ROTLE- Chapter 174- Not A Him

Aiden stared at his status. He still had eight unallocated stat points from his last level up. He still had no need for an immediate increase. Right now, he was at a comfortable point where he didn’t need to grow anything. He could afford to grow only when he needed to. He was at that sweet spot where he could invest all eight points into a single stat because it was what he needed to win a battle he found himself in.

“So…” Tanor walked up to Aiden’s side all smiles. “Aiden Lacheart.”

Aiden said nothing, pushing aside a low hanging vine as he walked. They’d been walking for hours now, heading to Ted’s location.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Tanor continued.

The lowered tone of Tanor’s voice said that whatever he had heard was something he thought that Aiden would like to keep a secret. So, Aiden made a conscious effort not to look back at Esttabel and Clerent walking behind them.

“Very interesting things too,” Tanor added.

He wants to talk, Aiden thought, knowing how much Tanor liked to learn and know. The question was if it was all curiosity or if there was something else to it.

Finally, he turned his head and looked at Tanor, still walking.

“It’s good to know that I’m famous,” he said.

Tanor grinned. “In places like Trackback.”

So his involvement in the events of the [Crystal of Existence] was now common knowledge. He couldn’t say that he was surprised. In a world of magic, news spread very fast. And they tended to end up in the ears of those who know what to listen for. The crystal disappearing just before people had even realized that it had spawned was definitely important enough for people to know.

“How did you do it?” Tanor asked.

“Do what?” Aiden returned.

Tanor walked faster so that he was ahead of Aiden. Then he turned and walked with his back.

“Behave,” Aiden blurted out before he could stop himself. “Walking backwards is not a…”

He paused, reminding himself that he was not Tanor’s strict commanding officer. He was not the team leader.

Tanor had an interesting look in his eyes, however. His eyes twinkled and he looked like a cat that had just found something interesting.

“Walking backwards is not a what?” he asked, tone teasing. When Aiden said nothing, he added, “Has anyone told you that you talk like a teacher?”

“How so?”

Tanor puffed his chest out dramatically and broadened his shoulders. He stood like a bodybuilder with a torso that’s too wide.

“Move!” he said in a harsh baritone. It was too deep, though, deeper than the one Aiden had right now. When he was older it would’ve been more befitting. “Get to the front. Do not stand in my way. Me strong. You listen.”

Aiden cocked a brow as they came to the tree they were supposed to look out for. A slight yellow orb of mana was attached to its trunk. This close to it, Aiden could see the yellow pulse it emanated that Estabel used to detect monsters between it and them.

Walking up to it, Aiden studied the item once more as he had done the last two. It was nightfall now, so the orb was brighter. He was hoping that he could make something out of the spell structure by just looking at the orb.

As had been the case with the last few orbs that Estabel had fired off, he could discern nothing.

His lips wrinkled in a frown and he looked down at his arm.

Why is it taken so long? He thought to himself. The black skin had only consumed half of the forearm. It had been long since it had turned red, normally, it would be completely black by now.

Raising his hand high, he signaled Estabel, letting her and the [Saint] know that he had found the orb.

“I was trying not to ask in case it was rude,” Tanor said quietly, “but what happened to your arm?”

“I lost it in a bet,” Aiden replied flatly.

Tanor tsked like a teacher to a petulant child. “You shouldn’t be so rude, Lord Lacheart. Not when you have the crystal. Would you believe me if I told you that I know you haven’t used it.”

Did he always talk this much?

The answer came to Aiden quickly. Tanor liked to talk, but only to share knowledge or to gain knowledge, and he had always been more civilized about it, genteel. The Tanor in front of him was nothing of the sort.

Why?

Because he’s younger… Brasher.

This Tanor was at least six years younger than the Tanor he knew. Six years was a very long time, enough time for someone to learn to become another person.

Estabel and Clerent stopped next to them now and Estabel looked down at Aiden. “Which way next?” she asked.

