Capítulo 173: Collecting An Oddity
It didn't take the students and subordinates long to re-enter Orario and make their way towards one of the less well-known small alleys that connected to the veritable maze of passageways serving as the layer of indirect protection for the grounds of the Twilight Manor. Still, they were moving a little slower than usual, because they were escorting Martin, who was anything but physically fit.
As they had Jakk with them, who had grown incredibly familiar with this alley network during his many years with the Loki Familia, they usually didn't bump into anyone during this part of their trips outside.
However, today was different.
A few minutes after they had left the northern main street, a figure suddenly walked out of the shadow of a building. They were all on edge, about to unsheathe their weapons and prepare for an ambush, but then they noticed that the one who had approached them - a young man - had already fallen to his knees and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I mean you no harm! Please, don't attack me!!"
The urgency in his voice was palpable. He continuously looked over his shoulder and eyed his surroundings carefully, shivering due to the anxiety that almost drove him to madness. His coarse, brown linen clothing was amongst the cheapest, most common garments that could be bought. They didn't look particularly worn and torn yet, so they didn't make him stick out as a particularly poor fellow either. In short, he was clothed in the most generic manner possible. There were no weapons strapped to his belt, and no hidden ones that could be made out even after looking closely. All in all, under normal circumstances, someone like him would appear like a regular civilian.
"Alright, calm down. We won't hurt you unless you try to harm us. What's your business with us?"
Even though a corner of his mind was still occupied with what a certain keepsake's resident had told him earlier, Kalin wasn't absentminded enough anymore to overlook the current situation. So, as usual, he stood out as the social representative of the students and subordinates.
"T-Thank you!"
Standing up quickly, the young man took a deep breath and tried to retain his barely maintained calm. He had mostly put his guard down towards the group in front of him, but he evidently wasn't reassured about his personal, general safety whatsoever. Something was weighing down on him, but it wasn't clear what exactly it was. In parts due to this pressure, he immediately got to the point.
"I need to meet Isaac Blackshaw. Can you bring me to him!?"
Slightly stunned, but not too surprised, all things considered, Kalin raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and heaving a sigh.
"Look, we can't just take everyone who asks us with us. If we did that and wandered outside for long enough, then the chances are high that we'd be flooding the Twilight Manor with a couple tens of visitors every day. Is there any particular reason as to why we should make an exception for you?"
The young man had apparently already expected such a reaction, so he nodded hurriedly.
"I understand, I understand! Remember that time when you were attacked in the dungeon by a group of people wearing black robes? Back then, Isaac Blackshaw let me go to send a message!"
At the mention of that event, the atmosphere got a little tense, because that ambush had cast a slight shadow over their hearts. Sure, nothing bad had happened in the end, but it was still an unpleasant experience, and also the first of its sort. Trying to recall the person in front of him, Kalin scrutinized him a little more closely.
He had relatively short, ear-length dark grey hair and amber eyes that were still busy darting all over the place in barely suppressed panic. His facial features were nothing out of the ordinary in the Lower World - in other words, he could be called quite handsome, but not to a degree that would make someone turn their head. There were currently deep, dark circles under his eyes, signifying that he hadn't slept soundly for a considerable period of time. His skin was also a shade more pale than would be considered healthy.
"Ah, I remember! You look a bit different from back then, so I didn't recognize you at first. You were the one who wore a white robe, right?"
The young man strongly nodded his head, almost unable to stay still any longer.
"Yes, yes! That's me. Please, let's go quickly! It's a matter of life and death. There might be some people waylaying us, so I'll be activating my stealth Skill in a moment. I'll be right next to you all, please don't be alarmed!"
Instantly after the last word had left his lips, the paranoid youngster started to slowly disappear into thin air, as if he was a blob of ink that had been dropped into a still lake. After a few ripples, he couldn't be seen any longer.
Furrowing her brows, Mina eventually unsheathed her sword, ready to fend off any assault that might come their way. Seeing her act like this, Kalin gave some words of well-meant advice to his more emotionally driven comrade.
"Could you put your sword away again? If we're too openly prepared for combat, we could draw attention to ourselves. Those attackers should be after that sleep-deprived guy, so if we behave suspiciously, they might decide to target us even when they otherwise wouldn't have."
