Chapter 40
A month flew by rather quickly, far faster than their time in the Forest of Ravas. They found that training and practicing made them extremely tired, especially as they committed themselves to it as they would've done back in the titans if they were taking triple training sessions in one day.
After their incident with the Thunder Form Bow, they stowed it away and refused to use it until Rhordan could control her lightning element far better than before, and Gideon had a tower shield and a layer of cushions strapped to his back. Their ceaseless training stemmed from the words Pavel spoke to them, reminding them that to become strong they couldn't give in no matter what. They wanted to gain power so that they wouldn't have to rely on others helping them, that they could take matters into their own hands and fight their own battles without running away.
Pavel set up a shooting range for Rhordan, one that allowed her to test her accuracy at range as well as the power behind the arrows. He had wanted to bring in a teacher for her though with the brothers having to keep a low profile that wasn't an option, instead Gideon came up with an idea that had Pavel regretting offering to help. The idea involved a wearable target, an obstacle course, and a lot of running. To say that it soon became Jorgan's new favourite sport to watch was an understatement, especially when it was Pavel's turn.
Though it did help Rhordan immensely as she now had moving targets that she could fire at, it allowed her to alternate between standing and firing, or chasing the targets and firing while running. Adjusting her aim and engaging the level of power needed to fire the bow at certain times while running soon became her focus, ingraining muscle memory into her that could allow her to react at a moment's notice.
Rhordan's training actually helped Pavel and Gideon, it allowed them to work on evasion tactics and avoidance techniques. Running through the obstacle course while carrying a heavy wooden object on their back weighed them down and forced them to judge distances and movements far in advance before they got it, a useful skill to learn as they may need to evade attacks when carrying objects, or when they are suddenly weighed down for some other reason.
Gideon meanwhile worked hard in mastering the basics of the katana, his training speed far outpaced Pavel's expectation, so much so that the two were spar against one another on a daily basis with the katanas. Gideon struggled to beat Pavel in their matches, his skill with multiple blades always shone through whenever Gideon pressed the advantage. This impasse forced Gideon to revaluate his style of attack, he couldn't rush forward and close the distance as the blade he now used had a range to it that inundated this preferred method.
Over time, Gideon managed to adapt to the new style, keeping his distance and striking with speed and efficiency before retreating to make his next strike. It was a style that Pavel struggled to counter as Gideon's lethality with his strikes instantly scored a point on Pavel if he made a single mistake, and as Gideon learned to master this style, Pavel was gradually forced to take the defensive every time they sparred. He was eventually forced to retake his preferred weapon of choice, the glaive.
With the new weapon in play, Gideon found difficulty facing an opponent with a longer reach, though his new style proved useful as it allowed him to hold his own for a while before losing. Pavel soon figured out letting Gideon get familiar to the weapon was a fatal flaw, so using his extensive knowledge of weapons he switched out the blade he used every match. It threw off Gideon at first, but he used it to practice fighting with different enemies.
Altering his style one last time, he found his new one encompassed all types, including ranged types, except it forced him to relearn all of his moves. His new style required the use of a second katana, the two weapons allowed him to alternate attacks and adapt to the battlefield easily, and it didn't even diminish his speed or agility and kept his newly created style of combat.
Their physical training progressed far better than their magical progression. It proved fairly difficult for them to absorb the element even with the books' guidance, for some reason their magical core refused to accept the elemental energy every time they tried to draw into it. They even broke their rule of abstaining from revealing information about themselves, asking Jorgan about their inability to absorb elemental energy.
His response was weird, he tried to explain that some people aren't suited to using magic, until his eyes crossed over the partially covered crater in the ground. After that, he would just stare at the two in bewilderment before leaving for days at a time with no explanation. The pair were worried about his actions until Pavel's interest in Jorgan's actions got the better of him and he followed him, reporting back to the pair that Jorgan was enquiring with academic researchers into why a person couldn't absorb elemental energy when they had actual visible talent for magic.
It was a shock to them, that the Ice Master himself had about as much of a clue as they did, though the fact that he was searching for answers worried them. They could not ever mention this to another person as it could be lead back to them, and if their case is used by someone like Jorgan, then they could attract a lot of attention fairly quickly.
Pavel on the other hand dismissed their worries, he could tell that they didn't want the attention, nor could he blame them after becoming the heir to the Frostmare family. He explained that Jorgan had never used anything specific to describe them, keeping his questions short and curt before changing the person he spoke to. Pavel's reassurance came at the heels of Jorgan storming in and yelling about how inept academic researchers were, that he would have a better chance finding his answer by smashing his head against a library door than asking them.
Without the ability to increase their magical power, they focused solely on physical training, hoping to at least make up the difference. Spend every spare second enhancing their bodies and training with their respective weapons, they found their strength growing in leaps and bounds. One such case was Gideon's speed, with his conscious sleeping condition he could enhance his body twice as much as Rhordan, resulting in him being nearly twice as fast as he was before. He could out pace Pavel in the arena, using his unique katana style to dance around him, although it only lasted until Pavel started using his full apprentice rank physical strength.
By the time Jorgan had finished his investigation, they had received word from Paylor by encrypted letter roughly a week after arriving at the mansion. It was somewhat ironic that they were to be kept hidden until after the tournament, about the same time that Jorgan would lose the mansion at Heaven's Mountain.
As for the tournament, that was a delicate subject ever since Pavel got kicked from it, though with Xan taking his place he became obsessed with knowing what he could about his replacement. Pavel did try and make it seem that he wasn't trying to delve into Xan's background until Gideon caught on, from then on Pavel openly discussed the skill of Xan, determined to challenge Xan to a duel as soon as he could.
