CHAPTER VI: MAVEN


The Pleiades relied on superior tactics and strategy instead of superior strength, endurance, and willpower to win their battles. I was given this harsh lesson by Narberal immediately following the creation of the blood contract. The gate she shoved me into led to the training ground for the Pleiades and there, she told me to duel her without holding back. My initial reaction is confusion until she started throwing deadly lightning spells at me, any pretence of subtlety and decorum lost in the fires of combat. I quickly learned that I had no chance to win because every action was predictable to her and countered with minimal effort as if I was little more than a nuisance. Even though I lasted longer than she predicted, I couldn't land a single blow against her and had to admit defeat before exhaustion and wounds made me an easy target. She dismissed me from that day's training as soon as I forfeited, my body seized by the shadows and dumped into an unknown bedroom.

Though the room was comfortable and finely decorated, there was no mistaking that the room was akin to a prison cell. There were no doorways or windows plus any spell I tried to use was nullified by a hidden field of anti-magic. Moments later, the maid Entoma Zeta brought me something to eat and drink, placing them on the bare table with youthful enthusiasm. She was very excited about my training and hoped that I would succeed but from the undertones in her delivery, she didn't hold any true confidence that I would succeed. I tried not to show my discomfort for how odd she looked and even apologized for staring at too long at her. After she left, satisfied that her duties had been performed well, I could do nothing more than eat the meal and sleep, hoping that the next day would be more rewarding.

The next days blended together as Narberal performed the same exercise daily, telling me each time to change my tactics as she systematically ripped me apart. It was painfully obvious that I had no sense of adapting tactics since I had been trained in personal combat and etiquette rather than critical thinking. I lost track of the days but she eventually acquired the information she needed. She was blunt in saying that I had the strategising skill of a fool and that I could be outsmarted by any warrior with their wits about them, an assessment I begrudgingly accepted after she showed me the truth through many of her beatings. Ironically, she clarified that it was more of a compliment than an insult because it meant that I had plenty to gain and was willing to learn despite hardship.

Proper training was started the next day. I was barraged with study sessions, educational sessions, and combat sessions from not just Narberal but from the Pleiades that had the time to spare. Many of the tactics and weapons taught were unique to Yggdrasil but the knowledge was still useful and was enthusiastically shoved into my brain with reckless abandon. The amount of variety and approaches that a single battle could have was staggering and it became clear that what Narberal had said about me was an understatement.

The study sessions were the first time I was fully introduced to Aureole Omega, the Shinto maiden who acted as the newest subordinate to Sebas Tian alongside Yuri Alpha. With the return of the Emerald Tablet to its shrine on the 8th floor, she was finally able to leave her post for short periods and do something other than watching the teleportation traffic throughout Nazarick. As a token of thanks, she shared her extensive knowledge of advanced tactics, unit strengths, and war gear usage when she could. Her grasp on such things was so superior that I felt like a child trying to understand how a stick works but she quickly dismissed such thoughts and ordered me to focus on learning what I could.

I learned as much as I could understand before I was moved on to my final trainer.


The prior day's exhaustion is nowhere near healed but I groggily slide to the bed's edge anyways, finding the floor and willing myself to move before I'm summoned as is. It takes me a while to leave the bed fully and wander over to the dresser in the dim light, my right arm lazily pulling open the top drawer. A fresh set of clothing is available and I quickly throw them on out of habit, the randomness of the summons becoming another part of the routine. I was told that it simulated how random a battle could be and how it could strike at any moment, the final lesson being to always be prepared.

"You're persistent but we've just gotten started," I hear a voice say from nearby, my body whirling towards the source of the noise in a heartbeat. The candles lighting the room grow brighter, illuminating the pale woman sitting on the table with curly blonde hair wearing a skimpy maids outfit. Though outwardly calm, I pale on the inside at how visibly present she is in the room while defying every other sense I rely on to detect threats. Her slow, simple movements are completely silent and her body gives off no heat at all. She quickly slides off the table onto her feet but the warm smile on her face is predatory as she says, "So you're the new trainee? Impressive that you lasted through all of the boring studies and bookwork."

"Who...are you?" I question but part of me already knows the answer and from the way her smile shifts slightly, she already knows that I have a hunch who she is. She gestures for me to speak, her movements graceful and alluring but in a way that makes me uneasy. I swallow as I say slowly, "You're...Solution...right?"

"Good boy! What else do you know about me?" she states a bit too forcefully, her words sliding into my ears as an odd combination of commanding yet pleasant. I start to have doubts about telling her anything and remain silent, her smile fading slightly as she states, "Do you doubt my intentions? That isn't very wise of you."

The threat in her body language is plain but I still don't bow to her wishes, her mask of calm and good nature sliding away as if it never existed. In place of those emotions is an aura of threat and violence radiating from her, her face smiling mockingly as she hisses, "I asked you a question and I'm not hearing any answers. Do I have to extract the answers from you instead? That will be painful."

