Arc 4: What families entail
Road to a hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 18. Bonds
Soku wakes up, yawning. She looks to her side to see Peter sleeping on the floor.
Soku {He looks so…peaceful…}
Peter wakes up, quickly jumping up to get ready. Peter turns to see Soku awake in his bed, and they both go quiet. Soku blushes, she then blasts wind in Peter's face knocking him down.
Peter: “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!”
Soku: “Wha….WHATEVER!”
Leo bursts into the room, scaring the two.
Leo: “GET UP! We got training to DO!”
Peter: “UGH!”
Soku: “Finally something to do.”
Leo leads them to another large room in the catacombs.
Soku: “Why does this place even exist?”
Peter: “Athens isn’t huge so we don’t have much power. But thanks to the land and the volcano giving us metal, we could sell it to gain trust and power. So these catacombs were originally mines that went unused.”
Soku: “Alright then, you explained that pretty well.”
Peter: “Oh really? Thanks.”
Leo: “ENOUGH FLIRTING! We gotta prepare for future battles and you, Soku, maybe our best chance. Peter told me he wanted to tell you something so PETER explained it.”
Peter: “Well I gotta grab the book, but I have been researching the elves' culture. And I found how the elves use their wind magic, and training for it as well as fighting styles!”
Soku: “Really? I tried and tried to find anything on it back home but I just couldn’t.”
Peter: “I got it from my parents. It took a bit to translate since I don’t speak the language fluently but I was able to make most of it out.”
Leo: “Alright well you go get the book, tell her some stuff first so I can start teaching!”
Peter: “Alright here. Wind magic requires a bunch of stances. So I need it to get the flow and power from the strikes to work.”
Soku: “Actually that makes more sense. I have always had a problem getting my wind to flow right, as well as the speed of collecting the wind. If I do this it would increase the power, and decrease the time to gather wind.”
Peter moves Sokus' arms and legs into the right positions. Her arms and legs were spread out, with one arm tucked back and the other stretching forward.
Peter: “Now focus your mana, move with the wind. It’s your friend, it wants to help you. It isn’t some mystical power you need to summon, it’s a tool to use. Now shift forward, move your feet fluidly and use the tucked arm to blast the wind.”
Soku: “Okay…”
Leo: “Fighting it like a dance. You have to move fluidly and shift your body accordingly. Don’t think about it, you just DO it.”
Soku summons the wind around her. She leans and flows her body accordingly, flowing the wind through and around her body. It pushes and blasts forward, like an unstoppable force. The power from the attack throws Soku and Peter back, being caught by Leo.
Soku: “I…did it…but that took a lot out of me.”
Peter: “Damn…that was SICK!”
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Leo: “Amazing…like a blessing from the gods.”
Soku: “The power was similar to me using my mark…I wonder how much stronger it will be if I use my mark now?”
Peter: “Well I’ma go get the book you rest or keep going.”
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Not too far from the hideout, Julius communicates with an imprisoned Rosemary below the main castle. Dark, wet, and overall gross.
Julius: “It has almost been a day since we have arrived here.”
Rosemary: “Finally someone to talk to. They put me down here and just didn’t interact with me or tell me anything. So what’s happening? Are we leaving or are we stuck here?”
Julius: “I have been communicating with Beauregard and he trusts me. I think we shall stay here for the time being. He has allowed us to write to Soku and the others but I do not think we should inform them of much. I want Beauregard to trust us, but I do not want him to win.”
Rosemary: “Few…I thought you joined the Athens army…”
Julius: “I have put us in a situation where we can join them flawlessly if we have to.”
Rosemary: “You want to betray Leo and the Red Arrows…I won’t do that…I won’t run away.”
Julius: “I assumed you would say that. But if the time comes I will make the decision that saves Walgonia, so I hope you keep that in mind.”
Rosemary: “I will.”
A well-built man enters the dungeon. His face was covered by a knight’s helmet, and his body was covered in Athens armor.
Rosemary: “Who are you?”
Calgary: “Names Calgary, and I have been sent to retrieve you miss Rosemary. Sir Bearueguard has asked for you to meet with him.”
Rosemary: “Alright…at least I get to leave this nasty dungeon.”
Calgary: “Hehe…yes this place is really nasty.”
Calgary pulls out a key, unlocking the cell that is holding Rosemary. He then leads her to a staircase leading to the castle's top.
Rosemary: “This castle is really different compared to Walgonias.”
Calgary: “How so?”
Rosemary: “Well this one seems to be constructed with a…how do I put this…a purpose. The hallways all lead into another, each room that I've seen does the same thing.”
