Chương 11: [BL] 11. Will to Fight [1]

"Was that smart? Maybe not? Honestly, I'm not sure…" she mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth inside a cave. In front of her, a ladder anchored to the tall cave wall led directly out of the mountaintop, or at least close to it, according to the guards Willow had questioned. A flash of red illuminated the top before turning into darkness once again. Willow breathed in the cave's air; this time it was much fresher as they were near the mountain exit.

Around her was chaos, guards ran back and forth, hauling large ballista bolts to the lift, which creaked every time they fastened one. Earlier, a young guard, who must have been a recruit, put three on by mistake, and the lift's pulley system groaned loudly. Willow had winced, even closing her eyes. Thankfully, one of the senior guards stopped it with an obnoxious scream that rumbled across the cave.

"Fool! Fast! Come on then! Each of you lot given Class Stones, aren't ya! Prove your worth, or I will carve it out of yer heart!" the old commander screamed atop the cave wall, waving his sword and pointing it to the exit where people with nasty burns were being escorted down with a different lift system. One of them was put into a stretcher, and as they passed by Willow, his skin had melted along with his armor.

Then he was taken down the winding cave path to one of the medical bays she had passed by before coming here. Willow froze at the sight, thinking maybe it had been foolish to agree to this. To think that the beautiful creature she had seen had caused this…

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will not literally carve about our hearts." Willow flinched aside, legs bumping into a weapon rack, and spears rolled down.

"Who was that?" Somehow, the scary commander heard that. Willow was about to raise her hand before the young man beside her pounded his fist against Sheran's Guard-wearer's chest.

"Apologies, Commander!"

"Fool!" the commander shouted. Beside him, another guard was trampled, so his attention went to that one.

"Sorry," Willow said, bending down to pick the spears.

"It's fine. Haven't seen you before," he flashed a grin.

"Tell me, are you a new—""Look properly, would you?" A hand karate-chopped the young man's dark, mopey hair. He turned with a glare toward a young woman who held a spear and was leaning on it. He looked at Willow properly in the dim light before he half-shouted, "Mera? Shit, what are you doing here—wait… two classes? Where did you awaken a Mage class?"

"You haven't heard? She and her usual groupies sneak in to get their own class stones. The usual group of no-goods." The girl crossed her arms and walked in front of Willow. She raised her nose in the air and looked down at her. The girl's crimson hair caught the firelight from a nearby brazier burning with crackling sounds, making her hair glow almost like a ruby. She was pretty in a rather cold way, with her face like ice as she continued to insult her. She doesn't like Mera, huh.

"Bunch of fools you are," she said bluntly. Hey, I agree, but still, that stinks. [Guard—Level 8] [Guard—Level 7]"Raven, come on. Why do you always rub it on her?" the young man said.

"Dio, she's always like this, always has her head in the clouds and is focused only on what she wants. I bet Dorian is too love-struck to say no to this whole operation of hers. Now we have to be her bodyguard because she gets a shiny class."

"It is pretty stupid, Mera. You guys are lucky to come out unharmed. So that class, how… Wait, the others are fine, right?" Raven's eyes went wide at the question, and she narrowed in on Willow. Her eyes blazed with intense anger. She took a step, and Willow raised her hand in defense.

"Hold on."

"Is anyone dead? I swear if anyone I know—""Mera is dead."

"Real funny."

"That is the truth, Raven, dear," a soft voice echoed. Sister Elvere came to Willow's rescue, still smiling as she walked with her pristine white robe gliding agaitns the rough stone below.

"Sister? What are you talking about?"

"I will explain. For now, your job and Dio's will be to protect her. Kept her safe. She is our bright star." -- Awkward. So Awkward. Willow shared the lift—a cramped metal cage barely big enough for five people. She was wedged tightly between Shera and Raven, feeling the press of their bodies and the weight of their stares. Shera's was confused, Raven's unreadable.

Josha and Dio stood opposite, with slightly more room, though their feet still bumped against the girls because of the lack of space, especially with their weapons crowding every inch. Each carried a weapon: three swords among them and Raven's distinctive spear. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The lift creaked, and the pulley system whined as they pulled upward, leaving the cave ground behind.

Willow squirmed around, hand repositioning the new sword that Sister Elvere had given her. The sheath brimmed with glowing green, and the blade itself reflected the glow of jade, half of Willow's arm. Nobody had spoken yet; Raven and Dio were still deep in thought. Maybe they were currently grieving for their dead friend, but now they were about to go to battle together, so Willow intended to at least get some clear communication.

"So, what's with this sword?" She asked. [Sylph Sword (Tier 1)] [Slot (Wind Rune: 5/5)] [Cleave] [1]—Cleave a blade of wind with a mighty swing.

"Right, we're supposed to explain to her how it works. Can you do it, Shera?" Raven said, her hand still rubbing her chin in deep thought.

"Why me?" Shera replied icily.

"You know enough, Raven."

"I'm thinking about the very fact of you. Both of you are stupid enough to get the rest killed." Shera bit her cheek but offered no further retaliation. Willow's eyes found Josha, who hung his eyes down. Beside him, Dio sighed.

"Raven, enough."

"She's asking; I'm merely answering."

"Must be nice for both of you," Shera said.

