The Beginning After The End 08

by Turtle Me

  “And your poor old brother gets to make a little extra money,” the armored ascender said with a wink.

  “It’s unbecoming for a member of our blood to say stuff like that,” the boy in uniform, Ezra, said with a click of his tongue.

  Smiling faintly, Haedrig turned and scanned the mass of people until he caught sight of me.

  “Grey! Over here!” he shouted while waving an arm.

  The two girls’ eyes widened in surprise as they saw me approach, while Ezra’s brow furrowed aggressively.

  Their older brother just looked at his two younger siblings in confusion.

  I walked over to Haedrig’s side and looked at him for some answers.

  “Kalon, this is Grey, my friend who needs to take his preliminary ascent,” Haedrig said, motioning toward the armored ascender. “Grey, this is Kalon of Blood Granbehl. He has agreed to take us along.”

  “So you are familiar with my blood,” Kalon said with a nod.

  “Blood Granbehl is a distinguished named blood hailing from the Dominion of Vechor,” Haedrig explained to me.

  “From Vechor?” I echoed, wondering why I had seen the students in Aramoor, which was on the other side of the continent.

  Kalon turned toward me. “Nice to meet you, Grey. As your friend mentioned, I’m Kalon Granbehl and these two fair-haired young ascenders-to-be are my younger siblings, Ada and Ezra.”

  “And I’m Riah of Blood Faline,” the perky, short-haired friend said without missing a beat. “What a coincidence that we’re all seeing each other again so soon!”

  “Again?” Kalon asked, his head shifting from me to Riah. “You’ve all met before?”

  “I think we saw each other briefly back at the ascender building in Aramoor City,” I clarified. “Thank you for agreeing to take us with you.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing! My brother has done this a lot since he’s an instructor,” Ada replied, shaking her head while Kalon looked at her with a mischievous grin.

  I had a sudden flashback to the castle. Ellie and I were training, and I had done something clever with mana. I remembered so clearly her look of prideful irritation… exactly the same look Ada gave to Kalon now.

  My chest tightened and my throat constricted; the memory was like taking a sudden, unexpected breath of icy-cold air.

  If Agrona hadn’t invaded Dicathen, maybe Ellie and I could have been getting ready to delve into the dungeons below the Beast Glades, just like this family would be ascending the Relictombs together.

  Ellie… Mom, wherever you are, please be safe.

  ‘You know, that’s sweet,’ Regis said, intruding into my moment of reflection.

  Get out of my head, Regis, I thought, mentally glowering at him.

  ‘Right now? With all these people watching?’

  My attention snapped back to the conversation happening in front of me as Ezra stepped forward to size me up. “You’d best not hold us back,” he warned. “Even if it is just a preliminary ascent, the Relictombs are dangerous.”

  He stood roughly around my height, but his frame was much broader and bulkier than my own.

  Slapping Ezra on the back, Kalon said, “You’re not at school anymore, little brother. Be careful, the pretty boy might be even stronger than you are.” Kalon eyed me as he said this, the jovial grin slipping from his face for a moment.

  “A wogart with no academy training? I doubt it,” Ezra snapped before turning away.

  Shaking away whatever thought had caught him, Kalon gave me a friendly smile. “Don’t mind him, he just gets a little protective around our precious little sister.”

  “Brother!” Ada huffed, her cheeks turning red. Riah snickered and elbowed her friend.

  “Anyway, I’m stuck having to take the kids on their prelim anyway, so you’re just making the trip a little more lucrative for me,” Kalon said with a grin. “Don’t worry though, I’ll still keep you all safe!”

  “Thank you again,” I said with a faint smile.

  It didn’t take mana perception to tell that, despite Kalon’s easy-going attitude, he was strong. From the way he looked at me beneath that placid gaze, he knew I was strong as well.

  “Shall we depart?” Haedrig asked, looking at the students in uniform. “Or do the three of you need to change into your armor first?”

  “Not necessary,” Ezra responded curtly, enveloping his body in mana.

