"..."
"..."
"..."
"...So, are you going to say anything?" Olivia asked awkwardly.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...I think she died?" Davi hummed.
The arena was finally empty save for the cleanup crew and three Knights who remained behind in the sandy field. Davi Hawker and Olivia Lot both awkwardly looked at one another, wondering what they should do, while their new captain, Laerton Eman, stood perfectly still, like a statue. The woman had a heavy frown on her face, and already, stress lines were forming. Her arms were folded so tightly, veins could be seen through the tearing of her clothing, and she didn't blink or say a single word. She just stared at them.
All the other captains were gone. Each captain and vice captain took their members and left the stands, likely heading back to their guild base.
It was just Phoenix Flight that was left.
Davi shrugged and reached up to poke Laerton in the face, but the woman was fast and slapped him. "Ow," Davi said flatly, as a red handprint suddenly appeared on his face. "Dick move."
"Are you two fucking stupid?" Laerton Eman finally let out a heavy sigh. "Or maybe you're both suicidal?" Olivia flinched at the accusation and looked away. "Why the hell are you both still wearing that symbol?"
Davi reached up and brushed the cloak. "We're in your guild. Also, it's shockingly comfortable. Can I get my symbol in blue instead of gold?"
"Could I get mine in red?" Olivia chuckled sheepishly.
Laerton didn't look amused by their banter. "You two know what Phoenix Flight is, right? Don't tell me you're both idiotic and have no idea what you're getting into."
"Look," Olivia let out a sigh and folded her arms. "I don't like it either. I would have rather been in Pantheon, but I got placed into this guild."
"So then leave," Laerton growled. "Take the cloak off and come back next year and get put into a new guild."
Olivia's eye twitched, but she managed to calm herself down and snorted. "Be honest. Would that actually change anything?"
"What do you mean?" But it was clear; Laerton already knew where Olivia's mind had gone.
Olivia touched the symbol of the bird on her cloak. "Once you're in Phoenix Flight, does it matter if you leave? If Davi and I were to suddenly take these cloaks off and throw them away like those other two did, would we no longer be affected by the curse of bad luck? I somehow doubt that. After all, wouldn't it be easy to fix if that were the case? You could just rotate members in and out between guilds and switch them out of Phoenix Flight when the curse got to be too much. There would be stories of people joining the guild and quitting, but those don't exist, do they? Because it doesn't matter. The moment this cloak appeared on Davi and me, our fates were already sealed. I'll still be hit with a string of bad luck. Eventually, it'll kill me too. So, if I'm going to die, I might as well stay in the guild. At least that way I'll be able to be around people who are in the same boat as me. Also, I'd get to put my life to use and save people."
Laerton stayed silent for a moment but eventually nodded. "That's right. I don't know how the curse works exactly; no one does, but the moment the king says you're in Phoenix Flight and marks you with this symbol, you're stuck in it. Even if you say you quit the guild, the curse still crawls toward you."
"If that's the case, then why not weaponize it?" Davi said casually.
"What?" Laerton made a face at his suggestion.
"Couldn't the king just declare enemies a part of Phoenix Flight and let the curse hit them?"
Laerton actually chuckled at his remark. "That's not a terrible idea if it worked, but it doesn't. In order to be a Knight, even a squire, you either need to have the king's mana within you or Haru's mana and then be assigned a guild by the king. It takes a lot of time for the mana to join with your core properly. Those bracelets you had were created out of the king's mana. The reason the tests are broken between two days is so that twenty-four hours can properly pass, and the mana will be stable enough inside of you so the spell can be activated to form the marks around your wrist. The king could attempt to brand someone as a member of Phoenix Flight, but it would take the same amount of time to do so. This method is sometimes used on prisoners who are given the chance to join Phoenix Flight instead of dying in prison. Still, it's never been used on enemies of the country because if the king has them in his grasp for that long, it's easier just to kill them and get it over with rather than brand them as part of the guild. Besides, the curse takes a while to activate and grow."
Davi nodded, though he still didn't look entirely convinced. "Does the curse even exist?"
"Of course it does." Olivia gave Davi a wide-eyed look. "There are tons of videos of Phoenix Flight members losing!"
Davi shrugged again. "Sorry, but I just don't really believe in curses all that much. I was excited when I heard all the members died because it could help me with something, but if it's just bad luck, is such a thing real-" Davi suddenly made a choking sound as a bug flew into his open mouth! His eyes went wide, and he grabbed at his throat, gagging.