The more Pavel knew about Xan, the more he wanted to watch the tournament and cheer for Xan, his way of sizing up the competition. Except, Jorgan ordered Pavel to coordinate with the transportation crew that was supposed to arrive during the tournament as the streets would be fairly empty, an order that Pavel fought tooth and nail to disobey only to be shot down time and time again.
"Where are they?" Pavel groaned in frustration, he stood outside the front of the mansion in full dark blue garb that resembled official family colours, the cloak had a large phoenix like bird emblazoned on the back. Beside him, in similar official Frostmare family clothes, was Gideon and Rhordan who both volunteered to help with the move since they were in part to blame for the situation they were in.
"Maybe they got lost?" Gideon absentmindedly asked, his attention was fully set on the Nature's Fury tome in his hands. He had tried many times over and over again to no avail, the tome wouldn't relent to his control nor would it detail why, and as this was the last day he would have access to it, he wanted to spend every second studying it.
"They're being led by my cousin, who knows the exact route to this place since he stayed here!" Pavel almost roared the last part, pacing back and forth in agitation. He had wanted to get the transportation crew sorted and completed before the last round of the tournaments, hoping that he could see the finalist competing.
"The tournament could have locked down streets and roads, they may have to take a longer route to reach here." Rhordan had been working her way through whatever books she could get her hands on, currently she had one on the intricacies of magical items. Though Jorgan and Pavel thoroughly explained them, she wanted to get an in-depth look into the inner workings of magical items, hoping to find a way to craft her own, or at least be able to fix or mend them.
"Not for the Frostmare family, we may be shy of the six original clans, but we do have enough recognition and fame that we could be considered the seventh original clan." Pavel proudly stated, puffing out his chest as he spoke. His words roused Rhordan from her reading, thinking over what she already knew about the six original clans.
"If two of the six original clans are gone, wouldn't bringing in two new clans be far better than only having four of the six still active." Rhordan enquired, curious as to way they didn't bring new blood to help with matters around Larravass. She understood that name alone answered part of her quest, but that didn't mean they couldn't make another clan an honorary member.
"Pride and arrogance." Pavel curtly stated, it seemed that he too had thought on this matter as well. That he had asked the same question she just did to whoever he could. "They think that the six original clans can never be removed from power, that their blood is pure and can never be replaced. Supposedly the two clans still have blood lines left, and the other four aren't going to shift until they are all dead and gone."
"Elite status does wonderous things to the mind." Gideon held enough attention in the conversation to chime in with his viewpoint on nobles, still intently staring at the tome. Rhordan elbowed Gideon in the ribs, the two exchanged a glare before returning to their respective reading.
"They better turn up soon, otherwise…" Pavel trailed off his sentence, shaking his head furiously. His pacing increased greatly as he glared death into the ground, he was biting at the bit to hit something harshly.
"It doesn't do any good to fret." Rhordan turned to Pavel, his pacing irritated her somewhat, but she didn't want to snap at him. "All we can do is wait."
"I hate waiting!" Pavel whined, stomping his foot like a child before leaning against the white walls of the mansion. He sighed heavily as he tried to calm himself, not wishing to cause a further scene. "They shouldn't be this late… a request from Jorgan, and me being the heir to the family, should have them at the gates the minute after they heard the request."
"Wait…" Gideon stopped his musing over the tome, looking up and out into space. A niggling thought had been gnawing at him for a while know, ever since Jorgan told them that he had been kicked from the leader's position. "Is it me, or are things not adding up?"
"Oh, here we go again!" Rhordan sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Gideon glared harshly at her, daring her to dismiss his paranoia after what had happened in Bardia. "You can't go one month without brainstorming a conspiracy theory! I'm surprised that you have the brain power to even make up this stuff!"
Pavel snorted and immediately shifted his eyes to stare at a group of flowers with great interest when Gideon glared at him, coughing slightly and started whistling nonchalantly. Gideon returned his glare back to Rhordan, somewhat irked that she was arguing with him over this.
"I thought you would have my back!" Gideon exclaimed, somewhat hurt that Rhordan would dismiss his suspicions without hearing him out first. He felt that after what they had been through, that she would give him the benefit of the doubt and not dismiss him out of hand.
"I do!" Rhordan now equally upset, turned to fully glare at Gideon at his words. She trusted him, she would stand by him and protect him no matter what, but his suspicions tend to get out of hand, and of recently put them in extreme danger. "Your suspicions are outlandish, and require countless pieces of evidence to even be held true. Your last one is purely circumstantial, and without proof, its just a theory."
"Oh really, so you just think its coincidence that the heir of the Frostmare family is left alone to pack up an entire mansion!" Gideon exclaimed, trying to defend his findings as well as his integrity. "Especially when Jorgan was thrown out of the clan by suspicious means, and everyone is currently attending a tournament far away…"
Gideon and Rhordan stared at one another, they slowly turned their heads toward Pavel who was now looking at them with confusion. A chilling thought occurring to the pair as they realised that Jorgan's dismissal had nothing to do with them or the plot by the king of Averia.
"What?" Pavel's eyebrow rose high on his face, he was confused at why they were staring at him wildly. As if there was a problem with his very existence.
"Pavel, don't think. Name the first person that wants you or your family dead?" Gideon quickly stated, Rhordan following not far behind him, both of them praying that they were wrong or that their training from the titans was only kicking in because they were arguing. "Specifically, one that has enough sway with the leaders' of Heaven's Mountain?"
"That's easy, Kasan Winterblade of the Winterblade family. Them and my family have had a feud since the dawn of time, and Kasan has a personal beef." Pavel chuffed, glowering into space when he mentioned his arch-nemesis. "But they're glorified cowards, they wouldn't have the stones to come after us directly."
