Chapter 35
Paylor sat within his shop, caring little about anything other than awaiting news from one of his agents in the field. He didn't really have any kind of network like most kingdoms or organisations had, rather a close-knit group of old friends that relayed information to one another, that and a few people that owed him favours.
It had been a month since the death of the brothers, a loss that Paylor regretted deeply as having a mystic on his side could level the playing field. Though, he couldn't say that he would trust them either, they had one too many secrets that could lead to him facing off against them at some point.
Shaking his head, he focused on the parchment in front of him, one that he had been waiting for patiently. The letter at first glance was nothing more than a dear younger sister writing to her older brother about one matter or another, but between the Blitzenwolf siblings, the letter held a secret code that not even the academics within their own family could crack. Paylor had finished decrypting the note, though the news wasn't good.
The three adventurers had arrived at Larravass on schedule, though with a rather angry bird refusing to be quiet for a second. Arriving at his little sister's shop, they used it as a base to gather their bearings before going after Alex, except they didn't find him nor his master after two weeks of searching Larravass and the Silver Bloodhounds.
It was eventually found out that Alex and his master had left for Calatos, supposedly it was for Alex to attempt the dungeon there and prove he was worthy of being an apprentice to his master. This kind of treatment wasn't uncommon, almost all clans or guilds want to be assured that their students were growing stronger and not stagnating, especially those apprenticed under masters. Those that cannot prove their worth were thrown out, their reputation ruined and their future prospects disappearing like smoke.
The three adventurers had to set themselves up to travel to Calatos until they were persuaded to stay, that travelling to Calatos in the hopes they managed to catch up to Alex could be a fool's errand, but waiting for them to return wasn't. As for why, that lied in Larravass's annual competition between the clans and guilds, it was a major event where they could all show off the new crop they managed to snag for themselves that year.
It was theorised that Alex's master had chosen the dungeon at Calatos for the simple reason that if they wanted to return back in time for the tournament, then they would have to spend as little time in Calatos as possible, forcing Alex to push himself to the very limit in order to prove himself. With this knowledge at hand, the three adventurers set about trying to get at least one of them into the clans participating in that year's annual tournament, this way they were almost guaranteed to have a private conversation with Alex with no one looking over their shoulders.
Before the tournament begins, all fighters are escorted to a set of housing units that prevents them from talking to anyone outside the competition, and ensures they don't have access to their guild or clan's resources. The other reason was for the competitors to size each other up, learn what they could before the fight in order to gain an edge. It was the tournament's way to spice up the competition, forcing the competitors to humanise their opponents before pitting them against one another.
Paylor sighed, the chances of any of those three idiots getting into clan before the tournament was neigh on impossible, and that isn't considering their chances of actually being picked as one of ten combatants. The tournament didn't want to give any clan or guild an unfair advantage by allowing them to just swamp the competition with hundreds of participants in the vague hope that they succeed, so they strictly enforced the rule that each clan or guild that participated could only choose ten combatants out of how ever many they had. There were other restrictions as well, the first being the age of the combatant had to be under eighteen, and the second was that they had to be under the apprentice rank in both magical power and physical power.
This meant that in the run up to the tournament, every clan either sets up a series of challenges or a mini tournament of their own. Weeding out the weak from the strong, though they had to place incentives for their students to participate otherwise they wouldn't bother. As for the rewards for the annual tournament, they were never set by the host or any officials, rather the clans or guilds participating had to offer up a set amount of wealth and magical items as a wage. It was costly, but the reward of coming in first place was priceless, even to the far larger clans.
That said, one of the original six clans put their foot into the ring, offering up individual rewards for those that participated in the tournament. Coming in first place would not only get the clan the majority of the pot waged in the tournament, but the winner would get a rare magical item befitting their element and core types. Second and third, an uncommon magical item. And fourth to tenth, a common magical item.
Though the reward for coming in the top ten wasn't too great, to newly joined students to the clans from poorer backgrounds, gaining a common magical item would be priceless. It could potentially boost their development by almost double, depending on the item.
For any of the three to join the tournament, they would have to be accepted by a clan or a guild that was participating in the tournament and win their prior event to be accepted as one of the ten selected to fight in the competition. There, they would have a slim chance of being placed within the same residency building as Alex since they had three of them, each one kept far from one another for the safety of the participants as no one knows who is living in what building except the host.
