I run while clutching my arm. It hurts and it’s still bleeding despite the sending a little healing magic its way earlier. Losing as much blood as I am, it's hard to run in a straight line. Every few steps I either ram against the wall or stumble onto the floor.
All of it is wasted time. I have to hurry. He’s in trouble. Even with the two of us, we had to focus on running away. Almost everyone in the class talked about him at one point. I’ve even heard him being mentioned when I walk down the streets.
“An interesting entity,” Iris called him. “Maybe I should run into a bandit or two at night.”
Our classmates talked about how he helped people. “He’ll save anyone in trouble,” they said. “He’s probably got an ability that senses danger.”
Is it my fault? Is it my fault he’s in danger right now? If I wasn’t in the library checking out that book when everyone was leaving… would he still be here? Maybe… maybe he would have been, but maybe he wouldn’t have.
It’s my responsibility.
I run even faster, now ignoring the pain in my left arm so I can keep myself away from the wall with my right. Each time I stumble or ram against the wall, I lose time.
I keep going with guilt as my propeller. The sight of the door fills me with hope. Only a little bit more before I can reach the outside and call for help. All I need to do is go down and grab the guards.
I take my first few steps and I’m hit with dizziness. “Help!” I call out, praying to any god that someone would hear. “Help!” I scream again. Where are the guards? Did they leave?
No, they wouldn’t leave… would they?
I sit down and begin my descent. This is the only way I can continue without collapsing completely. I slide down one step at a time. It’s slow, but progress is being made. I’ll eventually reach the bottom but what about the gate? If the guards really aren’t there, then I have no hopes of opening it.
My worst fears come true as I go up to look through the gate. Still, I call for help one last time. “Anyone there? I-I need help!” No one answers and I fall to my knees. “Is no one around?” If I use magic to get past the gate, would I be able to find anyone?
“Hey!” I hear someone yell. “Are you alright?”
I look up. It’s Abelard. Why is he here?
Two guards rush out from behind him and help me up. I recognize them as the ones who stood by the gates on the first day of school. How come they weren’t standing guard here before? Why was it empty?
There’s no time to ask anything, “T-There’s someone inside.” I manage to blurt out. “He, he needs help!”
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Havel waited as patiently as he could for Rune to gather the item. One look and Havel could tell that Rune was chosen for this task due to his knowledge about traps. He disarmed hexes and runes without missing a beat. Although some took more time than others, not a single one went off.
“Impressive,” Illuant commented while rubbing his chin. “Though I cannot see why Nerina could not come with. She is talented in this field too.”
Havel glanced at his companion with an inkling of annoyance. Rune called for complete silence but the man continued to speak his mind albeit, quietly. In truth, the reason why Havel even bothered to allow annoyance to trickle into his head was because of their differences.
Havel, a tall, muscular man with a weapon tough enough to bash in the skulls of a dozen trolls before even the slightest bit of damage appeared on it, naturally clashed with the man next to him. Illuant, unlike Havel, was skinny and had long hair. In fact, there were many occasions where people had mistaken Illuant for a woman when looking from behind.
That wasn’t the only reason for why Havel harbored a slight distaste for the man. The biggest reason was his attitude of superiority. Illuant often claimed he could best anyone in a one-on-one duel. However, he rarely participated in any duels. Havel did not doubt his companion’s abilities but Illuant’s casual comments about those who focused on strength, caused his anger to stir.
Illuant might as well have called Havel a muscle-brained idiot to his face every time he said those things.
Once Rune had disabled the barriers and magic traps around it, he pulled it from its pedestal in the middle of the room and planted it inside of his bag while taking out a scroll. “Cover me,” he said as he huddled into the corner of the room to prepare the teleportation spell.
Havel and Illuant watched, both with nothing much to say until a loud crash caught their attention. They gave each other a sideways glance and Havel wondered if Jux had been bested.
As quickly as it came into his mind, he dismissed it. From what he saw in that short amount of time, it was unlikely that the two were able to defeat Jux… unless their special abilities were nothing short of amazing.
Havel stood impatiently, anticipating Jux’s return any minute. When a sufficient amount of time passed and Jux still didn’t return, Havel grew annoyed again. Unlike Illuant, while Jux wasn’t boastful about his abilities, he was far too easy on opponents who he believed to have potential.
