Chương 24: Rest
Aldric had spent a long 6 days relaxing in the castle. He was silent and kept to himself. Enjoying the benefits of collective society, the amenities offered to him were well worth the soul shard he paid.
The typical sleeper did not have the capabilities to hunt for a soul shard every week. Many factors caused this.
Usually, sleepers who made it to the bright castle were summoned close to it by the nightmare spell. This meant that sleepers were lucky that they didn't have to fight for survival and could be found by the hunters. This also meant that they could not hope to saturate their core and build a strong foundation like he or Nephis' group did.
This meant they had to either serve Gunlaug or cripple their only path to growth.
This led to Gunlaug having a monopoly on power.
That was if they had a combat-based aspect.
For many, they chose to submit to the bright castle's lord; Gunlaug. A ruthless and Darwinistic tyrant who ruled with an iron fist.
There was no semblance of law or democracy. No delegation of authority. Pure totalitarianism.
The winner takes it all.
Gunlaug had a collective called the host. It was a system of branches that grouped those under his direct control.
Hunters and pathfinders who hunted awakened beasts in the city while traversing around fallen territories. Led by Gemma.
The castle guard. The group holds most of Gunlaug's men. They were enforcers inside the castle and guarded the outside as well. Led by the oldest sleeper; Tessai.
These were often those who had no direct purpose in the castle. The position was offered to those who would swear fealty to their lord.
The artisans were sleepers with utility-based aspects and their assistants. These were the people who maintained the amenities in the castle such as clothes, tools and equipment. Led by Kido.
The handmaidens; were a group of women who maintained the upkeep of the castle and served all the meals. They were also considered to be the women of Gunlaug, so they shared a sense of security. Led by the formidable Seishan, who trained her subordinates in the art of battle and defence.
There were a group of independents who did not directly serve Gunaluag and paid the tribute weekly. Some made a living with their talents, running a business or surviving by the skin of their teeth.
To Aldric, this was a sick representation of the primal nature of humanity. How they must have been when they were hunter-gatherers.
The strong rule.
The weak serve.
It reminded him of the book "Lord Of The Flies".
A book detailing a group of stowaway young boys on a deserted island. Chaos and uncivil. It imagined what a group of modern-raised children would resort to in a vacuum without law and order.
It was that and much worse.
However, Aldric could recognise the usefulness of such a system. Anarchy would have benefitted no one and could even lead to their eradication.
It was through this thought process that he concluded the worst aspect of the castle.
It changed the goalpost.
It was no longer about getting home. Not about finding a gateway or a citadel somewhere.
Aldric saw it in the close to 500 sleepers. The only thing on their mind was paying their tribute, their role or who they had to serve.
It was a terrible situation that caused them complacency.
Terrible. But not terrible enough to leave.
As busy as the castle was, it was surprisingly quiet for him.
He was reminiscing on one memorable interaction he had.
Flashback
Aldric was walking through the empty hallways at the crack of dawn. The artificial sun brought rays of illuminating light through the long castle windows.
His mind was thinking about his next moves.
"STEP"
Looking forward, he saw a beautiful woman.
Wearing a regal azure robe, a young woman was walking through the hallways in measured steps. Her supple figure was adorned with an intricate silver necklace and 2 bracelets on her wrists. What caught his attention was her skin. Grey-like stormy clouds.
'Probably as a result of the nightmare spell'
He recognised her after some observation.
'Seishan, daughter of Song and the leader of the handmaidens.'
It seemed that he was not the only one doing an observation.
'Strong trained figure. I don't recognise him from the Host. His aura.'
'It's cold and dark. Not the kind you feel after the warmth just left you but the cold in a place where only cold exists. The darkness in a place where only darkness exists.'
"Good morning"
The young woman spoke showing her perfectly white and straight teeth.
She had a look of interest. The corner of her lips was slightly raised.
"Good morning to you as well"
The young man responded.
His black silk robes caught her attention. It looked fitting for a king with its regal design. She wondered where he brought it from.
" I don't believe we are acquainted."
She continued. Pushing the conversation past formalities.
"You are correct. My name is Aldric. And you are?"
He responded while giving her a look that mirrored her look of interest.
Aldric was not shy to speak to the opposite gender at all. He was no casanova however he had none of the limiting beliefs that other teenage boys and young adults had surrounding communicating with women.
"My name is Seishan. I've been here for a very long time and I have not seen you before."