If the case was that they hadn't been placed within the same building, then they would have to win battle after battle until they reached the point that the final combatants remaining only numbered enough to fit within one of the three buildings. They would have to fight until they had gotten through a third of the competition, not an easy feat, especially considering some of the shady tactics some clans conduct in order to strengthen their participants.
An abrupt cough drew Paylor out of his reverie, grumpily he looked up to the door expecting some annoying adventurer trying to sell off their worthless loot or trying to buy without any coin. What he wasn't expecting, was a tall old man dressed in a dark blue robe staring casually at him.
"Ice Master! I wasn't expecting your arrival." Paylor suddenly became courteous and even bowed to the old man, showing every respect he could to the person before him. Though the Ice Master was only a decade older than him, he had to show his respect as he was a full rank higher than him in magical power. One of the few people to ever break through the impossible barrier at the lord rank into the prince rank, a feat that extraordinarily few have ever even attempted despite reaching the Lord rank.
"No need to fret, old friend." Jorgan's cold eyes warmed slightly at the sight of his old friend, the two knew one another from their times as students at the same clan. Jorgan had been assigned to Paylor's group as a liaison, the two became fast friends the first time they discussed magical items. There was little either of the grumpy men liked more than to sit over a cup of tea and discuss the merits of magical items long onto the dim light of dawn. "I thought that since I was in Bardia once again that I might pay my old friend a visit."
"I'm glad, though weren't you here two months ago?" Paylor distinctly remember Grey rambling about the events that had happened during one of the exams, that Jorgan himself had suddenly turned up without warning or reason. Jorgan merely laughed, he strode into the shop as Paylor quickly snatched a second chair from the storage room.
"That was purely happen stance, I was walking by and felt nostalgic of the old days, I was in a rush to return to Larravass at the time." Jorgan waved his hand and a set of elegantly ice blue teacups appeared before him, he pulled out a few magically glowing leaves that he placed within a beautifully crimson pot that he filled with water. Within seconds, he poured out two steaming cups of sweet-smelling tea. Taking a sip from it, he smiled softly before continuing. "At the time, I wasn't looking for anything in particular… but something did take my eye, two brothers actually."
Paylor paled, heaving a deep sigh as he placed down his teacup. He shouldn't have doubted that Jorgan of all people would not be interested in the brothers as they were exceptionally skilled, Jorgan's clan had been hounding him recently to find an apprentice as he never took any that didn't meet his strict requirements. Paylor theorised that the brothers must have met enough of the stubborn old fool's requirements, but not enough for him to actually accept them yet, therefore he would wait until they did.
"What's the matter, old friend?" Jorgan enquired, somewhat worried that his friend had turn a shade of white that would make his hair jealous. Paylor could only sigh once again, he had to tell Jorgan the truth.
"I regret to inform you that the brothers… are dead." Paylor knew well of the Ice Master's cold rage, one that could turn anyone into a block of ice with just a simple look. He was worried that the Jorgan might lose it over this knowledge and harm some poor fool that happened upon the store.
"How?" Jorgan curtly stated, the room turning a few degrees colder as he bore holes into his old friend with a deadly glare. The main reason for his return was as exactly as Paylor had predicted, his clan's refusal to take his stubbornness any longer forced them to make an ultimatum, if Jorgan didn't have an apprentice by the end of the tournament then he would be revoked the rights as one of the seven leaders.
Jorgan hadn't really cared much for the role, rather he took it because another of his old friends had begged him to. He had always liked the lifestyle that an elder had as one of the seven leaders, he didn't have any expectations placed upon him and he had free reign to go wherever he wanted and not be disturbed by any ridiculous political matters. In truth, with his rare achievement of breaking through into the prince rank, his clan daren't try to force him out, their ultimatum only took away a few of his luxuries but it was enough to force him into action.
The brothers had caught his eye simply for their ingenuity, their skill and the possible hidden magical potential they had. After the events of the exam, Paylor had returned to his clan and attempted several times to replicate how the brothers managed to subvert the barrier without breaking it on the magic testing device. In the end, he found that a decent amount of magical potential and mana was needed to pull it off, he also tried it on the students of his clan.
