Chương 15

Maett turned up that night. Before Kirk even had time to ask, he released an exaggerated sigh.

"Apologies, fair student. You have not triggered Zuri's brusqueness. Her own Ascension… well, it's somewhat unique. And finally, we appear close to accomplishing it. Tier II lies within her grasp. As such, extraneous matters feel like a dangerous distraction. It's not you, it's her."

"Huh," Kirk felt some of his tension release, but the cool attitude didn't sit well with him. In the end, he shrugged.

"Well, okay. If you need help-""Unfortunately, her demons are ominous and powerful." Maett said. He glanced at Kirk.

"With your Archetype- excuse me, two Archetypes- at Tier 0, it's difficult for you to influence." Kirk realized that, even more than the unearned attention, pity rankled. After Maett left, Kirk stared at the ceiling.

"In the end, its strength. Strength to stand with friends. Strength to earn your place and move forward. Strength to resist an unfair sky." His hands reached out and gripped the hilt of the Larian Saber. He had heeded Muytta's warnings, hauling the weapon around with him everywhere. But suddenly, with his Beast Archetype growling inside of him, Kirk strode outside. It was time to begin his training. In the darkened, dirt path of the lodgings quarter, Kirk held the weapon aloft and slashed.

He cut through the air, producing a whistling noise. Honestly, slashing was not that difficult- the weight did most of the work. What Kirk had to do was raise the weapon again, to prepare for the next strike. His arms began to ache and his muscles frayed as he hefted the heavy saber. With the moon almost entirely dark, he existed entirely in shadow. Space and distance lost their meaning. As Kirk sweated, he even began to suspect that his slashes weren't very well executed. They were wild flailings.

But that didn't matter-- Kirk burned with the need to improve. So he kept striving. When raising the weapon felt impossible, he swept the weapon sideways. Throwing all his strength into the sweep, Kirk could only stagger to regain his balance afterward. At this point, he was covered in sweat. Yet he gritted his teeth and continued. He pictured Maett, looking at him with pity. Kirk remembered how he had looked at the exhausted Conduit by the gate with a similar look. Again, Kirk stepped and slashed horizontally.

He struggled to stay upright and his shoulders heaved. By this point, the instability had even spread down to his legs. His fingers tightened on the hilt. Although his arms trembled, he raised the weapon. His bronze armband buzzed. When he looked at the notification, a flicker of satisfaction filled him. Feat Gained! Larian Wielder ✷ Just for good measure, Kirk did not stop there. He gritted his teeth and swung the sword for twenty more minutes. At some point, his hands rebelled.

After strenuous use, his grip failed and the Larian Saber fell out of his hands, sinking into the dirt. Feeling strangely amused, Kirk plopped onto the ground and stared up. Because the moon looked away, the stars over Rifthold were bright.

"I have a week off. Now, I can head into the Rift without worry." Kirk panted. He pulled his lips back in the darkness and revealed his teeth.

"And by the time I return, I will have Ascended." Kirk stretched to cool down, washed away his sweat with a bucket of cold water, and collapsed. At dawn the next day, his eyes snapped open. Light filtered through the canvas of the tent. He pushed himself up and began to pack. He hefted the sack geo cores he had gathered. They clinked against each other, earning a smile from Kirk.

"This should be enough." With the few remnant pieces of silver he had, he purchased more water and dried food for an extended stay within the Rift. Yet even Kirk's unerring sense of purpose paused, due to a large commotion at the front of the hold.

"Make way, you worthless levies!" A man's voice cracked across the area, pulling attention around. Ripples went through the surrounding Conduits, either turning or hustling out of his way. He was shaped like a bowling ball wrapped in leather, waddling forward and glaring back and forth. And it was clear that he was just a herald- it was the man behind him that seemed to draw the eyes. Because he held his arm aloft and wrapped around his forearm was the telltale glint of silver.

