Arc 3: Choosing Reality by Embracing Life
Road to a Hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 2: TEAMWORK!
Gray: “THIS GUY’S BIG! WE NEED A PLAN!”
Soku: “I’m OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!”
The Ogre swings at them wildly, though luckily it’s easy to dodge. Still, they won’t be able to do it forever.
Gray {THINK, THINK! I GOT IT}
Gray: “DON’T USE MANA, OGRES HAVE THICK SKIN THAT IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE MANA!”
Soku: “Oh yeah that guy in the alley told us that.”
Rosemary: “THEN WHAT DO WE DO!”
Rosemary struggles to stay calm, with Edward standing still, focused.
Gray: “I’M GONNA DISTRACT IT, ROSE, EDWARD KNOCK IT DOWN, THEN SOKU, YOU GO FOR THE EYES LIKE BEFORE, MOST THINGS ARE WEAK TO THE EYES!”
Edward {A plan that fast, and it isn’t bad, excellent.}
Gray starts waving his arms, getting the Ogre's attention, Rosemary charges up, rushing towards the left leg while Edward swings Bjørn at the right leg, causing the Ogre to fall. Then Soku uses wind magic to speed toward the Ogre's eye, slashing through it.
Soku {Even though I didn’t do much training, my mana control still got a lot better, and this sword is amazing! Like a hot knife through butter.}
Edward jumps into the air, slamming Bjørn into the Ogre's skull, crushing it, and killing the monster.
Gray: “DAMN! Nice Edward, gross though, really, really gross.”
Announcer: “THE WALGONIAN GROUP HAS FINISHED THE FIRST TRIAL, IN FORTY-FIVE SECONDS!”
Rosemary: “That plan worked perfectly!”
Gray: “Well you guys did everything, and I just did what Soku did when I first met her.”
Soku: “I’ll take all the credit.”
Edward: “Alright, now we gotta go wait up there with everybody else, Let's go.”
They all walk up into the stands, sitting down beside Musashi.
Announcer: “NOW FOR THE NEXT GROUP! MAY THE VALATROCITICE GROUP PLEASE ENTER THE ARENA!”
Musashi: “Good job, quick work.”
Gray: “Thanks, I mainly just swung my arms around though, if this tournament works as it does in the things I’ve seen, they’re gonna make us fight so I don’t want to use my strength too soon.”
Musashi: “Nice for you to think ahead.”
Julius, Roy, and Lloyd enter the arena. The doors shut while the other door opens. Reveling A big Serpent, about the same size as the Ogre. it hisses at the group, with the chain still attached to its neck.
Announcer: “NOW BEGIN!”
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The Serpent joints towards the group.
Roy: “DIGES”
A wall of earth pops up from the ground, guarding them against the strike. Then Julius pulls out his Rapier, jumping onto the Serpent's head. Lloyd takes his staff out of its holster, aiming it at the serpent.
Gray: “NOWAY, THESE GUYS ARE PROS, AND THEY ARN’T EVEN KNIGHTS!”
Edward: “Yeah, moving without speaking, with full trust in one another.”
Gray: “And…Lloyd, I think…has a magic staff he’s a damn mage!”
Lloyd: “IGNUS!”
A stream of fire shoots out of the staff, hitting the Serpent in the face. Allowing Julius to stab his blade into the neck of the monster. He pulls the blade around the head of the Serpent, slicing through all of the scales with ease, blood spraying all over the place. The head of the Serpent falls to the Ground, dead within seconds.
Soku: “Damn! That was nice!”
Rosemary: “Yeah, especially Julius, that swordwork, speed accuracy, and force with such a thin blade.”
Musashi: “I don’t know what it is, but Julius monocle… it looks familiar…”
Edward: “It does look strange.”
Gray: “Why does he have his eyes barely open?”
Musashi: “It’s a dumb training thing. It helps you maintain your composure, while also teaching you to be able to understand your surroundings quickly.”
Gray: “So who are those guys? Just randoms or something else?”
Musashi: “They all are the sons of the King of Valatrocitus, from Oldest to youngest they are Roy, Lloyd, and Julius Cromwell.”
Gray: “Wait is Arthur not a son of the king?”
Musashi: “No… it’s a weird story, nobody knows where Arthur is from, he joined the Dragon army about twenty years ago, and he climbed the ranks with his spirit art. It has the same mana signature as the Sect members who possess powers. Though he seems to be natural compared to the Sect, which has their mana mutated, then spirits form the ability they have gained. Arthurs is similar to yours, your mana is so grand because of the spirit art you have. Though it didn’t give you an ability it just seemed to grant you more mana. But it’s fused with your body, unlike it being fused to your OD.”
