Chương 132: Scoping Out The Competition

Our next Labyrinth run was fast. I spent a little longer hunting than I expected, taking out as many monsters as I could along the way to the water golem. Though my Art was more costly, I only had to use it twice, and with only one direction—so it only drained me six points overall. Me and my squad's enhanced stats made up for the rest of it with ease. Whenever we killed a creature, I gathered up its useful remains. I took the bones of a skeleton, and I gathered the 'mind pearls' of a shambler.

Golems were more difficult to kill, and I wasn't sure what part of them was useful, but if there were ever any crystals (they often left behind tiny, clear crystals that could have been salt if not for their hexagonal shape), I made sure to gather them. Sage said, "Don't take too much, Levi. The Sappers harvest the rest of the resources from the carnage we cause when they come to claim the Presences. If they notice too much missing, they will be suspicious."

"Why aren't we allowed to take the other resources?" I asked.

"They resell them to recoup some of the costs of setting up a training labyrinth for us," Anchor said.

"Besides, it's not like we need them. But the last thing they want is for us to take too much and cut into their accounting."

"And as for the druids," Sage said, "the Sappers and our families provide what we need, supposedly free of charge—it's just weaker than I'd settle for." I nodded.

"I'll be careful, then. I don't think anyone else has seen me harvesting any of the resources, and I've been careful to do it out of sight of the main viewing room." I glanced up at the booth where I knew the Drillmaster was watching from, high above, attached to the ceiling.

"You think you can reforge your body, still?" Sage asked.

"I'm planning and looking for solutions."

"You'll still need some kind of potion," she reminded me.

"Yeah, a minor hiccup. But I think some druids are more susceptible to bribes than the chefs are."

"If only you still had some funds to bribe them with, brother," Brawl said.

"I don't need funds when I have more infused food," I replied.

"It's a bargaining chip that obscures the true value of what I'm trading. People will be more likely to give up their potions for a technically cheaper trade."

"If you say so…" Anchor said.

"Now, form up," I commanded.

"And keep moving. We still have a training session to complete, and we can't hold up Yesman and Habit all day." We raced to the water golem's plaza. When we arrived, we were the last, but only barely. Yesman approached and said, "You think we should take this one out and move on to the next golem to train with? If we don't, some other squad is going to try soon." I shook my head.

"If they try, we'll deal with it as it comes. I think the others are still going for high scores on the lesser monsters, trying to increase their ranking that way. Either they haven't figured out what we're doing, or aren't willing to take the risk." Yesman grimaced.

"When are we going to?"

"Use it right up to the end. Up to the week before we decide to go after the level guardian. The more training we can get, the better."

"I agree with Levi," Habit said.

"No point taking it down too soon when we can use it." I pointed out into the plaza and said, "Now, are you guys ready? We've got some Skills to earn." It was business as usual. I kept working on the [Sun Splinter] Skill. Last week, I had put all my attention toward it, and it condensed as a Novice-tier Skill, but today, I wanted to push it to the Apprentice tier. Then, I'd just need a few more spear-related Skills before I could start merging them together.

When the horn sounded and we retreated from the underground city, I rushed up to the surface, claimed my Presence pouch, stored it, ate lunch, then raced to the lists as quickly as I could. Lord Ceonwin wasn't the first joust of the day, but I still needed to get there in time to squire for him. When I arrived, the tournament grounds were roaring with activity. Sir Hinfic rode against another thegn, and struck hard enough to knock the man off his horse. His lance splintered, and his opponent flew backward.

Hinfic trotted around the arena, raising his lance, and the crowd cheered louder. It was only the second round, but his opponent's squires rushed to the score board and withdrew his shield. The thegn was surrendering to Hinfic. I shook my head. But at a certain point, if you got unhorsed, there wasn't much you could do to turn it around. I raced through the stables, which were now mostly repaired, and found lord Ceonwin with his squires, preparing to ride.

"After getting unhorsed, that's the only good way to do it," Willaf said as we prepared Lord Ceonwin's saddle.

"At least if you withdraw, you save yourself the embarrassment."

"How would you rate Hinfic as a jouster?" I asked.

"He's alright," Willaf said.

"Not the best I've seen, but he's surely better on foot. Plus, his gear is top of the line. He can afford it, after all. Last I heard, he holds at least an eighth of the land on the eastern edge of his father's domain."

"Would he give those lands up if he became Ealdorman here?" I asked.

"Likely," Lord Ceonwin said.

"They'd go to Hinfic's son." Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"He has a son?"

"He is older than he looks." I winced. That didn't bode well for my chances of victory.

"If a thegn from your domain took over Hinfic's lands, would he then be technically serving under Lord Hinlaw?"

"It's complicated, and it would be for the best if we didn't get into that right now." I nodded.

"Now, get that saddle in place," Willaf said.

"Tighten that strap, will you, Levi? Before it slips off Marigold's back entirely." I did as I was told, then patted the horse on his flank.

"Ready to go, sir," I said.

"Let us compete, then." Lord Ceonwin led the way onto the lists, mounting Marigold. He trotted out onto the lists, and we followed close behind. The warlord's messenger announced Lord Ceonwin and his opponent, and the joust began. I paid attention, but from the first two courses, it was almost no contest. Ceonwin's opponent was good, but he only broke lances on Ceonwin's chest—and Ceonwin seemed intent on breaking them on the man's helmet, which he did both times.