"Davi!" Olivia went to hit his back and help him out, but she stepped on a loose piece of the ground, which caused her to slip, and she smashed headfirst into Davi's nose, breaking it and sending them both tumbling to the ground. "Ow!" Olivia cried, grabbing at her head.
Blood trickled down Davi's nose, and he finally spat out the bug right as Olivia looked up, causing it to fly into her eye, making her yell even more.
"Ew, ew, ew!" Olivia cried and rubbed at her eyes.
"In Phoenix Flight, there is one rule we follow." Laerton held a finger up. "Never, ever, say that the curse isn't real. I am at least thirty percent sure it hears us, it laughs at us, and it bullies us. Respect the curse."
"Okay." Davi nodded. "I'll assume it's real. A little more scared now, not going to lie."
"So, is it too late to quit?" Olivia chuckled. "That stuff I said earlier was wrong, right? Can we back out?"
"Welcome to your new lives." Laer hummed. "Go ahead and bring your trait screen up."
Olivia got an ominous feeling in her stomach but waved her finger. Davi did the same, and the two of them stared at their traits. "Shit."
"Oh, cool." Davi poked at his trait screen. "I got a new trait."
"Not cool, Davi." Olivia sighed.
'Traits: Blood Core: Grade C+, Knife-Wielding: Grade C, Scythe-Wielding: Grade C, Poison Resistance: Grade A, Venom Resistance: Grade A, Hand-to-Hand: Grade D, Sprint: Grade D, Stamina: Grade D, Quick Regeneration (Physical): Grade B+, Determined: Grade A. Polymorph: Grade D. Cursed Life: Grade D-.'
A new trait had appeared on her trait list, all the way at the bottom. Cursed Life. That didn't sound good. She wasn't the only one who had it either.
'Traits: Shadow Core: Grade A, Master Hoarder: Grade B, Sprint: Grade B, Stamina: Grade A, Sword-Wielding: Grade B+, Way Of The Sky Cutting Sword Style: Grade C+, Hand-to-Hand: Grade D, Way of Self Iron Martial Arts: Grade D, Cold Resistance: Grade A+, Heat Resistance: Grade A+, Danger Sense: Grade B+, Loved by Mana: Grade A, Fishing: Grade S+. Cursed Life: Grade D-.'
Davi noticed two things. The first, his Danger Sense, went up in rank. It had been just a B, but now it was a B+. The second thing he noticed, just like Olivia, was that he had the Cursed Life trait just like Olivia. He clicked on the trait, letting the box shift.
'Cursed Life: The battle with Sleetdrazer has left its mark upon you. You bore the sin of his curse. The closer his gaze gets to you, the worse that curse will be.'
"Sleetdrazer?" Olivia frowned and stared at her screen, a puzzled expression on her face. "Is that a name I should know?"
Laer shook her head. "Some say he was a general. Others say he was a master of necromancy. The most widely believed theory is that he was a demon. Like us, monsters and magical beasts can all be given a rank. The same goes for dungeons. A dungeon is ranked based on the weakest monster that is in it, since those are the mana signatures that can be detected first, and it's assumed that the boss is at least ten grades higher. For example, a D-grade dungeon would likely have a boss that is grade A. Sometimes it varies, but that's usually how it works. Dungeon rank and Knight rank aren't equal due to this. An A-grade dungeon and a Knight with grade A skills will likely die instantly. The first Phoenix Flight fought a dungeon that was ranked as S1."
"So the weakest monster in there was S1?" Olivia felt sick to her stomach. "And the boss would be C2+?"
"It could have been much stronger." Laer sighed. "It's impossible to truly know how strong the boss is unless it leaves the dungeon. Sometimes they're weaker than ten grades; other times they'll be far greater. We can only go off the first layer of mana, which is always the weakest monster. Phoenix Flight fought this dungeon, and the story goes that they faced a great demon by the name of Sleetdrazer. This creature brought the guild to an end, but before it did, the captain left a mark across the monster's hide. Sleetdrazer was so enraged that he left a curse upon the entire Phoenix Flight guild so that they would crumble and fade away. He cursed their very life."
Olivia gulped as she heard the stories. Demons were always something that spooked her, but thankfully, they weren't around anymore. Demons were considered to be the worst created life forms and weren't exactly normal monsters. This is because demons were actually made.
Initially, it was stated that the Almighty used their power to create everything. The first life that populated the world were beings made out of solid light. They were known as the Angels. They served the newly created world but eventually left it when the Almighty had to depart and rest. In their place, the Angels made their own creation—the dragons.
