Chapter 80: It is to Laugh

Nathan danced around Alvin; he had come to understand his abilities’ trigger. Right before every attack, Alvin would swing his sword at least once in Nathan’s direction, even if the strike didn’t connect, the ability would activate. More than that, after every attack, the amount would multiply, to the point it felt like he was fighting a gang of invisible assailants. However, from the way Alvin was breathing, his ability must be a mana drainer.

Ash: “What’s going on with him, why won’t he attack?”

Estelle: “No, it’s a good strategy.”

Estelle, not far from Ash, answered his question.

Estelle: “’Army of One’, it’s an ability Alvin invented; with a swing of his sword he can create mana duplicates of himself, undetectable by the naked eye and continuously multiplying the longer it is active.”

Ash: “So what…Nathan being attacked by some invisible mana clones?”

Estelle: “Precisely, but it seems like the Lycanian has figured out the conditions for avoiding it.”

Ash: “Which is?”

Estelle: “That I will not reveal.”

Ash: “Tsk!”

Alvin tried to chase Nathan, but he couldn’t keep up with Nathan’s speed and as long as he kept moving like this, it was impossible for Alvin to activate his ability. The initial sword swing acted as a homing beacon, allowing the ability to follow its target where ever it went. However, if the target was moving faster than Alvin could follow, the attack wouldn’t register. He couldn’t keep up with Nathan, so he begun to focus on the inevitable. Nathan would eventually make a move, he just had to wait until Nathan attacked, the moment their blades crossed, with the little bit of health the Lycanian had left, he wouldn’t last another attack.

Plus, the amount of duplicates Alvin had at the moment was around thirteen, with that many he would exhaust almost all of his mana, but no one has ever made it to this amount of duplicates and he sure even Nathan was close to his limit

Nathan was close enough, with one last step, he leapt at Alvin. Alvin aimed to meet Nathan’s strike and immediately activated his ability. At that same moment, Nathan stuck his hand right in front of Alvin’s face.

Nathan: “Venom-Burst”

A rune symbol appeared and from it a yellow glob, splashed right into Alvin’s face. The ooze hit him dead center, invading every orifice on his face.

Nathan reflexively dodged the invisible attack after firing off the poison. It didn’t take immediate effect, so Nathan had no choice but to dodge the incoming attacks. Two, three, four, five, by the sixth duplicate Nathan was barely able to dodge. And with the next attack Nathan felt he was stabbed right in the chest.

Nathan: “Ugh.”

Two attacks came at the same time and Nathan couldn’t dodge both, instead taking the blow to his arm, rather than risking the one to the head. Nathan was on his last leg, he didn’t need to look at the ‘Battle Orb’ to know he was on the verge of losing. Nathan looked over to Alvin, wiping the poison from his face in disgust, but the poison didn’t seem to have taken effect. He didn’t understand, as with the bandits it was almost immediate. He only could dodge up to a certain amount of invisible attacks, last time it took seven to finally catch him and right now he was up to six.

An invisible thrust to the back of his head, Nathan ducked forward to avoid, but the second he did, from all sides, he was pinned and with nowhere left to run Nathan pushed off the ground with his hands, launching high into the air. This was it, he’d avoided as much as he possibly could, but from the way his ‘Threat Detection’ was going off, the moment he landed it would be over and the ground was closing in fast.

Nathan: “(Shit)……….Huh?”

Just when he thought it was over, Nathan smiled realizing all traces of invisible threats were gone. Turning to Alvin, who was now on all fours, who was barely keeping a hold on his weapon. All over his body, yellow veins were appearing, letting Nathan know the poison was working.

Nathan: “Wow, I’m surprise you didn’t faint.”

Alvin: “W-What have you done to me?”

Nathan: “Poison, I recently acquired it. It paralyzes your opponent, sending an intense pain spiraling through their body every time they try to move. But, don’t worry; I’ll end this before you get that far gone.”

Crowd: “Foul play!”

Nathan: “What?”

Nathan turned his attention to the crowd; they raised up a fuss calling him a cheater.