He offered that if any student could pass the challenge then he would accept them as his apprentice, for the next two months he was left alone by the other leaders as practically all of the students turned out to try their hands, even those apprenticed to other masters. For that entire two months, not a single student could complete the task, not a single one could pass the challenge he had set. The other leaders accused him of rigging it to be impossible until he told them that two individuals passed that challenge, and they had no prior training in magic whatsoever.
That news broke through the entire clan, causing all of the students to go mad with their lust for power, all of them claiming that if two untrained beginners could do it then so could they. The news became so widespread that actual masters came to attempt the challenge, full of arrogance and refusal to believe the Ice Master's words, though as each one left in shame it soon became apparent that no one could pass the challenge.
It wasn't until a week ago that Jorgan became resolute in taking the brothers as his apprentices, determined that if those two could do something that thousands of trained students and masters of far greater skill and power failed at, then their future was limitless. When he returned to Bardia, he looked for them around the usual places adventurers collected at, hoping to happen upon them and make it seem like a mere coincidence rather than the fact that he had specifically searched for them.
Yet, as two whole days passed with not a single sighting whatsoever, he decided to go meet with his old friend to ask if they had heard anything about the brothers, however hearing this news wasn't what he had in mind. Glaring coldly at Paylor, Jorgan felt an insurmountable rage brewing inside him, that the two he finally chose to be his apprentices had died. If their deaths had anything to do with Baltharn, or anyone else who killed them for any reason other than self-defence, he was sure to exact revenge. Jorgan wasn't someone who would normally go around killing without reason, even in this case his reaction was somewhat extreme, yet the future prospects of those brothers could not only secure his clan's future successes, but also his position as an elder.
"Jorgan, I'm afraid the matter concerning those brothers is far more complicated than you think." Paylor didn't want to drag Jorgan into the mess of the conspiracy, he knew the older man wouldn't care for tact or subtly which could endanger all the work he had put in place over the last month. Paylor didn't want to admit it, but the death of the brothers had been extremely beneficial to him, despite knowing of the potential power they possessed.
"I care not of your politics, Paylor." Jorgan's voice froze the room, chilling even Paylor who shuddered at the sudden viciousness before him. He had figured that Jorgan might be interested in accepting the brothers as his apprentices, but he didn't think that he would be this upset over their deaths. "Tell me how they died, NOW!"
Paylor winced as Jorgan's voice rattled the foundations of the building, the power of a prince ranked mage was a terrifying one to behold. Swallowing hard, Paylor reluctantly spoke, praying that Jorgan wouldn't get involved.
"The brothers stumbled across a major conspiracy that reaches deep into Averia…" Paylor started, hoping this would be enough to convince Jorgan not to hear the rest of the story, though the fierce glare told him otherwise. "In their pursuit of helping the one that this conspiracy is targeting… they were attacked by opponents far stronger than them, the result of the fight ended with them… sigh… they fell into Hell's Abyss."
Jorgan sat there for several minutes, pondering on the words spoken by Paylor. He knew the brothers were intelligent and skilled, but to uncover a conspiracy within just one month of being targeted was impressive. Yet, there was something still irking him, demanding that he enquire further.
"What else?" Jorgan stuck to the short questions, leaving them broadly opened meant the person would answer with whatever they could think of, and continue to answer when he didn't speak. It was a cheap tactic, and one he knew Paylor wouldn't fall for, but he didn't feel like being specific in his questions.
"Do you really want to know? Because, I doubt you will take it well…" Paylor shook his head, knowing Jorgan as well as he did, he knew that the Ice Master had an obsession with myths and fairy tales. Yet, the withering glare he received told him that regardless of his choice, Jorgan will find the answer he seeks, sooner or later. "It… was reported that… one of the brothers may have been… a mystic… That was why they were forced to Hell's Abyss as their aggressors couldn't challenge them within the forest."
Jorgan sat there silent, unmoving. To anyone staring at him, they would think he was sat pensively thinking. To Jorgan, he was stunned beyond belief, unable to actually form a coherent sentence in his mind. He had a potential mystic within his grasp, but because of his stubbornness, it slipped through his fingers. He wanted to curse or scream, something to vent the rising rage coursing through him. The brothers were already of great interest to him, but to find out that one of them was a potential mystic, was just the icing on the cake that now suddenly turned horribly rotten before his eyes.