Sighing reluctantly, Mina did as she was told, complaining in a hushed voice.
"But should we really bring him to milord? We haven't exactly gotten permission to do so…"
Somewhat helpless himself, Kalin shrugged.
"If he has a reply to that message he was sent out to deliver, wouldn't it be natural to lead him to teacher, so that he can deliver it? With his Skill, he could have easily infiltrated anywhere, but the formation guarding the manor grounds would have detected him. So he needs to be with us to not be seen as an intruder. Him revealing his presence to us is already a sign of goodwill, as he could have easily snuck in with us, leaving us entirely in the dark."
By now, all of Isaac's students and subordinates had been properly registered with the magical formation, so those in their presence were automatically treated as guests and wouldn't get targeted by the defenses.
"Also, didn't you mention before that teacher is aware of everything? He hasn't stopped that guy in his tracks, so can't we already consider that as him giving his permission?"
Shrugging once more and deciding that there was no use in further thinking about it, because he was sure that Isaac would properly deal with this matter anyway and wouldn't blame them at all, Kalin led the way forward, appearing to casually chat with Jakk, who had long since walked to his side. If one didn't look particularly closely, one wouldn't notice that the entire group grimly scanned their surroundings at all times.
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On top of the roof of one of the taller buildings relatively close to the Twilight Manor's grounds, there sat two men in unassuming clothes. They carefully observed the area that they were in charge of whilst playing a card game.
Suddenly, the ears of a Hume Bunny youth came into view in one of the many alleys that they were paying attention to, quickly followed by the person himself and five more youngsters.
"Doesn't look like he's with them."
The older of the two observers, who looked to be in his late thirties, shook his head and chose to ignore them. However, the maybe 20 year old young man who he was playing cards with furrowed his brows and seemed conflicted about something.
"You're not thinking about attacking them, are you? We're currently supposed to focus on searching for and capturing Ivan, nothing more. Old orders will have to be put on the back burner, understood?"
Clenching a dagger that was hidden in his sleeve, the younger one eyed the group with clear killing intent written all over his face. He stopped paying attention to the game that they were playing and instead rose to his feet.
"I hear you. But we don't often get a chance to take care of them. Shouldn't we at least make an effort now that they're in our sights?"
As his companion was getting ready to rush forward, the older one shook his head again and grabbed his leg, not allowing him to take another step. He didn't bother looking up because he surely would just to see the young one's disgruntled expression. Instead, he inspected his hand, thinking of how to take advantage of his opponent having gotten distracted.
"Cut it out. We're too close to the enemy's territory. If we make too much of a ruckus here, then it won't do us any good. Also, we would expose ourselves, making it easier for Ivan to avoid us. Now, come back and continue playing, will you?"
Sensing the tension in the youngster's leg recede after a short bit of what he interpreted to be reluctance to let go, he showed a small smile and was about to look up with a toothy grin, only to be greeted with something heavy impacting the cards on the roof and a warm, familiar, iron-rich liquid partially covering him, leaving him flabbergasted.
What had fallen down just now… was a severed head. The head of his friend. There was still the same look in the young one's eyes, one filled with unconcealed bloodlust.
It took him a second or two for his mind to compute what had just happened, then he paled and attempted to run away as fast as possible - not just from the enemy who was aiming for them, but also from the explosion that would undoubtedly follow very soon now that his comrade in arms had been killed. But when he tried to move, he found himself unable to even budge. There was nothing that he could do at all, as if he had been frozen solid! Well, it wasn't exactly like that - he could still move his eyes, after all.
'Shit, shit, SHIT! Who did this?! What in tarnation is going on?!?!'
Before his erratic thoughts could return to a more regular state, the body next to him, which had been on the verge of blowing him to smithereens, simply disappeared without a sound, as if it had never been there in the first place. The only proof of its existence was the head lying in front of him, as well as the blood that was pouring out of it, slowly staining all of the playing cards. That, and the considerable amount of it which had rained down upon him and now covered him.
'W-What do I do now? Should I try to… blow myself up? But that would be pointless, wouldn't it? There isn't even anyone around! At the very least, I should take someone down with me… For now, let's just wait.'
