercut.
But I never got the chance. Mr. O moved with such imperceptible speed that I never saw him step into range to strike me. Before I knew it, my cheek was burning hot, and I was rolling outside the ring.
“Again.”
He returned to his original position and patiently waited for my next attempt. Said attempt held no hidden intentions, I simply leapt and drove my knee into Mr. O’s waiting palm.
A second later, my vision spun again, and I found myself thrown into the pond.
“Again.”
My third attempt was cautious. I kicked the dirt up to obscure my opponent’s vision and delivered a swift jab through the dust cloud. My fist was caught, and I was once again thrown out of the ring.
“Again.”
The process was repeated another twelve times before Mr. O finally said something new.
“Truly remarkable.”
He chuckled as he watched me return yet again and prepare for the next round.
“No mana. No fighting spirit. No blessings from the gods. It doesn’t appear you know any martial arts either, although your instincts and reaction speed are both superb. You truly are an interesting one.”
He suddenly appeared right in front of me, looming over me like an insurpassable mountain peak. The ground trembled, and the others, despite only watching from a safe distance, all dropped to the ground.
“Argh… What insane pressure.”
Guy spoke through gritted teeth.
“This aura, fa—”
Bridgit’s eyes widened, but Zachariah slapped his hand over her mouth before she could finish her sentence.
The world seemed to have been plunged underwater as everything took on a shade of blue and became blurry and distorted. It took a moment for me to understand that the King’s aura was so immense that it had engulfed the entire campsite in an instant.
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But none of that mattered. My target had entered striking range, taking the offensive for the first time. I immediately responded by kicking at the inside of his leg, hooking my foot into his knee and pulling back.
The back of the knee was a weak point for everyone, and by applying pressure like this, I could force his legs to buckle if only for a moment.
And it worked. He dropped to one knee, and I grabbed onto his head with both hands, pulling his face into my knee.
Pain. Incredible, throbbing pain.
“...Damn.”
I cursed and mirrored my foe’s position, rubbing at my leg that no doubt housed a fractured bone.
“That was surprising.”
Mr. O chuckled again, and the overbearing weight of his aura vanished as he helped me to my feet. His mask had not even been dented from my attack.
“Let’s call it here, I’ve seen enough.”
“Yeah. I think I’ve learnt all I need as well.”
“Hm? Truly? Most curse at me after this test. Did you really understand the purpose?”
I took my spot back next to Tiara, my body even more battered than before.
“Was it meant to be a secret? You saw how I moved on the mountain, then you discovered I can’t use aura or magic. Isn’t it normal to wonder how I did it? Maybe I was lying, or holding something back, or maybe I just don’t know my own potential. You pushed me to find the truth for yourself.”
“True. Would you like to hear my observations?”
“Go ahead.”
I shrugged, not expecting to hear anything I didn’t already know.
“You fight as a matter of necessity, dispassionate and calculating. You approach life-or-death situations with logical pragmatism. You showed no reaction to my aura pressuring you, and instead used the opening to attack, showing a mind so clear even gold-ranked knights would find it impressive.”
He paused, expecting some sort of response, but I only waited for him to get to the point.
“If you don’t fix this mentality, aura will forever be out of your reach. I admit that the cold approach to life has its benefits, as evidenced by your snap decision-making, but there is a limit. That being said, when I spread my aura through your body, I felt the purity of your inner circuits. I have only felt such clear circuity in the bodies of mages with exceptionally high mana flow. How did you achieve this?”
“Druid secret.”
“...I see. Well, whatever the case may be, I am interested to see how far you can go. You should consider entering a Solean knight’s service as their squire. I could recommend you to someone who would show you the way.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m fine with the way I am now.”
“That is… regrettable.”
He turned away, but I still had one thing to ask.
“That thing you did with your aura. Can you do it again for Bridgit and me? We could be back in Borderton in no time if we use that to restore our stamina.”
“Ah, no. It is already surprising enough that you handled it without issue, but I do not feel comfortable pushing my luck. And I can assure you that Bridgit’s body would not be able to handle the strain.”
“Alright. Thanks for the fight.”
With our exchange finished, he left to sit on his own.
The others had recovered and came over to check on me.
“Are you sure about rejecting his offer? He really thinks you could make a good knight.”
Zacharia spoke first.
“I don’t intend to leave the Empire. Besides, that offer comes with the expectation that I change my worldview and compromise my beliefs. My answer won’t change.”
Zachariah sighed with disappointment a little greater than the situation warranted. Bridgit stepped up next to speak her mind.
“How did you resist his aura? What did you feel from him? How do I achieve that?”
She was being demanding as ever and wasn’t polite at all, despite apparently asking for advice. Still, this was about the closest thing to respect she had ever shown me.
