The Future - 4

Wick stepped outside of Grey Forest. When he had left the dungeon, Zata told Wick he smelled like "a rotten corpse dipped in ape-sweat," before congratulating him. Wick used Aqua Jet to clean himself.

Now that he had completed the second trial, Wick was sure he still wasn't ready for the third. He shivered at what that could mean. Seven years had passed since the first trial. If he had tried the second trial back then, Wick would have died.

The sun was out, its position in the sky revealing it was early morning. Wick had been in the dungeon all night. A man in full armor seemed to appear out of thin air.

Wick grinned. "Admit it, you were worried."

Captain Greenlast snorted, his helmet off his head to reveal him rolling his green eyes. "Just didn't want to leave you behind. You are pretty slow compared to me."

Wick nodded. He wasn't wrong. "I do remember a time when walking down a flight of stairs used to knock the wind out of you."

"I've changed," Greenlast said. "We all have."

Wick sighed. "Not Lanton."

Greenlast's nose wrinkled in disgust at the sound of the mayor's name. "Not Lanton," he agreed.

"How was the party last night without me there?" Wick asked.

Greenlast flashed a smile. "Much more fun. Redboy got so drunk, he confessed his undying love for Vein."

"Again?"

"Yeah. I think it actually stuck with Vein this time. Tavli whistled songs all night and told stories about our brave Zero Squadron."

Wick chuckled at that. "I'm sure the plumin didn't embellish anything at all."

Greenlast looked offended on the loon's behalf. "And Dawn was...Dawn. You know?"

Wick shivered. "I do. I still can't figure her out."

"If you can't, no one can," Greenlast confirmed. Suddenly, his expression grew somber. "I checked with the locals. That's really Lanton's child inside her. I snuck around in the mansion and found the pile of letters I used to write to her as a child. They were all unopened. Of course, Lanton had hidden them away, the bastard."

Wick put his hand on his armor. "I'm sorry, Scout. But truthfully, I don't think she loves him. She just wants to be loved and he was the only one who did."

"No, he wasn't," growled Scout Greenlast. "He was just the first. I was just too weak then to act on my feelings."

Wick took his hand off the dual forceknight-limitadi's shoulder. "Today, after all these years, you can be the hero Lanton never could be, the one he always lied about being."

Scout didn't smile. "And you get your revenge."

Wick shrugged. He was mostly indifferent to it now. Too many things had happened since then, but he did admit he'd get some satisfaction from what was about to happen. "I like to think of it as inevitable acquisition. We at the World Bank make sure those who owe pay their dues."

Scout sighed. "You ready? The original Apprentices portaled in this morning like you asked."

Wick nodded. "Is everyone at the square?"

"Yeah," Scout said. "You were right. All I had to do was tell Lanton at the party last night I'd give him another Strength skillcard if he legally handed me Emilia's indentured servitude title to me, including the baby as well. I don't know what in the Hells Nehemiah was thinking when he gave the first one to Lanton in the first place."

"It was part of their deal if he helped locate Rax since Graves was unwilling to come back to Outlast," Wick reminded him. "Honestly, since Lanton didn't have your inhuman absorption rate to supply the skill, he had to rely on manna potions. You see his eyes?"

"The edges were blue as the sky," Scout agreed. "Potheads. He's probably spent a fortune on supplying his addiction."

Wick nodded. "Tavli's sources say Outlast will be bankrupt in three years. Lanton has been funneling tax earnings for a while, and not even discreetly. The man's sloppy."

He stretched his limbs, holding his staff high in the air, and said cheerily, "Okay. Let's do this. I want to meet with our grand Emperor and his nymph Queen before dinnertime. Hesperides get moody during twilight. We'll need to hit the wormhole by noonday if that's going to happen anytime soon. Then we'll be off to Mawfang."

Scout frowned. "How can you sound so chipper about ruining a man's life? I know it's Lanton we're talking about, but seriously. It gives me the creeps. And you were much worse when we were children. What did Berrma call you, a manipulative little sleaze?"

Wick gave him his most innocent shrug. "Hey, what can I say? It's the small things that keep me going."

They both took a step and vanished.

--

When they reappeared back in the market square in front of hundreds of excited people, several things happened at once.

