*Claaaank!* *CREEEEEEE----AAKKKK!!!*The heavy metal gates the height of 2 men and as wide as 4 was unsealed, unbolted and swung open with a long screeching creak. It didn"t look like it was rarely used; perhaps it was just not well maintained...?
Lars made the observation as he hoped this would be settled soon. He was eager to get on to finding more of the priceless animal"s hide, wherever it came from, and wanted to settle this misunderstanding as quickly as possible.
Though, seeing the level of agitation on the face of the well-dressed man in his fifties, it didn"t look likely that he could get through to him in his rage-induced state right now...
The old man burst forth into aggressive action, producing and equipping a pair of 4-bladed claws on either wrist while the even older guard stood by and folded his arms and sighed, clearly feeling that he was far too old for this sh*t.
"TWIN FANGS, NIGHT CHILL!!! DIE!!!" Roaring as he released his blood energy and mana in a burst, Maester Slith"s body faded into the shadows slightly as he shot forward, drawing raised brows from Lars".
And as Lars watched as the Slith family caretaker arc through the air as he leapt forward and closed the distance, he upgraded his estimation of the man.
"Oh! At least he"s at the borderline between the peak-Grandmaster and beginner World-cla.s.s stage...? Or perhaps he"s already broken through recently...? Not bad, not bad!" Lars thought as he observed the trajectory of the man"s claw strikes at his neck and abdomen.
The warrior-mage Lars s.h.i.+fted his stance so he stood perpendicular to the approaching Maester Slith to avoid the strike to his neck, standing with his left side facing the berserk man. He then swayed to the side without changing his footing, letting the skewering thrust of Maester"s left claw slip past his body, barely brus.h.i.+ng his robes.
"WHAT??? HOW COULD YOU--" Maester Slith exclaimed in shock as his attacks missed. He was shocked beyond his wits as he realised that Lars" evasion had been effortless, showing masterful control of the entire situation. He also tried desperately to stop his forward momentum as his whole body was still sailing forward to crash face-first with Lars!
But Lars almost yawned in a show of boredom as he whipped his left hand forward and delivered a severe tight slap to the face of Maester Slith before his sweaty and oily face could come anywhere near his body! Of course, he also made sure he wore a leather glove on his left hand in a split second; there was no way he would touch the old man"s grimy face, yuck!
"BLRAGHRYGR!!!" Maester spluttered as blood, snot and saliva sprayed out of his mouth, causing Ol" Mulberry to flinch in shock as he was nearly drenched in the bodily fluids. He darted backwards nearly instantly and shot out of the way, belying his earlier slow and decrepit movements, at odds with his ancient-like appearance.
Lars carefully began to remove his glove, then suddenly felt a chill in his body and shuddered.
"Wh-what was that...? Did I get hit by something...?" Lars quickly focused his mind and sent his spiritual sense scanning over his body, then realised that there was a distinct aura of cold hanging around his neck and abdomen - the very same locations that had been attacked by Maester earlier!
"Hehhehehe! b.a.s.t.a.r.d murderer and thief! You"re dead wrong if you thought you could so easily avoid our Ancient Slith Sect"s killing moves!" Maester rose to his shakily and wiped the blood from his lips as he confidently mocked his opponent"s foolishness.
"The essence of Night Chill will seep into your skin, then penetrate through your bones before permeating through your entire body, flowing into your bloodstream!! Hahaha!! Consider that revenge for plotting against the Ancient Slith Sect and murdering young Everaldus, hahahah! You"ll die a painful death, slowly stiffening and freezing over--WHAT???" His eyes widened and flickered with fervour tinged with sorrow and pain as he pointed at Lars with a trembling hand and declared his fate, until he suddenly saw Lars casually shake off his Slith Night Chill with ease!
"H-how... How can it be p-possible... How could you possibly dispel the Ancient Slith Arts... H-how..." The already-injured Maester stumbled backwards as his newly bolstered confidence quickly faded. He backpedaled so quickly that he nearly pitched straight into Ol" Mulberry"s arms, but ended up falling b.u.t.t-first onto the dusty dirt floor when the guard discreetly side-stepped his advance.
After falling to the ground in shock, Maester suddenly realised that Ol" Mulberry had not taken action at all. Brows furrowing in distress and fear, Maester Slith quickly urged Ol" Mulberry, saying, "Ol" Mulberry, old mentor and friend! You"ve gotta protect the family and exact vengeance on our enemy!!! The vile monster has robbed and, and maybe even murdered our Everaldus, our darling Everaldus!!!"
Ol" Mulberry quickly looked away and folded his arms before backing off swiftly before casting a helpless glance at Lars, as if to say, "Hey kid, no hard feelings, okay...? I"ve got nothing to do with this!"
Lars sighed as he felt like he had enough of this foolishness. He held up the ring once more and spoke loudly and slowly, "COULD YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME...?!?"
Startled and in a poor state of mind, Maester flinched back and held his arms in front of himself instinctively as he looked on with fear at the roaring Lars.
