ROTLE- Chapter 189- Everything Good The World Has To Offer (Patreon)

Electricity crackling through it. Nosrath reached forth and swung at him.

Panic filled Aiden’s mind for only a moment. A moment was more than long enough. His body switched into survival mode. His fingers ran quickly along the length of his sword and he threw.

It crossed the distance and he raised his axe. The problem with the blink attribute was momentum. If you blinked, you did not keep moving. All your momentum disappeared. So he couldn’t blink yet.

Nosrath’s palm slammed into him. With the axe raised, he mitigated some of the damage, but not all of it. His health stat took a hit. He braced for a moment longer. Nosrath’s palm closed around him.

That was something he could not allow.

His fingers moved.

[You have used Weave of Lesser Blink]

The world disappeared. The pain was gone. Nosrath’s fist closed over nothing.

When the world came back, Aiden appeared above Nosrath’s head and fell right on top of it, axe in hand. Nosrath moved, swaying slightly. Aiden staggered a little. Adjusting his footing, he gained a little stability, then raised his axe high.

His blow landed with precision. The blade embedded itself in Nosrath’s forehead, gouging a line between its eyes and down the bridge of its nose. It wailed, loud and ear piercing. Somewhere below, people covered their ears. Aiden thought it stupid that there were requirements for raiding Nosrath, requirements developed from histories of raiding the monster, and people below the requirement still thought it was somehow smart to come here.

It’s kind of your fault though.

Aiden weaved a sign.

[You have used Weave of Proprioception]

The enchantment went through him. The world stabilized. The chaos of balance settled. Without strain, he reached out and grabbed onto Nosrath’s horn before it could through him off. It already had too little room on its head for him to stand on.

Balanced, he returned his attention to the axe and ripped it free of the monster’s head. His eyes went skywards immediately. This time, the [Mage]s seemed to be conjuring up a massive ball of ice. First had been fire, then lightning, now ice. Aiden could tell that there was no strategy there. The buffoons were just looking for which elemental attack worked best.

Didn’t anyone tell them that Nosrath had nothing he was specifically weak to?

It was as if anybody was here without even updating themselves on what was happening. Again, he was reminded that this was his fault.

He had gone in and done the inconceivable by claiming the [Crystal of Existence]. Now that the news was everywhere, people probably thought that anyone could go after anything. Everyone wanted a chance at the heart. They would get themselves killed.

Aiden used [Leap] as the ball of ice as large as a food truck completed its creating. He soared through the sky. Nosrath kept its eyes on him. With a roar, it took a step forward, kicking through the corpses and those still striking at it. Some unfortunate man who was still alive was trampled underfoot.

The ball of ice was still not complete. It didn’t look very massive either. At least not as massive as he would’ve expected from a group of [Mage]s using linking magic. It hitt him then.

They were low level [Mage]s.

Just what kind of mess was this?

The answer came to him as he hit the ground, and an incomplete spell of an ice boulder slammed into Nosrath. The fools had hurried it up for fear that Nosrath would be out of range by the time they were done.

Fortunately, while not being a necessarily powerful strike, it hit Nosrath at the right time, the monster’s foot placed at just the right angle. The ice shattered, and Nosrath let out an uncomfortable cry. It wasn’t from pain, though. It was the cry of suddenly falling. The strike had sent it off balance and it was coming down.

Men raised their weapons, yelling in victory. They were not all stupid, assuming that the monster had been defeated. It was just the glory of having brought it down to the ground. With it there, it was an easier target.

Aiden ran up to Oncot, grabbing him by the arm as if to pull him along as everyone rushed the fallen Nosrath.

“Keep moving!” he commanded.

Oncot grumbled but obeyed.

Aiden pointed. “Head for the trees!”

He released Oncot and kept charging forward.

It was only a matter of time before Aiden burst through the shrubberies and into the safety of the forest, freed from the clearing. He stumbled to a stop as Oncot burst through behind him.

No one was paying them any attention anymore. All eyes were on Nosrath, going in for the kill. The air was rend with the sounds of tearing fletch and butchering. Skills pinged and chimed and exploded. Weapons glowed the brightest colors. Archers and [Mage]s and any class designed for long range, rained down a myriad of colors powerful and bright upon the creature.

The bright sky watched it, witnessed the oppression of Nosrath. The world waited and watched for how many souls would fall to the creature before the creature would finally succumb.

“Stupidity,” Elami muttered, standing behind a tree, Valdan in his arms. “All this sacrifice for a monster that will only return in a few years. Pathetic.”

That was an interesting notion. Certainly not a wrong one. Aiden, however, was more interested in why Estabel kept looking at the [Healer] as if there was something wrong with him.

Ted walked up to Aiden and looked him over.