The dragons were mighty beings, each having the heat and wings that the angels wielded. They could fly through the skies, swim through the seas, and forge the mountains themselves into their own homes. Eventually, though, the dragons grew bored. They were all that was in the world. They were grand and powerful, but that was because there was nothing else for them to be above.
The dragons came together and used their power to create brand new life. Ones that they could rule. This life was known as the giants.
Just as how the dragons received gifts from their creators, the giants inherited the raw power and height that the dragons had. To ensure the giants couldn't overthrow them, though, the dragons didn't give them scales or wings, nor did the giants have tails or claws. The giants roamed the world, getting into fights and making their own kingdoms, and at last, the dragons had a race they could control and force to serve them.
The giants didn't like being servants, though. It got in the way of their own infighting and wrath. The king of the giants decided that the only thing that could be done was to create a new race that could serve the dragons in their place. He gathered his energy and his strength, and he created the elves.
The elves weren't much stronger than the giants, as the giants did not want anything that could threaten them. Instead of raw power, the elves were granted a strong mind. They used this mind to serve the dragons and the giants faithfully, and it is said that their worship was so grand it even brought a few of the angels back. The angels were moved by the elves' existence and blessed them with a gift of their own, creating the first beings that could properly wield magic, something neither the dragons nor the giants could do.
With this new gift, the elves decided they needed to study, learn, and cultivate, so they created a brand new race to take their place alongside the dragons and giants—a race known as the humans. The weakest of all races, the humans lacked the power of the giants, the bodies of the dragons, the light of the angels, and the magic of the elves. They were truly at the very bottom of the food chain.
Then a miracle happened. Perhaps because the Almighty gazed at the world, or maybe it was pure luck, a human was born who could wield it all. The one and only, Haru. It is said she had flesh harder than the scales of a dragon, and no place in the world could halt her. It is said she had the strength of the giants and could rip them apart with her bare hands. It is said that she had the magic of the elves, able to cast all forms of spells just as they could. And, it is said she possessed the intent and the light that the first angels did. With her sheer power and skills, she passed her miracle on to the rest of the humans who were enslaved by all.
She gave humanity the gift of magic, and under her lead, they slaughtered the other races. The elves, the dragons, and the giants were all brought to an end. Even the angels were driven out of the world. Humanity stood at the top, but it didn't last for long, for Haru was betrayed by one of her knights.
Stabbed from behind, a warrior in ebony armor ran her through. They say that when her blood spilled, this cursed Knight used the gift of magic that Haru gave him, and from those droplets of blood, the demons were born.
Creation was a line. The Almighty was perfect, and the angels were almost perfect. The dragons, created by the angels, were not, and the giants that the dragons made were full of rage and wrath. Even the elves, whom the giants created, were full of sin and gladly created a new race to take their own place. Humans sin. They can be evil and cruel to their own kind, and they kill one another, so of course, if each race is worse than the creator, then it should be no surprise that the demons were the evilest of all the races.
Born from betrayal, birthed with cruelty, they lived to torment and cause absolute despair. Unlike humans, who used magic, demons held the power of enchantments. Haru's final act was to cast the demons made from her blood away, sending them to the abyss. Every now and then, though, just like a dragon, it is said that a demon will appear and cause absolute destruction. A single drop of demon blood will cause a curse to be placed, permanently altering the world.
"So, Sleetdrazer is a demon, and he cursed the Phoenix Flight guild?" Davi hummed.
"That's what I believe." Laerton nodded. "The Cursed Life trait is one that grows just as it said. Here, let me show you." Laer flicked her finger out and brought up her own traits. Olivia nearly did a spit take when she saw them. She knew captains had insane traits, but Laer's were just nutty.