"Not with Jorgan around." Rhordan warned Pavel, realising that this time Gideon might be on to something. "But if he is kicked out of the clan, with as little as a month to find new accommodation…"
"The Winterblade's don't have anything that the Heaven's Mountain clan would want, let alone the power to actually force their hand." Pavel shook his head, dismissing the pairs' ranting. "And anyway, if it was ever found out that they were involved, then Jorgan and the rest of the Frostmare family would be baring down upon them, something the Winterblade family would want to avoid."
"Do they not have any backers?" Gideon countered, trying to seal up the holes breaking through his theory. He was sure that the reason for Jorgan's boot from the clan couldn't be with them and the plot against the Silver Wolf clan, the coincidences there would have to be drawn with a crayon.
"None but…" Pavel paused mid word, his mind working over a few things before he spoke them aloud. "Kasan is supposedly a part-time adventurer, and he was supposed to be taking the exam into the gold rank three months ago…"
"Exactly the time when Jorgan played that trick on the morning examination." Rhordan groaned, though there were still a few pieces missing, they now had motive for the Winterblade family to act against them. Gideon wasn't following the conversation anymore, he was more focused on the gates at the far end of the mansion.
He could faintly feel the nature around him, the plants and grass were like tiny transmitters that send and receive signals, without the aid of a forest's own life pulse this was as much as he could use them for. Though that was enough for him to feel for when the grass was stepped upon, a method that allowed him to track movement and see if people were moving near him, and he was feeling a large group walking leisurely across the road outside the mansion.
"Kasan is an entitled jerk, that little trick alone would be enough for him to get revenge." Pavel chuckled, shaking his head at both Jorgan's antics and Kasan's temper. "But not to attack me here, especially not with Jorgan in Larravass. He's a jerk, not an idiot."
"How many people did you say were coming to pick up the mansion's items?" Gideon knelt down and pressed his hand against the grass, focusing his senses solely into the grass around the path outside the row of mansions. He couldn't exactly tell the number of people walking along it as the pavement blocked his sense, and he knew that the path was wide enough for a carriage and people to walk comfortably on it.
"Not much, only a single caravan with a few spatial storage devices. Why?" Pavel stared weirdly at Gideon, he didn't know much about the brawn of the pair's nature ability, other than the almost unheard of rogue with such an element attunement. He did know that those of the nature element could somehow use plants or grass to track movement, but supposedly that was a knight rank ability. "There should be a contingent of guards as well, but nothing more than a dozen."
"We have a group of at least two or three dozen, that or they are spacing themselves out as there's at least ten on the grass." Gideon tried to extend his ability to sense the people directly, though with the limit of the element's energy around restricted his ability. He passed a glance to Rhordan, hoping she could sense them with her spirit sense.
"Even if they are here to attack us, the mansion has a protective barrier enshrouding it. One that no one, except one of the King rank combatants, can break." Pavel smirked smugly, apparently enjoying the fact that he knew all about the mansion's defensive capability, and the shield encompassing it. Pavel's chest was puffed out, pride and arrogance beaming in his eyes, until a large whirring sound echoed throughout the mansion. A dome around the mansion suddenly became visible before cracking and dissolving in a matter of moments, Pavel's chest started deflating at the spectacle happening above them. "Except when it doesn't…"
"Leaders' of Heaven's Mountain clan can turn off the shield, can't they?" Gideon's rhetorical question deflated Pavel completely, staring dumbly at the fading shield as he nodded. Gideon and Rhordan shared another look, conveying how much they were getting annoyed with being in the wrong place at the wrong time once again. "Any other way out?"
"Pavel! Now would be a good time to focus." Rhordan snapped Pavel out of his stupor, jolting him into action as he spung around and headed towards the mansion. Gideon and Rhordan was close on his tail, depositing the items they held in their hands into the spatial ring behind Pavel's back.
"Jorgan choose this mansion for the simple purpose that it was close to an underground cavern system inside the mountain." Pavel rambled aimlessly about the secondary escape route, and Jorgan's paranoia, as they entered the main hall. Pavel was shaking his head, unable to rationalise what was happening. "He built a secret entrance at the back of the mansion, one that no one could find unless they knew where it was."
"At the rate we are going at, that may just be a possibility." Rhordan shook her head, cursing their luck and the world for leading them into traps. She felt that the secret escape may be well enough known by the leaders of the Heaven's Mountain clan that they would have told the assailants.
"James!" Pavel called out, he stormed across the hall towards the middle of the room as he waited for the mansion's head butler to come out of one of the secret doors. Yet, he didn't, in fact none of the staff came to the young master's call. The staff of the mansion weren't rarely seen, they arrived at the day and tended to the mansion before disappearing by night, only James lived in the mansion. They would occasionally see people dressed in white robes flittering about, working on whatever had been ordered by James, except they weren't there. "Where is everyone?"
"Forget about that, magical items can be retrieved, bring someone back from the dead, not so much." Gideon quipped ironically as he passed Pavel, heading towards the secret door leading out to the back of the mansion, he knew he was the exception if what happened in the abyss was anything to go by. Rhordan wasn't far behind him, checking through the spatial ring to ensure they had everything stored within.
"I can't just leave our family's treasur…" Before Pavel could finish his statement, a massive shockwave rocked through the mansion. The walls and building itself hadn't been damaged, which only meant the gate at the front had been taken out. "At least help me get The Frostmare's Talon. We can't ever let that fall into the wrong hands."
Moving quickly, they headed towards the throne of the mansion, aiming for the glaive above it. Pavel pressed his hand to the glass containing the weapon, a blue light glowed around his hand before the glass suddenly disappeared. Taking the glaive off of its stand, he held it delicately in his hand, he had an intense desire to twirl the relic through a few moves if they weren't in their current situation. Holding the weapon delicately, they fled out the back of the mansion as the front door got torn from its foundations.
