King Maxwell’s POV
Mmm…yes…today is another good day. The soreness in my arms just won’t go away. What a wonderful feeling. Me? Sore? It’s been years…that man is truly something. My only regret is that I didn’t get to meet him sooner.
“Ah, Your Majesty, are you injured? You keep nursing your arm as if you are in pain…” Arbra asked hesitantly.
I just chuckled at her concern. “There is nothing to worry about, Arbra! It’s a good pain that your magic would only take away from me!”
Arbra bowed deeply. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, I had no idea!” she shouted. “Please for—”
Sigh…this is also why I like Kaladin so much. I feel as if he doesn’t care that I’m the king and treats me like a comrade. Well, he wants to, but whatever sense of formality he has keeps getting in the way. It’s been too long since I’ve been around those kinds of people. I wish he would just forget that I was a ruler.
Arbra looked up at me with teary eyes. “H—have I offended you?”
I gave the poor girl a pat on the shoulder. “Why are you crying, Arbra? Raise your head. People might think that I abuse you or something. I’m simply just thinking about this and that. Pay no mind to me.”
Arbra’s smile returned as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Sometimes people like her could be so burdensome, but she’s a good soul and a trusted healer. If I could call old man Paine, I’d like nothing more, but I could hardly do that for such a personal reason.
I just wonder when she is coming…you know, come to think of it, I never did ask Kaladin if it was Sylvia.
I just assumed it would be her, after all. Her strength has been recorded more than once. She felled a Troll with ease and can even train with Kaladin on equal footing. Plus, she was some kind of ancient Vampire that could survive even the strike of a Dragon? If somebody was on the verge of being a War God, it had to be her, right?
“I already know she is a War God. She has the aptitude. She is just missing…something. And sadly, I don’t know what that something is.”
What an exciting thing to say to someone. It almost sounded like a hopeful parent that was full of themselves. A person should be very aware if they are a War God or not. At a young age, the differences might not be noticeable, but they should become evident over time. But since it was Kaladin that said that, I had to believe the man’s intuition.
“Your Majesty, may I ask why you have retrieved me so suddenly? Are you expecting another fight…”Arba asked meekly.
“Ah, I suppose I did abruptly rip you from your duties. But it seems you already answered your own question!” I laughed. “I’m here on a personal favor from a friend!”
She gave me a blank look. “Huh? Friend?”
I slapped her on the shoulder a few times and nodded while I looked out at the courtyard. “Yes! A friend! Haha!”
Now then…oh? Who—oh…it’s her? Huh… interesting.
Breathtaking long muscular legs that strode through the halls, hair as white as the freshest snow, and a face straight out of a painting. I’d only seen her from a distance but she was truly a beautiful woman. To think Kaladin could surround himself with such beauties and remain unaffected. He’s as strong-willed as they came.
My daughters are nothing to scoff at, but they need to get their heads out of the mud! Haha!
“Yo! Ah…damn…Celia!?” I yelled. “That’s your name, right?! Come!”
Damn, I should have read her file more. I didn’t think much about it, and my concerns have lied elsewhere recently.
…
“It appears she is ignoring you, Your Majesty,” Abra commented as the woman continued to walk down the hall.
“Well, that’s rude,” I muttered as I picked a clump of snow up and reared back. “Haha! This should grab her attention!” I yelled as I tossed the snowball.
Whoosh.
“It appears she dodged your attack, Your Majesty,” Abra stated.
“Thanks, Abra. I appreciate the narration,” I mumbled.
She dodged at the last moment, and what’s with that disgusted look on her face? And wait—wait! Why is she walking away?!
“Now, I can’t stand for that!” I yelled as I took off toward her.
Once again, she flicked around at the last moment and batted my arm away. It seemed her instincts were pretty good, but that’s to be expected from a Beastmen.
I intended on testing her today anyway, so let’s find out what Kaladin sees in this girl!
“Show me what you got!” I chuckled.
Of course, I had no intentions of going all out. I just planned on picking up the pace a bit. I wonder if that sword was just for decoration!
I put a little more oomph into the next series of attacks, and she unsheathed her sword and deftly parried and blocked my attacks. Her speed was pretty good, and she had no trouble reading my simple attacks, so let’s go a step further!
Let’s see some footwork!
I stepped into her aggressively and started swinging with more precision, randomizing my punches as I forced her onto her back foot. She gave a short slice at my exposed ribs, and I coated the strike zone in crystal. I had purposely left myself open to see if she would capitalize, and she did just that.
I jumped back and crossed my arms, and went into deep thought. I had to examine her in a more favorable light now. She was indeed skilled as she was beautiful. Her footwork and blade skills were well-honed. Not perfect by any means, but far better than most.
