Chapter 4: A Rough Start (Revised)

Chapter 4: A Rough Start (Revised)

Ira slowly opened his eyes and sat up, then he turned to look out a window and noticed the sun was setting. Apparently, after he passed out they brought him into this room to rest. Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

He immediately noticed Amy sleeping in a chair near his bed holding her red spear, she was clearly asleep, but her eyes constantly trembled. Next to Iras bed was a basket, filled with, wine, bread, and fruit. Ira reached over grabbing an apple. It was a small present from the villagers showing their gratitude.

Ira began to eat with a satisfied expression as he took notice of the bandages on his chest, arms, and shoulders. Meanwhile, Amy violently shook, while sweat poured down her face.

Mom! She yelled before gasping for air.

Ira was unmoved by her sudden shout and continued eating the apple, sending a single glance over.

S-Sorry, Amy said, lowering her head. Ira finished eating the apple while he wore an amused expression.

Its fine, Ira responded, not speaking any further. Under the continued silence, Amy felt the urge to speak and raised her head.

The Captain wanted me to tell her when you woke up. Amy stood up abruptly.

Also, thank you for saving us. She slightly bowed before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Ira climbed out of the bed and began undressing the tightly wrapped bandages. Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the small room. The door opened and Captain Avery walked in while a robust knight with short hair and a bearded face followed behind her. Amy, being the last to enter, closed the door as she came in.

How is that possible!?! The knight shouted in disbelief as he looked at Iras body, which was free of wounds or scars. Amy looked, slightly embarrassed as she recalled the scene from a few hours ago when Ira was completely nude.

Captain Avery was the only to maintain composure and examined his body with a thoughtful expression, Its only been a few hours, and yet your wounds are completely healed. I personally applied the bandages, so I know that your injuries werent light. To be able to recover to this extent is nothing short of amazing.

Thanks for that, Ira said sincerely.

Seems it was all in vain. Captain Avery said while observing Ira. After a few moments she changed the topic,The villagers filled me in on an interesting story about you.

Oh? Ira responded while pulling off the bandages.

Do you prefer to be naked when making an entrance? Captain Avery asked.

Its very liberating, maybe you should try it, Ira said with a laugh after removing the last of the bandages.

Watch your words, boy! The knight threatened as he placed his hand on his sword.

Captain Avery held her hand up, silencing him, Robert, leave us.

Captain. Robert glared at Ira before leaving the room. Ira paid no attention to him, pulling his clothes from thin air, putting on his shirt and long coat. After seeing his display of Spatial Magic, Captain Averys eyes slightly widened, although it wasnt unheard of, spatial magic was incredibly hard to use. While Ira continued dressing, Avery found a chair and took a seat. Amy stood near the door, unsure of what to do.

Whats going on in the village? Ira asked, putting on his black boots.

Body cleanup and funeral preparations. You made quite a mess you know. Captain Avery responded.

I cant be blamed, it was my first fight after all, Ira responded while shrugging his shoulders. With his current abilities, killing lowly bandits was far too easy, but since he lacked any technique he was bound to take some hits.

Everyone is busy making funeral preparations, they wanted to thank you, but youve been asleep for a few hours. Youre more than welcome to attend. Amy suddenly spoke up, she briefly paused before continuing, Also, Ive been waiting to give the spear to you.

Keep it, Ira responded, finally fully clothed.

But- Amy objected. She felt indebted to him so giving up the spear was the least she could do to repay him.

I cant use a sword properly, let alone a spear, keep it, Ira said plainly. He wasnt making an excuse to hide noble intentions, if he didnt have the sword with him he probably wouldve taken the spear.

So why are you still here? Ira asked Captain Avery.

To examine the village for potential talents, then bring those who are willing to the capital for training. Captain Avery responded, sending a quick glance to Amy.

Well Im not from the village so- Ira began to talk but was interrupted.

I noticed. I also noticed we didnt encounter you on the road, and the villagers havent seen you before. Im wondering where you came from exactly? Captain Avery said as she probed Ira for information. Though it wasnt for the Kingdom, but rather her own personal interests.

Nowhere, Ira said with a dry laugh. Recalling the soul ripping pain of the void caused his expression to become distant.

Captain Avery assumed he was unwilling to speak and continued on, Dont worry, Although Im curious, I wont force you to say anything.

Im glad to hear it, but what do you want? Ira asked with a curious grin.