Nathan: “How exactly am I cheating?”

RS Member: “How did you not, using poison in a duel, despicable?”

Nathan: “What, he was using invisible attacks and that’s fair!?”

RS Member: “That is fair, it was clearly one of his skills?”

Nathan: “Okay now you’re just nitpicking.”

Estelle: “Silence.”

Estelle yelled for her man to stop with their false accusation.

Estelle: “Clearly the poison was fired from the rune symbol that appeared. It was magic, how exactly was it cheating?”

RS Member: “But Estelle, I’ve never heard of ‘Poison Magic’.”

The members of ‘Radiant Sky’ all agreed, along with the city folk who witness the fight.

Estelle: “Just because you never heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. On the contrary, we just saw it demonstrated first hand. No one has any right to call it foul play.”

Nathan looked over to Estelle who just scowled at him.

Estelle: “Don’t misunderstand; I didn’t do that for you.”

Nathan: “Didn’t think you would, now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna finish pummeling your friend.”

Estelle obviously raged at Nathan’s words, but he ignored her as he walked up to Alvin.”

Alvin: “N-No I can’t lose, you have to pay for what you did.”

Nathan: “Yeah, you said something about mocking you earlier…did I do something to you, I’m damn sure this is our first meeting?”

Alvin: “Not me, you dare mock my sister.”

Nathan: “I never met you, let alone your sister.”

Alvin banged his hand on the ground, which surprise Nathan, since every little movement, causes intense pain. He looked at Nathan, eyes full of hate.

Alvin: “M-Melissa, my sister is Melissa.”

Nathan: “Melissa…….ah.”

Nathan memories, of earlier today, the Twin Moons party had a member named Melissa, their spell user. The memories of that fight also brought about the battle cry the girls kept screaming at them.

Nathan: “Pfffffffttt.”

Nathan started snickering, drawing animosity from everyone around. Nathan just couldn’t help himself, anyone from earth would have burst into laughter as well.

Alvin: “Bastard.”

Alvin Jumped to his feet swinging his sword wildly. No longer there was the skill from earlier, so Nathan easily avoided it. Nathan kept dodging Alvin’s attacks.

Nathan: “Hey, I know I’m your opponent, but you shouldn’t move so much. With all that poison in you, it must hurt like shit.”

Alvin: “SHUT UP, YOU’LL PAY FOR HUMILIATING MY SISTER!”

Nathan: “Humiliate!? She challenged me and lost fair and square. That’s the nature of a duel. But seriously though…you should really stop moving.”

Alvin ignored Nathan’s warning and continued to swing wildly. After a minute or so, Alvin body was at its limit. Alvin screamed in pain as he fell to the ground, coincidently, he hadn’t let go of his weapon and fell unconscious. Nathan took this opportunity and closed in on Alvin, not wanting this to drag this on any further.

*Dong*

Just as Nathan went for the sword, a tone rang out. Suddenly the battle area disappeared, and the Battle Orbs flew to their respective owners.

Estelle: “Alvin.”

Estelle ran up to Alvin, who had fallen unconscious, only after the battle was over. Several other members ran up to him as well, while Ash walked up to Nathan.

Nathan: “I didn’t know battles had time limits.”

Ash: “They don’t, it only ends if someone is defeated or maybe-”

Nathan: “What?”

Ash: “The battle could end in default, if the item wagered, is no longer in the possession of the opponent.”

Nathan: “Anais must have completed the quest, so the plan worked.”

Ash: “It took her long enough.”

Estelle: “Alvin, stop.”

Alvin: “NO, THIS ISN’T OVER, NO ONE MOCKS MY SISTER.”

Alvin was breathing heavy, barely conscious, and yet eh still tried breaking free of his party members grip.

Alvin: “I heard the rumors, you made them out to be a laughing stock, toying with them as you battled.”

Nathan sighed out loud. He admitted he was laughing, but not at their skill. They were as formidable as any opponent and the only reason he was laughing was because of their battle cries. However, there was no way to explain to them what the joke was without admitting he was from another world and then he doubts they would believe him anyway.