  Moments later, a full set of silver armor materialized around Ezra’s body along with a glistening crimson spear inscribed with faint golden runes.

  “You should’ve seen how happy he was when our father got him that for his graduation present,” Kalon noted with a smirk, forcing Ada to stifle a surprised giggle.

  Ezra shot his older brother a menacing glare, and his neck and jaws flushed red in embarrassment.

  Riah also had her own set of materializing armor, albeit one made from leather and chainmail, designed for speed and flexibility. She wielded a unique weapon—a dagger with a wide fan-like blade held by a grip embedded with small gems.

  The youngest Granbehl sibling wore luxurious mage’s robes of soft green, lined on the inside with rows of runes while the sides were cut to enhance movement. The trim was gold, like Kalon’s armor, and was emblazoned with the same crown, likely signifying their blood’s crest. She had no wand or staff; instead, each of her ten fingers had a ring interlinked by a small chain attached to a silver bracelet on her wrists, which was embedded with a single pink gem.

  “Those magically appearing armors seem useful,” I mentioned to Haedrig.

  “They are,” the green-haired ascender replied as he led our now-complete party away from the rows of stalls.

  “They’re also ridiculously expensive,” Kalon added. “But it’s a symbol of wealth and power, and my father loves that.”

  I only nodded, unsurprised.

  “So, Grey.” Riah stepped up beside me as our group headed out of the plaza, briefly catching my eye then looking away. “I’m curious what your scores were on the assessment.”

  Ada stepped up closer, and even Ezra slowed his pace, tilting his head toward us to listen in.

  “I think, aside from ‘flexibility of offensive magic’, I scored above average,” I answered.

  “Oh! That’s not bad!” Kalon chimed in, looking back at us over his shoulder. “It’s hard to get a good score in flexibility unless you have runes of different elements so don’t beat yourself up for it.”

  Ezra scoffed. “Not even one ‘exceptional’ score?”

  ‘Another wogart that needs to be humbled,’ Regis said with a sigh.

  “Ezra, what did Mother say about being arrogant,” Ada chided.

  “Yeah!” Riah defended as well. “And who was the one that got below average on their ‘mental acuity’ score again?”

  “Shut up!” Ezra barked, this time red up to his ears.

  “Settle down, kids,” Kalon scolded gently. “You’re making our two new members uncomfortable.”

  Ezra rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. The girls shared a quick glance and hid their laughter behind his back. Haedrig, on the other hand, had grown quieter and more serious the closer we got to our destination.

  “We’re almost there!” Riah said excitedly, pointing at the giant three-story arch with a golden white light shimmering at the center.

  A wide terrace separated the busy plaza from the portal. Several other roads opened into the terrace, and a steady stream of ascenders moved through.

  The terrace itself was ringed with white walls, each road entering under a copy-in-miniature of the portal arch. Banners bearing crests were displayed proudly, hung from the walls all around the terrace.

  “The crests of the bloods who own homes in the Summit Estates,” Ada said, following my gaze.

  Ascenders huddled in groups throughout the terrace. One group appeared to be praying, each of them sitting cross legged in a line facing the portal, their eyes closed, the
ir lips moving silently. Another team was arguing about how to divide their accolades, their raised voices cutting across the noise of conversation and heavy, booted feet.

  There were no lines, however; the massive size of the portal could accommodate any number of ascenders at a time.

  “I wonder what sort of zone we’ll end up in!” Ada wondered out loud, her vivid green eyes lighting up in excitement as she gazed at the golden white portal.

  Ezra stood stone-faced and resolute, almost, but not quite, looking the part of the stoic warrior about to embark upon an epic quest. The slight shaking of his hand on the shaft of his spear, and the way he kept having to rearrange his facial features, gave him away.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Haedrig, who had been silent since we left the plaza.

  He looked up, eyebrows raised and mouth partly open like he was surprised to find me standing next to him. “Yeah, I’m fine—” Haedrig’s voice cracked, causing him to stop and clear his throat. “I’m fine,” he repeated.

