Chapter 12 Spoiler: Read More Back in the capital, the academy was ripe with activity. It had been around a week and a half since Clark and Amy joined, and now everyone was more or less settled. The first week was pretty simple, a few basic assignments and light physical activity. The newcomers were surprised, they didn't think the capital academy would be so easy. Unfortunately, the introduction week was meant to be easy. The following week was a nightmare for the inexperienced youths who were from small towns and villages, even those from larger towns were caught off guard. The assignments raised in difficulty, but it was still manageable. The "light physical activity" became full on sparring sessions and rigorous training, it made many wonder what would the elite training courses be like. Currently the new students were in the middle of a sparring session overseen by an instructor who had an intimidating build: Short hair, a neat beard, and a large stature, towering over all of the students. The students surrounded a large wooden stage, measuring 25 to 30 feet wide and about five feet off the ground, outside the academy building. There were stands for spectators surrounding the stage, the school would host tournaments to rank students. Currently almost all the older students were spectating the new students, it was something they did every year to prepare for competition or to look for talents to recruit into their families. "Clark and Aldis You're up next up!" The instructor bellowed. Clark reluctantly made his way to the stage. On each side there was a bin of weapons the students could choose, from swords to bows and even whips. Clark hesitated staring at a sword, while his opponent was already standing on the stage wielding a sword. The weapons were dull to prevent any fatal injuries, but it didn't matter to Clark as it still made him feel sick. "Clark! Pick a weapon or I'll kick your ass myself!" The instructor roared. Some students wanted to laugh but managed not to, this instructor was well-known for his temper, even kids of prestigious families wouldn't be spared from his anger. Clark closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he grabbed the sword and ran onto the stage. His opponent, Aldis, was around the same age as him, with dark purple hair and a handsome face, which reminded Clark of Captain Avery, the only difference was his plain brown eyes. Clark spoke up. "Do you know Captain Avery?" Aldis raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at Clark. "Captain Avery is my sister." Aldis responded plainly while taking a fighting stance, different from the Academy's style of swordsmanship. What Aldis practiced was the Thynne family style of swordsmanship, it was available for all members of the family, while more powerful styles were only available for the women. All males of the family had to achieve at least the Adept level of swordsmanship. Many people wondered why the Thynne family had such weird restrictions on their family members. There were little to none who knew of the Valkyrie bloodline the Thynne family had, it wasn't like it was a secret, but it was an unspoken rule of the Thynne's to never talk about family affairs and the elders of the Thynne family didn't appear in public often, so the majority of noble families were clueless. "Start!" The instructor signaled for the fight to begin. Aldis immediately ran towards Clark, when he was a few steps away from Clark, he held his sword overhead and swung downwards. "Ah!" Clark made a feeble attempt to block using the sword. Clang! Because Clark had a loose grip on the sword it was knocked away. Aldis spun around and sent a roundhouse kick towards Clark's chest. Bang! Clark stumbled and fell off the stage into the dirt. "Clark! That was horrible, we'll have to double the training for everyone if you perform like that again!" The instructor yelled. The new students who came in with Clark, grimaced at the thought. Clark could feel hostile gazes sticking to his back. "Next!" The instructor pointed to a random student as Aldis took his stance once again. ........................................ Aldis defeated nineteen opponents before stepping down. Even though he should've been proud or even arrogant, Aldis looked unsatisfied. He took his place with the rest of the students, not speaking a word. The instructor nodded and spoke towards Aldis. "I expected as much from a Thynne, although it isn't anywhere near your sisters record it's still great." The instructor complimented. "Thank you." Aldis responded without emotion. Avery, easily defeated the first, second, and a little over half of the third year students in her class during her first evaluation week, 135 opponents in total, because of her performance she was invited to the elite courses but turned it down without hesitation. Aldis was one of the few males in the families who wanted to become an outstanding warrior. "Amy!" The instructor resumed his aggressive tone and shouted. Amy grabbed a blunt short spear and made her way onto the stage. Although she was a little nervous, her eyes flashed with determination. A heavy-set student was already on the stage, holding a large shield and sword. "Start!" Amy rushed out, rotating the spear as she closed the distance. "Shouldn't she wait for him to attack since she has the advantage of distance?" "How is she gonna get past that shield?" "Is everyone from a village this inexperienced?" "She's too impatient." The crowd of older students clamored as they watched Amy's unorthodox approach. As Amy got closer the heavy-set student readied his shield, blocking off most of his body except his head and the arm wielding the sword. "Spear Dance!" Amy stopped rotating the spear and sent a thrust towards the heavy student. Thump! Thump! Thump! First the spear hit his sword wielding hand causing him to drop the sword, then it hit his exposed shoulder the impact caused him to stagger leaving his chest exposed, and finally the last hit was directly in the middle of his chest knocking him down. Amy rotated the spear before pointing it at his throat. "It's over! Next!" The instructor was surprised at Amy's unusual to use the short spear offensively when facing an opponent with a shield and her control over the weapons skill. Amy rotated her spear and waited for the next opponent. ................................ Amy defeated a total of six opponents before stepping down. Although it wasn't too eye-catching when compared to Aldis and insignificant when compared to Captain Avery, it still was an above average score. The day finished out with a few more surprising results, some demi-humans such as elves, dark elves, and beast people got above average scores, but it wasn't surprising given their innate strengths. After the rankings were decided students would get more attention and resources based on their score. Recovery potions, personal instruction from experts, and better living quarters were all some of the perks that could be expected. Aldis Thynne ended up as number one for the his class while Amy was number ten and Clark ended up dead last. Clark sat alone at a table inside the cafeteria area, everyone avoided him like he was cursed. Amy carried her food tray towards Clark and sat down next to him. Clark had a tray of bland porridge, unseasoned meat, two slices of bread, and a cup of water. Amy on the other hand had, a steak, a fragrant vegetable soup, fresh bread rolls, and a cup of fruit juice. The difference in treatment was obvious, only the top ten from each class got to enjoy luxuries. "Haah..." Clark sighed, feeling dejected. "You should eat Clark, you'll be sore tomorrow." Amy said as she began eating. Clark watched her for a while then spoke. "Is it good?" "Yeah it's great. I'd give you some but it's against the rules you know." Amy said, before she continued to eat. "Would you mind if I sat here?" All of a sudden a voice came from behind Clark and Amy. The dark purple haired youth named Aldis, stood behind them. "S-Sure thing." Clark stammered a little. Aldis sat in front of Clark and Amy and took a few bites of his food before speaking. "So you've met my sister?" Aldis asked. "Wait wha-" Amy spoke in a confused tone. "Oh, Captain Avery, yeah she escorted us to the Capital." Clark interrupted Amy and said. Amy's eyes showed realization as she put two and two together. "I see." Aldis ate some more as they went back to silence. "I heard she ran into some trouble on the way." Aldis spoke up once again. "Yeah, we were attacked by assassins on the way back. Luckily Captain Avery already was prepared and we had Ira to help." Amy responded. "Ira?" Aldis asked. "A friend of ours and Captain Avery. He's kind of weird but he's crazy strong." Clark said, Amy nodded along. "How do you know they're friends, my sister and this 'Ira'?" Aldis inquired. "Well she said it, and they were pretty close during the whole trip." Clark said nonchalantly. "How strong is-" Aldis tried to speak but was interrupted. "He's really strong, he killed close to two hundred bandits when they attacked our village...And even though he was hurt, he doesn't stay wounded for long, even large wound heal within a couple of hours for him." Amy answered abruptly as she recounted details of Ira, a look of admiration on her face. "I see..." Aldis contemplated something. "I would like to meet him someday." He continued. "Well he should be visiting soon, maybe you'll get to see him then." Amy said, a hopeful look in her eyes. "How much do you wanna bet he'll be with Captain Avery?" Clark tacked on jokingly. "They are oddly similar, so it wouldn't surprise me." Amy responded, before eating her soup. Aldis made a faint smile as he went into deep thought. ................................................... w/nUnedited) More to come tomorrow. Some revisions are coming up that shouldn't affect the story too much. I'm also thinking about naming chapters.
Chapter:13 Spoiler: Read More "We're almost there hold on." Lance said, as he looked at Ira, who was in a dangerous state. The journey towards the capital felt incredibly long. The pace was slow because of the civilians they had to escort, added on to the fact they had to take extra care to avoid any danger, a usual weeks journey ended up becoming one week and a half. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Ira was bleeding during the whole journey, his nose and eyes would bleed very often and after each day the intensity would increase. His skin was incredibly pale, and the arm he re-attached started to show signs of necrosis. The wounds that appeared to be healed in the beginning opened up, although his regeneration would close them, they would open up again. "Ha! What did I tell you boy? You'll be dead soon, a pity I might not be able to see it." The Slaver jeered, the only enjoyment he got on the way to the capital was watching Ira's condition deteriorate day by day. Everyone made pitiful expressions, although the civilians barely knew Ira, he played a large part in freeing him, seeing their benefactor suffer made them feel guilty somehow. "Shut up or I'll break your legs." Ira looked at the Slaver and grinned. Ira did his best to concentrate on walking straight, his senses were jumbled. He constantly heard a ringing sound and felt as if the ground was moving, although he had it under control at first it got progressively worse day by day. "Don't do anything more than necessary." Valerie cautioned Ira, Zella nodded in agreement. They attempted to use minor healing spells but it had no effect on the curses, so they could only try to help as best they could. Instead of responding, Ira just made a faint smile. ..................................... "We are gathered here today to discuss the developments occurring in the Kingdom." An old man stated loudly. His hair was short and his face was wrinkled, but his body was still full of strength, this was General Holchester, known for his fierce prowess, cunning tactics, and outstanding commanding ability. In addition he was also a low-tier Master Swordsman, who would personally take action once in a while on the battlefield. Back in the capital, a council was convened to address any problems or advancements that took place throughout the Kingdom. Influential members of large families, and the core leaders of the military were all gathered. The head of the Fairfax Family, Wesley Fairfax, was currently present, his hair was blonde with specks of grey, he wore expensive clothes with intricate designs. He had an aggressive temperament but knew when to keep himself in check. Also in attendance was the head of the Marbot Family. Glen Marbot, he appeared to have a gentle bearing, but being one of the top three families he was bound to have some ruthlessness in him. He was the youngest Family head, after his father died under questionable circumstances he succeeded his household at only twenty-eight years old. "Excuse me, General Holchester, why is she here?" Wesley Fairfax pointed at a young woman with dark purple hair, this young woman was Captain Avery. Although Wesley didn't care that much about Captain Avery's presence he took this time to harass her, he gathered intelligence and found out the yellow-eyed boy who insulted his daughter was related to Captain Avery somehow. Captain Avery eyes showed slight amusement at Wesley's outburst. "Sir Fairfax, not only is she a daughter of the Thynne Family she is involved in one of the matters of today, if that is all we will continue." General Holchester spoke sternly, his tone was subtly warning Wesley not to continue. "Hmph." Wesley gave a low snort and remained quiet. Many other also questioned why Avery was present, The Thynne Family was the most prominent in the Kingdom but people began to forget why, because of their isolation not many could see a member of the Thynne Family. In addition the Thynne Family almost never attended to any matters regarding the Kingdom. A rumor was spread that the family was beginning to decline, and they didn't allow their daughters to marry anyone because they were saving them for powerful backers. "Lieutenant General Ross, if you would." "Firstly we have developments abroad, the small team of spies we sent to the Telvian Empire have comeback, there efforts didn't produce much yet there is some startling news. The Telvian Empire has started construction on their latest project, with almost all the mages, blacksmiths, and alchemist in their empire being called to work on it." Lieutenant General Ross said. Most of the people in the meeting wrote it off as nothing, The Telvian Empire constantly tried to make advancements in many fields but failed to show anything that could threaten the other continents. Seeing no one react, the Lieutenant General kept speaking. "Next, some of our fortresses in the west have seen less and less activity from the Diavol. Apart from a few skirmishes they are scarcely seen around." "Maybe they are planning a large assault." A different Lieutenant General said. "Well, winter is approaching soon, maybe they are preoccupied with their food situation." Glen Marbot spoke up. "Well whatever it is, put out a request to the Mercenary Union for scouting and investigation." General Holchester said, contemplating something. The Diavol were a human like race who occupied 1/4 of the continent, they were only second to the human race in terms of population and have been more or less antagonistic towards humans since the black pillar arose. The Diavol had several characteristics to tell them apart from humans, the tips of their ears had pointed tips, but not as exaggerated as elves, incredibly pale skin, and a bone like structure that usually protruded from the middle of their foreheads, although they weren't horns and the shape varied. "A small cult is being reported in the Northern cities, causing minor disruption but so far nothing too threatening." Lieutenant General Ross stated. "We'll inform the Temple, if they choose to send paladins then so be it." General Holchester didn't give much though to it, a small cult wasn't anything worthy of assembling soldiers over, unless he was given word of human sacrifices or black magic, at most he would put out a request to the Mercenary Union to obstruct the cult. "There may have been a discovery of an Ancient Ruin that predates the calamity." Lieutenant General Ross said clearly. The attention of all those in the room was gathered, with the exception of Captain Avery, anything that predated the Calamity one thousand years ago was bound to cause an uproar, even the lowest artifact had the chance to uplift all progress towards magic, weaponry, and alchemy. "We will send funding to the excavation General, provided my family can send someone to explore the ruin." Glen Marbot spoke up before anyone could react. "We will have our blacksmiths send over various tools to expedite the process, General, following the same conditions Sir Marbot asked for." Wesley Fairfax said calmly. "Great, further details we be discussed at a later date." General Holchester shot a glance toward Captain Avery but didn't say anything. He was one of the few people aware of a rumor regarding the true strength of the Thynne Family. An Ancient ruin probably wouldn't be enough to move them. "Finally, We are here to inquire the motive of Captain Avery in killing a portion of her own knight squad. Captain Avery are you aware of the pending charges?" Lieutenant General Ross finished talking and put the report down. All eyes in the room turned to Captain Avery. Captain Avery made a faint smile, at that moment she was wondering about something else entirely. This small matter to paint her as a woman who would kill her own knights was concocted by someone within this room by her guess. "I am." Captain Avery said. "Then it's time to begin." General Holchester spoke up. ........................... w/n: (unedited) My laptop charger has been working on and off, but I finally got a new one so I should be able to add more chapters soon.