Alvin was still raging to fight, but the battle had ended, and they couldn’t challenge Nathan again for another twenty-four hours. If he were to start a fight now, they would be penalized by the guild. However, that wasn’t anything that Alvin was worried about as he broke free of his friends grip.

Estelle: “Alvin!”

Estelle’s cry fell on deaf ears as Alvin had already made it to Nathan.

*Bunk*

Alvin let out a pained grunt as he collapsed over Nathan, smashing their skulls into each other.

Nathan lost his balance and fell backwards, catching himself on a cart behind him, but Alvin falling toward Nathan cause the cart to tip and they both toppled to the ground.

Estelle: “Get him up.”

At Estelle word, several of her team members grabbed Alvin up and begin to walk away, while Estelle walked up to Nathan, who was looking into the sky in a daze.

Estelle: “You okay.”

Nathan: “I’M FINE, I’M FINE.”

Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs, that he was okay over and over. Everyone except Ash, who had looked up were confused as to why he had suddenly started to yell. High above, from Iris’s point of view, it looked as though Alvin had attack Nathan after the fight was over and she was readying to attack, but quickly stopped upon hearing Nathan’s declaration. Nathan got up, the fall didn’t hurt that much and the pain from the skull-bash was subsiding.

Nathan: “For the record, I wasn’t laughing at him.”

Estelle: “I had a feeling.”

Nathan: “So what now?”

Estelle: “I’m not sure.”

Estelle said nothing else, she un-tied a satchel from her side and tossed it to Nathan. After that she just turned and walked away to catch up with her party. Nathan looked in the bag to find a few hundred ‘Rydt’

Ash: “What the hell was that for?”

Nathan: “Maybe she felt like she needed to repay us.”

Ash: “No not her, I’m talking about you. There no way you couldn’t dodge that collapsing hothead, why’d you let him fall on you?”

Nathan: “Well, I felt bad.”

He understood why he did it, to everyone watching or opinion, Nathan was the bad guy at this moment. Because Nathan was from a different world, meanings of words and phrases were different. So, every time he laughed at the ‘Twin Moons’, it seemed as though he was mocking them.

Nathan called Iris down from above and the three made their way back to the guild. Anais would be waiting and they could collect their reward.

Belle: “Sir, Mr. Virgil has arrived.”

Matthew: “Thank you Belle, send him right in.”

Belle bowed and moments later Virgil entered room, a smile on his face.

Virgil: “Matthew, it’s been too long.”

Matthew returned his smile and reached out his hand to shake Virgil’s.

Matthew: “Much too long, I heard of your exploits across Dreyd.”

Virgil: “Mostly exaggerated, I assure you.”

Matthew: “I’m sure.”

Matthew smiled wryly before the two began laughing. Belle knocked on the door before entering with tea for the two. Matthew ushered Virgil to a seat while Belle filled their cups.

Virgil took a sip and let the warmth from the cup wash over his body.

Virgil: “Marvelous, as always Belle, how about you come work at my estate? Your wages will be much better the anything he could afford.”

Matthew: “Hey, I didn’t call you here to scout my receptionist.”

Virgil ignored Matthew and kept trying to persuade Belle.

Belle: “Sorry, but I enjoy my job at the moment.”

Virgil: “Aw that’s a shame, well if you ever change your mind.”

Matthew: “That will be all Belle.”

Belle: “Yes Master.”

Matthew hurriedly got rid of Belle, before she fell for the pretty boy. Virgil just snickered at his reaction.

Virgil: “By the way; all that noise outside, you’re not going to do anything about it?”

Matthew: “They will tire themselves out eventually; let it run its course.”

Virgil: “Run its course?...that doesn’t sound like the Matthew I know; the man who incorporated the dueling systems together with those ridiculous restrictions.”

Matthew took a sip of his tea.

Matthew: “I had to do something to get you fools to stop fighting each other for riches and complete the damn quest. You’d be all out of work if the people lost faith in us while you all squabble over riches.”

Virgil: “What can I say, we were all young and-”

Matthew: “Stupid?”

Virgil: “Misguided.”

