Capítulo 52: Resolve
The three weeks passed in a blink of an eye.
It was now the winter solstice.
The adaptability of humanity showed itself immediately. The throne room looked as if a gruesome battle that determined the future of every human in the Forgotten Shore did not happen at all. Cleaned and repurposed. It was a morbid thought.
Just like that, people went back to what they were good at. The artisans built and repaired. The castle guards defended the castle, and the hunters hunted.
The time taken for the battle over the castle did not allow any nightmare creatures the chance to invade. So the castle guards went back to their regular duty. Although much less in numbers. A few sharp thorns had to be culled. With them being the only faction to have lost their leader, not everyone could accept the battle's resolution. However, two or three dissidents did not motivate the rest to take arms. Especially with the odds they had.
The hunters enjoyed a much better transition. With Gemma still present, it was business as usual. They had lost numbers; however, with the nature of being a hunter in the Dark City, death was always on the horizon. The deaths in the battle exceeded the monthly death toll caused by the Dark City by a small margin.
The hunters themselves perhaps enjoyed the three weeks the most. With the addition of the Dawn Shard amplifying their memories by almost a whole rank, they were capable of defeating many of the fallen nightmare creatures. The issue that they had before and that most powerful sleepers in the Dark City had was that their memories were not powerful enough to defeat fallen creatures. It took ascended memories to pierce their strong hides and skin. Only sleepers that were close to saturating their cores with particular combat-based aspects could do the job. Now that was not the case. They were culling the city in droves. And the best part was that the rewards were exponential. The more they fought, the more memories they gained. Ascended memories with powerful enchantments that made their next hunt easier and reduced their mortality rate.
Aldric had spent his time making the most of his final stay in the Dark City. Unlike the rest of the sleepers outside of his cohort and Seishan, he knew what was waiting for them after the winter solstice.
He spent his time training with his loyal companion. It was here that he learned about one of the advantages that his apostle had gained after its birth. Typically, an echo is only that. An echo. It would retain the mannerisms and behaviour from the moment of the original's death. While they could be guided and ordered, they were not capable of adapting or learning. However, the difference between the echo that he trained with when he first gained it and his apostle was night and day. His apostle could adapt to his fighting style. Predict and counter. As if he was fighting a real human.
This improved the efficiency of his training by many orders of magnitude. Being punished for unnecessary movements and manoeuvres was humbling. The most valuable gain from his spars with his apostle was improving the efficacy of his battle style in longer battles. While he tried his best at keeping battles with nightmare creatures as short as possible, he needed the experience of fighting an armed opponent. For what was to come.
Stood on the tall roof of the stone lodge in the outer settlement, Aldric and the rest of the cohort stood to see Kai off. It was time to see if any sleepers had been sent to the Forgotten Shore by the spell this solstice.
To Aldric, it made no difference. What would it matter if one person or none were sent here? But it seemed that Nephis wanted to use this to prove something. To prove to those still clinging to a future that it simply did not exist. Not on the Forgotten Shore.
"Relax, guys, don't worry. I'll be fine."
Kai spoke as he looked towards his cohort.
Sunny, in typical fashion, responded.
"Just don't bring anyone as annoying as you."
Kai broke into a laugh, registering the comment as truth.
"I'll try not to. Wish me luck."
With a nod of his head, Kai ascended into the sky.
A small part of Aldric was envious of the ability to fly. To be untethered by the earth. But the grass wasn't always greener on the other side, and he was happy with his side. Not much could compare to the feeling of wielding literal darkness.
He looked at the people beside him. Cassie looked worried. It seemed as the more time passed since the battle, the more stressed and bothered she looked.
To his right side, Seishan stood tall in her regal beauty. Ever since the battle, she was not far from the cohort. Advising Nephis as well as listening to her orders. He often felt her sneaking glances at him. As if she were assessing him for something.
His eyes went to Nephis and Sunny, who stood side by side.
'I need one.'