Chapter 14 Spoiler: Read More "Where?" Ira opened his eyes to a small room, the only source of light was a candle that constantly flickered. The only objects in the room were a table, which held the candle, two empty chairs next to the candlelight, and the bed which Ira occupied. "......." Ira scanned the room but his senses didn't seem to work properly. "Over here." The voice of a young boy echoed throughout the room. Ira turned to look but couldn't find the exact source of the voice. "Over where?" Ira looked around the room, but nothing could be seen outside the radius of the candlelight. "Here." The voice responded, sounding much closer. Ira turned his head to see an adolescent boy sitting in the chair next to the candlelight. The boy had pitch black hair which seemed to blend in with the darkness, much like Ira, his eyes alternated between red and yellow. The colors changed in a rhythmic flow, slowly switching between yellow and red. His clothes were completely black and very similar to Ira's own. "You're..." Ira held his chin and stared at the boy. The boy mirrored his actions. If anyone else was present they would've guessed Ira and the boy were siblings. "Ha! It's you!...your voice is different but it's you. " Ira clapped his hands together and had a look of realization on his face. He slowly stood up from the bed, patting his clothes. The boy silently watched. "So, I'm not dead am I?" Ira scratched his head and asked curiously. "No." The boy responded. "Good. That would suck if I did die." Ira walked to the table and sat in the remaining empty chair. "Ha. 'Did die', see its kinda like dead die." Ira spoke while laughing before he cleared his throat and continued. "Ahem. So...uh...are you gonna..." "At this rate you'll be dead soon. It's not looking so good..." The boy interrupted, he smiled and pointed upwards. "...Out there." "Uh..." Ira was at a loss for words. "Listen I just want to get back so can you-" "Your bloodline." The boy interrupted again, a small grin on his childish face. "Is the exit that way?" Ira stood up and walked towards the darkness. "Ding!" Ira hit an invisible wall, it seemed as if the boundary of the candlelight was as far as he could go. "Well that's dumb." "Ding. Ding. Ding." Ira tapped the boundary with his finger repeatedly. "Hey, do you know why it's like this?" Ira turned around to see the boy standing right behind him, causing him to jump in surprise. "Woah! Don't just stand there, at least say something. I couldn't even hear you move." Ira chuckled and clutched his chest exaggeratedly. "Well? Gonna say something?" Ira asked casually. The boy slowly raised his hand. "Your experiences so far have been... A little hard on your body. That last one even more so. I've decided to help you... Grow." He raised a single finger. "What are you talking about?" Ira asked curiously. "I should at least let you know." The boy chuckled as his finger slowly went towards Ira's heart. "This might hurt." As soon as the boy finished speaking his finger touched Ira's chest. An indescribable pain ran through his body, it felt as if every single cell was set on fire. The pain spread from his heart to the rest of his body quickly. The boy stepped back with a grin and went to sit at the table. "AAAAAAUUUUEEEEGHHH!" Ira fell to the floor clutching his chest. "What...did...you..." Ira spoke through clenched teeth. "Crunch. Crunch. Crunch." Instead of responding the boy ate a pastry that he appeared to pull out of thin air. "Better...not...be...mine..." Ira said incredibly slowly, groaning loudly after each word. The boy finished the pastry and dusted his hands. "If I were you, I'd be worried about other things right now." The boy spoke leisurely as he raised his hand over the candle. "Well, you staying here and screaming is a little... Annoying. So I'll send you on your way." "Wait...you...fu-" "Whoooosh." The boys hand snuffed the candle out and with the fading light, Ira also disappeared. "Ha ha ha ha. Dead die." The laughter of a boy could be heard echoing around in the darkness. ................…................................. "A few weeks ago, your squad was assigned to escort village kids to the capital, is that correct?" Lieutenant General Ross spoke. The conference room was now silent, only Lt. General Ross and Captain Avery would talk. "Correct." Captain Avery responded plainly. Lt. General Ross' slightly twitched at her response. Although she was lower in rank she didn't call anyone "Sir", not even General Holchester. "So why is it you've only come back with eight, including your First Lieutenant, who seems to be missing his legs?" Lt. General Ross asked. "Well I killed seven, and cut First Lieutenant Robert's legs off." Captain Avery responded in a sarcastic tone. "Insolence! General Holchester, we must imprison her, she committed a crime against the kingdom with no regard for the consequences!" An old Lt. General shouted abruptly. Captain Avery grinned faintly and slightly readjusted her posture. "That's enough. We will continue with our inquiry before taking action." General Holchester spoke, he furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Captain Avery then at Lt. General Ross and nodded. "You've previously stated you were attacked by your own knights who were working with assassins. Is that correct?" Lt. General Ross asked. "It is." Captain Avery responded. "Captain Avery..." Lt. General Ross paused. "...The seven Knights who were incapacitated didn't witness the situation personally, the kids you escorted didn't see any of the fighting but heard it, and the boy who you claimed helped you is nowhere to be found currently. We've interrogated Robert but he has said, you hired that boy to help you kill off the Knights and pin it on one of your enemies, paid off the village kids corroborate your story, and in addition the bodies of the so called assassins were nowhere to be found when we sent a recon team to check... Is it true this is just a plot to incriminate another noble family?" Lt. General Ross said slowly. He was inclined to believe Robert, he believed the Thynne Family was failing and this was just a trick to try to hold on a bit longer. Wesley Fairfax held a taunting smile while Glenn Marbot kept a plain expression, the military men and nobles of the room had grim expressions, showing they also believed Robert's story to be true. "Lt. General, if I may speak frankly. That is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard, and if you actually believe that poorly constructed lie, then you aren't any smarter than that legless Knight." Captain Avery paid no attention to the angered expression of most of the people in the room and continued. "The biggest hole in that terrible lie is that I've yet to accuse anyone of anything. Also, why would I keep him alive if he would speak against me? You probably assumed that he would only tell the truth because he has nothing left to lose, seeing as he is missing his legs and his career is over at this point. I call that idiotic and naive, I have a good idea of who planned this already but I'm inclined to keep that to myself." Captain Avery finished talking and reclined in her chair, her eyes slowly hovering over each noble in the room as if she was a predator, the only one she didn't spare a glance at was Wesley Fairfax. "Insubordination." Lt. General Ross' face turned slightly red with anger as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. The other lower ranked military men in the room also followed his actions. "You are under military arrest until your official trial." General Holchester spoke solemnly. He couldn't allow the military to be made a fool of, even if the Thynne family was rumored to have a hidden strength. "Haah. I think all of you misunderstood something. There will be no arrest, no trial, and certainly no consequences." Captain Avery sighed lightly as she leaned forward. "There'd be no inquiry if I didn't need to confirm who made the mistake of taking action against my family, that's the only reason why I'm here. I don't think you realize why my family is never around, why we don't entertain these silly political games, why we aren't vying for control, why we show no interest in anything pertaining to the Kingdom's power balance. I didn't enlist in the military to gain influence nor garner support, neither did my mother, aunts, or cousins, before me. This was all for experience." Captain Avery's voice became louder. "It seems all of you have forgotten, you assume my family to be in shambles, that we've fallen beyond repair. Unfortunately for you that is the furthest thing from the truth. Apparently a reminder is needed, if that's the case so be it." Captain Avery finished speaking and stood up, she drew a pendant from under her military jacket. By now everyone in the room wished to see her in chains, such an arrogant display and open disdain for the Kingdom was nothing short of treachery. "You're insane." "Delusional." "The mad ravings of a fallen noble." "Insolent wench!" "Traitor to the Kingdom." Insults and criticisms filled the room, but Captain Avery remained unbothered. "You should know that the price of treason is an immediate death. No matter how strong your family is, you also have included them in your treasonous statements." General Holchester spoke as he raised his hand. "Avery Thynne, I strip you of your military rank and sentence you to death immediately." General Holchester waved his hand and the men in the room drew their weapons. Shhhhing! Dozens of swords were unsheathed as the men slowly walked closer to Avery. Although many swords were pointed at her she didn't show any change. She raised the small pendant to her lips, upon closer inspection it was an intricately carved whistle made from bone. It held the shape of two wings on each side with the word 'Thynne' carved in between them. Avery gently blew the whistle, no sound was produced but she continued. "..." Everyone went silent upon seeing her. Maybe she was truly crazy, another fallen noble dead because of her arrogance and delusions. Avery tucked the pendant back into her shirt and smiled. "What was that going to do? You don't seem to recognize the situation." Wesley Fairfax started to taunt. He grew tired of the Thynne Family being called the number one family. Although they raised strong daughters, they had no influence over anything in the kingdom, other than a long history most have forgotten about they had nothing to brag about, or so he thought. "I'll be glad to see-" Before Wesley could finish. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! ............................................. A loud boom, akin to thunder, could be heard throughout the Kingdom alarming everyone. Buildings lightly shook and many people lost balance and fell to the ground. A lot of citizens were confused and panicked, some thought it was an enemy attack, others thought it was a sign from the Gods and began to pray. "W-What's that!" Someone pointed to the sky. A dark silhouette, too small to be a dragon but too big to be a avian creature, moved at a speed that was incredibly hard to keep track of. It cut through the clouds and headed towards the military building in an instant, leaving a continuous loud boom behind it. The dark figure made an abrupt stop in front of the the top floor of the Military center. "Oh Gods!" Ordinary people fell to their knees and vowed. While Mercenaries, Adventurers, Knights, and anyone else experienced with combat all tensed up, a thin layer of sweat covering their foreheads and palms. Even a dragon couldn't abruptly stop in the middle of its flight, in fact there weren't many things that could. ............................................... "What the hell..." A man holding a sword spoke. A few seconds after the loud noise it was strangely quiet. Everyone looked at each other then at Avery who grinned. She appeared as if she was looking down on everyone in the room. BOOOOOM! The top floor of the Military's center of operations was blown open. The tables and chairs flew sending the occupants flying with them. Only General Holchester stayed upright, but still was pushed towards other side of the room. Shhhing! He drew his sword and stuck it in the floor to slow himself. Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruk! The sword cut into the floor leaving a large scar through the floorboards, and only after twenty feet was General Holchester able to stop himself although he had to use a considerable amount of power to do it. Avery remained in the same exact spot, her hair was slightly disheveled but she was perfectly fine. A hand was on her shoulder and the owner of the hand was a beautiful woman with dark purple raven-like wings and bright silver eyes in comparison to Avery's duller shade of silver eyes, the woman's appeared to be glowing. The woman looked exactly the same as Avery, her dark purple hair was loose and hung down to her back. She wore a bright silver colored chest plate. Silver colored arm guards with leather straps. A leather battle skirt, over black tights. Dark brown leather boots with silver colored greaves. A sword in a simple brown leather scabbard also hung on her hip. Steam emerged from her armor, with a faint redness present on it, it appeared to be very hot, as the temperature in the room increased slightly. Avery remainder silent, crossing her arms and watching the occupants in the room. The woman sent looked around the room leisurely. Her eyes paused on General Holchester. "Ah, Major General Holchester wasn't it?... Well, maybe it's General now." The woman spoke in a plain tone, neither anger nor happiness could be found in it. She looked at General Holchester's emblems and noted his rank. Her voice was youthful but seemed to convey experience. "Do...Do I know you?" The General gathered his nerve and gripped his sword tightly. "Thirty years ago one of my nieces turned down the promotion to Major General, and recommended you instead. I remember when she spoke of you, 'A man with talents in swordsmanship and a sharp mind' I believe those were the exact words." The woman said non-hurriedly as she rested her hand on the pommel of her sword. "I think she wanted to stay in the military, if it wasn't for family circumstances I'm sure she would've stayed." The woman reminisced. "...Who are you?" A shaky voice rang out, the source of the voice was Wesley Fairfax who struggled to his feet. His clothes were torn and he suffered some bruises on his body from the impact. "Hmm. I could ask you the same thing. Nonetheless, my name is Casey Thynne, I'm sure you know my daughter, Avery Thynne." Casey introduced herself. She then turned to General Holchester. "General. My niece admired you, even though you are a human, she said you were wise and possessed great strength..." Casey Thynne closed her eyes. "I'm honored she would say that much about me. " General Holchester responded. "But I think she was wrong about one thing." Casey Thynne said, opening her eyes. The temperature in the room seemed to cool immediately. "...And what is that?" General Holchester stood up and gripped his sword tightly. "General, if I'm here..." Casey Thynne drew her sword. It made no sound as it was pulled from the scabbard but it carried an imposing force that caused the air to be still. The sword was very simple, a plain long sword with no blemishes, but it seemed to carry a history with it, an experience that could be perceived by the naked eye, just one look at it and anyone would instinctively feel that it was used in hundreds or maybe even thousands of battles. Everyone felt the change in the room and began to feel nervous. "...that means you aren't very wise at all." .................................................. *w/n: I know I've been slow but bare with me. My laptop screen is destroyed completely and I'm writing via mobile, but I haven't given up yet.
Chapter 15 Spoiler: Read More "What the hell?" As Lance and the others arrived at the Capital, smoke could be seen in the distance. A small crowd compiled of travelers, visitors,mercenaries, and merchants, were stopped at the front of the gates. The gates were locked and the guards had tense expressions. The civilians escorted by Lance and the others had expressions of excitement, although the journey here was rough it was way better than being locked in a cage. Ira was carried by Gerald in an impromptu stretcher, at some point in the journey he lost consciousness and developed a incredibly high fever. His tattered clothes and sweat soaked forehead illustrated his dire straits. The Slaver was bound and didn't look any better than Ira, his broken arm was most likely infected but he would get treatment after he was arrested. "Halt!" The guards shouted. "Until the situation is resolved, no entry is permitted!" A guard shouted loudly. "Sir, our friend has been cursed, could you send out a healer from the church?" Lance asked the guard. "Sorry, I have my orders." The guard responded as he looked at the crowd. "It's already been three hours, how much longer?" A thin man asked impatiently. His expensive looking clothes indicated he was a noble. "I'm sorry but I don't know. I'm sure not too much longer." The guard responded. "Tch." The noble sucked his teeth and turned away. Three hours ago the guards shut gates and locked down the entrance, when he asked how long the wait would be, the response was always "Not too much longer." All of a sudden the crowd began parting. A hooded masked girl, dressed in dark brown leather armor over black clothes, silently made her way through the crowd. A rapier was sheathed on her hip. Her mask was made of steel and only had two eye holes and two small openings on the sides made of mesh, for breathing and ventilation. The crowd wouldn't part if it was just another mercenary, they parted because behind her she dragged the huge head of a manticore, tied to a rope. "I-It's her!" A mercenary shouted. The crowd was confused by her appearance and didn't know who she was. "You know her?" A man asked the shocked mercenary. "I know of her! You should too. It's 'Rhys' the best mercenary in the union. She's ranked 1st out of everyone else." The mercenary shouted excitedly. The crowd was shocked, although they've never seen her, they definitely heard of her. "Woah." The man let loose a sigh of admiration. She had to be the richest non-noble in the entire Kingdom, although no one knew where she lived or what she did when she didn't work, the jobs she took on we're all high profile and high paying. The money from just one of the jobs she took could let at least three people live like nobles for the rest of their lives. It was also rumored that she was rated S- in terms of abilities, although the Mercenary Union didn't disclose that information to the public. Rhys silently continued past the crowd. She stopped to look at Lance and his group, specifically Ira. No one could tell what expression she held under that steel mask. Lance and the other could feel their heartbeats increase as they grew nervous. Rhys turned away after a short while and walked to the gate. "S-Sorry...N-No entry." The guard stammered. Rhys pulled a dark green card with golden letters out from her waist pouch. As the guard read it, his eyes opened wide in shock. "Entry permitted. Let only her in." The guard shouted to the men controlling the gate mechanism. Creeeeak. The gate opened slightly and Rhys made her way in, dragging the manticore head in behind her. The crowd looked at her back in awe, no one dared to raise a complaint in fear of provoking her. "Damn...How much longer?" Lance clenched his fist. Whether his frustrations were out of impatience or out of envy, only he knew. .................................................... Three hours earlier. Casey Thynne and General Holchester stood with their swords unsheathed. Dozens of soldiers rushed into the conference room with their weapons out. "General!" "Stay back! None of you are her match!" The General shouted. Casey retracted her wings and took up a fighting stance. General Holchester took a deep breath and assumed his own stance. Whoosh! Even without her wings Casey moved incredibly fast, in a matter of seconds she was in front of General Holchester. She swung her sword downwards. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! General Holchester blocked every hit just in time as sparks flew, but the force from the blows sent shocks through his body, displacing some of his organs. "Grand Slash!" General Holchester immediately used a skill, a translucent blue light appeared on his sword as he spun around and swung. "Not enough." Casey faintly said. Before the sword could make contact, Casey grabbed General Holchester's wrist, stopping his swing, and threw him onto the floor. "Ironheart!" General Holchester shouted as he rolled back to his feet. A silver light brighter than Avery's, encompassed his whole body. It gave his body the impression of a smooth metallic luster. As a combat veteran General Holchester wouldn't lose his nerve in front of an insurmountable enemy, he would stay rational and adapt as best he can. "Oh?" A faint grin emerged on her face. General Holchester assumed his stance once again. "It's too really too bad General." Casey sighed. Before the General could respond Casey spoke again. "Iron Will." A bright silver radiance covered Casey's body, silver light even emanated from her eyes. Currently she resembled a divine being, causing almost everyone in the room to feel deep fear, only the General maintained his calm but inwardly he felt something was amiss. Casey took some distance, then slowly sheathed her sword and lowered her posture, she looked as if she would pounce at any moment. "Swords were raised against my daughter General. May I know the reason?" Casey asked solemnly. "...She is suspected of murdering her own Knights and additionally made several treasonous statements...By kingdom law treason is punishable by being stripped of all titles and an immediate death." The General said grimly, as he looked back on the situation. In the first place Avery had no reason to kill her own Knights, but he decided to let the nobles continue their schemes as long as they didn't go to far. Sadly by scheming against Avery they already went too far, and it may have jeopardized the whole Kingdom. "Ah, so that was it." Casey put her hand over the grip of her long sword. "On behalf of my niece, I would like to show you a bit mercy. So if you can withstand this one attack..." Silver particles began to float in the air around Casey as she gripped her sword even tighter. Although her words were unhurried, they carried a certain weight, each one making the air feel heavier, the faces of a few nobles even went red as they struggle to breathe under the increasingly heavy atmosphere. Even the General felt it, a gnawing sense of incongruity. Every single fiber of his being told him something was very wrong. He felt it when Casey activated 'Iron Will', a skill that he had never heard of, it looked very similar to Iron heart, but seemed to be more advanced and stronger in everyway. "...I'll let everyone leave with their lives." Casey closed her eyes and stillness pervaded the room. "EVERYONE GET D-" General Holchester shouted but it was too late. "Absolute Draw." Casey opened her eyes and said in a low voice, as she drew her sword at a speed faster than normal human eyes could track. First, there was a blinding flash of light and then complete silence. When the light faded away, the damages could be seen. The military building which towered fifteen stories was in shambles. From the fifteenth floor to the tenth, half of the building was gone. A haze of gray smoke made its way into the sky. "ugh..." General Holchester laid in a pool of his own blood, a large wound ran from his abdomen to his chest, his forearms were snapped in half along with his fingers, bones protruded from underneath his skin, and his face was covered in blood. "Well done, I didn't expect you to be so...Intact." Casey raised her hand towards General Holchester. A white glow covered his wounds. "If you died, I wouldn't be a woman of my word. And although I can heal your life force, I think you can understand why I won't." Casey said indifferently and even a little bit sarcastically. Immediately the effects of the healing took place, General Holchester felt better as his wounds repaired at a speed that could put even the greatest healers to shame. "Be glad it wasn't my mother who came..." Casey spoke to herself before she turned to the other people in the room, the impact from her last attack caused them additional injuries that needed immediate treatment. "You all get to live another day..." Casey said and she walked towards Avery. Whoosh! Wings emerged from her back as she grabbed Avery. "...But who knows what tomorrow holds." Whiiiish! Casey flew away from the room that now lacked a roof. "General!" Lt. General Ross and all the other military men rushed over to General Holchester. "General you used your life force?!" Lt. General Ross asked confusedly. Using one's lifeforce was a last resort amongst warriors and mages, only in a life or death situation would someone supplement their life force to enhance one of their skills. Using your lifeforce meant taking a large portion of their soul and vitality, and then burning it away, giving the user a short burst of incredible energy. The strongest and purest forms of energy residing deeply in living creatures was their souls. Some even theorized the soul to be stronger than mana, an example was the soul contract which could cause immediate death to whoever broke it no matter how strong they were, but due to limited understanding it was a disregarded theory. In the end no one knew how to freely harness the soul, using your life force was one the crudest and dangerous ways to interact with the soul. "Heh,heh, heh. Can you believe she was holding back?" General Holchester gave a miserable chuckle. He knew his lifespan was shortened by many years and he may have many painful days to come. He stared at the sky above him, a faint look of regret on his face. .................................................... "There it is!" The people shouted upon seeing the flying figure re-emerge. After the figure flew into the top floor of the Military's center of operations, nothing could be heard from street level. Until a bright light appeared and disappeared, taking the half of the upper floors of the military center and causing thousands to feel fear and tension. No one could see exactly what happened as the light blocked out everything. "It's carrying someone." "Gods! It's a demon!" "Monster!" "No it looks like a woman!" "It's a harpy!" "What harpies do you know of that are that strong?" Pointless speculation buzzed all around but in the end everyone remained confused. But what no one noticed was a second dark silhouette flying, even faster than the first one, straight towards the King's palace. .................................................. Inside the Kings palace people scrambled to get the