"Good! I hereby pledge my allegiance and loyalty to Grey, the warrior mage, and promise to follow each and every one of his commands to the letter," Thalos declared with fierce determination in his voice, his deep tone echoing through the chamber like a solemn oath carved into stone.
"Wait, what?!" Grey shouted in shock. "Why would you pledge your allegiance to ? Besides, you nearly killed , and honestly, I would have actually died if it wasn't for that strange power-up from earlier. I can't command sothing far stronger than I am. I'm terribly weaker than you."
"I know. You are probably the weakest shit I have ever co across in my entire lifeti," Thalos said without a hint of hesitation.
"What?!" Grey gasped in horror, his hand instinctively flying across his chest as though shielding his heart from the verbal blow.
"But you are also the most determined warrior I have ever co across. Do not get
wrong, I would never pledge my allegiance to a weakling," Thalos continued, his glowing eyes narrowing as he studied Grey's expression.
Grey inhaled sharply, his face twisting in disbelief.
"Your motivation, your drive, your resolve—these are things I must comnd. You knew there was no way out. You knew I was miles above your level. Yet you stood your ground against , against a foe far more overwhelming than anything you had faced before.
"You used your brains, your wit, and every available resource to defeat . That, to , is true strength. You are brave. You are soone who will not back down even in the face of grave danger.
"So might call that stupid and truth be told, it is—but I see sothing in you, mage Grey. Soone worth following. Soone who refuses to falter, no matter what is thrown at him.
And more than that, you are using Ki, sothing even my previous owner could not wield. You have potential, Grey, and I want to be a part of it. So please, let
join you." Thalos lowered himself into a slight bow, his stone fra grinding faintly as he bent forward.
Grey blinked in surprise, taken aback by everything he had just heard.
'Sheesh… This gargoyle sure has a sharp tongue. But what does it an when it says its previous owner couldn't use Ki? How could the founder of a whole faction not be able to use it? That board ntioned sothing earlier…
It said sothing about being a mage. Thalos is saying the sa thing. What does that an? Who am I really? Why can't I rember anything? And what was that incredible power I used earlier?
I felt faster, stronger, unstoppable—like I could command the heavens themselves. Who am I?!' Grey roared inwardly, his mind on the verge of tearing itself apart in frustration.
"What do you say about this, mage Grey?" Thalos asked, still holding his bowing and kneeling posture, waiting for an answer.
'Co to think of it, I'm still weak. Being a stage 2 warrior doesn't an I can defeat those damned descendants yet. I'm still weak, very much weak and I would need to get stronger. If I start getting targeted by those otherworlders people, I would need an ally.
Thalos is strong, overwhelmingly strong and could even wipe the floor with even Yami. So his strength is very much appreciated. The enemy has a lot of n, probably. So I will need to also gather allies.
Allies strong enough to rival them. Also, I will still need to put those snotty brats in their places so Thalos will have to do.'
"Alright, you can join . But there's an issue," Grey said, his gaze steady on the towering gargoyle.
"What issue?" Thalos asked, arching a brow.
"I was participating in an assessnt to determine if I'd get into Aetherian Academy when I got into a scuffle with so snotty brats. Then I got pushed down a cliff. If I head back now, I'm sure I'll get a spot in the academy.
"But how do I explain this? I can't exactly walk around with a massive stone statue following
everywhere." Grey gestured toward Thalos, who nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that is a problem," Thalos admitted before turning to glance toward the rows of glass cases in the room. "I think it's ti you check your rewards. One of them has sothing to help ."
"Huh? Rewards?" Grey asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yes. The rule is that if I find soone worthy of my loyalty, soone strong enough in my eyes—then with my approval, they can claim those things in the glass cases and use them to empower themselves.
"They are treasures my master spent half his life gathering, crafting, discovering, or stumbling upon. He believed they might be useful to you." Thalos pointed a clawed hand toward the glimring displays, their contents gleaming faintly under the dim light.
"So, do you deem
worthy enough to check them out?" Grey asked.
"If I didn't, would I tell you to go take them?" Thalos glared at Grey, who just scoffed.
"What a way to treat your boss." Grey scoffed again, waving his hand as he strode toward the glass cases, leaving Thalos to glare at him in anger.
"You are not my boss!" Thalos shouted.
"Yeah, right." Grey chuckled as he stopped in front of four glass cases, one of which was already smashed. "Huh? What are these?" he muttered as Thalos strode over.
Grey examined the shattered glass case and spotted two small corked bottles containing reddish liquid that swirled like a living thing.
"Those are potions," Thalos replied, pointing at the bottles. "There were three of them earlier. I used one to regrow your hands and heal your injuries. Those are what's left."
"Oh!" Grey said simply, picking up one of the bottles and swirling it with curiosity.
'So these liquids are strong enough to regrow limbs? I don't think I've ever seen a potion like that, now have I?' he thought, raising his eyebrows as he studied the swirling liquid.
With a sigh, he set the bottle down and turned toward another case containing a gleaming sword.
The blade shimred like polished moonlight, sleek and flawless, adorned with intricate etchings that seed to shift and dance in the light. The tal's deep, rich hue resembled the night sky, while its silver edge glead with a promise of deadly sharpness.
The hilt, wrapped in supple leather, felt as if it would fit perfectly in his hand, its texture giving both comfort and command. Silver filigree curled and twisted along the guard, giving it an elegance that didn't take away from its lethal purpose.
When the light touched it just right, the sword almost seed alive, a weapon and a masterpiece in one.
"This sword is beautiful," Grey muttered, brushing his fingers over the glass, his eyes shining with fascination.
"That was his personal sword, made from the core of a very high-level beast he killed himself," Thalos said.
"High-level beast, huh? What are the levels or tiers of a beast?" Grey asked, curiosity sparking.
"When we are done checking out your rewards, I will lecture you," Thalos replied. Grey clicked his tongue and moved to the next case.
This one held an assortnt of pills: a dozen red, a dozen yellow, and a dozen green.
"Huh? I thought Yami said the red pills were hard to co across," Grey mumbled under his breath.
"These—"
"Never mind! I know what they are." Grey quickly cut Thalos off and moved to the last case, raising an eyebrow.
Inside were two items. One was a sleek black ring, the other a green gemstone etched with faint runes and circles that seed to pulse softly.
"What are those?" Grey asked.
"The ring is a disguise ring. When worn, it allows the user to take on a different appearance. You could beco a beast, a human, or anything else you desire," Thalos explained.
"Oh! So that's what you plan to disguise yourself with? Interesting." Grey nodded, then tilted his head. "And the stone?"
"That's a teleportation stone. Grab it, think of the cave you were teleported from, crush it, and you'll return there. It can only take you back to that cave, but you can bring one other person with you," Thalos explained.
Grey smiled widely as he looked over all his rewards. "Great."
Ki began swirling around his hands and feet as he smashed the glass cases to the ground. "I will be taking them all."
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