“Ornor.”
“I know.”
The rejuvenated dwarf was already in front of Hilda, shield raised. The latter had already drawn her right-hand crossbow, while holding so sort of concoction in her left.
“So careful. Shouldn’t a personal servant be the one to protect her master? Or, does it work the other way around when the servant becos too personal?”
Grinding his teeth, Bernard began ever-so-slowly advancing towards his enemy, who still hadn’t drawn his swords.
“Hey, I don’t judge.”
The armored man waved his left hand defensively.
“In fact, in a way.. I actually admire you. To step away from that golden cage, with their deceptive rules and smothering duties – perhaps, if more of your brothers had the guts to make that choice, this city wouldn’t be in the state it is right now.”
“You are why it’s in that state.”
“Ha! To speak such ignorant words with such confidence… You clearly have father’s blood, I’d give you that.”
“The likes of you have no right to speak of Breston so casually.”
“Really, now?”
Another amused chuckle.
“And why is that?”
Suddenly, the casual tone was gone, replaced by sothing far darker.
“He was a foolish ruler; A limp-wristed protector; And a failure of a man.”
“Shut your mouth!”
Bernard took another step forward – his party mbers kept a distance of roughly 4 ters behind him.
“And who’s gonna make ? You?”
The playfulness returned to Scar’s voice, as his right hand finally drew one of his swords.
“Co then, Bernard. Show the fruits of your little ‘self-discovery’ journey.”
[Whirl Slash] !
Cla-Boom!
The first exchange felt evenly matched. However…
“Is that it?”
Even though Bernard’s attack was fairly cautious, as to not allow for an easy counter, his blade was blocked by a one-handed Technique, when the enemy was clearly used to dual-wielding.
Tzzng!
Scar swatted the approaching [Tracking Shot], sending the bolt flying sowhere to the side.
[Rapid Strikes] !!
The air around Bernard’s sword shimred, as the weapon blurred, delivering a sequence of strikes that defied conventional physics, each backswing almost instant.
Cl-cl-cl-clang!
Each of the greatsword’s swift strikes was masterfully parried by its smaller kin, yet again.
“Did you really leave back then just to have a peaceful vacation?”
Tzzz
At that mont, the arcane contraption in Hilda’s hand was thrown into the air, flying in an unnatural arc towards the spot above the deadly enemy.
“Hoo?”
Tzzzomb!
Suddenly, his movents slowed down, as if his legs were stuck in a pool of tar.
Bern raised his sword overhead, as the air around it glimred…
[Power Strike] !!!
BO-BOOM!
A flash illuminated the dark cavern for a mont, as two level 5 Techniques t mid-air, with the sound of their clash overpowering that of the colliding tal.
The armored man still stood – however, now, it was both his swords that were blocking Bernard’s claymore.
“Not.. bad!”
Swinging both weapons outward, he pushed the claymore away, forcing Bernard to leap back, as well. However, he did not try to take advantage of the potential opening, even as he had already broken free from his entanglent.
“A little lacking, still… But, I feel that other Technique of yours was pretty close to mastery, wasn’t it?”
The man smirked.
“You weren’t trying to hide your power by intentionally keeping yourself from advancing a level, were you?”
“Haa…”
Bernard couldn’t help but release a sigh of frustration.
“Cover .”
“Oh, by all ans, don’t mind . I’m not in a hurry.”
To his great surprise, the man leapt back, increasing the distance between them.
“Here, I’ll even sheath those.”
Despite the blatant display of disrespect putting him on edge, Bernard decided against aborting his plan.
He focused his mind, reaching for that one tiny missing piece, the one he had been intentionally ignoring, and raised his sword.
[Rapid Strikes] !!!
At the last strike, a dim aura glimred around the blade. Simultaneously, his body felt lighter, faster, more durable.
“Ha ha! Good choice. This might even get a little interesting.”
“What in the hells are you doing?”
The level 5 Slayer couldn’t help but feel that sothing was wrong. Missing.
“Who knows?..”
The man before him just smirked. However, a second later, he spoke as if rembering sothing.
“Hmm… how about this? If you give a good show, I’ll tell you sothing. About Chris’s death.”
