Chapter 9, A Turning Point
After an assault by Thyndhime destroyed the capital of Zuri'el, Nazeem, Nyleah, Lura and I fled farther North. We didn't know what to do, but I heard that the country of Vraldeen was considered quite safe. And since Zuri'el was the northernmost nation, Vraldeen was only a week-long trip by foot. After a few hours of walking, it was the middle of the night and we began to feel tired. "Alright guys… we should probably get some sleep, so I'll create a bonfire for warmth and stay on watch for the night. The four of us settled down inside a cave and I lit us a fire.
The next day, I began preparing early by going out to hunt for breakfast. I wasn't experienced with these kinds of things, but if we're gonna survive, then it's best if we assume the worst and acclimate to our new situation fast. I searched for a while, trying to find any animal which would have enough meat for a meal. Eventually, I came across a deer feeding on a small patch of grass. I channeled mana through my hand and unleashed a stone bullet which pierced the deer's neck, killing it. By the time I dragged it back to the cave, Lura and Nyleah were already up. The two of them weren't talking, they had bags over their eyes and a pained expression on their faces. I plopped the deer's corpse in front of us and lit it on fire with magic. After a few seconds I dissipated the spell and cut the deer into edible meat chunks. I created plates out of ground magic and put a chunk of cooked deer on each one, handing them out to Nyleah and Lura. I began eating, but neither of the girls did. Instead they just sat there, completely distraught. Perhaps I wasn't as hurt from this because I went through the same thing already. But still, this was much different. My father isn't here to protect me, we're all alone out here. If we run into a high level monster on the road then that's it, we're dead.
"Mmph, fucking hell. Where am I?" Nazeem said. He had woken up, but I guess he was in a bad mood. Lura spoke up in response to Nazeem, "We're in a cave. Zuri'el has fallen to the Thyndhime kingdom. Now we're fleeing, don't you remember?" I spoke up, "Don't worry. Nazeem does this often, he's not a morning person so give him a bit of time to wake up. Oh that's right Nazeem, I've got some breakfast for you if you're hungry." Nazeem grumbled and went back asleep.
After about an hour, the four of us packed up and headed North. I led the group, making sure the path was clear of danger, since Nazeem still had diarrhea, he wasn't going to be much use to us in a fight. I noticed Lura and Nyleah were still silent, so I decided to strike up conversation, "Lura, once we make it to Vraldeen, the first city we enter is going to be a place you might know quite well. It's actually the main reason I chose to come here instead of one of Zuri'el's allies." Lura looked up at me, her eyes had an interested look in them. I continued talking, "It's the legendary swords village of Karth." Her eyes lit up, "Wait a minute!? Karth is in Vraldeen? And it's the southernmost city!?" I chuckled, "Yeah, it's actually two locations. One is in southern Vraldeen, and the other is in the Eastern portion of the Thirteen Kingdoms. But the Karth, which is in Vraldeen, is a lot more impressive. I'm sure you know some of the legendary warriors which have come from these cities, but almost all of them have come from Vraldeen. Some of them include Solomon the Angel, Vintriess the Usurper, King-Killer Gord, and the God of Gods Shyzenkraum." Lura ran over to me, "Wow wow wait! You're telling me Solomon the Angel used to live in Karth!? He's like… the most powerful person to exist in history! I've heard stories of his rivalry with Shyzenkraum and how he tamed an entire den of legendary dragons with just his aura. He's known to be the most powerful mage in history. He even created light magic! Not only that, but he's also the creator of the God tier system. He is the first ever God tier swordsman." That was actually news to me. " Really? I didn't know Solomon created the system for determining God level beings." Lura nodded in eagerness. Looks like my job was a success, Lura is now in a good mood. All that's left is Nyleah. The tough thing is, I have no idea what she's into. We've only known each other for a few days. Hmm, "Hey Nyleah?" She looked up at me. "Are you into adventuring? If so, Karth has some really rare grimoires which can help your skills with the bow and expand your arsenal for magic abilities." "O-oh… yeah I did kind of enjoy that excursion we went on. Learning some new spells sounds like fun…" She formed a small smile, "...Thanks Kil." Let's go! Mission accomplished, I've successfully turned their frowns upside down.
We continued walking for a while until Nazeem pointed something out, "H-hey guys… shouldn't it be heating up about now?" He was right. It would usually cool down a bit at night but the scorching hot heat would always come back before lunch. This time however, it still felt as if it were night. Actually, it may have been colder. I spoke up, "Yeah you're right. I wonder if this has to do with Thyndhime's invasion. Maybe they were the ones who'd changed the climate?" I doubt that's the case, but I can't think of any other reason why. The four of us shrugged off this news and continued walking until sundown. We took shelter inside a cave. This time it was much smaller and the four of us were cramped inside of it. I had no room for a campfire so instead, decided to form a small stone shelter with just enough room for me to fit inside. I layed down inside it and kept watch for the rest of the night.
For the next 3 days, things went along easily. We had made good time, and were able to make it inside Vraldeen a day ahead of schedule. The weather was continuously getting colder, Nazeem and Lura had begun shivering in their sleep so I created campfires all night round for extra warmth. Nyleah and I seemed to be fine with the new temperature change. At night, she would often stay up late with me and talk about her family. It seemed to give her comfort so I listened closely and absorbed as much information as I could. Her voice was soothing to my ears, I loved the way she told her stories. I could stay up all night just listening to her talk, I didn't care what it was about.
After about five and a half days of traveling, the four of us made it to Karth. We hadn't met anyone or fought anything the entire trip. Lura was itching for a fight, and honestly I can't wait to continue training. We had made it to a gravel road which led upwards on a hill. Once we made it to its peak, the outskirts of Karth revealed itself to us. Small farms were spaced out across the plains, they grew crops which expanded throughout the entire area, leaving only the road clear. Past these farms, was the city of Karth. Its borders were held at the bottom of a hill, so as the city got closer to its center, it was raised higher up on the hill.
By the time we made it into the city nightfall was near, so I visited the closest inn and bought a room for the night. Luckily, we had made enough money from our dungeon to last us a while. But we'd have to find a way to make more money soon, or else we'll be in trouble. Until then I'll prioritize our comfort, and if the time comes, then we can just make a small living as adventurers. I took the keys for our room and walked inside with Nazeem. Lura and Nyleah decided to walk around the city and become familiar with Karth. Nazeem and I decided to share a bed, which meant Lura and Nyleah would also have to share one. Nazeem plopped on the bed, making a loud sigh. I took off my outer garments and freshened up for the night. It'd been a while since we were in an actual civilization, so I was planning on making myself familiar with the neighborhood tomorrow. Perhaps if I got lucky, we could find a swordmaster who's looking for some pupils. After nearly an hour, Lura and Nyleah knocked on the door, Lura's voice called out, "Open up, we've got some intel." I walked over to the door and opened it, Lura stormed inside with Nyleah behind her. Lura stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes were scanning the beds. She turned to face me and said, "Why are there only two beds? Oh, did you get two rooms? That makes sense." I shook my head, "No no, we don't have enough money for a large room and we've gotta conserve as much money as we can. So I got us a single room with two beds. I'll sleep with Nazeem and you, with Nyleah." Lura seemed hesitant at this but shrugged it off easily. Lura and Nyleah got situated on their bed and so did I. Nazeem was closer to the wall, so I reached over to the lamp and turned off the lights.
