The Glitched Mage Chapter 11 11: Taste of Revenge

Riven awoke the next morning with a jolt. He bolted upright, scrambling backwards in his bed as he surveyed his surroundings anxiously.

No darkness.

Rivens head fell backwards as relief settled over him.

"I'm not dead." He confird quietly and closed his eyes as he tried to settle his racing heart. It seems he was careless yesterday when he accepted learning the skill book without researching what it fully entailed. It worked out in his favour this ti but leaving himself so vulnerable in that state for a full day was far too risky.

Next ti, he would be more prepared.

"Abyss Born." Riven repeated what that dark entity said last night. "What had it said again? Sothing about the full moon in autumn? And the undead… and a Relic?"

Riven groaned and scratched his head frustratingly.

"Well, I guess there's nothing I can do at the mont. I simply need to continue as I have been doing. I just need to get stronger." Riven decided, dismissing the mory to the back of his mind for now.

He focused on the new spell he had learned, raising his hand before him as he recalled the sensation of casting magic for the very first ti. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

A pure and total rush of euphoria.

Eager to test out the spell again, Riven got up from the bed and surveyed his surroundings. He was in a different bedroom but it was pretty similar to the last one, even a little more spacious than before. He noticed his broken staff and mana potion sitting on the bedside table. He picked them up and as he tried to think of a place to keep them safe, an idea popped up in his mind.

"System, do I have an inventory?" He asked as he rembered so of the gas he used to play in his previous life.

[[ Inventory Opened: Capacity 0/100 ]]

Riven smiled as he saw the notification window. He held up the broken staff and willed it into the inventory.

[[ You have placed 'Staff of Ignis' in your inventory. Capacity 1/100 ]]

He then held up the mana potion and pondered whether he should just drink it now or not. After a mont he shook his head and put it into his inventory also. He just acknowledged that he had to be cautious with this sort of stuff so he needed to take this potion at a more secure location.

[[ You have placed 'Potion of Mana' in your inventory. Capacity 2/100 ]]

Riven called for the maids and quickly cleaned the remnants of last night away and dressed for the day.

"Has lunch been served yet?" Riven asked as he buttoned his jacket.

"Not yet young master, it's just being set up." One of the maids replied, bowing slightly. "We were told to let you rest that's why we didn't wake you for breakfast."

"Ah, it's fine." Riven waved them off and made his way out the door and down towards the dining room. He walked past his old bedroom and grinned when he saw the damage his caused.

"Is that really sothing to be smirking about?" Riven looked up to see his stepmother approaching him with an angry look on her face.

Riven quickly plastered a fake smile on his face to hide his annoyance. "Stepmother must have seen it wrong, I was simply shocked at the damage."

"You're shocked?! You're the one who caused all that damage! You damn near killed us all!" His stepmother fud, veins popping in her forehead as she strode closer. Her maids gave each other worried looks behind her back as if they didn't know what to do.

"I apologise stepmother." Riven said softly but then as she got closer he leant forward, the mask slipping from his face as he whispered, "I guess I didn't know my own strength."

"Wh-What are you doing?! Get away-" She tried to take a step back but Riven grabbed her wrist and held her still.

"Isn't that what you said to on my 7th birthday?" Riven continued to whisper in her ear, his eyes darkening as he recalled the mories he received when he first got here. "Perhaps father ntioned my na to you because it was my birthday… was that why you ca to that night? Was that the reason why you kicked so hard that you broke one of my ribs?"

"Y-you!" His stepmother began to tremble in his grasp.

"Let this be your first warning," Riven whispered, his voice taking on a darker edge. "Now that the count has taken an interest in , he won't stand by and let you do as you please. So, if you do anything to annoy , I will make your life a living hell just as you had made mine in the past."

"You bastard!" She finally pulled out of his grip and raised her hand backwards to slap him. Riven was about to block her when he saw an opportunity approaching.

Her hand landed on his cheek with a resounding smack. He clutched his cheek and looked up at his stepmother, making his expression as pitiful as he could.

"Why… why did you hit stepmother?" Riven asked, his words thick with false emotion.

"What-?!" His stepmother began to raise her hand to hit him again but soone caught it just before it connected with Rivens face. She froze and slowly turned her head to see the Count glaring down at her.

"Just what on earth do you think you are doing?" The Count asked, his tone furious.

"Please, my Lord, it's my fault for getting in stepmothers way." Riven said softly whilst still clutching his face.

"Nonsense!" The count shouted as he threw his stepmothers hand downward making her stumble. "Guards, it seems my wife still hasn't co to her senses. Take her back to her bedroom and don't let her leave until I say so."

"No!" His stepmother cried as two Drakar knights approached and began to usher her and her maids down the hallway. "This is his fault! He made do it!"

His stepmothers voice faded away and Riven felt completely satisfied.

"I apologise again on her behalf," the count cleared his throat and placed a hand on Rivens back as he began to guide them towards the dining room. "I'll make sure she stays out of sight until you leave for the academy."

"Thank you, my Lord." Riven smiled softly. "And I'm also sorry about the room. I didn't expect things would happen the way they did last night."

"It's fine! How were you supposed to know that?" The count laughed happily. "I would have warned you but I didn't expect for you to understand any of that skill book let alone learn it in one night!"

They entered the dining room and he saw Ember already sitting at the table, her face pale and her eyes dark with exhaustion.

"Ember, my dear, I told you to rest today." The count said as he sat down at the head of the table and motioned for Riven to sit to his left.

