Chapter 68 - Sylas and Freya's Fate
The single guard, smiling just seconds ago, now looked down and held his spear with a grip so intense that the material started to give in. His face looked down, but he could feel the killing intent radiating from the man standing next to both the Grand Duke and the slaves.
The general, his commanders, and Alfonso all unsheathed their blades at Gabriel when the wave of killing intent emanated.
His eyes, still blue, looked at the Grand Duke's feet for a second before returning to his rounded face. His heart demanded that his body slapped the man hard enough that he would forever remember not to treat anyone that way, but his brain was able to hold on.
"Grand Duke, please indicate the value you wish for these demi-humans?"
Borgia looked around, confused about the severe faces of his most trusted guards. He didn't understand what would call for them to raise their arms, but since Gabriel didn't mention it, he simply continued the negotiation.
Gabriel remained entirely still while he and the Grand Duke reached an understanding about the price. Money was irrelevant to a nobleman as important as him, and he also knew the GC would never tell secrets about the royal family. Still, there had to be some financial benefit for him. After minutes of back and forth, the Duke accepted the amount Gabriel offered last.
Gabriel waved his hand, forcing a pouch to appear, and clinging sounds provoked envy in the hearts of all guards.
"Here you are, Grand Duke. As agreed, 250 gold coins." Gabriel said, extending the pouch to the man.
Before grabbing it, the Grand Duke smiled, sharpening his eyes and looking at Gabriel as if he were looking at the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Without knowing the reasoning behind a General Commander buying slaves for such absurd amounts, he knew their value was not measurable in material things.
"In addition to the coins, I need you to offer three months of personal training sessions for my guard before handing these over," said the Grand Duke as his foot turned above Sylas's horn.
Waiting for an answer, Gabriel suddenly jolted in place before looking back to the Grand Duke.
Gabriel felt cornered by the man's plans; he had no way to take anything from a Grand Duke simply. The king would be left with a revolt in the court, and their position might be threatened. Looking back at the weapons rising in his direction, he also knew that if they dared to do that, they could be influenced to raise them toward his king. He had no reasonable solutions, but negotiating the amount to a reasonable training table was simplest. He was biting his thing when a voice invaded his mind.
"Are you dead set that these slaves will get you the rest of the technique?" Raphael asked.
"Why are you here?"
"The king wanted assurances…"
"..."
"Gabriel, you'll give all the four men behind him pointers, then do what happened in the barracks a few days ago."
“Three months is impossible; I’m willing to train them between now and sunset.”
Borgia considered for a moment before answering. Gabriel’s feats on battlefields were in the kingdom tales and folk songs; he hadn’t taught anyone since long before becoming a general commander. Even without the aptitude of being a good teacher, Gabriel could point out roles in other people’s skills and battle experience so they could improve. A single afternoon could be worth just as much as a typical instructor’s life. The idea made Borgia so happy that he imagined Alfonso rising toward the army's upper echelons and consolidating his power against the other Grand Dukes.
“It is a deal; you’ll guide Alfonso and the others.” He pointed.
Gabriel delivered the money and shook his hand to formalize their deal.
Alfonso was still unsatisfied with the situation; he constructed a narrative that Gabriel’s handshake had taken him by surprise. A difference in power that great was most certainly an illusion meant to scare others.
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“Father, how do we assure this man can guide us?”
Gabriel was between Borgia and the two slaves, asking them to rise as his ear caught Alfonso’s daring words.
While Borgia, his guard, and his son discussed the situation, Gabriel walked Sylas and Freya to his Gryphon. He gave them a few potions to regenerate their health before he spoke to them appropriately.
“Ahadi, take care of these two.” He said, caressing the lion’s head.
When both fauns realized he was about to walk back and leave them under that monster, they couldn’t even speak; their blood rushed away from their skins. Happily, the potions were already taking effect, or both would have instantly fainted then and there.
After a few minutes of paralysis at the creature, Freya stopped shaking, sitting on the floor and laying her head on Ahadi’s fur. Her touch on Sylas's arm woke him from the slumber of fear, and he felt her warmth.
“Sy, are we dreaming?”
He sat, pulling her head to his chest and embracing his beloved. Her horns found comfort in the harsh curvature of his neck and shoulder. Her eyes cried whatever hydration her body held over Sylas.
“I don’t think so; I’m not so creative…”
“Is our Bryn ok?”
“Freya, now all we have is hope.”
His eyes aimed at the sky above as he imagined how Bryn had spent the last half-year away from them. Both remained silent as the recollection of events that led them here replayed in their minds as the flow of tears kept going. For the hours that passed, Ahadi had to roar for a few guards who approached without invitation, but since the most influential guard members were training with Gabriel, none dared to face the beast.
