By using the tree bark as a weapon Brother Green had shown Kaelen that it was possible to use offensively, even showing him exactly how to do it. It hadn’t taken him much thinking to apply it to other weapons after compressing and sharpening the bark even further. In using that weapon, Brother Green had guaranteed his own death. Kaelen stood up and went over to Brother Green's body, and looked it in the eyes.
Kaelen: You started it.
He looked around, trying to find out where he was supposed to go next, he needed to find where they were keeping Talyndra and fast.
[Notice: EXP gained]
[EXP (+3,969)]
[EXP to next level: 91 (-91) -> 0]
[EXP to next level: 565 (-565) -> 0]
[EXP to next level: 680 (-680) -> 0]
[EXP to next level: 815 (-815) -> 0]
[EXP to next level: 980 (-980) -> 0]
[EXP to next level: 1,175 (-838) -> 337]
[Notice: Level up]
[Level 13 (+5) -> Level 18]
[Health Points: 180/180 (+50) -> 230/230]
[Mana Points: 21/21 (+10) -> 31/31]
[Stamina Points: 202/402 (+100) -> 302/502 (+200) -> 502/502]
[Attack: 35 (+5) -> 40]
[Defense: 70 (+5) -> 75]
[Dexterity: 25 (+5) -> 30]
[Speed: 25 (+5) -> 30]
[Intelligence: 25 (+5) -> 30]
[Wisdom: 25 (+5) -> 30]
[Adeptness: 25 (+5) -> 30]
[Notice: Stat points up]
[Stat points: 0 (+40) -> 40]
[Notice: Stat points used]
[Stat points: 40 (-40) -> 0]
[Notice: Stats up]
[Health Points: 230/230 (+40) -> 270/270]
[Mana Points: 31/31 (+8) -> 39/39 (+1) -> 40/40]
[Stamina Points: 502/502 (+80) -> 582/582]
[Attack: 40 (+4) -> 44]
[Defense: 75 (+4) -> 79]
[Dexterity: 30 (+4) -> 34]
[Speed: 30 (+4) -> 34]
[Intelligence: 30 (+4) -> 340]
[Wisdom: 30 (+4) -> 34]
[Adeptness: 30 (+4) -> 34]
-Tali-
Lord Nerve entered the room again for the second time.
Tali: What do you want?
Lord Nerve: I thought you should know. Kaelen's here. He hasn't found the entrance yet, but he is here. If he doesn't find it in an hour we'll just open the door.
Tali: Why are you telling me?
Lord Nerve: To let you know that he'll die soon.
Tali: He killed another one of your members, didn't he?
Lord Nerve: Brother Green, yes.
Tali: And if he kills you all?
Lord Nerve: Then he'll have the entire rest of the Circus Lights to deal with.
Tali: And how many are there? Of your members?
Lord Nerve: I'm not sure. No one is.
Tali: What's with the masks?
Lord Nerve: It's rank. Not by strength, but by devotion.
Tali: And what of my sister?
Lord Nerve: She lives.
Tali: Prove it.
Lord Nerve: If you insist.
-Ela-
Ela had been stuck in a small metal room, tied to a chair for a long time. On several occasions Sister Mirror had come in to ask her what seemed to be completely meaningless questions, so when Sister Mirror came into the room alongside Lord Nerve, she knew something had changed. Something big had happened.
Sister Mirror: As I said, completely alive and unharmed~!
Lord Nerve: Very good Sister.
Sister Mirror: Thank you Lord Nerve. Hey brat.
Ela, scared: Y-yes?
Sister Mirror: You're going somewhere new, so get excited.
Ela, scared: Where are you taking me?
Lord Nerve: Just across the corridor. Sister, prepare her.
Sister Mirror: Yes Lord.
Sister Mirror knelt down and flipped open some switches, Ela's chair coming free from the ground as Lord Nerve picked it up and started dragging it out of the room. She wanted to scream, but had the suspicion that doing so might get her hurt, and she didn't want to see Tali crying because of her. She had done that far too much.
Lord Nerve: Not even a tear. Well done on being so cooperative about this.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
After a while, he opened a door and placed her chair in a room with Tali in it.
-Tali-
Ela: S-sis!
Lord Nerve: As you can see the child lives.
Tali: Why are you doing this?