Running across the backyard ignoring another loud explosion behind them, an abrupt ice wall exploded from the ground before them, cutting off their escape. Turning around, they found five people standing before them, all brandishing weapons. The lead person held a beautiful hand-crafted staff with a pure cut ice blue gemstone with a hint of gold laced through it adorning the top, he wore a similar ice blue robes that matched the Frostmare family's official robes, except his had several blades emblazoned across them. He had tan skin and short shock white hair, his piercing white eyes glared viciously at Pavel. A massive hole blown through the mansion from where he and his uniformly dressed armour cladded goons had exited from.
"Hello old friend, why the sudden rush?" Kasan's smooth and regal voice was filled with venom, the malice grin on his face chilled the three staring at him. "Don't bother thinking you can challenge me Pav. My friends are all of the knight rank, not even you can challenge them."
"Kasan, come on." Pavel tried to sound cheery, offering a small smile though his eyes held utter hatred. "Do you really think that Jorgan won't be back soon?"
Pavel was lying through his teeth, Jorgan had told them that he wouldn't be back until the day after the mansion was cleared, leaving them on their own until tomorrow morning. However, Jorgan's name was enough to startle the four armour clad warriors beside Kasan, they each had full plate mail with an ice blue emblem of a sword in a blizzard, brandishing claymores or swords and shields.
Pavel was trying to figure out a way to escape from Kasan, the weapon in his hand was next to useless and the two beside him hadn't broken through into the Novice rank of either physical or magical power. Though, even if they had, they still wouldn't be enough to hold their own against the warriors before them, not that he would fare any better. He had to figure a way out for all three of them, as well as his family's greatest heirloom.
"Don't think that these are all I have, there is twenty more inside the mansion tearing it apart, a charity contribution from the Frostmare's to the Winterblade's." Kasan grinned even wider, loving the twitch in Pavel's eye as he spoke. Taking a daring step forward, Kasan smirked proudly at his captured prey, savouring the kill. "Oh, and Jorgan won't back for another three days, I made sure of that… That glaive in your hands, it would make a really good prop for my bed, its been slanted recently."
Pavel ground his teeth, itching to attack Kasan but he stayed his hand as he knew this was what he wanted. If Pavel assaulted Kasan first then he would lose whatever advantage he had, and they needed whatever boons they could get. He had to stand his ground and suffer Kasan's taunts.
"Kasan, are you sure that you have the advantage?" Gideon stated calmly, finally entering the conversation and drawing the enemy's attention. He moved over, leading them over slightly to the right of Pavel. Smiling innocently as he spoke, his posture relax and unafraid.
Ever since the incident with the Thunder Form Bow, Gideon made sure that Rhordan kept fuelling the bow's core with energy as it could be used in an emergency. This being one such case. Rhordan had been charging the bow silently while Pavel and Kasan were exchanging verbal barrages, the light from the bow was hidden somewhat by the ice wall behind them. However, as Rhordan powered up the bow, the brighter it got, the more noticeable it became.
"Who are you?" Kasan glared in contempt at Gideon, irked that someone would dare talk to him other than his intended victim. He followed Gideon's movement over somewhat, intent on attacking the irritating fool first though he was morbidly intrigued by his prey's relaxed attitude.
"Me? No one interesting, but I'm rather baffled by how you think you have the advantage." Gideon chuckled, shaking his head as he smiled happily at Kasan. The small growl from Kasan nearly broke Gideon's calm composure, the bubbling rise of laughter trying to escape could destabilise the situation instantly.
"I have twenty-four soldiers of the knight rank or higher at my command, you have to be blind or an idiot not to know math." Kasan snapped, glaring harshly at the insolent boy chuckling at him. Pavel had been struck dumb by Gideon, he didn't expect one of the twins to intentionally rile up Kasan and make the situation far worse, but he wasn't expecting the calm and uncaring attitude he took.
"That is true, very true… except we have something that triumphs your soldiers easily." Gideon smiled, he noticed Rhordan giving him the go signal. She couldn't hold the power of the bow as it's arrow grew gradually in strength. If she wasn't careful, then the shot could take all three of them out.
"What are you talking about? Have you gone insane!" Kasan erupted into laughter, his goons following suit as they each laughed at the boy before them. They couldn't take the weak boy before them, threatening them with something that they were sure he didn't have. "That talon is useless and all other items have been locked down by James."
The moment the head butler's name was mentioned, Pavel felt his blood boil. The betrayal stung fiercely, especially since James wasn't just a friend to the Frostmare family, he had been saved by Jorgan when he and his family encountered a rogue band of bandits just as the Ice Master happened to be in the area. Pavel's pain at James' betrayal would be a drop in the ocean compared to the tsunami of rage from Jorgan.
"You would have to have another magical item of the same rarity of that useless talon!" Kasan couldn't keep himself from crying in laughter, he was absolutely loving the situation as were his goons who were nearly dropping their weapons. Pavel's face drained drastically as realisation dawned on him, he slowly turned to stare wide eyed at Gideon.
"Hope you didn't leave anything fragile inside the mansion." Gideon grinned madly, unable to keep himself calm as he watched Pavel stared at him as if he was a madman.
"OH S…" Pavel swore harshly as he started chanting, his actions jolted Kasan and his goons out of their merriment, trying to ready their weapons and magic to counter whatever Pavel was casting. Though they were cut short by the blinding purple light emanating from Rhordan who brandished her Thunder Form Bow at the highest charge she could hold.
Stunned for a split second, they watched as a streak of bright purple exploded past them and into the mansion through the broken hole in the wall left behind by Kasan. Pavel's spell casted just moments before the arrow hit the central support beam, a wall of ice encompassed all three of them as a shockwave of apocalyptic proportions rattled the ice shell encasing them.
Seconds later, the ice shell shattered and sent all three flying backwards several metres. Pavel was the first to spring to his feet, collecting both of the unconscious twins and throwing them over his shoulders, each of them sporting several injuries. He grabbed hold of the talon and the bow, bolting towards the secret entrance leading out of the mountain.