“You seem to be in one piece,” he commented. “It was touch and go a few times, though.”

Aiden chuckled, dusting himself off. It made no difference. He had blood stains that did not belong to him on his jacket. No amount of dusting would get those off.

“So,” Ted raised a brow. “Are we skedaddling?”

Aiden shook his head. “No, we’re watching. And waiting.”

“For what?” Ted looked past him and paused. “Uhm… Aida.”

Aiden turned to look at whatever he was looking at. He didn’t see anything. “What?”

“I’m just wondering.” Ted nodded towards the chaos. “Is there a reason the monster is looking at us?”

This time, Aiden focused on the monster. Ted was right. The monster had gotten itself back up on one foot and was fighting off its attackers, bearing the brunt of the ranged attacks. People continued to die to it. But, for all the chaos, it was as if it was simply getting rid of the obstacles in its path.

Its red eyes remained focused on Aiden.

“Uhm…” He backed up, motioning the others to do the same. “Maybe we should stand and watch a little farther away.”

“You think?” Tanor called out from farther away.

Everybody listened, falling back. Aiden caught up with Elami as they fell back. He looked down at Valdan and frowned.

“Explain what is happening?” he commanded. “This was not what we agreed on.”

“I don’t know what you agreed on, Lord Lacheart,” Estabel said, coming up beside them. “But we better run faster. That thing’s got a bone to pick with you.”

Aiden didn’t have to look back to know that she was right. The sound of fighting and dying was drawing closer.

“How fast can you go?” he asked Elami.

Elami laughed a little. “As fast as you, Lord Lacheart.”

“Then run.”

Their retreat was constantly hounded by the approaching Nosrath. The monster simply refused to die, not until it had its pound of flesh. Eyes fixed on them, everyone else was an obstacle to be pushed aside.

Estabel dashed into a corner suddenly. “To me!” she called out.

A single glance at her revealed that she had a plan. There was no one in the current group that did not obey.

Everyone ran straight for her. Gathered around the single tree, she raised her staff. A spell formation appeared. Elami observed it for only a moment before it disappeared.

Everyone stayed silent. Still.

Nosrath’s footsteps moved past them. So, did the chaos.

They waited a while before the last of them was gone. Estabel looked left, then right. After a while, she lowered her staff, then she started gasping for air, panting heavily.

“What was that?” Tanor asked.

“High level magic,” Yerit answered, staring at Estabel in awe. “Mass invisibility.”

That was something to be awed by. [Invisibility] was an interesting spell. But using it on a group was… that was something you saw in the high three hundreds.

Aiden looked at the staff.

Estabel caught it and nodded. “Yeah,” she answered between breaths. “I had an old mentor tie the spell to the orb.” She breathed some more. “So please keep your hands off this one. I can’t afford to lose this staff, too.”

Aiden shrugged, as he summoned a new sword and began strapping it to his soldier's belt. It wasn’t like her first lost staff was his fault.

…

It turned out that Nosrath had been following them by sight only; sight of Aiden. The monster had not turned back, and it seemed another clearing had been created from a new fight where it had chosen to swing trees and people.

Tanor and the others had been designated to keep an eye on the monster. Aiden put Tanor in charge and he had grumbled about it for a moment but had not refused.

Him, Elami, Oncot, and Ted had gone in search of Fjord and the others.

Elami had wondered why Oncot had not been given the task. Aiden had given the [Healer] no answer because, in truth, he was displeased with the man. As for the reason he had not given Oncot the task, it was because Oncot was more likely to join the fight than watch the fight.

Tanor’s and the group’s instruction was simple. Their job was to keep their eyes on whoever claimed the heart if the fight ended before they got back.

Finding Fjord had not been difficult. He was sitting next to a tree not too far from them. Apparently, he had been following them but not so close.

“Why didn’t you just join us?” Ted asked, curious.

Fjord’s eyes went to Elami. “Because I didn’t want him to try and kill me again?”

“I was saving your life, child,” Elami elaborated, as if it was an affront to his person for even saving Fjord’s life. “You will do well to thank me.”

Fjord looked at Aiden.

Aiden shrugged. He looked at Ted.

Ted nodded. “Yeah. That’s kind of true, Fjord. You wouldn’t have survived that roar.”

“It was just a roar.”

Aiden gave him an apologetic look. “Not really. People’s heads exploded.”

“Oh.” Fjord shivered visibly. “So, what now? Are we getting Zen and Feira?”

“Actually,” Aiden looked at them. “You guys are. You’ll all make your way out of the forest on your own, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Ted gave him a pointed look. “You sure? We’ve kind of been stumbling around.”