It was during the battle as well as the journey back from the hollow mountains that Aldric learned just how valuable having a divine lineage was. The way that Nephis almost had an exhaustible amount of flames at her call, speaking of the potency of her soul essence as well as Sunny with his Blood Weave. Learning that he was able to fight off a parasite that birthed in his lungs, the same one that destroyed a completely healthy Gunlaug. While they may seem weak at their current level, the potency of the lineage will scale with their rank. Especially as Nephis gains more cores and ranks up, as well as Sunny gaining more parts of the forbidden lineage.
This solidified his resolve.
This train of thought eventually led to the Tesseract. A memory beyond his and the spells comprehension. Was it even a memory? While he had an idea of its purpose, the item itself was not a lineage and so far did not bring any value at the level of something like the Sun God's legacy.
However, it would lead him. Guide him to the unknown. The same way it guided him towards the gate below the statue. The same way it sent him to the castle for the Mantle of The Underworld. The same day he had entered the Dark City and felt that signal from the castle, he had also felt something in the southeast of the city. In the heart of the Fallen territory.
Instinctively, he knew what it was. A challenge. A challenge outside of his knowledge. Small hints of doubt and fear began to bleed into his heart. After all, what was more fear-inducing than the unknown? When he was younger, Aldric often thought that once he passed his first nightmare, he would know everything. He would live an uneventful life but at least know what would happen next. Staying safe and valuing his life. This immature and passive plan for life was forgotten about the moment he began to live in the moment. Fighting day by day in the Forgotten Shore, not knowing which day would be your last. And it shattered the moment he found his purpose.
'Nothing will change if nothing changes.'
If he wanted to achieve his goals. To reach an ending that he wanted outside the limits of what fate had in store. He would have to challenge himself a thousand times over.
With eyes burning with ambition, he spoke towards the pair.
"Nephis, let's go."
The white-haired girl turned back at the voice. Looking at Aldric, she nodded.
**********
Thanks for reading.
What did you think? Any guesses on what this challenge is exactly?
GodOf_Luck: Soon or not. But it will.
Nefoolim: Don't worry. This train is not slowing down at all.
Take care people. Till next time.
Capítulo 53: Colosseum
"Nephis. Let's go."
The white-haired girl turned back at the voice. Looking at Aldric, she nodded.
Sunny sprung into action.
"Wait! What are you guys doing?"
With Sunny looking at Nephis, she turned to Aldric.
"I remember you asked me why I joined you for the battle in the cathedral and the expedition. Well, it's time for me to cash my check in."
Sunny's face twisted in confusion at the vague answer. Part of him wanted to know more, but he knew Aldric was not one to offer information without being asked.
"Well, can I go with you guys?"
He spoke unabashedly. It was something about those two being alone in an unknown place that irked him to no degree.
Aldric gave it a thought. It was not as if he would lose anything from being watched. Hiding his strength was not a big deal to him at all. He did not gain anything from people underestimating him, and learning of his battle style did not necessarily help a person counter it. After all, how do you counter a battle style based on counters?
Still, having more people than required would affect his plan.
"Nope. Just me and the lady, I'm afraid."
Aldric responded.
The hunter's eyes went to Cassie. The oracle looked confused, as if she did not see this coming at all. It was a weird expression to observe, as if she was happy to not know something.
Sunny wanted to argue, but he was able to read the room.
'Cassie should know something about this. I'll ask her about it when they leave.'
He thought as he reassured himself. While he wanted to know more from Nephis, the weird dynamic he had with Nephis on revealing things to each other once he had left their cohort and dubbed himself a "mercenary" made it difficult to justify a response.
"Don't worry. We'll be back in a few hours, and I'll tell you guys all about it."
With that, it was over.
Aldric and Nephis walked together out of the outer settlement and towards the Dark City.
South.
----------
The walk was quiet. With most of the nightmare creatures of the Dark City being killed, they did not have to worry so much about their safety, but they kept alert at all times.