A passing glance behind him sent a chill down his spine, the mansion didn't have a wall left standing, nor did any of the walls surrounding the mansion either except for a small segment over to the far right. Pavel was sure the explosion could have been heard from the tournament itself as his ears rang brutally. He was grateful that a master rarity magical weapon was in the hands of a beginner, otherwise that explosion would have been a thousand times larger, and it would have instantly killed everyone on the mountain.
Kasan and his goons standing outside would be up in moments, though those inside the mansion would take seconds, if not minutes to get back to their feet. However, if anyone was at the centre of that blast, then they wouldn't be coming after them for hours.
Activating the secret panel on the wall, he passed another glance over his shoulder to see Kasan on his feet and wildly look for him. The wall section slid open, revealing a dark tunnel into the mountain. Dashing through, he deliberately left the wall section open as closing the secret entrance could lose whatever ground the twins had given them.
The tunnels were a massive labyrinth of interconnected caves and crevices that were impossible to navigate without either a map, or in Pavel's case, being forced to run the route leading out of the tunnel every day for eight months until he could do it in his sleep. Jorgan prided himself on ensuring his family had ways to escape if he or the family guard weren't there to protect them, an insurance that Pavel was silently thanking the old man for.
Pavel made sure to take differing routes, doubling back and twisting around different tunnels to throw the pursuers off his trail. He could hear Kasan and his soldiers mindlessly trying to follow him, failing at every turn as they ran into dead ends or sheer drops. They were struggling to follow as Pavel powered through the mountain, putting an even greater distance between them.
It took Pavel a full hour to escape from the mountain, exiting by a cave on the other side of the mountain from the village. It was a blind spot in the Heaven's Mountain clan's base, one that Jorgan's curiosity found, and his paranoia hid from the other leaders. He had been debating about informing the other leaders about the cave system, though he never had cause to trust the other leaders bar from the benefits they were throwing at him.
With his strength at the apprentice rank, he could carry the twins and the weapons effortlessly. Once free from the mountain he ran towards the nearby forest, taking a direction leading far from Heaven's Mountain and Larravass until the brothers had recovered. He wanted to get to Jorgan immediately but carrying around two bodies over his shoulders made losing pursuers impossible.
Clearing nearly two leagues from Larravass, he found a clearing in the densest part of the forest and laid the brothers down. Setting down the weapons as well, he secured the permitter, checking for any magical beasts or tracks that may indicate a potential threat. He found only a few indications of threats, but nothing that could be an immediate problem for them, though the forest they were in was known for having magical beasts of the knight or baron rank.
Returning to the brothers, he found Gideon groggily waking up. He was trying to go to Rhordan's side though with a left leg that was twisted unnaturally, and his right arm snapped in the wrong direction, his actions were more floundering rather than aid.
"Careful." Pavel moved over to Gideon's side, trying to calm him down before he broke something else. "Nice work with the Thunder Form Bow, though I'm still trying to work out how you communicated all of that with no words."
"Did we escape?" Gideon coughed harshly, his body felt far worse than being used as a dog's chew toy, mangled and beaten badly, his only solace being his newfound ability to detach himself from his body's sensations somewhat. Focusing the nature energy to his wounds, he started to heal himself, though he had to avoid the broken bones. His healing capabilities only encompassed cuts or bruises, broken bones were a completely different issue, and one that he couldn't heal properly.
"Yeah, the blast gave me enough time to make it to the tunnels, after that it was child's play to lose them." Pavel grinned, patting Gideon gently on the shoulder. "I wished that blast took out some of them, but since they are knight rank and above then they would suffer nothing more than a momentary stun. Although, if it had hit Kasan directly he wouldn't be around anymore, shame."
"The mansion?" Gideon knew the building would have suffered structural damage, and most of its contents would have been destroyed, he was hoping that there wasn't much damage. They already got in trouble for putting a hole in the mansion before, this time he feared the reaction from Jorgan.
"The defense grid was down, the mansion was just wood and stone." Pavel grin widened immensely as he tried not to erupt into laughter, the adrenaline in his blood slowly ebbing away, and the seriousness turned to hilarity. "There ain't anything left of it. I think I saw the wall on the far right side still standing, though that might have been just my imagination."
"Jorgan's gonna kill us…" Gideon groaned, trying to ignore Pavel's boisterous laughter at his words. He was glad that they escaped, though the destruction of the mansion was going to bite them at some point. "Pavel, can you put my arm and leg back into place. My healing ability doesn't fix broken bones, but I think I can fix the skin around it to hold it place."
Pavel's laughter died off, he stared fixedly at the twisted limbs, somewhat glad that he wasn't at the beginner rank of physical power. At the novice rank, they would be healing at over double the rate than normal and have a denser skin and bone structure, and apprentice rank quadrupled it as well as solidifying both skin, bone and muscle. It meant that the blast from before only dazed him for a split second from his distance, except the brothers were mangled because of being two ranks lower than him.
Giving Gideon a chance to grab a stick and bite down on it, he snapped his leg back into place, waiting for him to cease biting down heavily on the stick before fixing his arm. With his leg and arm back in position, Gideon was able to heal them to the point that the cuts and bruises were no longer an issue, except his bones were still broken.
"Can you collect some sticks and vine." Gideon asked, though his wounds were gone, his bones needed time to heal. He would have to make a splint for himself and Rhordan, her left leg was the only one that was twisted, her hands were another matter. The burnt scar tissue covered her palms and fingers that had been clasped around the bow, the black and blistering red skin looked extraordinary painful. "I need to make splints for me and Rho, we won't be walking far or fast in a long time."
