The Water Body Refinement Adept

In exchange, he became more and more loyal to what seemed to be a bottomless pit of treasures. Rio Arson grew stronger over time, and eventually broke through the veteran knight realm, even though his mentor had made it clear that with his talent, becoming a novice knight was the extent of what he could possibly achieve, even with the guidance of the greatest Grand Knight of all times.

Hard work paid off. Of course, his case was a successful one among thousands. Anyway, war had begun, and his training would now become of use. Thieves, bandits, and criminals weren"t worthy of his skills and strength. He was known as Rio, the Bonecrusher, because he had the perverse habit of crushing the bones of his enemies while fighting. Scenes of him fighting were always brutal, and it earned him respect along with fear in his territory. Among all territories affiliated with the Thornfield family, no lord had such a barbaric and overwhelming authority over its subjects.

When Drodosis arrived, after four days of travel, he was quite surprised. The streets were clean, and there were no criminals or rude acts to be seen. People seemed happy, albeit quite fearful. After asking around, Drodosis realized who Rio Arson was, and what his ident.i.ty entailed.

The streets lacked the vulgarity of commoners, and the dirt of panhandlers. Soldiers were patrolling at unusual high frequency, in small teams of three or four. From times to times, Drodosis would spot a knight here and there, looking for suspicious individuals. They were armed to teeth, and ready to defend against any kind of attack.

On the walls of Glory City, there were four long spikes, which had impaled four criminals. The inscriptions: "The evil shall be punished", were marked in a golden colour, making the whole scene look like holy yet h.e.l.lish at the same time. After careful observation, these four criminals seemed to be alive, and each breathe they took seemed to cause huge amount of pain.

"What a barbarian!", one of Drodosis" acolyte bodyguard said. The latter was called Ofaris, a strong, honest and straightforward man, driven by an unshakable loyalty to the Thornfield family, and this sight of criminals agonizing made him nauseous.

"Don"t say that…look at the result. People are happy in the city and they are really helping each other. There are no gangs, no thieves. The streets are safe. Adults work in daylight, and can enjoy themselves during nights. Their children can play and wander aimlessly in the city safely. Few people starve…and that"s mainly because the baron made sure everything goes as planned, eliminating the inconveniences with brute force. His management skills are second to none. It might not be the gentlest way, and definitely not morally right, but you got to admit that these citizens aren"t starving, and many are probably happier under his lordship.!"

Hearing these words, the four acolytes remembered their childhood. Their parents abandoned them because they couldn"t afford to nourish one more mouth, because they died in a bandit raid, or because famines had made children too expansive to raise. If only a lord like Baron Rio existed, then there would have been no famine to begin with, and they wouldn"t have been abandoned…Drodosis was right, they knew it. He always was…

The more Drodosis absorbed knowledge, the more intelligent he became. In fact, he became so knowledgeable that it was hard to find anyone capable of holding a proper conversation with him. No matter what the subject was, Drodosis had studied it meticulously, under the guidance of his biochip, and his path of erudition was only beginning, as he always followed his biochip"s morning lessons.

In the past 4 days, Drodosis also grew accustomed to the presence of his four bodyguards.

Ofaris was a big barbaric-like man, almost two meters" tall, with a build similar to bodybuilders back on Earth. However, although his physique was impressive, he didn"t train as a body refinement acolyte, instead choosing the conventional water element mastery path, highly recommended by Elder Gale. His affinity was quite high as well, even better than Drodosis", and he had focused his studies on only two spells, despite being on the verge of becoming an intermediate acolyte, with his 8 points of spirit: Ice Arrow and nova.

Drodosis knew these two spells. In his quick stay at the Water fortress, he made sure to scan most of the spells he could find, including Ice Arrow and nova, as well as 36 other water-elemental spells. However, learning a spell was time consuming, or costly in term of evolution points. Drodosis was lacking both at the moment.

Maria was a silver-haired beauty, whose face was always hidden under the dark hood of the family"s uniform. Her eyes were dark, and her body quite enticing. She was a support acolyte, specifically groomed by the family. Unlike the Ivory tower, where 90% of the acolytes were well-rounded, both in defence and offence, adept families made sure to groom a few support acolyte. Some would focus on healing, others in arrays, crafts or alchemy. They weren"t strong in fights, but really useful in wars.

Maria had mastered two spells: Tracking, and Minor divination. She had the rare fate affinity, enabling her to catch a glimpse into the vast and mysterious river of fate. If she became an adept, she might see what would happen in the future, thus becoming a prophet. However, with her weak 6 points of spirit, getting an unclear answer to her questions or a sixth sense which could be used to guess whether she was in danger or not was the extent of her abilities. Her tracking spell, in comparison, was much more useful, as it could be used from kilometres around.

