“Good work out, isn’t it?”
Panting heavily while leaning back on the bench, I could feel the pain all over my body. The training here was a lot more brutal than I had thought. No real weapons were used, instead they used wooden swords, clubs and so on. For me I wore a pair of leather gloves. With these on, I could punch someone with all my strength and the most one would receive is a bruise. By softening the blows, one could train with their full strength and not accidentally kill someone. The same applied to the wooden weapons.
“I wonder where one could buy these from?” As I looked over the weapons and gloves, Xeno laughed.
“Unless you know the captain, you ain’t going to get them, they’re Royal Guard exclusives.”
“I know the captain, Xeno.”
“Oh. I forgot, you do. Maybe you could ask?”
Looking over at Roland who was currently yelling at a group of trainees, I pursed my lips and shook my head.
“I’ll pass for now.” I hadn’t seen Roland act as a Royal Guard today, and I finally understood why he was a captain. He was hard on the trainees when they couldn’t defeat Xeno and I, and in turn had fought with us to show the trainees how to exploit our openings and showing them how to defeat our combination of shield and attacker. They had slowly exploited our openings and we had been beaten after an entire day of training.
“Are you doing anything after this?” Slinging his shield over his back, Xeno glanced at me.
“Not particularly. Olivia is training, Coffee is resting in my mana realm, Xia is with Alice today and taking her to medical facilities so I pretty much have nothing to do.”
“Not studying magic or with the Branch Master?”
“Master won’t be free till tomorrow. Our next lesson will take a few days after all. Spellcasting…I’m waiting on something.” I had been waiting for Selenia to summon me for another lesson, yet she had not attempted to summon my Astral body.
“I see. Well, why not come over for dinner? My husband is eager to impress you with his cooking and he’s eager to pet Coffee.”
“Sure.” When we had the dinner before leaving for the hunting zone, I had met Darryl and rather enjoyed his company. He was a bundle of laughs to be around and had been rather fond of Coffee.
“Good work you two. I’ve sent payment to the Guild already.” Roland came over and nodded to both of us.
“Thank you, sir.” Xeno spoke formally while I just nodded back. Roland moved back over to the trainees as they started their own drills and practise. Taking off the gloves and throwing them into a giant box meant for cleaning, Xeno and I headed out and started walking.
“How’s little Olivia doing?”
“Good. Once she’s finished with the Shrine Master she’ll be meeting with the next member of her potential team, an evolved monster named Willow.”
“Good to hear, I hope she finds her feet once again. What about little Alice?”
“She’ll be level 2 with a few more trips to the medical facilities. I want to be free on the day she will hit it in case anything happens, we still don’t know exactly what Alice is.”
“Good idea. I heard from Summer you’re looking to head into the Tomb of Lilith and want to attempt to clear it?”
“Mm, after the blizzard most likely. Tessa did suggest it and I’m wondering why.”
“Ah, that is simple. It’s an old legend and I can’t confirm its authenticity. It is said that Lilith is an ancient Goddess that represents the dark side of the moon and fought with those who worshipped the light side of the moon long ago.”
“So the Moon Goddess defeated her?”
“No. At least, according to the legend she fell because of her own army. I do not believe your Moon Goddess ever got involved. If it is true she represented the dark side of the moon, it would make sense for you to conquer her Tomb if it leads you to knowing about her. You can’t use the full power of the moon only understanding one side of it, right?”
Mulling over Xeno’s words, I figured if that legend were to be true then it would be best to head into the Tomb of Lilith.
“Count Summer and I in if you end up deciding to go in.”
“Are you sure?”
Scoffing, Xeno looked at me. “A chance to conquer the Tomb of Lilith? Something thought to be impossible? I’d absolutely love to take the chance, imagine how famous we’d be!”
“Is fame important for you?
Xeno shrugged. “Not exactly, but it’s nice to be in the spotlight sometimes. I do adventuring because it gives me a chance to be strong enough to protect my husband. See, Darryl and I grew up in a small town some distance from here. A monster tide flattened the town, leaving the two of us as orphans. If it wasn’t for a passing team of adventurers we would’ve died due to no food. Since then, Darryl has been terrified of monsters and I wanted to become strong enough so we can survive if such a thing happens again. Plus the fame might help his business.”