Pavel nodded and disappeared into the forest, leaving Gideon to heal Rhordan's wounds one by one. Taking his time to focus on each of them carefully, though his inability to walk or move one of his arms slowed his progress greatly, he wanted to ensure he healed her without fault. By the time Pavel returned an hour later, he had healed most of the wounds except for her leg.
"Rho's still unconscious, fix his leg and I can apply a splint before he wakes up." Gideon conferred with Pavel, the pair nodded to one another before setting Rhordan's leg back in place, healing the wounds and the scar tissue. Gideon had to walk Pavel through making the splint, his knowledge on medical practices didn't stray far from applying bandage to wound, if pain persists then apply green stuff and more bandages. Working another pair of splints on his own leg and arm, Gideon sat there with Pavel, letting the adrenaline ebb away as they waited for Rhordan to wake up.
"I don't like leaving the talon out in the open, nor the Thunder Form Bow…" Pavel griped, staring at his family's greatest heirloom as it laid on the ground not far from them, the bow right beside it. "We should move quickly lest we attract thieves."
"Hand it to me." Gideon agreed with Pavel, he didn't want to leave such a priceless artefact out in the open, especially one that had just saved their lives. He reluctantly took the ring from Rhordan's hand, working it onto his smallest finger due to is small size, he finally understood how Rhordan felt using the device. It was like having a window you couldn't see, yet knew exactly what you were seeing without actually seeing it. Gideon's brain hurt trying to rationalise it in his mind despite having the evidence before him.
Pavel gave Gideon a strange look before complying, holding out the glaive and the bow before him. With a wave of Gideon's hand, both items disappeared instantly. Pavel stared in shock at the ring for a few moments, taking a minute to shake himself from his stupor.
"How do you have a spatial ring?!" Pavel exclaimed, his eyes wide and jaw failing to close properly. "Those are difficult to get your hands on, at least ones with a decent space. I mean the market can offer up the rare chance of getting a small half metre ring, but one that can hold a two-metre glaive…"
"Rare dungeon find, we just got lucky." Gideon partially lied, hoping that Pavel wouldn't press further into their case. He watched Pavel shift his gaze between Gideon and the ring, shaking his head and chuckling.
"No wonder you kept it hidden, I just thought it was a sentimental old ring." Pavel chuckled, smiled broadly. Gideon breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Pavel didn't press further. "I take it Nature's Fury is in there?"
"Yeah, as well as enough provisions to last three of us… probably a week, maybe two." Gideon had to recalculate the number of items they had stored in the ring for the three of them, though he knew they didn't top it up since arriving at the mansion. "Oh! And a ton of books."
"Hahahaha, no wonder Rhordan kept the ring all the time." Pavel and Gideon laughed merrily at Rhordan's obsession with books. They calmed down after a few minutes, staring out into the forest quietly as they thought. "Truthfully, I want to get back to Jorgan immediately, but with the Winterblade family, the leaders of Heaven's Mountain clan, and Averia's king at play, I don't want to risk it."
"Agreed. Also, Kasan is the shallow type." Gideon nodded his agreement to Pavel's fears, though he found himself receiving a curt laugh before being stared at in confusion. "He's the type to be easily flustered, meaning his first course of action is to try and find us quickly. The first place he'll go is Larravass, if he can cut us off from getting to Jorgan, then he has the advantage."
"Yep, that sounds exactly like Kasan." Pavel chuckled, agreeing with Gideon's predication of Kasan's moves. The Winterblade heir wasn't the brightest when it came to tactical moves, opting to follow the simplest and easiest method rather than trying to figure out his enemy's moves and countering them. "Wait, there is no way a moron like him thought up this plan."
"I don't know, and I don't care." Gideon groaned, his brain aching from all the thinking he had been putting it through. "What do you think, Rho?"
"Whoever is behind it is most likely trying to kill the heir before Jorgan gets involved, they found an opening and used it." Rhordan grumbled, raising herself up and resting against the same tree Gideon was. Scanning over her leg, she inspected the stint carefully. "Geo, aren't we in a forest?"
Gideon didn't know what stunned him more, the nickname Rhordan gave him, or the fact that he was an idiot. He had closed off his connection to the forest after the bolt was fired from the bow, the shockwave combined with the senses of plants dying instantly would short his mind badly, and when he woke up, he was more focused on Rhordan than his own idiocy.
Connecting to the forest, he felt its life force surround him with an overwhelming force. Its power source was far greater than the forest outside Logara. Swimming in the bond, he extended his senses out around him, collecting signals from plants, grass and trees from all around, tracking whatever movement he could.
He redirected the life force of the forest towards his leg, allowing the energy to wrap around his broken bone and pulsing nature energy into it. He watched as the grass grew around his broken leg, watching it glow bright dark green before slowly dissipating.
"Good call, but to no avail." Gideon grimaced as his leg remained broken, shaking his head and focused on changing the purpose of the grass. He fortified his stint on his leg and his arm before working on Rhordan's, ensuring they were held tightly in place and had a higher durability. "It seems my level of healing is the standard basis across all boards. Though, I can say for certain that there is nothing moving around us for at least half a league."
"I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on." Pavel bluntly stated, shaking his head and leaning back against another tree. Rhordan took stock around her, until her hand suddenly clasped over her hand and found the ring gone. Frantically looking around, she was trying to find it when Gideon suddenly remembered where it was.
"Oh, here." Gideon took off the ring and handed it over to Rhordan, somewhat apologetic about not returning it before. Rhordan took it gratefully, but she passed a panicking glance to Pavel as she did. "He knows, had to store the talon in the ring, the bow is in there is as well."
Rhordan passed a seething glare from Gideon to Pavel, daring them to speak of the ring to anyone. Yet, Gideon and Pavel broke out laughing, their comment from before blaring to mind as Rhordan stared confusedly at them. The stress leaving them as they laid there.
