CHAPTER 77 - Chasing dreams I
Ray
I was always mocked by my peers.
My thin and weak complexion being the reason most of the time. That’s why I chose to take on the path of the sword. My father had told me stories about famous sword masters and knights, of their glorious adventures. Every single one of those people had chosen the sword as their weapon and excelled with it.
Seeing how their lives were being portrayed by others as heroes or protectors… I can’t deny that I got caught in the illusion that if I were to reach such heights, I would be hailed by adults and childs alike, just like they were. I didn't take into account though, that dreams are just that, dreams.
In my path to become a knight or a famous swordmaster, I trained for years on my own before finally deciding to join the mercenary guild, ready to get myself known. At the time that I entered, I was still immature and lacking in many ways, something that the rest of the members of the guild with which I partied weren’t ashamed to share with me. Some had good intentions in doing so, I am sure of it, but I can only remember the worst ones, those that belittle and discouraged me.
“You got no talent with the sword kid, use something else.”
“You are on the way, stop being an hindrance to the whole team for fuck’s sake.”
“Move! What are you doing!? The monsters are getting through!”
I took every insult or provocation that was thrown my way and shut my mouth. I knew what I was going to accomplish if I dared to voice my thoughts again, but I couldn't control my impulses when it got personal.
“Stop day-dreaming about becoming a hero or someone of renown. You are, and always will be, pathetic.”
“Stop being delusional and return to the piss-hole of a village that you came from.”
“Why are you still a mercenary? No group wants a burden like you in their ranks. Go back with your parents, you can still be a farmer or something.”
‘Go do something else.’ That was the overall reaction of everyone after being in the same group as me a couple of times. Safe to say, all that criticism got to me.
As I kept getting those kinds of words thrown my way, I retaliated, most of the time resulting in me being kicked out of a group. By the end of my first year in the guild, I had already run out of groups or people to team up with.
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Alone, and with my poor skills as a pitiful upper Civilian rank, I was desperate. My rank was a joke, the very name of it described me as a mere civilian, not even a warrior. The upper part of it was only for show, it was given to me when I joined to give me some face as I had trained for years before joining.
The fact that I hadn’t stepped on the warrior rank after one whole year meant only one thing…
I wasn’t trying enough!
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With more motivation than ever before, nothing to lose, and a lot of people to prove wrong, I took a leap of faith.
I threw away the greatsword that I had been carrying and using for years now and started anew. With one sword in each hand.
Swapping weapons like that was not easy, the routines and habits that I had engraved in my body for such a long time were hard to get rid off.
Countless people laughed at my change of heart, seeing my change of weapon as a joke, or thinking that I was only seeking attention.
Far from the truth, I was serious about my new weapon of choice, and this time, their laughs and jokes would only feed my desire for power.
My new pair of swords were hard to adjust to. They were far more difficult to control and maneuver around with than my previous weapon.
I tripped when swinging them.
I lost balance with each strike.
And everytime I would use them to block, I would get at least one of them stuck in my opponent's weapon.
With time, however, I got better at dual wielding. The pair of swords that at first created so many problems for me, were now part of my very being. My body remained thin and kind of frail, but the swords that I now wielded helped me with that weakness, as they were a lot easier to swing in comparison to my old heavy greatsword.
Two years of dual wielding passed in a flash, and finally, after arduous training I had transformed my weakness into my strength.There wasn’t even one time where I was further than a couple of meters from my pair of swords. I included them in everything I did, carrying them with me at all times.
Even if I had yet to get a muscular build, all my training paid off, and I got good with them.My swings were now smooth and fast, the strikes powerful, and my stance was always there, not losing balance in the middle of my fights anymore.
In my third year as a mercenary, I achieved my first goal and was bestowed with the title of Warrior, the lowest of the bunch.
My hard work had beared fruits, getting me to where I should have started years prior, but my intention wasn’t to stop there… no. This was just the beginning.
If my first step in my journey to become a knight had been acquiring that rank, my second step would be to form a group. My journey ahead wasn’t going to be easy, and I knew that I needed at the very least, a reliable group of people to fall back on when things got rough, and for that…
I waited.