'Traits: Thread Core: Grade A2+. Foreigner: Grade A+. Sprint: Grade S2. Stamina: Grade S2+. Venom Resistance: Grade B2+. Poison Resistance: Grade B2+. Fire Resistance: Grade B2+. Cold Resistance: Grade B2+. Lightning Resistance: Grade B2+. Holy Immunity: Grade B2+. Slashing Resistance: Grade B2+. Bludgeoning Resistance: Grade B2+. Piercing Resistance: Grade B2+. Curse Resistance: Grade D-. Hyper Regeneration (Physical): Grade S2+. Hyper Regeneration (Mana): Grade C2-. Hand-to-Hand: Grade S1-. Boxing Style: Grade A+. Flow Wind Karate Style: Grade S. One Finger Death Strike Style: Grade E1. Knife-Wielding: Grade E1. Glass Assassin Style: Grade E1. Bow-Wielding: Grade E1. Archer Of The Stars Style: Grade E1. Quarterstaff-Wielding: Grade E1. Organ Rupture Style: Grade E1. Axe-Wielding: Grade E1. Mountain Splitter Style: Grade E1. Sword-Wielding: Grade S2+. Throwing Sword Style: Grade S2+. Demon Hunting Blade Style: Grade S2+. Sword Dancing Style: Grade S2+. Three Dimension Slashes Style: Grade S2+. Demonic Mountain Cutter Style: Grade S2+. Hidden Weapon-Wielding: Grade S2. One Thousand Sudden Strikes Style: Grade S2. Hidden Intent: Grade S1+. Wall-Walking: Grade S2. Water-Walking: Grade S2. Sky-Walking: Grade S1+. Mana Sense: Grade S1+. Mana Step: Grade S1+. Mana Skin: Grade S1+. Mana Muscles: Grade S1+. Mana Bones: Grade S1+. Mana Blood: Grade S1+. Mana Strike: Grade S1+. Instinct: Grade S2+. Sword Silk: Grade S1+. Sword Soul: Grade S2+. Cursed Life: Grade A1.'
Laerton's traits were insane. Her list was full of so many! Most of them were exceptionally high as well! Dark Star wasn't joking; captains really were powerful. Laer only had a few that weren't above E2. She also had a remarkably high amount of resistance-based stats and a diverse range of styles. These were just her traits? How big were her actual stats, and what about her spells? It was said that all captains could use spells at the level of Vow, while titled Knights and below could all use Ril.
"These are some of my grades," Laer said casually. "Notice Cursed Life?"
"It's A1." Davi hummed.
"That's right." Laer sighed and closed her trait window. "Grades E to S+ are created with humans in mind. S+ is the best a human can get to. E1 onwards means you're beyond the level of humans. You've stepped into the next realm. It's why Knights are viewed as the best of the best. They all possess stats and traits that surpass those of normal humans, making them superhumans. They're able to do this thanks to going into dungeons."
"Dungeons make them stronger?" Olivia asked, puzzled.
"They do." Laer hummed. "The air is toxic, and it weighs on us. If we stay in it for too long, we become a Mutant, which is why normal people aren't allowed. Dungeons have a purpose, though. I've reviewed both your statistics. Hawker, you have some that are E1. That's impressive since you're still a squire. The reason they got to that point is likely because you kept going into dungeons."
Davi grunted and rubbed his neck. "You know about that?"
"You're in my guild; I read your file," Laer replied, simply. "Dungeons work sort of like weights. They force our cores to work overtime to help us survive. The more danger a Knight is in, the stronger their stats and traits will grow. Traditional training helps, but almost dying repeatedly in live combat is the most effective way to improve. You're even bound to gain new traits and skills if you do it long enough and can survive. The stronger you are, the more bad luck you might be able to survive. Of course, there's a point where being strong won't help you. Eventually, you'll just have a heart attack or something."
Cores were, in a way, alive. The more danger their host was in, the more they would do their best to keep the user alive. Knights were superhuman compared to normal mages because of how much fighting they were constantly being put through. Battle, after battle, it would cause their cores to have no choice but to evolve and grow, leading to higher levels of power.
This was also the reason a lot of self-enchantments worked the way they did. A mage had to put a restriction on a spell or themselves, forming a vow with their core. By giving something up or placing a restriction, they would be in more danger due to them technically weakening themselves, and by doing this, the core would swell and try to make up for this weakness.
Laerton kept speaking. "I bring this all up to also mention the Cursed Life trait. As you can see, mine is of a higher grade than yours. The trait will increase as you age. Currently, it'll be a mild inconvenience. You'll have bad luck more than a normal human, but it'll still be things a normal human can expect to have happen to them. When it reaches E1, it surpasses the level that humans can handle. The world itself will be out to get you, and things will constantly go wrong for you. It's enough to drive you mad. It'll be as if reality itself twists to mock you. Most die at this point. If you're strong, though, you can make it to E2. Sadly, there's no level beyond that, as it's where everyone dies. Your luck becomes so bad that you'll die of either a random heart attack, a brain aneurysm, a stroke, or anything else. Your body will just shut down, and you will die. Typically, it can take about ten years for it to progress to E1, and then another ten to reach E2. Sometimes it's slower, and other times it's faster. Mine is pretty fast, for example."