"As much fun as it would be to sit here and joke around, what's our next move?" Pavel turned serious, staring at Gideon who flinched at the suddenness of the question. He knew that they had to plot their next move, but he was sure that Pavel would take the lead as his knowledge of the area was far greater than Gideon's own.
"Me?" Gideon exclaimed, shifting his gaze between Pavel and Rhordan as if either one would spontaneously cure his confusion. Rhordan was stunned by Pavel's question, though she agreed with his reason. If it hadn't been for Gideon's decisiveness, they would be stuck in Bardia, trying to avoid goblins.
"Yes, as much as I pride myself on being a warrior and skilled fighter. I can't think as far ahead as you." Pavel sighed, he hated admitting it, but he needed to. If Gideon hadn't figured out the plot before it happened, they would be standing in the front of the mansion struck dumb by Kasan's entrance. "Nor can I keep a level head, especially when it comes to people threatening my family's heirloom."
"Geo, just take the lead." Rhordan smirked, she could visibly see his ego inflating with Pavel's words. She felt someone had to dial it down a bit. "But, if everything goes wrong, then we know who to blame."
"Thanks…" Gideon deadpan, glaring at her half-heartedly before sighing. Calming himself, he thought through everything he knew about Kasan, including the joke he made earlier with Pavel. "We need to find Jorgan, what's the last thing you know about his location, Pavel?"
"He was searching for another mansion to rent, I think he is on the south side of Larravass." Pavel recalled Jorgan's words, as well as the information of where property is either sold or rented out. It was a small area near the south, but it wasn't the only place that one could go to find temporary accommodation. "With Jorgan's prestige, and from what Kasan said back at the mansion, I suspect he's on the western side by the Sparkling Grove. It's a high-end retail area for only those that have serious coin and fame."
"That would make sense, force Jorgan as far away as possible, if he is on the western side then he would take even longer to return." Gideon agreed, they were on the far eastern side of Larravass, and even though Jorgan could move faster than the Wind Riders, he would be laden down by having to go around Larravass to get to them if he wanted to travel as fast as possible. "You said that that explosion could be heard from the tournament? What's the chances of people coming to check out the incident?"
"Slim, the leaders can shut down the gate and bar entrance to anyone short of the truly powerful." Pavel shook his head, he had the same thought regarding Jorgan, that word would reach him eventually if they held out long enough in the forest. Jorgan would know where to look if the mansion was lost as he trained Pavel to hide out in the forest until Jorgan came looking for him. "If Jorgan knew the mansion was lost, he would search the forest first."
"Not if Kasan does first, its only a matter of time before he realises that we aren't going to Larravass." Gideon shook his head, Kasan's temper and short sightedness wouldn't keep him to the borders of Larravass, eventually he would try to scour the forests for them, and this time they wouldn't have a secret escape route or a house to blow up. "Or are we…"
Gideon had to outsmart a desperate villain trying to kill them before Jorgan finally caught wind of the situation, and from the group of soldiers he had, it wouldn't be that difficult for them to track them down and take them out. Unless they did the one thing Kasan was expecting them to do.
"Kasan knows we are going to do whatever it takes to get to Jorgan, he's our safety net. Now that we have escaped, he thinks we will go to Larravass and search for him." Gideon surmised his thoughts on Kasan, placing his own mind in Kasan's and altering it to suit the image he had of the teen. "But if we stay out here then he will come looking for us eventually…"
"What are you getting at?" Rhordan quipped, levelling a stare at him demanding that he explain what he was babbling about.
"Remember, Kasan can't be the one behind the plot, its too organised, too precise." Gideon had been thinking on the mysterious third party, one that would have enough sway to twist the hands of Heaven's Mountain clan's leaders. They would be on the same level of cunning as Baltharn, which meant he had to be far more devious than before. "Whoever it is, expects us to stay in the forest and out of Kasan's way…"
"And you want us to go straight to Kasan." Rhordan exasperatedly sighed, she knew Gideon to be an idiot, but this was an entirely different level of ridiculousness. "You do understand the idea of escape means not going right back to our pursuers?"
"Pavel is a skilled warrior, he's on alert now and he knows who he is up against." Gideon countered, directing Rhordan to the main element of the ambush. Pavel was trained to escape and survive by Jorgan when facing against forces beyond his power. "Kasan is a ruse… a misdirection because of the feud between him and Pavel, whoever is thinking this up is trying to play to Pavel's training. Pavel, what's the next part in the escape plan?"
"It wasn't much of a plan really, more hide in the forest until Jorgan can find me." Pavel thought over the plan Jorgan had him memorise. Jorgan's skill with ice and other magic allowed him to find his targets almost instantly over a vast area, if he kept himself in the forest for as long as he could then Jorgan would find him eventually. "It's the same plan every member of the Frostmare family is taught when they come to stay at the mansion, Jorgan refuses to let anyone of his family be held captive or killed because he or the family's guards aren't there to prevent it."
"Everyone who stays at the mansion?" Gideon asked, he knew Kasan was the prop, the decoy to lead Pavel astray. Gideon knew that Pavel would have figured a way into the tunnels eventually, he was highly skilled in the art of weapons and had been trained by Jorgan, he would have enough tricks up his sleeve to evade Kasan and his goons and escape the mountain. That wasn't in question, what was happened after he escaped. "Including a certain cousin that hadn't turned up?"
"Flax ain't a traitor! Ha, he wouldn't have the stones to go against Jorgan." Pavel laughed, he dismissed the case against his cousin instantly, until he remembered how he laughed at the thought of Kasan breaking into the mansion only to stand face to face with him moments later. "Okay, so maybe he is. I mean Flax is the third heir, if he took me and Helenia, the second heir, out then he would be in line for the family head seat. But Flax is more of a shifty coward with delusions of grandeur rather than mastermind."
