I nodded again.
“Bring the boy a glass of water,” the thin man replied, seemingly pleased by my obedience.
The larger companion held a dirty cup against my mouth. The water was stale and musty, as if they’d wrung a wet dog, but it still felt like bliss against my parched mouth and throat.
The bulky man pulled away the cup when I had only finished half, making me crane my neck forward to try and suck as much water before he pulled it completely out of reach.
“Moving on—and this was where I was hoping you’d start filling in the gaps…” he said as if I had a choice. “What military institution trained you to be the legacy’s protector, because there wasn’t anything on official records.”
I furrowed my brows, confused. “I’ve only barely finished my second year at Wittholm Military Academy. I’ve had no previous training before.”
“So you’re telling me that you managed to defeat two professionally trained ki combatants without prior training?” the thin man asked, his voice getting dangerously low.
“I had help from my friends, but yes,” I said, mustering up as much confidence as I could.
“And so you’re telling me Olivia Wilbeck, that calculating shrew, allowed the legacy to simply walk out in public with two children that had no prior training?”
“What is this legacy you keep saying? I’ve never seen that thing in my life!” I pleaded.
The thin man regarded me silently for a moment. “There are just two things I really want to know, Grey. What organization sent you to protect the legacy, and to what extent is the country of Trayden providing assistance to you and the legacy by publicly announcing Lady Vera as your mentor?”
My mind spun for answers. I had no idea what organization he was talking about and what the country of Trayden had anything to do with whatever this legacy was.
Before I could answer, the man let out a sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he walked toward me. “I really hoped you’d stay true to your word and cooperate. If you hesitate like this, I can only assume you’re trying to make up an answer.”
He dipped his gloved fingers in the cube and smeared a line of the silver paste on the inside of my bare thighs.
“P-Please. I don’t know,” I pleaded once more, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks once more. “I don’t know!”
Hellfire ignited on the soft flesh of my thighs, the heat reaching up to my crotch.
I couldn’t tell if I was screaming after a while. My ears seemed to have tuned out my own yells. I thought the pain was unbearable, but I guess my body didn’t think so. No matter how badly I wanted to lose consciousness, I stayed awake, enduring the full brunt of the controlled flames.
But that wasn’t even the worst part. It was the part where the thin demon would come after a while and pause before wordlessly igniting another part of my body on fire.
Every time he walked toward me, I was both afraid and hopeful. Afraid that he’d induce more pain, and hopeful that this would be the time that he’d finally talk again and relieve me from this hell.
Time seemed so foreign to me. I couldn’t tell whether it was going by fast or slow inside this dark, windowless room. The bright light aimed constantly at my face didn’t allow my eyes to make out details of the room. No distraction to help me ease the pain.
What snapped me out of my stupor was the sound of footsteps approaching me. I readied myself to plead, to beg at the thin man, but I realized a third person had come inside the room.
“What th—”
The large man slumped after taking a quick strike from the third figure.
The thin demon lashed out with a weapon I couldn’t make out but was suddenly sent flying back.
The third figure walked toward me, turning off the light.
The world splotched white until my eyes were able to adjust.
“You’re safe now, kid,” the figure said, kneeling down.
It was Lady Vera.
ARTHUR LEYWIN
Gales of wind tore past me as I flew above the clouds. Reaching white core had come with an abundance of perks and manipulating ambient mana effectively enough to take flight was one of them. Had I tried to do something like this while still in silver, I would’ve drained my own core minutes into a journey.
Now, I was filled with the surreal feeling of the mana around me lifting me up into the sky. Still, while the sensation was exhilarating, my head swam with thoughts from last night’s dream.
I had assumed that interrogating the Alacryan was what brought out that unwanted memory, but with how frequently I’ve been having these detailed memories of my former life, I couldn’t help but grow worried and frustrated. Still, I had made a vow when I was born into this world that I wouldn’t live a life like my previous one. And until I could get a better explanation of why these memories were coming back, I decided to just consider them as reminders of my failures.
Besides, it wasn’t like I could see a therapist here.
I mustered a smile at the thought of myself laying on a couch, talking about my problems to a professional with a clipboard, when I looked back at toward Elshire Forest. A tinge of guilt surfaced in my stomach for leaving them so hastily.
Lenna and her soldiers are better off with General Aya staying behind since she can actually navigate within the forest, I reassured myself. After meeting up with the elven lance, we exchanged our findings in-depth. We had decided that I was to report back to the Castle while she remained as support until further orders by the Council.
I didn’t exactly report back to the Castle, but I did send a brief report through a transmission scroll that Lenna had on hand and informed Virion that I was going to make a small detour.
The transmission scroll will give them enough to work off of and the information I learned from the Alacryan will be more useful here, I thought as I stared at the snow-capped peaks of the Grand Mountains jutting out of the clouds.
Even this high up, I could hear the distant echoes of battle raging beneath. Muffled explosions, hums of magic, and the faint cries of various undistinguishable beasts resounded, muddled by the screams and yells of people fighting them.
