Monster's Mercy

by William D. Arand

  Spreading his feet apart, Rene easily flowed into the first position of The Elemental Way, Air. Keeping his eyes closed, he mentally envisioned what he wanted to do.

  He let his arms fall into the correct positions ascribed in the manual, and then began to work through the diagrams from his memory.

  Each came to the front of his mind as if he were reading them and he worked through them slowly.

  Methodically.

  Air was straight forward, direct. It could flow around something, but only after striking the target.

  As he finished the final diagram, he flowed into the next form. Water. The strikes it emphasized felt more like falling water. The moves bringing his hands down towards the stones beneath his feet.

  Changing his feet to the next position, he worked his way into Earth, the third set.

  The blows came across his body, from one side or the other, in inexorable strikes. All aimed at a small zone that would be targeted to the opponent’s mid-section.

  Linked from there came Metal, as his hands worked their way upwards. He could feel the tension of the attacks building in his back and spine as he moved.

  Finally came Fire, which wanted to explode out of him with the energy it promised. Focusing on his wrists, Rene blocked imaginary strikes and brought his opponent in, only to deal a blow with his opposite hand.

  Completing the full rotation of diagrams, he returned to a resting position. He let another slow breath out as he felt his body unwind. As if he was actually releasing tension and impurities simply through practicing.

  Opening his eyes, he smiled at the morning sun rising over his school.

  His eyes flicked to the log in the corner and read the last message.

  Your skill in The Elemental Way has increased (28)

  Feeling that accomplishment sitting inside him like warm coals, he wanted to continue. Except, he had felt something odd nagging at the back of his head as he had gone through the exercises.

  Much of his training had been focused on a swift death or disabling an opponent. What he’d practiced a moment ago had felt different. Thinking on it for a minute longer, he realized what was tickling his brain.

  The details and diagrams described a perfect working martial art. Without any of the individualistic twists a practitioner would adopt through its use.

  He started to mentally work through all the moves he’d performed and compared that to how they had felt in his body. Then he thought out what he could try differently to better enhance them for himself.

  For his body’s needs.

  Your skill in The Elemental Way has increased (30)

  Congratulations, you’ve achieved Journeyman status in The Elemental Way.

  And just like that, understanding blossomed in his mind. He saw countless ways to deliver more force, increase speed, and train his body.

  He’d have to feel out these suggestions, and maybe even begin blending in his existing training.

  That was a worry for another time.

  Countless tiny faces peered out at him from the windows. He could only imagine their concern and fear.

  Food. Food solves many things.

  “Agreed,” Rene whispered.

  For now, the worry was breakfast. Lots of it. Bread, cheese, meats.

  Due to Master Delacroix’s involvement, Rene had a decent surplus of money still on hand.

  All that was left was to let the children know exactly where he was going, and then go get the food.

  ***

  Rene stared at the little log box trying to figure out what happened.

  Your skill in Analyze has increased (15)

  Your skill in Analyze has increased (16)

  Your skill in Analyze has increased (17)

  As was his custom of late, Rene used Analyze on everything and everyone he passed.

  Frowning, Rene checked the log to figure out who or what had given him three skill-ups.

  It was beyond abnormal.

  Unfortunately, he’d rapidly identified several people in that period, ending with an elderly gentleman.

  Rene turned back to the old man. He was sitting on a bench. For all the world, he didn’t seem interested in Rene. He seemed concerned with the flow of traffic, as if he were merely people watching.

  It was the eyes that made Rene understand he’d found the person who had triggered the triple increase.

  He knew those eyes.

  Suddenly, his feeling of being watched from the previous day made sense.

  Rene made a decision and walked over to the old man, then sat down next to him. Stretching out his legs in front of him, he looked over at the man.

  “You look strange as an old man,” Rene said.

  The old man regarded Rene for a few seconds before smiling. Where the elderly gentleman had sat, was now the man who had sent him here to this world.

  Dressed exactly as he had been in the place between worlds.

  “What gave me away?” the god asked.

  “The eyes. They didn’t fit the old man. They felt… wrong, or different really. Far too intense. Not to mention, I felt like something had been watching me lately. Was that you?”

  “Mm, yes. It was me. Also, a fair statement.” The god nodded as one hand came up to rub at his goatee. “My wife tells me I’m not half as clever as I believe myself to be.”

  “I name you Watcher,” Rene said, looking forward at the people passing them in the street. Not a single person gave them a second glance.

  Not even a first glance.

  “Are you preventing people from noticing us, Watcher?” Rene asked.

  The Watcher looked from Rene to the people passing by.

  “My wife is, she’s protective of me. Little could be done to me here, really, but… it’s just how she is. You met her last time,” Watcher admitted.

  “I did? You had a rodent in your lap.”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah. That was her,” Watcher said with a nod of his head.

  Rene decided to let that slip by. There were bigger problems.