Captain Avery turned to Amy, Could you give us a moment?

Ah, yes maam, Amy said timidly before stepping out of the room.

Well since I already know your name, It would be impolite not to introduce myself., Captain Avery stood up, I am Captain Avery Thynne.

So what exactly do you want, Captain? Ira asked. In truth, his respect for authority was close to non-existent since there was nothing in his life that would give him cause to.

Captain Avery ignored Iras sarcasm and replied, Id like you to follow us to the capital.

Ira thought for a few seconds before speaking enthusiastically, Grant me two requests and its a deal.

Thats fine, but only as long as theyre within my power. Captain Avery said.

You arent afraid Ill be unreasonable? Ira said with a surprised expression.

Ive already agreed, so Im prepared to accept the consequences, Avery responded with a shrug. She felt as if Ira wasnt the type of person to make unreasonable requests, so she accepted without reservation.

Good to hear. Ira nodded before walking toward the door, heading outside.

Captain Avery stared at his back in contemplation as she followed behind him. It had to be said, Ira was definitely a strange person with some interesting qualities.

.

As Ira stepped out of the small room, many villagers turned to look at him. Each of their gazes were filled with, one part fear, one part reverence, and two parts gratefulness. The nearby villagers approached him with moist eyes. One by one, they began thanking him, some even knelt down to express their gratitude. Ira just smiled cheerfully, accepting all the praises that came. Captain Avery eventually had enough and sent all the villagers off before leading Ira to the temporary knight camp.

A group of people, ages 10-21, were lined up in front of the Knights. Each person was then handed a blue glass card and told to stand to the side. Clark and Amy also attended though they werent anywhere close to each other. Clark wanted to give Amy space since he knew she probably blamed him for her mothers death. Captain Avery gestured for Ira to join the group, after handing him a card that looked to be made from blue glass. As soon as Ira arrived everyone began whispering, only a few of them actually witnessed the bandit raid and subsequent slaughter, the rest only heard stories of what happened.

He doesnt look so tough.

Youre just mad you almost pissed yourself when those bandits attacked.

I heard, hes a monster who likes to run around naked, from my Dad.

Is he really a monster?

Clearly, he is hiding his monster form, you idiot.

I dont knowHe doesnt look like a monster to me.

Look at his yellow eyes, arent they weird.

His eyes are kind of strange and why is he smiling?

You all should shut up, I was with the ones defending and watched him tear through those bandits. If he hears you, he might get angry and kill you.

Ira! Over here! Amy waved.

Seeing her do so made Clark grind his teeth, his heart felt downcast. Almost everyone looked at Amy strangely, yet she paid no attention to them. Ira, seemingly oblivious to the strange mood, walked over to Amy.

Spear girl. He grinned widely while looking at Amy.

My name is Amy. She retorted in a low whisper.

Name: IraRating: B+Growth Capacity:Bloodline:Blessings:Mana Capacity: LowPassive Skills: Abnormal Strength, Abnormal Reflexes, Abnormal Senses, Abnormal Comprehension, Abnormal Regeneration, Abnormal Instincts.Active Skills: short-range teleport(???)Name: AmyRating: D+Growth Capacity:C+Bloodline: HumanBlessings: NoneMana Capacity: LowPassive Skills: Apprentice SpearmanshipActive Skills: Spear Dance.Name: ClarkRating: EGrowth Capacity: D+Bloodline: HumanBlessings: NoneMana Capacity: LowPassive Skills: NoneActive Skills: NoneName: Avery ThynneRating: A-Growth Capacity:SBloodline: HumanBlessings: NoneMana Capacity: LowPassive Skills: Expert Swordsmanship, Sword comprehension, Advanced Martial Arts, Battle Awareness.Active Skills: Quickdraw, Quickstep, Deflection, Ironheart.

It can be used offensively too. Again. When she finished speaking, Ira disappeared, reappearing behind her, swinging his sword diagonally.

After she used Quickstep, Captain Averys body moved three feet away from the sword trajectory, she turned on her heels to face Ira and used Quickdraw. Using the momentum of the draw, Captain Avery swung her sword fiercely and cut Ira.

Ira hurriedly teleported away, when he reappeared there was a cut above his eyebrows.

Nice one! Ira honestly praised, a smile appearing on his face.