“I’ve had practice. Besides, it’s mostly a mental attack, so long as you remain focused, you’ll barely feel anything.”
It was essentially the exact same pressure that came when faced with certain death. Similar to the fight or flight response. As someone who experienced death in the Crucible countless times, I had long since become immune to such pressure.
Last to speak was Guy.
“What was that about your circuits? Is there really a secret to clearing them out?”
“It comes from shapeshifting. Circuits are just a part of your soul, like all your body, therefore mine are as malleable as everything else. Mine don’t get clogged or dirty because they’re effectively remade good as new every time I fuse.”
“Huh, I guess druids are more powerful than I thought… makes you wonder why there aren’t more of ‘em.”
Guy laughed.
“True. If I knew there was such a convenient way to improve my mana flow, I’d have pursued it long ago.”
Zachariah nodded in agreement.
“You’re assuming they’d share their secrets. Besides, it’s not like they’ve ever been easy to find or study.”
Bridgit scoffed at the other two.
“Well, we’ve got Rex right here. Why not just ask?”
Guy retorted and looked back at me.
“So? Could we do any druid training?”
I was somewhat taken aback by the question. But with Guy gradually returning to his usual self around me, it might be best to respond honestly.
“I’m no master; it wouldn’t be safe to do any of the serious stuff even under my supervision. More importantly, shaping the soul is the most fundamental skill we have, and doing it requires a certain mentality. That’s another reason why I can’t accept Mr. O’s offer.”
They looked visibly disappointed.
“But… I suppose there's no harm in sharing some stories about my master’s methods. You probably won’t be able to replicate any of them, but maybe it can inspire you in some way.”
They shared a look and sat down to join me.
“Where to start? Oh, how about my master’s favourite game? He called it ‘catch the wind’. You’ll need someone who can summon a wind spirit, some rope, and some rocks.”
I went on to detail how Poggy would tie the rocks to the spirit, make me chase it, and how every time I failed to grasp the spirit, the wind would violently swing the rocks into my body.
“That just sounds like child abuse…”
Bridgit looked at me with pity.
“No, no. It’s a legitimate exercise. It’s impossible to predict how those rocks will swing, so you need to move fast to avoid getting hit. Trust me, it really works.”
“Ok, but is it even possible to catch a wind spirit with your bare hands? If you had magic, I would get it… But you don’t, right?”
“Well, yeah, it’s impossible. Even tying the rope to them was only possible because Master had enchanted it. Plus, I couldn’t actually see spirits back then, so I was just chasing the rocks…”
“Are you this master of yours is legit?”
Guy said.
“Of course. Reaching Master’s level is one of my goals. Look, he can be brutal, but his methods really work. It’s thanks to him that I can’t be poisoned.”
“How did he achieve that?”
Zachariah asked, impressed by the idea that such training existed.
“He built my tolerance over time.”
“Yes, but ? What training would let you resist poison completely?”
“Uh… you know…”
I recalled the sensation of writhing centipede legs scraping my throat as it was forced down my mouth.
“Actually, that’s a secret. I can’t share that one.”
I shut the topic down and brushed my fingers across my mask, ensuring it was securely hiding my uneasy expression.
The others had begun whispering, but I could still hear them.
“Should we tell him? His master is definitely a whack-job, right?”
“No, Guy. He must be legitimate, or how would he teach Rex to fuse.”
“Zac’s right. He must be a real Druid… just an insane child abusing one…”
Three sets of sad eyes fell on me, and I began to feel conflicted. Perhaps I had developed something akin to Stockholm syndrome when it came to Poggy…
No. He only had my best interests in mind, I was certain. Maybe...
***
Our talks drifted from topic to topic, but mostly stuck to matters of getting strong and training exercises. Guy probably surprised us the most, given that his childhood training was so…
“Lazy!”
Bridgit threw her hands up.
“The Vespertilles are the greatest family of knights in the kingdom, how could your drills be so—”
“He doesn’t even drills.”
Zachariah cut in, almost as frustrated as his sister.
“Right, how could I forget? Who needs to remember anything when you’re !”
The way Bridgit referred to him had slowly changed over the course of our talks. The Vespertille name began to sound like a curse when she uttered it.
“Haha…”
Guy could only awkwardly laugh.
The crux of our annoyance with him was simple to understand. We all knew he favoured polearms as a weapon and that his skill had rapidly improved in a short amount of time, but we chalked that up to him putting in so much effort.
As it turned out, that wasn’t true at all. For one, his family made him learn the sword to begin with, but he had cycled through so many different weapon types because he mastered them so quickly. Guy’s learning speed was so phenomenal that even his father, a famously strict man, had allowed him to skip the daily training in the family estate. He wasn't using a spear because it was his favoured weapon; it was just the latest one he wanted to play around with.