When the almost middle-aged man eventually recovered from his shock, he soon found himself left with no other options other than becoming a solo fireworks show or hanging on patiently and hoping for his situation to see some change. Which, for the next few hours, it would not.
Events like this one took place in four other locations within relatively close proximity. At least one of the Vidar Familia Executives at each locale had openly displayed their intent to get rid of Isaac's people, so they were duly punished immediately.
While a total of four people were shackled in place and unable to move at all, Ivan safely followed the group into the manor grounds, slightly perplexed at the fact that nobody had tried to stop them.
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When he noticed that the kids were about to come home, to welcome them, Isaac left his private world, which he had been in to oversee some construction matters and to research a little. Of course, he was aware of Ivan tagging along with the others - how could he possibly not be?
As agreed upon the day before, the moment that they stepped inside the manor grounds, the students and subordinates made a beeline straight to the training courtyard that they were using regularly. Right here, Isaac was waiting for them, sitting on a comfortable sofa that he had pulled out of his inventory. He would have preferred to take Titania with him, but he didn't want to shock the new arrivals too badly the very moment that they came here.
"Milord, we're back!"
Although she was very much aware that he already knew that they had returned, Mina still shouted happily the second that she opened the door and charged to her lord's side, her tail wagging with unconcealed excitement, stirring up a small cloud of dust. Aselina quietly followed along and the two of them claimed a generous dose of head pats, completely ignoring whatever looks the others were giving them.
Smirking amusedly while caressing their ears with sophisticated movements, Isaac addressed the rest of the group.
"Welcome back, everyone. Also, it's nice to meet you, Martin, my first Book Seeker. After I handle a small matter, let me bring you to the place where your future residence will be located, alright?"
Glancing at the two girls currently enjoying what he could only interpret as gestures of romantic affection, Martin's lips curled upwards as he bowed respectfully to his new employer.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Blackshaw. Please, take all the time you need."
Even though the young human had clearly misunderstood what was going on, judging from the knowing glances that he was shooting at him, Isaac let this matter slide and focused on a spot not far from Jakk.
"You wanted to meet me? Go ahead, speak."
As soon as his gaze fell upon the invisible young man, Ivan froze up and unceremoniously got snapped out of his stealth.
His eyes opened widely and a strong, instinctual fear was overwhelming him. It felt as if he had come into contact with the most dangerous existence in the world, a being that could end his meager life with way less than a single thought. He didn't even dare to breathe, but shivered uncontrollably. Everything seemed to lose its luster and his mind turned foggy, attempting to shut down temporarily to avoid the greatest danger that he had ever faced. Yet, he didn't allow himself to faint or his knees to buckle. He didn't even blink or speak - he merely stood there in silence, growing paler by the second, his trembling growing worse the more time that passed.
Isaac had done nothing but reciprocate his gaze, and yet Ivan felt as if he was staring at something so incomprehensible that it threatened to shatter his mind.
'Sure enough, this guy…'
Having confirmed a suspicion of his now that he had encountered Ivan in person once again, Isaac inwardly nodded. To avoid torturing him any further, he looked away, only glancing at Ivan out of the corner of his eye to reduce the mental pressure on him.
Feeling as if he had barely escaped the obliteration of his very existence, a deep sense of relief flooded Ivan's mind for a moment, then he hastily suppressed it before he could relax and consequently faint. Hurriedly, he finally explained why he had come here, not daring to delay any longer.
"I failed to properly convey your message to my deity, Lord Blackshaw. Please, have mercy!! I really, really tried my best! I beg of you, don't kill me along with them! I promise I won't ever rise up against you, so please, spare me!!"
Grovelling on the ground, not daring to raise his head, Ivan waited with bated breath for the reaction of this unfathomable, monstrous being. Not even once did he pay attention to the fact that a dog girl and a raccoon girl were currently beaming brightly with elation right next to the one who terrified him this much. Both of them were utterly disregarding his existence.
"... alright. I'm aware of your circumstances, and I know that you truly put in a lot of effort before being confined against your will. I won't blame you for Vidar's flawed judgement. As long as you swear that you'll be absolutely loyal to me, you won't ever have to fear being eliminated by me again."