I tried to fall asleep but I couldn't. I tossed and turned in the bed but gave up any hope of sleep. I got out of bed and quietly left the room. I made my way to the inn's lobby and went outside. It was cold outside, but it didn't bother me. I started walking down the road, aimlessly. It's almost been a week since Zuri'el was attacked, did I make the right call by coming to Karth? Should I have checked the capital? Was my family alive? Tears began to form in my eyes. What happened to father and mother? Why did this happen again? I curled over, covering my face, and began to cry. "Damn it… I'm such a fool. My family is probably dead and I did… I did nothing to help them!"
The next morning, I got up early and left the room before anyone else woke up. When I walked out of the inn my body was shot with a chill. It's freezing! The air was so crisp I could see my breath as it left my mouth. "Damn… I'm gonna need to find the four of us some new clothes." I walked back inside the inn and asked the innkeeper if there were any clothing stores nearby. The innkeeper smiled, "Yeah I believe there's one right on the corner of the block to our right." "Got it! Thank you sir." I bowed my head and left the inn once again. I made it to the corner of the block and sure enough, there was a clothing store with apparel ranging from light shirts for hot weather, to heavy coats made for harsh snowstorms. I looked around trying to find anything within our budget but couldn't find anything that suited my needs. I walked up to the shopkeeper, "Excuse me ma'am, do you have anything that can keep me warm in cold weather? I'm tight on money so it would have to be the cheapest you've got, if that's all right." The shopkeeper smiled, "Of course, let me take a look in the back." She walked out from the counter and into the back of the store. I continued looking around, trying to find anything that might be useful. The store had all sorts of things like scarves, sleeveless shirts, and even some adventurer gear. It was all pretty cheap but I don't want to buy anything until we're absolutely sure it's required. Suddenly another person walked into the store and made their way to the counter. It was a man. He carried a sword by his waist and wore iron armor. He's probably one of the swordmasters I've read about. Karth is home to a lot of these guys. And the swordmasters are the best-of-the-best. His rank has gotta at least be Lord or maybe even Overlord. The man looked down to me and asked, "Is the shopkeep in the back?" I nodded my head and he continued looking around the store. After a few moments the shopkeeper walked back to the counter and placed some light coats on the table. "These are the best quality we've got that are cheap. Anything worse than this probably won't last." The coats were black wool with white fuzz covering its collar. They seemed pretty sturdy and high quality so I bought four of them. "Thank you ma'am." She smiled and waved goodbye. As I left the counter I heard some chatter between the shopkeeper and the swordsman. I didn't pay much attention until a certain name was thrown around. "Solomon." The swordsman spoke of the legendary hero? I stopped before leaving the store, acting as if I were continuing to look around. The swordsman wasn't talking loud but I could hear parts of their conversation like, "Solomon… unhappy… great tragedy…" I wasn't too interested until three words came from his mouth in succession, "Solomon is mad." What!? Solomon, the Legendary Hero… is mad? But that would imply he's alive, wouldn't it? If this guy really is a master swordsman then his status is probably really high. Could that mean he has intel nobody else in the 13 Kingdoms does? If Solomon really is alive, then I would think it'd be common knowledge. But if the information was limited to only master swordsmen, then it would make sense why nobody else knew of it. Unfortunately, as I heard him say this my body staggered and I fell to the ground. The swordsman noticed this and looked back. He caught sight of me and began walking to me. I panicked and rushed outside the store. I turned left, trying to get back to the inn. But before I could make it halfway there, the swordsman grabbed me by the back of my shirt. Suddenly, I felt a sharp stinging pain in the back of my neck and lost consciousness.
When I awoke, my head felt fuzzy. I tried to look around but my vision was blurry. Then I heard a voice. It was deep and intimidating, "Oh for god's sake… you overdid it to the poor kid." Flick! Someone snapped their fingers and my senses suddenly came back. I was inside a giant throne room. There were master swordsmen lined up on my left and right. Behind me was the same guy who knocked me out. And in front of me, was a man sitting on a silver throne. He was old, with white hair and deep blue eyes. He wore some kind of metal chainmail, but it was black and had much smoother texture than any other material I'd ever seen. The man sighed, "Hello young one… may I ask your name?" I nodded, "Uh, my name's Kiliano… Kiliano Monfril." The man's eyes widened. "That name doesn't originate from Vraldeen. Are you from the 13 Kingdoms?" I nodded once again. The man took a few seconds to contemplate something in his mind, "Are you a tourist here, then?" I shook my head, "No… I came here for protection from the kingdom of Thyndhime." The man's eyes widened, "I see… so you're a survivor of the Zuri'el massacre. If you don't mind me asking, who have you come here with?" "I came here with three of my other friends. We went on a dungeon raid about a week ago, and when we came back to Zuri'el, it was in flames." The man's eyes and voice shift to a tone of more interest, "A dungeon? At your age, that's quite impressive. Novice level dungeons can be very dangerous for kids your age." I shook my head, "Uh, actually sir… it was an Advancer tier dungeon." The man seemed to stiffen at this response. "Incredible, four children were able to take down an Advanced tier dungeon, and travel all the way to Karth from Zuri'el in less than a week." He made eye contact with me, his eyes glinting. "Perhaps we can let you live…" Those words triggered me to jump back. If this guy was planning on killing me I wasn't going down without a fight. The swordsman behind me tried to grab me but I shot an elbow to his crotch and kicked his chin. The other swordsmen didn't react. Instead the man continued talking, "Stay calm boy. I have no intention of harming you, or your friends. My name is Solomon the Angel, and I give you my word." My eyes shot to meet his. Holy shit! This guy is Solomon? I guess it makes sense… His aura seemed to be quite controlled, but also very powerful. "Don't get me wrong. You cannot tell anyone else about my existence, if you do then your death is assured. But since you show great promise in combat, I'll allow you to train under one of my subordinates for the time being. I suggest you take this offer. If you don't then I'll have no choice but to kill you." I nodded my head and bowed down, "Master Solomon… It would be a great honor if I could train under you. I humbly accept your offer, sir." Solomon smiled and snapped his finger. One of the master swordsmen closest to him walked out of the lineup and began towards me. "This is master Gannon. He is an Emperor tier swordsman, and will be the one to train you and your friends. He will also act as your moderator, making sure you don't leak any information." Gannon bowed his head to me and smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kiliano." I smiled back at him, "Likewise, master Gannon, it's an honor to have you as my new master." Solomon continued talking, "Alright now that things are settled… snap… Give Kiliano his belongings." The swordsman I kicked in the nuts was still on the ground, wincing in pain. Once Solomon gave this order, he got up, still holding his crotch, and walked over to a table located by the room's wall. He grabbed the coats I had bought and handed them to me. "Alright Kiliano… go back to your friends, and feel free to tell them about everything you've seen here today. But make sure they know that this must be kept a secret. Master Gannon will meet with the four of you tomorrow, right at dawn." I nodded my head, "Yessir… thank you." I took my leave.
Once I exited the giant room I was hit with another wave of chilling cold air. I put on my new coat and continued back to the inn. W-wait a minute… I'm in the farthest part of the city from the inn. Did that swordsman carry me all the way to the main castle!?