Comparatively, the rest of us trained regularly just to maintain our current edge. It was only natural that we would be envious.
“How is it fair that an immortal can learn things a hundred times faster than we can? You’ve got all the time in the world!”
Bridgit continued to point her finger at Guy, showering him with her sense of inferiority.
“Hehe, what can I say?”
“I’m not complimenting you, idiot!”
“Alright, Bridgit, settle down… why don’t you focus on your recovery? I should start my patrol of the perimeter.”
Zachariah and Bridgit left the two of us together, and an awkward silence followed.
“...So, the forest tribes have really grown well together, huh?”
Guy broke the silence with a strange topic.
“Yeah, they’re doing even better than expected.”
“Expected, huh? So you really did know what you were doing…”
“Naturally. I’m not in the habit of butchering defenceless opponents without reason.”
He looked at me with a mixture of surprise and anger.
“That’s the topic you’re trying to tactfully approach, right? We can talk about it without beating around the bush.”
I cut through the filler and waited for him to say what he needed to say.
“Ok then… I can see now that things worked out in the end, so a part of me accepts you were right. But how could you come to such a ruthless decision without even giving the alternative a chance?”
He was still being accusatory, but at least he was willing to listen this time.
“It’s all numbers.”
I began.
“I know the habits of tribal creatures, goblins in particular I have a strong understanding of. With that information, I could weigh the options and go down the path that was most likely to succeed. I also knew that imps would be harder to work with in the long run, and were more liable to commit criminal acts for their own entertainment, making them a danger to keep as allies.”
“But not everything can be decided so simply. What if we had worked harder to create an environment where all three groups could live together? Wouldn’t it be better in the long run?”
“The possibility exists, yes. But so does the possibility of world peace. Does that mean we should all dispose of our weapons and embrace our enemies, trusting they won’t run us through? Gambling on unlikely odds puts more people at risk, and sometimes evil acts must be done for good reasons.”
“Still… just because something is hard or unlikely… doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”
“Try what exactly? Let them all live knowing they won’t agree on a leader? Leave and let the tribes sort everything out, knowing that’s what led to them all killing each other in the first place? Force them to play nice under strict supervision, essentially threatening them to cooperate? That would lead to a knife in your back before you know it. Guy, the real world is cruel, you’ll learn that sooner or later, working in the military. You need to adapt if you want to survive, and sometimes saving people requires an iron fist.”
He went quiet and looked to the ground. Seeing that he had no response, I decided to press him a little further.
“What is it that made you so angry? I understand being outraged by my actions, hell, I even expected it. But you seem to have taken it personally. Tell me honestly, what really got under your skin?”
The silence continued, but just as I thought he had shut me out, he started to talk.
“...Do you know much about our history? Vampires, I mean.”
“Not really.”
“We had a bad reputation once. It took a long time and a lot of hard work to turn that around, but we still have rogues and shady groups running around causing chaos that falls back on all of us. There was a particular family that the Vespertilles bumped heads with for generations, the Tenebre family.”
He shifted his weight and looked me in the eye.
“The Tenebre scum believe it is their place to rule over mortals, and that consuming blood in excess is their right as the chosen ones. They gorge themselves, and even when their stomachs are full, they keep draining their victims to fill their endless reserves of food. One time, when I still had my baby fangs, my dad took me to see the town where our warhorses are bred and raised…”
A flicker of anger entered Guy’s voice as painful memories resurfaced.
“The Tenebre attacked. Dad did his best, but there were too many of them. We were rounded up along with the townsfolk. They slaughtered everyone. The only reason we were spared was because they thought of us as ‘misguided brethren’, and hoped we would join them one day.”
His hand formed into two trembling fists.
“They couldn’t defend themselves. They never had a chance against such brutality. And there was no reason behind it… It was a senseless tragedy.”
I listened patiently, and only when I was sure he had finished did I give my thoughts.
“That would have been difficult, I’m sure. But context and intent matter. I did not slaughter innocent, defenceless civilians, nor did I do what I did for no reason. It was a measured decision for the greater good.”
“...Yeah… I get it. I still don’t like it, but I see where you’re coming from… Listen, sorry I’ve been so hostile. Can we put it behind us?”
“I never had an issue with you to begin with.”
I held my hand out, and we shared a firm handshake.
“So… since we’re pals now, there’s something I wanted to know. Are you really weak to garlic?”
“Haha, nah, some ancestor was allergic and died at a dinner party. The rumour went wild from there.”
Guy and I continued to chat, the previous tension quickly breaking away.
