This time, it was only Olmor at the meeting. We were back in Victor's shop, much to his displeasure.
"Well? Have you come to a decision?" he asked me.
“I’m nowhere near convinced.” I shook my head, the corner of my lips twisting. “The risks don’t make up for the single benefit you’ve offered me.” I’d reasoned that the longer I lasted in the pit, the better I’d be able to survive. Two years was something I could handle, decreased even more every time I won.
I really had no business with these revolutionists, and I didn’t care at all about who sat on the throne.
“What makes you think you can simply reject?” Olmor asked, voice lilting. The air grew suffocating, and I frowned even harder.
“What’s giving you the confidence to force my decision?”
He sighed, chair creaking. “I already have five other men outside, simply waiting for a signal. We can’t let you go, not knowing whether you’d rat on us or not.”
My fingers tapped against the table. Some part of me had expected this, as I’d brought my axe. It currently leaned against the chair, my other hand brushing idly over its handle. “Do you think that threat would work? What’s stopping me from killing you? Everything you’ve told me so far hints that I have a better chance against you than the King. If you came to me, there must be more trust in my abilities than yours, and those men you claim to have waiting.”
“That might be true,” he conceded, “but I think you’re smarter than that.”
I scoffed. The smarter option to me was to fight Olmor, not some out of reach ruler whose abilities these men didn’t even know of.
“You’ve given me no guarantee for my safety. What reason do I possibly have to accept?” I asked.
Olmor shifted, then something metallic clattered to the table. “Fine. I didn’t want to offer this, not knowing if you’d run at the first opportunity.”
I reached out, finding the ring he’d placed on the table, rolling it through my fingers. “This is a single-use teleportation device,” he continued. “The location has already been set; all you would need to do is inject a bit of mana into the metal, and you’ll be taken straight there.”
My mind raced, multiple possibilities already filling my head.
“If I used this, even if I didn’t succeed in the assassination, would you still get me out of the Kingdom?”
He laughed, a mocking thing, and I clenched my hand over the ring. “Of course. What you know could endanger our entire existence. There will be other chances, even if the obstacles in our way increase.”
I didn’t believe him, but I pretended to think it over. The ring could lead me right into a trap, and they could possibly kill me before I could take a breath.
“If you let me take this now, I’ll accept,” I told him, holding up the ring. However, I really had no plans to follow through.
Olmor’s logic was just too convoluted. It was strange that I was the best option for this, but he did know this world better than I did. I could see how I was the perfect fit, because the King wouldn't be able to link me to Olmor's group, and they, in turn, wouldn't care if I died. But that reasoning only made me trust him less.
“Fine,” he agreed, but that single word was overflowing with reluctance. I wondered if he even suspected that I would attempt to tamper with the item.
"Do you have a timeline set?" I asked.
"We're thinking maybe a month from now. It'll give us time to get people in place, and for you to improve your skills," Olmor paused, drumming his fingers on the table. "Given the situation, I don't think using an axe would be best. I'd focus on your knife—it's more stealthy, and you need the advantage."
Those words only increased my suspicion. The axe was clearly my forte, but I simply shrugged in response. "Sure. But what if the King has a larger weapon a knife can't fight against?"
"We could ask hypothetical questions all day, but we wouldn't be able to come up with solutions for them all. Improvise," Olmor so helpfully suggested. "Plan what works for you, but know you'll be fighting in close quarters."
I acquiesced, pretending to let it go. Those details didn’t matter to me anyway. Clearly, Olmor didn't care whether I lived or died, and it seemed he wanted me to figure out the details myself.
Again, it was strange that he was making no effort to help me gain an advantage. He was the one who wanted the King dead, not me.
"You're positive the only thing you know is that the King is an ice user?" I asked, hoping to grow his trust in the fact that I was actually planning to go through with this.
"We have no other intel. It was difficult enough just to get that piece of info. We'll keep looking, but we won't put our men in danger to find out more," he responded.
"It would only benefit you, you know," I told him. "I thought you wanted the King dead, and I can do a better job if I know even a little bit more about what I'm fighting."
"We'll try," Olmor apathetically said. It didn't take a genius to figure out they wouldn't try hard, if at all.
