"Did he really just say what I think he did? Are you asking a kid who has been a climber for not even 200 days to fight a Lich? Have you lost your mind Sir Patrik?" Asked Guildmaster Mark, as he tried to knock some sense into the paladin.
"Whether he can defeat him or can't defeat him, whether Earth lives or dies, whether humans are supposed to suffer or thrive, it is not you, or me, who decides it.
It is Lord Gemini who does.
If he wishes to save us, no Lich or Elder Lich or Ancestral Lich can touch us.
If he wishes to punish us, no-one can save us" Paladin Patrik said with absolute conviction.
"Why fight then? Why spend resources? Why build the ground zero facility? We should all just gather and pray at the church, if Gemini wants to save us-"
"SAY 'LORD' GEMINI... THEY ARE NOT YOUR DRINKING BUDDY FOR YOU TO CALL THEM CASUALLY.
YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT THE LORD IN MY PRESENCE" Patrik said in an angry voice which made even Mark shudder.
"You-" Mark began to retort, however, before he could say anything association leader Cody cut him short.
"Alright enough-" Cody said, as he tried to restore order within the council.
"We will leave no leaf unturned. I agree with guildmaster Mark's proposal that we need to recruit external help for this fight.
But I will also not discard the church's viewpoint.
We will recall the Champion Of Gemini for this battle.
Even if he does not personally participate, his presence on the battlefield alone will serve as a motivation for the masses.
What Paladin Patrik feels is a representation of the broader sentiment. We can all become Earth's mightiest heroes, however, the kind of confidence the Champion Of Gemini can inspire amongst the troops, none of us can.
Even if he just stands there, it will be a symbol that Gemini is with us and that will be a big morale booster for our troops.
As for the recruitment of external help, the Climber's Association is willing to foot the entire bill, so guildmaster Mark, please rally a trustable ally to our side" Association leader Cody said, as he found a middle ground between the church's fanaticism and guildmaster Mark's rational.
Even Professor Maven, who was watching Rocky from afar, felt goosebumps down his spine when he saw Rocky's effortless technique to kill monsters, as to him Rocky's way of the sword was simply 'beautiful'.
In life, he had seen countless warrior's wield the sword.
Some tensed up the entire muscles on their arms as they launched a full power strike, some put their full body's force behind a sword projection, however, Rocky was different.
Every action he made seemed casual yet perfect as his mastery of sword appeared to be deeper than most and was a pure joy to watch.
It was almost an intangible feeling, like watching a really talented sports player, however, as Maven watched Rocky he could feel it in his guts that someday Rocky would become a great swordsman.
***********
( Meanwhile, Riyan )
Riyan was a dark elf under the service of Perseus.
He belonged to the elite spy corps of the Olympian guild and was tasked with the mission to spy on Rocky Yadav and find out his recent affiliations.
In under half a day, he found out the location of the isolated forest where the mid-term evaluation of the university for nourishment of young talents was taking place and was successful in breaching it's isolated barrier for entry without raising any alarms.
'The total test area is around 10 square kilometers, but if I only search near water sources, I can find out where Rocky Yadav might be in another half a day or so' Riyan thought to himself as he began his search for Rocky.
The brief he had received from Perseus regarding this mission was such that it did not outline any extra challenges that Riyan needed to be wary of, however, unknowingly he had entered the mad principal's trap the moment that he entered the isolated barrier.
From the start, Liam always knew that it was impossible for the barrier spell to hold out high level assassin's/ spies which was why the spell he kept his eyes on was a tracker spell that kept a track of how many individuals were present within the isolated area.
The moment that number spiked by one, Liam knew someone had intruded the isolated space, as while Riyan hunted Rocky, Liam began hunting for Riyan, who had no idea what sort of a mess he had inadvertently walked into.
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/// A/N - We have finally hit the first milestone! Chapter 100! Let's go!!!!
The story is only starting, and things will heat up nicely in the chapters to come ///