After an hour of walking, I made it back to the inn. When I walked inside, Nyleah and Lura were in the lobby. Nyleah spotted me first, "Kil! Where have you been? We didn't see you when we woke up and I got worried! Are you okay?" Wait, she was worried about me? Ohh boy, this is great! I smiled, "Yeah I'm just fine… actually I've got some news that the two of you are going to flip out about…. Lura…" She made eye contact with me. Her face was a bit worried but also curious. Before I told her, the three of us walked back to our room, and I closed the door. "...I met a certain someone… And that someone is… ahem, Solomon the Angel." Lura's eyes widened. She stiffened and grabbed my shoulders, "What do you mean you met him!? He'd be like 300 years old." I nodded, "Yup! He kinda looks 300 years old actually hehe. I was taken to his castle when I overheard one of his master swordsmen talking about him. He said that if I wanted to live, the four of us would have to train under a Sword Emperor." Lura jumped up in excitement, "Yippee! Not only did you meet the Angel… but you got us a new master!? Kil, you really outdid yourself this time!" I made an embarrassed smile. Then I felt a hand touch my shoulder. Nazeem was still in bed, asleep. How the hell is this guy not awake!? I was gone for a while. Lura noticed this and yelled, "Oi, get up turd!" Nazeem opened his eyes slowly, "Mmh… What is it? Lemme sleep will ya." Lura shouted once again, "No Nazeem! You gotta get up, Kiliano has some important news for us." Nazeem sat up from the bed, rubbing his eyes. I continued to tell them about the confrontation with Solomon and everything that had transpired. For the rest of the day, we went around the city and got familiar with the neighborhood. We found the major marketplace and bought the four of us some lunch. The food they had was much better than the stuff we ate back in Zuri'el. It felt much more nutritious and was a lot more satisfying to eat. We continued exploring Karth until nightfall. When it got dark, the four of us made our way to the inn and ordered dinner. We ate inside our room and discussed the plan for tomorrow. Lura spoke up first, "Alright, so if we're gonna have a master who was assigned to us from Solomon himself, then we'd better prepare for some harsh training conditions. I doubt things are going to be easy on us." The three of us nodded. Nyleah spoke up next, "Since I don't train in the way of the sword, I'll just sit by and watch you guys, if that's alright." W-what? No no no… she'll get bored instantly, "I don't think you'll have very much fun though hehe. You should at least try it. There's no harm in learning some basics from a Sword Emperor." Nyleah hesitated for a second, "Well… I guess you're right. I'll try it!" I smiled, "Awesome! Trust me it'll be more fun than you think."
Back at Solomon's castle, master Gannon approached The Angel. "Master Solomon. If you don't mind me asking, why did you spare Kiliano? If we exposes the secret of your existence, then it could pose a huge problem, especially with Shyzen's recent emergence." Solomon smiled, "It really wasn't hard to tell that Kiliano has a huge amount of mana. If his friends are anything like him, they could very well have the potential to become great warriors. And as far as Shyzen goes, he won't make any major moves for a little while. As a matter of fact, I bet that Kiliano could become a great asset to us when we are eventually forced to face off against Shyzen once again. I'm getting older and weaker, but my age has gifted me with the ability to tell a person's personality just by looking at them. Kiliano will keep his word, trust me." Gannon bowed his head, "Yessir, please excuse me." He left the room. "Geez, sometimes I wonder what goes through master Solomon's head. If he's really so powerful that after 350 years he can still maintain the title of General, then why can't he take out Shyzen before his power fully regenerates." "It's because he's already too strong…" Solomon overheard Gannon talking to himself and decided to answer his question. "I would love more than anything to kill Shyzen a second time. But I do not have the power to kill him, even when he's weakened. My old age has made physical battle quite hard. But do not fret, I am still the most powerful magic user in Vraldeen, and possibly The 13 Kingdoms as well." Gannon dropped to one knee, "Yessir, I apologise for my insolence, please forgive me." Solomon smiled, ""No forgiveness needed. Please be on your way now, Gannon." Gannon stood back up and left the room. Solomon sighed deeply and laid his cheek to his fist. "How bothersome, a war is bound to start, it's just a matter of time until The 13 Kingdoms falls to ruin. No doubt I'll have to step in for that pathetic country once again. Hmm, I wonder what that boy Kiliano will do about this. That poor boy has nothing but pain ahead of him, I only hope he grows to become a powerful warrior… What a nuisance… that Shyzen is."
It was dawn now, I hadn't slept a lick tonight. My eyes were beginning to form bags under them, and I could tell my energy wasn't recovered. I got out of bed and used an Advanced tier healing spell to try and soothe my insomnia. My body's soreness went away, but I'm still not fully recovered. I'll need to sleep tonight if I want my body to actually get better. I put on my coat and left the inn. It was cold outside. So cold, that frost began to form on the grass which surrounded Karth. I walked outside of Karth's main gate and started a run. The outskirts were filled with crops, but most of them weren't doing so well. Probably because of the drastic change in temperature over the past few days. After a few minutes of warming up my muscles, I went back to the inn. I walked up to our room, opened the door and woke everyone up, "Everyone, we gotta get up. Training will begin shortly, so there's no time to waste." Lura and Nyleah got up without a hitch but Nazeem was still fast asleep. Lura was annoyed with this and sent a waterball hurling at his face, making a slash. Nazeem shot out of bed and stumbled onto the ground, "Gyah! W-what was that for?" Lura snorted, "Get up… we've got training now." Nazeem stood up and began getting ready. The four of us left the inn and headed towards Solomon's castle. When we had made it to the castle entrance, master Gannon was waiting for us at the top of the steps. He was standing, arms crossed, staring at us, "You're all late. But I suppose getting up at dawn was a bit too much to ask of mere kids." He scoffed. "S-sorry about that master Gannon. Admittedly, my time management is kind of shitty, heheh." Gannon scowled, "Follow me!" He turned his back to us and opened the castle's doors. We walked inside and continued on until Gannon made a right turn through a hallway. It led to a door that Gannon opened, revealing a large courtyard nearly twice the size of Lura's. Gannon walked into the courtyard and turned to face the four of us, "Alright, listen up! Begin with your usual warm-ups. Once half an hour has passed, I'll begin to teach you basic sword saint techniques. I don't care if you're Lord tier or Knight tier, we are going to start with Saint tier techniques whether you like it… or not." Gannon glanced over at me for a brief second before walking to the courtyard's side and sat down on a chair. Lura and Nyleah wasted no time in warming up. I noticed Nyleah seemed a bit confused so I grabbed her hand, "Here, follow me. I'll show you some basic warm-ups and techniques." She nodded and I took her over to the center of the courtyard. I began showing her the proper way to swing downwards. She put her footing in the correct places and prepared her swing. She raised her sword and swung down with perfect form. "Wow, you're a natural!" Nyleah blushed, "Oh, t-thank you." As I continued showing her some more of the basic techniques, I noticed Gannon eyeing me down. His eyes didn't seem judgemental but he was obviously suspicious of me. This guy isn't even trying to hide it. I stopped what I was doing and turned to face him. Our eye contact was seemingly unending. Gannon's aura began to visibly emanate from his body as he stood up, "Kiliano… fight me!" Everyone turned to face master Gannon in shock. Lura stepped in, "Wait a second! You're a Sword Emperor, and Kil is only a