Chapter 24:
Pupil and Swords
Disclaimer: I went back and changed Alek's rank to S, and the party's rank to C for it to make sense considering who Alek is in terms of his tribe and power. You don't need to reread all of volume three so far, but I recommend skimming over it just so you don't get confused.
We set off the next day.
The Valley of Catakoni was around half a day away from Rikarisu, so we brought the essentials for the journey. Food, which for the most part was just dried jerky, and water (Created by yours truly.)
"So, ah, how much longer until we get there?" Ares asked, panting. His appearance had improved significantly now that he had washed his hair and put on clean clothes.
His stamina sucked. He was panting and breathing heavily, his forehead wrought with sweat. Not that I'm one to talk about stamina, of course.
"...H-Hey, Alek. Do you mind if we take a break or something?" I asked. I was faring a little better than Ares, but I was still tired. We had been walking for around two hours by then, so my calves were beginning to give out.
"It's no problem," Alek said while glancing over the horizon.
The sun was beating down on us harshly. I walked over to a rock wall and silently cast a wind spell that shot breezy air in my direction.
"Ahh…" I let out, shutting my eyes and enjoying the pleasant sensation that washed over my body. Ares wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked in my direction.
"How're you holding up?" I asked as he leaned on the wall next to me. He sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead.
"Not well. You seriously had to deal with this for three days straight?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yep. I'm just glad that it gets chilly during the night. Plus, if Alek wasn't here with me, I'd probably be a corpse in the middle of some field around these parts." I said.
"Hah. So, Lumina," Ares said.
"Yeah?" I responded.
"How long has it been since you were teleported here?" Ares said, looking me in the eyes.
"Ah, it's been…like nine days?" I responded.
"...Nine? I've been here for at least thirty!" Ares exclaimed, facing me. Thirty? Why was there a time discrepancy? Wasn't everyone teleported at the same time?
"That's…strange. We were sent to more or less the same place too." I said thoughtfully. Wait, so if Ares had been sent here thirty days ago… There were three weeks of time lag.
I considered this for a little longer. So that means… I'm not even sure how long it's been since my birthday anymore.
"Well, let's try not to think too hard about it," I said. Ares furrowed his eyebrows and leaned his head against the stone wall.
Breaking me out of my thoughts, Alek perked up and whipped his head to the side.
"You see anything?" I said as I placed my hands on my kneecaps. Alek said nothing. Abruptly, his figure blurred. The next moment, two halves of a feral coyote monster flopped onto the ground with a slam.
Alek kneeled and picked up the remains of the monster. "That's convenient…" He said. I'm never going to get used to that no matter how much time I spend with him, seriously.
"Wait, what? How did you do that?!" Ares exclaimed, his eyes brimming with some overflowing emotion. Alek looked over at him.
"Ah, I just keep two small daggers in my hand just in case something jumps at us. It's mainly for protection." Alek explained. He was holding up a pair of daggers that couldn't have been longer than thirty centimeters. The monster he had cut was easily a meter long.
Those daggers had a very intricate design, with the broadsides having carvings in the shape of a forked line. The handles were a leathery black color, and their hilts were a dull gold.
"...I want to learn how to do that," Ares said, glancing at the monster's remains.
"That'll have to wait a bit. That's an advanced-tier North God technique. Right now, you don't have a sword, so I can't start training you until we get you one," Alek said.
Ares looked down, dejected. Swordsman with no sword, huh? I feel bad for him…wait.
"About that, I happen to have a sword you could use," I said. The sword I had gotten from Roxas's father would have just gone to waste otherwise. I was still much too weak to be able to use a sword proficiently. At least, that was what I told myself. Ares on the other hand, was decently toned and had a nice build. Despite being malnourished, his body hadn't declined much. Maybe I've been glancing at him a bit too much.
"You do? Weren't you a magician?" Ares asked. He peered over my shoulder, where I had the sword strapped to my back.