"Perhaps..." I reply as I tense my body in preparation for a fight, unsure if I could take her on or not but unsure if her threats are real or not. I barely see her rush me before her shoulder slams into me, her weight much more than I anticipated as she shoves me against a wall. A fist punches into my gut but I absorb the worst of her blow and throw one back at her stomach in an automatic reply. The fist impacts into her clothing but I feel a cold sensation surround my hand, my eyes snapping down to see the fist absorbed partially into her clothes and stomach. She chuckles darkly at me as she keeps her mocking smile, her voice a hiss as she snaps arrogantly, "You need my approval to be released from this place and what I'm seeing isn't impressive."

I let the third lung expand and channel the energy into my right arm, the jolt of unstable magic causing her to disengage from me and eye me with hostility. I shake charred matter off of my hand as she smiles maniacally at me and states with enthusiasm, "Very clever! I wasn't expected you to use such violence of action so readily! You might just have potential!"

The hole in her stomach slowly grows back, the flesh around the wound transforming into a liquid to replace the meat, skin, and clothing. I'm fascinated and disgusted by the regrowth but she quickly wags her finger at me and states in mock embarrassment, "You shouldn't stare at a woman while she's getting dressed! Didn't Shalltear teach you better!?"

"I was told you have sadistic tendencies and enjoy the pain of others," I say firmly, Solution becoming overjoyed by the claim. Her right arm moves into her view and changes into a stabbing implement, the sharp edge of her arm gleaming in the candlelight as she inspects the new tool of death. The parallel she's drawing with how I used to fight makes me uncomfortable, the discomfort amplified when she states with amusement, "And I know so much about you, Beric Lowarm! Your physical dimensions, your wants and desires, even your favourite colour!? Do you remember what your favourite colour is!?"

"Purple..." I whisper without meaning to, her laughter maniacal and threatening but brief. My horror becomes transparent when she uses her weaponized limb to slice at her right cheek, strange blood flowing out of the large cut that she drags all the way down her neck and right shoulder. Bright red fluid leaks out but changes into a multitude of colours as it splashes everything around her, her manic smile glued to her face. She shows no signs of discomfort or pain and the blood reverses direction to flow back into her wound, the material changing to mend the damage she did to herself. She lets her bladed arm change back into a hand as she exclaims excitedly, "Purple! Such an abnormal colour isn't it!? Red mixed with blue! Red for the blood and blue for the dead flesh!"

Her manic humour is lost as soon as it starts, replaced with a dark rage that twists her face into a fearsome visage. She suddenly snaps at me as she gets uncomfortable close, "I think you're a waste of my time, to be honest. You have mediocre intelligence and physical attributes that cannot be fixed by us. Maybe you were a fearsome specimen of strength before your little incident but you aren't that now. You don't strike me as fit to pass our training."

"Get to the point!" I shout angrily but Solution doesn't flinch or even react to my outburst. It's like her face is a mask that randomly switches emotions when she wants to and as we stare each other down with hostility, she changes back to her wicked smile and laughs. Her tone becomes sarcastic as she states, "Or what? What can you possibly do to me trapped in this box at my mercy? I saw the results of your training thus far and you aren't impressing anyone with scores like that. You can barely hold your own in a fight nowadays so you have no way of escaping me through force or trickery-"

I show her my right hand before she can finish ranting, smiling darkly as she suddenly gives herself pause. I tap the ring on my ring finger with my thumb as I say confidently, "Shalltear already knows where I am at all times and if she wanted to, she can reclaim me easily. I'm at no ones mercy but hers."

Solution laughs but more genuinely this time, her head shaking as she states, "I think we've underestimated your potential. You have intelligence hidden deep inside but you hide it when it isn't needed. That's good. I can work with that."

Solution turns her back on me and waltzes back to the table, turning a chair around and sitting down smoothly before saying with a smile, "Just one question before I try and figure out what you can do. Why Shalltear? Her and romance are as congruous as a rock sitting on a flat surface. What could you possibly see in her that would warrant this much loyalty and devotion in both of you to each other?"

"That's what I like about our relationship. It doesn't have to make sense and I don't have to explain anything," I reply calmly, Solution chuckling to herself and shaking her head again as she stands up. I can tell that she doesn't like my answer but she doesn't press the issue, her form quickly crossing the distance between us so she can tap me on the nose. She tells me flirtatiously with a wink, "I'll get that answer eventually but that'll do for now. I want to see how fast you can run."

I feel a familiar pull of magic and witness my surroundings shift as we teleport to another location. She tells me to start run and I do as instructed, my feet trying to navigate the abnormally rough ground of some cavern. The jagged and slanted stones didn't make running easy and to no surprise, Solution has no trouble with the terrain. She remains perfectly upright as I struggle to move at a decent speed, her voice unwinded and bored as she tells me, "A little rough terrain won't slow you down that much, will it? Pick up the pace."

I'm too busy trying to navigate the terrain in the gloom to reply, my feet trying not to slip on the randomly changing textures of the stone. Solution doesn't take my silence well and tries to trip me by rushing into my path and extending her leg but I lightly leap over the leg and continue in my rough journey. I hear laughter behind me that catches up shockingly fast, Solution easily outpacing my movements and stating with amusement, "Responsive but can you run when there's more danger?"