Seeing that he had finally gotten a chance to explain himself, Lars quickly did so.
"Yes, this is Everaldus" ring, yes! But I did not kill him, nor did I harm him in any way! I have come on his behalf to deliver this ring to the family...! So are you or are you not Everaldus Slith"s family...?!?"
Maester"s expression stiffened before gradually changing from one of horror to one of half-joy before finally settling into a look of disbelief.
"You"re, you"re sent by Everaldus...? H-how can I know that is true...? How can I believe anything you say...? What if you"re sent by the Desert Sun Sect or the Fire Scorpion Sect...?!?" He scrambled to his feet and raised his guard once more, raising his hands before himself in a battle-ready stance.
However, it looked like even Ol" Mulberry had had enough of his long-time employer"s and former student"s silliness as he sighed and patted Maester on the shoulder, saying, "Maester... If he wanted to, he could have easily sent your head flying, you know...?"
Turning pale at the thought, Maester turned to meet Ol" Mulberry"s piercing eyes that were still lively despite his age and gulped as he realised that it was true.
Seeing that his boss had finally come to his senses, the elder guard continued, "And if he WERE from our enemy sects, I doubt he would have just stood there patiently at the gates... He would have long broken down our gates and slaughtered his way in...! Everyone knows that the Patriarch is not in a good state..."
Nodding slowly as he came to his senses, Maester took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly, then grasped his old friend and mentor"s hand before removing it from his shoulder. He then drew himself up and straightened his stance before turning to face Lars.
"My apologies, dear sir. I, Maester Slith, oldest brother and caretaker of the Ancient Slith Sect, humbly seek your forgiveness for this one last request!"
With a dead-serious look on his face and a sternness in his eyes, Maester Slith clasped his hands together in front of him and bowed his head, making his plea to Lars.
"Dear sir! Please humour this request! Please prove you are truly from young master Everaldus!"
Lars looked on with a neutral expression. Then he shrugged and held out the ring to Maester Slith, saying, "Proving myself... Erm... I don"t care, really. I"m just here to pa.s.s the news and fulfill a dying man"s last wish to return his storage ring to his family... And also search for information. Here, take the ring and open it. I"m sure whatever"s inside will be useful to--"
Lars stopped speaking slowly as he held out the ring.
Because Maester Slith fell to his knees, eyes wide open and painted with sorrow. Tears welled up and quickly raced down his cheeks as his lips trembled, opening slightly but without words to speak.
Slowly, his head fell and his body turned limp from woe, until his forehead was touching the ground. Soundless sobs racked his body as he fell into the depths of despair.
"Maester..." Ol" Mulberry too looked visibly distressed as his brows creased, his face fell and his lips stretched out thin. He called out to Maester, as if though searching for the words to comfort him and began to walk over, hoping to lift up the younger man and encourage him. But after taking a few steps closer, his feet faltered and slowed as his hand dropped back to his side.
What could he say to comfort a man who had lost the young hope of the family...?
However, Maester surprised both Lars and Ol" Mulberry when he drew in a deep breath and rose to his feet slowly. He stood erect and straight with a smile that was reminiscent of a man who had had both accepted his fate and was ready to meet his end.
The look of one who had given up hope and realised that, if there were no more hopes to be dashed, what was there to fear or worry about...?
"Dear sir...." Maester began, speaking without looking at Lars, casting his gaze to the night sky, wispy greyed hairs billowing in the evening drafts.
"Whether or not you are truly from Everaldus... If you are willing to return the ring, perhaps you truly are. Or perhaps you intend to rob us once we unlock the ring... So be it!"
Then he turned abruptly and locked gazes with Lars, only this time it was not a despairing gaze nor the weak look of a man who had given up hope.
No, this was a gaze that sent a chill up Lars" spine and caused him to gulp involuntarily. Even Kizorik was disturbed while Velzash nodded in approval.
When Lars met eyes with Maester Slith, he realised that he was looking at a man who had cast away all hope for his life and had only one desire still smouldering in his eyes.
Revenge.
"Dear sir... Whatever your intentions may be... I have only one wis.h.!.+ Tell me what you want in order to fulfill this wish and I, Maester Slith shall do it, even if it costs me my life, even if it destroys the lives of others!"
Fanaticism, fervour, madness, rage... Despair and vengeance swam in the darkness of Maester Slith"s glittering eyes. Eyes that shone with the cold flames of murder. Eyes that thirsted for the deaths of his enemies.
Lars couldn"t help but feel unnerved as he took a half step back, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt uncomfortable holding Maester"s gaze, but somehow also could not pull his gaze away.
"Lars... He"s... Fallen into depravity...! If not for the fact that the devils had recently taken a major blow to their forces, I wouldn"t have been surprised if there were a sudden devil rift torn through reality right here and now to corrupt his soul further... Lars, you"ve gotta help him wake up from his madness, lest the devils claim another soul and further bolster their forces!" Kizorik urged Lars, speaking rapidly, shooting off the words as fast as a machine gun. Velzash nodded at the side; there was no love lost between him and the devils either.