A few people shouted giddily at having seen two people seemingly pop into existence, one of whom was the famous Captain Greenlast of the Zero Squadron. Wick's jaw dropped at having seen the rough and gruff Vein nuzzle lovingly in the cart with Redboy, who was in a state of pure bliss.

Several familiar faces pushed their way through the crowd, all of whom had once lived in Outlast but now were journeymen craftsmen around the country. They were all senior members of the Association of Apprentices and were here on Scout's orders via Tavli's network.

Dawn was pantomiming words with Tavli, who whistled frustratingly at trying to guess what she was saying. It was odd to see the silent woman with white hair actually communicate for once.

Lanton stood in the center with Emilia. He had thrown a manna potion on the cobblestone, probably because he was surprised to see the captain appear out of nowhere with Wick. Lanton's face screwed from shock to recognition then fear.

Wick looked to Scout, and realized this was probably the first time the captain had shown his face since entering Outlast. Wick's own mask wasn't on, which was most definitely a factor in helping Lanton recognize who they were. Of course, his features weren't as striking as Scout's, who, without meaning to, struck a heroic pose, his chiseled features framed by his beautiful flowing green hair. Many of the women and a few of the men practically drooled at the sight of Scout's face.

Emilia's eyes widened having instantly recognized Scout and rolled into the back of her head before passing out. Scout stepped and reappeared next to her, catching the pregnant woman before she fell.

The current mayor of the now-dilapidated Outlast pointed at Wick. "Y-y-you! The both of you! You're supposed to be slaves!"

Wick took a long breath to absorb the moment. It was glorious. Thymesia would make sure he could recall this moment perfectly for the rest of his life. What a wonderful gift.

Lanton snarled savagely, sucking in the manna vapor from the pot while throwing several more vials on the ground. Glass shattered before dissipating back into the atmosphere. He sucked in so much pure manna that even his irises were coated in blue. He raged and was a blur.

Seven years ago, a person powered by a low-level Strength skill would have been a blur to Wick. But now? Not so much. It was as if Lanton was moving underwater.

Wick smacked the air in front of him, his palm connecting with Lanton's cheek. The mayor's head collided into the cobblestone street, his face streaking a foot of blood on the stone. People in the crowd screamed.

Wick looked lazily to Scout, who wore a worried expression for Emilia. "Scout, buddy. Can you quiet them down a little for me?"

Scout's attention was still on the woman, but a small tidal wave of magic lifted from the captain's body and washed over the crowd. Their outraged, fearful voices were silenced in an instant, but only for a second. It made them confused, and Wick thrived in confusion. He let his voice boom, pulling out a piece of paper, "People of Outlast, I am Ven Praxus, known to you all as the Autumn Sword, confidant of his high Emperor."

Before anyone could cast doubt, Wick summoned the image of the paper in his hand as a giant translucent picture hovering above the crowd so everyone could see it. Oddly enough, the image wasn't blue like it had been before. It was now a golden yellow.

Had his skill Hologram changed or was it because he got a new Source?

"Weird," Wick muttered. He spoke to the people again. "As you can see from this document, it has the seal of the Emperor himself."

Wick saw he was winning them quickly. Good. The document was all above board, but it was important that the people were on his side. Funnily enough, most people in the country didn't even know the name of the new Emperor. Information didn't travel so easily these days since the leatherbacks had stopped producing enchanted pens for Vandia. Well, enchanted anything, really.

It was just another problem Wick was tasked to solve while in Mawfang.

He unsummoned Hologram but kept speaking. "As you probably all heard at the party last night, the members of the Zero Squadron have been elevated to the status of Nobles, except for Dawn, who was already one. I am not a member of Zero Squadron, but I am a noble. However, it may interest you to know that I am also the founder of the Association of Apprentices and the World Bank. Many of the Apprentices you grew up with and traveled to other cities are here today among you. They can validate my story."

A few mutters wove through the crowd. Ven Praxus. It wasn't as famous a name as Captain Greenlast, but people knew about it. The World Bank was responsible for the newly minted coins stamped with the image of a scale across the country. He was supposed to be one of the richest men in the world. At least, that's what Wick heard among them.

He smiled. Most of his money wasn't liquid. Even now, his finances were still considered average among nobles. One day, he would be the wealthiest man in the world.

