Chapter 69 - Lion's Doom
The four attackers used every ploy they could think of to challenge Gabriel for hours. The General Commander found a way to block their ways, no matter what combination of spells, skills, or weapons they used. Borgia himself couldn't believe the overwhelming force he witnessed, the difference in physical prowess, mana output, control, outburst, and speed he outclassed the four in every way. What scared Borgia the most was that Gabriel had not taken his sword out for a single exchange from the moment they started until the very moment the sun kissed the horizon line.
Borgia would never forget what happened. Gabriel told everyone that training was ending, his face showing his dissatisfaction with the day and their performance.
Alfonso and the others gloomed at the man; the four had made an effort in their lives every occasion, but nothing was enough to gain the GC's favor or prize. From the moment the sun started to set until it was almost completely covered, Gabriel laid out their weak points and areas for improvement. None would like to admit it, but he had pinpointed everything to a tee. He didn't explain how they should train to improve such areas, but with the resources of the Grand Duke, it would be possible for them to do so. That was precisely what Borgia wanted, and his heart pounded in his chest as he felt his pillars growing stronger within a single afternoon.
What forced the smile out of his face was what followed. Those words might follow his guard for years to come.
"You can now improve your forces. It is time for us to finish your lesson. You should understand what raising your weapons toward a GC means," Gabriel said.
The four of them grew excited; it would be an opportunity to improve on the pointed areas and try to get a prize from the man they all grew to respect above none other, at least in warfare. Borgia was the only one not to change expression as Gabriel pulled out his sword. He was expecting some backlash since they armed up during the negotiations.
The weapon was as thick as a person, and its edges looked sharp. His last words caused all to quiver their spines. Gabriel's eyes became as dark as the night to come, as if his eyes had stolen a portion of the sun, and the area's luminosity dimed without reason. His pupils started to shine white as his armor also resonated.
"For Astralhaven's Glory, Lion's Doom."
Despite reaction speed incomprehensible even for an above-average warrior, none responded to his movements. They looked regular as if the white monster in front of them had moved in slow motion. Still, their bodies didn't react to any command. Borgia looked puzzled at the five of them away from the area of attack. Gabriel slashed his sword without moving from his place, and with it, a bright light forced Borgia's eyes away for only an instant. He soon was blacked out, the only one still wearing his armor. All weapons were in pieces, together with the armor of the three army personnel Borgia considered his guard. When the light from Gabriel's attack completely dimmed down, his sword was stored, and his regular expression was as cold as previously.
Borgia's eyes were fixated on the tarnished equipment, broken into pieces so small that not even the best blacksmiths could restore them. He tried to ponder that the session would be worth much more than that in the years to come, but his heart ached for the thousands, if not millions, of gold coins on the floor.
"Grand Duke Borgia, I'll leave with Sylas and Freya." Gabriel said, flying away alone.
Borgia knew the GC would never kill any of them. Still, he had to use a potion to wake them from the experience. All three were desperate, thinking they had faced the end of their time. None cared that only the equipment was gone; they were simply happy the GC had been lenient over their baldness.
When Gabriel arrived floating in the sky, Ahadi roared at him, waking up the two fauns who trampled for an untold amount of time. In every situation Ahadi roared or moved, the subconscious told them the creature would now eat them. That moment never came, but now Gabriel was there once more.
He caressed the creature's head and neck before speaking with the two of them.
"Sylas, Freya, I'm sorry on behalf of the Astralhavean Kingdom. We strive to be a better place for all, but after hearing your story and Bryn's, I can tell we still have a long way ahead."
"Good sir, please don't apologize. Just tell us, is Bryn really okay?" Freya begged. Her complexion was already much better, and the nourishment position had taken effect. What surprised Gabriel was that they still showed signals of mistreatment and dehydration. Taking another pair of potions from his spacial ring, he offered them to them before answering.
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"Bryn and Mr. Nkosi are currently residing in my village. He is fine, I assure you."
"Did you hear that my love?" Sylas came from behind her as the lights around the house again illuminated his face. Gabriel could now see that his beard covered almost everything around his head, and one of his horns had been chipped. Gabriel could feel the mana distortion following the two of them; no amount of potions could calm that storm, but he now saw the eyes of a carrying husband and father who ignored everything that happened. Sylas was living in Freya's smile and tears of joy. Gabriel could see the brunette woman a few yards away smiling and thanking him again. He didn't notice, but a single tear wore his chicks.
"The king wishes to meet these two." a voice said.
Both fauns looked at the man. He looked like a simple guard from the mines, but as he approached, his body and clothes started to twitch, and as the movements increased in intensity, his face, body shape, and size changed. His uniform was similar to Gabriel's, but the additional color was green instead of white; the details on his left sleeve were in the form of mountains and vegetation.
