Ace and Silas followed Gawain around the mountain, barely able to keep sight of him as jumped from rock to rock. After a brief 20 minute hiking session, they crossed to the other side of the Mount Steel, revealing a village tucked into a massive forest clearing. There was even a small lake.
As the pair jumped onto the same rock as Gawain, he turned around with a smile.
"Welcome to my village! Every single one of the 12 Blade's protects a residential district. As I am often away with training new knights, I hold the district closest to our stronghold. Anyways, let's get a closer look!
Brimming with excitement, Gawain leapt off the rocky ledge and down into the village below. Ace and Silas followed suit.
Walking past the homes, Ace couldn't help but be amazed. From what little he had seen in both the slums and main city, wood seemed to be something that was scarce. Despite that, every house in the village was made almost entirely from wood, with stone only being used for supports or decorative accents.
The whole village seemed handmade and lacked the industrial feel of the environments Ace was used to. Even the streets were made from hand placed stones that had clearly been carved by an artisan.
As Gawain walked through the village he was greeted by every inhabitant he passed by. It didn't take long for Ace to lose track of how many times he had heard "Good Evening Sir Gawain!"
Eventually, the trio approached a massive wooden villa situated at the top of a grassy hill. Just before they got there however, Ace and Silas saw a man stumble out of a building on the side of the street. He fell over a couple of times before his friends came out of the bar and helped carry him away.
They apologized to Gawain as they passed by.
Ace looked at the sign of the building they had walked of.
It read.
----------------
Polke's Tavern
----------------
When they passed the building, Ace caught a whiff of a strange scent. It was subtly sweet while burning his nose at the same time.
'Hmmm, what's that? Smells good!'
Feeling a tug on his shoulder, he saw Silas pointing at the tavern, obviously wanting to go inside. He too had been mesmerized by the sweet scent.
Following Silas's lead, Ace took a step forward only to feel a hand fall on his head.
"Oh no no no! You two are far too young for that! You need to be 18 to consume alcohol boys! Now lets not get sidetracked! We're almost home!"
Following Gawain's directive, Ace and Silas marched up the stone pathway and all the way to the front door of the villa situated on top of the hill.
Gawain fiddled with his badge for a brief second before mounting it into a stone pylon situated next to his door. There was light clicking sound before the wooden door slid open, revealing a spacious interior.
Stepping inside, Gawain yelled. "Honey! I'm home! We have guests!"
Not even two seconds after he finished, Ace heard a batch of high pitched voices as three small children rounded the corner.
"Daddddy!"
Moving at high speed, Gawain's children jumped onto him.
With a laugh, he turned around to look at Ace and Silas. One child was sitting on his shoulders while the other two hung on his arms. Two of them were boys while one was a girl.
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"Well these are my kids! These two knuckleheads are Lance and Brock! And this here is my little sweetheart! Her name is Grace!"
Carrying his kids with ease, Gawain led them into the kitchen where a woman was prepping a table of food. She waved lightly at Ace and Silas while offering a greeting.
"Hello boys! My name is Isa! I always make extra so feel free to dig in!"
Ace and Silas didn't need to be told twice.
They sat down eagerly and tore into the food along with Gawain and the children. Isa watched them and rolled her eyes before pulling up a chair. She looked at Ace and Silas with interest.
"Please, tell us more about yourselves while you eat."
*** Later that Night ***
Ace and Silas sat slumped in their chairs, patting their bellies. They were stuffed to the brim... not that they regretted their choice. Good food had to be eaten.
While they struggled to move, Isa carried off her three children too bed with ease.
As revealed in their dinnertime conversation, she was also a knight, and from the slums too. After hearing that both of her guests were from the same place, she could hardly contain her excitement, drawing out all sorts of stories from Ace with her questions. She had some crazy stories of her own, including how she met Gawain.
Ace internally snickered, remembering the details. He would have laughed out loud, but the food in his stomach was making him extra lethargic.
Before he could fall asleep however, Gawain returned from helping put his kids to sleep.
"Alright boys! I know you guys are stuffed full, but let me show you to your rooms."
With a groan, Ace and Silas rose to follow him. Then, as soon as they took a step, there was a knock on the door.
Gawain frowned.
"Who could that be?"
Grabbing his sword, he walked into the hallway that led to the front door. Ace and Silas peeked from around the corner.
Grasping hold of the door, Gawain swung it open with lightning speed, only to gasp in shock.
Recovering quickly, he stumbled into a sword salute.
"M-Matriarch, the 8-"
From their hiding spot down the hallway, Ace and Silas could see a tall brown-haired woman rising above Gawain's frame. She waved a hand.
"Relax Sir Gawain, forgive me for intruding. I hope Isa and the kids are doing well... I'm here looking for Ace and Silas. I was told they were staying with you."
Hearing those words. Gawain stepped to the side, fully revealing Ace and Silas.
With a light smile she pointed at them.
"You two, walk with me."
***
Ace walked behind the Matriarch next to Silas. The woman in front of them had yet to say a word, moving in silence. Together, they walked alongside the base of the mountain, occasionally having to leap over a tall boulder.
Eventually, the Matriarch stopped. After a brief pause the ground lurched beneath them. Keeping his balance, Ace could see a thin disc of metal being formed at their feet. In only a few seconds, the disc was complete.
Immediately after, the Matriarch flicked her wrist, sending the platform flying into the air at high speed. They flew so fast that Ace and Silas were pressed into the disc, unable to move. The Matriarch stopped the their ascent right beneath the clouds, allowing both of them to see the vast expanse of GQC-1 stretch out before them. With their proximity to the wall they could even a slum district on its perimeter.
She pointed at the slum district off in the distance.
"You know what I like most about people from the slums?
Neither of the boys spoke so she continued.
"You guys are so simple, so genuine. You may be be ruthless at times, but that's only a product of the environment you were nurtured in. In short, you are trustworthy, infinitely more than the people born in the city. We need more of you, but the other Houses would never allow such a thing to pass. They fear you, fear the revenge that many of you inevitably seek."
"Matriarch, I don't understand." Ace said "What is it you're trying to say?"
She turned around to face them.
"If you win the Selection Tournament, I will open The Wall."
Ace and Silas opened their mouths in shock.
'Huh?'
"I figured telling you this would serve as motivation for the upcoming tournament. If you lose, millions will die. Just like your families."
Ace shook with rage at her words but Silas grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.
"That was... harsh, but it's the truth. Think about what I've said as you prepare for the tournament this week. Every day, I expect you to journey up the mountain to train with your team in the stronghold. That will be all."
She flicked her wrist and began lowering the disc towards Gawain's house. After dropping them off and speaking a few words with Gawain, the Matriarch flew off into the sky, back towards the stronghold.
Once she was gone, Gawain showed them to there rooms.
***
Ace sat slumped in a chair looking at his trusty rock's. He had grown so proficient in his Notch ability that he hardly needed to concentrate to see them anymore. It had taken him a while to realize it, but he also realized that it didn't require any Sever energy.
With just a touch of concentration, Ace peered at the orb that was the rock's balance point. Instead of being white like a star, it contained a maelstrom of green energy.
'It's almost ready!'
Stowing the rock away, Ace pulled up his armor request ticket.
After fiddling with its button for a few seconds, he got it to project an image of him wearing heavy plate armor. With just a touch, he was able to modify or remove certain portions of armor. He could even change the color. Smiling heavily, he poured all his energy into designing the best armor set he could.