Chương 59: Book 2 Chapter 11 - The Baron's New Muscle

The newcomer's face claimed he was in his late twenties, but his salt and pepper hair hinted at more maturity. He had a smile that was equal parts attractive and dangerous. He walked with the sort of confidence that almost gave off an aura of its own. Beyond that, he was literally exuding some kind of magical aura as well. Kiara was taking a break during that dance, and so was on the sidelines, snacking, when he came in. She immediately felt his presence, but it got stronger as he walked deeper into the room.

Most of the guests were magical practitioners themselves, and could withstand the auric pressure to some degree or another, but the servants had a harder time. Most of the population in Easton, and around the world, were mortals, people that didn't or couldn't practice magic. Mortals by and large filled out the role of common servants for wealthy houses, among other jobs. Left to their mortal strength, the man's aura pressed down on them heavily, causing legs to wobble, and knees to shake.

Those closest to him fell to their knees, their serving trays clattering to the ground. This must be the new tier 4 in Easton. The man didn't even spare the struggling servants a glance as he walked slowly into the room. He kept out of the center, instead walking a slow loop around the perimeter, staring down each person or group that he passed. As he passed Kiara, he paused for longer than he had on the others, staring at her with a wild fascination in his eyes. The pressure increased as he drew near.

This close, she felt as if all of her stats had been reduced by more than half. Her perception of the world had slowed, her body felt heavier, her muscles weaker. It felt eerily similar to when she wore a dueling collar and had it set to limit her to the capacity of a tier 2 mage. Not quite the same, but close. As he drew near, one of the servants near Kiara, who was a bit older, fell to her knees from the pressure. Her serving tray clattered noisily to the ground, the food spilling all over.

Her breathing was labored as she fought against the immense pressure of this man's close presence.

"Please, my lord, have mercy," the servant wheezed out. A look of contempt fell over his face as he glanced down at the struggling woman. Raising his gaze back up to meet Kiara's, a hint of a wicked smile tilted the corners of his mouth slightly. Then he winked at her, as if they shared some unspoken secret. A wave of anger and disgust washed over Kiara at the sight. Someone who not only flaunted their power, but did it at the expense of others, rated very low in her eyes.

People like that only respected one kind of authority: strength. She had a sudden, strong urge to teach the man a lesson in civility. She wanted to punch him so bad. Her sword was only a thought away, stored in her soul space, where she always kept it, and she debated pulling it out right then. Before she could process the thought completely, the man moved on, continuing his circuit around the room. As he moved away, the pressure lessened gradually in response.

With a sigh of disgust at the man's behavior, Kiara bent down to help the servant gather the spilled food back onto the tray. She helped the woman back to her feet, using both hands to help steady her. A slight feeling of relief followed, as she realized what she had been about to do. Could she really fight that man with her stats reduced by more than half? Probably not. With her stats this low, she wasn't even sure how she would have fared against Lord Grivalt, who was only at the peak of tier 2.

The power gap between the two men was enormous. Someone this strong could take on an army of tier 2 mages all by themself, and now her own abilities had been halved. He finished his circuit of the perimeter, then moved to the center of the floor. The dancers who had been occupying the floor scattered like wild gazelle, until he was the only one left in the center of the room. Then, he spoke, the same wicked smile returning to his face.

"My name is Kane Vondeer. It's a true pleasure to make everyone's acquaintance. Don't stop the festivities on my account." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The pressure disappeared, as if it had never been there to begin with. Still smirking, Kane made his way to the side of the room, where he relieved a waiter of his entire tray of snacks and drinks. He waved the waiter off, then began eating from the tray.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Gabe Marsant, the host of the ball, hurried over to the corner where the band was seated. Within a few seconds, the band slowly started back up another song. With the auric pressure gone and the music playing again, the evening slowly softened back into its previous shape, although wary glances toward Kane were more common than not. Kane stood there like that for three whole songs, while the party slowly began returning to a more normal atmosphere.