"Ahem, Mr... Maester. I have no qualms against exacting vengeance on the treacherous or on those who are deserving of death. But I will need to first know what is the reason behind what has happened. As I understand, Everaldus was ambushed not due to any enemies you have but due to being targeted by a criminal group, the Underworld. Perhaps you should take a look at what he has for the sect in this ring first before you give up all hope! And what has happened to the Ancient Slith Sect? Can"t you restore the sect and rebuilt it once again...? How about, how about any younger siblings, any young heirs to the sect...?"
As Lars words came to an end, he continued to look at Maester, whose fiery gaze locked onto Lars" for many moments longer. Lars began to grow uncomfortable and felt like looking away but forced himself to persevere for a moment longer. Finally after half a minute, Maester sighed as his eyes closed.
With eyes remaining closed, Maester"s tightly clenched fists began to relax and he let out a heavy breath, seemingly letting out also much of the heaviness and tension from his body as he did so.
Then Maester"s countenance grew wan and weak once again, having expended all his energy in that one moment of intensity. He swayed once, twice, then steadied himself before he turned and walked away, hands hanging limp at his sides.
He stopped after a few steps, head hung low as he spoke softly and wistfully.
"...Sister-in-law... She"s been gone for so many years now... Sick with syphilis... The young master"s sister... Died with her together... The sect...? We"ve been in a state of decline for a decade now since the opposing sects poured the pressure on us... Sigh..."
Pausing for awhile and leaving Lars at a loss for words, Maester then continued.
"...With young master dead and the Patriarch dying, what hope is there left for the sect...?"
Maester then began to walk away listlessly, not towards the main building that Lars could see in the distance but apparently randomly - the direction he was walking to was just a high and empty wall of a building, leading to a dead end.
Speechless and not knowing how to respond, Lars quickly thought of what he could do, and decided to open up the contents of the ring to see if there was anything of import to shake Maester Slith out of his stupor.
He held up the ring in his hand and spoke the key word carefully, one which he had not spoken earlier out of respect for the dying Everaldus" will.
"...Chesed!"
The ring began to s.h.i.+ne before a single item was revealed, gently floating out from the spatial ring and onto Lars" open hand.
It was a round globe, aqusapphire blue in colour and releasing a soft, gentle glow; one that comforted and seemed to bring rest to Lars" soul.
Ol" Mulberry too was mesmerised by the appearance of the treasure as his creased brows relaxed and unfurrowed, his knotted back seemingly smoothening out and the aches in his joints being eased.
Unbidden, the words came to his lips.
"I-is this...? Isn"t this...? What young master went to search for from the city...? The treasure that can save the P-Patriarch...!!! C-c-c-cryo..."
He stuttered out the words, rubbing his disbelieving eyes once more before he could finally utter the name of the treasure the whole sect, consisting of barely 10 people remaining, knew the young master had set off to purchase.
"CRYO CORE!!!" Ol" Mulberry"s nigh-insane exclamation of half-disbelief and half-clamorous joy caught the attention of Maester who turned his head with wide, incredulous eyes.
"...W-w... What...??? Could it be, could, could it truly be...???" He too could not believe his eyes at what he saw!
Once more, tears came to his eyes. Once more he fell to his knees.
Only, this time there was hope. This time there was joy.
This time there was light budding in his soul.
Despite all that had been lost, he could sense, feel and hear the voice of his nephew once more, saying, "My life came by my father and mother... My learning and all I have from the sect! Therefore let it never be said that Everaldus Slith should not keep his word, and lay down his life for the sake of this family!"
"My life for the family, my being for the sect!"
And the words echoed in the weeping Maester"s ears once more as he whispered out the words, "B-brother... There is hope... There"s still hope...!"
But all of a sudden, a raucous shout interrupted that magical moment.
"HAHAHAHA! OLD SLITH!!! HOW GENEROUS OF YOU!!! NOT ONLY HAVE YOU KEPT YOUR FUDDY DUDDY GARBAGE SECT MAINTAINED FOR US, YOU EVEN PREPARED A WELCOMING GIFT??? AND WHAT A GREAT GIFT TOO! Muakakakaka!!!"
"Well well well!!! And you even brought some fresh meat to be devoured...?? I"ll be sure to give him a good injection that doesn"t remove his senses! Then he can enjoy being roasted alive and savour every moment of it!! Gereheheheh!!!"
Maester"s tear-filled eyes hardened instantly as he shot to his feet and brandished his claws, looking up to see the two uninvited visitors standing on the walls of the Sect compound.
"Sir! You"ve gotta help us! Please, I"ll do anything, please!!! Protect our Ancient Slith Sect and, and... I"ll do anything, even give my life!!!" He shouted as he quickly scurried over to Lars" side, instinctively realising that he had to work together with Lars if they were to survive this battle.
Lars smiled gently, patting him on the shoulder and pus.h.i.+ng Maester aside as he stood confidently.
"...Alright. I just need some directions after I clear out these trash...!"