Quietly, Olivia wondered about the idea of the curse hitting her with a heart attack. Could she keep her heart beating with her blood magic? Would her healing magic help her to keep living after the curse reached E2?
Laer continued. "There are, of course, exceptions. One of our members, Vlad, has survived for thirty years. The rumors all claim it can't be done and they tell horror stories about us saying we all die constantly. The truth is, we will all die one day, likely sooner than others, but just being a member of this guild isn't an automatic death sentence if you're strong. Anyway, knowing all of this, do you two really want to stay in the guild?"
"We already told you we were," Olivia said sternly. "The curse won't go away, right?"
Laer shook her head. "It won't, but think about it. You've basically got a ticking clock on your life, now. Wouldn't you rather spend that time with your family?"
Olivia and Davi both locked eyes. Davi spoke up. "I don't really have anywhere else to be. I'll stay. Besides, I'm pretty hard to kill."
"I'm living the life I want." Olivia turned back to Laer. "I'm staying also."
Laer sighed. "Fine. Come on. Don't say I didn't warn you, though."
Olivia smiled, and she gripped Davi's arm as they followed Laerton outside. They finally left the arena and stepped out into Rose City. They barely made it to the bottom of the stone steps and stood on the street when something went wrong.
A loud horn blared, and a truck came crashing toward them. Olivia almost screamed, but before she could, Davi focused his mana around his arm and took a step forward, throwing his palm out. The truck's front exploded, but with one arm, he held it back, keeping the large vehicle at bay. It shut off, and several cars all came to a screeching halt as they watched the crash.
A man stumbled out of it, shaking, his face pale. "I—I'm so sorry! I was driving for the past three days without sleep, trying to make this order, and I dozed off—wait a second." The man suddenly stopped, and he looked back at Davi. His eyes narrowed when he saw the cape Davi was wearing. "Haru, damn it! I should have known! You're the reason I crashed! You bastards! What are your kind doing in our city? My truck is totaled now because of you! Your guild better pay for the damages-"
There was a flash, and suddenly Laer stood behind the man and casually sheathed her sword. Without warning, lines appeared all over the man's clothes, and they were sliced apart, leaving him totally naked. "Get out of here before I cut your willy off," Laer grumbled. The man screamed and took off. Laer then glared at the other cars. "That goes for the rest of you." People shuddered, some said mean words, and some snapped pictures of her, but they eventually all left. "Get used to that." Laer sighed. "It happens a lot."
The woman looked a little cool, the way she clutched her sword, and the subtle mana that clung around her. Sadly, the image was ruined because, before the truck even crashed into them, a bird pooped on Laerton, and her hair was covered in it.
That also happened a lot.
Davi was the only one who noticed this, though, because Olivia was choking on another bug that had flown into her mouth when she went to scream earlier. Unlike Davi, she wasn't able to spit it up and accidentally swallowed it.
"Ew!" Olivia cried. "I ate a bug."
Davi snorted and turned to Olivia. "Don't worry. It's protein-" Just then, a bird, which had been blinded by the glare of Laerton's sword when she swung it a few moments ago, came swooping down, still dizzy, and flew right into Davi's still-broken nose. "Ow! Son of a bitch! What the fuck?"
"How are you liking your new life?"
Davi covered his nose, more red streaming down. "This sucks."
"Yeah." Olivia sighed. "I knew it was gonna be bad, but… Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, right?"
"Sure, you can," Laer smirked. "All you have to do is get stronger. So strong things like this won't happen to you." Her smirk faded when another bird pooped on her as it flew over her. "For fuck's sake, Pock!" Laer screamed as loud as she could.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Who's Pock?"
Just then, the zipper of her jacket came undone, and suddenly a hand stabbed out of her clothes. She screamed, and even Davi's eyes went wide as a second body crawled out of her jacket, bigger than even she was. The body dropped to the ground headfirst and rested on the ground.
He was a lanky and pale man who had dozens of zippers all attached to his flesh, even on his eyes and mouth, and he was wearing burnt clothes and had torn flesh. Despite being on his back, he had his hands on his hips and grinned.
"What the fuck is going on?" Davi demanded. "I'm getting really pissed."
"Hi! I'm Pock! I'm the vice captain of the Phoenix Flight guild!"
"Why were you in my jacket?" Olivia screamed and kicked the man as hard as she could.