Veteran. You'll kill him in an instant!" Gannon ignored Lura's rebuttal and walked over to me. I turned to Nyleah, "Wait on the side of the courtyard, and don't worry about me okay? I'll be just fine." My three friends fled to the courtyard's side and watched as master Gannon and I faced off. My sword was already drawn, so I took a few steps back in preparation. Master Gannon grabbed his sword and unsheathed it. His stance was similar to one of the Southern styles in The 13 Kingdoms. "Ready yourself, boy. We begin now!" Gannon's body disappeared in an instant. His aura was still present, but I couldn't pinpoint its location. I stayed cautious, but not even five seconds passed when I felt a large amount of mana begin to flow right behind me. I swung my torso around, preparing to face Gannon, but before I could, the mana dissipated. This caught me off guard, which Gannon used as an opening to reappear right in front of where I had just been looking. All the force I had was going towards a swing which would not connect with Gannon, so I instead chose to push off my right leg and regain some footing. I jumped back, sliding across the gravel, but before my body could stop, Gannon appeared behind me once again, his sword raised in the air. I noticed this just in time to block his attack, but he had enough force behind it to knock me to the ground. He didn't budge, continuing to put pressure against my sword. I was getting smushed into the gravel below me. If this goes on any longer, I could break my ribs! Think, think! An idea popped into my head, "Tornado!" I generated a large tornado around both of us. It was strong enough to lift Gannon and I above the ground, once the two of us were in the air, I dissipated the spell and tried readying myself for an attack. I pulled my sword to my side and began generating mana into its blade. Gannon was still regaining his footing by the time I had swung my sword, "Cutting Edge!" A wave of mana shot out of my sword's blade and hurled itself towards Gannon. He managed to counter, but the mana I used was obscuring his vision. I took this opportunity to envelope my blade in flames and charge towards him at full speed. I swung my sword down. Gannon blocked my attack and backed away. I pushed myself forward and continued another strike. This time, I began putting as much mana into my blade as I could, and swung at full power while yelling, "Flaming Edge!" My sword was emanating a large amount of fire as it hit Gannon's blade. He flew backwards nearly twenty feet, landing on his back. He put his hand to the ground and launched himself upright with incredible force. I guess I still stand no chance against a Sword Emperor. But I must prove myself to Gannon if I want him to take us seriously. Gannon regained his footing and charged at me. He was fast but I could still see him! Once he tries to swing at me I'll counter and use another fire spell. But before Gannon threw a strike, he disappeared again… woosh! He reappeared, this time above my head. He was lunging downwards, aiming for my head. I barely had enough time to block his attack and shove his blade to my left side. It scratched my cheek, leaving small spurts of blood pouring out of my face. I twisted my sword behind me, and prepared another strike. His torso was left wide open! I swung downwards, aiming for the opening he had given me. Clang! Gannon parried my attack and countered with a kick to the stomach before I could even blink. My body flew across the courtyard and crashed into the castle wall. "Gyaah!" I had the wind knocked out of me, my vision was blurry, and my grip is weakening. I won't last against another assault from him. Gannon pointed his sword's tip at my head and smiled, "Alright that's enough. I apologise for my actions… But I was sceptical about whether or not you were really some child prodigy. It turns out master Solomon was correct!" He bowed his head, "Please allow me to teach the four of you. I will show all of you, the true power of a sword. Under me, I have no doubt you can become a Sword Emperor." Master Gannon walked over to me and stuck out his hand. I grabbed it and he lifted me back on my feet. He held out his hand and began a healing spell, "Cleansing Light!" His hand emanated a bright golden glow and all my aches suddenly went away. "Alright Kiliano, good as new.
Now let us continue on with our training session." Master Gannon waved to my three friends and they all came over. He began teaching us some basic techniques used for learning Saint tier swordsmanship. Apparently, the difference between Veteran and Saint tier is massive. Once someone achieves the rank of Saint tier, it opens up many more possibilities. It is also the defining factor between a good swordsman and an excellent one. I guess I wasn't excellent yet, but with enough training I'll get there in no time.
After our first practice session, Nyleah and I decided to go back to the inn and rest. Lura and Nazeem stayed at the castle to meet Solomon. As the two of us walked down the streets of Karth her body language told me she wanted to say something. "Hey Nyleah, are you doing alright? I can't help but notice you're a bit agitated." Nyleah became flustered at this and blushed, "Well… you took a lot of damage with your battle against master Gannon. But, I must admit…" She began to smile, "...You're pretty powerful aren't you? I was impressed with how you fought." I rubbed the back of my head and laughed embarrassingly, "Yeahh… but I still lost pretty badly." "N-no not at all! You were facing off against a Sword Emperor with decades more experience than you. It isn't fair to compare yourself with someone like that. So please don't be too hard on yourself, okay?" I nodded and smiled back at her.
Once we made it back to our room, I took off my training gear and headed into the bathroom for a bath. I'm sore all over! The training with Master Gannon was a lot more grueling than master Kaiser's. I guess his way of teaching is a lot more tough, but I won't complain since his master is Solomon The Angel. I got out of the bath and dried myself off before leaving the bathroom. By the time I was done in the bathroom Nazeem and Lura were back. The two of them were blabbering about their meeting with Solomon. Nyleah was sitting on her bed, intently listening with an interested smile. Once she noticed I was done in the bathroom she got up, "Kil, do you mind if I use the bathroom next?" "Go ahead, I'm all done."
For the rest of the night, I tried my best to fall asleep but couldn't. I kept seeing flashbacks of my parents, and all the families I had met in Zuri'el. Damnit, I know I didn't cry when it happened… But I don't think I can handle this! Why do things like this happen, and why to me!? I put my hand to my forehead and used an Advanced tier healing spell, but nothing happened. I guess my healing magic isn't enough to heal emotional wounds. I think it'd be best if I left the inn. I don't want anyone waking up because of me. I grabbed my coat and left the inn.
Once it hit dawn, I made my way back to the inn. I passed by some interesting-looking swordsmen. Some of them were carrying fancy-looking swords, but one in particular had a silver-handled sword with a red jewel instilled into its hilt. That thing looks expensive! I guess the magic knights are more prominent in Karth than I thought. Once I made it back to the room, Lura and Nazeem were still asleep. Nyleah was in the bathroom, so I knocked on the door, "Hey Nyleah, I just wanted to let you know I'm back, so don't get startled if you hear me moving around." Nyleah's voice replied with a faint echo, "O-oh okay." I took off my shoes and gently laid back into bed, acting as if I had never left.
Once Lura got out of bed, things started to get moving. The three of us began our morning routines. Once I was finished, it was Nazeem's turn so I woke him up and told him it was time to get ready. He always slept a lot, but recently he's been getting less sleep than usual because of our early training sessions with master Gannon. Once we made it to Solomon's castle, master Gannon was waiting for us once more. This time, he wasted no time and opened the castle doors, leading us into the courtyard. Today's practice was much similar to yesterday's except for the whole battle between me and master Gannon.
