章 538: CHPT 538: Snakes in the Grass, Blood in the Water
Wednesday Morning, March 25th, 2241. Ra Stadium, The Sunlands…..
If there was ever a room more suffocating, it had to be holding the very metaphysical fabric of gods. Many. Many gods…..
Luckily— thankfully, that wasn't the case. Then again, there wasn't much difference….
Ronin sat at a round table as dark as the early morning sky. Where the sun sweltering illuminated the clouds and Skyships above, glowing weaponry and armor did the same to the table below.
Even so, shadows danced and slithered in his peripherals, speaking to the deceit and poisonous killing power that nestled within the room.
A room of snakes with fangs large enough to puncture entire Cities.
It made his skin crawl and his bones shake like the air before lightning strikes. He hated when metaphorical monsters reared their ugly heads. They couldn't be slain as easily as the physical ones…
Especially not when they wore the faces of the many world leading slayers sitting around him. Heroes, Samurai, Huntsmen, Warriors.
[_______________] and of course, The Lion of The Sunlands.
In his current state, he couldn't see faces or make use of names. In his current state he saw threats. He faced the snakes. He felt the vibrations and rumblings of power run along their muscles. He saw the gods. The powers.
Solar Flame…..
Agni….
Baron La Croix…
Ebisu….
Soul Earth…
The Unfree—
"So, we all come here today for very obvious reasons." The Lion cut into the silence in his dark domain.
They all nodded in agreement in varying fashions.
"I can't bring you all under the talks and inter workings of the Tournament coordinators— or your Grand Magisters— not yet. Obviously, we've been compromised in some form."
"Corruption and evil being present at all times is necessary for these events. The next generation must be molded and adjusted to it. They need callouses to be made against the grips of evil. Wouldn't you agree, Shiroi Arashi?"
Ronin eyed the Samurai he'd known since his teenage years. They'd killed plenty Demons together. He nodded.
The Samurai's eyebrows knitted close together above his demon mouthed half mask. "But that isn't our only issue….."
The Lion shook his head, "No. it's not. And that's why— in spite of our issues, we will have a governing body present. Masked and unknown, but present all the same."
Everyone at the dark table watched as the metallic pyramid shape placed in the center opened into four split pieces from the top, revealing an infinitely long piping system riddled with glowing writings.
Runic Code. Revolutionary. New Gloria didn't yet have an understanding of it. Hell, no one did except The Sunlands and The Levant.
SHING!
The Lion raised his gloved and clawed hand, slamming it into a series of key slits etched into the table. He twisted his palm. Right, left, right, left.
The sounds of gears and cranks rattled from below as the many rows of Runic Code began to spin like wheels.
One by one as they all peered down the pipe, the spinning stopped. The chaotic glow of unruly magic calmed. Synthesized.
Magical spirals of smoke and steam unfurled from the opening like a chimney. Slowly the smoke gained shape and solid form.
Vague. Twisting features and aspects. Sometimes man, sometimes woman, sometimes both. One blue eye, one green eye. Big lips gone slim with a single inhale. A human left on randomize down the shoulders. The rest was just as it started. Smoke.
"Grand Magister present." The Lion announced before everyone bowed their heads.
None of them knew which or who. It didn't matter really. Grand Magisters werent to be messed with for nothing short of a million reasons.
The Magister eyed them all before speaking, "It seems this years tournament has spun a bit more out of control then you hoped for."
The amount of pride floating around the room stopped many from nodding.
Many like Ronin. Who had all the eyes in the room.
"Ronin. For the sake of anonymity I won't say it's been a while or the opposite. I'll simply say, hello…" Just like the visage, the ghostly improvised Magister's voice sounded like many speaking from a written script. Only in perfect sync.
"Magister." Ronin replied with a nod.
"I hear things…."
Magisters loved holding the floor.
"Of your missing boys, the one that's returned may not be what went missing to begin with?"
Ronin unclenched his jaw as he eyed the hideous skin warping thing, "Correct, Magister."
"Well what's the verdict? Can't be a WereWolf or really any terrestrial member of the Silver Cursed."
Everyone's eyes were beginning to feel like fangs grazing his skin.