"You're right, I am a magician. But I just got this sword as a gift around a week ago." I unsheathed the sword and presented it.
Upon examination, this sword looked quite high-quality. I didn't give it much thought when I received it, but I took the chance to do it now. It had a few dings on the spine here or there, along with small black and green marks; all of which suggested the sword had been in use for some time. Despite that, the cutting edge itself didn't have any chipping at all.
There was also something ominous about the blade. It just gave off a strange aura that I'd never felt before. Additionally, it shone a gold-green color when the blade caught the light.
"This blade is beautiful…Whoever gave it to you has great taste," Ares said, taking the sword in his hands.
"Although I've trained with a lighter sword more suited to the North God Style, I feel like this one is good enough for me," Ares grinned, doing a few empty thrusts in the air.
I looked over at Alek. "I suppose that works out nicely." He said, looking at Ares aggressively attacking the air.
He had a nice rhythm to his strikes, and it was clear to me that he had some experience holding a sword. I had never seen a North God Swordsman before Alek, so seeing a lower-level swordsman at least helped me make out what the principles of the style were.
Alek smiled at him, and we continued on our way.
Ares
Lumina was an interesting girl. Despite being a Greyrat, she was nothing like the noble girls that I knew. She wasn't stupid like them, either. She was extremely perceptive. She also had a fancy-looking staff and presented herself like she could use it.
That's just what I think though. It'll be a pain if she doesn't know how to use the thing and just got it as a present or something.
The only thing she had in common with the noble girls that I knew was how pretty she was. Not that I regularly look at her. Or that I'm fond of her hoodie.
One thing that I didn't ask her was how exactly she knew where I was. From the looks of it, Rikarisu was a giant city. It just didn't seem feasible to me that she had found me. I didn't even know why she had decided to buy me.
…That makes it sound like Lumina owns me. I shook my head and continued walking.
Now that we were taking a break, I decided to chat with my new…teacher. I didn't feel comfortable calling him my master yet.
"Hey, Alek," I called out. He was collecting the remains of the monster he had killed in an instant.
"Hm?" Alek turned around to face me.
"Now that I've got a sword, do you mind showing me a few techniques?" I asked.
I wasn't skilled enough to use almost any of the techniques that Alek used regularly, but starting with the basics couldn't hurt.
"Hm. Tell me, what rank are you in the North God Style?" Alek asked me.
"Intermediate-tier," I responded.
I was proud of the title. Even if it wasn't much compared to the heights of the Sword God or Water God styles. I held my master in high regard for helping me to even get to this point, to begin with. Speaking of, I wonder where Auber is right now. I didn't worry about it, as Auber could probably get along fine in all sorts of places. He was just that sort of man.
"Then I suppose I can. This won't be any formal training, but try to follow along with my moves," Alek said, drawing his massive sword from his sheath. You're going to use that thing… to demonstrate? I stared at him, but he gestured for me to wield my sword.
I hastily took off the leather covering and grasped onto the hilt tightly with both hands. I guess Alek took that as confirmation. The next thing I knew his sword was barreling through the air, which made me jump in surprise. Before I could even nod at his movements, the giant greatsword flew past me, just barely missing my cheek. With a large crash, it had embedded itself in the ground, splitting a huge boulder in two in the process!
The hell? Was he trying to kill me?
No… he missed on purpose, didn't he?
Lumina cried out in surprise and moved away from the area. "Warn me at least!" she shouted.
"Throwing your sword at an opponent is an extremely useful skill to have, especially when you're cornered," Alek said, ignoring Lumina.
Master Auber had mentioned it a few times, but I never managed to get the hang of the technique for accurately throwing a sword. I practiced for hours but I could never do it. At the time I shouted at him for not being able to teach me properly.
I checked that Lumina wasn't in the way, and I grasped my sword and threw it sideways toward the rock wall. I let it go and watched it fly through the sky… not so gracefully. It clumsily lost its angle midair, making the hilt hit the wall instead of the tip of the blade.