I could think of nothing else to ask, so I slipped the ring into my pocket. I wouldn’t put it on without actually confirming it did what Olmor claimed. And if it didn’t, I’d need to think of another plan, different from the one slowly forming in my head.
[Wisdom +1]
My eyebrows went up in surprise. Only a few days after asking Theresa about wisdom, it increased. Only now, I grew by learning from my mistake with Davion and acting on my suspicion. It felt stupid, and I hated that Davion was at the root of it all. The words that said people only gain wisdom through suffering were proven true.
Curious, I looked inside myself. Surprised again, I found my core had grown larger, the swirling mana matching the change. It wasn't a significant increase, but it was a big enough difference for it to stand out. Strangely, I hadn’t felt it at all.
Shaking my head, I focused back on the current situation. I could experiment later.
I stood. "If that's all, I'm leaving," I told Olmor. He got up as well.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"That's it. Train hard, Cain. Your life depends on it.” He paused, tension coming off him in waves. “And don’t get any strange ideas.”
I smiled slightly. “Of course I won’t.”
***
The teleportation ring had sparked a plan, but I didn’t want to act on it quite yet. If Olmor had been truthful about its abilities, I knew what I would do.
I didn’t think the location it took me to would be set in stone. Magic, from what I had experienced, was too multifaceted for that.
If I could get the schedule of ships headed to the Raugan Islands, I could set the ring’s location to one once Olmor informed me of the assassination’s date. If the ship left, even a few days before, I could get there without him even noticing, escaping Lifdol’s debt at the same time.
An outside source was necessary, however, so I bided my time until I could meet with Theresa once again.
With nothing else to do, I spent my days in the training room, filling my corner with flames. Control of where it could appear still eluded me during the week before my next fight, but I could feel the heat increasing. My hands had begun to prickle when I summoned flames; it was something they had never done before.
It didn't hurt, but I couldn't help but wonder if, one day, I would be consumed too.
My next fight was against Melane, the only woman in the group. As tall as me, she was stronger than Eric and maybe even better than Eskal.
Her mace crushed one of my feet during the fight, but as I pretended to fall, I quickly created an opening with [Spectral Hand], draining the rest of my mana. Melane's then exposed torso had received a knife between her ribs, puncturing past her thin leather armor and into a lung.
With my "allowance" from Lifdol for the win, I visited Theresa again. Immediately, I asked about the ring, hoping she could confirm its ability. I trusted she wouldn’t question its origins, as she had never seemed to care about what I did.
“I’ve seen one of these before,” she told me, inspecting the ring. “They’re usually made for nobility to ensure their survival. One can tie any location to it, and distance never matters. However, once it’s used, a new one has to be completely remade by a mage who specializes in teleportation.”
I nodded, temporarily relieved. Even without it, I had bet I’d be able to buy passage on a ship, but that way, it would be easier to stop me.
“Can you change the location?” I asked.
She hummed in confirmation. “I can reset it; it’s only a simple matter of unweaving the mana formation. But it’ll cost you an extra gold piece.”
I immediately agreed, handing over the coin. Theresa then did something I couldn’t sense with the ring, so I quietly waited. It didn’t take too long, and she handed it back to me.
“To set a location, you need to run mana through the ring and bind it to something; it could be an object, or even a wall. However, make sure it’s something that can’t be moved from where you want it,” she warned.
“I understand. Thank you.”
I also asked her about my struggle with [Summon Flame], explaining that I hadn't even begun to control the mana's flow.
Theresa only scoffed. "You're too impatient. These things take time. However, I can help you visualize it." She told my hands, and once again, my pathways lit up.
"Mana is like the ocean. You can't control it, only follow the tide. Don't fight your mana—try to understand where it wants to go," she murmured.
I activated [Summon Flame], not letting it rush to my hands and burn Theresa. Instead, I watched as the mana began to swirl out, leisurely choosing the pathways that would lead to my palms. I tried to redirect it before it reached its destination, pulling the force up the paths that led to my chest.
The strands of power fought, coiling like angry snakes, and I deactivated [Summon Flame]. I sighed, lost at what to do.