Shivering once more, but this time due to overflowing excitement, Ivan almost cried and lowered his head even further until his forehead touched the ground. Tears were already shimmering in the corners of his eyes. Not once did he contemplate how Isaac knew so much about everything that had happened, or what motives he might have - because his gut was telling him that resistance and schemes meant nothing in front of this 'monster'.
"Yes, yes! I swear, I absolutely swear! My absolute loyalty is yours, no matter what!! Thank you, thank you so mu---"
Before he could finish speaking, Ivan finally fainted, still in the same subservient position that he had been in up to this point. Although he was unconscious, he was sobbing with joy, a fair portion of the pressure and dread that had gripped his heart finally dispelled.
After Isaac got Jakk to pick up and carry the collapsed Ivan so that he could be brought into his private world easier, he finally stood up and put away his sofa. He also removed his hands from the heads of Aselina and Mina, who watched them go with a mixture of sadness and longing in their gazes.
'Do head pats really feel that good to them?'
Contemplating this matter for a moment, Isaac ultimately chose to disregard it for the time being and led the way to their real training grounds, as well as the place where he planned to settle Martin from here on out. His own world was the most secure place that there was, so he didn't fear potentially exposing it at all, especially now that he had accumulated a fair bit of strength in the Lower World. Martin most likely wouldn't reveal his secrets on his own anyway, and if someone really caught the poor guy and forced him to talk or searched his memories… Well, Isaac was prepared for such an eventuality.
As he was guiding them towards their destination, he paid only minimal attention to Martin's reaction at being transported to an entirely unfamiliar world. By now, the kids could take care of laying out the basics for him - he had something more exciting to take a look at.
[ Ivan has sworn his loyalty to you.
Quest 'Have seven retainers.' completed. 700 AP rewarded. ]
[ Ivan's Loyalty has reached the maximum.
A new stat will be generated for him.
Ivan has been bestowed with the stat 'Dread'.
Quest 'Make three subordinates' Loyalty reach the maximum.' completed. 300 AP rewarded. ]
[ Ivan has obtained the Skill 'Conditional Fear Immunity'. ]
[ Conditional Fear Immunity: The being that the user of this Skill feels the most terrified of will be classified as their nightmare.
(Passive) The user will not feel any fear in the face of horrifying situations that don't exceed a certain threshold. The exact threshold is determined depending on the user's Dread stat.
No matter how high the user's Dread stat, they will always be afraid of their nightmare.
Nightmare: Isaac Blackshaw ]
[ Ivan's Dread has increased by 95. ]
Admittedly, Isaac was a little taken aback by the fact that Ivan had had a maxed out Loyalty from the start, but when he saw the incredible amount of Dread that the youngster felt for him, he quickly came to terms with it. Sometimes, fear was the best motivator, by far. If someone wouldn't even dare to imagine to rise up against someone, then they also wouldn't dare to slight them in any way. Their loyalty was indisputable, because not even they themselves would ever even fathom the prospect of betraying the one that they feared to such an extent.
This was the first time that Isaac hadn't gotten a Skill after one of his subordinates had been bestowed with an advanced stat, so he felt ever so slightly disappointed. However, he didn't dwell on it for long. There was no rule that stated that he would always have to be blessed with direct benefits during such an occasion. It had only happened twice before, which was nowhere near enough to turn it from a pleasant coincidence to a perceived rule.
His own minute frustration aside, Isaac judged 'Conditional Fear Immunity' to have a lot of potential. While it could also pose a danger to the user as they might grow numb to perils, if they were educated and trained properly, then they would find it far easier to grow beyond their limits. They would be able to do what they would have felt to be unachievable under regular circumstances.
Before he took a look at the rest of the system panels that he had already opened, a slight smile played across his lips. The notion that he was now someone's nightmare felt both odd and entertaining at the same time. He didn't feel offended by it at all, instead, he found the sensation to be intriguing. Would Titania also be bestowed with the same advanced stat when she eventually maxed out her Loyalty?
