[STT] Chapter 88: Talk (Patreon)

Ben's heart hammered in his chest, [Focus] immediately activating as he struggled against the pressure.

Ben couldn't move, the rug under his feet seemed to have grown roots that tied him down, holding him in place.

The woman's voice was soft, yet it boomed in his ears like thunder, and he could feel the mana in the air tremble at her words.

His eyes would not go any higher than the hem of her dress, and he was fine with that. He did not want to look up.

Whoever this was, she was strong.

And terrifying.

Seriously, what was with him and powerful people teleporting him without his consent? This had already happened three times.

Regardless, with [Focus] soothing his brain, he could relax a little as his thoughts and experiences organized on their own in order.

First off, the pressure. It felt the same as when he'd faced that wyvern once, but infinitely worse.

At least, it felt that way. If the wyvern had been a hill, this was a mountain. And he didn't know if the wyvern didn't hold up because it was weaker than her, or if Ben himself had been too weak back then to perceive the danger it posed.

Second, [Hunter] was rattling like a caged bird throwing itself at the bars of its cage. And it had not stopped since she'd appeared. It was going crazy. And the fact that he was unable to do anything about it was not helping.

Third... was just him. Plain old animal instinct telling him: if you look her in the eyes, you will die.

So, he kept his eyes lowered, staring at the hem of her blue dress, and noticed the intricate embroidery that he had not seen before.

Barely a second had passed since he'd arrived here, and in that moment, his brain had gone through several scenarios, and came to the conclusion that this woman did not mean any harm.

Because if she did so, he would be dead already.

Even when he reached out with [Mana Sonar] and [Mana Manipulation], he got nothing. The mana was invisible to him, it refused to present itself, while she herself was a dark abyss of power he could not—and dared not—see the bottom of.

Still, he could tell she was not hostile.

At least, not right now.

So that's the gap... He thought. I need to get stronger. So much stronger.

That was the only thought he could muster. It was hard to think, and harder to breathe, and if it weren't for [Focus] he would be a snotty blubbering mess on the ground.

"You're the type to attack first and then apologize, huh," she said. Bored as she sounded, her voice was warm, and it made Ben want to relax, but his body would not allow it.

"You teleported me, I thought I was under attack."

"Oh, you can even talk in my presence, I see. I'm impressed. I expected you to be less... composed. You should have screamed, or at least fainted." She set the cup down. "Then again, this is for the better, I suppose."

Ben was curious. Who was this? What did she want? Although his mind ran a thousand miles per hour, he managed to keep his mouth shut and wait for her to speak.

He did not want to anger her, so he thought it best to keep quiet unless directly asked a question.

She waited a beat, then tapped the table with her finger. "Why don't you have a seat?"

Ben could not move.

She knew that, yet she sat there, relaxed, leaning on her hands, intending to watch him. He did not know why.

Maybe she was testing his will?

He tried to move, tried to lift his foot, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to move his hand, his head, even his fingers, but he couldn't.

His body was telling him to run, yet he refused to obey.

He needed to control himself, so he took a deep breath, and with a great effort, managed to lift a foot, reinforced by [Warforged] and mana running rampant in his leg to help him move against the pressure.

One step, then another, and he dragged his leg across the rug toward a chair that seemed too far away. It took him longer than he'd have liked, but he made it to the seat, and slumped into it, his body still tense and his muscles cramped, but he was sitting.

"That was a good effort," she said. " You're quite strong willed. And you seem to have a good grasp over mana. I see a Rare skill or several at work there."

Ben could feel her eyes on him, and it made him feel as if he was being dissected, his very soul laid bare for her to see.

"So, what did you want?" he managed to get out. It was not the most polite way to ask, but he needed to get this over with.

"Oh, nothing, I just wanted to meet you. I was curious."

Ben frowned. Curious? Was she a noble who wanted to recruit him? But why, she seemed so strong, and he was just a Tier 2.

And why teleport him into a tent like this? Was it supposed to impress him? Did she think it would? Or was it supposed to intimidate him? What was her angle? What did she want?

"Curious about what?" he asked, carefully, his eyes fixed on the table.

She picked her cup of tea, and took a sip before answering. "I'm curious about you, of course. I heard you were a commoner, but when I saw you fight, I knew you had been trained."

"..."

"So, I must ask, who trained you?" Clothes shuffled as she leaned. "And don't lie to me, little bird. I'll know if you do."

Ben's jaw tensed. He had to think about this. Should he tell her? What would happen if he didn't? What if he did?

He knew nothing about this woman, and yet she knew about him. He didn't want to tell, yet did he even have a choice? And what would happen if he refused?

"It doesn't matter." He said. "I trained myself."

She hummed. "Did you now? That's quite interesting. You must be quite the genius then, to have learned to fight like that at your level without any help. I'm impressed."

Ben wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or sincere. He couldn't tell. But he wasn't going to admit to anything. He could not tell her the truth. He didn't know what kind of trouble it would bring him.

"I am." He said, deadpan.

She laughed, a melodious sound that filled the tent. "I like your attitude. It's refreshing. Most people would be groveling at my feet, begging for my favor or mercy. But you... you sit there and stare at my tea like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. You're not scared of me."

Are you insane? Of course I'm afraid of you! Ben wanted to say, but he held back. She had to be messing with him.

"Still, you lied. Did I not tell you not to lie to me?"

A drop of sweat rolled down his back as the pressure increased, and he felt like he was being crushed. He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to scream or collapse.

"Look at me, little bird." She ordered, and Ben's head moved against his will. His eyes trailed up, from the cup to her hand, and up her arm, past her shoulders and up to her chin.

Her lips were curled into a smile, and her eyes—

His gaze stopped just before her eyes.