  I nodded in response, but I could tell he was nervous about something. He had withdrawn his long, thin saber from his dimension ring and was constantly fidgeting with it as we approached the towering arch of stone and magic.

  “Wait!” Kalon exclaimed abruptly. “I told Mom that I’d take a picture of you three before we go on our ascent!”

  Ezra let out a groan, but Riah linked her arm through his and pulled him over to Ada, who happily took Riah’s other arm. The three stood in front of the gate, the portal rippling softly behind them.

  “Perfect!” Kalon shouted after taking several steps back. He crouched on the ground and clicked a switch on the large metal-and-glass artifact he was holding.

  “Did you two want to join as well?” Kalon asked.

  “Yeah! Join us!” Riah said, her eyes lighting up. “Grey can stand next to Ada!”

  “It’s okay,” I said politely. “But I can take a picture of the four of you.”

  “Can you?” Kalon handed me the artifact, which was the size of my head. “Just point this part at us, imbue some mana into the artifact, and toggle the switch!”

  ‘Well that backfired,’ Regis commented. ‘How are you going to make it work if you don’t have any mana?’

  Before I could say anything, Kalon had already run off to strike an exaggerated pose next to his siblings and Riah, who laughed at his antics. Even Ezra wore an amused expression as he watched his brother.

  “Do you need help?” Haedrig asked, walking toward me.

  “I’ve… um… never really worked with one of these artifacts before,” I said. “Do you mind taking it?” I held the device out to him. “I don’t want to take a bad picture,” I finished lamely.

  Haedrig looked at me for a moment but took the artifact from my hands.

  “Ready?” he asked, pointing the artifact at the Granbehl blood and their friend.

  “Ready!” they answered in unison. Ada and Riah struck cute poses while Ezra held his chin high and gripped his spear with both hands. Kalon settled on just crossing his arms and revealing a wide, confident smile.

  It was a bittersweet feeling watching the happy family commemorate what seemed almost like a rite of passage for their blood.

  “It’s a nice sight,” Haedrig said, staring off into the distance.

  “The gate?” I asked.

  He shook his head, a trace of sadness on his stoic face. “The family. You can tell that they’ve grown up being loved.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “A bit loud, but they all seem like good people.”

  “And Kalon Granbehl is a very capable ascender. He’s one of the rising stars among ascenders,” Haedrig said, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. “Let’s hope he’s strong enough to get us through this ascent, right, Grey?”

  297

  Full Circle

  “Ada of Blood Granbehl, Ezra of Blood Granbehl, Riah of Blood Faline, Grey, and”—the uniformed woman paused, glancing from the ascender card in her hand to Haedrig and back—“and Haedrig of—well—yes… Your identities have been verified,” she finished, smiling widely as she handed us back our cards. “Principal ascender Kalon of Blood Granbehl, the stipend will be automatically transferred to your runecard after the candidates have successfully received their official ascender’s badges post-preliminary ascent.”

  “Aw, can’t I receive the stipend now? It’s not like there’s going to be any foul play; I’m guiding my siblings,” Kalon complained.

  “There are no exceptions. Please understand that these rules are for the safety and well-being of all ascenders,” the thin, black-haired woman stated as if she had been asked this question countless times.

  “Have there been situations where principal ascenders extorted candidates in the past or something?” I whispered to Haedrig as the two of us waited in the back.

  “Worse. There are accounts of some principals taking candidates on their prelims after collecting the stipends only to kill the candidates and loot their bodies, then blaming their deaths on the Relictombs,” the green-haired ascender explained with an expression of distaste.

  After our preliminary ascent had been recorded, our team headed to the center of the terrace, where the towering arch stood over us. Complex runes scored every inch of the massive edifice, making the teleportation gates I’d seen up until now look like toys in comparison.

  The longer I stayed in the Relictombs, the more I found myself marveling at its beauty and complexity. The flying city of Xyrus was the marvel of Dicathen, but even it paled in comparison to this place.