Darryl ran a business that sold general supplies like food, healing potions and so on. It was a small shop intended for those who were low level adventurers. Darryl enjoyed working the business as it helped those new to adventuring.
“I see. I understand, I’ve always gotten stronger because I didn’t want to be forced down a path I didn’t want to walk. According to Elizabeth I had been a slave before coming to Vale, though I don’t remember it I still remember not wanting to be forced down the path of being a Sister for the Sisterhood of the Moon Goddess, and thanks to the Archbishop I had to get stronger.”
“A slave? Must’ve gotten lucky to have the collar removed.”
"How do those collars work? I thought they would be a lot more common, but I've only seen them in the Tomb of Lilith. I even used one the other day to capture a criminal"
"Ah, those daft collars aren't that strong. They only last until the mana in them is exhausted, and the stronger you are the more mana that is drained. Like you, you'd be enslaved for a total of like, thirty minutes, and that's if you didn't just outright destroy it by flooding it with mana before they could order ya not to attack.
"Then there is also the fact that another person can simply destroy it for ya. You also get resistance towards em, like your Lullaby. Plus it is outlawed here, even nobles found with slaves will be punished, so the black market is where they're exchanged, and that's if they're not saved before that. The Royal Guard use em to capture criminals, gives em time to escort them into a cell that seals their strength. All in all, it's not worth the hassle, since they eventually just don't work and you can only really enslave low levels for a long time. I'm surprised you didn't have em back then."
“Ellie said they simply killed us before we reached level 10.”
“I see. Level 10 is when your body receives its first strengthening, all you would need to do after that is escape and slowly work your way to level 20.”
“Ellie said that is indeed what happened, though we weren’t level 10 when we escaped.”
As we talked, we soon arrived at a small home. A lovely, small front yard led to the door of the house and entering it we stepped inside.
“Darryl, I’m home. I’ve brought a guest.”
“I’m in the kitchen, love. Wait in the living room. And take your boots off!”
Xeno places his shield on the wall near the front door and takes his boots off while I do the same with my shoes. As Xeno walks to the living room, I duck into the kitchen.
“Need any help, Darryl?”
“Alisha! Xeno brought a good friend along. I’ll be right dear. Plus you’re scary in the kitchen.” Darryl turned to face me. You wouldn’t think this man would be level 5. He had a large, bulky figure, dark brown hair and a thick, bushy beard. “Did you bring Coffee?”
“Mm, he’s in my mana realm, want to see him?”
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“Once I’m done, I don't want wolf hairs in the food after all. Go relax, I’ll bring it all out soon.”
I walk into the living room and call Coffee out. I sat down as Coffee jumped onto the couch and sat down next to me, resting his head on my lap. Patting coffee while chatting with Xeno, Darryl came out with three bowls of soup and a few slabs of meat on a plate..
“Might not be as good as your cooking, Alisha, but I hope you enjoy it.”
“Thank you, Darryl.” Darryl places the meat on the table and gives Coffee a slice, which he happily ate. Taking a spoonful and eating, I found it quite good. “Tastes great Darryl.”
“Oh, the devil of the kitchen herself has given it her thumbs up, good work Darryl.” Xeno laughs while eating himself.
We continued to eat and laugh while talking during our meal and after bidding them farewell, I headed home for some much needed rest.
***
A young girl with black hair is hit by an attack from a large tarantula, lifted into the air before falling into a large hole. I heard another girl scream, one that resounded within me.
“ALISHA!”
My vision follows the girl with black hair as she twists her body to protect an egg that she clutched with her hands desperately. After some time of falling, she hit the water at the bottom of the hole, knocking her unconscious. She slowly drifts face up onto the bank of the pond before flipping onto her stomach on the edge. She awakens, covered in wounds with a broken arm. The egg she had protected had washed up onto the bank of the pond as well, and she searched desperately for it, before finding it. With a face of relief, she picks it up and after some rest, she sniffs the air.