She was definitely appreciative that Lord Nerve was doing this, but she just couldn't understand why. What did he gain in showing her that her sister was still alive? Cooperation? But he knew she wouldn't do that, or at least she hoped he did because if he didn't then he was dumber than she thought. There was nothing he could do to make her help him deal with Kaelen. Nothing. But the thought that he might have some kind of plan in doing this terrified her. If he had a plan and it involved Ela, then she might just crack. With baited breath she waited for him to answer.
Lord Nerve: A very reasonable question. One I have no reason to actually answer.
Lumex's light. He was avoiding the question. He did have a plan, and chances were that it involved Ela in some way. She couldn't continue like this knowing that. -Unless... Unless that was his plan. He might be trying to get her to panic over nothing and trick her into helping him without making any real threat. This might mean absolutely nothing... Or it could mean everything. Ela's life might be in danger. She didn't know what to do anymore.
Tali: What do you want?
Lord Nerve: I don't want anything.
She had to admit, his name was accurate. He was getting on her nerves. There was something here, but the only thing here was some kind of mind game. Could she risk her though? Could she actually risk her sister's life? It had come to the point she knew that no matter what she picked, she would regret it.
-Kaelen-
He had found it. A slight change in density in the sky, with a little bit of extra pressure it shattered, the sky opening to reveal a long cold metal corridor going into the depths of nowhere. The Perimeter. Talyndra and Ela were both in there, and both in danger. If those who kidnapped him were Circus Lights and this was their doing he knew exactly what kind of danger the two of them were in. It took everything he had to deal with the members that he had. If there were more and he had to deal with more than one at a time then there was nothing he could do. He'd maybe be able to deal with one of them, perhaps even two, but not all at once.
Either way, this was something he had to do, and so into the Perimeter he went. It was dark and cold, both things he wasn't used to. The metal was sucking out all of his heat. He had seen true darkness now, but seeing shadows was still unsettling to him, he missed the light. But the cold was a welcome change compared to the never-ending heat it felt like he had only just managed to escape. He could deal with the cold. The first corridor was long, twisting and turning, he suspected that this was the kind of building you could easily get lost in, there were doors he could check, but for now he would just move down the corridor. The problems would come to him if they had to. But if he could avoid killing again he would, so some measure of stealth was a requirement. Now wasn't the time to talk to himself, though that would be a very hard habit to break all considered.
He finally reached an actual location within the Perimeter. A large open room, like an atrium, with corridors splitting off at equal angles, eight totaled including the one he had just come from. In the center of the room was a Circus Light wearing a mask with only an extremely large eye in the middle of it staring right at him.
--{REDACTED} / Lord Nerve--
[Level 20], [EXP to next Level: 1,800]
[Health Points: 440/440], [Mana Points: 56/56], [Stamina Points: 780/780], [Lux: 3]
[Attack: 52], [Defense: 85], [Dexterity: 32], [Speed: 35], [Intelligence: 29], [Wisdom: 30], [Adeptness: 31]
--Skills--
[Territory Definition, Level 32], [Territory Manipulation, Level 30], [Attack Flow, Level 23], [Pain Resistance, Level 19], [Attack Redirection, Level 17], [Sleep Resistance, Level 17], [Exhaustion Nullification, Level 15], [Health Regeneration, Level 12], [Skill Level Increase, Level 10], [Weak Passive Future Sight, Level 1]
--Sigils--
[The Sigil of Nerves]
Kaelen: So, are you the guy who kidnapped Talyndra?
Lord Nerve: Kaelen Calder I presume?
Kaelen: Kind of. It's complicated.
Lord Nerve: I am Lord Nerve. And yes, you are right. I borrowed Talyndra and Elara Vaelric.
Kaelen: Borrowed? What do you mean borrowed?
Lord Nerve: Borrowed. We didn't steal them. Whilst it wasn't originally of their own volition, circumstances have changed.
Kaelen: What do you mean by that?
-Tali-
Tali: I'll help.
Lord Nerve: Oh?
Tali: Just... Leave Ela alone.
Lord Nerve: If you so wish.
Sister Flight came into the room.
Lord Nerve: Sister Flight, take care of Elara would you? And treat her well, she's our honoured guest right now.
Sister Flight: Yes Lord.
Sister Flight cut Ela from the chair and took her away.
Tali: What do you want?
Lord Nerve: Hm? Did you say something? My apologies, I can't hear well unless it's polite.
Tali: ... What do you wish of me... Lord?