'It's finally time. A test. To see if I have the strength needed for my ambitions.'
During his stay in the outer settlement, he had asked around what exactly lived south. It was Effie that told him of whose territory laid there.
The stone legion.
Effie explained that while the regular stone creatures were awakened ranked monsters and not the most dangerous thing to exist in the city, the real issue was their leader. This was something that she had learned from her mentor, who had learned it from a member of the first cohort. While there were other nightmare creatures that she named, Aldric knew exactly which one it was that caught the attention of the Tesseract.
He took this information and spent some time trying to locate the exact location of the territory. To scope out the location and the abilities of the commander if he could.
Aldric and Nephis had arrived at the site.
In the south of the city, a massive colosseum stood tall. It was one of the only structures that still remained standing in the Dark City. That did not mean it wasn't affected by the flow of time. Of the original oval-shaped stadium, nearly half had crumbled to the ground. Leaving the arena that the original inhabitants of the city crowded around to be open on its side. Hence, only half the seating stood remaining and encompassed the arena in a crescent shape.
Ironically, while the architecture was similar to colosseums back in the waking world, it seemed the material of choice was different. Obsidian blocks of stone made up the structure. It seemed to be the same material that made up the walls of the city.
They were about 100 metres away from the colosseum. With the boost in vision received as an awakened, they could see a figure standing strangely. Like a marionette with its strings detached, it was uncanny.
"What rank is it exactly?"
Nephis asked.
"Fallen. I don't know about its class, but it should be higher than demon."
Nephis looked at him with a conflicted expression.
"What is the point in doing this? What do you have to gain that you don't have? You know what awaits us after Kai returns."
This was the favour that he asked in return for his help in securing her rule over the castle and fighting against the knight in the cathedral. He did not specify exactly what it was but just that he would need her to heal him after a battle.
While he was part of her group, she saw them as equals. Even more so than Caster, Kai, Effie, and Cassie. The reason was not how close they were in strength but in their resolve and motivations. She did not see him as someone to lead but rather to fight beside.
Sunny was something that she couldn't fully understand.
She often subconsciously drew strength and validation from having someone like Aldric beside her. A person that was not under anyone else's thumb and that paved their own way. While it was annoying to have an unplanned variable that could affect their future plans, she respected his decision. It was his to make after all.
"It was something that I was putting off for a while. A challenge to reaffirm my resolve."
Aldric spoke.
He had spent the journey here calming his mind and preparing for his battle.
Looking at the figure, he noticed the familiar sight. He had seen the same figure in a similar position when he first scouted the arena.
Standing over 3 metres tall, a warrior-like figure was coated in an obsidian-plated armour that reminded Aldric of his own armour. However, this seemed to be almost grafted onto the being. The state of the figure was horrific. Its left arm was torn from its shoulder, dangling from the crushed shoulder plate. In its right hand was a large great sword similar to the one owned by his apostle but with an eerie aura emanating from it. Surrounding the figure was a miasma of black. While he wasn't sure exactly what the properties of the miasma were, he could make a deduction based on the necrosis of its surroundings. The weeds that sprouted in between the cracks of the ground were dead in a radius surrounding him.
He had surveyed the fallen creature for a whole day. It was a lucky sight to see the figure fight a nightmare creature that tried to invade its territory. Its battle style was scary. A solid foundation in swordsmanship that led to a beastly finish. Crazy turns and twists that made predicting its movements multitudes more difficult.
He looked towards Nephis, who had equipped her Dawn Shard. Empowering his memories and especially his awakened blade.
"It's time. See you after I win."
Aldric spoke confidently. Though between the two of them, one of them was uncertain about what he said.
He walked towards the arena.
Inhale.
Exhale.
**********
Thank you for reading.
The duel is upon us. Who is this figure?
To Angel_of_Damnation, I will consider it. You make a fair point. Don't worry about it.
That is all for this chapter. Till next time.
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