“I want an opponent who can go toe to toe with me,” he once said.
Havel’s natural response was, “Then why not fight us?”
“I do not fight allies.” was his answer.
Havel watched as other members of the group tried to convince him that strong people, who he never met, existed out in the world and not everyone with potential needed to be saved but Jux stuck to his belief unless, it went against the mission. His hesitance to kill enemies had gotten the group into trouble before.
Disappointed that his companion couldn’t fight seriously, Havel sighed and activated the raven tattoo on his arm. Ripping itself away from his skin and suddenly becoming a 3-dimensional animal, it flew up the staircase.
“As classy as ever.” Illuant snorted.
“Shut up,” Havel ordered.
“What do you see?” Illuant inquired, leaning against the wall. Being the overconfident person he was, he closed his eyes as if he wanted to sleep.
Havel ignored him and focused seeing through the raven. Havel’s ability had three stages. The first one involved using the traits of the animals he had tattooed all over his body. A tiger would grant strength while a bloodhound would grant enhanced smell. It was the same as some specialized fighters, who also used animals tattooed on their bodies to grant strength, however, the next two were unique.
In the second stage, Havel could summon the animal tattooed on his body. But doing so allowed for the animal to be slain. If killed, Havel would have to search for the animal again and absorb its powers into him.
In the third stage, Havel could control the animal. If summoned, they would listen to his commands but the third stage gave him complete control as if it were his own body. The only downside was that he couldn't move during it. Using the raven, he stealthily placed himself atop a bookcase and observed the area.
He was utterly baffled by the sight. Jux laid among splintered wood and scattered books while the Thirteenth pointed Jux's own weapon against him. How was it possible that Jux, one of their best frontline fighters, was beaten?
Havel quickly searched for the girl but found no trace of her. Did she escape, or did Jux actually take her life? Havel assumed the former and cursed under his raven breath. The Thirteenth hid his trump card until the very end and used it to defeat Jux while he hesitated to kill them. That was what Havel truly believed. Now he’d finally pay for his mistakes.
He considered sending in the bird to buy as much time as possible, but seeing as how Jux would probably die before he or Illuant could make it up there, he saw no point in having to seek out another raven later.
But, much to his surprise, the Thirteenth twisted the polearm around and knocked Jux unconscious. Come back he ordered the raven as he opened his eyes. “Illuant, prepare for an ambush.”
They got into position and waited until the perfect moment to strike. When they did, Illuant failed to kill the Thirteenth. Havel cursed under his breath and sent the fool upstairs to collect the other fool.
He’d end things himself.
He grabbed the Thirteenth off from the ground and pinned him against the wall. Now he couldn’t escape nor could he dodge. Havel arced his mace back and swung. The Thirteenth’s head rattled and snapped back into place, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
“The wall saved you that time. How about another one? Will you withstand this?” Havel swung a second time. Without a wall, it was hopeless for him.
He’d die.
Havel’s eyes grew wide in an instant. The Thirteenth’s head hadn’t caved in, instead, he caught the mace with one arm. The fading life in his eyes suddenly turned empty. His eyelids, which looked impossibly heavy from where Havel stood, were open.
He tried to pull the mace away but his grip on it was too strong. Havel released his neck and kicked him.
His hands never left the mace.
“If you won’t let go, then I’ll give it to you.” Havel spun around and threw his mace, sending them flying to the other side of the room.
Havel frowned as the boy caught himself mid-air and landed on his feet. The Thirteenth leaped toward him, using his own mace against him just like he did Jux. Havel caught the Thirteenth’s arm and slammed him into the ground like a bag of meat.
He followed up by stomping the life out of the boy’s arms. Finally, the mace was released back to him. What a crazy amount of strength. How well will you do with a mangled arm?
The Thirteenth rose like an undead and lashed out with his, should be, mangled arms. Yet, to Havel’s surprise, again, his arms weren’t broken. Havel took an attack to get a feel for the vigilante’s strength. Terrifying.
He wasn’t as strong as Havel, so Havel had no issue blocking the attack, however, it seemed to him as though the Thirteenth’s strikes were far stronger than they would have been had he not been beaten so badly.
