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An Otherworldly Scholar - 67
🕑 Added 2023-11-01 15:02:36 +0000 UTCTime stood still in the manor’s front yard.
The silver storm clouds suddenly tore open and radiant sunlight bathed the battle-worn armor of the king’s soldiers, casting warm golden gleams. A timid breeze stole a small wave on the green and yellow flag, making the embroidery stag appear as if it was ready to flee. Firana passed by my side, her fingers brushing my shoulder in a last attempt to hold on something familiar. She continued until she was face to face with the captain.
The weight of an impending destiny pinned me on the doorway. The die was cast, perhaps since before my arrival at the orphanage.
“This belongs to you now. I’m sorry, kid.” Captain Garibal said, offering the elongated silk-wrapped object with his only arm.
From the sideline, Kellaren Odrac-Aias observed the scene with lupine interest, as though he stood guard to ensure the ritual remained undisturbed. Firana reached for the silk-wrapped object, her eyes reflecting the grim determination of someone who had suddenly shed the last vestiges of childhood.
I tried to swallow but the lump on my throat refused to budge.
Firana accepted the silk-wrapped object from the captain’s hand and ceremoniously unfolded the silk. A bright red scabbard with gilded lining. The heirloom of the Aias family. Firana drew the sword from its scabbard, revealing a charred blade that shimmered with a mix of silver and obsidian hues. And yet, the sword seemed dead, ashen.
The reality we have been ignoring for months suddenly hit us.
Firana was the last of her lineage.
“We would be truly honored to have the support of the Aias family.” Captain Garibald said, although his eyes went over Firana’s shoulder towards me.
The Captain knew Firana was still a kid.
“And the Aias shall indeed answer the call.” Kellaren Odrac-Aias declared, his voice raising until it resonated through the whole front yard.
No. Firana wasn’t answering any calls. I stood forward and rested a hand on Firana’s shoulder, if only to let her know she was not alone. My eyes darted around the front yard. Two dozen of the king’s soldiers, nearly the same number of guardsmen, and ten warriors from Kellaren’s faction stood in front of the orphanage. I had no clue about the underlying alliances and tensions between these groups.
Was this a standoff, or were we screwed beyond hope?
Elincia moved through the doorway without making any sound and positioned herself by our side. Two of us against more than fifty of them. No matter the numbers, there was no trace of fear in her factions, just a profound resolution.
“You will have an answer after we mourn our dead, Captain.” Elincia declared.
Kellaren stepped forward, his arrogant expression suddenly soured by Elincia’s words. “You don’t have anything to mourn. You are not an Aias.”
Elincia looked at the man with disdain. “And neither are you.”
Then, she grabbed Firana by the shoulders and gently guided her into the orphanage. Kellaren stormed towards the manor’s entrance, followed by his troop of mercenaries. I put my hand on the hilt of my rapier, blocking his path. My gesture of defiance made Kellaren’s eyes shot open, his face suddenly disfigured into a mask of sheer rage.
I put all my chips on the fact the guardsmen were going to prevent an unnecessary bloodshed. The king’s soldiers, on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure. I needed to attract Captain Garibal to my cause.
“You won't keep me away from my own niece, peasant.” Kellarent barked. He unsheathed his broadsword, making both the stag soldiers and the guardsmen tense up.
I didn’t need [Awareness] to know his acting was awful.
“Firana Aias has been living in this orphanage for the past two years and no relative has ever visited. Where were you when your niece needed you the most? Where were you when she needed guidance and company?”
I let the hilt of my rapier go and opened my arms in a gesture of defiance. Despite the recent influx of money, the facade of the manor was still pitiful to say the least. It wasn’t a secret for anyone, foreigner or not, that the orphanage wasn’t an hospitable place. At least in appearance.
“We have fought with teeth and claws to give the kids a good life, and I will not let anyone take them from us!” I yelled.
“Firana is the head of the family now. As the [Aias Heir], she has the duty to guide us, isn’t it, Captain?” Kellaren replied, any trace of nobility from his Aias blood had been buried deep by the greed and anger of his nature.
Kellaren’s words seemed to resonate with Captain Garibal.
“There is truth in his words, Caretaker. The Aias lineage is as old as some noble houses. Being born an Aias isn’t just a matter of blood but a legacy that she must uphold. If Firana was blessed with traits, she has a duty with the Kingdom and its people.” Captain Garibal said.
