V2: Chapter 2:

…

Interlude: Riegert

…

My axe found its way into the beast's spine and it roared once before relinquishing its hold on life. Its great mass soon floundered and fell onto the ground with a heavy thud, and I leapt from its back a moment later.

No sooner did my feet touch the ground did I find someone else before me.

"Captain." I was greeted by Gunther. His face was sour and wrinkled, and his head bereft of a single hair. However, he stood tall and mighty. Only a headless tall as I. If he had the chance to attend the Academy, a mighty warrior from legend would've arisen upon the continent. As he was, he made up for his lack of understanding with a keen mind for strategy. He made for a good lieutenant. "You're slower than usual. Missing your daughter?"

He'd be better without such a sharp tongue.

"Yes, I am. Just as I've said the past ten times you've asked." I grumbled and shook my head, while refocusing on the battle. My personal guard was putting down the lesser kin of the immense spider. Orbs of light filled the ceiling of the dark cave that we fought in, showering the many large webs of the place with light, and allowing us to fight in the depths. "But Ilych is where she's meant to be."

We couldn't hope to give her what she needed with us.

The Academy was the only place where she could reach her true potential.

Still…

"I'll keep asking until you believe it, Captain." Gunther chuckled and shook his head, before gesturing at the end of the massive cavern that we fought in. "I do believe that's the gate the scouts mentioned. Do you still have the key?"

"Of course."

We moved forward. The sound of battle against chittering, many-legged creatures fading as we proceeded to be replaced by the footfall of disciplined boots.

At the end of the cavern was a gate, like many others, of the Ancients.

"For those who reclaim what was lost." I breathed out the words written again and again on the doors. Millennia since their downfall, and unmaintained, but the Ancient's contraptions remained whole and hale. The massive sealing door was the size of a castle gate, impossible to move with strength, and yet with me simply pressing a slip of a metal enchanted by the Ancient's against it… the letters changed. "Take everything and fight."

The Ancients hid, they stored away legendary treasures, and died forgotten amongst all the races.

Why?

Who was so powerful that the Ancients could do nothing but run and hide and be forgotten forever?

These questions burned in my mind, as the simple gate our people couldn't hope to move, let alone construct, lifted itself up to grant us entry.

What lay beyond was a room of pure marble and gold. Shelves once full lay empty and barren. Stands for full suits of armor deprived of anything to hold. Racks for weapons unknown to us laid against the walls bereft of their ancient wonders. It was looted, everything, and all that was left were things that the Ancients themselves could not bear to ever think lost.

"It never gets old, does it?" Gunther murmured, as we stepped inside. He spoke of the cleansing magics that drifted over us. Grime, dirt, and even small cuts faded from our bodies and energy returned to us. "If these places weren't so far, we could make a killing just to walk in."

"You'd use what little power this place has left within a few years." The Ancients did not leave behind their sources of true power. None of that remained after their destruction. All that was left were things that called upon the ambient energy around the world, just like many of their Artifacts. Places like this one would have its stores easily spent, but take long to replenish. "Then, you'll wait decades to have it return."

"Then, I'll just have to make enough to get rich within those years, no?" Gunther chuckled and I laughed lowly myself. We reached the end of the place, where the vault was. I felt a gaze upon me, settle upon the slip of a key that I held, and it hissed open to release air that the Ancients once breathed. "Damn. No treasure this time?"

"You'll get your dues for the danger presented." Gunther grumbled, but he was content. The pay was generous and we had plenty of healers. Our soldiers knew to stay with us. "Give me the cannister?"

"Huh, really? It doesn't look that dangerous, Captain."

"The Ancients rarely make anything look dangerous."

"And, now I'm afraid to take another step without some lucrative assurances, Captain."

"Bastard."

"Heh."

Still, Gunther handed me the canister and I made my way to the singular treasure left in this "safehold."

It was a short spear, barely half my height, yet the script upon it was nothing but endless warnings. No other artifact came to mind when I compared it to all that I recalled. By all intents, it seemed to only be a blood-red short spear, which any blacksmith with the proper materials could make. The metal canister we had was developed for centuries by all those who studied ancient technology, and its insides were lined with innumerable protections against magics and attacks.

Still, my instincts screamed at me to approach it with care… and it saved my life.

"Captain!"

"I'm fine."

I grunted as I pulled the spear back and away from my face. My hand was scored by innumerable barbs that erupted from its surface. This was a weapon composed for the finest elite soldiery of the Ancient's undead armies: the Guardians of the Moon. It supped upon my blood and lengthened, empowering itself with every drop that it drank, but it was still weak… and the cannister's protections accounted for its power.

The excess mass sloughed off it once near the container, and soon enough Gunter was chanting a low spell to fight off any infection, while another of my men called for a healer.

It was a powerful artifact amongst the Undead and they will pay a hefty price for it… and Ilych just wrote back to me about the Guardian's future leader declaring a rivalry with Jack.

Was this an omen of us joining hands with the Guardians and regaining the armies of the Ancients?

Or, was this a cruel portent that we would have to surrender a treasure to not be turned into vassals?

I knew not the answer, but there was no need for now.

All I could do now was work hard and prepare the path forward for the next generation.

…

Fourteen years old and in college sounded kinda like hell, but college in the current day was… honestly a breeze.