"Chosen ones. Those of us who did not make it have to prove our worth."

"Perhaps. Perhaps you're right. If we just speak of worth, then what you did is the right thing. Now we have a bright star with us." Her cold stare went to Willow.

"In exchange for some idiots." This time, Shera did not let that go. Because it was too cramped, she could not draw her sword, and misty-cold began to solidify around her. Willow quickly reach to grasped Shera's shoulder and pressed hard until Shera glared at her.

"Enough already. No point in this. You, answer me." Willow said to Raven. She, surprisingly, did not give her a hard time and just nodded, then went on with the explanation.

"A class is gained from a Class Stone, and only a few monsters have them. They have greater access to mana, but they can't reach the world of spirit because of their primal desires; so instead, this extra magic in a form of a class stone inside their heart." Raven held up two fingers.

"They processed two way. Firstly, most class stones are consumed because someone with a class can offer so much as they grow stronger. Secondly, it is also possible to make various magic items as long as the monster's class stones are not consumed."

"How does that work?"

"It's simple, really. The bodies of monsters can be processed into various weapons, armor, or anything else it allows. Take a piece of the class stone and imbue it upon the equipment made from the monster's skin… This requires a class-specific imbuer, such as a blacksmith or a weaver, depending on the material they work with. Once the class stone is separated, it can no longer grant mana, but it can grant its former body power, like that sword of yours.

It was made from a Banshee's body who had possesed a Class Stone as it core."

"I see," Willow mumbled. Depending on how many weapons or pieces of armor are produced, it might be worth sacrificing the chance for someone to awaken a class.

"So they sacrificed a potential class holder for me?" Raven broke into a smile.

"You're thinking too highly of yourself. That sword was bought by the village from a travelling merchant."

"Oh," Guess so.

"I think they hope to imbue your Rune into the sword. You're a Wind mage. Tell me what your rune is?" Willow was about to answer in reflex before managing to stop herself.

"Good instinct, but Dio and I will protect you here. So, at the very least, we will want to know what your capability is." She hesitated still, but Raven brought a good point.

"Dark Wind."

"I thought that you were strange," Dio said.

"A bright star who doesn't have the bright rune. Well, having a bright star in Mera's body is already strange, to be fair…"

"Some runes are very limited in their use; you're lucky to get an all-encompassing one. Maybe it's the effect of you being an outworlder. For now, do not worry about the imbuement; just get used to that sword. Dio and I will be stuck with you for the Hollow Rift later as well," the lift creaked to a stop. A guard opened the steel cage, and Dio stepped out, followed by Josha. Outside the wide cave's exit, Wyverns flew through the sky.

A whisk of blazing fire descended upon the line of five [Guard]s locking their shields, and they summoned an aegis of blue that dispersed the flames away. Willow brought her hand up as the heat crept into the cave. They were ushered aside as half-burnt bodies were being carried, followed by the dead body of a woman whose neck was carved out and blood still pooling around her neck.

"I'm not sure why you want these two with us," Raven said, once again not holding anything back, as they crouched in a circle just next to a cave wall to talk about their formation.

"Raven's word is harsh," Dio said, giving his friend a half-glare.

"But true. If there's no good reason, then can we leave them here?" Willow shook her head.

"Shera can use mist to help us. And Josha…" Josha's eyes were still staring down at his feet. Willow had noticed how the young man looked like he had lost the will to live. She didn't know what had happened, maybe implicating his brother, and the reflection of their foolish action made him like this, but still she knew she could count on him. The sight of Josha charging at a ritual Lich despite having no class was something that Willow still remembered. And what a waste to let such talent rot.

"I want us to get a class stone for him." His body looked like it had just turned into a statue as he flinched, then he held Willow's eyes, meeting them with disbelief.

"What? Willow? Why?"

"My thought exactly," Raven said.

"The commander allows me to have one class stone from my kill."

"Not my question," Raven intoned.

"Because he wants this, and he… is capable. I know he will be a good fighter." Raven's mouth opened in a small sliver like she were about to complain before she shut it. A heat haze passed by them as another flame mowed down upon the guards outside, dispersing it once again. They were stuck waiting for anyone with a ranged weapon to help and for the mobile ballista to reload.

"If the commander allows you to have it, then it's yours to decide whose to give it to," Raven simply said and stood, propping her spear.

"Well? Josha?"

"Why are you doing this, Willow? I've been thinking inside the cell. From your perspective, we wrest you from your peaceful life, forced you to save us, and now this."

"I slapped you too," Shera added.

"I'm still pissed about that." Willow turned to Shera, who dodged her eyes. She faced Josha.

"I mean it, you know. Because of what happened, you probably will not be given any class stone by the villages." Willow stated.

"Yes," he said, smiling wryly.

"Not that I can complain."

"You can fight Josha, and clearly you want to, so I think, well… you should."

"That's it?" Dio, who had been listening, blurted out.

"There's really no need for any grand reason, is there? Besides, I'm thankful to you two for bringing me here," Willow smiled, a smile that may be too wide considering the reaction of the four who stared at her with furrowed brows, like she had lost her mind.

"I'm so grateful that I will forgive the slap and give you the class stone if we get it. So, you want it or not?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Damn, my life will be yours if we really get one."