Mid song on the third song, just as people had started relaxing, and things were beginning to look less tense, the pressure came back in full force. Once again, serving trays fell, people stumbled mid-step, the music faltered, and all eyes turned back to Kane. He laughed loudly, then he walked out of the room, clearly pleased that he had interrupted the party once again. The door slammed shut behind him and the pressure disappeared with his departure.

The night kind of got back to normal after that, but the fun was mostly ruined, and people left earlier than planned for the evening. Kiara spotted the Marsants near the door, with dejected looks on their faces. They were thanking everyone that was leaving for having come, but it was clear that their expensive and well-planned night had been spoiled. Kiara and Dustin stayed late.

Kiara because she felt bad for the Marsants, and didn't want to bail on the party early, and Dustin because he was engrossed in as much mingling and gossiping as he could get. Kiara smiled as she watched him, and wondered if any of the parties he had been to were as cutthroat as he had told her, or if believing that simply gave him an added sense of enjoyment. When only a few guests remained, Terra Marsant moved to the side of the ballroom, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed.

She left Gabe by the door, he was still bidding the departing guests farewell. Kiara made her way over to Terra to see if she was alright. She placed her hand gently on the woman's arm, drawing her out of her inner thoughts.

"Hey," Kiara started, unsure exactly what to say.

"We met at the tribunal."

"Miss Yountal!" Terra said excitedly, although her smile seemed to be masking a deeper sadness.

"We are so pleased that you came tonight, it's a true honor."

"It's too bad that jerk showed up," Kiara stated bluntly.

"And please, just call me Shian." Terra's face lightened somewhat as a genuine smile crept onto her face momentarily. She quickly composed herself.

"Ah, yes. His presence was… unfortunate, to say the least." Kiara nodded in agreement.

"I almost punched him at one point," she mumbled under her breath. Terra glanced at her, wondering if she had heard her correctly. Then, more loudly, Kiara said, "The decorations are beautiful!" She gestured around to the floating lanterns and the ribbons stretched between the walls.

"Is it like this every year?" Terra nodded, a tear forming in her eye.

"We've done it for five years now. Every year since our little Ellie passed away. She was only seven… it was a sickness that the healers couldn't cure." Terra shook her head with a reminiscent smile.

"She loved balls and gowns, princes, princesses, and castles. So, every year near the anniversary of her death, we throw a grand ball. Something she would have loved, something to remember her by to help lift our spirits." Oh. Wow. Kiara hadn't expected anything quite like that, and she wasn't sure what to say now. So she just hugged Terra instead. Sometimes a hug was easier and better than trying to say anything, and it looked like Terra wanted one.

After a short moment of surprise, Terra hugged her back, melting into the embrace. Silent sobs soon shook her body as she cried softly into Kiara's shoulder. The hug lasted longer than Kiara had initially expected, but not too long, all things considered. Terra eventually pulled away, wiping her eyes gently with the backs of her hands.

"Thank you," Terra said.

"For the hug, that is. And for being here, and for listening. And sorry, I know you didn't ask for all of that just now." Kiara smiled gently.

"There's no need to apologize, I'm glad you told me about Ellie. She sounds very cute and sweet. It's cool that you guys do this every year." Terra studied her for a moment.

"You're very genuine and forthcoming, Shian, it's… quite refreshing. It's no wonder everyone in Easton wants to get to know you better."

"Oh, thanks!" Kiara replied, blushing slightly from the sudden compliment. Dustin approached at that moment, saving her from having to try and formulate a response. The conversation turned more lighthearted, and they stayed a while longer. Eventually, Gabe and the few remaining guests came over as well. They stood in a loose circle for some time, before Gabe and Terra invited everyone into a smaller side room, where there were chairs and couches.

The small group sat and talked well into the night, joking and laughing. Kiara enjoyed that part of the evening as much as she had the dancing. Before the night was out, she had committed to attending several more parties in the coming months, and found herself looking forward to them. Having friendly, familiar faces to look forward to made the prospect much more enjoyable.