Calgary: “Athens was made to protect the people. The founders knew they weren't strong and didn’t have much land or people. So when they found the Dragons alloy, along with other metals they started trading and such. But just in case of a war they made most of the buildings and roads to help in the war. With each working like a grid, allowing for escape and attacks.”
Rosemary: “It is smart…Ravoria focuses on Religion and architecture, Walgonia on agriculture, and Valatositice with…well war. Athens seems to be good with all of it other than Religion.”
Calgary: “it isn’t all fun and rainbows, Athens forces children that show any form of strength to train till their adults then force them to join the army. Most of the guards don’t even know what to do here. Ravoria tells you you’re fighting for your god. Walgonia teaches you about protecting what you think is right, and most of the people in Valatrositce just want to gain something…but Athens just makes you do it.”
Rosemary: “What about you? Were you born here?”
Calgary: “No…I can talk more about it later but we’re here.”
They exit the long spiral staircase, walking into the long hallway with a big metal door at the end. Calgary approaches the door, knocking three times one on the top, one on the side, and one kick to the bottom. The door then opens, Beauregard pulling a lever that opens the door from the inside.
Rosemary {Secret knock…top, left, bottom…got it.}
Beauregard: “Oh nice you have made it to my office.”
They enter the office, the room filled with bookshelves and paper stacked on tables. With a well-built table in the center, and behind Beauregard's seat at the table is a large window.
Calgary: “Nice isn’t it?”
Rosemary: “Yeah…you can see the whole capital outside that window…”
Beauregard: “Please, sit down. I hope that the chairs are comfortable, I want to make it clear that I go to great lengths to make my guests happy.
Rosemary sits down, uneasy being surrounded by possible enemies.
Rosemary: “It's comfortable, what do you want to talk to me about.”
Beauregard: “Look, don’t be too hasty. I’m sorry for putting you in that uncomfortable situation but I had to make sure you wouldn’t try and kill me or my friends.”
Rosemary: “Oh…it’s fine.”
Beauregard: “Glad to hear that…I want to ask you if you think I’m evil.”
Rosemary: “What…why?”
Beauregard: “I know you think I’m evil…for going against my brother…for my opinions on…DeMi-HuMaNs.”
Rosemary: “Well yes…I don’t agree with your opinion on demi-humans.”
Beauregard: “Well take into account my history with them. I have watched them slaughter villages, my friends, and myself. When my father joined Walgonia and the demi-humans in the war I was…surprised, to say the least.”
Rosemary: “And your treatment of Elves?”
Beauregard: “I just have to make sure that my people are safe. When I know that they are, I will treat them as one of us.
Beauregard stares intently at Rosemary, his snake-like eyes with the way they angle and move. Even though he should be in his mid-thirties at the most, his light brown hair is receding, and his wrinkles stand out. All those things along with his brown dress suit make him look like some sort of an evil mastermind. Untrustworthy and overall just evil-looking.
Rosemary: “Why fight with your brother…why not just change the rules and end this?”
Beauregard: “Because I need to make it apparent to the other countries that I won’t just change my opinions to win. I will make sure that I represent myself as a calm and composed leader, with pride and confidence. I will make Leo join me instead of the other way around.”
Rosemary: “So even if you agree with your opponent you won’t go back on your word…seems like an overabundance of pridefulness.”
Beauregard: “I just want to make sure I do not go back on my word and make myself look easy, as well as avoid mistakes I have made in my past. I think you feel the same way, don’t you? I think you look at possible mistakes in your past very intently.”
Rosemary: “What…are you talking about?”
Beauregard: “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. Calgary, would you please remove your helmet now.”
Calgary: “Of course sir.”
Calgary removes his helmet, his face covered in scars, his eyes tired and worn out. And the biggest eye drawer, his golden hair and light blue eyes.
Rosemary: “No…way…are you…?”
Calgary: “I’m what I thought to be the last living member of the Golden knights. …but when I heard of you…somebody left…and the daughter of the Golden knights' leaders no doubt…”
Rosemary: “I thought you all died out…how are you alive!?”
Calgary: “I was in the attack…the Sect jumped us…I was able to live but if you look at all the scars on my face it’s obvious I didn’t make it out unscathed.”
Rosemary: “What family are you a part of?”
Calgary: “The second family…the Golden Leaf.”
Beauregard: “So you aren’t related then?”
Rosemary: “No…the Golden knights we made of two families that intermingled. The Golden win and Golden Leaf.”
Beauregard: “Well I must attend to my duties…you converse with one another for as long as you want.”
Rosemary: “Thank you…”
END OF Chapter Eighteen.