The leader of the Silver Claymore froze.
“...What did you say?”
“Your late brother. His death.”
“Watch your words.”
“Hehe… I bet you believe it was Geoffrey who killed him. Or, at least, the main culprit behind his death.”
Bernard pressed his lips, as his face began radiating near-tangible cold.
“He did kill him. But.. don’t think I’m blind to your involvent.”
“Oh? My involvent?”
The man had the gall to sound surprised.
“You think I wouldn’t figure it out? Who your forr Guardian was?”
At Bernard’s words, Scar rely scoffed.
“You seem to have gathered a few pieces of the puzzle. The right pieces to perfectly assemble the wrong picture.”
“I don’t care about whatever words co out of your mouth. I planned to lure Geoffrey out.. but, it seems we’ll have to settle it here with you, instead.”
“Confident, are we? Fine then. Show the strength to support that confidence.”
The battle was about to enter its second, and perhaps final, phase.
***
With shaky steps, I approached the fallen man, crouching once more. I felt that, in my current state, even if I could join one of the fights, there would be no way for to make a difference.
Using the dagger in my - relatively - healthy hand to cut off the man’s utility belt, I began to quickly sort out the loot.
‘Not bad.. nothing amazing, but… Not bad.’
There was a whole 100 gold bar inside his pouch, alongside a few gold coins, around 110 gold’s worth, in total.
The contents of his belt were another communication sphere, a nearly empty vial with about ⅕ of the liquid remaining, two full vials with slightly different shapes, and another vial with slightly less than half of its contents missing.
I couldn’t make out any labels right now, so I decided to simply tie it to my own belt, which, between the other gangster’s cases, and the cultist’s talismans, was already packed to the brim.
Then, I started going through my ‘panel’.
‘What?..’
【Path】Spellblade (2)
The first surprise that awaited was the shocking increase in level.
‘This ans!..’
—
【Skills】:
[Charge Thrust] - Lv4 (38/100)
|__ [Charge] Lv4 (29/100)
|__ [Thrust] Lv3 (38/100)
[Arc Slash] - Lv5
[Arcane ditation] - Lv1 (5/100)
—
I skipped the Attributes for now, to confirm that my [Arc Slash] had indeed reached mastery. In fact, judging by that last clash, it happened even before my ‘illegal’ usage of it.
I also realized my [Thrust] increased over this whole ‘dungeon crawl’, and the main Skill increased accordingly.
‘I guess [Charge] no longer contributes to its progression… I wonder what’ll happen when I max out the sub-Skills, though…’
Before I could lose myself in thought, I quickly went back to look at the section I skipped.
—
【Attributes】:
Strength: 17
Agility: 15
Endurance: 15
Intelligence: 16
Awareness: 19
Charisma: 10
—
‘My Strength increased? But, I thought only the next level would grant more Attribute points…’
Going down to the Trait section, I first inspected the core Path Trait.
—
[Spellblade Hybrid Proficiency]
Agility 2.
Strength 2.
Endurance 2.
Intelligence 2.
Damage with bladed weapons increased by 10%.
Damage with arcane skills and abilities, which use a bladed weapon as their arcane conduit, increased by 15%.
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Arcane skills and abilities used to enchant weapons have 25% increased effectiveness.
Arcane reserve increased by 100%
Arcane recovery increased by 200%
Arcane throughput increased by 15%
—
‘No Attributes, but… those are so big numbers.’
It seed the 2nd level granted magic-related enhancents. My ager arcane reserve was now less ager, and the recovery rate would, hopefully, let recover enough to cast a few cantrips between each battle, in a similar situation to this one.
‘That Arcane throughput bonus is nothing to scoff at, either.’
Actually, I did have a similar-nad Trait…
—
[Arcane Throughput (Minor)]
Ability to output arcane energy to a minor degree.
—
‘Oh, it went up!’
The suffix of this Trait was “Initial” earlier. I wasn’t sure whether this was related to the Core Trait, or independent, but I really hoped it was the latter.
‘Ah, so this is why my Strength went up.’
—
[Sword Proficiency]
Agility 1.
Strength 2.
Damage with swords increased by 15%.