Small steps first. "Even more interesting is the fact that both Scout Greenlast and I came from Outlast."

Scout gave him an incredulous look. Wick wasn't born in Outlast and had only come there at the age of ten. Wick gave him an innocent grin. The crowd spoke with the former Apprentices who were now full journeymen. They had all started in Outlast and grown seeds of trusts with the locals.

Wick turned to Dawn and said, "Summer Sword, would you be a dear and wake up poor Lanton for me?"

Dawn looked at him suspiciously before blurring and reappearing next to the passed-out mayor. Lanton's head had a bloody gash from where he had struck the cobblestone. Dawn pulled out her rapier and touched the tip of it to Lanton's head. Her face strained a little, and Lanton glowed.

A breath later, the man woke up, his eyes still cloudy blue. Wick took his time to repeat everything he had just said to Lanton. He spoke slowly, not so the man could understand what was happening, but so Wick could savor the moment.

The current mayor tried getting up but Wick flicked the fingers of his spellhand, and the gravity around Lanton grew. One and a quarter times the gravity was more than enough for the man. Maybe it was a little too much, but Wick rarely indulged in his vices, and didn't Vein say something about him loosening up?

Lanton stammered, "W-why are you here?"

Wick shoved the paper in Lanton's face. "You can read it all, but I'd rather explain it. You see, Lanton, when you burned down the fences I built all those years ago or when you sent Pebbles to beat the ever-loving Crawl out of me, you were just an annoyance, a small boy on an ego trip. But I was arrogant. Then you brought the forceknights and the Autumn Sword. You took away Rax, who is actually doing quite well right now, if only ever needing the occasional helping hand."

Dawn frowned at that. The Emperor didn't have hands.

Wick sighed. It was a tough crowd. He continued, his voice steady and polite, "Have I grown up since then? Yes. Have I faced enemies and monsters a thousand times more frightening than whatever pitiful excuse of a man you call yourself? Absolutely. That guntus everyone says Scout and the Squadron killed? That was me. So, you could say you're small pickings."

He paused, and added, "For your sake, I wish you really were as important as you believed you were. But it's my fault I feared the length of your shadow. Only now do I see it was a trick of the light."

"I'm going to kill you," the mayor raged through broken teeth, blood trickling from his split lips. To his credit, Lanton strained valiantly but ineffectively against the gravity. His high from the manna pots was mostly likely the cause. He wouldn't feel the pain until the high subsided.

Wick could hold one and a quarter much longer than twice gravity. Still, he cast the skills again and synced them just in case. He wanted to make sure the man was listening.

"No, no won't kill me," replied Wick easily. He reached inside his robes and pulled out another piece of paper with a pen. Wick dabbed the end of the pen with the blood on Lanton's head. It was a contract with two signatures, one from the Emperor and another from Wick. There was a third empty line with no signature.

Above all the gestures of power Wick had shown Lanton so far, dipping the pen in blood seemed to break past Lanton's pride, widening his blue eyes into fear. "W-what are you doing?"

Wick smiled. "I'm glad you asked. You're going to sign this document handing your title as mayor to me, Ven Praxus, the Autumn Sword. By doing so, you will render all properties and titles you own to me, including your Strength skill and the contract holding Emilia under your control. The document also erases all your rights as a citizen of Vandia. In effect, even your very identity will belong to me."

Lanton spat toward Wick, but the gravity magic pulled the spit back down on Lanton's face. "Why in the Deepest Hells would I do that?

Wick gave him a patient look, and lowered his voice. He spoke low so Lanton would understand. "I don't hate you. If it wasn't for you giving me all that bad luck, I never would have encountered all the good luck along the way."

"You're crazy," Lanton said, clearly not understanding.

"I am, a little," Wick admitted. "But I believe in a good exchange. Normally, I'd haggle you for this, but the truth is, you need to be on equal footing to have a good haggle. Right now, you're barely in control of your own spit."

"Screw you."

Wick said, "This is my offer. You sign this, and I'll give you something wonderful. Or I could set you free here and now without hearing my offer."

"Y-yes," Lanton strained. "Do that. Free me."