  Admittedly, the Alacryans were quite impressive as well. What they had managed to do with the first two floors of the Relictombs—creating a capital for ascenders to better prepare themselves for the unpredictable dangers lying ahead of them—was nothing less than remarkable.

  The number of resources and time invested into making sure ascenders were not only well-equipped and rewarded for ascending into the Relictombs, but also idolized by the citizens of Alacrya, spoke volumes of how much Agrona needed the ascenders.

  Even these preliminary ascents had been devised to give candidates a safer experience within the Relictombs.

  ‘So why does Haedrig seem to be expecting trouble?” Regis asked, having read my thoughts.

  I was wondering the same thing. What did he mean when he hoped Kalon was ‘strong enough to get us through this ascent’?

  Everything I’d heard up until then had made it sound like the preliminary ascent was merely dipping your toes in the water, especially for those trained in academies.

  ‘Maybe he’s not as tough as he pretends to be?’

  “Is everyone ready?” Kalon asked, stirring me from my internal deliberation with Regis. We stood just a few paces from the massive arch housing the white-gold portal.

  “Shouldn’t we do a supply check?” Haedrig replied seriously.

  “Is that necessary? Prelims usually don’t take longer than a day,” Riah responded impatiently, her body practically gravitating toward the humming gate, which she gazed at in wide-eyed anticipation.

  “We should treat this as if it’s any other ascent,” Haedrig insisted, already taking stock of his own rations. “I have enough water for myself for a week and dried rations for two days.”

  “Haedrig makes a good point. You can never be overprepared for the Relictombs,” Kalon chimed in, pulling a large leather waterskin and a bundle of dried meat wrapped in cloth from his dimension ring. “I have enough water for three days and dried rations for one day.”

  The rest of the team pulled out their rations as well. Surprisingly, I had the most food and water, courtesy of Alaric. The old drunk had packed two weeks’ worth of water and air-sealed rations for three days.

  ‘The man may be a grumpy old drunk, but at least he really seems to have your best interest in mind,’ Regis said with a chuckle.

  “All right, we’re packed more heavily than some of the deeper ascents I�
�ve gone on,” Kalon said, looking at Riah with an amused expression. “And Riah here seems to think she’s going on a picnic, with all of the sweets she’s brought.”

  Riah flushed and let out a string of curses under her breath. “Whatever. I was going to share…”

  “Sure, sure,” Kalon chuckled. “You all have your simulets, right?”

  We each took out a polished, rune-inscribed amulet the size of my palm, which would bind our team together as we travelled through the teleportation gates.

  Kalon nodded and turned to face the shimmering pane of golden-white light that would lead us into our first zone.

  “Blood honor me, light guide me, Vritra protect me,” Kalon recited, followed by his siblings and Riah.

  Haedrig and I looked at each other, neither participating in their ritual. I couldn’t be sure, but I almost thought I saw Haedrig roll his eyes. Not thinking much of it, we then stepped through the gate.

  We entered into complete darkness. The air was dry and stale with a crisp breeze blowing from underneath us. Even with my augmented vision, I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed.

  “No one move,” Kalon said, his voice cutting through the dark in a hushed whisper.

  I saw the soft glow of someone’s rune lighting up before a burst of sparks flashed in front of me, lighting up the area. Giant, gnarled faces glared at us from the darkness.

  Riah, who was only a few steps ahead of me, raised her fan-shaped dagger and jumped back, nearly tumbling off the edge of the narrow raised path we were standing on. Haedrig’s hand darted out and caught her by the elbow, holding her firmly until she had her feet under her again.

  Riah turned to look down over the edge, then the burst of sparks died, hiding the grotesque faces and their contorted, anguished expressions.

  “Give me a second to modify my spell.” Kalon spoke softly as a rune on the exposed area of his lower back glowed once more.

  This time an orange flare manifested from the ascender, brighter and more controlled than the sparks. It bathed the area in a warm light, revealing a huge chamber, or maybe a hallway. I could not make out the ceiling, or anything in front of or behind us. The narrow pathway where we had been deposited was about four feet wide and seemed to float amidst a sea of darkness.