"Anyone above him?" Gideon needed a better picture of who he was out thinking, if he had a better idea of who wanted Pavel dead and for what reason, he could formulate a far better plan than trying to go in blind. "Anyone who would have cause to secure Flax's position in the family as well as the intelligence to pull this off?"
"Umm…" Pavel thought over Flax's family tree, trying to think who would have the mind to outwit Jorgan as well as enough sway with the Heaven's Mountain clan leaders to force him out of the clan. It wasn't a long list since Flax's parents died several years ago after an incident with a rogue magical beast, and his grandparents were banished from the family after they failed to break through into the knight rank which ruled them out. There was only one person that fit Gideon's description. "Flax isn't behind this, he has no one backing him… but Helenia does. Her grandmother, Beylina, she has contacts and the skills to plan this, and she is Captain of the family guard."
"And I take it you know the reason as well?" Gideon could see the deflated look in Pavel's eyes, the moment he knew who was behind the plot, all the exuberance left him. He first thought it was shock from figuring out the mastermind, but there was something else hidden there, Pavel's expression was more of shame rather than shock.
"Beylina isn't evil, if that is what you are thinking… she's upset and angry with the clan leader, and I don't blame her." Pavel shook his head, running his hands over his face as he sighed. "Helenia recently turned fourteen, and it was found out that not only is her aptitude high, but there is also a possibility of her having the Battlemage secondary core."
"Beylina's upset that Helenia isn't first heir." Gideon could understand an angry parent when their child just showed immense promise and only got second best. It would explain the decoys and subterfuge, if any of it got back to her then Helenia would suffer and lose her position as second heir.
"Pretty much, she lost it with the clan leader after Helenia demonstrated a battlemage ability in front of the elders." Pavel sulked, leaning against the tree as he slumped down. He was ashamed of the clan leader's decision, especially the reason for their decision. "The only reason I have the first heir position is because there is a chance that I am related to our family's ancestor, the clan leader wants to put the ancestor's descendants back as the main family line."
"That sounds… ridiculous." Rhordan shook her head, a secondary core wasn't something to laugh at, especially if they have high potential. The limit Helenia would have is non-existent, especially with the battlemage core. If she remembered correctly, it combines both physical and magical power into one and boost their capability to absorb energy. Not only that, but a battlemage has the ability to alternate between long-range and close-range combat magic, a feature that made them a devastating opponent on the battlefield.
"I know, I even tried to have a private word with the clan leader, explain that if a battlemage sat on the Frostmare family throne then not even the original clans would dare to hassle with us." Pavel proudly stated, though a tinge of shame entered his voice as he spoke about talking with the clan leader. Pavel was a warrior by heart, he valued strength over status, it didn't matter who was the clan leader as long as they committed themselves to improving the family and protecting it. "The clan leader shot me down, forced me to stay at the mansion with Jorgan to think about my actions. He told me that by the time I return, that I should be ready to accept the position of clan leader… regardless of if I wanted it or not."
"And Beylina doesn't know this and wants to remove you from the first heir position by making it seem like the third heir got greedy… great." Gideon groaned, villains are one thing, they focus on a deadly sin, one that can be exploited. However, when it came to those that works on principal or honour, they're unpredictable, infallible and persistent. There was only one way to fight Beylina. "Pavel, where is the tournament being held?"
"Centre of Larravass, its meant to show that none of the six clans holds precedence over it." Pavel answered instantly, the tournament's company line is neutrality from all.
"I don't like where this is going, Geo…" Rhordan warned, she could literally see the cogs turning in Gideon's mind, and she wasn't liking where this was going.
"What about The Frostmare's Talon?" Gideon ignored Rhordan's glare, opting to focus on the single way to beat someone like Beylina. "Is it well known? Could it be identified by anyone?"
"Well, yes. I mean it is our family's core heirloom, its practically our family mascot. Anyone who lives in Larravass would know it at a glance even if they had never seen it before." Pavel chuckled, though he wasn't liking the line of questions Gideon was asking. "What does that have to do with your plan? Or Beylina?"
"Beylina is the hero in this story, fighting against an injustice that shouldn't have been." Gideon smirked, loving the looks on their faces as he spoke. Rhordan's was his favourite as the implications of it meant she was now the villain, something she never thought she would be if she could avoid it. "Fighting a hero as a hero won't work, it'll fail, especially with Beylina being as prepared as she is. So, how do you fight a hero?"
"You become the villain…" Rhordan sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes at Gideon's plan. Pavel was startled at first, shifting his eyes between the brothers as he tried to wrap his mind around Gideon's plan. He didn't seem to like the idea as he slowly shook his head, suddenly regretting the idea of letting him make the plan. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking we just walk straight through the front gate of Larravass." Gideon smirk grew into a full grin, his idea was unbelievably nuts, he himself thought he was losing it. Yet, fighting someone as prepared as Beylina, one had to be a madman in order to gain any advantage they could get, Gideon could now understand how the Joker must've felt fighting Batman. Pavel and Rhordan stared at him as if he lost his mind, reluctantly waiting for him to explain inane idea. "We walk through the gates of Larravass, via every tavern and bar from here to there… while brandishing The Frostmare's Talon."
"Are you nuts!" Pavel exclaimed, it was one thing to let the talon get stolen, it was another to waltz through the town with it in hand. Every person within a hundred miles would descend upon them… "Oh… that… that might actually work…"
"What am I missing?" Rhordan glared harshly at Pavel and Gideon, demanding they explain the secret message sent between them. She followed along with all he had said, though there was something she was missing. If they walked through every tavern and bar with a well-known master rarity item, they could forget hiding or trying to escape. Word would travel fast, to every corner of Larravass, that someone as weak as Pavel was brazenly walking in the open and without guards with the Frostmare family heirloom…
"Oh… you're insane… you are literally insane!"
Author's Note: Hehehe… This is going to be fun!