—
Not only did the “damage with swords” (however it was asured in practice) increased, but the no-longer-minor Trait granted another Attribute point.
‘Only one upgrade away from allowing to reach the Elevated realm. Well, I know it’s only a prerequisite, and that “major” suffix is the hardest one to get, but still…’
I scanned for any other changes. There was only one.
‘I guess it does increase with level.’
—
【Abilities】:
[Stamina Burst] - Lv2
[Arcane Conversion] - Lv2
—
I had no intention of testing its new conversion efficiency, as both my arcane reserve and stamina were all but depleted.
By now, I was sitting on the hard, cold cavern ground, leaning against the stony wall.
Haaa….
‘If they don’t co soon, I should try and go after them.’
‘No, you idiot. You should head into that opening and hide in one of the side tunnels.’
‘Oh, you and your bullshit again…’
‘You barely survived against this one man, and he wasn’t even at the peak of the Silver rank. What do you think would’ve happened if you destroyed that barrier with the adamantium sword earlier?’
‘...’
I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, yet my conscious attempt to avoid forming ‘direct’ thoughts was an answer unto itself.
‘Get up. This isn’t over yet.’
Haaa…
Feeling my exasperated sighs have beco much more frequent since the end of this fight, I slowly got up, stepping towards the side passage… before stopping, abruptly.
Ahead, I heard a faint set of footsteps. No, more than one… it was… two. Two sets of unsteady footsteps, getting closer.
I slowly stumbled into the tunnel, spying a nearby crevice to hide behind, and drew the large sword with my bruised, protesting hand – which was still doing better than my left one.
Soon, one of my questions would have a definitive answer.
***
“Do you have another Technique at the edge of mastery? Ah, it wouldn’t matter, anyway. Too slow. I’ve got so ti, but not that much ti.”
The leader of the Silver Claymore ignored the words, pulling his full concentration inward, towards himself. A few monts later…
phwoom…
It was as if a faint gust of wind passed through the deep underground cavern. A faint mist surrounded the outline of the level 5 Slayer, glimring with a silver hue.
“Oh? You actually received that-”
Ba-ba-ba-bang!
A rapid flurry of strikes descended upon the armored man, who had already drawn both swords, which were now a blur, barely managing to match the barrage of attacks which were much stronger than before.
BOOM!
The [Whirl Slash] was even stronger than the earlier [Power Strike], sending the man reeling.
At the sa ti, another [Spiral Shot], this ti with two bolts, made its way towards the leader of the Crimson Shadows. As he deflected each projectile with one sword, the leader of the Silver Claymore was all-but-ready to unleash his next skill.
[Power Strike] !!!
BA-BOOOM!!!
Scar was forced to answer with his own Technique – however, the impact pushed his swords back, making him lose his balance for but a mont.
Crash!
A flying kick, straight at the middle of the smooth plated protecting his torso, sent him flying 5 ters back…
Crash!
“Kha!..”
…colliding with the wall behind him. Bernard was already leaping forward, reading another [Whirl Slash] slash…
“..Ha!.. Ha..”
A mont before his blade could reach the man, his figure suddenly shifted. It looked as if he took a single step to the right, yet, by the ti Bernard arrived at his previous location, he was already 3 ters away, out of the claymore’s reach.
“That was-”
The Slayer leaped forward, trying to catch him again, yet Scar simply sidestepped one more ti.
“-impressive, indeed.”
Bernard didn’t waste ti on talking, knowing full-well the limited-ti buff would expire in less than a minute.
Cla-Boom!
“Yes. That’s good enough.”
The man sidestepped another attack.
“Now, let show you how it’s done, first.”
As Bernard was preparing another strike.
phwoooom…
Sothing completely unthinkable happened. Unthinkable, yet not unrecognizable.
“How?..”
Despite the urgency, the 2nd son of the Silverton family couldn’t help but express his shock.
“Didn’t I tell you? Despite everything you think you’ve learned you still know little. So very little…”
The silver mist around Scar was slightly thicker and brighter than that of the Silver Claymore.
“That’s.. Impossible. Even with Geoffrey’s help!.. Only a Silverton can attain [Silver Champion]...”