Was it his ability? Did it give him great strength when he neared death? Havel couldn’t do much but wonder and fight back. His questions wouldn’t be answered anytime soon. He smashed his mace against the Thirteenth’s side.
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Unphased by Havel’s blow, his fists never stopped raining.
Havel was being pushed back. The pain in his arms was becoming evident. Heat. The punches started to feel hot. Turtle. He activated it in hopes of the pain vanishing and minimizing any more damage coming his way.
“The portal is finished,” Rune yelled.
“Go ahead then,” Havel replied. “We’ll be right after you.”
In that split second, the Thirteenth shot a fireball.
Rune blocked it with ease and stepped into the portal and the Thirteenth suddenly leaped after him. Havel chuckled at the boy’s foolishness. He, just like some of Havel’s companions, diverted his attention too much. Tiger.
With a swipe of his hand, he brought the Thirteenth to a stop. Like a tiger whose caught its prey, Havel jumped on him, swinging as wildly as the Thirteenth did before. The Thirteenth couldn’t keep up with his assault. Who could?
Each hit carried the combined force of a tiger and Havel. To anyone who watched from the outside, it was like a bird being toyed with by a cat. The difference between them was clear. The boy was overwhelmed.
When Havel finally took a breath, the Thirteenth’s clothing had been torn to shreds. His mask which hid the bottom half of his face was missing more than half of the original fabric. The clothes on his person had claw marks reminiscing that of a savage mauling.
When he took a glance down at the Thirteenth, he snorted. The Thirteenth’s shoulders moved up and down slowly. The boy was still alive… What a monstrous ability he must have. A part of Havel now understood why Jux might be interested in others, however, if Havel were to ever get another job that involved this city, the boy would only become a problem.
Havel lifted his foot. Elephant. With one stomp of his foot, he’d make sure to snuff the life out of him.
“Havel!”
For a brief moment, he was distracted. Yet, his foot still fell. “What?”
“Reinforcements are here!” he heard Illuant shout down to him. “We need to leave right away! Come help me carry Jux!”
Illuant had mistaken it as Havel asking about the situation. Havel almost laughed for believing that the boy would die to an attack like that. Havel’s foot rested just an inch or two above the Thirteenth’s chest, being held back by his arms. Utterly ridiculous.
The Thirteenth released a potent fireball. Crystal Lizard. Havel absorbed the attack and felt the tattoo singe off his skin. He just lost one ability.
The Thirteenth looked poised to escape. Havel wondered if his foot could fall down in time but opted for his quickest spell instead. A holy spell he learned when he hunted undead back as an adventurer before he became a mercenary. It hardly missed.
Holy Light. An almost instantaneous spell that affected those near the caster. The damage was weak against anything other than the undead, but it still blinded those who were caught unaware.
The Thirteenth’s body shuddered.
“Leave through the portal!” Havel commanded. “I need to finish something.”
“Got it.” he heard Illuant behind him.
Havel lifted his foot. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. The Thirteenth’s arms had already given out on the second try. Now his chest had to endure the grueling force of an elephant’s stomp. The scene resembled that of a child tossing his favorite up into the air, only to let it fall to earth.
The boy’s lifeless eyes started to change. Did Havel push him hard enough? Did Havel do so much damage that he could no longer regenerate or have the strength to fight back? Or perhaps the boy’s power had simply begun to wear off?
None of those mattered to Havel, although he wished to believe the former. Soon, the constant stomping made the boy cough blood. His eyes were back to normal, the same way Havel saw when he pinned him against the wall.
Their eyes locked together for one second… before Havel lifted his leg up again. The boy disappeared by the next stomp.
Havel’s keen eyes spotted the Thirteenth just before he broke out of the room. He gave chase but heard his name called from behind. Havel grit his teeth. The mission was more important. He didn’t have time to hunt him down. So, instead, he gave up an animal.
Tiger. Releasing it from his body he pointed up the stairs. “Kill whatever you see up there.” and with that, he turned and left. A feeling of unease lingering in the back of his mind. The tiger was all he could spare. If he was as injured as he seemed, the tiger should be able to win.
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Rainen fled as quickly as he could, climbing the steps with tremendous speed. He tripped once, twice, three times perhaps. Everything was cloudy to him. He felt weak like he inhaled too much water. Like he was running with a cold.