  “Why’re you here? As far as I can tell, I’ve lived by your rules. I’ve kept the alignment bar full and it’s only dipped when it had to,” Rene started defensively.

  Watcher nodded again, then he broke out in a broad smile.

  “Quite the opposite. Your actions with the children,” the god said, leaning further back into the bench. “I never expected you to take the actions you did. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless.”

  Rene chewed on that, feeling some of the worry easing in his mind.

  Watcher sighed and scratched at the side of his head, as if contemplating something.

  “Shouldn’t gods be all-knowing and all-seeing?” Rene asked, venturing a question he’d been wondering about.

  “Ha. Nope. You’re free to do as you will, and I’ll never know one way or the other until you actually do it. Free will. What a bitch. What a gift.”

  A dark shadow flitted past a building across the way and vanished into an alleyway.

  “Huh. Right, then. So, here’s the deal. I cannot leave this situation as it is. The amount you increased your alignment was on such a scale that I am compelled to offer you a gift. It literally would have filled up dozens of times,” explained the god.

  Rene drew his brows down together and stared at the god at his side.

  “A gift? Could you clarify that?” Rene queried.

  “A gift. Anything you want. Name it,” the god confirmed.

  Rene let out a slow noisy breath.

  A weapon? A set of equipment not of this world? What could we do with a handgun?

  No.

  What about a vehicle? An armored car with unlimited fuel and ammo?

  No, no.

  A mountain of gold? We could do a lot of good with money.

  No, no, no. There are things gold can’t buy.

  You’re right. Then. That’s our answer, isn’t it? The children.

  Yes!

  The Monster sounded delighted. E
ven Rene couldn’t deny the thought felt right.

  “I need teachers. Teachers and teaching materials. Good ones. I can provide a home for these children but without an education, all I’m doing is feeding them back into the poverty wood chipper.” Rene said it simply.

  Bluntly.

  They’d be chewed up, beaten down, broken, and spat back up as corpses in the streets. Found in the morning and then pushed into alleys.

  The Watcher’s head swung around to regard him. Piercing blue eyes tore through his mind in a heartbeat and then became kind.

  A bright, warm smile spread across the god’s face.

  “Why, I never. This is the single most delicious plate of crow I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. In fact, I think I’ll tell the chef thank you on my way out and tip the waitress. Then destroy my wife in bed while she tells me repeatedly that she told me so. Never hurts to remind your partner when they’re right, by the way,” the Watcher said.

  “I don’t understand. Is that a no?” Rene asked. His voice threatened to falter and fail him near the end of his question.

  “On the contrary, my dear, sociopathic nightmare. Devil in the flesh, who murdered hundreds,” said the Watcher. His eyes unfocused for the span of several seconds before coming back to Rene.

  “It’s done. I’ve contacted the correct professionals on your behalf, paid them two years all in advance, and provided them with transportation to be here no later than tomorrow evening. Well, to be honest they’ll all arrive tomorrow evening at the same time. That’ll give you time to prep.

  “You’ll find all the materials they need now in the attic space. Everything someone would need for the best education this world could provide. Eh, maybe a touch beyond. Maybe. I probably cheated.

  “I also took the liberty of having bunk beds placed in every room. A hint of dirt so they don’t look out of place, but solid and brand new under the dust. Just have everyone take ’em outside and beat ’em for a minute. I left a couple other things around for you, as well,” said the god with a toothy grin.

  Blessings, blessings, blessings.

  Thousands of blessings upon our hated sponsor. May we beg for forgiveness of him even after we punch him in the dick.

  On our hands and knees, we would crawl for his acceptance.

  Rene smiled and felt his chest shudder once in a choked-off hiccupping sob. He nodded his head quickly, not trusting himself to speak.

  At that the Watcher laughed, clapping a hand on his knee.

  “Goodness! Even the Monster approves? All is forgiven. I’d punch myself in the dick, too. Well, it’s been a delight,” said the god.

  Rene digested that little thought in silence. The Watcher could read his mind at will.

  Standing up, the god lightly brushed his hands over the seat of his pants.

  “Well, there is one problem that remains but I think that’s for another time. For now, one more parting gift. Because you reminded me of something I’d forgotten as of late.” The god reached forward as he spoke.

  Rene held still, keeping his hands where they were. Unwilling to risk angering his benefactor.

  When the Watcher’s hand closed on Rene’s crown, Rene felt only contentment. Contentment, understanding, and belief.

  Acceptance.

  “Should you want to play a song, even one from memory, you’ll get a… surprise. Should make it easier for you to increase your music appreciation. After all, music soothes even the savage beast,” explained the Watcher.

  His hand left Rene’s head and he stared down at the murderer turned orphanage caretaker.

  “Make sure you surprise me further. I’ll be watching. Oh, you really should read your father’s letter. You’ve forgotten it long enough,” the god said.

  Then he was gone. As if he’d never been there.

  All around him, people began to watch him as they normally would, looking at him to determine whether he was a threat.