I wasn’t going to mess it up, not again…
I wasn’t planning on searching for a new group now with my new status as a Warrior. Not only was it still a bad rank, but I didn’t want to make more mistakes, so I did a lot of research on the background of prestigious fighters and knights, on how they got to the top.
From what they ate for breakfast, to what they ended up being known for. I researched them for weeks with the poor amount of money that I had saved.
After dozens or hundreds of hours invested and emptying my pouch of savings, I could only describe the experience with four words: “Huge waste of time.”
Those people weren't anything like me. All of the biographies of the heroes and knights that I read and studied made it clear enough.
“Talent.” It was something that they all had in common and that I clearly lacked.
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The day that I got to that conclusion, I went to the guild. I sat inside the building for hours, unmoving, with that same word stuck in my brain, in an endless loop.
“Talent, talent, talent, talent…” But just when I was about to give up and go home, I understood it. All thanks to the assassin wanna be that entered through out the door of the guild with the same intentions that I had 3 years ago written all over his face.
Forget about finding strong and veteran mercenaries for the group, everyone does that, and just like everyone, they won't get far. Instead, plan ahead, find the perfect people that you will need as your party members in the future and not those you want at the moment.
Isaiah was my first companion. At least, the very first one that treated me as such as we helped each other improve.
He helped me devise new ways of using my weapons and I helped him with his knife throwing skills , acting as his target. Damn, those damn sessions of him throwing wooden knives at me soon got intense as we picked speed. Together, we both improved a lot, my reflexes and perception rose to a whole new level while his aim got better and better.
Two months later, our other two companions and friends finally joined our party. Lira and Aisha were both archers, both women had an amazing aim. Together, the four of us finally formed a group. Our yet to be polished faults didn’t make us falter as we entered the ranks of the active groups of the guild.
We still lacked someone to cover up our missing role on the frontline, that way we would be able to finally develop normal and coherent formations, just like any other party. However, to start with our missions, we all put together our funds to buy a simple yet useful magical item after coming up with an unusual strategy.
Usually, magic items would fetch a much higher price, one that we wouldn't be able to afford. The item we were after though, wasn’t that valuable to other people, in fact it's only good perks was its high durability and easy way to carry, making it the perfect match for our plan, taking into account that I wouldn't be able to move with anything heavier.
Destiny must have been on our side, as we were called to the guild soon after buying the small metal plate for ourselves. We would finally be able to take part on an actual mission and try out the magic item at that.
The mission itself wasn’t anything normal either, it was a major call for help on a subjugation, just the perfect opportunity for us to debut.
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Leo
The enemy approaches rapidly, covering the distance that separates us at an amazing speed. The guys that seconds ago were looking weirdly at me while celebrating the kill of the giant boar soon prepare too, feeling and hearing the tremors coming our way.
I can hear the creaking of the trees falling just before it appears. A three meter tall amalgamation of bone, ramming through the forest in our direction.Not using mana or too much qi to not blow up my cover, I steal the metal plate from the hands of the swordsman.
I know that the skeleton is strong, maybe as strong as one of the big ones that the necromancer that I killed had acting as guards, but I can’t be sure without facing it. I do know that in theory it should be harder for me, having to fight while restraining myself to some extent.
‘I would normally dodge such an attack.’ I think so as I look at the oncoming enemy that looks like a freight train without brakes.
‘I really have changed my way of doing things. Huh.’ I sigh as I think on how did I turn a blind eye at the start of the invasion on Earth to adults and children alike. I can't even recall those human sized moles chasing and killing innocent families while I watched from a safe distance. Now, instead, here am I, protecting some random group of mercenaries that already knew what they were signing for.
‘Now is not the right time.’ I shake my head. Preparing to stop the charge of the skeleton before it kills the other members of the group. I infuse some qi on the magical sheet of metal which is still open into its shield shape. It should make it a lot more durable, enough to withstand the oncoming collision.
Bracing for impact, I boost myself too as I use the shield to block the charge. The collision shakes the ground and sends a shockwave that sends the entirety of the group flying.
