Transcendence, page 45
part #6 of The Beginning After The End Series
She shook her head. “We were training. Although the elders might be of a different opinion.”
“Damn straight we have a different opinion!” Buhnd’s familiar voice boomed.
Just a moment after, his bearded face popped into my view. “You fought like a child throwing a tantrum. I know you knew about twelve different ways to get out of that situation without trying to face it head on.”
“Yeah, I knew,” I said through gritted teeth. “But I wanted to see if I could overpower their combination spell. If I can’t even do that, how am I supposed to defeat all the retainers and Scythes left?”
Buhnd opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but remained silent. It was Camus who spoke.
“You’re feeling the pressure, aren’t you?” he said softly.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
To them, I might simply be a young prodigy, but I had the memories and intellect of when I was a king. For me to admit to Camus’s remark meant that even despite my advantage, I was weak.
“A war isn’t fought alone,” Camus continued. “Although holding the title and responsibility of a Lance might make it seem otherwise.”
Hester spoke, her chastising voice coming from a bit farther away. “You’re not an important enough figure for this entire continent to rely solely on you.”
“You’re right,” I said, trying to believe her.
Kathyln placed a finger on the cloth resting on my forehead, cooling it with magic. “Just as the people of Dicathen rely on the Lances, you also need to trust in your soldiers that they’ll make up for what you can’t do.”
I lowered the cloth, allowing its coldness to seep into my eyes. For a minute I said and did nothing, gathering myself.
“I feel like I’m in therapy,” I laughed, bolting up to my feet. Surrounding me were not only Kathyln and the elders, but also Emily and Alanis. The two of them had remained silent, but traces of worry showed on their faces. “Thank you everyone, for helping me with my training, and for keeping me in check.”
Hester’s stern face softened as she nodded. “I think that we can skip out on today’s debrief since I’m sure the young general knows exactly what he did wrong.”
“Get some rest. I’m going to be itching to go crazy tomorrow!” Buhnd agreed as he punched his open palm.
“I’ll make sure to have the lifeline artifact back to its normal state by tomorrow. Even if I have to stay up all night!” Emily assured us.
I nodded. “I’ll see everyone tomorrow then.”
Lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t even realize I had been walking until I found myself in front of my doorstep.
Too tired to wash up, I sank into bed, my eyes searching for Sylvie until I remembered she was isolating herself in another room.
I reached out. Everything okay, Sylv?
My bond didn’t respond, but the faint trace of her calm state of mind was enough of an answer.
Lying on my back, I stretched out my hand toward the ceiling. This hand—this body that I had grown so used to in the nearly-twenty years that I had lived as Arthur, felt so small when I thought back to my time as Grey.
My thoughts flashed back to my former life and the several times I had fought in the Paragon Duel, a one-on-one battle between kings, each duelist representing their respective country. While the Paragon Duels lacked the atrocity and gore of normal wars, the weight of such battles was much heavier.
“This war isn’t fought alone, Arthur,” I reminded myself.
Chapter 53
Magical Percentile
Opening my eyes, I slowly released my grip of Uto’s horn. I took another moment for introspection, examining the state of both my mana core and my body.
I was close. The road to white core stage, which had once seemed so long, was nearly at an end.
I’m glad I didn’t accept Virion’s artifact after becoming a Lance, I thought.
Getting out of bed, I touched Sylvie’s mind, making sure nothing was wrong. Satisfied with her calm silence, I began stretching, my body brimming with energy.
Breathing deeply, I performed a series of strikes I had learned from Kordri while training under him in Epheotus. It wasn’t some stringent combination of moves, but more of a utilization of the body’s every movement while maintaining speed and precision—connecting each punch, kick, elbow, knee, all while remaining flexible for whatever the outcome might be. A true master of this fighting style, like the four-eyed asura, could take down a whole unit—and the soldiers would see nothing more than a simple monk strolling amongst them.