"Look at me." She repeated, the pressure increasing again, yet Ben refused.

His eyes watered, his vision blurred, but he did not look. He couldn't. He didn't know what would happen if he did, but he knew it would not be good. He had to fight it.

His instincts screamed at him, and he listened.

"Stop resisting." She said, her tone losing its warmth. "Look. At. Me."

Ben shook, his whole body straining as his bones creaked. He couldn't take it. [Focus] was the only thing keeping him sane, and even it was struggling.

It was a losing battle.

He could feel his control slipping away, and his eyes moving up, and—

I refuse.

He ordered his body. He ordered his soul.

He refused.

His will clashed with the pressure, and for a moment, it seemed like he had a chance.

Yet it was like an ant against an avalanche, and he was quickly overwhelmed. But he still fought with the last of his strength, holding his ground.

There was a sound of a cup being set down on wood, and the pressure vanished with a sigh.

Ben almost collapsed, his body going limp as he panted. His vision cleared, and he looked down, at his hands on his knees, shaking.

"Hm," she said. "Impressive. I didn't think you'd resist for that long. Still, it seems you do not wish to divulge your secrets. I can respect that. I'm not a monster, little bird. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Ben said nothing. What was there to say?

She picked up her cup again, and took a sip. "Do you have a master?" She asked, casually.

"...What?"

"Do you have a master."

"No, I don't. What do you mean?"

She sighed. "I suppose I should ask it differently. Someone who trained you. Did you take anyone as your master?"

"No?"

"Officially. Recognized by the system."

Recognized by the system? What does that mean?

"No?"

Duncan had called him his student, Hanna had taught him more than anyone, but no prompt had ever come to accept anyone as his master.

Nothing on his status had ever indicated something like that.

"Interesting. I see."

She was quiet for a moment, and Ben didn't know what to do. Should he speak? But what. This was just a one sided interrogation. He was getting tired of this.

He wanted to go back to Alice and Ethan, and continue their conversation, and then go to sleep.

Daring to move his eyes a bit, he got as far as focusing on her lips again, and she caught his gaze, the corner of her mouth curling a little.

"Who are you?"

"Who indeed. Ask Alice."

Alice? Did she know this woman? Was she a friend? An enemy? Why did she tell him to ask Alice?

He didn't get it.

Suddenly, she lifted a hand, a finger, and noticed still wound around it the loose thread of his own [Mana Cannon] that she had unraveled.

The mana wove around her finger like a snake. He felt it before he understood what she was doing. The mana, his mana, shifted, combed, folded, and then it was no longer threads but a small bird sat on the tip of her finger.

The size of a sparrow, blue in color, translucent, with a crest of red feathers atop its head, and a pair of beady deadpan eyes staring at him.

And then, the bird flew.

It flew right at him, and he jerked back, but it landed on his shoulder, and hopped up to his neck, perching there.

"...hm. I've let go." The woman sounded disappointed. Then she stood, the hem of her dress moving and he heard her cross the tent, and a clink of a kettle before the pouring of a tea.

The bird nipped his ear, and he flinched. "What?"

"Say hello to your little friend, I made it for you. Poke at him," she said as she returned with another cup of tea. "He's not real, of course, but he can be, if you feed him enough mana. And if he likes you. I have given him something special, you see, consider it a gift."

Ben hesitatingly reached up, and touched the bird, who chirped and nipped at his finger. [Mana Sonar] and [Mana Manipulation] confirmed that yes, it was made out of mana, but he'd never seen anything like it.

I have, actually...

The guardian.

But this is different from the guardian.

It was like a construct, yet not, shaped like a bird, but it behaved like a living creature. It was a strange thing, and he didn't know what to do with it.

But it was made from his mana, that he was sure of, and he could feel a sort of connection to it, like it was a part of him, so he knew how complex it was.

He poured out some mana as it continued to nip at his finger, and the bird chirped happily, absorbing it.

"Make sure you take good care of him," she said, "he's a precious gift."

"Okay," Ben said, still confused. Then he got serious. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." She replied. "I told you. Just curious. And it was rude of me to move you without warning, which I'm sure I will not hear the end of in just about a moment, so I made you a gift to apologize." She sipped her tea. "Or maybe it's a gift for my own amusement. I'm not sure. I'm not very good at giving gifts."

She was a weird woman.

"Why do you care if I have a master?" Ben asked. "Do you... want to take me in as your student?"

She laughed. "Oh, no, no. I can't do that. I'm just... making sure. Your mana is the best I have seen at Tier 2 in a long while, your body is the worst. You put everything down one road and nothing down the others. There are constructs inside you, and skills holding you together. On this road, you reach Tier 3, then you burst. Most who did what you did went that way."

"Your point being?"

"Shaping will help you, little bird. Shaping and a master to guide your hand. Take House Vane's offer. I've heard you refused."

Ah... She's Alice's aunt!

Ben finally realized what was going on. She was Alice's aunt, and she was trying to recruit him for her House. It made sense now.

And shaping... hm, is she trying to tell me something? Or is she trying to get me to choose [Mana Shaping]? Why?

"I'll consider it." He said, carefully.

"No, take it. You will die before you reach Tier 3 if you don't."

"I'll consider it."

She chuckled. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you? Fine. Consider. I am not forcing you, it's your choice. It would be a good choice to make, though, and if you choose to come to House Vane, there may be someone there interested in teaching you a few things about mana."

"Who?"

"Ask Alice."

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then stared at the table again.

"Ah, speak of the devil," she said, and Alice barged in right then, her face flushed with anger, and her eyes blazing.

"Aunt Eris!" She shouted. "What did you do? Where is Ben? Where did you take him?!"

"Oh, hello, dear. Would you like some tea?"

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