Our training sessions continued on like this for about 3 months, until one day we walked to the castle and met with master Gannon. He looked at us and instead of opening the doors said, "Take the day off. I bet you've got some business to attend to." He walked away, leaving me dumbstruck. "Happy Birthday!" Nazeem, Nyleah and Lura all blurted out. "W-wait what? Is it my birthday!?" Lura seemed disappointed at this response, "Of course it is? Don't tell me you forgot!? Nazeem went out of his way to tell all of us that it was your birthday today and we went ahead and asked master Gannon for the day off. The least you could do is remember that it's your birthday." I chuckled, "You're right. I'm sorry, I guess it just slipped my mind is all." For the rest of the day, the four of us went around Karth, buying all of the best looking food we could find. I stuffed my belly full of so much food I could barely walk by the end of lunch. "Nyleah… carry meeee… I can't moveee." Nyleah chuckled and Lura scoffed. My belly had grown at least triple its original size. Nazeem had also stuffed his face full, and was in the same boat as me. He stuck out his hand in despair, "Is this what being pregnant is like? I feel bad for you two. One day y'all are gonna have to feel like this 24/7 for months straight… bummer." Lura stomped on Nazeem's head, "Shut up moron! Don't talk like that, we're still only kids. I don't wanna talk about a future family yet." She blushed a little. I could tell her feelings for Nazeem had grown quite a bit since they first met. Hehe, good luck with that one, Nazeem. She's an absolute monster. Goodluck getting her outta your hair. For the rest of the night we went back to the inn and played games in our room. We made jokes and talked about the funny stories we had accumulated. Once everyone got tired, they all went to bed. I laid in bed too, and waited until all of them were asleep before leaving the inn again. I have been doing this for the last 3 months. And nothing's made it any better for me. Granted, once I use a healing spell on me in the morning, I can maintain a fair amount of energy, but it's all temporary, and wears off after a few hours. I stood on a lookout I discovered a few weeks back. It gave a nice view of Karth's outskirts, which made it nice to spend time at. I've wasted quite a few nights looking from this view.
In the morning, the four of us went to Solomon's castle as usual and master Gannon let us in. This time, he took us to see master Solomon himself. We walked through the castle and made it to two huge iron doors. Gannon placed his hand on the door and channeled a small amount of mana into it, which triggered the doors to light up with a golden glow and open. Through the doors, was Solomon The Angel's throne room. He was sitting there on his iron throne, staring down at us. His eyes were content and his overall mood seemed rather happy. "Welcome, my friends." The four of us kneeled on one knee. Solomon's gaze made its way to me, "Hello again, Kiliano. I hear it was your tenth birthday yesterday, is that correct?" I looked up to face him, "Yessir. I turned ten yesterday." Solomon smiled,"Well then… allow me to give you a belated birthday gift." He stretched out his right arm and opened the palm of his hand. It began glowing as a white light emanated from it. Suddenly, a purple ball appeared in his hand. He tossed the ball down to me, "Catch." I grabbed the ball. It was dense but very light. I analyzed it for a few seconds before looking back up at Solomon, "You must be wondering what that is… Well I think you'll find this gift quite enjoyable. What I've just given you is a map to a very well-hidden dungeon. It is Veteran tier and quite dangerous, so I suggest the four of you stay cautious. But what makes this dungeon different from others, is the reward bestowed upon each of you upon completion. I won't spoil the surprise, so you'll have to find out what it is on your own." A map to a special dungeon!? That's a pretty big birthday gift, especially if it's from Solomon The Angel. I bowed down completely and said, "Thank you so much sir! I am honored to receive this gift from you." Solomon laughed, "Of course my boy! You only turn ten once, hahaha!" Eugh, that sounds like some father would say. "Master Gannon and I are willing to let you take on this dungeon whenever you wish. But please let us know ahead of time." I looked over at my friends. They were all staring back at me in anticipation. Haha, I know guys… I'll ask him. "Master Solomon… would it be okay if we took on this dungeon today?" "Of course Kiliano. Take the day off today and complete that dungeon." "Thank you sir. I won't let you down!"
The four of us left Solomon's castle and headed over to the inn to grab our equipment. Once we got situated, I led us outside of Karth and set out West. I channeled mana into the orb which triggered it to create a projection of a map. I followed the map's directions for what seemed like eternity, until we came across a fork in the road. I stopped walking, trying to figure out what the map was telling us to do. Lura walked up to me, "Why'd we stop? Can't you read that thing?" "I can read it just fine…But the problem is, it's telling us to go through the middle, which isn't possible because of these huge damn rocks!" I kicked the giant stone in front of us. This seemed to trigger a magic circle around the rock. It was quickly enveloped in mana and a magic circle was created in front of me, "Alright everyone touch the rock, quickly now!" The four of us put our hands on the rock and channeled mana into it. Just like the last time, my vision went black for a few seconds and when I came to, I was laying on my back. This time I was the first one to make it through. After a few seconds Nyleah came through, then Lura, and finally Nazeem. I took a look around. We weren't inside a cave. Instead, we were in a huge field of flowers. That's odd, I don't sense any mana coming from anywhere, perhaps the monsters were hiding their presence? I cleared my throat, "Ahem! Let's stay on guard. We don't know what could be lurking about." We started walking through the field. I was keeping my defenses up just in case and so was Lura. The dungeon had a clear path that had no grass or flowers on it. As we followed that path, there seemed to be no issues with monsters. But just as we had made it a few dozen meters from the start, a vine came from the ground and grabbed a hold of my leg. I opened the palm of my hand and used a low-level flame spell to burn away the vines. It worked well but the vines were still holding onto me, so I had to pull my leg away. "Stay wary of your feet!" As soon as I said that, Nazeem and Nyleah were attacked by the vines. "Ah shit!" Nazeem had his entire right side covered in them. Nyleah had moved just in time to dodge most of them, but her left leg was caught. She quickly used a bow skill and annihilated the vine attached to her. Nazeem used a tornado spell to try and loosen the vines but it didn't work. I ran over to help him but before I could reach, the vines wrapped around his entire body and yanked him across the ground and into the field of flowers. I stretched out my arm, "Flamethrower!" I released a blast of fire that decimated a large portion of the field, but it was too late. Nazeem was long gone, and there was no way for me to chase him down since the flowers blended in perfectly. "Damnit! Already!?" This dungeon is definitely harder. Lura put her hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry. I doubt those vines have the capability of seriously hurting Nazeem. He'll turn up eventually, and if he doesn't then once the dungeon ends all four of us will get teleported out." I nodded. She's right, afterall I doubt Nazeem would let some puny vines kill him. The three of us continued walking down the path. The vines appeared a few more times, but they are weak to flames so we just used low-level fire spells around the path to remove any chances of being attacked. After some time had passed, the path led us outside of the flower field and into a forest. I turned to look at Lura, "I don't want to take any chances. I'm just gonna burn down the forest." Lura jumped, "W-wow hold on a secon-" "Flamethrower!" I began spewing flames from my hand, setting fire to all the trees in the forest. The three of us waited while the trees were burning. Once the forest was completely burned down, I continued walking along the path. Lura and Nyleah seemed exasperated with my tactics, but I don't really see a reason why we should take any chances when this is much safer.
We walked for a few minutes before making our way into a clearing from the forest. Within the clearing, stood a small stone building. I walked over to it and opened its wooden door. Inside of it was a staircase that led underground. Before I took a step inside, Nyleah called out, "Are you sure we should go inside? What if Nazeem's in trouble?" Lura and I turned to face Nyleah. I was about to reply but Lura beat me to it, "There's no point worrying about him. The faster we complete this dungeon, the faster all four of us get teleported out of here. And besides, we should enjoy ourselves. This is a gift from master Solomon after all." I couldn't have said it better myself. Lura's absolutely right, there's no point wasting time looking for him. I doubt we'd find him anyways. I shrugged off my doubts and started walking down the staircase with the two girls behind me. As we got deeper, the light within the staircase began to fade. Soon, it was pitch black, so I generated a small amount of fire above my hand, using it like a lantern. After some more walking, a purple light began to emanate from farther down the staircase. "Alright, stay cautious, something's down there." I unsheath my sword and get ready for anything that might pop out. Once I was getting closer to the light, my foot hit a flat surface. We had made it to the bottom of the staircase, and now the purple light which had been emanating was gone. Once Nyleah and Lura made their ways to the floor, torches lit up the entire room, exposing a large boss arena. In the center of the boss arena was a small yellow flower, similar to the ones in the beginning of the dungeon.