“That’s right, ‘brother’. Only soone with our blood can use this ability.”
It seed the air itself froze, as even the other mbers of Bernard’s party forgot to take a breath.
“No.. there is.. there were-”
“No other ‘mistakes’ like ? You’re probably right on that count. At least, I couldn’t find anything else from the last few decades. And trust – I’ve searched very, very thoroughly.”
A few more seconds passed, as the silence pressed down like lead.
“Is that why you did it? Why you killed Chris? Was it all for-”
“Pfff!..”
A disdainful scoff cut Bernard’s words short.
“You think I care about him? Or the old bastard, for that matter?”
After a mont, Scar spoke once more, this ti, more quietly.
“Actually, there was a ti I, too, believed he was the culprit behind the fire that gave those scars. For years, I’ve climbed. Through the filth, through the blood, climbing a mountain of bodies, all for that day…”
The man sighed, with sudden bitterness making its way into his exhale.
“Like you, I was also deceived.”
“What?..”
“Isn’t it strange? How, despite our blood, none of the brothers reached the Elevated realm yet, besides and Jero? And maybe you, who spent the last 4 years away from the city?”
“They are still young…”
“Breston would have already reached the 2nd Realm by your age, let alone Jero’s.”
“He’s a Wizard! That’s diff-”
“And yet the Wizard was the first one to reach the first finish line.”
“...”
This ti, Bernard couldn’t simply deny Scar’s claims, as much as he wanted to.
“But, Harold…”
“He had already betrayed us by the ti we learned of his involvent. Why do you think he’s been sent to that small town, positioned right under that monstrous sheriff’s watchful eye?”
“It was a punishnt…”
“Punishnt for him failing to properly cover his tracks. But also, protection.”
“What are you-”
“Chris’s murder. That was their biggest mistake. If not for that, I’d have never found out.”
“What are you implying? Who are ‘they’?..”
“The-”
Bzzzzt
A different sphere from the one earlier pulsated on Scar’s waist. Its rhythm was almost uniform to the ears of soone in the 1st Awareness realm, yet, there was clearly a certain sequence there.
“Ah, never mind. I guess I don’t have that much ti, after all. Besides, it’s best you hear it from sobody else.”
“Wait!..”
Before the leader of the Silver Claymore could finish his sentence, that of the Crimson Shadows had already reached for a device on his waist. Suddenly, the barrier was withdrawn, almost as abruptly as it appeared.
“Listen closely. The sewer entrance near the ruined Radiant church in the slums. Left until the intersection, then right, then left again on the 4th turn. Then down through the hatch. There will be a hidden door nearby – the phrase is ‘The shadow is darkest before the crimson dawn’. Ask the man inside – about the fire in St. Egregious’s orphanage. Then, about your brother’s death. And finally, about his forr employers.”
Despite the earlier battle, nobody dared interrupt the man as he spoke.
“I’ll be seeing you, Bernard. Not soon, but soon enough.”
A mont later, his shifting figure was already dashing towards the passage he ca from. None of those present had the presence of mind to try and stop him.
“What is he?..”
Bernard’s voice still held a great asure of shock.
“Bern! Did you forget why we ca here?!”
“...no. Let’s go!”
Ornor’s shout brought the party leader back to his senses, as the trio dashed to the opposite passage.
“I hope it’s not too late. For any of them.”
The faint mumble didn’t reach the ears of his party mber. Regardless, they doubtlessly shared his sentint.
***
“Xin!”
Through my Arcane Sense, I could ‘see’ the approaching pair around the corner. Although I couldn’t discern in detail, their outlines suggested they sustained nurous injuries, and were just barely stumbling through the dark passage.
“Sebastian!”
Although it ca after a montary shudder, visible through the Tides, Xin clearly recognized my voice.
“Why are you here? Did Bern-”
“I joined this specific mission. Had to pay him back for that night. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even now.”
After hearing my words, the half-elf took a deep breath.
“Why are they not with you? What happened?..”
This ti, it was my turn to stay silent for a few seconds.
“So guy intercepted them, and blocked the intersection with a barrier. I barely slipped through before it closed. I… hope they’ll be here soon.”