My mana flow had improved substantially during my training with Kathyln and the elders, and synchronizing its timing with my strikes created shockwaves in the air. I wanted to move faster and with more agility, but I wasn’t an asura, much less a Pantheon like Kordri. Incorporating mana into muscle fibers and ligaments to maximize power and speed while using the least amount of physical movement—similar to what the Thyestes clan did—would just lead to the same results as that of Burst Step to my legs.
Maybe reaching the realm above white core will strengthen my body, I thought hopefully, as I executed a combination of kicks.
I pivoted my body to end the sequence with a palm strike, just as Boo poked his gigantic head into my room from the doorway, right in the path of my attack.
Boo was hit with a shockwave of wind from my palm strike, causing all the saggy skin around his muzzle and ears to flap wildly.
My sister’s bond and I stared silently at each other for a moment, but he only grunted and shook his furry head.
I buckled forward and broke into a fit of laughter.
Ellie’s head poked into my room. “What’s so funny? Boo was supposed to scare you.”
Unable to speak as I tried unsuccessfully to stifle my laughter, I motioned for my sister to come to me.
Confused, she squeezed past her bond’s burly form and came into my room.
“Watch,” I chuckled, this time conjuring a gust of wind directed at Boo. The bear’s ferocious face rippled like liquid, the folds of skin covering his upper jaw flapping up to reveal a set of teeth beneath a pink layer of gum.
My sister giggled, then broke into helpless laughter as well; her bond wasn’t nearly so amused. It took us nearly the entire walk down to the training room to compose ourselves.
It was probably childish to laugh so hard at something so trivial, especially considering my mental age, but who cares? I hadn’t laughed that hard in ages, and it helped loosen some tension and stress.
“You two seem chirpy for such an early morning,” Emily said, yawning, her hands robotically setting up the panels as if they had a mind of their own. “Or is it still nighttime?”
“Did you pull another all-nighter, Emily?” my sister asked, concerned.
“It’s been a back-to-back all-nighter actually. It’s your brother’s last training session so Miss Emeria and I wanted to have all the data from the last two months compiled by today,” she said, her eyes half-closed.
“Remind me to properly thank you both for your efforts,” I said, my eyes scanning for any sight of the curt elf. “Where is Alanis now?
“Ah shucks—I learned a lot from this as well, so no thanks necessary. As for Miss Emeria, I practically had to force her to go get some sleep,” Emily answered, with another yawn. “She should be here soo—ah, here comes everyone now!”
First through the thick metal doors were Buhnd and Camus. Buhnd was stretching his arms, smiling as he said something to the old elf. Behind them were Hester and Kathyln. The Flamesworth family elder was straightening out a crease in Kathyln’s tight-fitting training robe. The princess spotted me and turned a shade brighter as she tried to pry herself away from her guardian.
Alanis, who usually maintained the mask of a professional businesswoman, looked soulless today. Her normally deliberate steps were sluggish as she trailed behind the rest.
It took several minutes for everyone to get their protective gear on, but I was soon positioned in the training grounds with Kathyln, Camus, Hester, and Buhnd surrounding me. Their expressions were serious, as was mine. I’d come a long way in these past two months—enough to have beaten them a few times. They knew that if they weren’t completely focused, they could lose again—and they couldn’t let themselves be defeated on the last day of training.
“What was the bet again?” Buhnd shouted from behind me.
“Virion is going to throw us a feast to celebrate the end of my ‘vacation’,” I smirked, looking back over my shoulder. “But having him pay for everything is no fun, so I suggested that the loser of this last battle will pay for the entire party.”
Hester rolled her eyes. “Consider it paid for by the gracious Flamesworth house. How much can a dinner possibly cost?”
Alanis, overhearing our conversation, spoke using a sound enhancing artifact. “Accounting for the cost of the seventy-year-old casks of alcohol fermented from rare grains found only in the outlands of the Beast Glades, as well as the approximate costs of the abundance of fine meats—the prices of all of which have escalated since the start of the war—I have already calculated for Commander Virion the cost of the celebratory feast as amounting to somewhere around twenty thousand gold.”