A smile of satisfaction was drawn on Kellaren’s face. “Firana has been blessed with traits. Not only one one but two at a time. She has a bright future ahead, with the right… guidance.”
Murmurs rose between the stag soldiers and the guardsmen. One trait was already a rare occurrence, but two was almost unheard of. I clenched my jaw, this damned weasel had everything planned from the beginning.
“I understand your stance, Captain. Firana is the heir of the Aias family, but she is also a kid. She just learned her whole family is dead and I don’t want to see her rushing into the Farlands, searching for revenge that there’s none to be found. Firana needs to grieve and get her Class before she’s ready to lead a mercenary force.” I said, looking at the captain’s missing arm.
The battered armor and wounded soldiers were more than enough proof of the dangers of the Deep Farlands. However, that was a two edged sword. It was evident that the campaign against the Farlans was in a tight spot and they needed all hands they could gather.
“I won't let my niece be tainted by this man’s weak will.” Kellaren raised his voice even more.
“Firana is not even an adult yet.” I replied, barely containing my rage.
It was clear to me that Kellaren only sought to exploit Firana’s grief. After years exercising as a teacher, I was familiar with the type. He had no genuine concern for the girl, he only viewed her as nothing more than a useful pawn. I felt disgusted with my own imaginations.
“I’m Firana’s family and I intend to take her with me whether you like it or not.” Kellaren declared as he stepped forward.
Neither the captain nor the guardsmen made any move to stop him. The ‘Law of the Strong’ was deeply engraved in the peoples of this world. I loathed it. Nasiah was right about me. I couldn’t continue denying my disdain for the customs of this world. I wanted to shape it to align with my own ideas, even if it meant to use force to achieve it.
Maybe I was the biggest hypocrite in the world, but Firana wasn’t just a paycheck that could be taken by the biggest bully.
My mana surged like a tempest, casting bright blue sparks upon the manor’s stone steps. The scars within my mana pool were torn apart by the sudden surge of power. Under the walls of my mana pool, the fountain of infinite mana brightly shone through the open scars. I gritted my teeth as the Corruption clawed to my chest like a thousand tiny needles. I had been able to control this forbidden power once, now I needed to do it once more.
I shut my eyes and envisioned my mana pool. The walls were coming apart as the scalding rays from the fountain touched them. Pain blinded me for an instant as I looked at the shining ball of the most pure strands of magic. Tapping into it wasn’t meant for humans. My consciousness weavered but [Awareness] continued working in the back of my mind, now free of all restraints.
I opened my eyes. Not even a second had passed, but my body pulsated with magic energy. I conjured a mana blade before me, unlike its usual blue glow, this one radiated with pure, radiant light. Kellaren stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened. Did he know I was a Scholar? Even the king’s soldiers let out gasps of surprise. I knew the reason. Being a caretaker wasn’t a line of work for someone with such powerful skills.
Soldiers and guardsmen began to step back, giving us more room to fight.
I hated every single one of them.
Slowly, all my corrupted skills came back to life. [Identify], [Awareness], [Intimidate], and [Stun Gaze], all were now bright lights ready to be reached upon in the back of my mind. Despite the blazing pain of the Corruption, I felt strong again.
I crossed my arms over my chest and identified my opponent.
Name: Kellaren Odrac-Aias, Human.
Class: Warrior Lv.41
Titles: Silver Warrior, Charismatic, Weasel,
Passive: Riding Lv.5, Swordsmanship Lv.5, Interrogation Lv.7, Extortion Lv.6, Haggling Lv.4
Skills: Rally Troops, Fearless, Iron Skin, Puncture, Armor Fortify, Taunt, Armor Break, Berserk.
I grinned. Despite Kellaren’s skills, it was a relief to be able to identify people again.
With simple mental command, the mana blade shot forward, aiming directly at Kellaren’s face. As expected from a Lv.41 Warrior, he repelled the attack with ease. His control over his body and his weapon was perfect. Then, I launched attacks from the right and the left, executed feints and unpredictable strikes, I even swung at him from angles no ordinary human could, but nothing broke his defense. If anything, he had gained ground on me.
“I will kill you!” Kellaren bellowed.
I had no intention of repeating the same mistake I’d made during my encounter with the thieves. When my life and the lives of the kid were on the line, I wouldn’t hesitate anymore. I was an hypocrite, yes. I preached understanding and non-violence, and yet I was more than ready to make heads roll.