I started walking over to the flower, remaining cautious of the entire arena. I reached down, and gently laid my fingers on the flower's petals. I turned back to face Lura and Nyleah, "It's just a normal damn flower!" The flower must've taken offense to that. Because once I said it, the ground around me started to crumble, and I was caught up in the radius of some giant monster's emergence. Two huge arms appeared on the left and right sides of me. The flower below me began to rise and the floor I was standing on crumbled away, revealing a dirt-colored humanoid head. Lura's voice called out to me, "Get away, that's a dryad!" A dryad? Dryads are monsters that dwell inside forests with high concentrations of mana. But we're underground! I don't have time to think about meaningless shit like this, I've gotta get out of this predicament. The dryad exposed its full body, with me on its head, the thing was probably thirty feet tall. I leapt from its head and landed behind it, generating mana into my sword. "Everyone, attack!" Nyleah shot arrows at the dryad while Lura charged towards it. I used my flamethrower spell to try and set it on fire. But the dryad's spell resistance was high so it did little damage. Lura jumped up and slashed through the dryad's torso. It was made up of huge tree roots and moss. But it didn't seem to take much damage. The dryad raised its arm, making a wind spell. The entire boss room got caught in a huge tornado, picking the three of us up and launching us into the air. I flew so high that my legs touched the ceiling. I used this leverage to push me off and hurl towards the dryad. I generated flames around my sword and swung, full-force at the dryad's neck. My sword makes a foot inside its neck before stopping. I couldn't cut off its head, but I did do some damage! "Kil, move!" Lura was right behind me. She was holding a huge fireball and sent it flying towards the dryad. I pulled my sword out of its neck and withdrew. The fireball hit the dryad and sent it crashing onto the ground. Nyleah began pulling mana from around her and focused it into her bow. She unleashed a powerful arrow that pierced the dryad's head, creating a large dent in it. I rushed over to the dryad's neck and used the Saint tier sword techniques that master Gannon had taught us, "Crushing Cleave!" My sword's feeling a lot heavier now, but I continued swinging it down at full force. Once it hit the dryad's neck, a large afterimage of my sword appeared above where I had struck. It plunged downwards, piercing the dryad's neck at the same spot I had just struck. The dryad's head rolled across the room, its body limp. Lura walked over, poking the roots, "I think it's safe to say the thing's dead." I dropped to the floor, "Phew! I gotta say, that thing was kinda tough. But ain't it weird how we haven't come across any smaller monsters yet?" Lura nodded, "Yeah this is kinda weird. But I wouldn't think too much about it. This was definitely the mini boss, so we're probably nearing the dungeon's end soon."
After taking a short break, the three of us got back up and continued onwards. The mini boss' room led into another hallway which we started walking through. Lura and Nyleah began talking about some random subjects, meanwhile, I took this time to think up a plan for the final boss. If the mini boss was this hard, then I bet the actual boss is going to be really tough. If we're gonna get through this in one piece, then I'll have to step up my game. If there are no mobs in this entire dungeon, then I can conserve all my mana for the boss. I'll be able to unleash all my mana into my new Crushing Cleave technique, which might be enough to kill the boss in one shot. Yeah, that'll do it! I won't use any magic until we make it to the final boss.
After a few more minutes of walking, the three of us made it out of the hallway and into a room with three doors. Lura stepped up, "Alright I think it's pretty obvious what we need to do. I'll go into the one on the left!" "Wow wow, hold on a second Lura! Think about this a bit more strategically. We can just go in three at a time and once we clear out one section, go back the way we came and go through the next door." Lura was already walking through the door farthest to the left. Nyleah looked at me and shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about her. We'll be fine hehe." Nyleah went through the middle door. Jeez, are all my friends stupid!? What if the boss is in one of the doors and it ends up being a 1v1? Sigh, no use worrying about it now I guess. I started walking through the door on the right. Once I opened it, a gust of warm wind blew into my face. "Well that's not ominous at all!" The hallway's pitch black so I'll just use fire magic to light my way. I lit a small fireball above my hands similar to what I had done on the stairway to the mini boss. I walked for a few minutes before getting agitated. "This hallways gotta stretch out forever! I needa eat something… Hmph." My back slouched down. I'm beginning to feel way too exasperated for this crap. I just wanna go back to the inn and eat!
A few more minutes passed of me walking through the hallway when I spotted a light further down. It was faint and far away. "Help!" Did I just hear a voice? "Help!" Oh god… I did! And it sounds familiar! I started running towards the light, "Hey! What's going on!?" "Kil is that you!? Get me outta here pleeease!" That's Nazeem's voice! I ran closer to the light and found a boy wrapped in vines. He was pinned to the wall with the vines tightened around his entire body, leaving the only part of his body movable, his neck and head. "Nazeem, what the hell happened to you!?" "I'll tell you what happened! The three of you left me for dead! Those damn vines dragged me for at least an hour before pinning me against this damn wall!" Ahh, I see. I took out my sword and began chopping away at the vines. Nazeem's left hand went loose and he tried breaking free the rest of his body. But before his arm reached the other side of his body, the vines grew back and pinned his arm against the wall again. Nazeem creed out, "Godamnit! I hate nature!" I laughed, "Haha, calm down man! I'm here so it'll just be a matter of time before you're out. You should be grateful it wasn't Lura that found you. If it was, she'd definitely laugh in your face for a while before leaving you. She'd say something like, you'll get out once we defeat the boss hahaa." "Sigh… yeah you're right. Thanks m-..." Nazeem stopped mid sentence. His body visibly tensed up. I noticed this and looked up at his face. He was staring down the hallway. I looked over to see what he was so scared of. A black goop had flooded the dungeon and was headed straight towards us. "Oh shit, let's go Nazeem we gotta get outta here quick!" "No Kil! You don't have time, run now!" I shook my head, "There's no way I'm leaving you here! Despite all our jokes, I'd rather die than leave you here to fend for yourself…" I looked Nazeem in the eye, "...I'm going to become a legendary hero! And a hero can't let their friends die!" I began scraping away at the vines, pulling and cutting at them as fast as I could. But it was no use, the vines were too persistent and gave us no time for escape. "Kil stop… It's too late now." He looked at me and smiled, a tear falling from his cheek. I smiled back, "Nazeem, stay strong pal." I pointed my arm towards the rushing goop and opened my palm, generating mana through it. "Fireball!" I used all the mana I was saving up into one point. The fireball grew to nearly the same size as the hallway. The flames were so intense they began to change into a purple color. I launched the fireball towards the goop, but it was no use. The fireball was absorbed immediately, leaving no trace of mana. I loosened my body, and prepared for death, "Nazeem, you're my best friend." The goop swallowed the two of us up, and everything went black.
My eyes shot open. I tried to gasp for air but my lungs were immediately filled with liquid. I was drifting aimlessly in a bottomless pit of black goop. My body had lost all strength, and I couldn't see anything, only the bubbles that my faint struggling had produced. As my lungs began to fail, I could feel an icy cold sensation run through my body. Is this death? Crap, I'm going to die. As my eyes began to close once more, I could feel the black goop wrap around my arms and legs, as if it were pulling me deeper.