I have to ask, just how many times can you teleport? Captain Avery asked curiously. As far as she knew Spatial Magic took a lot of mana, but it was clear Iras ability was different than the normal Spatial abilities.

I never tried to find out. If I do it in quick succession I start to feel sick, almost like I ate too much of something. Ira responded truthfully. The reason for the perceived feeling of sickness was due to Void residue is otherwise known as the black mist that appeared whenever he used an ability. Repeatedly teleporting could accumulate a build up which may end up harming him. The four sigils acted as seals, restraining his power until his body managed to become strong enough to withstand more of the Voids influence.

Though your short-range teleportation gives you an advantage, anyone who has developed battlefield awareness can defend against it. It is only useful if you attack quicker than the enemy can react. If you can increase your offensive prowess, it would be even more powerful. Captain Avery advised after hearing his answer.

Then Ill be using more strength this time, Miss Avery, Ira said gleefully. Captain Avery nodded her head before concentrating and assumed a sword stance.

Whenever you are ready. She said with a taunting grin. When she finished speaking Ira was already gone.

..

The sounds of a fight could be heard from the village entrance, shocking those waiting for Captain Avery to return. After a while, they died down, and two figures could be seen walking toward the village. Captain Avery walked ahead of Ira with her military jacket in one hand, her forehead was covered in sweat, her dark purple hair was disheveled, while very small bruises decorated her arms, she breathed heavily. Iras clothes were equally disheveled, but his face was covered in blood and cuts, he smiled happily while drawing deep breaths.

Lets move. Captain Avery said loudly, as she climbed a horse and signalled for the Knights to move. Out of the thirty Knights, fifteen stayed behind in the village. It was standard regulation to assist with village reconstruction and security if a village was met with some attack. The fifteen Knights who stayed behind would follow after a few days of ensuring safety.

Ten villagers of varying ages followed the Knights on foot. Amy and Clark were also present. Ira joined the group, and even though the villagers wanted to ask him questions, the blood on his face made him hard to approach. He was someone who, by all accounts, seemed to like killing people and had no capacity for mercy, but he was strangely friendly. At least thats how the villagers saw it.

Truthfully, Ira didnt enjoy the act of killing but rather the feeling that each kill solidified his place in the world. The feeling of losing your body and your ego had a way of making you question your place in the World. For Ira, finding his place meant doing something people naturally did, and that was killing. People killed and people were killed, it was something that had been done since the beginning of time and something that would continue.

Still, it was doubtful they would accept that.as a reason. It also had to be said, the concept of morality and right and wrong wasnt a prominent thought in Iras head. He wouldnt kill a random person for no reason, but if he accidentally did, he would find very little issue with it. Even his capacity for empathy was shallow which could be seen by him looting Benjamins body without even blinking. In the end, Ira couldnt be blamed per se, the knowledge the Wolf gave him wasnt comprehensive in ethics and honor. Seeing as it was all he knew, he didnt feel that anything was wrong at all.

After a few hours of walking, Clark suddenly moved next to Ira, This is for you. Clark said before handing a black scabbard to Ira.

Oh!Ira grabbed the scabbard, attaching it to his waist, he then pulled the sword from his void space and sheathed it.

Very nice! Haha!Ira laughed as he patted the scabbard. Clark smiled bitterly, recalling the death of his brother, who wielded that very same sword in his last moments.

How do you do it? Clark asked.

Do what? Ira raised an eyebrow.

K-Kill people. Clark stammered a bit, for him holding a sword was impossible, let alone killing someone.

Well Ira thought for a second, before continuing. He couldnt tell that Clark had reservations toward killing, nor did he expect him to.

At first I used my hands and feet, but now Ill be using this sword,Ira said with a laugh.

Clark forced a smile, as he waited for him to finish before speaking again, I meant, how do you live with it?

Live with it? Why would it bother me? Ira looked at Clark as if he was odd, which made Clark feel as if he was the weird one in this conversation. Ira couldnt help but wonder if Clark was mentally ill.

After a few moments of an awkward silence, Clark spoke again, Due to childhood trauma, I am unable to wield a sword, but I hope to overcome it.

Clark strangely felt as if Ira would be able to help him and spoke of his problem, his words reached the ears of Amy, who wasnt too far behind him.

Whats scarier, swinging a sword or reliving that moment again? Ira asked as his tone changed from upbeat to cold in an instant. Due to Clarks sudden confession, a certain even had appeared in his mind, one he still couldnt process. His expressionless face covered in dry blood, coupled with his cryptic words, made Clark feel uneasy.