Gray: “I wish people would tell me these things instead of revealing them to me randomly.”
Musashi: “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Announcer: “THE VALATROCITUS GROUP HAS COMPLETED THERE FIRST TRIAL, IN TWENTY-SEVEN SECONDS!”
Gray: “Darn they did it faster than us.”
Rosemary: “Well they do seem to be stronger than us.”
Soku: “And better teamwork.”
Edward: “And more experience.”
Musashi: “And they’re QUIETER SHUT UP, DAMN!”
Gray: "meh, meh, meh, meh.”
Soku: “How mature.”
The crowd cheers for the Valatrositice group. They walk up to the stands, sitting down beside Arthur, across the room from Gray and his group.
Announcer: “NOW, FOR THE FINAL FIGHTER FOR THE FIRST TRIAL, THE RAVORIAN CONTESTANT, SINCE THEY COULD ONLY PICK ONE PERSON TO REPRESENT THEM. SO LET’S HOPE SHE’S UP TO THE TASK!”
The crowd cheers while the woman enters the room. The doors shut while the other doors open Reviling a Lycan.
Gray: “Is that a Lycan? Seems easier than what we had to do.”
Edward: “Well Ogres aren't like Dragons, they aren’t smart. Though Lycans are pretty intelligent, for just being a monster.”
Rosemary: “Yeah though it’s weird, Lycan's are seen as taboo right?”
Gray: “Why would they be?”
Musashi: “I’ll make it short. You can get a mana sickness that if not treated, you will decompose, and then turn into a ghoul. Then you can spread the disease. If it’s spread to a demi-human, it will mutate the disease turning anything into a wolf-like ghoul or Lycan.”
Gray: “Thanks.”
Rosine: “I am Rosine, a future member of the Ravorian imperial army, and I will slay this Lycan to further that goal. So please watch me do so now.”
Soku: “Well she’s soft-spoken.”
Announcer: “NOW BEGIN!”
Like the other monsters, the Lycan gets some slack for the chain to move. Though it seems to not lunge at her.
Gray: “It’s…thinking.”
Rosine runs to the Lycan, pulling out her Bo staff, and fighting the Lycan. The Lycandodges all of her strikes.
Soku: “What’s with the weird necklace she’s wearing?”
Gray: “Yeh looks like a Beherit, like an egg-shaped bird face.”
Musashi: “No way…”
Gray: “What?”
Edward: “In legend, A long time ago in Alfheilm, multiple weapons were made for a king. However, it was figured out by the elves and dwarves that he was going to use them to take over the domain. So they cursed them. A ring that lets you change domains, a scythe that damages the soul of the person you hurt with it, an armor that grows around you. A cloak that can be moved and stretched to the will of the user, and an egg-shaped jewel that can wrap you within it, granting you great strength!”
Gray: “Doesn't seem like much of a curse.”
Musashi: “I didn’t say them yet. The ring will alter your mind, separating your soul between the domains and making you immortal. Each time the scythe is used, your body will become more skeleton-like until you become an undead monster. The Armor will pull out your worst tendencies, the cloak will try and make you depressed, and overcome with darkness in your heart. And the egg-shaped charm will overwhelm you with sin, basically making you evil.”
Gray: “So why is she using it?”
Edward: “It’s said in legend that you can control it if your mind is sound. My father used the Mad King Armor and he could control it for a time, but it was too much for him, taking his life. After that one of the nicknames given to the Armor is "Helsing Armor"."
Gray: “Oh…sorry for your loss.”
Edward: “It’s fine…So out of the five improvidences of the world. The ring of domains, The mad king's armor, the cloak of darkness, and the Egg of sin, which Rosine down there has, and the reaper scythe."
Rosine continues to battle the Lycan, finally getting the upper hand on the beast, hitting it with the Bo staff, and killing the beast from the brain trauma.
Announcer: “AND SO YOU HAVE IT, EVERYONE! WITH THE LAST MONSTER SLAIN IN EXACTLY ONE MINUTE, WHICH BRINGS AN END TO THE FIRST TRIAL! SINCE IT FINISHED QUICKLY THE NEXT TRIAL WILL START SHORTLY, SO GO THE THE RESTROOM, BUY YOUR FOOD, AND GET BACK QUICKLY, THE NEXT TRIAL WILL BE HELD IN THIRTY MINUTES!”
Edward: “Alright then let's go back downstairs.”
END OF CHAPTER
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