Just as I thought all hope was lost, a light began to shine through my eyes. I opened them, and to my surprise, a humanoid figure appeared in front of me, glowing with a golden color. The figure stretched out its arm towards me, acting as if it were trying to lift me up off my feet. I grabbed its hand, but once I did, the figure transformed into a sword. I grabbed onto its handle. Once I did, the sword began surging with golden mana, triggering the goop around me to evaporate and disperse. I began channeling mana into the sword which made its glow even brighter and more powerful. My vision was filled with this golden light, and I once again lost consciousness.
"Kiliano.." An unfamiliar yet nostalgic voice called out, "Kiliano… Wake up, Kiliano… Kiliano!" I woke up. My eyes opened to the sight of Nazeem standing over me. "Hey Kil… you doing alright?" I was laying on the ground. My head felt a bit fuzzy. I tried rubbing my forehead but my hand had something in it. I looked over to find a sword in my hand. It was gold-plated with a red jewel engrained in its handle guard. The blade was a pure white, so bright it almost looked like it was glowing. Nazeem spoke up again, "Get up Kil, we're out of the dungeon now, so let's go home." Wait what? We're done with the dungeon? I got up and looked around. We were at the fork in the road. Lura and Nyleah were sitting on the side of the road. Once they noticed I was awake they both got up and waved at me. Lura began to speak, "Notice how you always end up unconscious by the end of a dungeon or boss? That's gotta be bad luck man." She smacked my back in a cheerful manner. "Hehe, yeah I don't know. Maybe I overdo it a little bit." Nyleah walked up to me and said, "I'm glad you're okay." She raised her arm, about to pat my back, but hesitated and decided not to. Solomon's words rang through my head. Didn't he tell us there were rewards for each of us once the dungeon ended? "Hey guys… did any of you get a reward?" Nazeem nodded his head, "Yeah, all of us got one of these…" He opened the palm of his hand. He was holding a crystal. It had a faint glow to it, obviously mana was flowing through. "...Apparently these things help with mana regeneration. Just keep one on your person and your mana will regenerate a lot faster." Dang, that seems like a good reward to me! "Ah, it's too bad I don't get one hehe." The four of us began our way back to Karth.
Chapter 10, The Legendary Sword Excalibur
After our journey through a dungeon, Nyleah and Lura went back to the inn. Nazeem and I went over to Solomon's castle to ask about this sword I had gotten from the dungeon. When we made it to the castle I knocked on its doors. After a few seconds they both opened and we began walking inside. Once we made it past the front doors, master Gannon appeared out of knowhere in front of us. "Gah! Don't scare us like that master." "I apologise. Master Solomon has requested an audience with the two of you." Master Gannon walked over to the next set of doors and opened them. Solomon was on his silver throne as usual. He looked at us and smiled. But once he took a glance at the sword I had attained, his face turned from one of content to shock. His eyes widened and his mouth opened, "Kiliano… where did you get that sword?" "Actually sir, that's why I'm here. You see, we were consumed by a flood of this black goop inside the dungeon. And I was saved by this sword which expelled all the goop from the dungeon. So I was sorta wondering if you knew why I was granted this sword and what that gooey stuff was." Solomon spoke up, his voice shaky, "W-well… I must admit this is a very interesting turn of events. That sword you have in your hands is a very special blade, forged by an ancient deity long before even I was born. That sword's name… is Excalibur. It's complete name is, Legendary Blade Excalibur, The Ward of Abyss." Abyss? I haven't heard of anything like an Abyss before, "Uh, master Solomon… What exactly does The Ward of Abyss mean? What weight does that title hold?" "Right, I forgot people don't know about it anymore. Well… the Abyss is an ancient primordial being that's existed within this world since the beginning of time. It consumes all, and leaves only darkness behind. Since this being was making it impossible for life to live, a deity forged Excalibur as a means to stop the Abyss. And as you can see, Excalibur works quite well." "I see… well i have one more question if you don't mind." "Go on, Kiliano." "Before Excalibur appeared before me, a humanoid figure stretched its arm out to help me. Once I took it, Excalibur appeared in its place. Why is that?" "Ah yes. What you saw there was a scion of the Forge Deity. You see, the Forge Deity created Excalibur using their own life essence as a sort of catalyst. In doing so, they were able to set more restrictions on the blade and make it more powerful. The reason why you attained Excalibur over someone like Nazeem is because it must've thought you worthy over anyone else in the world." "W-wow what? Worthy? What do you mean by that?" "Excalibur isn't just some weapon anyone can wield. Its power is so incredible, it would be impossible for anyone who isn't a deity to hold it without its consent. Which means Excalibur has specifically chosen you to be its owner, for until you die." Holy crap! I was chosen to wield a legendary sword!? That changes everything! "Unfortunately, this is going to change everything…" Unfortunately? "... Since Excalibur has chosen you, my expectations have drastically increased. I regret to inform you of this… but I am going to have to send you away. Now, before you get defensive, I have something else to share with you…" His eyes narrowed and his tone shifted to a much more serious one, "... I know who was behind the attack at Zuri'el. And I also know that a war is going to break out soon. A war that involves Zuri'el and the Southern regions of The 13 Kingdoms." "Wait a second, a war!? Y-you mean like a civil war between Thyndhime and Zuri'el?" "Unfortunately, it involves much more than Thyndhime. My sources suggest that king Piule has gotten the support of the three other southern Kingdoms. That can only mean they are planning a large-scale invasion towards the north. The massacre at Zuri'el further proves this point. And things only get worse from there." Solomon's gaze shifted to the floor, "I'm afraid to say it… but Shyzen has returned." My eyes widened, "What do you mean? Shyzen… as in the God Of Gods!?" Solomon nodded his head, "Yes, and I have reason to believe he's allying with the southern kingdoms. I'm sorry Kiliano… I know you're only a kid, and you don't fully understand what's going on. But I must ask you to get stronger. Now that you're the wielder of Excalibur, I have no doubt your power will be great. But I can't allow your potential to go to waste, which is why I'm sending you away with someone who's much more capable than any swordmaster." Once he said that, the doors behind me opened. A man walked in. He wore a red robe and white shirt with baggy pants. His body was emanating an aura. As he got closer, the room began to increase in temperature.
