Chapter 51 - Back At The Hideout

It has been a week since Luken and Gavin left the Six Blades Hideout.

Yin stared at the skies intently.

He got up and did his daily quest which allowed him to level up.

[ Thanatos, you have now leveled up. ]

[ Level : 7 ]

[ Experience Points: /7000 ]

The System's monotonous feminine voice rang inside Yin's head as he laid his back on the lush grassy fields beneath him.

He raised his arms up.

"A hero…"

Yin remembered all the times that he did not manage to fulfill the System's quests.

Also, the weird instances wherein he was asked to 'exterminate' the High Council always sit in the back of his mind.

Sure, the System saying that Adam Rosa was a target for extermination did not surprise him that much, but why the High Council? Were they not supposed to be the good guys?

He scratched his head in confusion.

"I honestly still do not know much about the System."

He thought to himself.

"But I do know that I can use it as a tool. A tool to become someone people can rely on, someone like the Commander or Gavin, someone people are able to call a 'hero.'"

Yin kept on whispering to himself.

His thoughts were broken by the sudden flinging of rocks in his direction.

Yin turned to his side and dodged two whole boulders coming his way.

He sidestepped each one of them with clear precision and accuracy.

"Hey! Be careful!"

Zach shouted at him.

"You're the one who should be careful, idiot!"

Yin shouted back.

Yin was not even shocked to see Zachary was on the floor, raising his hands indicating that he already lost and concedes.

Zachary and Suna were busy sparring.

Yin was supposed to keep track of the wins and losses of the three of them up until Gavin and Luken comes back, so they can show them the fruits of their training.

"I won, you better write that down, Yin!"

Suna said as she had her toes pointed at Zach's neck.

"You will not beat me without using your Fire Affinity, you know that right?"

Suna grinned.

"Do you think I do not know that already? Get off me."

He was annoyed.

"Don't be a sore loser, wasn't your original plan supposed to be not using any Anima skills and just relying on your physical strength? You are looking at the epitome of physical prowess right here."

Her grin grew wider and wider.

Zach dusted off his clothes and went inside the Six Blades home to pick up a towel and some water for the others.

This was their way of 'punishing' the losers.

Suna jogged towards Yin.

"What's the score now?"

"Well, so far, you're leading the wins with over fifty, I'm trailing behind with Zachary being in second place."

Yin said.

Suna felt bad, she thought that maybe she would go easy on their hand-to-hand combat next time just to give Yin a win, thinking that might cheer him up.

She sat down and looked at Yin.

What she saw was not the face of someone who was upset.

It was that of a person who wanted to grow, who wanted to get back up time and time again after getting beaten down.

Yin's red pupils were focused, they were seeing something past the horizons, past the barriers put forth for protection.

Finally, Zachary got back to them and handed them wooden jugs filled with water and a couple of towels to wipe their sweat off with.

"I truly do wonder if my grimoire is even coming. It has been a week already."

He was visibly upset.

"Hey, calm down, it should arrive any minute now, maybe then you would be a challenging opponent."

She was teasing Zachary.

"Tch."

Zach just clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"But you know, after a week of straight stamina practice, I have learned to maintain my decay for much longer now. I am actually able to maintain it for fifteen seconds."

Yin revealed to them.

Suna clapped while Zach just stared at him blankly.

"So, can you tell us how you got your powers?"

He asked in a confrontational tone.

"I-It just came to me one day. That is honestly all that I can say for now."

"Really? From the looks of it, you seem like you're hiding something."

"Why would I hide the origins of my decay powers?"

Yin got up and responded with a question, he was noticeably agitated now.

"If I knew, why the hell would I be asking you?!"

Zachary retorted.

"There is no use talking over this, you want to throw hands?"

Yin asked.

"With pleasure."

Zach responded.

Suna got up and knocked their heads at the same time.

"Can you two just calm down? I hope you haven't forgotten, Gavin left me in charge of the team after their departure, so just sit down and cool it."

Both Yin and Gavin slowly caressed their heads.

"I am trying to be more resourceful and intelligent in my approach towards fights and combat as a whole, making use of my environment, the enemies' skills and abilities, as well as my own. I am not able to win fights just relying on my strength alone, I have to fight smart, specially because I have no Anima skills myself."

Suna immediately began monologuing.

The boys did not know why, but they respected her enough to listen to her words.

"This is the first time I have been given this big of a task ever since I joined, and I intend to do it well so Gavin and the Commander will not regret their decision in leaving the Six Blades to me as of now. So, if you both lose your cool and start fighting for no apparent reason, I'm going to have to stop you in your tracks myself. Do you two get me?"

Her voice was soft, but her nerves were ice cold.

You could see the anger deep beneath her forced smile.

"Y-Yes, Suna."

"Yeah, sure."

Zachary and Yin knew not to act like stubborn children, specially because they were now Six Blades members, they not only carry their first names and surnames, but the name of the organization itself.

"I want to make the Commander and Gavin proud of us when they come back. They will see that our training was not useless at all. The three of us will be strong, we have to be, and even if you guys slack off, I know I won't. Afterall, I am going to be a hero!"

Yin exclaimed to the top of his lungs.

This made Suna and Zachary laugh.

"What would you do without me, Yin? Of course, I won't slack as well, I am going to fight by your side at all times."

Suna assured him with a smile that shone brighter than a thousand suns.

"And I have a score to settle with someone, I am going to leave you behind if you guys don't keep up with me."

Zachary said.

"Big words from someone who can't even enchant his weapons with his affinity, aren't you a Fire Slayer?"

Yin made fun of him.

"It is not exactly my fault that my grimoires still not here, is it?"

Zachary said.

"By the way Yin, your physique has actually improved a lot."

Suna said.

"Really!?"

Yin's face glinted with happiness.

"I do not get it. He still seems pretty weak to me."

Zachary immediately made fun of him.

"You should have seen him when me and the Commander first rescued and brought him to the hideout, Zach, he was like a twig back then!"

Suna chuckled so loud even the birds flew off from the trees.

Yin gritted his teeth at the two of them.

When suddenly, the three Six Blades rookies heard a footstep.

Someone, or something was approaching.

Suna motioned them to be quiet, they climbed a tree and hid.

They all waited attentively as the steps were getting closer and closer, much more visible and obvious as time went on.

Suna saw a person's silhouette.

Her position was elevated much better than the two others up the tree, so her vantage point was perfect for scouting the roads nearby.

"I-I can see it, it's a man. What does this guy want?"

"Is he carrying a weapon? Or a grimoire? Anything?"

Zach asked her.

"No, nothing. I can see that he has a bag, though."

"A bag?"

Yin was confused.

"Yeah, a bag, oh, wait, hold on – he is trying to get something out of it."

Suna squinted her eyes to see better.

"Crap, he has a grimoire! Yin, Zach, let's assess what this guy's affinity is! Make use of our environment and surprise him with an attack!

After Suna's warnings, they all propped down from the tree and assumed fighting stances.

Suna burst through with sheer speed to close the distance between her and the person, she held a rock against the back of his head, Yin followed and placed his palms on his chest, finally, Zachary pointed his scythe at the person.

"What business do you have with the Six Blades?"

Yin asked the man who was sweating profusely.

"I-I'm supposed to deliver this grimoire to a certain Zachary Lancaster, I swear, that was everything I was meant to do!"

The man cried out.

"Wait, so you're the postman?"

Zach questioned him.

"Yes, I am the postman indeed, please, let me go!"