She responded.
"I arrived just 3 days ago. It's been enjoyable."
He responded amicably. Welcoming her interest.
"Well Aldric, I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay. Do let me know if I can help you with anything."
She said while staring deep into his eyes.
With that, she walked away.
Aldric knew that there was an underlying message somewhere there.
Maybe she wanted to get to know a young and strong sleeper before he joined one of the factions.
Who knows.
Flashback end
Making his way to the hall for breakfast, it was Aldric's last day in the castle. He had an idea of his next step but needed something to happen first.
He completed a task yesterday. One of the major reasons he came to the castle.
Picking up a plate of bread and a bowl of meat stew, it was always a wonder to see the capabilities of humans outside the waking world.
"Put that back now ingrate."
A voice shouted from his left.
Fate seemed to be listening to him for once.
Aldric turned to see a castle guard in his early twenties. His face looked haggard and his movements were shifty.
Noticing that he was talking to him, Aldric spoke in an annoyed voice.
"No. Why should I?"
The response caught the man by surprise. As if he expected Aldric to take his aggression lying down.
"You cheeky bastard. Who are you to question me? I am Troy of the third division."
Wearing a castle guard uniform, his shoulder had a patch adorned with a yellow number three.
He wore it with pride.
Behind him were two other castle guards. Through their body language, he could tell that they didn't care for what was happening. Though they didn't care, they knew where their allegiance lay.
Aldric's expression changed from annoyed to sharp and piercing.
The corners of his lips raised.
"Never heard of you. Am I supposed to care?"
With a hint of superiority, he said in a cold voice.
The small crowd that was eavesdropping at the exchange collectively went silent.
With bloodshot eyes and veins popping from his forehead, Troy reached for the sword on his waist and moved to attack the chatty ingrate where he stood.
Aldric summoned his [Cragborne Armour] and [Malice Of The Deep].
He took a step back to make some distance and buy some time for his memories to form.
Luckily the man kept speaking.
"We protect you. We feed you, We shelter you. And you can't even respect us. Respect me."
He spoke. Progressively getting louder with each word.
His eyes darting madly, he didn't notice his victim arm himself with a sword and armour.
"DIE!"
With a large overhead swing, Troy aimed to bisect the pissant into two.
He knew that the lord would not care for his death. The teenager wore no clothes that spoke of his affiliation and no one came to stop him so he was just in his fury.
With a slight sidestep, Aldric dodged the wide telegraphed swipe.
"THUD"
A sound was heard across the silent hall.
"AARRGHHHH"
**********
Thank you for reading once again.
Big number 24.
I appreciate all the new comments and engagements. Love all the gifs and memes attached.
Also much love for the new reviews. Thank you Vanhick for the constructive and well-thought review.
I will start to answer questions related to the story as well in the notes. Probably one per chapter so do throw some in.
To start it off, someone mentioned about him being noticed whilst using his memories during the first nightmare. I would imagine he would be discreet with the garms and basic weapons like the lizard's dagger. The only thing that would be hard to summon and dismiss would be the undying spark.
Stay safe readers and take care.
Chương 25: Fugitive
"THUD"
A sound was heard across the silent hall.
"AARRGHHHH"
Troy gripped the stump of what used to be his arm. His entire torso shot up in blinding white pain.
'What the hell? Did he do that? Why does it hurt so much'
Embroiled in his agony, Troy was deaf to the outside world.
"SPLASH"
A whip of blood splattered across the floor creating a sharp arc. Aldric flicked his sword to rid his blade of the stain.
Aldric stood there in the deafening silence unperturbed.
An explosion of sound reacted.
"EEEEEEK!"
A woman in the crowd screamed at the sight.
"You bastard!"
"What the hell?"
The two other guards shouted. Each ready to retaliate.
Gripping the hilt of his sword, Aldric bashed the end of it in the face of the now kneeling Troy.
Breaking his nose and knocking out a few teeth. Blood splattered everywhere from the blow.
He dropped on the floor unconscious.
This brutal move cemented the fear in the two guards' minds.
They froze.
"STEP"
"STEP"
Aldric walked slowly through the hall, the crowd parting as he passed.
He was heading for the castle gates.
How could anyone stop him?
A dark aura of death wisped around him. The sleepers present could feel the weight of his strength. It was not lacking at all.
The only faction leaders present were Kido and Gemma.