"Thank you for your concern father but I'm fine," Ember smiled at the count and then looked at Riven. "How are you today?"

"Uh…" Ember showing concern for Riven left him montarily surprised. "I'm fine today, thank you for asking sister."

A genuine smile appeared on her face before it disappeared once more. "I'm glad."

The count seed pleased at the interaction between his children and nodded happily before summoning the food to be brought out.

"I was hoping to ask if there was any sort of training room where I could test out my new spell?" Riven asked as he began to tuck into the succulent roast chicken in front of him. "I was hoping to practice using it before I go to the academy."

"Of course," the count nodded. "There's a magically fortified room in the east wing. I'll take you there after lunch."

"Thank you, my Lord." Riven smiled, excitent filling body at the thought of being able to use magic again.

"Is it ok if I co and spectate?" Ember asked after a mont and Riven looked up and t her earnest gaze. "I would love to be able to witness the ancestors magic."

"Sure." Riven agreed politely and the rest of the al continued in silence.

Riven kept glancing over at Ember, confusion filling his mind as he tried to work out why she was being so nice to him all of a sudden. Shouldn't she be like his stepmother in trying to continue to make sure his life is ruined? She was either a very good actor or was genuinely trying to get along with him.

Either way, he didn't fucking care. He was only biding his ti here, trying to suck out everything he could from this family before leaving for the academy.

Then he would begin his plan for revenge.

They think finally giving him a little kindness and so money will make him forget the fact that they abandoned him whilst he suffered his entire life?

Not a chance.

—x—

The training room was located at the far side of the east wing of the manor. It was a large iron-encased room that had nurous magic circles carved all over its walls.

"They make the room essentially fire proof." The count explained as he noticed Riven looking at the magic circles. "It's so we don't have to hold back whilst we practice."

Wow, this really is quite the set up.

"We will need a target." Riven said as he rolled up his sleeves.

"There's a few wooden dummy's at the end of the room." Ember said as she sat on one of the benches to the side.

"The skill is a heat seeking fire ball, so I'll need sothing that's living." Riven answered, another cruel plan developing in his mind.

"Heat seeking?! Incredible." The count said, astonished. "What about a rat? Or a bird? We can easily secure one of those."

"What happened to Candace?" Riven asked all of a sudden and the counts brow furrowed.

"You an the maid?" The count asked and Riven nodded. "She's still down in the dungeons. I was going to oversee her execution last night but it was delayed due to your skill breakthrough."

Perfect.

"Then, why don't we use her?" Riven asked, his face expressionless as he continued to speak. "If she is to die anyway, isn't it only right that I should be the one to do it? I was the one who suffered at her hands after all."

The count examined Riven for a mont, as if seeing him in a new light. Sothing like approval settled on his features as he nodded.

"If that's what you wish, I will allow it." The count said and sent so knights to retrieve her.

It was only a short while before the knights reappeared with Candace being dragged behind them.

"Please my Lord, this is unjust!" Candace was still claiming her innocence as they threw her foward. "I was only doing what I was ordered!"

"Father… isn't this a little too much?" Ember asked and Rivens jaw clenched.

"This isn't a ti for you to comnt, daughter." The count said. "The punishnt should of course be given out by the victim."

"But father-" Ember began to argue but the count cut her off.

"Enough." The count commanded. "If you don't agree then you may leave."

Ember pressed her lips together and then bowed her head in defeat.

"You can start whenever you're ready." The count said. "If it gets too much, just stop and let take over."

Ha! As if I'd let you ruin this.

Riven nodded to the count and then took a few steps forward. He looked down at the cowering Candace and smiled, taking in her pitiful appearance.

"If you don't wish to die," Riven said as he outstretched his hand. "Then run."

A hum of mana began to fill the room as Riven began to form the magic circle he had learned yesterday.

"It's so complex." Ember whispered in wonder as she and the Count watched the glowing runes in front of Riven.

Candace scrambled to her feet as she watched the magic circle in horror. Heat rippled out from the runes and Riven revelled in the feeling of mana flooding through his veins.

"No!" Candace scread as his mana built to a crescendo and his magic circle erupted into a fiery ball that shot forward. Riven stumbled back a few steps from the recoil and watched in amazent as the ball of fire curved to the left as it followed Candace.

"It turned!" The count yelled. "The fireballs path curved - I've never seen anything like it!"

The ball finally caught up to Candace and she scread as it slamd into her back and she erupted into an explosion of flas.

Her screams of agony filled the room and Riven sighed and closed his eyes. It almost looked as if he was enjoying listening to the radio rather than the wails of a dying woman.

"It seems your mana is still lacking in strength to be able to take soone out in one hit," the count comnted. "But once you start at the academy, you'll be a first circle mage in no ti."

"Yes, my lord." Riven smiled.

"Arghhhh!!" Candace continued to scream, and the sll of burning flesh filled the air.

"Allow to finish this father," Ember said and took a few strides forward before Riven stopped her.

"I'll do it." Riven stated and took one of the swords from the weapons rack to the side of the room and made his way over to the flailing woman.

He raised the sword up and burned the scene in front of him to his mory. If the original owner of this body was still out there sohow seeing this, i hope this at least satisfies your need for revenge even a little bit. It's only a taste of what's the co.

The mask slipping from his face, his expression twisted into one of pure hatred and wrath. He swung his sword down, the sickening thud echoing through the room as the screams finally fell silent.