While the two stayed there, considering the ramifications of their separation, Gabriel, Borgia, Alfonso, and their commanders went to an open field away from prying eyes.
Gabriel asked if it would be possible for them to find a secluded place or an area so far from outposts and essential structures that no one would bother, and they could go all out. Borgia recommended a plane to the west of their position. The area was a border with a long, extensive desert with many magical beasts, but according to the Grand Duke, the planes were a dead zone.
Arriving there, a few things came out of everyone's spacial rings. Most were a place for the Grand Duke to feel comfortable during the training session. Gabriel did nothing as he waited for them to prepare.
My deal with Raphael was to teach this daring nobleman the meaning of challenging the king and a general commander, but still killing them would be too much… Gabriel thought as he walked to the open area before him. To the horizon, some dunes changed the landscape, but only sand could be seen. To his back were a few small vegetation areas, and the ground improved slightly.
After finishing Borgia's tent, the four trainees walked into the field. They slowly circled Gabriel, forming an X shape when looked at from above.
"You have half an hour to attack me without the use of magic. I'll only defend during this time. Let's begin." Gabriel said. There was no excitement in his voice online when he did this exercise in the barracks. His face was cold, and his eyes were distant, but no one noticed.
The four men looked at each other, expecting something more meaningful to mark the start of their session, but nothing happened. Alfonso was the first to break the silence, taking his sword out and dashing toward Gabriel at full speed.
Those in the realm of commander and above fought on a completely different level than other officers. The commander position demanded one to be at least level 100. The level barrier was created so one could hold the position and be meaningful in a full-scale war, even if their main functions were administrative. Generals had an even higher barrier, so comparing them to the officers at the barracks was like comparing the heavens and earth.
Alfonso broke the sound barrier on his first meters of travel. Gabriel expanded his mana sense outward, and an invisible bubble expanded enough to encompass all four challengers as he closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he honed his edge. It would be an excellent opportunity to get rust away from his joints.
Feeling the variations in the mana flow from his side, he backed his upper torso as his left hand pushed a bit forward. The movement seemed simple and slow, but the timing was incredible. Alfonso came like a meteor and swung his sword, finding nothing to connect it to. His surprise was more significant when he felt a light touch to his ribcage that sent him flying a few meters away. The added momentum from the push, combined with his reached speed, caused him to roll a few times before eating a mouth of sand on the floor. The other three remained in the same positions, with strange expressions.
Oyy, did he really timed that perfectly? One of the commanders thought.
He is still in the very same spot… The other thought.
Were his eyes closed?! The General was the only one to follow the sequence that had just transpassed before them properly.
With his face unchanged, Gabriel used both hands to call them to his challenge. The blood inside each of them boiled as the three attacked almost simultaneously.
It was as if a movie played in Gabriel's mind, in black and white flashes of movements of the three of them happening before him. Considering possible scenarios, he then moved accordingly. As one of the sequences from just a second ago, a spear aimed at his right leg reached his range. At his back, a swing from below aimed a battle hammer at his lumbar, and to his right, an attack in a different tempo brewed from high to low.
He twisted his body in a jump, his hands matching the hammer's swing enough to use it to change directions mid-air. He evaded all three attacks without a hitch. By then, Alfonso was already up and joined the fray.
From Borgia's perspective, explosions sounded all over the planes as sand was dispersed all over the region. The battlefield at their speed was incomprehensive for anyone with low status. There was no sound; depending on the level reached, your eyes could deceive you. Instinct and your other senses had to compensate for the lack of both.
Gabriel avoided anything the four used, especially when Alfonso was involved in the attempt. When the first thirty minutes were up, he slapped all four back to their initial positions. The difference in tempo from his combination attacks was enough to disrupt not only their teamwork but also each individual defence.
Five seconds.
Five seconds was the time it took Gabriel to force each of them to their initial positions and for him to find himself back in the center of the four of them.
"Interesting start; thank you for taking me lightly. Now, another half hour, but you can only use magic. Begin." He said.
The following battle was hard even for Borgia to describe. The amount of mana each individual could use when using their battle armor was immense. Fire, water, wind, and earth changed the landscape toward the center of their formation, but one thing remained the same. Whenever fire was used toward the inside, a matching spell would face it head-on. The same was true for earth, wind, and water. When the thirty minutes finished, a single spot about two meters in diameter remained the same. Inside it, Gabriel stood, his stance about shoulder width, knees a bit bent, one hand on his waist and the other crossed in front of his chest, and his eyes closed.
He opened his eyes, doing a few small jumps in place, shaking his body a bit before speaking, "Very good… Now, you'll have until sunset to try and land a strike on me, no restrictions anymore. Come at me…"