The two other bodyguards were Rolf and Jon, two twin brothers, both 16-years-old. The two of them had similar talent, and average water element affinities, which was the bare requirement to be taught by Elder Gale. They studied very hard to master three spells: Water Grasp, Ice Spike and Ice barrier. Rolf possessed 8 points of spirit, while his brother was a little bit weaker, with only 6 points of spirit.

Their group of 5 was quite balanced. Their offensive power was great, and they could even track down their enemies. Coupled with their magical beasts, they were similar to a balanced a.s.sa.s.sin squad!

Drodosis went directly to the castle. A butler opened the gate for him when he showed the Thornfield family badge, and they were escorted by three knights, who didn"t say a word.

"This is as far as I can guide you, honourable sir", the butler said apologetically.

"I understand", Drodosis answered. Seconds later, he opened the door which would lead him to the Lord"s strategy room while ordering his companions to stay put, "feed the beasts, and take a look at our surroundings. Make sure not to cause any commotions. If you have any issue, show your badges and call me only if it"s an urgency."

When Drodosis entered, he saw the Baron Rio Arson sitting on a throne. In front of him, there were a few dozen knights, most of them being novice knights. However, their scars and age gave them a fearsome appearance, one which would make anyone gasp in surprise.

Drodosis didn"t blink the eye though. The cold stare and narrowing eyes from baron Rio Arson didn"t escape Drodosis" sight, even though it only lasted for a few seconds. Did he do anything do anger him? The respect Drodosis had for this n.o.bleman vanished in a second.

"Hi, I am here to report to Baron Rio Arson. I am Drodosis Thornfield, and I am here as a representative tasked to help you win the conflict with the Gloom and Chase Families. I hope we will be able to cooperate", Drodosis said in a voice void of emotions. The military discipline was still fresh from his harsh education in his childhood.

"Hi, Drodosis. I am sorry we didn"t prepare a banquet to celebrate your arrival as we didn"t expect you so soon. How about we plan one for tomorrow night?", Baron Rio said in a courteous voice.

Drodosis couldn"t believe his ears. Did this n.o.bleman really think he had come here to eat and find women to pa.s.s time? First he looked at him as if he wanted to fight, and then, he wanted to drag him out of this room! This was too much. The baron had overstepped the his boundaries.

"It won"t be necessary. I demand a quick summary of the situation", he said coldly.

"Right away, sir acolyte. The ceasefire with the Chase and Gloom families expired a few months ago, and spies reported suspicious individuals in the neighbouring territories. They purchased huge number of weapons, and hired mercenaries. I am afraid that they have already begun to march towards our barony", an old man said. He only had one arm left, but he was one of the only veteran knights in the room. Drodosis didn"t dare underestimate his status, much less his words.

"Is this the map of the region?", Drodosis asked

"Yes, sir", the baron answered.

Somehow, there was a lot of tension in the room. Maybe it was because they didn"t believe that a mere 13-years-old kid had his place in this room, or because they felt angered at the family they worked their a.s.s for, and rewarded them with…a kid! The baron"s att.i.tude was the most hateful, so unfaithful to the conventional etiquette that Drodosis found it suspicious, but dismissed this idea for while.

"Alright…So this is the famous Hawk Mountain Range, huh. Bringing their armies into our territories through the mountain range should take around two weeks, right? Do you have any proof that they started to march towards the barony?"

"Yes, sir acolyte. More than a thousand soldiers vanished in one night, along with the few acolyte descendants they had summoned back from various academies. It was 5 days ago."

"Mm, interesting. Marching towards us…knowing we have spies. This is really interesting. They must be confident in their skills, as if your territory is only a stepping stone in their eyes", Drodosis said scornfully.
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"This is enough! I won"t stand here, watching a kid disrespect our beloved lord with…", a hot-tempered novice knight said what he had to say, but the baron himself cut him short.

"SHUT UP! Adrien, apologise right now!"

"…but", the knight Adrien Arson said. He was actually the baron"s nephew.

"Right now!"

"Sorry for interrupting you, sir", the knight finally said.

"How is the situation in the city?", Drodosis turned a blind eye to this interruption.

"Soldiers are ready to fight any time, and we already killed off most of the spies. It is a shame that so many young soldiers were easily corrupted though…", the old man said.