Aiden pointed, and she fired another yellow orb.

“Everyone got good perception?” Tanor asked. “It’s getting dark and I don’t want people stumbling and getting us into sticky situations.”

“Should we set down camp?” Estabel asked.

“No,” Clerent said. “We should keep moving. None of us are even tired.”

“Sleep is good for the mind,” Tanor pointed out. “We do not have to be tired to sleep.”

“You can go to sleep,” Aiden said to no one in particular. “I’m moving forward.”

According to his senses, Ted and Valdan had stopped moving a moment ago. They had probably decided to settle in for the night rather than continue moving forward.

“What’s the rush?” Tanor asked cheerily. “We won’t lose time. Unless you’re trying to get to Nosrath before everyone else.”

Aiden almost chuckled at that. He had no viable plans on how to handle Nosrath with the team he had right now. In fact, even his best plan of attack right now was to find whatever party would take down Nosrath and steal the heart from them. It was a cowardly move but it was also a tactically sound one.

“Uhm…” Estabel frowned, pointed her staff in another direction and blasted off another yellow orb.

That’s not good, Aiden thought, looking at her.

She fired the orb off in an entirely opposite direction. The look on Clerent’s face told Aiden that the [Saint] had the same idea that he had. But none of them said anything, choosing to wait.

Estabel’s lips pursed in awkwardness, her nose scrunching up.

“Eh… just give me a moment.” She fired off in a different direction. Her lips pursed up some more after a while.

She turned again, aimed her staff. Clerent placed a hand on it before she fired off once more.

“Are you lacking in stamina, health or mana?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “None.”

Aiden stood leaning against the tree where the orb of mana they had followed to this point was already fading away. He waited patiently, Tanor with folded arms standing to his side.

“Tell us what the problem is,” Clerent said. “And tell us precisely.”

Estabel sucked in a deep, preparatory breath. She pointed to her left. “One of my subordinates is in that direction, fighting off three monsters that I have not seen before.” She pointed to her right. “There are fifteen monsters fighting each other over there. I can only identify a [Drake] and [Taracnide].”

“There hasn’t been a record of a [Taracnide] in… forever,” Tanor said. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised with the whole rising darkness announcement and all that.”

Aiden thumbed behind him, which was in the direction of Ted and the others. “And what’s on that side?”

“[Illusory Serpent].”

Aiden had been hoping against this very situation, but it seemed the [Illusory serpent] had their scent and was hell bent on hunting them down.

Estabel, with Clerent still resting his hand on her staff, fired off one more bolt. Everyone waited patiently.

When Estabel’s eyes saddened a little, Aiden watched everyone’s countenance fall.

“People,” Estabel said simply.

Tanor sighed in relief. “For a moment I thought it was going to be something horrible.”

“People are horrible,” she said. “Especially these people.” She looked at Aiden. “I say we go and help my subordinate, then go around the serpent and continue on to your companions.”

“Do you know which of your companions it is?”

“Yes.”

“Will they last in their fight? Do you think that they can win?”

“No. They can last, but asking them to win will be a tall order.”

Clerent scoffed in derision. “I thought your organization was competent.”

“She is an [Enchanter],” Estabel said, as if it explained everything. “They aren’t really known for their combat prowess.”

“What do you say?” Tanor asked, looking at Aiden. “The [Enchanter] or someone else?”

Aiden really didn’t want to take the part of the monsters. Why? The reason was simple and a little bit cruel. Humans were significantly easier for him to deal with. They also gave more level increment.

“Alright.” He turned and started walking. “Let’s go save this [Enchanter].”

They walked faster this time, since they had an actual destination and had reason for haste. Aiden had a feeling that if Estabel could run ahead and leave them all behind, she would. In fact, judging by how they were all moving, he had a feeling that they were all looking out for each other, trying not to move to fast or too slow.

The world will not wait for you before it attacks Ted, he reminded himself, then moved from a quick walk into a jog.