The man raised his hand and waved at me, "Hello, I take it you're Kiliano. My name is Vencer. I'm the current Fire God in The 13 Kingdoms, and have come to train you for a while." What!? The Fire God is going to train me!? I turned to look at Solomon. I was pale as a ghost. Solomon smiled at me, "Go on, introduce yourself, Kiliano." "Oh right. My apologies master Vencer…" I bowed to him and continued, "...I am Kiliano Monfril. It's an honor to train under you, sir." Vencer laughed, "Hahahaa! No need for formalities kid. I'm not like the swordmasters here, you don't need to worry about manners or anything like that." Vencer walked up to me and patted my shoulder, before shifting his gaze over to Solomon, "I take it things aren't looking good?" Vencer's mood shifted to a much more serious one. Solomon shook his head. "Yeah I figured as much. The kid's got a natural talent for fire magic though. I can tell that much just by looking at him. My guess is he's probably at the Saint tier, am I correct?" "Yes you are. Kiliano is currently Saint tier in both fire magic and the North Sword style." "Phew! That's pretty impressive, kid. You're definitely worthy of my time hehe." "Hold on a damn second…!" Nazeem's voice cried out. I looked over at him. His face was red and he had tears running down his cheek, "...I see no reason why he has to leave. Why does he have to leave because of some sword!?" Solomon released his aura. A huge pressure hit the two of us so hard we could barely stand. Solomon got up, "Nazeem… I understand your emotions in this matter. But I must remind you that I have a much better understanding of this situation than you…" His malice was nearly too much for Nazeem. His face was pale and his whole body was vigorously shaking. "...Please watch your tone, Nazeem." Nazeem scoffed and started walking out of the castle. I turned to face Solomon, "Sir, my apologies. Nazeem has a hard time processing things like these. But I must admit, I'm also quite confused as to why I have to leave Karth with the Fire God." Vencer put his hand on the top of my head. I turned to face him. He was smiling at me, "Well that's obvious kiddo. You're probably the only person in the entire world who has a weapon capable of permanently killing The God Of Gods." My eyes widened, "W-wait what!? Are you saying Excalibur is strong enough to kill Shyzen?" Vencer nodded his head to me, "Yup! But Excalibur can't do all the work y'know. So I've been tasked with training you and gettin ya strong enough to fight Shyzen toe-to-toe." Welp… it's official I guess. I'm a pretty important guy hehe. Man I gotta admit this feels great! But it's a bummer I'll have to leave my friends. I wonder how Lura's gonna react. She'll probably flip out and make a huge fit about, heh. I hope Nyleah is going to miss me. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss them. "Kiliano…" Solomon was staring right at me, "...I am truly sorry for this, but you'll have to pack tonight. Vencer will take you North tomorrow morning, so get some good rest." Tomorrow!? What the hell, that's kinda early notice. Jeez, I guess Solomon's in a bit of a rush trying to get things in order. Vencer turned back to face me, "Alright kiddo…" His face had changed from a sense of happiness and enthusiasm to a more serious and almost worrisome expression. "...Go on home, and I'll pick you up in the morning, alright?" My expression saddened and I nodded my head. I turned around and began walking out of the castle. Before I made it through the doors, Solomon's voice echoed out, "Do not fret Kiliano. You are doing the right thing." I already knew that. But for some reason, his words gave me comfort. I left the castle and made my way over to the inn.
When I had made it back to the inn's lobby, Nazeem, Nyleah and Lura were waiting for me. I walked in, "Hey g-" SMACK. Before I could finish my sentence Lura had slapped me. I guess Nazeem told them already. "What the hell is going on!? You're leaving because of some damn iron…!?" Lura cried out. "...I won't allow it! Nyleah, Nazeem, come on… we're gonna give Solomon a piece of our mind!" Lura began walking out but I put my arm in front of her to block their way. "I'm sorry, all of you. But I have to do this. Apparently, I'm the only one capable, so me being important would be an understatement. Please just listen to me." Lura scoffed, "There's no way we're letting this happen!" I snapped back, "Listen to me! …I have no choice. And I'm not doing this because Solomon said so… I'm also doing this for the three of you. When I come back, I'll be stronger. So strong that I'll be able to protect all of you…" My eyes turned to Lura, then Nyleah, "...I am going to save Zuri'el, and we are going to return home. Just give me time, okay?" The three of them looked at each other with tears in their eyes. Lura walked over to me. We made eye contact and she said, "Alright, but just so you know… we'll be waiting for you." I smiled, "Alright, thank you." The four of us went back to our room. We spent the entire day playing games and telling funny stories. By the time it was dark, Nazeem and Lura were already in bed and asleep. I was sitting on a chair while Nyleah got ready for bed. I wonder, how is this all going to work out? I'm sure the training is going to be tough, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. But, somehow I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing… for all of us. Maybe my absence will push everyone to work harder. I know it'll help me push myself harder. I suddenly got sad and stood up from the chair. I opened the door and walked out of the room, making my way through the lobby and out of the inn. I turned left and headed over to Karth's outskirts. Before I made it halfway down the block I felt something tap my shoulder. "Do ya mind if I come with you?" It was Nyleah's voice behind me. I turned around, blushing, "O-oh Nyleah… I don't mind at all." Nyleah moved to my side and we began walking down the block together. After a few moments of silence, Nyleah spoke up, "Hey… how long will you be gone?" I frowned slightly, "I…I'm not sure. But it'll definitely be a while." Nyleah tilted her head to the sidewalk. Her face's tone was sad, "Dang… that's a real bummer, isn't it?" I nodded my head, as tears began to form in my eyes. We continued walking down the street, out the main gate, and onto the main road outside of Karth.
After a while, Nyleah and I sat down on a rock, looking up at the sky. "I like the new weather, don't you?", She said. I turned up to the sky. The stars were shining bright, and I could see more of them than ever before, "Yeah… it beats melting in the sun, that's for sure." The two of us laughed. Suddenly, I felt something cold touch my nose. I looked around to see that it had begun snowing. "W-wow Kil, this is amazing! I've never seen it snow like this hahaha." Nyleah lept from the rock and began twirling in the snow. I was looking at her. She looks really beautiful, even when acting so childish. "Damn…" I said, "...Nyleah, I'm gonna miss you." She stopped twirling and turned to face me. Her smile faded, "Y-yeah… Kiliano, you're a really good person. And I'm happy that you became my friend. But please… come back soon." Tears began running down her cheek. I got off the rock, walked over to her, and gave her a hug, "Nyleah, you're a good friend too. And I promise that I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?" She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me, while bawling her eyes out, "K-K-Kil… please don't go! Sniffle, I don't want you to leave me." "I'm sorry Nyleah… I wish things could be different…" I pulled myself away from her. With my hands on her shoulders, I looked straight at her and said, "Nyleah… When I come back, I want to protect you!" Her eyes widened. Somehow, she knew that those words held a much deeper meaning than what was on the surface. She smiled and nodded her head, "Alright Kil… When you come back, and get stronger, I'll have you protect me." We wiped away our tears and headed back to the inn. We walked through the lobby, and into our room. Nazeem and Lura were fast asleep. Nyleah hopped in bed and said, "Goodnight Kil… I'll see you in the morning." I didn't answer.
Nazeem was taking up the entire bed, so I sat down on my chair and began packing my bag. All I really needed were a few changes of clothes. So my bag was pretty small. I finished packing after a few minutes and decided to think some more about my situation. I wonder how long this will really last. I doubt things will go by fast, hehe. Honestly, there's no point thinking about it. For the rest of the night, Kiliano sat in the chair, thinking of absolutely nothing, while staring at the floor.
When dawn came around, and the sun had just started to peer through the mountains that surrounded Karth, Kiliano got up from his chair, picked up his bag, and left the room while his three friends slept. He walked outside the inn, where Vencer was waiting for him, "You ready kiddo?" Kiliano nodded his head in response. And they headed out of Karth.
Prologue,
"Ahem…" Solomon cleared his throat, in front of Lura, Nyleah and Nazeem. "...I believe this news will be a bit sour… But I've decided to send the three of you off. You'll each be sent separately to train with someone who specializes in your specific talents." Lura's head turned red, Nazeem's eyes widened, and Nyleah's vision grew blurry from forming tears. Lura shouted out, "Hell no! No way! First you send off Kil, now this!?" Master Gannon tapped her on the shoulders. She turned around to face him. His eyes were filled with a saddened look, and he shook his head. Lura got the message that she should keep her cool, so Lura managed her temper and brought her gaze to the ground. Just then, three people walked through the door behind them. A wizard, a swordsman and a bowmaster appeared before them. "I wish the three of you… the best of luck."