My only critique at this moment was that she seemed too practiced. One could swing a sword under instruction all day for eternity, but if they never put that practice into any worthwhile experience, it would amount to nothing but eye candy. Even so, saying she was entirely without experience wasn’t right either…mmm…
And there was something off about it all. Her swings and her stance didn't seem to match her weapon choice. She was using a typical iron sword, but her movements and stance indicated she was used to something a bit heftier.
Does this mean there is an imbalance in her skills, practice, and experience? Or is she perhaps holding back? Mhm…I wonder if she is using a weapon that’s not her primary one. Only people who want to hide their power do that. Is that why Kaladin sees she has the aptitude but isn’t able to apply them
No…more testing is needed before I can come to a decision. I’m getting pumped already! Haha!
“To think I’d be this serious! All you young ones are impressive these days!” I said with a laugh.
The girl looked at me like I was a strange creature. Suddenly a black stone tablet materialized from thin air, and she started writing on it.
I could feel my jaw drop. “Who am I?” I asked in utter disbelief.
The Beastmen nodded her head, her confused look not disappearing. I tapped my head to make sure my crown was still there. “There is a crown on my head! I’m the king! What is there to be confused about?”
A flash of understanding crossed her face as she started writing on the tablet with her finger.
Muscle…bound…pervert?
…
I heard somebody gasping and looked back at Abra, who was white as a sheet and wholly mortified. I guess she must have read the tablet and had quite the shock. But me…I couldn’t contain my laughter.
“That’s a new one! To think you would insult me directly to my face! You are, without a doubt, a friend of Kaladin’s!” I yelled into the afternoon air.
But wait a moment…that collar…is she his friend? Have I been rude and insulted his fiance or…mhm…questions to be answered, I’m sure.
“Now that you’ve connected the dots, it’s time for a true test! I’ll be getting serious, so prepare yourself, Cela!” I shouted as I bounded toward her.
She gave me a slightly miffed look before the tablet disappeared, and her sword blocked my first strike. But now, I would test her strength. Beastmen weren’t just known for their heightened senses and speed but also for their strength! I can already tell Kaladin has trained her just by looking at her body!
I brought both my fists up and sent them down with the full intention of crushing her with pure strength. Before, I hadn't been putting much effort into my strikes, but now every blow from me would come at a cost if it connected. The only way to see someone’s true worth was to put them in danger!
“Oh! As strong as you are beautiful!” I yelled in excitement, hoping to get a reaction out of her.
But she didn’t even react to my words as she blocked my double power strike with the strength befitting a War God candidate. I wonder if she was perhaps what the Beastmen called a Child of The Hunt? A rare individual amongst their race. Even though I don’t quite understand the qualifications for what makes a Beastmen a Child of The Hunt, I know they are supposed to be quite strong.
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I mean, her mana enhancement was where it needed to be! No doubts about it—
Huh? A spell core?
I couldn’t help but marvel at the feeling of a spell core suddenly being formed in front of me. Its instantaneous formation from her feet was nothing short of pure talent and skill. And she did that all while maintaining her mana enhancement, not so much as faltering even an inch.
I let the spell hit my chest, which was covered in my crystal, and broke away from our little grapple. Tiny ice spears floated around her, and she aimed her sword at me. I just laughed, which probably made her angry, judging by her expression.
She was just like Kaladin, and they were just like those taught in the Holy Kingdom of Arotal. That ability to cast magic and form spell cores without a drop in mana enhancement was a talent many high-ranking officials from that country possessed.
It took me almost a decade to unlearn my habits and learn their technique, and even then, I could only copy it. I don’t mean to brag, but I was a cut above the rest. I tried to teach their technique to all three of my children, but none of them could learn it. Even Bowen was unable to perform the technique.
To be honest, it was a technique only those who possessed talent and were brought up with it could learn. I thought Kaladin was simply a genius of that caliber, but now I’ve seen a pattern.
Who trained those two? Alanis was not capable of using that technique either, so does that mean it was The Lightning Witch? Ah…I’m just so excited.
I burst forward and crushed down the spells that were thrown at me. Most of them I ignored, allowing them to break harmlessly against my body. It was slightly annoying that she wasn’t putting more strength into her spells. If she could manifest them this quickly, I expected the power to be more!
I guess I just need to show her how serious I am.
I increased my speed suddenly and arrived in front of her. Her amber-orange eyes went wide. She managed to block my fists, but this entire time I had only used them. She tried to react, but she was too slow for me. My kick landed on her quad with a meaty smack followed by a loud crack. She buckled to the floor and yelped in pain. I had broken her leg.
A flurry of ice spikes came at me, and I retreated instead of finishing her off. I wasn’t done testing her yet. I was far too curious to end things so soon.