"Raphael…"
"I helped you more than I should, Gabriel. Don't force my hand."
"I'll respect the king's wishes."
Gabriel used his mana to force Sylas and Freya to lose continence as he changed his armor to the official GC uniform and mounted Ahadi. They flew towards the nearest portal accompanied by Raphael and then reappeared in the capital.
"You have five days; make them look presentable." were Raphael's last words before disappearing from next to them.
That night, Gabriel took them to his place, allowing them to sleep in some of the visitor's quarters.
While he and the two rested, his work reverberated in the entire kingdom.
News of Ahadi's sightings was in the people's mouths. Others told the tale of his paralization of Valorheaven. How he had displayed incomparable strength against all inside the barracks, including the commander, became the gossip among the nobles.
In the king's chamber, Raphael was kneeling, waiting for his master's reaction to his recollection of events.
"Raphael, why would Gabriel pay such a steep price for two simple slaves? I still don't get it."
"We've seen his vow, my King. But trust me, the two of them can't cause direct harm to our kingdom."
"You understand the royal technique? The first half that Gabriel shared with us is already above its level… How could two unknown fauns be the key for the second half? Have you found the answer?"
"In the past few days, I have received reports that a young faun has been residing in Gabriel's village. Currently, under Gabriel's orders, Jonas has secluded the young demi-human away from my spy eyes. That is all I know, my ledge."
"Understood… You may leave."
As Raphael was about to walk out, his king called for him once more to whisper a few words. Hearing them, Raphael's eyes shone green for a moment before smiling a bit and nodding.
That night, the sky was clear from the capital, and it was toward the forests near Yurei Village. Both Bryn and Jonas enjoyed a good amount of meat at the bonfire. Jonas was mesmerized by the young faun; he had increased the dangers slowly during their training sessions, but Bryn adapted quickly to everything he threw at him.
If he keeps developing like this, I'll force him to fight a magical beast before the end of the month. His instincts are not as good and natural as Michelles, but how he can use such advanced magic is beyond me…
Bryn had become able to control ice more and more since he had developed his first magical skill. He now used it to force the tiny creatures out of balance, embed it inside his arrows, and cause muscles to freeze whenever he could cut the creatures. The more he fought and killed, the colder he and the ice magic temperature became. Jonas could tell the increase in mana inside the faun was unnatural, but it was still so minute that he didn't pay much mind to it. Looking at him now, devouring a boar's leg, I see he was still a simple kid.
Across the fire, as his body craved food, Bryn's mind was overdrive.
Almost all experiments I can remember from comics and games are done; I still have to try some, but they demand specific situations. I noticed that whenever the elemental mana is in the environment, it becomes easier to cast any spell, or the skills get a natural boost. I have to keep that in mind. There is so much to consider!
His mind kept going on and on about how to increase his prowess. At one point, he slept, and still, in his dreams, he kept thinking about magic and battles.
Jonas now allowed him no time to rest between challenges; for the eight hours of the day, Bryn would face an untold number of adult beasts; bears started to appear as well, so he had to increase the output of his spells and take even greeted precautions when defending or evading. The first few times Jonas did this, it exhausted Bryn more than once, causing him many injuries. If not for healing potions Jonas offered, Bryn would take a long time to heal. Within a week, he had wholly adapted to the training style and now could face the eight hours head-on.
Jonas kept increasing the aggressiveness of some creatures, but at one point, the number of weeks creatures simply didn't matter anymore. Today, when the eighth hour was up, Bryn was about to walk back when Jonas called out.
"We can move on to the next scene; there will be no more breaks at night. In real life, you'll have to keep your senses active at all times…"
With his mana-enhanced vision, Jonas could see that instead of the previous humpfs, Bryn now smiled and rejoiced at the chance to increase the difficulty. That first night, Jonas started to force his other senses to the max. No beast attacked; he simply imitated their sounds every time Bryn started to get any amount of rest. Spending the entire night awake, sword in hand, and maintaining a few spells circulating his body, Bryn's mind was tired. His concentration flickered from time to time, but he was still up.
Thirty-eight hours, that is how long he could keep his body awake. As he slept, Jonas took care of the faun's resting area. Unlike before, Jonas now smiled whenever he looked at the young faun. He felt he was dealing with an unsatiable vortex of knowledge for the second time. With every suggestion Jonas offered, all small comments were implemented within the following exchange. Not only that, the creativity behind this kid was enough to spark the desire to improve in anyone.
I understand it now, Gabriel… He thought.