The two bickered back in forth for a few more minutes, reminiscing about when they were younger.

Matthew: “Ahem, so Virgil, do you remember our discussion?”

Virgil turned to Matthew whose expression had turned stern as he recalled the conversation immediately. He could only think of one reason he would ask that.

Virgil: “You’ve found a way?”

Matthew: “A slight possibility, I can’t know for sure just yet, but I have high hopes for this information.”

Virgil’s eyes widen a bit, Matthew wasn’t one to bullshit when it came to something like this.

Matthew: “I need your help, if I’m to see it finished.”

Virgil: “Is this about your plans in a week?”

Matthew: “No, not at all, you know as well as I know, if you showed up there, neither of us would get out unscathed.”

Virgil let out a sigh of regret. Due to him becoming a Hero, he could no longer engage in the activities of an Adventurer. Like all others found to have a Legacy, he really didn’t have a choice. Being forced the title of “Demon Lord”, meant living ostracized from common society. Under the churches influence, there were many restrictions placed on those that refused their offer. It wasn’t an official restriction, but for reason many didn’t understand, people dubbed ‘Demon Lord' would tend to stray from society due to such unknown restriction.

Virgil: “If I had known what I known then, now, I would have never taken up the mantle.”

Matthew: “Even if that meant being called a ‘Demon Lord’?”

Virgil: “It’s better than losing my freedom to some religion.”

Matthew: ‘Should you really be saying that?”

Virgil: “Who’s going to tell? But enough of this, what have you found?”

Matthew straightened his posture.

Matthew: “From ‘Dyrek Woods’ southeast of here, I want you to journey as close to the center as you can.”

Virgil rubbed his chin.

Virgil: “Those woods are hundreds of miles deep and just beyond that forest, lay the domain of the ‘Twelve Horn’.”

Matthew: “Ah, so you know.”

Virgil: “I know that an exploration team scoured those woods and found those nothing but a nest of strong monsters. And deeper still they came in contact with the ‘Twelve Horn’. They are very ‘majestic’, but also very large.”

Matthew: “If the stories are correct, about the size of a small mountain.”

Virgil: “And because of their size and there sensory abilities, no one wanted to go anywhere beyond the ‘Dyrek Woods’. How do you suppose I get past them?”

Matthew: “If my informant is correct, you can just walk pass them.”

Virgil eyes widen disbelief at what he had just heard. Walking passed such monster, if it had not come from Matthew, he would have just excuse himself.

Virgil: “And who is this informant that spoke something so ludicrous?”

Matthew: “Sorry, cannot tell you that.”

Virgil: “Not even me?”

Matthew: “Not even you.”

Virgil looked into Matthew eyes, he didn’t blink nor shift his sight. He wasn’t going to tell.

Virgil: “So what are you looking for?”

Matthew: “Nothing in particular, I just need you to see how deep you could travel, without aggression or need of return.”

Virgil: “You just need a scout, why not just ask an adventurer?”

Matthew: “I rather keep this off-the-books.”

Virgil: “Matthew………do you know what you’re asking?”

Matthew: “I’m asking you to ignore the rules of the church and do an off-the-record quest for me.”

Virgil could not believe what he was hearing; Matthew a stickler for the rules; would he go so far? What could have caused him to do this?

Virgil: “This could go bad, if the church or any other Guild Master hear of it.”

Matthew didn’t bat in eye, he knew of the consequences, but if, for a fraction of the information, was true…the reward would be well worth the risk.

Virgil: “I have some conditions.”

Matthew: “Name them.”

Virgil: “For now, I want to take some people with me.”

Matthew: “Fine, but no adventurers from any guild.”

Virgil: “I’ll choose them myself; it will be safer for us that way.”

Matthew nodded an agreement.

Matthew: “Anything else.”

Virgil: “Not at the moment. No wait; do you know anyone good at beast taming?”

Matthew: “Beast taming, if it’s just that, I know a few. Any specific beast you wish them to specialize with?”

Virgil smiled a very pleasant smile.

Virgil: “Someone good with Rodents.”