I let the guy push me a little bit, sliding on the muddy floor of the forest to somehow reduce the damage taken, diverting some energy from the clash to the ground. Three meters away from the starting point, it runs out of momentum, something I take advantage of by making the qi infused on the shield to explode forward as I bend my back backwards.
The explosion sends the monster flying like a cannonball in a straight line, but its airborne status doesn’t last for long though, its weight slowing it down enough to make it hit the ground not too far.
Meeting the ground however, it’s not the same as arriving safely, as its landing is far from graceful. Its descent leaves a trail of destruction in its wake in the form of a crater a few meters wide.
‘Okay, it’s definitely not as strong as the bodyguards from the necromancer.’ I think to myself.
Assessing its strength yet again, I change tactics. Out of curiosity, I act as the frontline of the group I am bound to collaborate with, giving them a chance to display their prowess and the extent of their real skills.
‘Who knows, maybe one of them is hiding something interesting.’
“Hey attack it my underlings!” Knowing that they don’t understand a single thing, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Fortunately they quickly catch on once I signal my back and they all get behind me, every single one of them still at the ready to attack, telling me that they do not plan on only hiding.
“Yes! That’s the spirit my minions!” I shout as the big chunk of bones gets back on its bony feet and comes our way.
The monster is weak enough for me to play around for a bit, so I start by watching the movements of my teammates as they jump out of the way.
Maybe thinking that I would repeat the same move, but that would be a waste of qi, so instead, I wait for it to get close before striking its right kneecap, bending it the other way with the help of its momentum. I then roll up to the side, avoiding the falling monster.
This time however, it gets back up instantly, only to get hit by a couple of arrows, each in one of its eye sockets. They don’t deal any damage though, but do manage to anger the monster some more.
Seeing the lack of damage from the arrows, both the assassin and the swordsman stop in their tracks, probably looking for another way to defeat the thing.
I see their behavior too relaxed for their own good, so I stop dodging and focus on blocking with their little metal plate that they were using as a barricade before.
‘Will you still be relaxed now that your life saving artifact is at risk?’ I laugh to myself.
The first exchange doesn’t get much attention from them, but once they notice that I am not infusing qi on their precious gadget, they start to show some interesting looks. I could bet they all at least cursed at me a bunch of times before proceeding.
Not caring about their glares, I defend myself with it, deliberately abusing the toughness properties of the shield to leave unscathed from the exchanges.
A few clashes into the exchange, they start moving again, The four of them have been maintaining a rectangle formation around me and the monster this whole time.Enough time in fact, for the knee of the thing to go back into its place, allowing him to walk accordingly again.
‘That must be some kind of passive regeneration. Maybe mana that it is getting from the surroundings or someone else.’
The four of them shout among themselves as they use one of the monster’s clashes against me as an opening, taking advantage of the time that it takes for it to get back on its legs after each clash.
The first one to commit to my surprise is the assassin, who throws one of his knives at the joining where the right arm of the monster meets its shoulder. The weapon thrown gets perfectly stuck in between the bones of the joint, soon followed by an arrow, and another, and another, and another…
The projectiles keep piling in there by the second, some hit the shoulder of the arm and bounce off the skeletons frame and others just miss the target entirely, but soon enough enough of them are where they were meant to be, crumping the joint of the monster and slowing the monster moves more and more.
Dozens of arrows after, the monster can barely move its arm, helping me tremendously on my job at keeping the guy at bay. The swordsman is far from done though. He jumps at the skeleton’s arm at the first chance he gets with one of his swords drawn, piercing through the joining from one side to another and crashing the projectiles that were in the way after being unable to pierce the bone itself. He then tries to use the weapon as a lever and pick apart the arm from the skeleton.
“A commendable effort, but too risky for my taste.” I mutter.
Obviously their plan is a bust, but not because they did it wrong, but because they lack firepower. Firepower that I am ready to share.
Seeing the grimaces of his teammates as the monster uses its other arm to reach for the guy with the sword while he tries his best to do his part, I make my move and help them out a bit.
I boost my let a great deal before striking at the besieged joint, prying it apart from the rest of the monster’s skeletal frame. The swordsman gets thrown away too, being carried through the air by the now loose arm, escaping danger.
‘Your welcome mate.’