Kirk's pupils dilated, noting another detail. He didn't have a silver Runic Bangle, he had another, smaller, bangle pushed up right beyond the first. A small frown creased Kirk's face- it felt designed to trick. The bangle-man was the leader of a group of six. The final two in the group were Zuri and Maett. The man with the extra silver bracer had a mustache and seemed accustomed to sneering. He spoke out of the side of his mouth to Maett.

"You did well to bring this to me."

"Considering the value of Silver-rank equipment, who else has the capacity in this podunk hold?" Maett sighed.

"Obviously, we needed an expert."

"Quite right," The man chuckled.

"Clear the way! Move aside, don't block- wait, you." The shouting bowling ball paused. His eyes narrowed as he considered the exhausted individuals who clustered by the gate. They had shifted to its shadow, avoiding his gaze.

"You and you. You want a job?" Instantly, the two Conduits looked up, eagerness in their gaze. One woman and one man shared a glance. Then they nodded. Kirk recognized the man. It was the tired old Conduit that he had donated his spare food to.

"Will they be enough?" The mustachio man asked. Maett nodded. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"As for compensation…" The woman began timidly. The man pressed his lips together, so they disappeared beneath the mustache.

"We shall handle it later." For a moment, Kirk considered greeting his acquaintances. But something told him that this was another time that Zuri would bristle at his presence. Kirk's frown deepened across his cheeks. There was something… off about the group. But he shrugged. It wasn't his business. They went ahead and Kirk followed behind. At the entrance to the Rift, the guard bowed.

"Good luck, Young Master Albion." Kirk managed a polite nod before reaching up and touching the Rift. As soon as he went through, the Beast Archetype froze. The wind whistled in his ear, more urgent and vicious than he had ever heard it. Secondly, as he landed and adjusted his weight, trying to balance the massive saber, the shadows around him were longer and deeper than he was familiar with. The stone beneath his feet was hot enough to be felt even through his leather shoes.

He crouched, setting down the Larian Saber. So long as he didn't understand the environment, he didn't want to push. His Enhanced Senses spread out and what he sensed soured his expression. The clatter of geo-3 claws against stone was almost constant. Why- When he looked up, Kirk found his answer. Only a short distance away, he saw the green roiling mist layer below. But for whatever reason, he had been summoned right above the forest green barrier. This was the deepest in the Rift he had ever gone.

The danger gave him purpose. His eyes scanned the surroundings. The rock surface was much more uneven here. Cracks and crevices snaked up through the mist, hinting at the state beyond. Kirk relied on his hearing as he gripped the Larian Saber and began to head upslope. Yet after only a few steps, he stopped and listened. His lips twisted. Two geos raced out of a stretch of broken ground, scrabbling up. Such was their momentum that even as the first noticed Kirk and paused, the second smashed into the other's back.

The geo-3 twisted around, snapping at its fellow, when Kirk chopped down with the Larian Saber. His blow cut through its neck. The body twitched and collapsed. The second geo screamed and flailed out with its claws. Ignoring his strained arms, Kirk hauled the heavy Larian Saber back and stepped away; the only victim of the geo's wild scratches was the corpse of its companion. Kirk rapidly began to repeat the syllables for Ember. He felt the energies shift- The geo launched itself at him.

Kirk faltered in his repetition of the syllables, rolling to the side. All the energies in the air dissipated and Kirk grimaced as he straightened. The syllables need to be flawless. But in a fight- The geo snapped at him, but Kirk was done playing. Even before it moved, the deadly Larian Saber hacked down; its aggression earned it an exact chop down the middle of its skull. Kirk stood panting for a minute, catching his breath. Wielding the Larian Saber in combat depleted his stamina so quickly.

Groaning, Kirk crept back to his packs for his knife. Bestial Senses stood at attention while he cut into the two geo's and extracted their cores. One was an unfamiliar sensation, but Kirk smiled as he felt the other and detected the familiar presence of fire within. He stored the fire core, dropping it into the heavy sack at his waist, then shifted into the crack from whence the geos had come.