He would’ve loved to increase his perception but his arm was not in the cooperating mood right now. He hated how almost useless his class left him at a time like this. He still had abilities that he could work with, but being unable to enchant himself was a little disconcerting since he had grown accustomed to it.

The others followed behind him, jogging to keep up but not pass him by. A quick glance showed him that Estabel was not jogging, instead, she levitated off the ground, hovering forward through the use of what was most likely a spell.

If she was as intelligent as her class liked to portray itself to be, she would be tapping from the mana source of the staff not her own.

When they were close, they were privy to the loud booms of explosions. Whoever this enchanter was, she was using explosive enchantments, compound enchantments most likely. Clerent exchanged looks with Aiden, then nodded and darted out to the right.

Aiden wasn’t sure what the man was nodding about. Whatever the man thought he had communicated, Aiden had not received it.

As for Tanor, he charged forward.

“Estabel, support,” Aiden ordered, darting left. Hopefully it was Tanor and Clerent’s plan to flank the opponents, hit them from all sides.

Aiden moved through the trees and burst out into a space that looked like a small battle field. Trees were broken, ripped from their place in the ground. They burned bright green flames and the ground beneath them was scorched.

He frowned, realizing that he’d gotten to the clearing first while a young woman in a robe held back three four legged monsters with nothing but what looked like an enchanted shield. Four legged, they stood on their hind legs like werewolves in some movies, almost humanoid in nature. It made them tall and domineering, standing at least nine feet tall.

Aiden drew his blade and darted in, [Dash] carrying him along the distance.

[You have used skill Detect]

He frowned at the sight. They were all level ninety monsters. At level eighty-three, he couldn’t see them being too much of a threat to him.

Cutting through the distance, his blade sang just as one of the monsters turned its head. It raised red glowing claws. Steel struck claw and Aiden let his knees give out beneath him so that he slid past the creature. Rather than allow himself to slide away, he grabbed onto what he thought was fur, only to find steel scales. His red fingers, tipped like claws, took purchase.

Aiden pulled back as golden sparks flew from where claws met scale and the creature howled like a livid banshee. Aiden winced, imagining just how much noise they were making as he pulled himself to his feet.

The beast rose on all fours. Aiden bent, ready to evade as his senses alerted him to the movement around him and another creature coming for his head. He ducked quickly, but the blow he dodged never came. Instead, he heard blood splash and a shriek. A quick glance as he threw himself over to the other side of the creature that was his main opponent revealed a pristine spear running through the second monster’s hand.

There was a bang like a ringing bell when the third monster struck the [Enchanter]’s shield once more. It was a loud tolling bell as mana infused attacks slammed into a mana infused shield.

A growl dragged Aiden’s complete attention to his fight. His sword came up. He parried the first swinging claw. His leg came up quickly, avoiding a tail sweep that would’ve brought him to the ground. Then he parried another claw. Surprising him, the creature slammed forward, coming in for a headbutt instead of a bite with its massive teeth.

Aiden leaned to the side. The head missed, slamming into air. Aiden took the chance to pull himself up, vaulting over the creature. He landed squarely on its shoulders and the creature dropped to its knees under the weight of him.

Sword raised, Aiden plunged down. His eyes caught sight of a symbol above the creature’s head at the same time. His sword struck a blow against its shoulder. Instead of a straight stab wound. It tore a gash, ripping through flesh and muscle.

Strong bones, he concluded, vaulting away from the creature in an acrobatic display.

It turned shrieking at him.

Fucking loud, Aiden thought with a frown. They would need to finish things quickly if not there would be problems.

He darted forward and a vine shot out of the ground, wrapping itself around the monster’s arm as it swung at him. Aiden had intended to counter the blow, but now that it was no longer coming, he swung his sword at the beast’s neck. It leaned back, an instinctive action that saved its neck from a powerful blow.