"Who?" Jorgan's temper was exceeding his breaking point, he wanted to find those that forced the brothers to Hell's Abyss and rip them limb from limb. To make them regret their actions for taking away a mystic. Jorgan knew he was more upset that a mystic had been killed rather than his possible future apprentices, that the myths and legends he loved to read about could have been proven to be true, only to be stricken away with the only reliable source being the ones that had destroyed it.
"Jorgan, please. You have to understand that things are far more complicated than you think." Paylor could tell the situation was getting out of hand quickly, if he didn't reign in Jorgan fast, his plans would fall apart rapidly. "The two that were sent to kill the brothers did so under duress…"
"I don't care!" Jorgan coldly stated, rising from his seat and looming over Paylor, daring him to try and babble on about something that didn't matter to him.
"Jorgan! No! This time you aren't barging into a delicate matter and causing mayhem!" Paylor slammed down his fists onto the table, standing before the Ice Master with anger thundering through his face. Jorgan had a knack for putting a foot into where it shouldn't belong and cause an entire building of plans to come crashing down, the pandemonium from the fallout was a nightmare to clean up, and that was when things were already in motion rather than just starting out.
"You dare challenge me?" Jorgan was slightly taken aback by his old friend's boldness, but his rage demanded action and Paylor wasn't going to stop him. Yet, his threat didn't do as he had wanted it to as Paylor glared harshly at him in retaliation, not a drop of fear in his eyes.
"Yes. I. Do." Paylor announced each word separately, resolved to fight Jorgan to the bitter end if it meant salvaging the mission. Jorgan's rage relented somewhat, his shock at his friend finally growing a backbone elated him somewhat, though it would have been far better had it not been at that moment. "If you barge in like you always do, then the brothers will have died in vain!"
Paylor's stunned Jorgan, he wanted to avenge their deaths for the simple matter that their killers had taken away a potential mystic, though he also valued the brothers as possible apprentices. He couldn't just let their deaths be in vain if he could help it. With an aggravated huff, Jorgan dropped back into his chair, picking up his tea and taking a sip to calm his nerves.
"Explain?" Jorgan reluctantly stated, deciding that for once, he would take part in whatever political ridiculousness that was going on. Paylor's jaw dropped, he had fully expected to have a short bout with the Ice Master which would have resulted in the latter's win, but this wasn't even in what he hoped would be the best-case scenario. Plonking himself down onto his chair, Paylor shakingly took a sip of his tea before speaking.
"The brothers happened upon a plot to secure the king of Averia's dominance over the land of Altharia for centuries." Paylor knew that giving the full details would ultimately bore Jorgan, he wasn't the type to know of the intricate details of everything, though with his recent display of willingness to listen, Paylor wasn't exactly sure if his recollection was useful anymore. "It involves a boy named Alex Greyhound… who we suspect, might be the lost heir of the Silver Wolf clan."
Jorgan nearly dropped his teacup, he knew the king to be a foul man with delusions of grandeur and one that would stoop to whatever low was needed in order to grant him power, but going after a descended of one of the six original clans, especially one that had been previously thought dead, was akin to suicide. Steeling himself, Jorgan thought over why the king would be so brazen to try such a thing, though he was beaten to it by Paylor.
"It is possible that there may be a corrupt individual within the ranks of the Silver Wolf clan." Paylor could see that his words had rattled Jorgan, a feat that nearly cause him to drop his own mug out of shock. "If the old age tradition of the tournament of successor selection were to commence, then it would be possible for the king to gain the Silver Wolf in his pocket, but if Alex were to return…"
"The king would lose any chance of gaining the single clan that could give him enough power to rival Larravass." Jorgan muttered aloud, bitterness in his mouth as the realisation dawned on him how bad the situation actually was, except something was off. "Why doesn't the king just kill Alex?"
"Ah! The brothers answered that conundrum." Paylor stated gladly, he knew he had to show the brothers in being integral to the plot of subverting the conspiracy. "They figured that if Alex was killed and it was found out later that he was the lost heir, then the king was at risk of starting a war he couldn't win. But! If Alex was discredited completely, then even if his heritage came to light it wouldn't matter."
"The king would have secured that chance to get his chosen person into the throne of the Silver Wolf clan…" Jorgan commended the king's tact and foresight, though he was sure the details of how the king would go about this had to be heavily complicated and beyond his time and energy to comprehend. "How do the brothers play into this?"