"You let it go far too early."
"Right, I get that at least. Any pointers?" I responded. This guy isn't much more helpful than Auber was.
"Hm. Try shutting your left eye." Alek said.
I walked over to the dropped sword and picked it up. I walked back to where Alek was and gave it another shot, following his instructions. My perspective was slightly shifted thanks to it, so it took me a few seconds to adjust. When I did, I hurled my sword forward, throwing it with all of my strength. C'mon… The broadside of the sword clattered against the wall, and it embedded itself into the ground.
I groaned. I grabbed the sword and went over to Alek.
"I was like you once as well, don't feel discouraged. Let me show you a trick that my teacher showed me when I was stuck myself." Alek said.
"Bring your sword over to the height of your cheek." I nodded and held it in the air. "Now, after you swing your elbows, flick your wrist."
"My wrist? I'm using my whole arm for this, aren't I? What's my wrist going to do to help here?" I asked. He wasn't making much sense to me, but he spoke in such a confident tone despite it.
"Using your wrist like that creates more momentum for the sword to travel farther and more accurately," Alek said.
Right…
I scoffed and decided to follow his instructions. and felt a small pop in my wrist as I hurtled the sword forward and threw it. It didn't manage to hit the wall at the right angle. The hilt of the sword clanged against the wall, making the whole thing bounce back. Again…
After many more tries and about ten minutes, I finally managed to throw my sword with a vague amount of accuracy.
It zipped through the air, spinning a few times in the air, and managed to stick itself into the wall. The impact made a small ding sound as the metal cleaved into the rock.
"It worked!" I jumped up in celebration. I noticed Lumina peering at the sword I had just thrown. She grinned, and silently gave me a thumbs-up. Well… I'll take that.
"Don't be too hasty in your celebration. During a battle, you'll find yourself with no time to concentrate. However, if you keep this up, you may find yourself much more skilled than you were previously." Alek said.
I nodded. "Thank you for the advice, Alek," I said. To be expected of the North God.
Alek was strange in his own way. I had never met anyone like him before. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, and he wasn't too uptight either. He was easy enough to talk to, something I couldn't say I was expecting from such a world-renowned person. He had even decided to help out Lumina when she was in a pinch. I don't know why he did it, but the fact remains that he did.
Alek smiled. "It does feel strange to pass down my techniques, I will say. Never did I think I'd be able to teach someone. Once I start training you seriously, I'll be able to call you my disciple." Alek said.
I chuckled. "Being a disciple of the North God almost sounds too good to be true."
We continued on our way towards our destination. The sun was now directly above us, continuing to scorch us.
Lumina
Soon after Ares and Alek finished with their sword practice, we arrived at the bottom of the Valley of Cakitoni.
"Woah!" I exclaimed. The valley was massive. The top of the valley was twenty meters from the bottom, and it stretched out for as far as the eye could see. The top happened to provide some shelter from the sun, so there were a few plants here; lots of flowering cacti, and dead bushes.
The view was incredible. Sure, I had seen images and videos of places like this, but they paled in comparison to the real thing. The massive height of the wall made me feel like an ant in comparison.
I noticed that the ground was littered with sand and small rocks. I picked one up and blew off the sand it had stuck on its surface.
"So, are those the sunstones?" Ares asked, looking at what I held in my hand. This was probably it.
I'd seen sunstones before, mostly in internet forums relating to astrology. Something about the "Healing Power of the Sun" and whatnot. Like most things related to astrology, it was all bullshit. Just rocks, really. I could tell that these were sunstones, even if they weren't polished.
"I guess so. We have to get a lot of these, so we might be here for a while." I said, raising the empty sack that was soon to be filled with sunstones.
Ares sighed. "I hope the money's worth it, then." He bent down to pick up a sunstone.