I conjured a second mana sword and then a third, channeling the power from the Fountain out of my body. It burned. Every single fiber of my body felt ablaze. Kellaren, however, defended himself without breaking a sweat. He was faster than Elincia and stronger than Dassyra. To make matters worse, he even stopped to hype the audience every time he managed to get away from a particularly difficult position.
Kellaren was mistaken on a very important point. He was not toying with me, I was measuring him. Perhaps, ‘assessing’ was a more appropriate term, and I already got an accurate prediction of the man’s skill.
With a simple gesture of my hand, I summoned a dozen swords, each hanging in the air, pointing at my adversary like bullets ready to be shot. Then I conjured a dozen more. [Awareness] meticulously accounted for every angle, every possible strange contortion a human body could resort to avoid the attack. Kellaren was too busy fending off the three mana blades to realize what I was planning. His men, however, appeared to realize my intentions, but it was too late. Their leader was surrounded.
The trap I had laid around my rival snapped and a barrage of dozens mana swords shot at unison. Kellaren’s grin was instantly erased by a brilliant flash of blue light. Out of nowhere, a protective dome of blue mana materialized around the man, causing my swords to bounce and vanish on an spectacular explosion of white sparks.
I didn’t recall seeing any skills like that on Kellaren’s sheet.
[Awareness] suddenly informed me that my attack had been nullified by a Fortifier’s spell. I remember seeing the same protective bubble during the duel between Sir Janus and Lord Tirno. It hadn’t occurred to me, the force field could be so strong.
On a subconscious level, I felt a strange sense of relief that my attack failed.
“Enough!” Captain Garibal bellowed, and his soldiers quickly formed a straight line between Kellaren and me.
“B-but my niece! I won’t be at peace unless she is with her family once again.” Kellaren pleaded with a pitiful voice, his performance still going even after the scare of his life.
The man’s act nearly made me forget any relief from my killing attack being stopped. However, throwing another attack seemed to be impossible with the mana shield dividing us.
“I saved your life today, warrior. Don’t waste the chance I’m giving you.” Captain Garibal said.
Although his voice came out more as a petition than an order, the rest of the stag soldiers didn’t interpret it in the same way. In a synchronized movement, the soldiers aimed their billhooks towards Kellaren and his group. Nobody moved but vast amounts of mana surged their armors and weapons. Fortifying skills, [Awareness] told me. Even for Kellaren and his men, twenty soldiers were too much.
Kellaren gave me a murderous look but he understood the battle was over. His expression hinted he would return another day. I tried to quell my anger. Even if I had killed Kellaren, there were likely another dozen distant relatives eager to see Firana assuming the leadership of the family. I shook my head. This wasn’t a problem that I could solve with violence alone.
When Kellaren got lost among the old buildings of the Northern District, a sudden prompt startled me.
New skill acquired: [Mana Mastery]
It has been a while since I got one of those, conversely, it had been a while since I leveled up. I closed my eyes, and a moment later, my brain was kneaded by the System to make space for the new skill. It was uncomfortable as ever.
Mana Mastery: An improved version of [Mana Manipulation] unlocked by those Scholars capable of controlling great amounts of mana with utmost precision. Prestige Class requirement.
Suddenly, my legs gave out and I stumbled on the stone steps. Every fiber of my body was burning, and I felt as if I was going to puke fire. Yet, the worst sensation was the Corruption slithering through my body. It was more than the mere physical sensation of a sea of needles moving under my skin, but I couldn’t yet put it into words.
“Are you okay? Should I call one of my healers?” Captain Garibal asked as he crouched in front of me.
“I’m alright, it’s just a case of Mana Exhaustion. I’ll take a Mana Potion later and it will be okay” I quickly replied.
The Corruption had to remain hidden.
“Can I know your name, Mister Caretaker?” Captain Garibal asked.
Quite the strange inquiry following such a performance.
“Robert Clarke, Scholar, at your service.” I introduced myself with my last forces.
The captain was set aback. At that point of my stay at Farcrest I was used to the surprised expressions of those who knew I was a fencing Scholar.
“Scholar?! If you can control that amount of mana, you must be close to becoming a Sage. Or are you aiming for Tactician? You should be studying at the Imperial Library!” Captain Garibal said.
He had a good eye but I shook my head nonetheless.
“Most of them were mere illusions. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do” I muttered.
The Captain nodded and I staggered my way inside the manor. As soon as I closed the door, my legs gave away and I fell, face first against the wooden floor. Then, it was all darkness.
Comments
SageAvalon
Robert flexing is always nice
Art
rob went god mode fr fr