Hester’s eyes widened at hearing the exorbitant cost. She cleared her throat as she attempted to feign composure. “Well, I suppose it might ruin the gratifying experience of winning if I were to simply pay for the meal outright. Perhaps it is best to determine who pays for the feast with this match; that way, it’ll be much more memorable to everyone.”
I couldn’t help but smile, seeing the usually composed elder so flustered.
“I won’t go easy on you just because you’re young, General,” Camus said, smiling. “This old man’s pride won’t allow it.”
“I agree with Elder Camus,” Kathyln added. “Perhaps besting you now will convince my father and mother to let me help in the war.”
“How cold, Princess. Using me as a stepping stone,” I responded, lowering my stance.
“Since this is the final mock battle, General Arthur will not have any elements restricted,” Alanis’s voice sounded again. “Please begin!”
“For the alcohol!” Buhnd’s gruff voice roared as he charged at me from behind.
I was surrounded, and I had a limited amount of options. With my senses heightened from mana and the rush of adrenaline, I focused on the biggest threat.
Buhnd was charging in while forming a giant stone mace and Camus was backing away while gusts of wind gathered around his arms, but it was actually Kathyln’s mana levels that posed the biggest threat right now.
An old but effective trick, I loosened the stone ground around me and lifted the debris to form a cloud of dust, which I pushed toward Kathyln.
Manipulate the earth under my feet to spring me forward just as I push off, and expel the wind resistance as I run, I recited to myself.
It wasn’t as instantaneous or subtle as Burst Step, but, by chaining the earth and wind abilities, I could enhance my initial acceleration without burdening my body.
I catapulted forward, the air slipping by me harmlessly until Kathyln was just a few feet away.
The princess inhaled sharply in surprise and attempted to cast her spell but I didn’t allow it. Utilizing wind once more, I created a vacuum in my palm, pulling her straight into my grip.
Grabbing Kathyln’s wrist, I twisted and threw her over my shoulder directly at Buhnd.
I felt a sting on the hand that had touched her, and glanced down to see a layer of frost around my fingers.
She reacted quickly. I cast a wave of heat to thaw myself, while taking note of Kathyln’s position by the pond.
Just then, the room lit up—dozens of crackling orbs dotted the air above us.
Lucas’s Ember Wisps spell—from back when I was qualifying to be an adventurer—came to mind. But these ‘wisps’ weren’t of fire; rather, they were concentrated globes of electricity. Again I took note.
Camus took the opportunity to launch his spell as well, hurling two giant spears of wind that swirled fiercely like a drill.
I quickly moved, dodging one of the wind spears, which drilled a hole into the ground before dispersing. The other one, however, was able to change direction, following me as it carved a trail into the ground where it passed.
I’m really beginning to wonder if that old elf is actually blind.
I continued sprinting, but it wasn’t aimless. I charged toward Buhnd with the wind spear close behind me. I did my best to seem as though I wanted a head-on confrontation, and it seemed to have worked. The bearded dwarf clad himself in armor and anchored himself to the ground, holding his mace high like a professional baseball player of my old world.
I charged at him, condensing the blue fire in my palms. I feinted long enough for Buhnd to begin his swing. Then I released my fire spell at the ground below me as I jumped up. The force of my flame launched me into the sky like a rocket, causing Buhnd’s giant mace to collide with Camus’s wind drill.
But my moment of contentment lasted only a brief second because immediately, a barrage of ice shot up from the pond below, in the same moment that Hester decided to fire off the globes of lightning.
Why can’t they just fire their spells one by one, I grumbled to myself, my brain whirring for the best way to handle this.
A glimmer of an idea flickered through my mind. I had to act fast though.
Without any restraint for mana expenditure, I released a shockwave of fire toward the rapidly approaching splinters of ice.