Kido held no interest in the strange sleeper and was amused at a castle guard being kicked down a peg.
Gemma should have stepped in. However, he recognised that this was not explicitly his business as the leader of the hunters and pathfinders.
Most importantly, he could not assess the combat strength of the stranger with enough precision to fight him.
'I got what I needed to be done anyway. The atmosphere was too stifling anyways.'
He walked out of the hall and approached the hallway to the exit.
What Aldric didn't realise was the characteristics he portrayed. Not the cold wrath or the brutal violence but the sheer superiority complex that he showed.
Barring a few people, Aldric knew his value. He knew that the majority of those who were stronger than him now would not be so in the near future. With his divine aspect, potential for multiple cores, and knowledge, his potential was immeasurable. With this sense of superiority, he began to look at those beneath him or those who brought him no value as non-entities—people who served no purpose to him.
On the flip side, Aldric had an inferiority complex to characters like Sunny and Nephis. Seeing all they achieved with the little they had. The plots and the motivations were enjoyable to read as a reader but now that he was here; it had set a very high bar for Aldric. It made him feel like an imposter. That he was just a cosmic anomaly that wouldn't amount to much in the end.
And sure Aldric could have found ways to have these sources of insecurity beneath him. He could have emotionally manipulated Nephis when she was in the Academy. Have her be completely reliant on him and never trust her own agency. Call Sunny by his True Name and manipulate him while knowing every little thing about his past and future.
But what would that accomplish? Give him a false sense of superiority after crippling the main characters of the story. It was beneath him. That was him admitting weakness. That was admitting fear.
The unnatural existence that he is gave him a sense of entitlement. That everything was his for the taking. He felt detached from reality as if he was a lonesome observer.
However, Aldric unknowingly chose to not show these emotions to other people.
If a psychologist reviewed him, he would be institutionalised. Diagnosing him with multiple mental health conditions.
Without knowing, Aldric subconsciously exhibited these traits when in high-stress situations.
His ego was visible to everyone in the hall that day. His thoughts were made clear on what he thought about the man who attempted to kill him.
Like he was an ant before a king.
Aldric knew he was not a good guy. He was often scared of what he could and would accomplish for his goals. But that was that.
After all, he was human.
Many humans in this world and his previous showed similar and different traits. It was visible in people like Sunless, Nephis and even Cassie.
Aldric did not know of this and approached the gate.
"Open the gates. My stay has finished."
With that said, the 2 guards stationed there did not question him and let him through after opening the large doors.
Giving the castle one last look, Aldric headed straight ahead.
He had a place in mind.
----------
A young man was guarding the new fortified entrance to the slums.
Kade had been in the Dark City for 4 years now.
The beginning was the better part of his memories. He was found by one of the hunting parties inside the city close to the castle.
He found a role as an assistant under one of the artisans in the castle.
Earning his keep, Kade was happy with life.
It all changed when one of the demented Spire Messengers attacked them through the front window near the gate. It took 10 castle guards to fight until it was killed however 4 people died in the aftermath including his boss.
With no job, he was rejected from the castle guard due to his previous affiliation as an artisan.
With no viable way out, he was living in the slums within 2 weeks.
'Enough of that' he thought
Kade's idle thoughts went to Lady Changing Star.
She came to the slums and brought order.
She brought hope.
It had been over 70 days since they took control of the Slums.
Not through force but through leadership.
She and the cohort she led did not take but provided.
Food, shelter and protection.
All without the cost of a soul shard.
As Kade kept praising Lady Nephis in his mind, a figure approached the makeshift gate.
The figure was clad in hide-like black armour and had a long claymore in his hand.
Once the figure came within 3 metres of the gate, they spoke.
"Do you have any room for a fugitive?"
His voice was young but mature. Firm and stoic.
The young man had a smirk on his face as if he was laughing at an inside joke.
Kade was genuinely confused at the sight. What was he talking about.
Just as he was about to question the man, a soft voice spoke behind him.
"Of course. We are a shelter for those without one."
Kade turned around to see a porcelain like doll.
She had pale blond hair and blue eyes. A mature aura poured off her. Her demeanor was cold and restrained.
"Lady Cassia!"
*********
Another one down.
Thanks for reading.
Hope all is well with you lot.
Can anyone guess what he did in the castle before leaving?
Trying to flesh out Aldric's his character more.
Anywho, I haven't seen any direct questions so I'll skip that.
Till next time.
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