As Jacob was being confronted by Aurelius, Riley and Brian had their fun cut short. While they were vigorously exterminating the stone hands after getting used to fighting them. As Riley was destroying the stone hands one punch for each and Brian put his essence enhanced speed and power to great use reducing the time needed for each stone hand he faced, the current group of stone hands began disappearing into motes of light as the System voice rang out in their head.
[Due to the efforts of Participants Jacob of Green Tea and Aurelius Atkinson]
[The City of Nativis will be turned into a safe zone for the remaining 4 days of the tutorial]
“Damn it, I was just getting into the swing of things.” Brian cursed as his punch made contact with air and harmless light.
“We can go punch those kobold looking things instead! Lets go lets go!” Riley shouted with glee as the rush of power still lingered. Brian put a dampener on her hood instantly.
“First, we go back to the house we separated from Michael in and meet up with him. Then we can discuss what to do next.” Riley frowned for a moment but nodded and replied.
“Right I wanna show Michael my skill too maybe he was using one when he saved us, do you think that blue sword of his is from a skill? Could he be one of the two who cleared this city? But his name is neither of the ones announced by the System. He said he got the sword from within the city though but we haven't found any sort of equipment while exploring only more stone hands and those little goblin statues.” Riley prattled on as both of them retracted their steps back to the house they departed from, bounding forward with each step. Brian chewed through some of Rileys’ words as they moved, not finding any sort of equipment was definitely odd when Jacob mentioned to them that the group he was with found multiple and left him with one for protection.
Back at the now empty and silent stadium, Jacob mind raced as Aurelius stared intently at him awaiting whatever excuse he would come up with. Jacob bit his lips and made up his mind.
“Yes uh...my real name is Jacob Castus. Uh...hope you can understand why I went with a fake name, I honestly did not get much from the title of first adventurer. Just the sword, uh please don’t kill me.” Jacob said worryingly even if Aurelius was limping, he might have other means up his sleeve not just his raw physical superiority. Aurelius revealed his pearly white teeth grinning as he replied Jacob.
“That sword certainly is very good the way it cuts, very very tempting. I think it would fit me very well.” Aurelius moved closer to Jacob, dark red essence appeared on his right hand as he did. Jacob swallowed empty air as he slowly slid backwards out of reflex and tried grabbing onto Flowing Water only to realise it was not with him as he was blasted away from the explosion.
“Alright alright, thats enough joking around. While I’m a bit stung by the fake name, going around killing people is not on my to do list. We are thrown in this hellscape together so lets get out together, from your reaction did anything happen recently?” Aurelius spoke putting both hands up in a placating gesture and dismissed his red essence. Jacob still wary moved further back before nodding and replied
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“Yes, the thanks I get from helping out my original group. One or most likely two men worked together to throw me back into a horde of chasing kobolds to act as bait. Luckily for me, I had some climbing experience from looking for them so helping them ended up helping myself too as I got up the thickest tree I could find and hid as well as I could praying that the kobolds did not locate me.
Speaking of they also ended up leaving another two of the old group behind and I have been with them for the better half of the day lets go back to where I left them, while I do recognise that you could kill me anytime. I still don’t feel at ease so follow me from a distance away.” Aurelius nodded easily agreeing to Jacobs’ request
Jacob went to look for Flowing Water, Aurelius too offered his help. As they looked for Flowing Water through the rubble, the remains of the marble statue also started disappearing into motes of light. It would seem that the System was finally starting to clean up the city, Jacob wondered if there was a meaning to making the remains of the marble statue disappear as it was already dead.
However, the thoughts flew off his head once heard the ‘thud’ sound. He looked to the source of the sound his eyes and body tensed immediately as he saw where it was and unfortunately for him, Aurelius was standing just a few metres away from the sword. Much closer than Jacob was, Aurelius sensing the obvious distrust from Jacob as he looked at him. Slowly backed away from the sword once again hands up but with a more neutral expression as he moved back.
Jacob released the breath he was uncounciously holding and gave a grateful smile to Aurelius, while he was sorry for lying and getting caught. Jacob still held trepidation at the next possible betrayal, he showed goodwill to the group and even saved them and that did not even stopped the two fiends from betraying him just for a better chance to live.
Meanwhile with Aurelius he was in a standing that was much worse, Aurelius definitely had many chances to kill him and with the speed at which he could move while battling the giant marble statue. Jacob might only feel the back of his hair standing followed by a one way trip to emptiness. While he thought was getting closer to the level of physicality Aurelius showed, it was still not enough. He had cooperated with Aurelius due to the unspoken threat.
Jacob moved and picked up Flowing Water. The duo left the stadium this time their exit was the polar opposite of their entrance, no cheering crowds and no music played while they made their exit.
Two figures could be seen walking towards an ordinary house with faint moonlight still casting down on the city, no difference at all could be seen from the building besides it. Jacob got back to the house with Aurelius still a safe distance away, along the way no stone hands attacked them and even the remaining stone statues and little goblin statues were nowhere to be found. When they walked back to the plaza where they fought in, no traces could be found too only the blood from their fight and the visceral from the statues ambushing the people before them indicated any signs of battle.
Jacob walked through the door, to see both Riley and Brian with patches of blood and dust here and there. Before they could even welcomed him back, he raised his hand to ask them to stop and let him speak first. Jacob took a calming breath and said.
“I have something to tell you guys, my real name is Jacob Castus and not Michael. I’m sorry for the lies I've said and deceiving the both of you. The two participants mentioned by the announcement was actually me and a new comrade that I met along the way.” Jacob closed his eyes expecting a bunch of curses to come out, however nothing of that sort came out.
“Michael! Wait...Jacob! There is actually nothing to apologise for you saved me three times now, lying about your name and I think there was no other group you found? Thats nothing! You could have abandoned me and Brian at least twice now but you still helped us and basically asked for nothing in return.” Riley got up and gave Jacob a warm big hug, He tried dodging the hug but somehow with an unerring accuracy Riley caught him and feeling the two soft mounds, Jacob cheeks immediately heated up once again. He tried extricating himself from the situation. He kept his mind as cool as possible and tried squirming himself out, but Riley kept the hug tight. To make things worse, Brian came over too, Jacob prepared himself mentally for any doozy of a hug as Brian wrapped both Riley and Jacob in a tight hug. This time both heads were met with the most shaking they had ever felt, as Brian rubbed them all over his chest laughing heartily as he said.
“Riley is right! Without you, I and later Riley would have been burned into a nice charred and crispy corpse. If you did not come to rescue us a third time when we got left for dead by those two well crispy corpse again.” Aurelius walked in and saw the heartwarming sight and surmised Jacob must have came clean about his little lies. He smirked and stood to one side and waited for the hug to end as he looked on and saw Jacob and Riley’s hair getting messier and messier.