Wick gave him his best dragon's grin. He said pleasantly, "But you haven't heard my offer. Sign everything over to me, in effect leaving you broken and destitute. The identity of Lanton will forever belong to me. In exchange I'll give you the thing you've always not-so-secretly wanted. Deepest Hells, I'm like your fairy godmother, right out of a storybook."

"Oh yeah? What does a sleaze like you think I want?"

Wick released the gravity magic, but Lanton didn't move. Something in what Wick had said held him still. Wick answered, "You, Lanton, finally get to be a hero."

Lanton's lips trembled as he slurred, "But I am a hero. I fought in the warfront against the orea--"

Wick pressed a finger gently on Lanton's lips. "Shh. Shh. Let's be honest with each other here, Lanton old buddy. You're among friends. I know the truth. Tavli over there has the records to prove you didn't do jack in your mandatory military service. You were at your father's friend's summer home in Glimmerrest, sitting comfortably on a bed of money."

Lanton's face drained of color, his shoulders sagging, defeated.

Wick gave him an apologetic look. "But that doesn't have to be the case, not to the citizens of Outlast. You really care what people think about you. That's not a bad thing. It's wonderful. And I get to be the one who makes sure you are remembered as a hero forever."

"How?" A faint glimmer of hope filled Lanton's blue-tinged eyes. At that moment, Wick knew he had won.

"Once you sign this document, I'll be taking over Outlast and renaming it into something a little more upbeat," Wick explained. "It'll be beautiful. Wait till you see it! Give me a few years and the city will rival that of Glimmerrest. And at the very center of our new port city, let's say Greenlast, there will stand the largest marble statue of our nation's unsung hero, the man who actually killed the guntus."

Lanton frowned. "But I wasn't there. You said so yourself. You and Scout and the Zero Squadron killed it."

Wick nodded. "And we were the only witnesses. If we all said you were there, you were there. People want stories, not the truth. You should know that better than anyone."

"What about the people who knew I was here?"

Wick shook his head. "What is that, a few thousand? When the statue is raised with the plaque of your deeds verified by not only Scout Greenlast but the Emperor himself? Oh man, Lanton. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands will see it. In a decade, millions will see you as the hero who ended this war. Lanton the Legend. Has a nice ring, doesn't it?"

Lanton was silent, and for a moment Wick's heart accelerated. Was this it? Did he finally do it? The fact that Lanton was high as a kite from his manna potion was definitely a contributing factor, but Wick had never felt more powerful in his life.

"How big will the statue be?" Lanton asked.

Wick spoke, "Carve."

Twenty feet away, the ground glowed in a shape the size of three houses, filling the only empty area in the market square. Wick kept his eyes on Lanton, enjoying the wonder and hope in the man's eyes while seeing a statute in his likeness erect itself out of cobblestone ground.

It was Lanton, sword raised high in the heat of battle against the tentacled limbs of the legendary, nation-ending guntus. The statue was more handsome than Lanton and in better shape. Wick knew from the look on the real Lanton's face that it was exactly how the mayor had always seen himself.

Wick added, "That, but in white marble. It's in the document. As you can see, I'll be obligated to make the statue exactly as I promised. Even without that, I am a man of my word. Once people know you were the true hero of the Endless War, they will clothe and feed and shower you with praise despite not being an official citizen of Vandia. They. Will. Love. You. Forever."

He inspected his nails and said absently, "You have five seconds to make your decision."

Only two seconds passed before Lanton wrote his blood on the contract. A thousand miles away, Atarax Hemincross, the new Emperor of Vandia, held an identical paper in his lap, his Queen reading the changes to him.

Wick let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He had done it. Seven years had passed, but Wick had finally taken nearly everything from Lanton. There was only one thing left.

He offered a hand to Lanton, who was still in the height of his manna high. Lanton pulled at Wick's hand, standing up. Wick hugged him, startling the former mayor with the overly familiar gesture. He whispered, "One more thing. Your father's name was Kumen, yes?"

Lanton pushed back. Even in the vagueness of his manna high, he sensed something was off about Wick's tone, trying to distance himself from Wick's powerful grip. "Yes."

Wick purred, "Wrong. I learned something important, Lanton. Your mother didn't die from Atarax Hemincross, who is now the Emperor of Vandia."

"E-emper--" Lanton began.