situation under control. Hundreds of guards and mages locked down the palace. The Queens, Princes, and Princesses were taken to the royal safe-room. An almost impenetrable construct made from ancient materials. "My King!" A heavy-set and balding man knelt in front of the King's Throne. King Windsor XIII sat with a King's dignity, maintaining his calm in an uncertain situation, his dark brown hair was lightly blanketed with white as he grew older adding to his serious temperament. Beside him were his two Death Guards, two incredibly strong warriors who followed the King everywhere. Their dark golden plated armor and fully covered helms made them very intimidating and even mysterious. As to why they were called his death guards? Well, they would follow him until their deaths. "Minister Rubin what's the situation?" "My King, I have just received word that the military center of command has taken heavy damage, it is unknown whether General Holchester is alive or not. A figure in silver armor with raven's wings was seen carrying someone out and flying away." "Hmmm." King Windsor held his chin in contemplation. "You don't think this has anything to do with the black pillar do you?" King Windsor asked. "My King, I think it is unrelated but still a thre-" Minister Rubin stopped talking as he felt a creeping sense of danger. The source was emitted from the entrance to the Kings hall. The King's Death guards also felt something wrong and moved to defend King Windsor. "Guards!" Minister Rubin shouted. Hundreds of guards in full armor, and mages poured into the Kings hall, and assumed a defensive position. Everyone stared at the two giant mahogany doors that served as the entrance to the Kings hall. By now everyone felt something incredibly powerful was behind those doors. Creeeeeeeeeak. The mahogany door slowly opened up. A figure with large wings covered head to toe in form fitting heavy dark steel armor was standing at the entrance of the King's Hall. Each of it's wings looked to measure at least seven feet. The chestplate was covered in scars of previous battles, some scars resembled claws of beasts and some resembled weapons. The figure wore a winged helm also made from dark steel, the right wing on the helm was broken in half and a long scar ran horizontally across the helm, under the visor. It's gauntlets were sharpened at the tips and resembled claws. A black leather battle skirt was also worn over the armor. In each of its claw shaped gauntlets it held a plain longsword and a round shield, and tied to its back was a sword shaped object wrapped up in a black cloth. The figure was most likely female, as the chestplate was clearly forged for a female user. "Identity yourself!" The man who looked to be the commander of the palace guards shouted. Everyone tensed up and prepared to attack. Tap. Tap. Tap. The figure soundlessly moved forward towards the arrangement of guards. The hall remained silent, only the breathing of the guards filled the room. Upon closer examination there were fifty or so mages in the rear of the formation, a small squad of thirty archers in front of them, and around one hundred and fifty guards. "Drop your weapon and stop or you'll be put to death!" The commander shouted hoarsely, he gave the command to his guards and they took up battle stances while the mages began chanting. "Attack!" The mages finished their chants and cast their spells. Dozens upon dozens of colors from different spells combined to light up the Kings hall. BOOOOOM! The spells all struck the same spot and created a small explosion. The durability of the Kings hall mitigated most of the damage, in addition the mages who didn't cast attack spells created a barrier to shield the guards from the impact of the spells. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of footsteps could still be heard through the smoke. "Archers fire when ready!" The commander yelled again. The figure shook it's wings and emerged from the smoke unharmed, and was immediately greeted by the sound of bowstrings being released. Fwip. Fwip. Fwip. Each arrow was deployed using a skill. Ting! Ting! Ting! Each arrow was blocked perfectly by the figure using the round shield, it appeared as if the shield was a magnet because each and every arrow looked as though it was shot directly at the shield. The commander raised his sword. "ATTA-" Thwack! Before he could finish giving the order to attack, the figure threw the round shield directly at his head, the force behind the shield throw crushed his skull, killing him instantly. The commander's lifeless body flew into some of the guards and slumped onto the floor. Everyone was shocked. The elite commander of the Kings guard was killed without a fight, the only noise to be heard was the footsteps of the figure. "AAAH! Protect the King!" A guard charged out, waking the other guards from their stupor. "PROTECT THE KING!" More guards followed, charging towards the figure. Shlunk! The first hot-blooded guard was met with a slash, his body being cut horizontally, separating him in two. The figure kept its leisurely pace and advanced. Shlik! Another guard was stabbed in the heart and lifted up, while the sword impaled him. Whoosh. The figure swung it's sword and flung the guard's weakening body towards a stone pillar. Splish! His body burst with his internal organs scattering, sliding down the pillar that held up the Kings hall up, desecration of the sacred hall was the least of anyone's worries. By now a mob of guards was in attack range of the figure, swords strikes coming from all angles. The wings of the figure fluttered lightly and covered the figure entirely. Dooong! The wings appeared fragile but were beyond sturdy, when the sword strikes hit them, a sound, resembling a giant bell being hit, rang out. The figure flapped its wings once and sent the closest guards flying away with the sheer force. Whoosh! It's talon shaped gauntlets grabbed a nearby guard, five sharp claws tore into his face and two of which, dug into his eye sockets. "Aaaaaauuuugggh! Help! Please! Aaaug-" The guard screamed terribly. Snap! The figure didn't prolong his suffering for too long, and snapped his neck by turning its arm with a firm grip on his skull. Whoosh! The body was thrown away carelessly at the crowd of guards. Bang! The body hit and knocked a few people off-balance. The guards tried to use many different skills but almost all attacks failed to produce results. The long distance between the figure and the king narrowed with each step, and each step was a death sentence for those in close proximity of the figure. It's overbearing swordsmanship was stronger than anything they had ever seen. "Lifeforce!" Three guards shouted simultaneously, as a small golden light shined through their armor, directly in the middle of their chest. They burned a portion of their lifeforce to attack the figure, a risky gamble but if they could kill the figure, not only would they save their brothers in arms, they'd also be rewarded immensely. The three guard who burnt their lifeforce attacked in unison. One jumped into the air and swung downwards, the second went towards the unarmed side of the figure and slashed, and the third stabbed directly at the heart of the figure. Whoosh! The figure used a wing to block its unarmed flank, moved it's sword to block the guard aiming for its heart, and grabbed the foot of the guard in the air. Thwack! The guard in the air was slammed onto the marble floor of the King's hall! "Arrrghh!" His body screamed in agony along with him, the figure, still holding his ankle, released him by tossing him into the air. Shlik! It thrust it's sword, stabbing the guard, who attempted to attack its chest, in the eye. The tip of the sword appearing at the back of his skull. Schlack! The guard who attacked the figure's unarmed flank was smacked by its wing, and sent crashing into a pillar. The last of the trio, who was tossed into the air almost hit the ground but instead he had his ankle caught by the figure once again. Thwack! "Kaeugh!" Thwack! "Geuagh!" Thwack! "Agh..." The figure repeatedly slammed his body onto the floor until the screams stopped and then tossed his limp body to the side. Thump. Blood spilled out of his warped helmet, and soaked the floor. It continued forward. The guards tensed up but prepared to attack anyway. "Enough!" King Windsor shouted. The guards, archers, and mages all made an opening and knelt immediately. The figure continued walking forward, in fact it never actually stopped waking forward in the first place. "Do you think you can win against it?" King Windsor asked his Death Guards in a low voice. "My King, at best we can buy you some time to escape." "I see..." King Windsor responded grimly at the response of his Death Guard. "My King, I believe you should escape." Minister Rubin said while kneeling at the King's side. "I won't escape my Kingdom at the first sign of trouble." King Windsor spoke in a dignified tone. He also knew even if he wanted to escape the chances would be low. Tap. Tap. Tap. The figure stopped ten feet away from King Windsor. He could physically feel the power emanating from the figure in front of him, as he stood up to meet the figure face to face. Vsshing! The figure sheathed its sword. All eyes turned towards the figure as tensions ran high. The Death Guard's were prepared to strike at anytime, ready to sacrifice their lives at the first sign of trouble. It raised his hands and pulled off its helm. Everyone in the room was beyond shocked by what was under the helm. A beautiful and graceful young woman with dark purple hair and bright silver eyes. Everyone in the room felt as if she was the most beautiful woman in the entire kingdom, maybe even the entire continent. No one could have guessed such a young woman would be so cold and merciless. Some of the guards couldn't help but to look at the scene of gore and carnage she left behind her. If anyone were to walk in at this moment they would doubt she was responsible for this gruesome scene. "Are you a daughter of the Thynne family?" King Windsor asked, he didn't take an overbearing tone nor did he take a complacent one. "Current Matriarch of the Thynne Family, Lauren Thynne." Lauren said, her elegant and youthful voice was just as surprising as her looks. King Windsor and Minister Rubin both made shocked expressions. The Thynne family hasn't been active in the Kingdom for years, they would send an extremely talented daughter out into the military briefly and call her back at a random time, but other than that not even the King knew of their situation, except a few rumors. "But I that would make you-" King Windsor lost his calm and tried to ask her a question, forgetting all of the people she just killed. "Hall of Records, 4th Era, Windsor VI, Under 'Kingdom's Miscellaneous Events' is a hidden page called 'Kingdom's Blessing' , you'll find your answers there." Lauren said as she took out the sword shaped object wrapped behind her back. The Death Guards placed their hands on the grips of their swords and stepped forward. Lauren frowned and raised her hand. "Death Sense." As she chanted a skill, her eyes flashed briefly. "Ah..." The Death Guards made a low exclamation, stumbling and falling onto the ground. They took incredibly heavy breaths, which sounded even louder because the hall was more or less silent. "Hey, what's wrong!?" Minister Rubin shouted. The Death Guards snapped back to reality, they looked up at Lauren as they shivered. Under their dark golden helmets were most likely expressions of fear. "I let them experience their own deaths. Specifically, numerous ways they could die if they tried to attack me." Lauren said indifferently as she unwrapped the object. King Windsor remained speechless, he couldn't even guess how strong she was and the amount of ways she could kill someone was unfathomable, his Death Guards would be traumatized from now on to say the least. Under the black cloth was a stone sword, along the blade were names inscribed into the stone. "As you probably know, this is an oath sword. Each name inscribed is under a soul contract and each of these names are all of the women of the Thynne family." Craaack! Lauren snapped the sword in half, numerous white lights emerged from the sword and flew off into the distance. One flew directly into Lauren, seemingly passing through her and disappearing. "The conditions were not followed, so the contract is broken." Thump! Lauren dropped the two pieces of the sword onto the ground, as she then turned to walk away, re-equipping her winged helm. Although it was rude to turn your back to the King, he had no mind to correct her behavior. "What oath?" King Windsor asked confusedly. "I've told you where to go already." Lauren said as she kept walking. The guards were nervous and fearful of every step she took. All of a sudden she raised her hand. Whoom! The round shield she brought with her flew directly into her hand, she then placed the shield onto her back and kept walking. "Unnoticed." Lauren said, activating another skill. Lauren's presence vanished immediately, everyone watching her back, felt as if they looked away she would disappear. She soundlessly stretched her wings and flew away, within a few seconds she was already gone. "...Rubin, get me the records she mentioned and call an emergency council meeting." King Windsor finally spoke, deep down he felt something was very wrong. .........…....................................... *w/n: this was a long chapter, hoped you've enjoyed it as much as me.
