Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 386: Departing

Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 386: Departing

"Interesting. I hope you become a Greater Knight Exalt before I try for the Marshal Exalt realm. I haven't fought against anyone who made me feel the true thrill of battle yet." Adam stretched his body, his tight muscles outlined underneath the white shirt. He smiled at Oscar and extended his hand out. "You're quite close to it."

Staring at the outstretched hand, Oscar scoffed and clasped it. He released a slight Ripple Shroud, and it clashed against Adam's. The ensuing shockwave blasted across his hair, pounded on his skin, and scattered dust away. Oscar chuckled at the ridiculous greeting and farewell Adam taught him. According to Adam, this was the formal exchange between Reis users.

"By the time I become one, I'll be long gone from this place." Oscar refused to stay any longer in this place, more than necessary. He felt grateful to Sevon and Adam for training him and Avril and providing resources for their professions. But it wasn't enough to fully gain his trust. They still had not told him anything about the supposed enemy of Reis.

Passing through the unstable cliffs and gorges of the ravine, Oscar returned to their cavern abode. Avril and Erden had not returned yet. Sevon and Tort must have taken them far away for their final training, unlike Adam, who only wanted to fight. Oscar entered the hot bath Sevon had set up in the cave, a well that tapped into the hot water deep in the earth.

Tens of minutes later, the ground shook, and one loud, dull sound after another resounded through the cavern. Tort finally returned. He had felt Erden's presence getting closer during his long bath. The Soulbond was incredibly useful for keeping track of his beast. Oscar exited the cavern, waving over to Tort and Erden. Not surprisingly, Erden's body was battered with loose patches of fur and wounds.

"Welcome back, Erden. How was training with Tort?" Oscar rubbed Erden's head. Erden snorted and grunted in return while Tort repeated some low groans resembling laughter. Erden sent a playback of his memories through Oscar's mind, and Oscar laughed at its contents. He wasn't the only one to suffer at their trainer's hands. "Tort may look lazy and slow, but he's surprisingly brutal. Look at how haggard you look."

"I'm back! She desires a fresh bath right now!" Avril's voice cut in from the other direction. Oscar turned to her with a smile. Her hair was loose and nearly falling off the braids, her clothes roughed up and torn in some places, and her face was covered in dirt. Next to her, Sevon was smiling with a pipe in his mouth.

Just how rough was her training? Oscar tried to get Avril to tell him multiple times during the six months, but she stayed silent. Her lips were sealed tight, an admirable quality but still annoying to Oscar. In the end, he decided to respect her privacy and stop asking. He hoped Sevon hadn't gone overboard.

"Avril is quite the astute student. Oscar, I'll leave it to you to help her progress in Reis after you all disembark." Sevon put out his pipe, watching Avril enter the cave with the doting eyes Oscar had seen on Elder Saul, his Father, and his Mother. It was funny how Avril's strange cheerful behavior and quirks made her likable to anyone.

"So, what kind of training did you do?" Oscar asked. He only stopped asking Avril but never stopped for this old man.

"Avril told me not to tell you. She doesn't want you to keep worrying and wants to surprise you later with the results." Sevon relit his pipe. "I can tell you that she hasn't made much progress in Adamasreis."

"That's obvious," Oscar grumbled as he went inside. After a while, Avril and Erden had cleaned and tidied themselves up, joining him in the main quarters.

"Ah, I'm so tired. I just want to sleep." Avril leaned, resting her head on the stone table.

"It's the last day. Sevon and Adam want us to meet up. I wonder if they'll finally tell us about the enemy." Oscar couldn't get the unknown enemy out of his head. Sevon was always solemn when referring to them, and Adam always lost his usual smile, replaced by a face of pure fury. "Though, when they do, I'll judge whether these enemies are enemies to us or just Sevon and Adam's vendetta against someone."VịSit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels

"Right, right. She leaves the hard part to Oscar, knowing he'll make the right choice. She just wants to rest right now." Avril yawned.

"Hah...Also, I have a gift for you." Oscar took out a white staff with a large embedded gem on its tip from his space pocket. "Try it out."

"Is this a grade-three armament?" Avril perked up from her slump and held the long staff, her gold eye glittering wonderfully. "When did you make this?"

"Just finished yesterday. Grade-three armaments are trickier than I thought. The large gem is not a decoration but a conduit. I thought about other ways you could use your scroll anima and created an outlet for the Ein to blast off in a concentrated beam. It'll be a nice surprise for any enemy who doesn't know." Oscar went on in a long explanation about the intricacies of the armament. The gem for the outlet was a concept of golem-crafting he learned from Gol-4 long ago. He smiled, knowing he was carrying on his friend's legacy in the present.

"Funny, I didn't know I drooled in my sleep. Though, it's strange how did my chest get wet?" Avril patted her chest.

Oscar's head stormed with thunderous sparks, bringing up the memories from last night. He wanted to refuse it happened. There was no way. But the evidence was clear by the wet stain on Avril. 'Did I really do that? Was last night real?'

'Yes'

'Yes'

Erden and Demon responded instantly. Oscar rubbed his temple in distress. Why now? Even in previous times when he got drunk, he kept his wits about him. So how did he lose control? Oscar decided to stave off drinking for a while.

"Are you alright?" Avril said in front of Oscar.

"I am. Don't worry." Oscar laughed dryly, tearing his gaze away from her.

Oscar gathered his things, tidied up the room, and exited with Avril and Erden. Outside, Sevon and Adam waited for them on top of Tort.

"This is where we separate. You all know the plan. Oscar and Avril will head to the outer regions while Adam and I gain more ground closer to the Four Lord's domains." Sevon nodded to each one of them. "I wish you all good fortune in battle and success. May we meet at the rendezvous later."

"Good luck, Oscar. Hurry up and climb to where I am." Adam waved goodbye.

"Go eat some dirt. I'll shoot past you very soon." Oscar gave him a thumbs-down.

After Sevon and Adam left, Oscar, Avril, and Erden all sighed in relief. Erden, especially, screamed with laughter.

"I can finally talk with my mouth. Six months of keeping shut, and I almost forgot how to move my lips." Erden groaned.

"You did a good job hiding it. I don't know what they would have done if they discovered you could talk." Oscar laughed.

"So, are we going to follow along with their plan? Sevon is a nice person, but I trust you more." Avril asked. Her gaze fixed on Sevon's direction. It seemed she had some misgivings about betraying her master.

"No, we'll follow along. For now, they seem trustworthy. But we need to be careful. Let's head on to the outer regions." Oscar got on Erden with Avril. With Avril so close in front of him, Oscar recalled the last night and nearly choked on his words. Calming down, Oscar departed for their destination.

A few days later, they broke through the gate of a makeshift town.

"Excuse me, marauders. Let me speak to your boss." Oscar stepped through the wreckage with a smile. "I'm the leader from now on."