“Arbra! Heal her leg!” I ordered.
Arbra scurried off from the side, mumbling apologies to her as a golden light left her hands and infused the injury. Celia looked to be in quite a bit of pain, but a moment of confusion appeared in her eyes only to disappear. She stood on her freshly healed leg without a lick of hesitation.
So an injury like that is nothing to her? Sure, she reacted to the pain, but that’s only natural. To stand right back up after having your leg healed isn’t normal. It appears her will was quite tempered. And those eyes…
Her eyes blazed with a cold fury that wasn’t there before. She dropped her sword into a low guard, a position that was more suited for a long or even a great sword, and I felt a powerful spell core being formed.
A gust of wind blasted me, and a blizzard suddenly appeared around me. The cold wind whipped at my exposed skin, and I could feel minor cuts on my face.
Finally, show me what Kaladin sees in you!
I swatted down an incoming spell core only to be momentarily covered in water. I hadn’t expected her to be able to use water magic while maintaining this awkward, muffled-sounding blizzard, which was another odd phenomenon. Only for my surprise to grow as I felt a powerful wind arrow approaching me.
It cut through the blizzard and had enough power to rip a limb off, but I batted it away. I was buffeted by powerful spell after spell, and I couldn’t contain my laughter. I thought the speed at which she formed her spells was at least the skill of a Master mage, but to think she could use three schools of magic to this proficiency. Of course, she may just be a Grandmaster mage, but I felt that something was off.
I decided I was done gauging those spells and burst through the blizzard right at her. She had positioned herself behind me using her magic as cover and near silent steps. Beastmen were also tricky ones. They seemed to be able to disappear from most people’s senses when they wanted to.
But not mine.
I punched forward and expected a look of surprise, but Celia was more than ready for me. I was greeted by two large ice spikes aiming for my legs and a sword aiming to cut my head off my shoulders. I kicked one of the spikes down and used its debris against her, sending chunks of ice magic into her face, only for those chunks to melt into harmless water that splattered against her face.
Amazing, she was maintaining control over her spells the entire time while also striking at me. Truly fantastic, I thought as I slipped under her swing.
I punched her underneath the leather breastplate and grabbed Celia by the belt, and gave her a good toss into the wall, just like ol’ Kaladin. But unlike Kaladin, I was ready to end things here, or…so I thought.
Amazing. Truly amazing. I’m actually feeling the need to preserve my life. How long has it been?
I felt dozens of spell cores form around me, and the puddle I stood in turned into a creeping frost that threatened to consume me. Dozens of ice spears formed from the snow left by the blizzard, and I watched as a wall of ice formed only for the girl to use it to bounce rebound off of and aim straight for me once more.
She had completely changed the battlefield to suit her, something very few mages could do, let alone at the level she showed. And it appeared she even led me by the nose. How far ahead did she plan all of this? Did she anticipate these things the moment she used the blizzard to distract me and morph the battlefield?
But I also understood what Kaladin meant when he said she had the “aptitude.” Why she felt so close yet so far, she had all these well-honed skills and even put them into practical use. And despite having the upper hand on me.
It just wasn’t enough.
I forced mana into my body at a much greater rate and felt the familiar feeling of my crystals enveloping me. Her spells crashed against me, but I remained steadfast as I moved forward. Her eyes widened again in surprise, and it was the last thing I saw before I grabbed her by the face and sent her face down into the snowy soil with a loud boom.
I turned my head slowly. “Arbra, heal her,” I ordered.
Arbra slowly nodded her head like she was in a daze. “I’ll be gone for a while. I have an old friend to find. Please see to it that she is comfortable.”
—
Bowen Taurus’s POV
I gave the door a solid knock and announced myself. “I have arrived as you requested, Your Majesty.”
“Good! Hurry up and come in, old friend!” the king bellowed.
Sigh…would it kill him to uphold a little bit of digni—huh?
“Cerila? Why…why is she here? Why is she unconscious?”
The king smacked his fist into a meaty palm. “Ah! Her name was Cerila! That’s why she was annoyed with me!” he said with a chuckle. But he puffed his lips out at me. “And unconscious? Why are you assuming that? Maybe she is just sleeping.”
I just sighed and shook my head. “The girl may be deaf, but your incensive laughter could wake the dead.”
King Maxwell looked at me with an expression of surprise as his head snapped back and forth between the sleeping Cerila and me. “She’s deaf? Like really deaf? No hearing at all?”
“That’s right…please tell me you knew that,” I muttered in disbelief. I could feel a headache coming on.
“That makes so much sense. I thought she was just shy or a mute,” the king mumbled to himself. “Tell me, why hasn’t anyone healed her? She is close to Kaladin, no?”