For some reason, I was nervous. The lances rarely came to the Wall because there has yet to be any sightings of any retainers or scythes. The day-to-day battles that raged on by the wall were mages and soldiers alike facing corrupted beasts that mindlessly tried to charge through and break the line of defense.
I’d read many reports coming from the Wall and even made some changes to their fighting structure. Yet, this would be the first time I’d be there in person. This was where battles were going on almost daily, producing seasoned soldiers out of new recruits that were still wet on the nose—if they survived.
More importantly, this was where Tess and her unit were stationed. They were part of the assault division responsible for infiltrating dungeons and getting rid of corrupted beasts below and wipe out any teleportation gates that the Alacryan have been planting to transport more soldiers.
Reaching the Grand Mountains, I slowly descended through the sea of clouds until I got a full aerial view of the battle ensuing below me. Streams and bolts of magic in various colors rained down from the wall while soldiers below fought of hordes of beasts that had managed to live through the elemental assaults.
Some stronger beasts unleashed magical attacks of their own, but its number and volumes paled compared to the collective efforts of all the mages in the Wall.
I continued my descent toward the Wall, concentrating on the numerous types of beasts on the battlefield that was dyed in shade of red darker than normal blood when I sensed a spell approaching me from behind.
Looking back over my shoulder, I saw the blast of fire as large as my body in diameter shooting toward me.
A tinge of annoyance was all that I managed to muster up before swatting at the spell, dispersing it effortlessly before speeding my descent to the upper levels of the Wall.
Softening my landing with a cushion of wind
, I was met with a crowd of soldiers kneeling.
Closest to me was a barrel-chested man clad in full armor that was dented and dirty from obvious exposure in battle. He knelt down a few feet ahead of me, his hand holding down the head of a man that looked to be only a few years older than me.
“General! My sincerest apologies for my subordinate’s grave blunder. As we had not received word that a lance would be blessing us with his presence, he assumed you to be an enemy. I will reprimand and see to his punishment immediately,” the man clad in armor stated. His voice wasn’t loud but carried a presence that told me his battered armor wasn’t the only thing that showed he was a veteran.
I pried my gaze off the man that I assumed was the leader and looked at the boy whose head was forcibly pushed down into a bow. He was trembling while he gripped at his staff with enough strength to whiten his knuckles.
It’s been a while since I’ve been treated like this, I mused, taking a moment to savor the heads bowed in respect and probably fear.
It grew old after a few seconds.
I cleared my throat and walked toward the large man in armor. “No need. I came unannounced and from the Beast Glades so I can see how your subordinate thought I was an enemy.”
I paused, and bent down to match my gaze to the conjurer that had fired the spell at me. “But, next time when you see an unidentified and possible threat, you should immediately notify your superiors so that they can make the judgement. Understood?”
“Un-Understood, General!” He bolted upright into a salute, nearly clipping my chin in the process.
With a grin, I turned back to the armored man.
“Name and position,” I stated, walking past him toward the stairs.
“Captain Albanth Kelris of the Bulwark Division.” He trotted close behind.
“Well then, Captain Albanth Kelris, let’s talk strategy.”
Chapter 198: A City Within
VIRION ERALITH
I took a seat on the cushioned chair of gnarled wood, casting a weary gaze at the two royal pairs already poised to lash out at each other; the only thing keeping the four of them silent was their respect for me.
In front of me was a transmission scroll that held the contents of today’s meeting sent to me by Arthur. A creeping suspicion that the boy in question had decided not to come straight back in order to avoid this meeting bubbled inside my head, but I let it go with a sigh.
I forgive you, Arthur. I don’t want to be here either, I thought, taking a moment to appreciate the luxuriously decorated room.
With a cozy fire burning in the hearth and several light artifacts set in gold sconces along the walls, the room was cast in a warm, friendly atmosphere—as if to mock the subtle hostility surfacing from those present inside.
The last shred of natural light from the window to my left dimmed as the sun dipped below the clouds. I took that as my cue to start the meeting. “Take a seat. Let’s begin.”
There was a moment of silence while the four in the room with me looked at one another before the head of the Glayder family cleared his throat.
“Well, we’ve all been briefed on General Arthur and General Aya’s report, so I say we get right to it. I believe we should keep our forces as is and send reinforcement to the Elshire Forest on an as-needed basis,” Blaine said. Despite the human king’s sunken cheeks and unshaved state that covered the lower half of his face with the same crimson color as his hair, he spoke resolutely.
I remained silent and neutral, as was my job until all sides—which in this case, two—have explained their arguments.
“Councilman Blaine. Sending reinforcements on an as-needed basis to the border between the Beast Glades and the Elshire Forest suggests you don’t see the elven territory worthy of defending,” Merial intoned coldly.
Years of being part of the Council had shaped my once lively daughter-in-law into a sharp and cold diplomat.
“Oh, don’t twist my words, Councilwoman Merial,” Blaine rebutted. “The report stated two separate attacks, but it was coordinated to happen at the same time. This means that, so far, only one attack has been made into the elven territory. Compare that to the near-daily attacks happening on the Wall, shouldn’t it be obvious that protecting Sapin’s borders takes precedence?”