Nice job ! Prologue got me really interested. It's quite obvious why he would feel good when his mom and his dad experienced what he experienced. I mean get stabbed by a dagger repeatedly by your loved ones, what would you feel ? Great job man Keep going! I really like the mist-like void wolf it's cool in my imagination. One thing I don't understand though, why did the wolf just agree to give him his blessings ? I mean it didn't show that the wolf was interested in the child at all too. It doesn't say that the wolf pitied the child. It was kinda lacking in explanation
when you say soon, how soon? if I go to bed now, when I wake up will there be a new chapter? or if it's soon how long should I wait? plz tell me.
Chapter 16 Spoiler: Read More Inside a highly secure conference room, deep within the Kings palace, a group spoke. "My King!" A small crowd of nobles and military figures all spoke at once, bowing in unison. "Rise, and take a seat." King Windsor raised his hand and spoke. He sat at the end of a long conference table. Each of the guests took seats on both sides of the table. A few guests took noticeably longer to sit down, the reason could be gleaned from the bandages wrapped around them tightly. One of those guests was General Holcester, who looked sickly. King Windsor noticed General Holchester's condition. "General, just what happened at the Military Center?" King Windsor asked, feeling a bad premonition. "My King, After an inquiry into the actions of former Captain Avery Thynne, she made several treasonous statements, after attempting to execute her, she used a pendant to call for help...her mother, Casey Thynne, entered the building and after a brief conversation she attacked. I could barely keep up with her attacks, even while she was holding back. At some point she offered to spare everyone in the building if I could take on one attack of hers. Unfortunately to defend from the attack I had to use my lifeforce." The General said solemnly. The nobles stirred nervously, the General had an S+ combat rating, his lifeforce being weakened would dramatically affect his combat prowess. The Military figures who witnessed the battle, had ashamed expressions, they couldn't protect their General, who was integral to the Kingdom. "I see..." King Windsor had a grim expression, although the news of the General using his lifeforce was important, it wasn't as bad as the information in the Hall of Records. "I'm sure all of you noticed the traces of battle inside the my Hall. While the military center was attacked by Casey Thynne, my own hall was attacked by Lauren Thynne, the current matriarch of the Thynne Family..." King Windsor spoke as he surveyed the conference room. "Ah!" Several nobles couldn't help but gasp. "Dozens of my personal guards were killed without putting up a fight. Based on what General Holchester said and what I've learned recently, I'm willing to guess, Lauren Thynne held back dramatically." King Windsor continued. "I've received some startling information. The women of the Thynne family have the blood Valkyries running through their veins. I'll assume no of you know what Valkyries exactly are so I'll tell you what I've learned. My ancestor, King Windsor VI knew Lauren Thynne personally." It took those participating in the conference immense self-control not to loudly exclaim. "I know what you all are thinking, but wait until I'm finished to speak." King Windsor spoke seriously before continuing. "I will start by telling you all the characteristics of Valkyries based on my Ancestor's own experience. Valkyries are a race of winged females, they are extraordinarily talented in all aspects of combat, and even have amazing talents in magic. They are immune to aging but can aren't completely immortal, the strongest Valkyries can resurrect the recently dead. King Windsor VI made a personal account of his encounter with Lauren Thynne and after he received her permission to keep in the Hall of Records he titled it 'Kingdom's Blessing', her only stipulation in recording their meeting was that it would have to be hidden. Lauren Thynne visited Windsor VI to inform him of an oath the Thynne family took...It turns out, Lauren's father was a human from this kingdom, so her mother took an oath to protect this Kingdom as long as we didn't raise our swords at her. Lauren also took this oath as she married someone from this Kingdom, her daughters, and even their daughters also took this oath. Even though they agreed to protect this Kingdom, they would never become tools of this Kingdom, or allow us to move as we pleased knowing we had a guaranteed protector. Since the creation of this Kingdom, the Valkyries have been working in secret, eliminating threats all across the continent...Until now..." As King Windsor finished taking, the participants in the conference had worse as worse expressions. "My King, does that mean the reason the Diavol and the Dark Elves haven't moved against us is because of the Valkyries?" Wesley Fairfax who was also present spoke up. His arm was bandaged up and his hair was disheveled, the King called the conference soon after Casey attacked the Military center so he didn't have time to fix his appearance. "The dark elves also have very long life spans, so it's safe to assume they know of the Valkyries, the Diavol live slightly longer than humans so they won't remember directly, but it could be that they have records of the Valkyries." King Windsor responded as he contemplated. The mood in the room couldn't get any worse, although some still held notions that they would be alright without the assistance of Valkyries, deep down they knew just how bad things could get. "Do anyone have any solutions?" King Windsor asked, as he looked around everyone had one thing in common, a hopeless expression. "My King, maybe we should take some of the males of the Thynne family and hold them as collateral, we can then force the Thynne family out of the Kingdom." A thin noble, with a weasel like temperament spoke up. "When Lauren Thynne visited me, it wasn't just to tell me the oath was broken. I'm sure any one of her daughters could have done it instead. Her presence itself was a message, and do you know what that message was?" King Windsor asked in a stern tone. "My King, I-I don't have any ide-" The weasel like noble knew the King was upset and responded meekly. "Lauren Thynne came personally, not because she is obligated to...Not because she is her family's Matriarch...but simply because she can. Before Lauren Thynne left my hall, she used a skill that made her presence disappear, that should tell everyone one thing...If she decided so, she can come and go as she pleases and none of us can stop her!" King Windsor berated the Weasel like noble and realized just how hopeless they were. "Any more solutions?" King Windsor asked angrily. "My King, We could try to apologize and maintain a good relationship with the Thynne family." Minister Rubin suddenly said. "Hmm, We will do that as soon as possible." King Windsor nodded in agreement. "Any other suggestions?" King Windsor waited but no one else came forth. "Send word to lift entrance restrictions, collect the debris from the military center for study, and start repairs. In regards to the newspaper outlets...Tell them it's classified information and although leaks are probable, prevent them for as long as possible. Dismissed." King Windsor ordered. "By your orders my King." Everyone responded in unison. The conference ended in a lethargic atmosphere. .......................................................................................................................................................................... At one of the Capital's gates the order was received to lift restrictions on the gate. "Everyone enter in an orderly fashion, have the gate fees prepared before you line up." The Gate Guards collected the fees and finally let everyone in. "Grab Ira and let's go." Lance ordered everyone. Although the civilians wanted to immediately depart there was still a process they had to go through or they might be punished. They would be asked to give a statement about their situations and have their identities confirmed and after that they would be free to go. The Slaver was scared beyond belief, he wanted to believe his employer would rescue him but it seemed doubtful. He was in good health, with the exclusion of his current situation, he was exactly the type of criminal that would be fought over fiercely in auction. "Damn it..." The slaver cursed in a shaky voice. If he wasn't bound in rope he would've runaway one hundred times by now. Lance and his party took Ira to the closest clinic, at each entrance into the Capital there was a small clinic built, it worked more efficiently to save lives. A male healer came out to meet them, he was an old man with grey hair, who wore glasses, which gave him a scholarly temperament. "What's wrong with him." Instead of greeting them, the healer went directly to Ira, he noticed the slaver was hurt but could see he was tied in rope. "He's been cursed." Gerald response first. Sarah, Valerie, and Zella nodded their heads. The healer held his hands on Ira's head, even though it was dangerous as there were some curses which could move from person to person, luckily Ira didn't have one of them. The healer's expression changed rapidly to surprise and shock. "H-How is he still alive?!" The Healer asked. "I don't know what you-" Lance was confused by what the healer meant. "Not only is it a chain curse, but these are advance curses. His internal organs are deteriorating and something is causing an infection. Right now his body is regenerating at an extremely fast speed but it can't stop the curse." The healer looked at Ira in amazement, he had to wonder what the gave him his incredible regeneration. "Sir." Lance interrupted the Healer's train of thought. "Ah! Yes, you have to take him to the temple." The healer ran to get a piece of paper, stamped it with a personal seal, and rolled it up. "My name is Baret, tell them I sent you and give them this." Baret placed the rolled paper into Lance's hands and urged them out. "Gerald you take Ira to the temple with this, we'll take these civilians to the Mercenaries Union." Lance said as he handed the paper to Gerald, who nodded in response. "Meet us at the Union building when you're done." Lance said before he turned and led everyone away. Gerald tied Ira to his back and began moving quickly towards the temple. ................................................................................................................................................. Under a familiar white pagoda, Casey and Avery sat waiting for Lauren. By now Casey changed out of her armor and was wearing a backless black dress and sandals. Avery who was rarely seen without her military uniform was now without it, instead she wore a black jacket made from cotton, a white button-up shirt, tan pants, a brown leather scabbard, holding her saber, across her waist and matching brown leather, military style boots. As they drank tea, a woman in a black dress similar to Casey's approached them. "Grandmother." "Mother." Avery and Casey both greeted Lauren as she appeared. Lauren nodded in return as she sat down, a maid ran over to fill her cup with tea. She took a sip before she began talking. "Avery, it's a pity you can't get experience from the military but we have alternatives for you." Lauren said as she smiled at her granddaughter. "Yes, Grandmother" Avery nodded. "That boy you spoke of should be back by now right?" Casey asked Avery. "Someone from the Mercenaries Union will send word when he comes back, Mother." Avery responded. "Send word for everyone not to leave the Capital. In two weeks call everyone back to the manor." Lauren ordered, a serious look in her eye. "It will be done, mother." Casey said, noticing the change. "Avery, take care. The upcoming days will be hard on you but it'll help you." Lauren said as she rose up. "Yes, Grandmother." Avery bowed her head slightly. Lauren turned around and made her wings appear, she extended them and flew away back towards the mountain. "Once you find the boy, give Aldis a visit and catch him up on everything." Casey said as she extended her wings. "Of course, mother." Avery responded. Casey nodded and flew away towards the mountain in the distance. Avery stood up and sighed, rotating her shoulders. .......................................................................................................................................................................... *w/nunedited.) Two things. One, I'm excited for the next few chapters, not gonna spoil anything though. Two, I'm thinking about naming chapters after I get to chapter 20.
