Arc 4: What families entail
Road to a hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 41. Calm before the storm
In the common room of the Red Arrows hideout Gray and Caesar sit and drink together.
Gray: “Last guy from earth I met is like super evil, happy you’re not trying to capture me.”
Caesar: “Yeah, don’t bet on it.”
Gray: “Uhhh.”
Caesar: “Geez take a joke. My life here has been pretty eventful. I've met a lot of people, and fought in a lot of battles, hell due to my power they call me "Caesar the Immortal".”
Gray: “How much have you trained?.”
Caesar: “Well I’m also kinda lazy, so I haven't really trained much. I’m impressed you’re still movin'. Hell, my body can hardly use my mana.”
Gray: “You said you have a healing factor right? I have a small one but is yours like a power?”
Caesar: “Yeah, it just heals me passively. But it kinda resets my body, so I keep my teeth, hair, and any issue with my body. But if I want it to change I can.”
Gray: “You got a pretty useful one then, and Arthur got this black flame stuff. I’ve got a lot of mana and a great spiritual connection, so I guess it doesn't suck. But it would have been cool if I had a superpower and not a giant AP bar.”
Caesar: “Well what can you do with it? Can you use magic or something?”
Gray: “ I can use like one spell. I could use more but I promised not to and I'm not good enough to use the few I can use, and if I break that and use any more spells it would make the spirits dislike me. And I can’t use elemental mana at all.”
Caesar: “Why would they dislike you?”
Gray: “Spirit magic forces spirits to do what you want, I use the spirit arts which just gives me a voice to speak with them. My spells ask them to do something for me and they do it. But most of them can take all the mana from the spirits and kill them. And I will not kill them. The only one I can use for right now is Cenic since it's the lowest level spell I got."
Caesar: “So you've got a self-limiter? Hell I'd probably just use all of em' anyway. Spirits never did nothin' good for me."
Gray: “Yeah…I know it sounds stupid…but I think because of that limiter made my spiritual connection stronger. In a way, I didn’t lose much because I never had it in the first place. But me having all this mana has saved my ass more than once. The extra strength, healing factor, and not having to worry about running out of it is a big help.”
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Caesar: “Look, it seems you’re more confused than content. If you don’t wanna use spells then don’t. The way you describe them makes them seem like spells are taking control over a living being, which is kinda evil. You didn’t get a cool power, but you got a long-term thing. Just live your life man, I've already made the mistake of living for others too long.”
Gray: “Mm...Would you kill things to get what you want though?”
Caesar: “Honestly…yes I would and have done so.”
Gray: “I don’t know for me…I have killed blindly and I don’t know how to feel about it. I did it because I had to…but I also kinda didn’t. I dunno…I just gotta get used to it. But I think, if I have to, I'll kill if it means my life.”
Caesar: “Look dude, some people aren’t met for it. What are you like twenty-two twenty-three?”
Gray: “I’m seventeen…I turn eighteen on April eighteenth though.”
Caesar: “YOU’RE SEVENTEEN!? DAMN! I’m almost twenty-seven. And I think Arthur is somewhere in his mid to late thirties.”
Gray: “Yeah…I guess I am kinda young for all this. My friend isn't that much older than me, Rosemary's eighteen, Edward’s twenty, and Soku’s fourteen…I think.”
Caesar: “Shit that girl is like a kid…I feel bad for her.”
They both go quiet for a second until Rosemary and the others walk up to drink with them. Soku reaches for a glass of alcohol before Rosemary slaps her hand and takes it from her, which she promptly drinks.
Gray: “Oh hey guys.”
Caesar: “Wait, if you’re all underage shouldn’t you not be drinking?”
Edward: “Underage? The drinking age is sixteen so we’re good. Except for Soku.”
Soku: “Blah, blah.”
Gray: “Oh I never ask what your birthdays were.”
Rosemary: “My birthday’s March ninth.”
Gray: “Oh, your birthday is pretty close then.”
Edward: “Mine’s November eleventh.”
Rosemary: “What! We missed your birthday! We stayed at the mansion that whole time and you never said anything!”
Edward: “I didn’t think it was very important.”
Gray: “Well, mention it next time.”
Caesar: “What about you Soku?"
Soku: “June ninth.”
Gray: “Alright then, oh what’s you’re Caesar?”
Caesar: “September twentieth…what would you say your guys' spirit animal is?”
Before anyone can respond Leo walks up and gets their attention.
Leo: “Alright, it’s getting late and I want to get up early tomorrow.”
Gray: “Well I guess that’s it then. I’m gonna go check on Peter before I hit the hay.”
Rosemary: “Well I’ll be in our room until then.”
Gray: “Goodnight everybody!”
Everyone: “Goodnight!”
Gray stumbles his way to Peter's workshop, walking in to find scrap and random doo-hickeys everywhere and a newly built bunk bed.
Peter: “Hey Gray.”
Gray: “Hey Peter, I wanted to see what you were doing. And what’s with the bunk bed?”
Peter: “I have been threatened not to tell you about the bunk bed.”
Gray: “Oh…OHHH! NO WAY! SOKU YOU SLY DOG!”
Peter: “SHHH!”
Gray: “Sorry, sorry.”
Peter: “I’m fixing up the musket gun thing.”
Gray rummages through Peter's things while he talks.
Peter: “Oh also I made another Wrist Talon for you. Two in fact and they shouldn’t jam this time.”
Gray: “Nice, back in the castle I had an issue of just losing my swords. Having two always on me is super useful. I see you made a scope for the gun.”
Peter: “I made the butt of the gun a little thicker, made the barrel easier to clean, the powder not as messy, and overall just fixed it.”
Gray: “And you did all this in like two days! Nice.”
Peter: “Well I’m gonna go to bed now, you should too.”
Gray: “I know, I know I’m just a little on edge. I’ll get out of your hair now.”
Gray walks out of Peter's room and sees Soku waiting outside. Soku blushes and blasts a small amount of wind in Gray's face before running into Peter's room.
Gray: “Let’s hope she’s not an abusive partner.”
Gray walks into his room to find Rosemary already fast asleep. Gray lays down beside her and tries to fall asleep. He keeps his mind on the astral plane to force himself to sleep.
Gray: {The…calm before the storm.}
END OF Chapter forty-one