[ Name: Ivan ]
[ Familia: Vidar Familia ]
[ Affiliation: Isaac Blackshaw's Subordinate (Retainer) ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Level: 3 ]
[ Age: 17 ]
[ Loyalty: 100/100 ]
[ Dread: 95 ]
[ Stats ]
[ Strength: A-833 (7,165) ]
[ Endurance: B-700 (5,985) ]
[ Dexterity: S-911 (7,811) ]
[ Agility: S-936 (8,079) ]
[ Magic: B-701 (5,968) ]
[ Magic ]
[ None ]
[ Skills ]
[ Mirage of Volos ]
[ Conditional Fear Immunity ]
[ Development Abilities ]
[ Abnormal Resistance: I ]
[ Chain Attack: I ]
[ Can be chosen from when ranking up: Elusive Shadow, Spirit Healing ]
Three details instantly stuck out to Isaac while he read through his newest retainer's data.
Firstly, Ivan's Dread stat didn't currently have a limit, which made it different from the other advanced stats that he knew of - Devotion and Admiration. While this might appear to be great at first glance, as it would allow the Skill that had been unlocked alongside it to grow pretty much infinitely, he felt that it was instead a limitation. He had the heavy suspicion that once Mina and Quinn maxed out the advanced stats that they had gotten, they would gain new, even further advanced ones as well as another Skill, which might even benefit him.
All of this didn't mean that Ivan's Dread stat was useless, it just signified that he wouldn't be able to rise to the same heights as the others in terms of advanced stats and the resulting Skills - of course, countless other avenues for growth were still open to him.
The Skill 'Mirage of Volos' was the second detail that garnered his attention.
[ Mirage of Volos: (Active) Makes the user blend into their environment by creating an illusion around them that follows them wherever they go and distorts the five basic senses of any observers. The degree of perfection of the resulting phantasm, as well as the duration that it is maintained for, is dependent on how much mana and stamina get consumed. ]
Amongst rare stealth Skills, this one was definitely considered to be one of the better ones. Not only other people's sight and hearing, but also their senses of smell, taste and touch would be influenced, which would make it a lot more difficult for anyone to discover the one in hiding. Of course, there were many more senses aside from the basic ones, so it wasn't exactly impossible to be discovered, but the vast majority of beings were unaccustomed to or sometimes even incapable of utilizing any more than those five.
The last thing that had made Isaac take a closer look was also one that was related to Ivan's Skill - it had undoubtedly come about as a result of its usage.
[ Elusive Shadow (I): As long as the user hasn't been discovered by a being, they will be 5% less likely to be detected by it. ]
If this Development Ability was obtained by Ivan and he raised it diligently, then it would make up for some of the apparent weaknesses of his stealth Skill. Once it was maxed, Isaac doubted that anyone in the Lower World or in Heaven would be capable of detecting the youngster. As for anyone beyond those… it most likely wouldn't suffice to fool them.
There was one more thing that Ivan's Status didn't reflect, and that was the very reason as to why Isaac had taken a significant interest in him to begin with: Ivan's gut feeling. Or rather, his ability to perceive the world far better than anyone else, better than even the laws of the world themselves should allow. Ivan was a clear singularity, a being unlike any other.
After all, when Ivan had looked at him, he had felt the young man somewhat see through this vessel of his and detect the slightest hint of his real soul, which was connected to it. Of course, it had merely been a very indirect, passing glance that wasn't at all capable of tracking this tendril of his soul back to the main 'body' which was located outside of all worlds. But even this was already enough to make Ivan stick out from everyone else that Isaac had ever encountered. Someone like him shouldn't have existed… and yet he did.
While Isaac was busying himself with introducing Martin to the area of his world that he had set aside for residential buildings that would be built for the Book Seekers in the months to come, he used one of the drops of his Ichor that were stored in the Twilight Manor to focus on a particular corner of Orario, on a certain deity. As if he was thinking about something particularly exciting, the corners of his mouth rose quite a bit.
'I guess it's time to pay Vidar a visit. I'll get some lunch afterwards. I wonder what Ais would like?'
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Shiro_the_Hero
Shiro_the_Hero Ivan finally joins the team! Took him long enough, eh? xD
It's always great when stuff that I had planned for years can finally be put to digital paper :3
But in all seriousness, I feel terrible for Ivan. Being as perceptive as he is... is more of a curse than a blessing when faced with Isaac ^^'
That said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! \o/
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Shameless self-promotion aside, I hope you have a wonderful, fantastic day!! o/
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