“No one is saying that the defense of the Elshire Forest should take precedence over Sapin,” Alduin said, composed. “However, much like how there are elven soldiers stationed at the Wall to help protect Sapin, there should be at least some form of defense on the Forest border’s, don’t you think?”
“The Elshire Forest is a form of defense,” Priscilla Glayder added, pointing with her finger to the lower portion of the forest on the map laid out in front of them. “The mana-laden fog itself has been a form of deterrence to everyone but elves since its existence. Even the attacks attempted yesterday would’ve failed eventually if you chose to ignore the intruders. The Alacryans and beasts would’ve gotten lost and starved themselves to death long before they reached any outskirt cities of Elenoir.”
“The forest itself is a part of the kingdom of Elenoir, and there are still tribes of elves housed outside of the cities,” Alduin stated, his voice growing louder. “With that same reasoning just now, Sapin would also be better off abandoning the wall and the small outpost cities near the border so that there’s less land to protect.”
“How can you even call that an adequate comparison!” Blaine roared, slamming his palms down on the roundtable. “The easiest way to the major cities of Elenoir is through the northern range of the Grand Mountains, from Sapin. If Sapin goes down, even the outer cities, the Alacryans will have far easier access to your lands as well!”
“Watch your tone, Councilman,” Merial snapped, her bright blue eyes growing dark. “You act as though the elves are in your debt when we have sent plenty of mages to help your forces fend off the Alacryans from your waters. If even a fourth of those soldiers were stationed to guard the forest borders, we wouldn’t even be needing this meeting.”
The former human queen spoke, her chilling voice soothing the heated argument. “The truth remains as it is. While you can say that the Elshire Forest is part of your kingdom, no cities or even towns have yet to see battle. Until such a need grows, sending troops will only weaken the borders that are continuously facing battles.”
Alduin rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. When he opened them, his emerald eyes locked into mine. “All we’re requesting is sending some of our men back to Elenoir so that they can defend their home.”
“There is no your men. Did you forget? The Council was formed to unite the three races because we predicted an outside threat. Our job is to stay impartial and lead the entire continent into a victory over the Alacryans, not just Elenoir,” Blaine rebutted before turning to face me. “I implore Commander Virion that he remains impartial for the sake of this war.”
“You talk of impartiality when you’ve been single-mindedly focused on what’s best for your kingdom!” Alduin argued, the tip of his ears turning red. “And if the whole sake of the Council was to unite the three races, yet one of the three races isn’t even present, doesn’t that defeat the whole point?”
“Enough!”
Those present in the room felt the palpable pressure that I cast on the place. Even Priscilla, with her core on the verge of turning silver, paled as she struggled.
“I’ve heard both sides, and before you further degrade yourselves by arguing like spoiled children, I’ll inject myself.”
Both Blaine and Alduin flushed with anger and embarrassment but remained silent.
I cast a sharp gaze to everyone inside before speaking again. “Based on the number of attacks, Sapin remains a priority for the Alacryans. As Councilman Blaine mentioned, the easiest way to the major cities of Elenoir is from crossing the northern range of the Grand Mountains from Sapin, and since there have been small strikes near that area, we are to proceed under the assumption that the Alacryans kno
w this as well. We’ll send more troops to solidify that area’s defense.”
“That still doesn’t—”
Another pulse of mana sent Alduin’s jaw to snap shut.
“As for the defense of the southern borders of Elenoir, we’ll have several units of the Trailblazer division stationed to only make expeditions down the dungeons nearby so that they can resurface and act as additional support in case of more attacks in the forest.”
The room remained tense, but everyone seemed satisfied—just barely.
“Good,” I nodded. “Now. As for the biggest issue. Our alliance with the dwarves has remained neutral at best the best of times, and hostile for the remainder. Even with the formation of the Council, the dwarven representatives have always had their own agenda and priorities, but I’m hoping that will soon change.”
I turned my head toward the single door, and everyone followed. After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat. “You can come in now.”
“Oh, damn, I missed my cue!” a gruff voice sounded from the other side of the room.
I could feel a smile forming on my lips.
The ornamented knob shook harshly before a brawny dwarf with a thick white beard and a decorated robe that seemed a few sizes too tight walked inside.
With a childish grin, he took a seat in the empty chair closest to him before introducing himself. “Buhndemog Lonuid. Pleasure to meet y'all.”
ARTHUR LEYWIN
Walking down the neverending flights of stone stairs, I remained entranced by the bustle of activity all around us. I couldn’t help but think how misleading the name ‘the Wall’ was—it was so much more.
Each flight of stairs led to a different floor within the Wall. The highest stories remained relatively minimal with reinforced metal and stones continually being maintained by human and dwarven mages. There were also teams of conjurers and archers stationed on these upper floors, responsible for firing down at the enemies below through the numerous embrasures.
Adjacent to the multiple staircases spanning the entire height of the Wall were dozens of pulleys that hauled arrows, provisions and other supplies to the upper levels.
TBATE Volume 7 Page 3