Allowing the swing to shift his momentum, Aiden turned, slamming straight into the creature’s torso. It was like a normal person throwing themselves at a brick wall. The air was almost knocked out of Aiden while another vine appeared, grabbing the creature’s other arm. It pulled at both arms, bringing it to the ground.

The beast screeched and screamed and roared as it struggled. Its descent did not change. It was slow and painful. It took Aiden only a moment to realize that the screaming was not only coming from the creature in front of him. It came from the others, vines pulling them to the ground.

Quickly, Aiden stepped into the creature and placed his hand just under its neck. Red as it was, it let out gold sparks when it the beast’s scale. Then his finger moved intentionally, recreating the very symbol hanging above its head.

[You have earned Dimensional Skill Reverse Summoning]

He turned his head, looking at the others to be sure they had not seen what he had specifically done. There were no eyes on him. Tanor was busy pressing his spear deeper into the open maw of his opponent while the last one burnt in bright yellow flames. Clerent had his eyes on it as he walked out with pieces of paper floating about him in their golden glow.

Estabel was the only person whose position Aiden could not currently account for as the monster in front of him twitched in place, retching up blue smoke that also leaked from all its orifices.

[You have doomed Walking Aratied Lvl 98 to the void.]

The creature’s twitching finally stopped, then it simply fell, an empty husk like a jacket taken off.

Aiden just stared down at the husk. The notification stood proudly between him and it. memories came back to Aiden and he pulled up the skill.

[Reverse Summoning]

You have gained the natural ability to reach through the nature of reality.

What does not belong can always be returned. Be careful lest you doom it to the void.

It had warned him to be careful to avoid this very situation. Now here he was, the notification telling him outright that he had just doomed a creature to the void. It had not told him that when he had used the skill on Ted’s summoned creature.

[You have doomed Walking Aratied Lvl 98 to the void.]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[Level 84 > 85]

[You are now Level 85]

He looked down at his hand, temporarily forgetting about the others as the [Enchanter]’s shield finally came down and she sobbed into Tanor’s arms, mumbling words that Aiden was not listening to.

You’re stupid, he told himself, looking at the arm. All this power and you haven’t taken the time to study it, to understand how it works.

He understood that he had been busy but he could not just accept it as an excuse. He had just banished a monster to the void with a simple gesture. One enchantment and the monster was gone. But the skill’s name was [Reverse Summoning].

What does not belong can always be returned.

There was no running around that justified not focusing on the skill. For it to be able to be returned meant that he could send them back. He knew this. He’d known it since looking at the skill.

Then why didn’t you focus on it?! he scolded himself. The [Heart of Nosrath] and [Crystal of Existence] be damned. They were of no use to him if he could simply weave a sign of cast an enchantment and return him and Ted to where they belonged.

He had to train the skill, understand it. He had to perfect it. The two other monsters, dead as they were, had no symbols hovering over their heads. Now that his attention was no longer focused inwards, he could hear what those around him were saying.

“You did alright,” Estabel was saying, seated on the ground with a hand on the [Enchanter]’s back, massaging soothingly.

The woman remained in Tanor’s arms though, holding on for dear life.

“I thought I was dead,” she wept. “They killed Castor and I thought I won’t make it.”

Aiden found himself looking around for a body. Apart from the monster corpses, he found none. Whoever Castor was, he had not left any evidence of his death here.

“Castor was brave,” Estabel said gently. “You were brave, Yerit. Never forget that.”

The [Enchanter], Yerit, was already shaking her head. “I don’t want to have to be brave. It’s why I wanted desk work.”

“We should go,” Aiden said, cutting through the moment.

It gave him reprimanding gazes from everyone. Even Clerent looked at him as if he was too stupid to read the atmosphere.

“We made a lot of noise,” Aiden explained. “The last thing we want is to be sitting ducks when whatever monsters heard us comes looking.”