What do you mean? Clark tried to ask.

Halt! Captain Avery yelled before dismounting her horse. Well take a short break here.

She pointed to an open area near a stream, it was spacious enough to allow temporary rest. The knight squad guided their horses to drink. The group of village youths split up, some going to use relieve themselves and others choose to rest, while excitedly talking to each other. This was the first time these youths were allowed outside of the village, and many felt an increasing curiosity for the larger world. The remaining Knights handed out bread and fruit to everyone one by one. Captain Avery approached Ira. He was busy using the stream water to wash off the dried blood of his face, which had no indications of previous wounds.

Follow me. She said to him plainly.

Ok. He responded, drying his hands on his long coat as he stood up.

They walked out of hearing range of the group, and only then did Captain Avery begin speaking, I have reason to believe our group is being targeted, more specifically, Im the actual target.

Oh? What makes you say that? Iras eyes lit up with intrigue.

Firstly, our path on the way to the village was obstructed by debris, although it wasnt a secret that nobles and Knights were being sent to villages and towns in the regions, no one should be able to figure the exact date and time we were arriving. Secondly, If you hadnt appeared in the village when you did, most of the bandits wouldve escaped, leaving half of my knight squad behind for village security, we would have to make special preparations for prisoners, assuming any bandits were caught. Finally, there is no shortage of people wishing to see my Thynne family in shambles, and although conflicts between noble houses have been temporarily banned by the King, there are many who use backhanded methods to attack one another. If this is a plot against me, the most opportune moment to strike would be now. My forces are split and we have noncombatants from the village to defend. Even if we didnt bring people from the village with us, we mightve accepted prisoners, and under Kingdom laws, we are obligated to defend them until they are delivered to a jail. This would guarantee a defensive battle set at a disadvantage. Captain Avery explained slowly and precisely, as she detailed her observations.

How did you know Im not part of the plan? Ira asked curiously. He wasnt much for complicated schemes, he believed that just outright killing an enemy was the way to go.

I wanted to say a womans intuition, but your own behavior gave you away. You may be strong but you lack any technique, the way you dealt with those bandits was sloppy and unrefined, and if anyone planned this far ahead they wouldnt include someone as untrained as you. She responded.

You're hurting my pride, Ira said playfully.

Another sign was your origin, if you were a mercenary or hired assassin, someone with your abilities and personality would be bound to draw attention, people who scheme like this, deal in discretion, not eccentricities.

Makes sense. He nodded. He had to admit, Captain Avery appeared to be a very intelligent person.

Dont you want to ask why Im telling you?

You probably suspect your own Knights.

Ah, youre smarter than I thought. Captain Avery said, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

So what do you want to do exactly? Ira asked, ignoring her backhanded compliment as if he didnt hear it.

Well thinking of what Ive gathered so far, two things are more than likely. The first is, one or more of my Knights are working against me, and the second is, we will be attacked at night. Defending those kids while fighting is hard enough, defending them while fighting in the dark is even harder. Although my battle awareness is regarded as a third eye in combat, it has very limited range capabilities and isnt effective at night. So you will be dealing with any opponents using ranged weapons, with your senses and teleportation it shouldnt be very hard.

So how do you know there will be enemies using ranged weapons?

My specialty is close combat, but it is weak against long range combat such as magic and arrows if I cant close the distance. Anyone plotting to have me killed wouldve done research on my combative abilities. Captain Avery explained.

So when you asked me to follow you to the capital, did you know you were being targeted?

The signs were there, so I made certain preparations. Captain Avery said.

Wow, you really thought this through.

Thinking calmly and planning ahead is better than rushing in blindly. Now, whenever the attack occurs, Itll be up to you to do most of the leg work.

Ill deal with it, though Im not keen on babysitting, Ira stated with a broad smile.

.

Any word from Q? A man wearing all black said in a deep voice.

None.A second man also wearing black responded.

Well, outsiders are usually unreliable. Its less than ideal, but we will proceed as planned. Find out what the situation is, then be prepared to move soon. The man with the deep voice said.

Ill get it done. The second man responded before leaving.

...Something isnt right.

The man with the deep voice spoke to himself, feeling slightly uneasy in his heart. He slowly left, unable to shake off his uncertainty.