The ice bombarded the wall of fire, producing steam and a high-pitched whistle.
In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of the increase in brightness signaling that the lightning orbs were about to fire, but I couldn’t worry about that right now.
Wasting no time, I manipulated the moisture caused by the collision of Kathyln’s and my opposing elemental attacks, while slowing down my descent with an updraft.
I shaped the water that I had gathered, forming it into a large barrier around me, just as Hester’s spell cast a barrage of lightning my way.
The water manipulated from Kathyln’s spell—which had utilized the mineral-filled water from the pond—was a perfect conductor.
The sphere of water surrounding me began bubbling as the blast of electricity hit. A deep buzz filled the training room while the lightning tendrils flickered on the surface of the water.
I need to get rid of this thing before I hit the ground.
Manipulating the electrically charged water, I shaped it and fired it off in streams—directly at Buhnd, the one who would be the weakest against this combination of elements.
Buhnd didn’t have a chance. His life-line artifact activated, forming a pink protective barrier, just moments after the compressed stream of water struck, electrocuting him.
Needless to say, once Buhnd was out for the count, the tide of the battle changed. It still took a while, but after negating Kathyln’s ice lance through a combination of Camus’s air cushioning technique and Buhnd’s kinetic redirection, I was able to knock Kathyln out of the battle.
“Someone really doesn’t want to pay for their own celebratory feast,” Camus joked.
“I don’t even know if I can afford the feast,” I retorted with a wry smile.
With only Hester and Camus remaining—and thanks to the fact that I had full access to all of my elements—within another twenty minutes, I was able to subdue them.
I plopped back on the ground, my chest heaving and my mana core aching. “I… I win.”
Camus groaned, leaning against a wall as he caught his breath. “Congratulations, but there are more pressing matters.”
“I agree,” Hester nodded beside him as she blotted the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief. “Who’s going to pay the exorbitant cost of the feast?”
“I thought we decided that the losers were going to pay?” Buhnd asked, confused.
I sat up. I’d thought so too.
“True, but why hurt many when you can just break one?” Camus added, a smile forming on his face. “I vote that Buhnd pays for the meal. He’s the one who lost first, causing the rest of us to lose.”
“What!” Buhnd bellowed. “From whose sore ass did you pull that quote?”
“I second Camus’s vote,” Hester replied immediately, raising her hand.
“Hester!” The dwarf’s eyes widened before turning to Kathyln. “Princess. You don’t agree with those old bats, do you?”
Kathyln, who had been with my sister and Emily, averted her gaze from Buhnd, and raised her hand as well.
I could see the bearded dwarf’s jaw drop as he began calculating the cost of the extravagant meal with his fingers. After a minute, Buhnd straightened his back and cleared his throat. “Gentlemen. Ladies. We are in times of war. We should be sparing resources for our beloved soldiers out there on the field. Isn’t that right, Miss Emer—argh! You damn old bat! Release my earlobe!”
“What good will it do to give soldiers seventy-year-old alcohol, you old fool? Don’t try to get out of this!” Hester snapped, dragging her companion by his ear as the rest of us laughed.
After everyone had calmed down, we settled around in a circle for our last debrief. It was a bittersweet feeling. Two months had flown by, but I’d formed bonds with the elders and had gotten to know the aloof princess a bit better during this period. Toward the end, Kathyln had started conversing more with Emily and Ellie, and they’d even hung out together in the castle from time to time.
A small part of me wanted to forget about the fact that there was a war raging below us, but with Tess and my parents out there, I knew I wouldn’t truly be able to relax until the war was over.
“Now, the moment I’m sure everyone has been waiting for!” Emily’s chirpy voice sounded, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Alanis has recorded the progress of Arthur’s mana flow utilization while I compiled the data of General Arthur, Princess Kathyln, and Elders Camus, Hester, and Buhnd. I’ve cross-referenced it against the data I’ve received from my assistants—students at a few academies and some soldiers.”