"The brothers were saved by Alex, if it wasn't for him then they wouldn't have become adventurers, or most likely been killed far sooner." Paylor answered, taking another sip of his tea before speaking again. "They wanted to return the favour and save Alex, but their carriage was stop on route to Larravass. The brothers figured from the words of their opponents that the one pulling their string didn't know they need to kill five instead of two."
"They sacrificed themselves to let the other three reach Larravass." Jorgan finally understood why Paylor said the brothers would die in vain if he barged in, they had given an opportunity to the other three to reach Alex. "Who was pulling the strings of the attackers?"
"Bob, from the Blue Cat Inn." Paylor curtly stated, garnering a weird look from Jorgan. The Ice Master had on occasion chatted with Bob and never once suspected him of being a mastermind, working at the behest of the king. "Though, I should probably call him by his real name. Special Executioner, Brutus Ironcore."
Jorgan's face took on an expression that Paylor never thought he would ever see on him, it was mixture of surprise, annoyance, a look of one realising that they were a major fool. The Ice Master sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried not to think how he missed that murderous fiend right under his nose on several occasions.
"I take it you are reaching out to Alex since those three are in Larravass?" Jorgan opted to forgo thinking about Brutus and how he went under his radar, though he did make a mental note that when the time comes, he will be the one to kill that brute.
"Alex unfortunately left with his master to Calatos' dungeon, a proving test I believe." Paylor relaxed, glad that he could explain the whole situation rather than just a fragment before Jorgan flew off the handle. "As of right now, the three adventurers are trying to secure a place within a clan to join the tournament, it may be our only chance to speak with Alex without prying eyes."
"Are any of the three proficient?" Jorgan mused on the matter before asking his question, he watched Paylor think for a few seconds.
"My grandson Grey is among them, he is skilled but unruly…" Paylor had thought of praising Grey's skills but the problem was that he wasn't a full member of the Blitzenwolf family, rather he belonged to Paylor's outcast daughter that had her name revoked in order to marry someone the family refused to accept. Paylor had to pull just about every favour he had to bring his daughter and his son-in-law back into the family, but it meant that Grey couldn't inherit anything from the family. "The other two I know from rumours and gossip. Sapphire is a skilled rogue though mischievous, and Xanforess is a powerful warrior yet he hides behind a mask."
"Hmm… This Xanforess, what do you make of him?" Jorgan enquired further, pondering about the mysteries of the two adventurers that Paylor had spoken of. He knew about Grey's past, in fact if it wasn't for Jorgan then he and his mother wouldn't have been allowed to return to the family, so Jorgan knew Grey's skills as well as his wild behaviour. Xan on the other hand held his interest, he remembered seeing him and one of the brothers chatting at the exam, he was sure Xan could tell that him and the two instructors were standing before them without the use of magic.
"Newcomer about five months ago, was sent straight into high silver rank the moment he joined, not too sure on the details myself." Paylor only looked into Xan's background because of his sudden relationship with the brothers and Grey, beyond that he never really took an interest in the talent the Adventurer's Guild attracts. "He supposedly hides his true appearance when in the company of the guild, a monk I believe is his chosen disguise. Other than that, he has two large one handed hammers, magical items I think but not ones I have seen before."
"Send word to this Xanforess to head to the gates of the Heaven's Mountain clan, he will be tested and if he passes then he can join as the tenth member of Heaven's Mountain's combatants." Jorgan stated, raising to his feet as he finished speaking, waving his hand over the tea set and sending it into his spatial ring. He noticed the confused and surprised expression on Paylor's face. "When the time comes, I will avenge the death of the brothers, until then I won't let their deaths be in vain… Remember, Brutus is mine!"
Before Paylor could utter a word, Jorgan strode out of his shop in a near blur of motion. As things stood, Paylor was expecting the surprise visit from Jorgan to go horribly wrong, culminating in him having to pull off a miracle just to keep his plan afloat. Yet, repeating Jorgan's words over in his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if there truly was a god, and if that god was smiling down upon him.
Wrenching himself from his stupor, he set about writing a letter to his younger sister, informing her of the excellent news. If they could get Xan into the tournament, then they were assured to meet with Alex at least at some point during the competition, and if things went exceptionally well then they could move onto stage two of his plans.