"Well, if it would make it any easier, I'll assist," said Alek. Well, I'd hope so. The shame of being a slacker while holding the title of North God would be immense.
My thoughts were cut off as Alek unsheathed his sword. What is he planning on doing with that thing?
The markings on the broad side of Alek's sword glowed a faint purple, and he grinned.
He shut his eyes, and then I felt it. The wind. It was almost gale force, yet I wasn't blown away. The sand and the stones all shot up around a meter high.
This isn't wind magic…
The sands blinded me, leaving me to stumble in the dark. The pressure in my ears was building, and I could feel that something abnormal was happening. My feet didn't feel as anchored to the ground as before, and I felt nearly weightless.
I opened my eyes, and the sands had dispersed. I could feel the hair on my head begin to float upwards as if gravity had been reversed. The sunstones that were previously on the ground were now shining brilliantly, as so many grains of sand had brushed against them. They were all floating two or so meters off of the ground. It was a sight to behold.
"How's that?" Alek beamed. Just what in the world… I was left staring at the surreal sight of the glimmering stones levitating off of the ground.
Ares gawked at him, stunned.
"Just what did you do?" He cried out.
The sunstones glided together, colliding in the air. A large group of several sunstones clumped together.
"The King Dragon Sword Kajakuto's title of the most powerful sword in existence isn't just a namesake. With it, I have the power to control the force of the world in my hands!" Alek triumphantly claimed.
I could hardly believe it. Alek's greatsword could control gravity with ease, and he would barely have to bat an eye! No wonder he was the North God. Almost nobody would even stand a chance in the face of his power.
"That's some seriously absurd power!" Ares said, his eyes still widened.
"Hm. That aside, I hope you two aren't going to stand there forever. Collect the sunstones, would you?" Alek said as the sunstones dropped to around one meter off of the ground in tandem with his words.
"A-Ah, right." I stammered out.
Just as I was about to grab a stone, the ground began to rumble violently. Off in the distance, the valley was beginning to fill with a cloud of sand. Within the cloud, I could barely make out a figure within it.
Alek squinted and sighed. "I'll take care of this. They're just a bunch of Doomsnakes." He said, deactivating his gravity magic. The stones clattered onto the ground, with several of them shattering.
"Wait!" Ares called out.
"What is it?" Alek responded.
"Are you going to handle it all by yourself?" Ares said.
"It would be a waste to do so otherwise. They're just small fry, anyways," Alek said, looking at the far-off cloud of dust.
"I know that you're more than capable of taking them down yourself, but if you don't let us fight in real battles, we won't learn anything," Ares said.
"...But you're children," Alek responded.
"Not just children. I don't wish to be pampered the whole time until we get off of this continent. I want to learn how to defend myself because you won't always be here to 'handle it'," Ares rebutted firmly. His expression was serious.
Ares was right. I didn't want to fight if I could avoid it, but there were going to be times when I couldn't regardless. I was never going to get stronger or more independent if I hid behind Alek's shadow. Nor would I ever end up seeing the full potential of what Curse Magic could do.
Alek considered this for several seconds. "...I see then. But I will not let any of you die today." Alek didn't sound all that convinced, but at least he would let us have a shot at it.
Ares turned around, and excitedly said, "Hear that, Lumina? You are coming along, right?"
I blinked in response to the sudden question. "Ah… Of course!" I nodded my head.
Ares grinned at me. "Well then, Alek. Let's be off." Alek and Ares began walking towards the ever-encroching cloud of dust, and the figures within.
Author's Note:
Thank you for continuing to read. I'd like to thank the writers GC I'm in, particularly Paul (Known as Miiphlet here, go check out his stuff) for helping me work out the chapters better.
I am currently being swamped with schoolwork, so expect a one-chapter-per-week upload schedule from now on. Contact mushoku_tensei on Discord if you'd like to read the chapters as they are written via the Docs Version of Lumina Greyrat. Thank you all.