A memorised expression covers her face as she begins walking while sniffing the air. I couldn’t smell anything, but I knew she followed a particular smell. She stumbles slowly through the tunnels that are lit up with stones on the wall and after a while she arrives in a large room with a throne in the middle. She gazes around the room before looking at a particular passageway. Continuing to follow her as she enters the passageway, it takes a while before she arrives before a shrine.
I couldn’t make out the shrine, it was a blur, but the young girl suddenly disappeared. After a minute, she reappeared, an aura of confidence replacing the scared aura she had before. She now had a pair of fox ears on her head but no tail. In her hands, she cradled an egg in her arms before moving it into a bag. She then walks down the corridor and into the throne room once again. Then, choosing a passageway, she started walking down it, arriving at another room with more corridors, and then continued walking down another, and another, and another…
I don’t know how long the girl has been walking for, there is no concept of time for me. I saw her sitting on the ground, that confidence all but gone. She had an egg on her lap while she slept. Suddenly, it shook, cracks ringing out. The girl woke up, immediately on guard, looking for the sound as it rang out once again. She looked at the egg, worry on her face, mixed with excitement. Soon, the shell broke away as a raven's head poked out, tilting its head at the girl.
***
Opening my eyes as I woke, I stared at the ceiling. Another dream of a memory I had lost, this time from when I had been lost inside the Depths of Crater Hell, with no way of knowing when I would get out. I had thought I would be alone in that darkness, but then Alice had hatched. Looking down, I saw Alice peacefully sleeping and she used my arm as a pillow, hugging me loosely. Stroking her hair, I felt happiness well up in me at how much she had grown.
After a while, I slowly got out of bed while making sure I didn’t disturb her and with Coffee I went downstairs to make breakfast as usual. Xia came downstairs at some point and helped me prepare. Once Alice had awoken, we sat down and ate. Today I would be heading to the Guild to start my lessons with Alexander and I would be learning how to walk on air.
Xia and Alice left first, they would be heading down to the medical facilities so Alice could syphon darkness. Packing the book about Spell Gems, I head to the Guild and enter. After speaking with an attendant, they led me up to Alexander's room, and entering he gave me a nod.
“All set? We’ll be heading out of Vale for a few days.”
“Before that, I have something I need to show you.” Pulling out the book, I handed it to Alexander as he raised an eyebrow. He opens the book and starts reading as the raised brow becomes a frown.
He started pacing the room while flicking through a few pages before shutting the book with a snap. He hands me back the book with a shake of his head. “I assume you brought this to me because of the implications and my position as Branch Master?”
‘Yes, we got it from Zalus, it was left to me by Ash.” Explaining the chest, he nodded.
“Okay. That book is priceless, Alisha. It would forever change how the world itself would work. I’ll need to speak with the Guild Master to know what to do with this sort of knowledge. He will be able to assess exactly what to do.”
“Guild Master?”
“I’m a Branch Master, the Guild is a world wide organisation thus we have the Guild Master who decides everything along with a council. We report to him directly and in cases of world-class discoveries, which is what you hold there, we are to report to him directly and he’ll make a decision on whether it is to be sealed away, released to the public or kept within the Guild and handled by us.
“Of course, you’ll be provided compensation for this. I will know an answer within a month or two, for now keep it safe.”
“Shouldn’t you take it?”
“I trust you enough to store it securely, not many in this city would harm you after all. I trust you haven’t told anyone else about it, right?”
“Only Xia.”
Alexander smiles. “Then no one but you, Miss Xia and I know of this little secret. Now, let's begin our lessons. Come, we’ll be going to the Wilderness again.”
***
Falling through a tree, I land on the ground with a groan. Climbing out of the small hole I made, I brushed down the dirt and leafs off me.
Coffee ran over and bumped his snout against my hand, and reassuring him I was okay he barked and ran off back to a shady spot under a tree.
It’s been two days since we began training and this has been one of the dozens of times I’ve fallen since then. Stepping into the air is a lot harder than I had thought, but I have gradually been getting steadier.
Mana control is vital, and I have been improving with each step I’ve taken, literally. I had to output mana under my feet at a constant, steady rate. Too much and I’ll lose my balance, too little and I’d have nothing to stand on. Interestingly each successful step I took into the air left a dazzle of silver and black behind, mixed together like a night sky. According to Alexander this is how my mana simply looked because of my mutated mana realm and veins.