There, he hunkered down in a shallow gulley, feeling the warmth of the stones beneath him, and enjoyed a drink of water and half a loaf of bread. His mind turned to his Ascension. Truly, he wanted to first master Feats related to Runes, but as this previous battle had indicated, that process wasn't simple. Kirk raised his head- he heard the approach of geos from below. He moved further up the crack, using it to hide from their senses, while they found and devoured the corpses of their fellows.

After the geos departed, Kirk shifted along the slope. Because of the frequent cracks in the ground at this section, it was actually very easy to disguise his position. He found another shallow crack and stored his bag there. He sat and meditated- after his discussions with Maett, he could practically feel his Archetypes drinking in the ambient energy, both increasing the amount of energy he could use and also letting the potency of this place settle in his body. He accumulated.

But just as he was about to begin his training, several impacts shook the ground. Pursing his lips, Kirk raised his gaze and spun slowly- He looked toward the forest-green barrier. The mists bulged and swirled. Kirk ears twitched at a human gasp of pain. Instantly, two Kirk's tugged at him. He wanted to investigate. The Beast growled at the injustice it would be to allow someone to suffer when he could help. But also, Kirk bit his lip. Would I be able to help? Because I was in the right place, I helped Zuri.

How many such situations would happen to a Tier 0? Kirk's jaw clenched. As though he could gnaw his way through the problem with enough molar. Even as he wavered- A bloody figure staggered out of the mist. Like vines, fingers of mist clung to the figure's worn garments. The man only made it a few steps before his toe caught on a piece of broken stone. With a wheeze, he flopped directly onto the ground. Kirk bounced forward to his side, all considerations evaporating.

With great care, he leveraged the man onto his back. From his hip to his chest, the man's old leather armor had been split and blood leaked out.

"Are you al-?" Kirk froze; he knew this man. Or rather, he had seen him. Before him was the exhausted Conduit, the Tier 0 Porter, who had seemed so joyful a few hours ago. Who had taken his leftover food. The man blinked, coughed, and then said.

"Is that… Young Master Albion?" Kirk couldn't stop looking at the open gash of the wound.

"What happened? Were you attacked by geos?" The man's expression flinched. He avoided Kirk's eyes and said.

"Yes, by geos." Kirk blinked. His gaze shifted to the man's face.

"You… just lied to me. Why?" A slightly amused expression crossed the man's face. His hand reached up and squeezed together the edges of his wound.

"Young Master Albion, because if I told you the truth, I fear you would make a rash decision."

"Because the world isn't fair," Kirk said. The Beast growled and he allowed its heat to flow through him. Yet a small laugh broke Kirk out of that fury. The man was smiling up at Kirk.

"You didn't have to be kind to me, Young Master Albion. For a fool that never grew to be anything more than a levy, that is enough.

"I just wish…" The man's gaze grew unfocused.

"My dog. He will wait for me, I think."

"What's your name? Where is your dog?" Kirk leaned forward. The man licked his lips. Then died without a noise. For several moments, Kirk just stared at the open, empty eyes of the man. He shifted back on his heels. Almost offhandedly, Kirk had an epiphany about life. Previously, without any true memories, he had been slightly bewildered by the erratic behavior of the Merchant Tafaro and others.

Yet now- When Kirk recalled how he decided to turn away from the scream of pain, how he would not have gone to investigate, out of concern for himself- For the first time, he knew shame. He felt his stomach twist itself into knots. Kirk was up and walking. He stalked back to the crack in the ground. He picked up his Larian Saber. Walking back, Kirk paused once more above the man. His stomach twisted. He understood Maett's exaggerated sighs, as the other man described living without regrets.

With red eyes, Kirk turned and focused on the forest green layer. Sometimes, the past can be heavy. Compared to that- Kirk's fingers tightened on the Larian Saber. He carried it drawn, with a single hand. The weight of a weapon is light. Despite any reasons he should not, Kirk stalked forward into the mist barrier.