Chapter 17 Spoiler: Read More Ira opened his eyes. “…Again.” He said to himself as he sat up. He found himself inside of a medium sized room filled with beds, plain white sheets, and small tables next to each of the beds. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. As Ira ate, he scanned the room for his belongings. A brand new black shirt and black pants were on a table next to him and his boots were at the foot of the bed. He stood up and began dressing. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. He continued eating pastries as he strapped his boots on, he gave a few kicks. “Hmm. Something feels different.” He shook his head and walked towards the exit. As he opened the door and stepped out of the room, he found himself within a hallway lined with small stone statues on each side, with a candle above them. He could hear someone walking down the hallway and decided to walk towards them. Tap. Tap. Tap. As he closed in he could see the person. A handsome young man with dark blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing bright steel knight armor with religious markings walked towards Ira. “The exit is the other way, everyone is attending a prayer ceremony and you aren’t welcome to join.” The young knight spoke in an annoyed tone. “Ah!” Ira held his hand to his chin as he sized the young knight up. “You seem familiar.” Ira stared at the Knights face with a puzzled expression. “You don’t need to know who-” The Knight tried to speak but was interrupted. “Yeah! That’s it! This annoying girl looked just like you. Man, she was really stupid. I mean really stupid. I don’t think I can tell you just how dumb she was.” Ira laughed as he spoke, seemingly oblivious to the Knight’s deteriorating expression. “Im telling you the truth, hard to believe someone is as stupid as I say right? Ha, her and her Knights were pretty mad at me that day. I just thought you reminded me of her…because of how dumb you look.” “…” The knight was at a loss for words. “There we go! That’s the exact expression she made, and I gotta tell you…you look like a fucking idiot.” Ira looked as if he had an epiphany before he laughed loudly and turned. “You insolent br-” The Knight erupted in anger but noticed Ira was already walking away. “Come back here! You’ll learn not to insult the honor of a knight again.” The Knight reflexively reached for his sword but realized he didn’t have one. The temple didn’t allow anyone to carry weapons inside, all of them were confiscated at the entrance and held by the temples Paladins. “Roy.” An old bald man in white robes approached the blonde knight called Roy. “Grand Priest Karson.” Roy made a small bow. “This is the best time to keep a calm head. It’s been two days since the Military Center was attacked. You are a son of the Fairfax family, I am the Grand Priest of the kingdom, we must lead by example for the people of this Kingdom.” The Grand priest said stoically. “Yes, Grand Priest.” Roy was inspired by the Grand Priest words and felt as if he carried a large responsibility, that only he could fulfill. ………………………………………………………………….. Inside of the entrance hall of the temple, A boy with black hair and yellow eyes stood in front of a hooded man. “A silver sword, should be inside a black scabbard.” Ira described his sword. “Name.” A hooded paladin in white robes asked. “Ira.” Ira responded. The paladin went into a room with a carved wooden door. A few seconds later he came back with Ira’s sword. “The temple accepts donations.” The paladin handed over the sword, while he pointed to a painted vase in the center of the room. Ira walked over and pulled out one hundred gre and tossed it into the vase under the watch of the paladin, before making his way outside. It appeared to be around noon, Ira walked down the steps leading away from the temple. He eventually turned around to see the whole temple building. A large grey temple made from limestone, concrete, and a variety of other materials. It looked as if it could hold around ten thousand people inside and another ten thousand outside of it. “…” Ira shrugged and walked down the temples steps, and at the bottom he could see a woman wearing a hooded black cloak over a dark grey jacket, a white collared shirt, tan pants, brown leather boots and a saber on her hip, climbing the steps, causing Ira to grin. Even though she wore a hood he could tell it was Avery without much effort. “You don’t seem like a person who was recently cursed.” Avery said as she tossed something towards Ira. “Well, I was and I wouldn’t recommend it, Miss Avery.” Ira caught the object and examined it to find a wad of ten thousand Grenitian bills tied together. “The Mercenaries you worked with told me how to find you, and also gave me your portion of the reward and please stop with the ‘Miss’.” Avery said plainly. “I thought the payout was only ten thousand. Didn’t they take a portion?” Ira stored the money in his void space. “Apparently a few of those captured civilians had a few missing person requests on them. So they received a lot more than they originally thought.” Avery explained. “I need to talk to you about what you’ve missed these pass few days, If you aren’t busy I hope you can accompany me a few places.” She continued. “Alright, catch me up on the way.” Ira agreed, following Avery down the temple steps. …………….. “Aldis Thynne, Amy, and Clark! You have visitors.” An academy attendant shouted as he stood in the cafeteria area. A lot of students reacted with envious gazes, unless they had strong families who could bend the rules, no one was allowed to have visits outside of designated times, and visitors usually weren’t allowed within academy grounds. “I bet it’s them.” Amy said excitedly as she ate her food. “I feel like it’s been awhile.” Clark thought of Benjamin as recalled seeing Ira for the first time. “…” Aldis remained silent. By now their first month in the academy was over and they were moving into the second, slight changes could be seen in physique of everyone by now. Clark who had an average build now looked a bit sturdier, Amy now had more definitive muscles, though she still looked girlish, and Aldis didn’t change much, compared to the Thynne families own training regimen, the Capital Academy wasn’t much to complain about. Ira and Avery were guided into the cafeteria area. “Did they really do that?” Ira chuckled as he asked. “…” Avery grinned in response, silently confirming. During the walk to the academy, Avery recapped the latest events, explaining her family’s bloodline, detailing the destruction of the Military Center, and finally, told Ira how her Grandmother “visited” the King. As they entered the cafeteria area, they were met with dozens of gazes. Currently Avery wasn’t wearing her hood, her looks drew the attention of males and females alike. Ira was also evaluated by the academy students, he wouldn’t lose out when compared to Aldis, but while Aldis had a cold temperament, in comparison Ira seemed more unruly as he sported a mischievous grin, his yellow eyes and lengthy black hair was also very eye catching, and there appeared to be a tattoo on his left hand. The strangest thing were the beast people, who stared at Ira deeper than anyone else, confused expressions on their faces. “Ira, Miss Avery!” Amy stood up and waved them over. Ira and Avery walked to the table and sat down. “Get any stronger?” Ira asked Amy, as he reached over to her tray and took a piece of steak. “Hey! I could probably win against you if we fought with spears only!” Amy said as she swatted Ira’s hand away from her food. “Good thing I don’t fight with spears then.” Ira grinned as he chewed. The intimate actions between Ira and Amy spurred jealously from females at other tables. Ira thought nothing of it, and Amy was used to Ira’s peculiar habits so she didn’t mind either. Avery watched on with a faint grin. “What about you Clark, can you wield a sword now?” Ira snatched away a slice of bread from Clark before he could react. “No…but I’m learning martial arts.” Clark said as he watched Ira take a piece of his food. “That’s good too.” Ira said as he continued chewing. He then turned to Aldis. “Avery’s brother right.” Ira said as he took a bread roll from Aldis. “I’ve heard about you.” Aldis ignored Ira’s shameless behavior and instead sized him up. “Yeah? Good things I hope.” Ira grinned and took another bread roll from Aldis. “I know it might rude, but do you think we can spar-” Aldis asked suddenly. Although he wasn’t loud the whole cafeteria managed to hear him. “Aldis.” Avery said interrupting him. “If you want.” Ira said as he grabbed a slice of steak from Aldis’s tray. Avery looked at Ira, who in turn shrugged. “Aren’t you still recovering?” Avery asked, to the ears of everyone it seemed she was concerned. “I’m fine.” Ira said as he stood up. “Lead the way.” He continued as he looked at Aldis. Avery, Amy, and Clark all stood up and followed behind Aldis and Ira. At once the whole cafeteria stood up and followed behind them, the attendant wanted to stop them but he was given special instructions to treat Aldis Thynne with care. At the foot of the wooden stage Aldis grabbed a dull sword, and climbed onto the stage. Ira undid the scabbard on his waist and tossed his sword to the side, exchanging it for a dull practice sword. By now word reached most of the first year academy students and some of the later students, if Aldis decided to challenge someone they must be strong. A crowd gathered on the stands around the sparring stage, no one noticed but there were an abnormal amount of beast people attending a human fight, something that didn’t happen often. “Aldis, don’t hold back.” Avery cautioned, she knew firsthand that Ira’s strength wasn’t something most people would expect, or be able even cope with if they were taken by surprise. Aldis nodded and took up his stance on one side of the stage. Ira was busy swinging the training sword a few times before getting on the stage. He rotated his neck a few times as he grinned at Aldis. “Whenever you’re ready.” Ira said. “Ha!” Aldis gave a short exclamation as he charged out with his sword overhead. Ira remained in place, with the training sword hanging limply in his hand. Many people thought Ira was being arrogant when he just stood there or that he was unskilled and became scared. Whoosh! Aldis swung downwards as the sword went straight for Ira’s head. Thump. A dull sound, that was enough for most to hear, resounded from the stage. Most people were shocked at what they saw. Ira reached out and caught the sword in his hand, stopping Aldis’ swing completely. It was unorthodox, even though the sword was dull there would still be a chance for an injury if someone willingly took a hit from it. But what happened next increased the shock factor for everyone. Kurrrrrr. Ira applied pressure to the sword, causing it to sound as if it was crying in distress. Snap! Under the immense stress the sword broke in half. Aldis looked at Ira with wide eyes. Whoosh! Ira moved incredibly fast as he ducked low and did a sweeping kick, knocking Aldis off balance, but before Aldis hit the ground Ira grabbed his collar an lifted him off the ground with one hand, throwing him back to his side of the stage. Aldis spun in mid air to recover, and landed on his feet as he slid backwards from the force of the throw. The crowd was silent. Aldis was arguably one of the strongest people in the academy in terms of swordsmanship, but the mysterious yellow-eyed youth seemed to be able to deal with him with just strength. “Hahaha!” For the first time in a long while Aldis laughed and for some reason Ira began chuckling too. Aldis laughed because he finally found a good person to spar against, he could spar with his cousins or his sister but it would be nothing more than swordsmanship, fighting his sister, or his female cousins would only lead him to a loss, no matter how hard he fought. Aldis didn’t want to just test his swordsmanship he wanted to be forced to adapt in the middle of battle, and Ira’s strength and speed gave him the perfect environment to do so, he could tell Ira wasn’t as skilled as him in regards to wielding a sword but he would have to find a solution to get around his strength. As Ira laughed, he tossed his training sword over to Aldis, who caught it and took up his stance once again. Avery watched Ira closely, his strength and reflexes seemed to be even better than the last time she saw him. “Again!” Aldis shouted as he charged. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Aldis cut, slashed, and stabbed towards Ira who dodged his attack fluidly. Thump! Ira blocked a sword strike towards his side with his forearm and Aldis took this time to deliver a kick towards Ira’s chest. Thump! Aldis had his foot caught by Ira’s hand, he was then swung upwards. Aldis spun in the air before aiming his sword downwards and using the momentum to thrust downwards. Ding! Ira moved backwards as the sword struck the wooden stage, luckily the stage was made from enchanted wood which was sturdy enough to handle the more “promising” students. A few instructors were informed of the situation by the attendant who escorted Ira and Avery in, they went to see for themselves just how strong this yellow-eyed boy was, and they weren’t disappointed. “Hold on a second.” Ira paused for a second. He hopped off the stage, which confused a lot of people, was he giving up? Under the curious gazes of the spectators, Ira took off his shirt. Although he looked thin with clothes on, he had highly defined muscles, Amy noticed they improved from when she saw him last. Ignoring the gazes on his body, Ira grabbed his silver sword, and drew it from the scabbard, tossing it to Aldis as he hopped on stage. “I don’t want you to cut my shirt.” Ira explained. Aldis grinned as he put the training sword in his non-dominant hand. No one at the academy knew it yet, but Aldis true skilled lied in his ability to dual-wield swords, his defense was offense. Aldis rotated the swords in both hand getting a feel for the sword Ira gave him. “Oh? You can use both?” Ira asked. Aldis smiled in response, it seemed that all the Thynne’s shared the same mannerisms. Avery raised her eyebrows, she knew her brother secretly trained in dual-wielding but he never made much of a display of it. Aldis once again charged toward Ira. Plik! Swoosh! Plik! Plik! Ira was grazed by the swords as he attempted to dodge faint cuts formed on his arms. Aldis skillfully switched between over-handed and underhanded grips, his footwork was quick and explosive as he spun and twisted while wielding his swords. He pushed himself as hard as he could, swinging his swords without restraint, his change surprised everyone including Avery. She guessed he was training his dual-wielding in secret and when he was strong enough he would show their mother. “Sha!” Aldis shouted in exclamation as he felt he wasn’t moving fast enough. His footwork got even faster, if he messed up just one time he would stumble and lose his footing, his mind relaxed as he let his instincts take over. Shlik! Shlik! Shlik! Aldis’ hits started leaving deeper cuts, although the training sword was dull, the sword Ira gave him was sharp. Ira didn’t flinch when he was hit but grinned instead. Pak! Pak! Ira delivered a two hit combo on Aldis’ chest. “Heugh.” Aldis’ coughed, even though Ira restrained himself he still hit with a substantial force. The crowd watched on the edge of their seats, they were completely absorbed in the sparring match. But Aldis was the most immersed, he slowly relaxed his mind, completely relying on his instinct and reflexes. Avery nodded in approval, her brother was close to understanding the advanced level of swordsmanship. A few instructors also knew that Aldis was improving. “Quickstep!” Aldis closed the distance after activating a skill. “Haaa!” He shouted loudly. “Quickcut!” He swung the training sword faster than before aiming at Ira’s shoulder, even if the sword was dull, under the use of a skill it definitely cut. Everyone focused on the training sword. Thunk! Ira swung his arm in response with incredible force knocking the training sword out of Aldis’ hand. Whoosh! The sword sailed through the air. While everyone was focused on Aldis losing the training sword, he simultaneously thrust the sharpened sword at Ira’s abdomen. Shlunk! The sound was loud enough for the silent crowd to hear. Only a few people saw Aldis move the second sword. “Heh,heh.” Ira chuckled. The sword was stabbed directly through his left arm and emerging on the other side, slightly poking his abdomen. He grabbed the sword by blade and pulled it towards him. Shlik. Shlik. The sword found it’s way into his body and he pulled Aldis closer. Aldis was shocked and fiercely gripped the sword, if he let go right now he felt he would lose, his desire to win increased as he watched Ira. Shlik. A good portion of the sword was buried inside of Ira’s abdomen by now, as blood slowly pooled under him. Aldis was now within arm’s range. Ira titled his head back. Bang! He head butted Aldis causing him to stumble backwards and fall. Shlink. Ira pulled out his sword and tossed it aside, sending blood flying with it. Whoosh! He made a short leap through the air and came down foot first aiming for Aldis’ body. Aldis rolled to the side to dodge. Thuuum! The wooden stage made a loud noise. The force behind the stomp, caused the stage to buckle. Aldis rolled to get up, but Ira was already in front of him. Pak! Ira punched Aldis directly in his stomach, causing him to lean forward. Thwack! Aldis was met with Ira’s kneecap as he flew backwards before hitting the stage. Aldis rolled, and climbed to his feet. “Hah…hah…hah…” He attempted to catch his breath as blood dripped from his head. The crowd was speechless, both Ira and Aldis were incredible in their eyes, but Ira took an injury straight on without even blinking an eye and even injured himself just to hit Aldis, it was something they would talk about for days to come. “We’ll end it here.” Avery’s clear voice woke everyone up from their stupor. When Aldis used a skill on the training sword he simultaneously thrust with the sharp sword, while the few who witnessed it thought it was amazing, Avery knew just how much control it would take to perform a move like that and he did it instinctually, it seems her brother was more talented than he even knew. “””Wooooooooooh!””” The crowd of students erupted in cheers. Even some instructors couldn’t help be caught up in the mood and clapped. Clark was speechless, while Amy’s eyes flashed a strange light. Avery wasn’t as awe stricken as everyone else, but she looked at her brother inquisitively. Aldis wiped his bloody forehead and smiled. Aldis knew Ira had to hold back, he heard about his strength from Amy and Clark, he thought it was exaggerated until Ira caused the stage to buckle. It was clear he accidentally forgot to control his strength. If Ira used his full strength, he probably would’ve lost when Ira grabbed broke the training sword in the beginning. Ira grinned at Aldis, before picking up his sword and walking off the stage, storing it back in scabbard. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. While fastening the scabbard to his waist, Ira began eating a pastry, no one seen just where he got it from, but that wasn’t what they were paying attention to. Ira had an injury that needed to be taken care of but he ate instead, his odd behavior raised a lot of eyebrows. Avery approached him with a cloth and a canteen. “Mhm…Thanksh.” Ira spoke while his mouth was full, he grabbed the canteen and drunk some of water, then he poured the rest onto the cloth and wiped the blood of his body. “Wha-” Those who were close enough to see Ira stared directly at him. His wounds were already closed as they appeared as two thin red lines, as for the small cuts they were completely gone. “…No need to stare.” Ira said as he put on his long sleeve black shirt. Aldis made his way off the stage and walked over to Ira, he saw the wounds up close, he knew better than anyone that his wounds healed to fast to be called normal. “Aldis, In two weeks come to the estate. It’s an order from Grandmother.” Avery said to Aldis in a low voice, who nodded his head in return, he wiped the blood from his face and drank from his own canteen. “Aldis…” Ira approached him as the crowd quieted down. Aldis turned to look at Ira. “…You ever think about joining the Mercenaries Union.” Ira asked. “I’ve thought about it, but-” Aldis tried to respond. “If you do join, partner up with me, yeah?” Ira interrupted, he chuckled as he walked away. Students began to disperse, they were on their way to the find their friends and tell them of the sparring match they missed. Right now many were excited and wanted to train even harder, a few enterprising noble children eavesdropped and heard that Ira was mercenary. They would personally request him for jobs and try to earn his favor, an abnormally powerful youth with no family backing would be an asset all families coveted. This small sparring match would definitely be passed from ear to ear in noble circles. “Amy, Clark. I’ll see you guys later.” Ira said his farewells. “N-Next time we’ll spar.” Amy stated in a determined tone. “Well you better start training harder now.” Ira chuckled, Avery walked up to his side, nodding toward Amy and Clark, as she continued walking. “You held back.” Avery stated as she put her hood on. “Well, I didn’t want to accidentally kill your brother, anyway where to next?” Ira spoke casually. “My Mother and Grandmother are interested in meeting you as soon as possible.” Avery said cryptically, choosing not to elaborate any further. “…Alright.” Ira thought Avery was acting strangely, but paid it no mind. As people watched Ira leave, the beast people watched the most intensely. “Did you feel it?” A boy with canine features asked. His ears pointed outwards at the sides and were hairy, he also had teeth that were slightly more pointed than humans. Beast people didn’t look that much different, they didn’t have animal ears or fur covered bodies, but some grew to be hairier than humans. If they were to hide their ears or teeth no one would tell the difference between them and normal humans. Beast people who leaned more towards feline features, were similar but their pupils narrowed ever so slightly, not enough to be called cat eyes though. Both types would still have abilities that set them apart from humans such as; better vision in dark environments; Stronger bodies and higher agility; and higher tuned instincts. “Yeah…I felt it.” A beast person with feline features responded. They both watched Ira’s back, confused and even a little fearful. ……………… Inside of a small dining hall, with humble furnishings. “Master. We’ve reached out to the Order of The White Rose, but they’ve refused to accept anymore contracts…” “…That relate to the Thynne Family.” Two hairless men in red robes, spoke in turns. “So they’ve heard the truth about the Thynne family already.” A man responded with a gentle voice, as if he was speaking to his children, he swirled a wine glass in his hand. Most people would recognize him as Glen Marbot. He sat at the head of a long table, by his side sat a pale woman who looked sickly, even so she still had a trace of beauty. “No matter, as long as we can get that boy with the yellow eyes we c-” Glen was interrupted by the sound of coughing. “Ehek…Ehek…” The woman coughed harshly, she raised a handkerchief in a rehearsed manner and covered her face, blood could be seen from the corners of her mouth. Glen stood up and ran to her side. “Ethel, my love.” Glen Marbot, moved his hands slowly, as if the woman was fragile and could break at the slightest touch, devotion could be seen on his face. “I’m fine…Glen.” The woman, Ethel, responded weakly as she held his hand. “Would you like to go see Anastasia, my love?” Glen asked in a quiet voice, it was clear this woman was his weakness. “Glen…” Ethel spoke quietly a trace of sadness in her voice. “Come, I’ll help you.” Glen held her protectively as he escorted her out of the hall, the two men in red followed behind them silently. Eventually, Glen descended stairs leading to a basement. Muffled groans of agony could be faintly heard. They walked past rooms with steel plates doors that resembled prison cells. At the end of the hall was a room with two wooden double doors, it was hand painted with murals that seemed to be made for children. “Open the door.” Glen ordered the two men in red robes. They moved to open the double doors, they took extra precaution as they opened them. “You two wait outside.” Glen said as he guided Ethel in. The room was decorated with children’s toys and the walls were painted with fairies and animals, inside of a tranquil forest. The room even included a crib with expensive looking blankets and pillows inside. The most eye catching sight was a plain table near the back of the room. A long cylindrical glass jar filled with a bright green peculiar liquid, a strange object floated inside, the jar was locked and bolted to the table, it was clear that the utmost care was put into holding this jar in place. Glen guided Ethel to the jar. If anyone were to stand in front of the jar they would know that the object inside was a fetus. “Glen you don’t have to…” Ethel spoke with an incredible amount of melancholy in her voice. She turned her pale face towards Glen and place a hand on his cheek. “Shhhh.” Glen looked at the jar and placed a hand on it. “Do you still love me, after the things I’ve done?” Glen suddenly asked. “Glen.” Ethel leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his lips. “I don’t want you to walk this path…I know I’m a terrible wife, but when I die I don’t want-” Ethel tried to speak. “Don’t!” Glen exclaimed as he held both of her hands. “Please…don’t…I don’t want to lose you…I don’t want to lose her…I promised you, our daughter will survive, you will survive too…It’ll be ok, so just…” Glen clammed up, as he held Ethel. “I’m sorry Glen.” Ethel grew teary-eyed as she watched Glen. ………………. As they left the room, and walked past the plated steel doors, Ethel stopped. “Glen…please.” She stopped in front of a door and placed her hand on it. Glen nodded and signaled for the two robed men to open it. Creeeeeeak. The door opened and showed a dark, low-lit, room. “Alone, Glen.” Ethel said. “But-” Glen protested. “Please.” Ethel smiled weakly. “Just for a few minutes.” Glen said as he kissed Ethel’s head. Creeeeaak. The door closed leaving only Ethel inside. She walked over to a table and lit a new candle. A variety of things were on the table such as, brushes, a canteen, and a few cloths. Ethel grabbed the canteen and a cloth and walked over to one corner of the room. There was an adolescent girl bound in chains. Dried blood decorated her face, her cheeks were gaunt, and her lips were cracked, her hair was dry and covered in dirt, her clothing was in utter tatters and scars could be seen of recent injuries. In short, she looked despicable. Ethel walked over to the girl and poured water onto the cloth. She slowly crouched down and wiped the girls face clean. The girl slowly stirred awake. “Ahn…” The girl slowly raised her head, as she shivered in fear. Ethel paid no mind as she continued to wipe her face clean, she lifted the canteen to the girl’s lips slowly. The girl tried to drink from the canteen as fast as she could. “Gently.” Ethel whispered softly as she let small amounts of water pour from the canteen. “Hah…Haah…” The girl breathed deeply after drinking. Ethel walked back over to the table and placed the canteen and cloth back, she then grabbed a brush and went back to the girl. She kneeled down and slowly brushed the girl’s hair. “W-why…do…you…let…him…” The girl spoke haggardly. “I’m sorry…” Ethel said as she stopped brushing the girl’s hair. “You see him as evil…as heartless…I can understand…but I can’t bring myself to hate him.” Ethel stood up and walked over to the table. “…I blame myself for all of this…if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t…” Ethel became emotional. “Pl…ease…” The girl raised her head and begged. “I’m sorry.” Ethel hurried out of the room. Creeaaak. The door opened and shut quickly, leaving the chained girl alone. Her eyes grew dim as she watched the door close. Outside of the room Glen patiently waited. “Are you ready?” Glen asked politely. Ethel nodded her head and let Glen guide her out of the basement. …………………….. *w/n: 5000 words in total, things are shaping up.