His chest ached, no doubt from being stepped on far too many times. Each swing of his arms hurt his chest. A very simple breath made him want to cough. His eyes stung as if they were exposed to the smoke of a fire.
As he reached the top, he saw no less than 10 guards. None of them wore the average city garb, rather, they sported the empire’s traditional cloths. He couldn’t be caught here. Although he could probably get free, as they would eventually relate him to the Twelve, his identity would no doubt be compromised.
He decided to save his breath until they found him or they wandered away far enough from the exit. Rainen took a right and settled down. He sat next to a bookshelf and rested his head against it. If he were lucky, he’d feel good enough to outrun them in that clunky armor of theirs in the next few minutes.
In his four years with his master, he forsook the idea of using heavy armor. His movements were too slow in it. It also promoted the use of larger weapons which he wasn’t accustomed to. Rainen knew himself no knight or soldier. He was the nimble, sly, attacker who confused the enemy with his speed. His ability also led him to that conclusion.
Finding some semblance of relief in the situation, that being they were slow oafs, he closed his eyes.
A low growl came from further up ahead. Rainen forced his eyelids open and saw the guards encircling a tiger. Where had it come from? Were the people with Rune right behind him? Rainen scanned the room for their presence but came up empty.
He hoped they left. If they were still around, then the guards would end up as casualties as well.
Rainen took a blade from his bracer. It was the same one his sister gave to him. Immediately he put it back and pulled out another one. He wondered what would have happened if he pulled it out during the fight against Jux. Would he have used it in that situation or returned it like he just did?
Although he aimed for escape, if the people with Rune weren’t there, then he didn’t need to hurry as much. The tiger made for a wonderful distraction, perhaps the only thing better would have been the perpetrators, but it wasn’t something he’d change.
Yet, Rainen refused to run when he saw an opening. Knowing the guards of the city, although these were slightly different as they worked for the academy, they shouldn’t be much stronger than the average man. If they needed help, he would help them. A life should take priority. But, luckily, they poked at the beast slowly and whittled it down.
Trapped and surrounded, the tiger was reluctant to pounce.
Deciding that they could handle themselves and that it was the best opportunity he had, Rainen ran for it. The tiger hardly saw him coming. The guards were also a bit occupied at the moment to pay him any heed, although they called out to him.
“Halt!” one screamed.
Rainen dashed through the halls like a madman, fearing chase. However, as he looked over his shoulder to find the hallway empty, he relaxed a bit. Still, he felt he needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
He popped out of the academy and sent one last glance back. A man with a porcelain mask peeked out from another hallway and for the briefest of moments, their eyes met. Rainen, however, never stopped running and soon enough, the man was out of sight.
A chill went down his spine and he teleported with his ability as soon as he felt he was close enough to a building. Constantly, endlessly, he teleported from rooftop to rooftop until he reached the dorm and went to his window.
There, he shut the window and fell to the floor. Unable to even move another step. He coughed and blood came out. He tried covering his mouth but found himself almost drowning in it. His left ear rang. He pushed himself up and puked.
Blood was mixed with his stomach acids.
He looked at the mix of liquids and solids on the ground and his jaw started to shake. With a yell, he pounded the floor.
Once again… he had failed.
Only, this time, he was there and this time, he couldn’t stop them. The only thing he could possibly curse… was his own weakness and the unfairness of the world. He slowly drifted asleep to the sound of muffled footsteps and the whimpering of a dog.
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Author's Note: Well, I have to say, I was so focused on getting this chapter out today that I forgot about something else today. I wanted to release this on Thursday or Friday but a few things came up so I had to push it back to today.
There's probably only going to be two more chapters in this book before I go on to book 3. I don't know how many books there will be but don't expect the series to end any time soon. Book 3 is where that adventure tag and some others really kick in. I've just about said my piece so thanks for reading and please leave a comment or a rating. I really do appreciate those.
Also, I do understand if some people are a bit frustrated at Rainen's strength, he is too Tongue [https://www.royalroadcdn.com/public/smilies/tongue.png] . But this story still has a long way to go so he has lots of room to grow. Everyone in this series, even the author, has a lot of room to grow. The next book will hopefully ramp up the speed as well.