"You're still trying to fight. Your mana is a part of you, and will work with you. You just have to work with it as well. Persuade it, coax it. Let it know where you want it to go, and why," Theresa told me as if I could understand her supposedly simple words.
She talked as if mana was a living thing. I could see how it would be described as such, as it was always in constant motion and filled with power. So I tried again, summoning my flames.
Not to my hands. They expect it from there. We'll be stronger if you go somewhere else—anywhere else.
It felt inane and ridiculous, talking to my mana. But it seemed to hesitate before the pathways, and I watched in shock as the raw power chose different ones. It was only for a moment—the tendrils then seemed to change their minds, retracting and then traveling to my palms.
I let it fizz out, and Theresa released my hands.
"That was it," she praised. "It's a very good start, so just keep doing what you did now. It'll become natural, and one day your mana will go wherever you want. It will especially get easier once your skill levels up."
After that, I left, rain pouring down on the walk back to Lifdol's. It felt good on my skin.
The next day, the market was my first stop, as I wanted to visit Victor's store. A good weapon would be vital if anything went awry during my plans.
A customer left as I entered, and I knew Victor was not as courteous with me compared to them when he saw my face.
"What're you here for? More secret meetings? If this goes on, I'm gonna start charging you," he threatened.
"None of that today, I promise. I want to check out your axes," I told him.
He laughed, mood quickly changed, and he clapped his hands together. "Excellent—that means money. Anything specific?"
"Your strongest axes are what I'm looking for, meant for battle."
"Everything I sell is meant for battle," Victor assured me. He bustled around, grabbing things and laying them out on the counter. "Here's my best. Let me know if you decide something."
I stepped up to the table, letting my hand run over the wood of the axes. I narrowed them down to lengths I liked. The ones I chose were around three feet long, handle to blade. That size felt the most comfortable to me.
I chose two with a grip I liked, the leather wrapped around the lengths firm yet malleable. Both their blades were razor sharp, but on one, the butt of the axe ended in a spike, and I thought having a deadly edge on each side would be useful.
"How much does this one cost?" I called out to Victor.
"Twenty-one gold pieces," he said proudly. "And I'm not overpricing this time, I swear on my mother's grave."
Regretfully, I put the axe back down. I only had eight pieces, as two had gone to Theresa. "I don't have the money right now, but I'm a definite customer. Would you hold on to it, and I'll come back for it later?" I asked.
Victor ruminated, fingernails scratching at stubble. "Why not. But you'll make a down payment now since I don't know if someone else would've bought this axe tomorrow, saving me from all this trouble."
I nodded and gave him my eight coins. Only thirteen to go. When I had more money, I'd look at Victor's selection of armor as well. But for now, this was all I could do.
The rest of the day was spent in the training room, but I hardly made any progress with my flames. I turned my attention to my knife, practicing [Silent Blade]. At only level one, the skill's improvement would be a great boost in combat.
Any increase to my skills would be highly beneficial, becoming a reliant backup if I needed them.
I felt stifled the following day, unwilling to return to the training room. So, I left, feet moving towards the ocean, away from the smells of the city and its people.
The breeze cooled my heated skin as I breathed in deeply. Then, focusing, I repeated the process Theresa had taught me. Letting the mana move as it liked, I only tried to coax it. Force hadn't worked at all during the past week and a half, the mana fighting me at every turn.
Every time a wave hit the shore, my mana moved with it. I'd persuade it where I wanted it to go, then it would draw back, unconvinced. All day I stayed there, tugging back and forth with the mass of intangible power.
It was gentle when my mana acceded, resulting in a soft flame bursting from my chest. It jumped to my hand like a living creature, then rolled up my arm. It wasn't confined to my palms any longer, and I could still make it grow. I imagined myself covered in flames, spreading the fire over every inch of skin until I was completely engulfed.
Directing the fire to move away from my body, I watched it fall to the ground before me, then sputter out. It seemed the flames needed something to hold on to, or it wouldn't last long. But it was much stronger separated from me than before, and I found such a breakthrough astounding.
[Skill Upgraded] - [Summon Flame (3) → (4)]
Whatever happens, I'd know I had prepared as best I could.