Chapter 18 Spoiler: Read More After paying for a carriage, Avery and Ira arrived at her family mansion in a few short hours. “Hmmm. Not what I pictured.” Ira looked at the large mansion, which likely could hold dozens of families, his expression was one of light surprise. “Oh, and what did you picture?” Avery asked. “More…Guards I guess.” Ira couldn’t see any guards anywhere, just two stone statues of the family’s previous matriarch, Kara Thynne. “The statues are magic and come to life to fight off intruders.” Avery stated indifferently. “Really?!” Ira eyes widened as he stared at the statues. “No.” Avery chuckled as she opened the gate. “…Not funny.” Ira drooped his shoulders in disappointment. Avery led Ira directly to the front doors of the mansion and just opened them. The reason for front doors that didn’t lock was simple, they weren’t needed. Inside the Thynne Manor weren’t many decorations. All the furnishing were made of a dark oak wood. In the entrance hall were a couple dozen leather seats and couches. As they walked further in they came to the dining hall, large doorways were on the left and right sides, both leading to two identical staircases, one side led to the rooms of the males and if they were married their families would also be there. The other side was for all the females with Valkyrie mothers, the females were constantly in training and thus occupied their own section of the manor. There were a few people eating who stood up to greet Avery. She nodded and continued, the people currently occupying the dining hall were the children of the males of the family and lacked the Valkyrie bloodline. They weren’t treated badly, but they weren’t catered on either. Some of the girls who didn’t have Valkyrie mothers, chose to serve as assistants for those who did. If they could earn the favor of a Valkyrie, their status in the house would definitely increase. After passing the dining hall, they exited the manor through a back door, ending up in a garden. A stone pathway lined with flowers on each side, led to a white pagoda. Two servants sat outside of the pagoda on wooden benches, upon seeing Avery, they stood up quickly and bowed. “Bring some tea please.” “Yes, Ma’am” The servants bowed and walked into the manor. Avery walked up to the pagoda and sat down, Ira casually took a seat next to her. Avery took a pendant from under her jacket and blew on it once. Even with his senses, Ira couldn’t hear anything. Still, he didn’t say anything and just waited. He gazed at the mountain ranges in the distance, and the he noticed a figure flying towards them. “Heh.” Ira couldn’t help but to chuckle excitedly. Avery made a faint grin when she saw him. Whoosh! A woman wearing a black dress arrived at the pagoda and landed lightly. Her wings gently fluttered and then retracted completely, disappearing without a trace. Ira examined her closely and was inwardly surprised, he instinctively felt she was strong. The woman looked exactly like Avery, save a few minor differences, currently Avery had her hair put into a ponytail while Casey had her hair cascading to her back, which help set them apart. The woman looked at Ira as she sat down. “My daughter speaks highly of you.” Casey said, a trace of excitement was hidden deep within her eyes. “I’m honored to hear that.” Ira responded, a little unsure of how to proceed. Casey smiled and held up her hand. A small orb of light appeared. “Mother, the boy is here.” She said to the orb and then waved her hand, making it disappear from sight. At this time, two servants appeared with tea and pastries, placing them onto the table and silently retreating. Casey grabbed a cup and took a sip of tea, Avery followed suit and also grabbed a cup. Seeing them do so, Ira grabbed a cup and some pastries. Although he was uncertain, he adjusted to the situation. Whoosh. All of a sudden another woman wearing a black dress appeared. At this point Ira expected that Avery’s grandmother would look young, and his expectations were met. All three women appeared to be in their very late teens, or very early twenties. Lauren swept her gaze over Ira and he felt his instincts go haywire. He suppressed his urge to jump back and create distance, and instead looked directly at Lauren. “Good.” Lauren nodded her head and sat down and placed a small bag on the table, while her face held a pleased expression. She took a few sips of tea before speaking. “Avery should’ve told you we wanted to meet you personally, I hope it wouldn’t be too much of a problem to see your status card?” Lauren asked. “No, it’s fine.” Ira waved his left hand and produced the status card from thin air. Both Lauren and Casey took note of the black sigil on his left hand. Lauren took hold of the card. • Name: Ira • Rating:B+ • Growth Capacity:<Unknown> • Bloodline:<Unknown> • Blessings:<Unknown> • Mana Capacity:Low • Passive Skills:Abnormal Strength, Abnormal Reflexes, Abnormal Senses, Abnormal Comprehension, Abnormal Regeneration, Abnormal Instincts, Novice Swordsmanship, Apprentice Martial Arts, Abnormal Metabolism(New) • Active Skills: short-range teleport(???) Lauren showed no surprise, it was just as Avery said. “Are you aware what your bloodline is?” Lauren asked, curiously. “No.” Ira didn’t look too interested in his own bloodline, which everyone present couldn’t help but notice. “We have a more advance way to check, I hope you’ll allow us to.” Casey spoke up. Avery looked as if she wanted to say something but refrained from doing so. Ira took another pastry and grinned. “Alright.” He shrugged his shoulders relaxedly, signifying his agreement. Lauren reached inside of the bag she place earlier and pulled out a glass card. It was very similar to the Kingdoms status card, except instead of blue glass, it was white. “It works in the same manner as the Kingdom’s own.” Lauren handed over the card to Ira. Ira grabbed it and tried to focus on it. • Name: Ira • Rating:A- • Growth Capacity:<S-> • Bloodline:<Unknown> • Blessings:<Unknown> • Mana Capacity:Low • Passive Skills: Inhuman: Strength, Agility, Reflexes, Senses, Regeneration, Instincts, Endurance. Greater Metabolism, Greater Physique, Night Vision, Self Adaptation, Temperature Regulation, Decelerated Aging, Bloodline Resonance, Lesser Beast Manipulation, Genetic Mutation(Inactive). • Active Skills: Short-Range Teleport, <Unknown>(Sealed). Ira widened his eyes as he looked at the card. Ever since he woke up after being cursed, he felt he had changed. “Why is this card different than the Kingdom’s card?” Ira asked curiously as he still held the new status card in his hand. “The status card isn’t omnipotent, each card carries information from a manufactured index. Things that aren’t stored in the index can’t be listed.” Lauren patiently explained. “Oh.” Ira nodded in understanding, he glanced over the card a few more times before handing it to Lauren. As Lauren received the card she lifted the tea cup to take a drink. “Ah.” Lauren lightly exclaimed. Crack! The teacup shattered in her hand. Casey leaned over to see the card and was rendered speechless. Lauren was most surprised by the cards inability to read the bloodline, it was highly likely that Ira had an incredibly rare bloodline, that may be on par with the Valkyries. “You share similar qualities with beast people or lycanthropes, except your own abilities are miles stronger.” Casey said as she looked closer at Ira. She guessed his black hair and yellow eyes were probably traits of his bloodline. Lauren handed the card over to Avery, who heard her mother explain and already knew Ira, was prepared for something unexpected, surprise couldn’t help but escape her expression. The new status card placed Ira’s current rating around the same as hers, though she had to remember her bloodline had yet to awaken. “Ira.” Lauren spoke seriously, causing Casey and Avery to listen carefully. “I would like you to marry my Granddaughter.” “…” Ira held a deadpan expression, but Lauren paid no heed and continued. “If you choose to marry other women that’s fine too, but Avery must be your first wife.” Lauren stated sternly. “…” Ira looked at Lauren and saw she was completely serious, and then turned to look at Avery who didn’t look to be in disagreement. “You don’t have to answer immediately, but we’d like to hear your answer before you consider any other marriages.” Casey spoke up this time. Avery remained quiet, she wasn’t a pampered noble girl who would get embarrassed over talks of marriage, and since she had yet to awaken her bloodline she couldn’t speak brashly to her Grandmother. “I agree.” Ira said casually, which was a bit unexpected. “Ira.” Avery attempted to caution him about a rushed decision, but Lauren sent her a meaningful glance. “Then it’s settled, I brought these just in case you turned out to exceed my hopes.” Lauren reached into the bag and pulled out two smooth white rings. Lauren handed a ring to Ira and Avery. “These rings are carved from the bones of an Elder Thunderbird. As far as ceremony goes, you’ll both have to put the ring on the others hand.” Ira turned to Avery, with the ring in his hand, he slowly put the ring onto Avery’s left hand. Avery, who’s face held a faint smile, repeated the same motions and placed the ring on his left hand. The rings glowed and then dimmed, they were now perfectly adjusted onto their ring fingers. “And with that, you’re now engaged.” Lauren said abruptly and then turned to a servant. “Bring out some wine, something aged and ceremonial.” She ordered, the servants bowed in response and went into the manor. Ira and Avery weren’t in love. They got along well, but it couldn’t be called love yet. But even though their engagement seemed a little forced to say the least, it didn’t really bother either of them. As far as Avery saw it, she probably wouldn’t get along with anyone else like she did with Ira. As far as Ira saw it, things wouldn’t change much if he said yes. Ira looked at Avery and waved his left hand, Avery rolled her eyes in response. “Hahahaha.” “Hahahaha.” They both tried their best to stifle their laughter. ……………….. *w/n: Who saw that coming? Am I right?