I did not want to think about the alternative.
“I’m glad you made it, though. It looked like a tough fight.”
“Thanks. If not for Eve-”
Thomph
“Ouch!..”
“You bloody idiot! You could have died back then! Should have died!”
Despite the genuine anger, I heard a note of concern in the woman’s voice.
“It.. it worked out, didn’t it?”
“Only because you mastered that Technique in the last mont!”
“It wasn’t by accident… Ah, never mind.”
Realizing he said sothing he shouldn’t have, Xin tried to change the subject.
“How did you manage to survive against Sweet Face?”
“Sweet?.. Ah, I guess it’s that guy over there.”
As we’ve already returned to the previous cavern, I pointed towards the body, belatedly realizing my mistake.
“You have darkvision? But, your eyes…”
“It’s a Trait.”
“Alright…”
My answer didn’t seem to fully satisfy Eve’s curiosity, yet she didn’t press the matter.
“Did you actually kill him?”
“Barely. I also managed to master a S.. Technique, just at the last mont.”
“Wait, you’re already level 2?”
Xin opened his eyes in surprise.
“You’re also level 2. How is that surprising?”
“I’ve spent!.. Ah, whatever. Still, even at level 2, you defeating that Silver battle-maniac still sounds unbelievable…”
“Well, believe it or not, I’ve got a ‘beltfull' of potions from him. Oh, by the way, any of you require healing? I still have one potion left.”
“Potion fatigue. Besides, you should probably use it yourself.”
“Potion fatigue.”
We both stared at each-other in silence, for a few seconds. And then…
“I hear sothing!”
The pair noticed the sounds of rushing footsteps a mont later, as well.
“I think it’s them!..”
Holding our breath, we waited for the people in the passage - the one leading to the intersection - to get closer, before…
“You bloody sod!”
The first one to step out of the tunnel was the dwarf, who, despite his short step, was the one at the head of the group.
“Ornor..”
“Don’t Ornor , you bush-gargling moron! I told you! Why in the hells did you join this scouting mission?!”
“It.. turned out fine..”
“We almost died getting here!”
“I’m… sorry. I’ll buy you as many ales as you wish tomorrow.”
“Forget ales, you better buy us a bloody tavern after today!”
“Sorry…”
“Sebastian – how are you?”
“I’m fine, Hilda. But thanks.”
“You don’t look fine. Did a Blueneck munch on your hand or sothing? And what’s with that broken nose?..”
“Potion fatigue. Both of them, too. I’ll have to see a priest once we get back.”
“You’ll need to see a whole temple, lad.”
With so of his pent-up worries alleviated, Ornor’s tone was much closer to his usual one.
“Good job. Whatever took place here, looks like it was a close call. I.. thanks. For helping out.”
Faced with the sudden shift in tone, and the dwarf’s sincere gratitude, I didn’t know how to respond.
“I– behind us, the passage!”
There was no sound, nor was there visible movent – which I would notice, given the illumination provided by the light orbs.
However, through the Tides, I saw it – it was as if nearly a dozen shifting, humanoid silhouettes flooded the cavern over the span of two seconds, rapidly positioning themselves in a line between the two passages.
“Hilda!”
Even before Bern finished his words, the woman already threw another contraption, encircling our group - which was standing beside Sweet Face’s body - in a small protective barrier. However, it felt much weaker than the one from Joshua’s carriage back then.
“Surrender! You are under arrest!”
“Drop your weapons!”
As the concealnt faded, I saw what appeared to be a mix of paladins and ard n, likely MIS operatives.
However, before anything else, I managed to discern…
“Sebastian?”
Two surprised voices spoke at the sa ti. I wasn’t completely certain about the other man, but…
“Kelron?.. And.. Uldric, right?”
The short man with the comically large polearm, with his unusual passion for driving heavy vehicles, was engraved into my mory since that night. The other sounded like the Paladin who escorted back from the Eastern watch prison.
“What in the blazes are you doing here, child?”
There was a note of surprise in Uldric’s voice, yet the sternness was nowhere near gone. Neither was the suspicion.
It was ti to think of a proper explanation. And fast.
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