The next few hours were spent debating on whether they had to go in a frontal battle, or instead fight in the plain and risk an all-out chaotic conflict, or simply wait in the city and defend against a siege. The three options were fine from Drodosis" point of view. He could hardly imagine two n.o.ble families having more than a handful of apprentices, and even if they did, how could these acolytes compare to Drodosis or his bodyguards, who were groomed in near-perfect environments?

Unless there was an advanced apprentice in the enemy ranks, or an elite knight, Drodosis was confident in acquiring a flawless victory.

As time pa.s.sed, Drodosis gained the heart of most people in the room with eloquence and wisdom, which surprised everyone, be it old or young knights. Drodosis had learnt a lot in the past days, and tactics were similar to strategy games he used to play back in time, on Earth, or with his grandfather, on Alphen in his childhood.

"I want you to gather your knights and soldiers, besides the patrol. They will complete confidential tasks I hand out, mainly putting traps at precise locations. As for you, improve your troop"s morals by giving them food, women or whatever they want. This might be the last time they will appreciate something in their life", Drodosis said.

He never led other people, preferring to be a lone wolf. However, these men and women weren"t acolytes. They weren"t his equal. They were subordinates, and his responsibility was to win this war. Following the undecisive and overly simplistic commands of the suspicious Baron Rio Arson would only lead to a disaster, and high number of casualties. Drodosis thus provoked him. If he wanted to win this war flawlessly, the baron Rio Arson had to be eliminated.

The latter couldn"t bear to see his command taken away from him, especially when it happened right under his nose!

Drodosis didn"t give him the opportunity to do anything though.

"Sitting here and debating will do no good. This is exactly what our enemies want. They know the Baron Rio"s way of handling things: a frontal a.s.sault while charging with brute force. This is what he was proposing to you, right? Let me tell you something, if you do that, you will get beaten down, and even if I brought twice more acolytes with me, you wouldn"t win this war. Give a shot to my command, and I will return with a victory. What do you say?"

The room was filled with tension, and if glares could kill, the Baron would be charged with murder.

The knights didn"t like the idea of the Thornfield Family sending such an overbearing heir in their territory, but at the same time, everything he said was logical, and accurate. He seemed experienced, and driven by a conquering and unyielding spirit. Personal feelings and the responsibilities they vowed to shoulder upon becoming official knights were different matters. Drodosis seemed evil, but at the same time, they knew that by following him, the barony would survive and celebrate victory.

Drodosis followed the philosophy of "The end justifies the means", which means he wouldn"t hesitate to send suicide squads ambushing enemies, at the cost of their lives. Sacrificing soldiers was a tough decision, but overall, it could prevent hundreds of deaths in the end, so it was worth it. Honour without strength was nothing but delusions, he knew it better than anyone.

The baron Rio wasn"t known for his calmness. When Drodosis asked the knights whether they would give him their trust and accord him leadership, the knights were struck in a dilemma instead of refusing him right away, a situation the baron couldn"t bear to watch. Fuming with anger, he unsheathed his sword before leaping at Drodosis.

Drodosis saw everything, and had expected it to happen. It was a conspiracy to do a coup, and seize the baron"s army, in order to win this war. There were several reasons behind his acts. First, the baron was suspicious.

[Beep! Probability of Baron Rio Arson conspiring the enemy: 88%. Signs: Anxiousness, denial of good plans, unlogical patterns, aggressivity, high-grade weapons and armours, wealth which can"t be explained through official reports (coming from the Thornfield Family Archives)...]

Secondly, the baron was too simple. He was strong, but he was lacked education and strategy. He treated an enemy as a bunch of bandits, as if they were farmers who took weapons. This was a stupid underevaluation, and his stubborness made Drodosis reluctant to persuade the baron to change his way of thinking. It was simply a waste of time.

Thirdly, Drodosis wanted to reduce the number of casualties. n.o.ble territories were the foundations of adept families. He was thankful to the support he was given since he was born, and there was an opportunity to pay them back. He wouldn"t let hundreds of people be killed because of a leader like Rio Arson.

If someone was attacking his own superior, how could anyone trust him in the battlefield? Drodosis was the Thornfield family representative, and the baron Rio attacking him in front of such a high-standard crowd basically tarnished the latter"s image and remaining credibility. Anyone in this room represented either old veteran or the promising new generation of knights. All of them earned their seats in this room through sweat, tears and blood. The Baron Rio Arson basically jumped into the wolf"s den by

However, this world was still reigned by strong people. Drodosis had to show overwhelming strength as well.

He could have unsheathed his scimitar and cut down the baron. However, he didn"t move one bit. It was a show. The baron"s sword hit a barrier, and everyone froze. The baron was a veteran knight. A simple barrier shouldn"t be enough to block such a powerful attack which was reinforced with internal energy!