“Give the child a moment to grieve the loss of her innocence, lord Lacheart,” Clerent said in a harsh tone. “I know that you want us to move, but what is the point of remaining alive if we lose our humanity in the process.”

Aiden could not believe his ears. He’d thought that the [Saint] of all people would be more than happy to support his opinion on the matter.

“Also,” Clerent continued, “we are perfectly fine. I set up a sound barrier. The noise we made did not get out.”

That was… very smart.

Yerit’s sobs died out all of a sudden. She slowly pushed herself away from Tanor’s embrace as her attention focused on something in a distance. Her tears seemed to shrivel up and die. Her skin grew white as snow as she paled, blood draining from her face.

It had been a while since Aiden saw terror so powerful.

Estabel reached for her, panic in her voice. “What’s wrong, Yerit? What’s happening?”

The girl responded with a trembling hand, pointing into the distance. All eyes followed her shaking finger to someone seated in the trees.

It was a man, Aiden couldn’t really make out his features, but he looked like he was smiling. Aiden paled when the man raised his hand and waved at them in what was a jerky motion.

Peering at the man, Aiden couldn’t help but look at the symbol on his head. It was complex, beyond complicated.

Estabel frowned but didn’t seem as worried as her subordinate. She didn’t even look terrified.

Tanor waved back at the man, confused, while Clerent asked, “Do you know him?”

“Not a him,” she said. “That’s a monster. That’s a camouflage technique that makes it appear human. It lures people in that way from what I was told. But we should be fine from here.”

“No,” Yerit croaked out, extricating herself from Tanor’s arms.

Aiden’s red hand twitched. Yerit was right. They weren’t safe.

During the demon wars, there had been two recorded monsters that were not known to level up. They also did not have any level. In the entirety of Nastild there was only a record of two ever being seen. One had died when they had defeated Ted, and Aiden always assumed it had died at hands of the [Sage].

No one ever knew what happened to the other.

“Estabel,” he said very carefully, “Can you teleport us out of here?”

Even as he spoke, the symbol above the man’s continued to grow, to evolve into greater complexity.

“Teleportation magic isn’t that simple,” Estabel said.

Aiden swallowed. These creatures were rumored to answer only to one person, one being. Aiden took a careful step back. Commanders ruled the battle fields during the demon wars, directing and leading. These creatures, however, fought their own battles, did whatever they pleased. Everything died when it had their attention.

Everything fell to the [Life Eater]s.

“Everyone,” Aiden said. “Run. Do not worry about those beside or behind you. Turn and run.”

Clerent paused. “Lord Lacheart?”

“Do not argue, [Saint].” Aiden swallowed, taking another step back. “Obey.”

The monster would pick a target soon, then it would move.

If we are lucky, it won’t find anyone interesting enough, he thought with zero hope. After all, when was he ever lucky.

All he could pray for was that it did not pick him. That would buy him time.

Aiden measured the distance between them. At a full sprint, it would take him maybe two minutes to get to the creature.

“To me, Lord Lacheart,” Estabel said just before the mana in the air shifted.

Aiden looked back and found her staff planted into the ground. She was channeling a spell. It had to be a teleportation spell.

“You cannot ask this of me all the time,” she said through gritted teeth. “Teleportation magic the likes of which you ask of me takes a toll.”

Better a toll than death.

Tanor paused. “Guys?”

Aiden didn’t look at him. He looked at the creature instead. It had stopped waving.

Fuck my life.

“Clerent, barrier enchantment. Now!” he commanded.

Pieces of paper flew out from behind the [Saint]. They glowed golden as they took positions around them. Bright, they formed a translucent barrier around them.

“Good.” Aiden stepped back, closer to Estabel. “We have to—”

An unfamiliar face cocked its head to the side right in front of his face, terminating his words.

No one gave a command. No one said anything. Everyone scattered.

A skeletal hand grabbed Aiden by the arm.

The face squinted at him. It spoke a single word, and it sounded like suffering.

<<Master?>>