  Assessing him.

  Rene didn’t care. If everything the Watcher said was true, none of that mattered. He had everything he needed to give these children a chance he’d never had until he’d been reborn here.

  He could give back far in excess of what the Watcher had given him. He’d never considered it before, never even thought about it, but he could save others.

  Save others and remain exactly who he was.

  This isn’t the end, but the beginning. There are others.

  Others who would do the same to children. We must act. We must take action.

  End them all.

  Rene took in a sudden breath, his nostrils flaring at the idea.

  Yes, he’d end them all. He’d end the guilds. The guilds were why these children ended up the way they did. The guilds were to blame.

  He would end them all. One way or another. Inside or out.

  Taking the Watcher’s words to heart, he opened his inventory and pulled out the letter from his father.

  Thumbing it open, he broke his father’s seal.

  Dear Haversham,

  I’m glad to hear of your arrival in the city. Please conduct yourself as you see fit.

  I’ve sent a purchase contract to the money lender who sent me your letter. This will be coming by certified courier with an agent. If the contract is accepted, this will become the first branch site for Laetus Lending.

  The agent going with the courier will act as the on-site manager if the contract is signed.

  There is the strong possibility my son is in the city. Please keep an eye out for him. I believe he may be scouting the University of Felicie to make his final decision.

  Should he turn up, remind him that the University of Felicie is as distinguished as Laetus and I’ll support him regardless of which school he chooses, and that I love him.

  Best wishes,

  Clement Anatolis

  Rene smiled after he finished reading the letter. His father wasn’t one to let a situation pass by without working it to his advantage.

  His father wasn’t wrong about the university either.

  Standing up from the bench, Rene set off. He had breakfast to get, and a long day to arrange things in his favor.

  Maybe he’d attend the Felicie University after all.

  Chapter 15

  The following day, Rene found himself drawn to an open courtyard behind the school. The same courtyard he’d been able to practice The Elemental Way in previously.

  Yesterday had been spent cleaning up and putting the grounds and buildings to rights. The older children had helped by baby-sitting the younger ones. In the end, Rene had bitten the bullet and coughed up some coins to hire a professional house staff to manage the buildings and grounds.

  At the time, he’d calculated the cost of hiring the staff to be about the same as what it would take to feed the children every day.

  That was until he’d discovered the sacks upon sacks of grain in the basement of the building.

  The Watcher had truly been generous.

  Settling into a starting position, much as he had done the previous day, Rene took in a deep breath.

  “What are you doing?” asked a soft voice, interrupting him before he could start.

  Looking down and to the side, he found a large number of the older children fanned out around him in the courtyard.

  “I’m going to practice. You can watch, if you so desire,” Rene said slowly.

  “Will you teach me?” asked the boy he’d caught red-handed the other day.

  “I suppose so. For now, arrange yourself on the stones,” Rene requested, pointing at the large paving stones that made up the courtyard. “Put yourself in between four of them, where they intersect.”

  The gaggle of children immediately spread out, arranging themselves as he had instructed.

  Moving ten stones away from the lead child, he turned to face them.

  “Merely watch for now, or if it’s easier for you, try to copy what I’m doing. I’ll move slowly, so don’t feel rushed.” Rene slid into the st
arting pose of Air and began to guide his body through the forms.

  Slowly and deliberately, he worked to keep his movements fluid, even if they were as slow as a bug crawling along the ground.

  Using this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, Rene also worked to adjust his body mechanics to account for the knowledge he’d gained the other day.

  It was simple things, the proper tension in his body, the physics coiling around his hips and legs, feeling the right turning point to glide to another move.

  When he came to the end of the process, he returned to a neutral stance. His eyes went to the log to check the last few messages.

  Your skill in Instruction has increased (18)

  Your skill in The Elemental Way has increased (37)

  Some of the children had been imitating him all the way throughout the process. Apparently, that had counted as instructing them.

  He wondered if they had actually learned quicker than they should have, since he was technically influencing them.

  Why not conduct a test? Then we’ll know the rest.

  It wasn’t a bad idea, and he wanted to go through the form again. He doubted he was supposed to already know every move in the entire martial art. Quite a few felt more difficult than others and required more thought and work on his part.

  He was far from normal, though, and the idea of starting with every move as part of the foundation seemed easier for him.

  “Now, we’ll move through it again. This time, we’ll move through each one together. Once everyone has finished, we’ll move to the next one. Remember, we’re all learning here. No one is doing it wrong, and everyone will be different,” Rene said.

  Rene started once again, and led the children through one glacial move after another.

  Near the end of the practice session, he noticed Caleb, Bill, Odelia, Alana, and Lori all standing to one side watching.

  Dismissing them from his mind, he focused on his kids. He didn’t even consider his team again until he was moving back into the neutral pose.

  As was becoming his custom, his eyes flicked to the corner and he dipped his head a fraction, checking his log.