"Not yet sure, Magister." Ronin replied, "He's in a holding cell on standby. Guarded by The Sunlands finest along with members of my own Guild brought overseas."
The shape side eyed him, "Tests? What have you run?"
"All of them. Inconclusive."
"But…"
"He is not human….. S-Samuel is no longer human." Ronin's eyes fell to face the table. His own reflection in the metallic surface dim and out of focus.
"Then it's no longer Samuel. Kill it, I've seen you do it for less…. Faster." The Magister shape spoke matter of factly.
Ronin didn't reply, causing everyone to continue staring.
"Ronin…? Have you gotten cold feet for the first time in your life?"
"No."
"Then get t—"
"No."
The air shifted. The tides of battle were rising after being away for so long.
"I can kill you all before your fingers leave this table. Stop acting like a fight is underway. You don't want that." Ronin said as he continued eyeballing the table. "Don't get confident because I'm from New Gloria. We're The Nine Outliers for a reason."
The rest of his team behind him didn't even seem to be paying attention.
"What are you planning for, Ronin? Has your head gotten big enough to attempt defying us?" The Magister questioned from the center table.
"No. I'm attempting to gain knowledge. This same issue occurred once before. A shifter clearly— almost clearly, but fails all shifter tests. Eye witnesses describe something inhuman but not exactly Silver Cursed, Vampire or SkinWalker. Now we have something. Trapped in a cage, five days from the Full Moon."
"So you want to see your son transform before you kill him?" The Magister raised an eyebrow at him.
"I want clearance to lock down Ra Stadium beyond the scheduled period. Give me the full moon. One week."
The Lion looked ready to protest. The Magister held the floor. Someone behind Ronin sighed and mumbled to himself. Followed by a female voice, "Ohhhh here we go."
"Fair enough. In that week do you plan to find the missing high profile student? The Martial Arts tournament winner? I heard he had many scouters eye."
"Cl—"
"LIAR!" Rory slammed a hand on the table near Ronin, causing the magical shape of the Magister enigma to rupture and split into thin air for a moment.
As it recollected, Rory went on blabbering like an enraged drunk, "You don't care about discovery! YOU KILL LIKE I BREATHE! YOU GROW SOFT FOR YOUR BOY!"
Ronin kept his eyes on the table, "Rory, you fool. Get out of my face before you lose yours."
"You think I'll let you get away with this?! We can't have weakness here, ninja boy! KILL YOUR SON!" Rory's breath wreaked of old ale and burnt meat.
Wisps of lighting ran through Ronin's pitch black hair as it laid over his eyebrows.
The Magister yawned from its twisting face.
"Come on! Don't you learn?? After this batch let's give up on legacy, yea? You obviously have a cursed seed. One dead? Two Monsters?! You won't be able to save this one, Ronin. Too much on the line! You can't make ole Sammy boy like the Ocean Lor—"
SHING!
In the blink of an eye, Ronin and The Red Knight were across the room. Batlike wings made of lightning unfurled from his back. He held Excalibur to Rory's throat as sun fire enveloped him, making his red hair almost invisible.
The two eyed eachother as the others watched. Either uncaring or on the verge of laughter.
Ronin rose his left eyebrow. The Red Knight rose his right.
Just barely they moved in those directions, allowing Rory to see behind him. The second he did, multiple people in the room shifted. Adjusting themselves, clearing throats, looking elsewhere. But none of them mattered. None of them except The Magister.
They faced eachother again. Rory grinned.
"It's our Magister." He whispered, "He looks horrified. That's the only one that knows the Ocean Lord is your daughter…."
Ronin removed his sword from Rory, "Keep it that way. Five days. Whoever made Samuel the way he is has five days to come. We get what we can from our Magister here until then. Also, anything you want to say about your daughter?"
"No."
They returned to the table as if nothing happened. But much did. Very much.
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_Avatar0FFury_
_Avatar0FFury_ Thanks for reading! Nice lil reveal in this chap lol. Lmk what ya think and thanks a bunch for reading! Also thanks for the powerstones Sonuis Shazac, ominous_reader, omeroford, train_master, bored_soule, bonb_crusher, W_Wolf, shadowwolf1928, alex99, bop, MAESTRO, and everyone else!
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