The actual process is a lot simpler than I had imagined, the biggest problem for me right now is controlling my mana correctly and making sure it is constant. I fell just now because I had failed to output mana consistently. Alexander had told me to stand in the air while maintaining my output for five minutes, then walk around in a circle three times then stand still.
Stepping back into the air, I took a dozen jumps before reaching my standing point. The amount of mana this consumed was massive, and it would decrease once I started to properly control it. Because of that, I’m banned from using Wind magic to keep myself balanced since it would only add to the drain. Stepping into the air, I looked around once more, unable to help myself as I marvelled at the surroundings.
We were currently in the Wilderness, and the sight of looking over this dangerous forest was oddly beautiful. Trees covered in snow, the roars of monsters sounding out and the slight wind that threatened to knock me over. My eyes met with Alexander who also had been standing in the air, ensuring no danger came to me.
“Everytime you look at the surroundings, it’s good to know you appreciate the beauty of this place. Now, you failed last time because your output was interrupted, perhaps due to being distracted with your thoughts. Clear your mind once again and continue.”
He was right, my mind had for a moment thought of the memory that I had remembered of Alice’s hatching. The scene gave me a deep sense of hope and happiness in that moment that all hope and happiness seemed to be lost.
***
Walking around the air above the forest with Alexander behind me, we continued walking along the edge of the wilderness. I had been able to maintain my foothold in the air like this, but it had its limits. The mana drain had lessened greatly, and as long as I wasn’t in combat I could maintain my air steps for about an hour. In combat while using magic however I wouldn’t be able to maintain it for longer than two or three minutes.
I had a large smile on my face as I stepped through the air, letting the breeze ruffle my clothing as I got a bit carried away with some twirls and leaps. I had found a perfect amount of mana to constantly output and right now I was getting used to the feeling of the mana becoming second nature. Whenever I took a step I would have to recreate the foothold, since the foothold would fix on a particular spot where I had stepped, which is why it’s important to keep a constant flux of mana happening.
“Right, I believe you’ve gotten used to it. How does it feel.”
“Like I’m free.” Being able to walk in the air like this was rather amazing, and while it wasn’t flying I still felt free.
“That’s about my reaction too when I first learnt it. Don’t use it in combat for now, you’re very much still at the early stages and being distracted in combat will cause you to fall, plus the drain on your mana is very much still a problem. Most can last in the air forever due to their ability to naturally regenerate mana, which while you have that regeneration it’s just a matter of improving your control and the drain will naturally decrease as well.”
I knew what he meant. If I had to use a spell like Starfall, I would lose all of my mana and plummet into the ground. If my enemy wasn’t dead, I would very quickly die. Smiling while stepping back towards Coffee, who had been in a protective barrier just outside the forest and picked him up. Jumping into the air, Coffee barked happily as we headed back towards the cave with the teleport circle.
“When do you plan to head in and use the lake?”
“Mm, probably once Olivia is out and we’ve moved into our new home. Olivia should be out in the next few days, Alice will also hit level 2 in the next day or two, so I want to be there in case something happens. Once we’ve moved into the house I’ll be hosting a dinner, you’re invited if you wish to join us, Master.”
“Ah, I will have to decline. For the next two weeks I will be attending to many tasks to prepare the Guild for the upcoming war. Since the Guild takes a neutral stance, I have to ensure the safety of every adventurer and make sure that every single one of them is aware that they too fall under the umbrella of neutrality.”
“Couldn’t Harrington ignore that?”
“It sure can, if it wanted to be destroyed. The Guild has a powerful foundation and attacking a Branch during war will turn the rest of the world against the attacker. You’ve chosen to fight for Vale, haven’t you?”
“Mm, for now. I don’t know what will happen when my memories return, perhaps I’ll change my mind. But for now, I’ll fight to protect Vale. It’s given me a lot after all.”
“I understand that sentiment. Right, there is also a personal request for you in two days, one given directly to me. The reward is one half-day of whatever you want to learn from the requester.”
“Who is the requester?”
“Getsuna. The Demigod of Vale and the King’s Sword.”