Sure, I was surprised by how advanced some things were. Calculus was a thing, and so was physics, because of their studies and research on magic. I'd go as far as to say their understanding of biology was far more advanced than back home, but back home we had to develop drugs instead of wave a magic stick around after figuring out the disease. However, I had the best tutors since Khanrow could get his hands on them, and I had more years in me than most people thought.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

And, more importantly, there was just nothing else for me to do.

Not having to work full shifts between classes, and not having distractions beyond books and the odd performance at the theatre, just made learning more… personal?

Actually interesting, I suppose, would be the best way to put it.

Like a non-stop wiki binge, I suppose.

One that had some annoying pop-ups.

"At the library, again!?" I thought the rivalry event was just a couple of situations. While your Champion was present at the academy, you'll get one event regarding the rivalry every other turn. Now, I realized those were just the big events and the truth was that having a rival for life was far more constant than I expected. "How much time do you intend—you've brought food this time."

"Oh, hi! Yeah, I did. They let me since I asked nicely." I also bought upgrades to the chairs and tables, got some cubicles put in, and offered to get a new wing installed. It was all for prestige, and Khanrow approved, so money was no object. Can you really call yourself rich, if you can't convince the continent's most prestigious library that you can snack around ancient, irreplaceable tomes? "Do you want some, Lady Adil?"

"Oh, thank you… wait a moment!" At the very least, this Vampire had a sense of humor about things. It was kinda fun to catch her off-guard with the cute and innocent act. "This isn't about food. You're wasting your time as my rival! Do you understand how much of a fool I will look, if you cannot even compare to me!?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think of that… but aren't my grades better than yours?"

"Urk." I didn't hesitate to pull out the better grades card. Technically, it shouldn't matter much in my hands. I'm literally older than most of my fellow students, and I had a lot less responsibilities and money. Those three advantages pretty much made me undefeatable academically, so I held the number one spot in terms of grades with ease. "T-that is indeed the case, but there is more to the Academy than grades alone. The tournament will soon be taking place and you are unfit for battle—

"Ilych and Rita will be participating as my champions there. They're strong enough, right?" I beamed at the Vampire. My words almost made her go completely white, as opposed to the deep pallor she usually had. She had to hold onto the desk to keep herself steady. Naturally, I was understating things. Those two were monsters amongst Academy attendees. Their grades were average in everything else, but the excelled where they were meant to excel, which was more worrying for most people… including my 'rival.' "I think Ilych will be jousting… on foot! She was complaining that she can't find a horse big enough, so she's been practicing the tilt on foot, ah-hah!"

"What? On foot? Is she an Orc in disguise?" No, just an overpowered, crazy rogue-like character in a world where balance is everything. She's closer to eight feet than seven at this point, can run fast as hell, and easily do so while covered in as much armor as a horse. So, since armored knights were the main battle tanks of this age… yeah, the Vampire had every reason to be confused and horrified. Even in this world with literal sorcerers and people who could use swords to cut through armor plating with ease, Ilych was a freak. "And that Undead Elf… she used to be a graduate of this place. One who earned set all the records in archery! How is she allowed to compete!?"

Money.

Influence.

Power.

All three of which I technically had.

But my answer was simpler.

"The Academy's just very nice, I suppose!" I said with a big grin and a smile, even when Celia turned a disbelieving gaze on me. I munched on some grapes, and turned the page on my books, and proceeded to nod at her. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask about, Lady Adil? I'm sure that I'll be a good rival for you!"

I'm gonna win every event and harvest every reward, while putting your nose into the damn dirt by cheating my ass off.

Every point of stat gain.

Every ounce of renown.

Every artifact.

I'm taking it all atop what the Academy offers.

It's not like I have anything else to do.

…

I had a small manor for myself, while all the other students only had suites inside the dorms. Some people apparently made a fuss, until they got shown the bill for the Academy's offering. Suffice to say, the three-story tall, Victorian manor was luxurious to most, but it was quaint at best for me. Frankly, I was glad that it had magical lights in every room, even if the room in question was bathed in varnished wood, burgundy colors, and bronze.

It was almost gaudy to just exist in the place, but as long as I could read in peace, I thought it was fine… which meant that I rarely could read in peace.

Because I didn't have time to waste.

I barely spent any time in it.

In fact, I spent of my time outside of it looking over a mob of armored, professional soldiers with Rita and Ilych flanking me.

"Alright, everything in order!" Ilych nodded at my proclamation and so did Rita. Our retinue of guards and soldiers nodded too. "Let's go explore the nearby ruins!"

This was technically a series of events later down the questline. After being judged capable and powerful enough, third-year students were allowed to go into the surrounding, large ruins that the Academy was built over and search it for artifacts. Since this used to be the capital of the Ancients, and they built a lot of their industry underground to keep everything aboveground cleaner, there was plenty below.

Plenty that I could access with bribes and a show of my capabilities.

Was it going to piss off my classmates?

Totally.

But, if they knew what I knew and had what I had, then they'd do the same.

My peers can't shame me, because I know that they wouldn't hesitate to do what I could if they had the ability.

"Let's go!"

Operation "Steal Everything Worth Stealing" is now in effect.

As long as I'm stationed here to learn, I'm doing everything I can to get stronger and more powerful.

Friends and allies?

Connections with future leaders?

Pfft.

With the right gear at the best rarity, alliances are just a matter of saving time.

Shiny, beautiful, and powerful equipment makes winning a guarantee, therefore: loot > friendship.