The baron didn"t stop at one failure, he attacked once, twice…thrice and the barrier showed no signs of disappearing. Everyone gasped in surprise, appreciation and slight fear.

Drodosis, glared at him. His mummy eye was glowing with killing intent. This image was terrifying. As the third attack was heading to his head, his dextrous hands skilfully disarmed the baron and a fraction of second later, the scimitar was pointing at the baron"s throat. The baron"s face was sweating. He tried to open his mouth, but it was too late.

"We discovered our spy, people!", Drodosis shouted.

Drodosis wanted the command of the army, but every time he put down arguments, even logical ones, the baron was trying to dismiss it as child fantasy. After all, in the past few hours, he should have realized Drodosis" expertise! Yet, he kept saying they should go and attack them head on, with honour, without any logical explanation. When Drodosis asked the baron why, and if he considered the consequences of such a plan, he answered by attacking Drodosis on his age. At this point, the baron Rio Arson became an enemy in Drodosis" eyes. The n.o.bleman had betrayed his household.

The shocked exclamation: "How", shouted in surprise by the baron, betrayed his cover. He truly was a spy...It made Drodosis both relieved to have rooted him out, and fearful. If someone like the Baron was corrupted, what prevented Hubert, for example, from deflecting to another adept family? However, remembering Hubert"s unshakable strength and discipline, he found himself quite delusional.

Drodosis wondered if the baron was stupid, but after remembering the skilful management of the territory, he couldn"t help but dismiss this theory. Perhaps was he bribed, or controlled like a puppet by the Shadow Arts of the Huntingwood family? Drodosis then used provocations to see the true self of Baron Rio Arson, and he was surprised to see his biochip confirming his fears. Rio Arson had traces of elemental corruption on his neck. It means he had contact with enemies, since there were no shadow elemental acolytes in the Thornfield family, and shadow element was the trademark of the huntingwood family.

Soon enough, leadership was given to Drodosis, while the Baron Rio Arson was sent in the most secretive jail within the dungeon. When the war was over, Drodosis would make sure to properly make an example out of this greedy n.o.bleman.

As days pa.s.sed, Drodosis had sent over 130 soldiers to their deaths. In normal times, people would have deemed Drodosis as a monster, who failed his post of commander.

However, the enemy army had suffered more casualties, under Drodosis" lead. Thanks to Maria"s divinations and tracking spells, along with the biochip"s estimations, Drodosis sent various trap masters and covered the mountain range with deadly obstacles: hidden spikes, captured and untamed beasts, unstable terrain… The enemy"s army diminished in size, from more than a thousand soldiers to a 400-men battalion, according to Maria.

A week later, Drodosis was in the Great Plain of the Arson Barony, along with 30 knights, 150 archers and 300 spearmen, all equipped in metallic armours. From a distance, their army looked like a steel formation, contrasting with the chaotic - almost pitiful - disorganized inform ma.s.s of humans in front of them: the Chase and Gloom family vanguard force, or at least, what remained out of it.

The old man, who had previously supported the Baron Rio Arson, and hated himself for having failed his homeland, was shocked. Everything happened as Drodosis planned.

Not only the enemy"s army arrived at the exact hour Drodosis announced, it was also only a ghost of what it used to be: their numbers were low, the moral execrable, and their formation was chaotic. The old man"s admiration and surprise was not an exception in the army Drodosis commanded, but shared feelings which spread through every soldier"s heart. Their moral couldn"t be any better.

From kilometres away, Drodosis could distinguish everyone"s face, and even gather some data in advance. This one was one of the hidden benefits of internal energy, which had improved every cell and organ in his body.

He could see so far away with such precision that it was frightening!

However, no elation could be seen in Drodosis" stare. From a distance, he managed to take a glimpse into the enemy commander"s carriage. Mixed feelings of shock and killing intent could be seen from his facial expression. He recognized Reynold Chase, a beginner acolyte from the Ivory Tower, a man who had stolen 4 magic crystals when he reached a bottleneck, a man who beat him up after he tried to defend himself. A man he couldn"t looked up to, and say: "he bullied me, I want to take revenge, but lack the ability or courage to do so!"

Drodosis had taken revenge against everyone in the tower who had offended him in the past, forcing them into the arena, except one: Reynold Chase, who was nowhere to be found. Under the cloudy sky, Drodosis thought it was the right place and time to repay the favour.

"Look at this pitiful army of yours! This is the last scene you"ll ever witness, Reynold!", he mumbled in expectations.