The surroundings start to shake violently, causing me to miss a few steps and halt for a moment. I have to couch down just to avoid slipping while Solution shouts playfully for me to keep running despite the tremors. I don't listen because I'm distracted by an odd crimson light bathing the landscape, the dark-brown stones coming into focus as I finally recognize where I am. A massive lake is illuminated by a crimson glow coming from its centre and as I watch, the water starts to ripple violently. The massive form of Gargantua, a being that rarely moved in their domain, starts to rise slowly out of the water to their upright position, displacing massive amounts of water and sending massive stones tumbling into the lake from the ceiling by their movements alone. Bright lines of crimson snake their way from Gargantua's chest towards their head, causing their eyes to illuminate everything around them with a bright glow. I stand stunned at the awesome sight as their eyes fix me in their gaze but Solution tells me to keep running again, this time pushing me in the direction I'm meant to go.

My path of running would take me closer to the active golem but despite my urge to turn away, Solution keeps me running on that path by pointing me bodily in the direction she wants me to travel. I spot Gargantua reaching up to the ceiling with their pillar arms and dislodging a sizable boulder, my stomach lurching when I see them wind up for a throw aimed in my direction. They hurl the boulder at high speed towards me as I try to run faster, the boulder's wailing as it comes screaming towards me. Panic tries to take hold but I block it out, recognizing how dangerous the situation is and switching to a more focused stance. Solution doesn't seem concerned by the giant boulder sailing through the air and even tries to stop me from moving by grasping at my limbs with her hands. I'm able to shake her limbs off but find it harder to stay calm when the rock is sailing closer by the second.

The boulder impacts too close behind me, the displaced air throwing me forward violently. I'm able to remember my prior training and let the wind push me forward, my arms and legs angling to control my landing so I can keep running as soon as I touch the ground. My instincts are trying to keep track of my surroundings as Solution exclaims from my right, "Sloppy form on the landing but good recovery overall. Let's keep going."

I keep running along the selected path as Gargantua starts to slowly stomp towards the edge of the lake where I'm heading, sending up further waves of water with each step. The larger waves break against the rocky surfaces, spraying everything with water and adding a further hazard to deal with. I try to keep my pace steady but moving over jagged surfaces covered in moisture is not what I'm equipped for. My stomach lurches when I hear the same wailing sound from earlier, my body trying desperately to move faster to avoid the coming projectile. The rock has far less distance to travel and with the wet ground underfoot, I can feel that I won't move fast enough to evade it. Solution seems to read my thoughts and shouts, "What do you do now that you can't run away in time!? Where do you go!?"

I stop on a somewhat level rock and plant my feet to brace myself, the shadows leaping to my right arm as I aim it towards the coming boulder. A claw of shadow forms and expands rapidly from my hand, growing large enough to catch the boulder in its flight and arrest its momentum entirely. I feel the strain of shadows from how much effort it takes to resist, breathing hard as I have the shadows move the boulder to the ground gently with a loud thump. Solution moves into view as I collapse to my knees but looks at me in disappointment, saying in an even tone, "You saved yourself but now, you're winded and can barely move. What good is your defence if you can only use it once?"

"I can do this," I reply through breaths, the shadows gathering then growing from my right arm to encase my body in their form. New strength surges into my limbs as the darkness feeds on my pain and anger, a surge of new strength flooding my brain with an urge to maim and kill. The shadows crawl across my face and rest on my cheeks and forehead, their presence comforting after so much time away from each other but dangerous when the urges start to become more volatile. I quickly rise to my feet and dash in the direction I need to travel, feeling my feet stick to the ground in an odd yet satisfying way. I'm able to run faster since that shadows didn't find wet, jagged ground any obstacle of note.

I hear the wailing for the third time but this time, I'm ready for it and see the projectile coming. I'm running in Gargantua's shadow as they hurl their boulder straight down at me, the shadows immediately pulling me into the ground to avoid the issue entirely. The boulder slams into the earth with much more force, sending up cascades of flying stones that are largely ignored now that I'm in another world. I swim through the shadows towards Gargantua but somehow hear Solution state clearly, "Get on top of Gargantua's head and the training exercise will be over."

I find a nice spot to rise from the shadows and whip my left arm up towards the golem, watching the shadows extend at high speed towards their head. Within seconds, I feel a satisfying vibration along my arm as the shadows retract rapidly, pulling me towards my goal. Gargantua tries to swat me out of the air with one of their pillar arms but I'm moving too quickly for them to catch, their massive hand whizzing past my feet frighteningly. I let the shadows absorb me once again to mitigate the impact onto the golem's head, an abnormal silence falling over the lake once I make contact with their ancient stone. The violent sounds of grinding stone and displacing water disappear and when I slowly rise from my protection, the light on Gargantua's body is dimming until it darkens entirely.

A black mass crawls along the surface, Solution rising halfway out of the mire with sarcastic applause. Her applause is accompanied by a genuine smile as she states, "We have similar powers but you can control the shadows to a degree that I can't. Now I understand why I'm the-"

I don't hear the rest because the exhaustion finally takes it toll.