Wick interrupted, "Your mother died because Mayor Kumen killed her after finding out you weren't his son. He didn't mean to, of course, but blind rage can bring out the worst in us. You've inherited that from Kumen, if anything."

Lanton's whole body began to twitch like a leaf in a storm. His high seemed to crash down hard at the words. Wick had timed it perfectly. He continued, "Your real father was a man new to Outlast, scoping the place out in search for a base of operations. He met your mother. The man can be very charming when he wants to. They had an affair for just one night, but that's all they needed to make the miracle of you. Why do you think Kumen let you do anything you wanted in Outlast? He felt too much guilt at having killed your lovely mother."

"You're lying," Lanton said, his throat dry. His eyes darted back and forth as if searching through the memories of Kumen. In a few silent seconds, his hollow expression told Wick Lanton knew it to be true.

Wick grinned his dragon's grin. "Do you want to know your real father's name?"

"Shut up!" Lanton spit uselessly, the fight evaporating from him. Wick was sure the man had already figured it out.

"That man's name," Wick said, pausing to savor the moment before the final blow, "is Atarax Hemincross. Isn't that funny? Even Rax doesn't know. I asked around. Tavli scoured every relevant record he could to confirm it. So, it was you who made the former Autumn Sword cut off your father's hands. It was you who sentenced your true father to five years in prison. It would have been longer, but I broke him out. You did this to you."

Wick sighed. "It also means you were the son of the Emperor of Vandia. Ah. Ah. No. Before you say anything about being a prince, remember only a few minutes ago you gave up all your rights and identity. They are mine now, and you are nothing. Not a thing. Well, except for the hero who slew the guntus."

"Who else knows?" Lanton managed, his eyes staring hollowly at the ground, suddenly realizing the choice he made at the height of his manna high. He was now a shell of a man.

Wick shrugged, picking at his teeth. "Not Scout. Not Emilia. Only me and Tavli. And of course, Dawn, since she's right here. But she has a vow of silence...I think. Pretty sure. That's it, and I see no reason for anyone else to know. Do you?"

Lanton, son of no one, whispered, "You're a monster."

Wick smiled, all teeth. "I sure am, buddy. I sure am..."

--

In the cart on their way to the wormhole, Wick replayed the day over and over again in his mind with Thymesia. Each time felt just as good as before. He couldn't wait to build the real statue of Lanton slaying the guntus. It would act as a reminder that all debts would be righted eventually.

Emilia and Scout were in a separate cart, exchanging stories about the past seven years. They were clearly in love. Redboy was joined on the back of his khosa with Vein behind him. Tavli was busy trading secrets through the pen and ledger he always carried, just like Rax once had so many years ago.

Dawn had been staring at Wick the entire ride from Outlast. Only now did he finally bear the weight of it, and it made him uncomfortable. He knew she wouldn't say anything. She never did, but he found himself asking, "Do I have something on my face?"

The pretty young woman with ghostly white hair had a dangerous look. She said flatly, "You are not a good man."

Wick's jaw dropped. The cart halted. Everyone stared at Dawn. Vein, oddly enough, gave her a thumbs up.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. You can talk," Wick said, pointing his staff at Dawn. The woman looked away and blushed, her expression showing she regretted speaking.

"After Glimmerrest, we are going to Mawfang to challenge the Labyrinth?" Dawn asked. Her voice was pretty and easy to hear, and it lifted something in Wick. Yet, there was a sadness lying in its undercurrent, and Wick found it intriguing.

His mood darkened. "Yes, among other things. My father went there, and even though he survived, he eventually died because of it."

Dawn turned back to him, her expression a mask. She said, "It is amazing he survived at all. It is the most dangerous place on the surface. We will most likely die, too."

Despite the storm brewing on the horizon, Wick's future looked bright. He even allowed himself to have friends.

He flashed Dawn a wicked smile.

Tavli looked up as if noticing a bad smell and rolled his eyes. "Don't say it. Trouble always comes when you say it. The words are a curse when they come out of your mouth."

Dawn chimed in, just as annoyed as the plumin. "Don't, Wick. On my father's broken soul, please don't say it."

Wick nodded as if in agreement and thought of the last words his father had ever spoken to him. The words had once given him strength. Even after all this time, they still did. Wick's grin widened as he said, "The strong live long, but the bold get the gold."

END