I walked into the room and sat down in an available chair. “I’ve already spoken with them on the matter. She was born deaf, and not even a Grandmaster light mage could heal her ears. So—Your Majesty?”
Bishop wore a thoughtful expression. His deep blue eyes were wide and searching for something, and I felt my skin start to crawl somewhat when he looked at me. “A Grandmaster light mage, you say…tell me, is that confirmed?” he asked, his voice lacking the friendly tone he typically used.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him like this, not since he first started to investigate Kaladin.
“I’ve heard the same thing from three different sources, including Cerila when I spoke with her at great length. I have no reason to believe any of them are lying to me at this point. The girl is completely deaf,” I explained.
King Maxwell rubbed his chin slowly. “So…do we know who trained Kaladin and this girl?”
Wait, I thought he cared more about her deafness…what is this about?
“Kaladin has mentioned to me before that his teacher was his grandfather,” I told him.
The king looked even more surprised at that but quickly shook his head. “That’s impossible. Neither of those old Elves would have come into contact with—”
“That’s because it wasn’t a blood-related grandfather but an adoptive one of sorts. I’ve met him once or twice now. He’s an old Human man at the end of his life. And appears to be quite smart and witty despite his declining age. He often teaches the young ones various skills at my spare home.”
“An old Human man…isn’t Kaladin from Syn’nari?” the king trailed off.
Wait!
I shot out of my seat. “Wait a moment…a Grandmaster light mage in Syn’nari… are you suggesting their teacher and Grandfather is a remnant of the Holy King invasion force?”
The king smirked and crossed his arms. “It’s not a suggestion. It’s almost a guarantee at this point.”
I ran a hand through my beard. “The old man referred to himself as a doctor, so I never questioned why he considered himself to be one. Even Kaladin’s parents call him Dr. Jacobs. And the man doesn’t seem to be pious or even wear symbols of the faith. I never connected these points because I didn’t think they were relevant.”
…
“Tell me, Bishop, why are you suddenly interested in all of this? Why is Cerila here lying in bed?” I asked.
“Kaladin asked me to help her reach the level of a War God. I was testing her when I started to piece things together. But a deaf Beastmen woman trained by a Grandmaster light mage straight from the Holy Kingdom…things are starting to make sense,” Bishop said more to himself than me.
So he knocked her out…this man…what if he angered Kaladin? Ah, I suppose Kaladin isn’t so close-minded…hopefully.
He turned his intense eyes to me. “I request your help, old friend. I ask that you train Cerila on your own time. Her magic is amazing, and she is quite creative. I believe she can learn a thing or two from you. I would also request that Jessica, if she is feeling better, speak with Cerila as well. After that, I shall make moves on my own.”
I see. This is Bishop speaking to me, not King Maxwell. He must be earnest now if he is asking for my wife and me. It’s not every day I see this side of him.
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You are awfully adamant about this. Can I ask you why?”
The king smirked slightly, but his eyes were smiling a great deal. “It’s rather simple. I owe Kaladin a lot as a father and a man. He saved my family and my daughters not once but twice. I need to fulfill the first quest he’s given me, or I’ll never be able to rest easy. Helping him from the shadows can only accomplish so much and doing it alone would be a waste. I must guarantee her success.”
I shook my head. Sometimes I even forgot Bishop’s true nature. The man wasn’t just a genius on the battlefield but off of it as well. He hid behind this persona of being a meathead despite being a calm and collected person. After all, history may see that his wife was the one that spurred him into her plans, but it was actually the other way around.
Queen Maxwell was undoubtedly intelligent and crafty, but Bishop’s skills and natural charisma changed the minds of the people, nobles, and generals alike. He was the one that led the army into the city for an ambush and quickly surpassed the Brax nobility. He even lurked in the shadows, hiding behind the visage of his wife to complete his goals.
The man is quite cunning. And far from the babbling idiot he portrays himself to be… sometimes.
“And besides, I’m quite interested in this woman now,” Bishop added.
“I think she should be afraid, but I’ll agree to help. Jessica is another matter. I don’t see her being ready for anything physical for some time,” I told him.
Bishop nodded. “I understand, but I don’t need her physical prowess this time around. I’m hoping for Jessica to accomplish something only a woman can do. It will take some time, I imagine. How is she these days? I haven’t spoken to her in some time.”
I just chuckled. “You know how it is. She is getting more ravenous by the day. Trying to eat for two is quite taxing.”
“Isn't that the truth? They get so moody as well,” the king muttered.
Huh? Why did you phrase it like that?
My eyes widened as I looked at him. “Wait, don’t tell me!”
Bishop just smiled at me once more and put a finger to his lips.