"Well, Lord Ceonwin must be just as good as Hinfic, too," I said.

"It depends," Willaf told me.

"I've seen different odds estimated. Everyone thinks they're going to make it to the final round." I turned to the posted bracket—a sheet of parchment pinned below the rack with the remaining shields. The bracket had been designed so Ceonwin would face off against Hinfic in the very last joust, assuming neither of them lost. That couldn't have been a coincidence. Hinfic needed to get all the other competition out of the way, and then he'd get his challenge.

But Sir Ricdine, if he won his match in the fourth round, would be up against Hinfic in the fifth round. I turned to Willaf and said, "We'll see." The schedule posted gave me about four weeks before I would face Hinfic. That wasn't much time at all. And I had to defeat the boy before going on to joust against Lord Ceonwin. Defeating Ceonwin wasn't an option. But it was better if I rode against him than Hinfic. I didn't know how Hinfic would fare against a jouster like Ceonwin, and I didn't really want to know.

It probably wouldn't be pretty for either side, and that wasn't a chance we could afford to take with our future. Plus, they'd already tried to assassinate him before. They weren't going to play fair. As Lord Ceonwin's lance shattered for the fourth time, the crowd cheered, and he trotted back to us. The messenger announced him as the winner, and we exited the lists, marking the last match of the day complete. Willaf and Foal took off Marigold's saddle, and Ceonwin pulled me aside.

He whispered, "Hinfic is certainly capable punching-up against higher tier opponents. Yes, yes, I know you are too. But be careful. You will need to be much closer to Silver if you want to stand a chance of unhorsing him. And once you do, he will surely try to force a duel on foot with you."

"I'll keep it in mind, sir. I've been working on some things."

"Do you need anything?"

"How many more Presences can you spare?"

"Not many," he said.

"But I will do what I can."

"Thank you, sir."

"No, thank you, Levi. Had it not been for you, I would've been dead or out of the tournament twice over." ~ ~ ~ That evening, I met Alis during the Byrnwold Company's performance. They always did a big one at the end of the week, on the same day as my Labyrinth run. I wasn't sure if I was going to see her, at first, but I hoped she'd be there. At first, I searched the crowd, but when I couldn't find her, I climbed up atop a wooden clothes-drying frame near the edge of the makeshift 'town square' for a better view.

It was a little too far away to be an ideal viewing spot, but at least it was quiet and high-up. A moment later, something shattered behind me. It wasn't really glass. More like gemstones falling down a stairway, mixed with high winds and a fluttering of wings. As soon as it began, it quieted down. I whipped around, heart racing, only to see Alis perching on the rack behind me. She wound her bandage up around her eye quickly, then inched closer.

Magenta sparks swirled around her, but faded as quickly as they arrived.

"Looking for me?"

"I was hoping to find you, yeah," I said.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you. The papers worked wonderfully."

"That is great to hear." She laid down on her stomach, kicking her legs up behind her.

"That was your teleportation art, was it?" I asked.

"Correct." I sighed.

"That's an impressive Art. It was a little loud, but…" I glanced back at her.

"How strong are you, again?"

"Titanium."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"The way you phrase that makes me not believe you." Alis crossed her arms and blew out a long breath.

"I am not sure what I can say to convince you."

"That's what someone who was lying would say. How'd you learn an Art like that? Some Path-walkers have to train for years to master an Art, don't they?" She rolled her eyes.

"My dad insisted on training me really hard. And for a while. As soon as I could, he was training me, doing everything in his power to make me stronger. Even if it meant I never saw the sun for weeks, and never got to live a normal life."

"Ah. Sounds rough."

"That is all you can say?"

"Would you like me to say something else?" She shrugged.

"In fact, no. I find it somewhat refreshing. I knew a soulstealer would make a good friend. Everyone is always being too polite, and I'm tired of it. You're just so…normal."

"Alright, princess." I smiled.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Her face paled.

"I—""I'm kidding," I said.

"Seriously, though. You reforged your body too, then?"

"The best possible, for a sorcerer. It's"—she lowered her voice to a whisper—"Emerald-tier. I needed the blessings of a Slumberer to do it." I raised my eyebrows. Nevermind the fact that she had an Emerald-tier body? How did an average girl from nowhere get the blessings of a Slumberer and an Emerald-tier body? And why was she telling me? But I doubted I'd get that out of her directly. I prompted, "A Slumberer?"

"I've heard the stories, Levi—I know you know what a Slumberer is. As for body reforging…they can help provide a center for a body enhancement. An anchor to draw in maegen and the slurry, and use it to begin the reforging process." I nodded.

"Interesting… How would one know if they were blessed by a Slumberer?"

"He would have to save it from destruction. Afterward, maegen would move differently around him. Glomming onto him, trying to crawl inside his skin."

"And that's guaranteed to work?"

"Correct."

"What about the aspect? Does it matter?"

"Usually. But it's no matter. A Dupe can't reforge his body, anyway."

"Right…" I said.

"Well, thanks for the chat, though. I'm still here to hang out for a little while longer, though."

"Hang out?"

"You know, just chill. Watch the performance and all. The one you insist isn't a circus."

"How?"

"Just…lay here. And watch."

"Ah. I see. Yes, Byrnwold won't need me for a little while longer. I think I could do that."