Paylor needed Alex on their side, if he learned of his true identity then he would be far more cautious than before. With Alex on guard, he wouldn't have to worry about him for the time being, he could focus solely on the next stage. In order for Alex to rightfully take his place as the heir, he would have to show that he was a true successor of the clan, a task that is insanely difficult to pull off in the short term.
Each of the six original clans has a special ability that is inherited by only the direct descendants of the main branch, this ability is unique to them and them alone. If Alex truly was the successor to the Silver Wolf clan, then he would have to unlock this ability and show the current leader of the clan, otherwise it would be mere hearsay that he happened to be similar to the lost heir.
Paylor didn't want to wait on Alex somehow chancing upon his inheritance without guidance, instead he wanted to use the second method, one that would bypass the low probably of success. However, it wasn't without its risks.
The second method lied in family heirlooms, the six original clans were there during the height of some of the greatest crafters in the world. At that time, they each acquired several items that were bound to their bloodline alone, these items could only be used by the direct descendants of the main family. If Paylor could get his hands on one of the two remaining pieces of Silver Wolf equipment that reside within their own vault, then he could use it to prove Alex's bloodline.
The only fault in the entire plan was if by some chance that Alex wasn't the lost heir, then Paylor would be hunted down by the Silver Wolf clan for stealing an heirloom. An outcome Paylor wished to avoid at all costs, but the chance of success was considerably higher than any other option he had available.
There was a third option, one that removed the risk but had the lowest chance of success. The Silver Wolf clan, like the other six original clans, had lost several items during the battle against the Tyrant King, if he could get his hands on one of the three missing Silver Wolf heirlooms, then he could earn a favour from the clan as well as sticking it to the king.
Sighing, Paylor returned to his work, determined to finish through the reports and send away the letter before nightfall. Then, he could focus on searching for a way to break into the Silver Wolf clan's vault.
Author's Note: Just to note, Jorgan isn't upset that the brothers are dead because he likes them or values them as true apprentices, rather he has a serious distaste to the subtly that the nobles play their games, to him they are nothing more than a serious nuisance and hinder his work. The leaders of the clan he joined need Jorgan to take an apprentice for appearance's sake, a master who doesn't teach isn't a master.
An apprentice is often seen as the hallmark of a true professional as it means they are passing on the skills and knowledge they had gained onto someone else. In the situation of the clans, a master taking an apprentice, especially for someone like Jorgan, is a serious event and status symbol. Not only does the clan gain a disciple that will learn from someone powerful, but they show the clans progression into becoming stronger. Therefore, Jorgan is strongly urged to take an apprentice, but it isn't something that they can force unto him as there would be no point in trying to sharpen a broken blade.
Comments:
Eris – Thank you for the comment. The dryads are an interesting bunch, I wanted to make a way for the pair to regain a tiny fragment of their honour back, something to sustain them despite the constant hardships they face, however, sometimes things don't ever go their way…
The spirit form was only viable through Kagaras, the old oak tree was an extremely powerful entity, one that's rank was far higher than anyone. (can't say what it is but its far higher than Jorgan's own) With this Kagaras gained vast knowledge on countless subjects as well as skills in spirit magic, he used a high level spell to transmit the pair's souls to the forest which had a substantial amount of spirit energy that could sustain them easily. Kagaras needed to use up several years of his life to use such a spell, in comparison, if Raven were to do the same it could easily kill her.
As for the spirit form itself, there are lesser versions that lower ranked spirit magic users can use but their effects would never be as powerful nor able to be used to an extent as what they used in the forest.
Beast will make an appearance… though not anytime soon… and not in a way I think anyone would expect…
I wish I can have someone swoop in and save them, but doing so would defeat the purpose of them fighting for their own survival and living by their own means, they have to fight for everything they have and never once give up. If I constantly bring people in to save them it would defeat the purpose of growing, not that it isn't bad thing or an overused trope, rather because I want them to learn to survive and harden their minds to the fact that it is only each they have to rely on, no one else will come save them.
Frog31791 – Thank you for the comment. I have to say that I was worried about posting five chapters at once as Fanfiction has a tendency to link people to the latest chapter rather than the one they last read, if this is a problem then I can space out my uploads times a bit more. If this isn't the case then please just ignore this, thank you.