“I’ll contract Alphonset or Estabel to get you out,” Aiden explained. “Estabel knows where we’re from so she should be more than happy to get you out. But if she refuses, Alphonset shouldn’t mind.”

“And what, pray tell, will you be doing while we’re leaving?”

“Dealing with other issues.” Aiden pointed from him to Oncot. “Oncot and I. I’ll have back up so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

A cruel frown creased Ted’s lips. “I do not like this specific plan. I already lost you once.”

“Funny.” Aiden was not laughing. Instead, he grabbed Ted by the shoulder. “You won’t lose me. I promise. I’ll get the heart and meet you at the town I’m directing you to.”

Ted looked hesitant to agree. In the end, he nodded once. It was bitter but accepting.

“Good.” Aiden rounded on Elami. “Explain why he is not yet awake.”

Elami frowned in that way a student did when they had calculated a mathematical problem correctly, to the best of their ability, and still could not understand how they had gotten to the wrong answer.

“It makes no sense,” he answered. “Everything’s fine. By all account, he is perfectly healthy.”

“But not awake.”

Aiden could feel his anger rising. The man had dared to negotiate with Valdan’s life and had failed to even hold up his end of the bargain.

Why should I not kill you where you stand?

The threat was on his lips, but he did not utter the words. It was the bluster of anger. Threats, even if you were able to carry them out, were only to be used when it was actually a viable option or a threat worthy of scaring the person being threatened.

Elami already showed that not much scared him.

Ted, Oncto and Fjord watched him temper his anger. He was obviously not going to try and kill Elami because he’d negotiated with Valdan’s life and had still not succeeded in waking him up.

“Whatever is wrong with him,” Elami said carefully. “I assure you, it is not physical. He was injected with a variation of demonic mana and demon’s blood…”

Aiden already knew that. It was more than just demonic mana and demon’s blood, but he was not going to say any of that.

“… He has assimilated with the poison properly enough,” Elami was saying, which was very… odd. People were detoxified if they wanted to survive such poisoning.

Aiden thought about all the victims from his past life. He could not remember anyone surviving the poisoning without the antidote. He was only gambling with Elami because the [Healer] had succeeded in keeping Valdan alive and in seemingly zero pain. Then again, the unconscious always looked as if they were not in pain.

“Whatever is going on here, Lord Lacheart,” Elami said. “It is purely psychological. I do not think your knight wants to wake up.”

“Rubbish!” Aiden blurted out before he could stop himself. “He has more than a lot to live for. There is no…”

His eyes settled on Ted. Ted looked as if he did not completely agree. Aiden walked up to him, leaned his head close to his.

“What?” he asked.

“I kind of get what Elami is saying,” Ted said, voice lowered so that the conversation stayed between them.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well…” Ted made an apologetic face. “He was a knight who lost his titles, then turned his back on his king to follow you and has come this far. I’d wager he’s been having some mental… turmoil on these subjects.”

Aiden frowned. He considered the possibility of it. He’d thought that Valdan had since made his peace with the situation. Brandis had tried to sentence him to death as far as Valdan knew, and at the hands of Derenoff of all people.

Wasn’t that enough?

But there was a sliver of doubt in his logic. Not everyone’s mind worked logically. Sometimes emotions corrupted logic, even when a person knew logic was the right part. Emotions were feelings, and those were not easy things to control.

Maybe Valdan did not want to keep being torn from end to end. Maybe Valdan had finally decided that he was going to…

Melvet.

The word exploded in his mind. Melvet, the love of Valdan’s life. There was no way Valdan would refuse Melvet. He would not leave Melvet behind to live alone in this world.

“No,” he said, turning away from Ted. He marched up to Elami and looked down at Valdan’s closed eyes. “You can’t leave Melvet behind, brother,” he insisted. “You cannot die here. It will break her heart. There will be no one to protect her from the harsh world. You said it yourself, she deserves everything good the world has to offer her. She deserves…”

His voice trailed off as something stepped into the range of his awareness.

Aiden turned his head but found everyone else looking in the same direction.

Someone stood there, covered in a simple white cloak. The hood of the cloak was raised so their face was covered in shadows. Behind them, poking over one shoulder, was a weapon swathed in cloth. It looked like the head of a massive spear.

Aiden frowned at it.

He stepped away from Elami and Valdan and drew his sword, unsheathing it from its scabbard.

He was not in the mood.

“Leave or announce yourself,” he demanded.

Gently, as if they had all the time in the world, the person removed the hood, revealing her face to them.

Her eyes were rheumy, barely focusing on Aiden. She looked like a woman about to cry.

When she spoke, however, there wasn’t just pain and sorrow there, there was a level of hate and anger that made the hair on Aiden’s neck stand.

“Melvet,” she said very carefully. “How do you know that name?”