BK1 Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

My palms felt clammy under Lieutenant Cragborn's hardened gaze. His slitted red pupils sent shivers through my spine as he tapped the earthen table between us with his forefinger.

Not long after Callan had returned to his team, Teresa informed me of the latest news in the camp. It turned out she was pretty good at finding out the latest gossip. It was deduced that the heavy rains were the cause of the Demonic Beast's attack. Furthermore, the marsh snakes that had attacked us did so in a swarm, which was highly unusual for their kind. This unusual behaviour was deduced from a nest some scouts found nearby afterwards. The broken shells there indicated that the rain had been the catalyst for their hatching, and the march had been passing by with unfortunate timing.

Because of this unusual behaviour, the summoners in the rear guard had been caught unprepared for such large numbers. Marsh snakes were deadly opponents in the rain as high levelled ones could camouflage in the water droplets. So they had snuck up undetected in large numbers. The weaker of their kind, unable to use this skill, held back at first and only approached during the midst of combat, causing more panic. It was one of the weaker ones that Teresa and I encountered while defending Harold.

Our luck in this had been lectured to her numerous times by our superiors. Had it been one of the more skilled Marsh snakes, we would not have seen it and likely would have died before we knew what was happening. This was hammed by the probability Harold had been bitten by a camouflaged marsh snake, which was why we hadn't seen it occur. The two summoner teams that found us, one of them Callan's team, apparently detected it nearby and swiftly took care of it while those of us injured had been taken away.

I had been put to sleep by Callan through his Aether manipulation. Teresa told me he had carried me to safety with another team member collecting Harold. Her words describing how Callan would not part with me until a medical officer arrived made me feel strange. She was suggesting he had been protective of me and had been very crass to her about our actions. The object he had thrown to her earlier had been an anti-venom pill, a very valuable and expensive item, per his words. He had offered it in trade to her during an argument whilst I slept, something about not relying on my poison resistance next time.

It was all very strange behaviour, in my opinion. Callan had never shown much interest before in another individual. He always avoided the responsibility Roger had tried to place on him to the best of his ability. Eduard had reigned him in many times because of his temper.

I had been called upon as Teresa had been informing me of this new information in her rushing speech. From Teresa's tense reaction and her retelling of being rebuked by our superiors, it appeared it was my time for stern words now that I was well enough to hear them.

"Trainee, I hate it when I am forced to reprimand my soldiers" Lieutenant Cragborn pursed his lips. His voice was as smooth as honey. I wondered if that was just him or if it was a trait of Daemon.

"Apologies Sir," I said, standing straight, my hands folded behind my back inside his mediocre canvas tent. It was not as impressive as General Saika's tent, but it was much larger than the cramped low tents we trainees had. You could stand in his. In ours, it was crawling.

"You put yourself and Miss Garpson at risk by running head first into danger like that. Despite my order to the group, you ignored it. I have been informed that my order was not heard due to the rain, but this is still defiance. From the actions of the others in your group, you should have determined that your team was to gather with them. Regardless, you abandoned your safety" he narrowed his eyes, his finger still tapping in a slow rhythm.

"You do not have the luxury of abandoning your safety Lady Heversham. You are a mortal. You have no training, fighting experience, or skills in using Aether or a Core capable of defending yourself. You are a baby in all senses of the word. Your first act should have been to seek help."

I bit my lip as his words rang true.

"However," he continued. "You did so to save your teammate's life. That is one small thing in your favour", he sighed, stopping his tapping. "In light of that fact, I have decided not to suggest we lower the evaluation score for you or Miss Garpson for disobeying orders, but you are both being strictly watched from now on."

"Yes, sir, I will seek an experienced summoner in the future", I saluted respectfully, feeling a little relieved. I had been worried that he may have decided I wasn't worthy of joining the army. Maybe that had been my own insecurity though. All too often, it had been easier for the people in my lives to abandon and shun me.

"You will be placed at the front with me in the future, so such a thing should not be required." He stated, a little angry "I do not enjoy unruly trainees' relatives nagging me, nor Lord Hudson. It is a waste of my time."

"S-sorry, Sir," I said, feeling my cheeks redden, I wanted to say it wouldn't happen again, but I had no control over my brother's actions, even less so for Nate. I was surprised to hear his name mentioned alongside them at all.

"As you should be," he said coldly. "Don't let it happen again. Now go. I have work that actually matters" he shooed me away, so I couldn't have left fast enough.

***

A few hours passed before I was notified that Harold Eastmond had awoken. Teresa and I, and sadly Garret, went to the medical tent to fetch him. Harold was unusually quiet. He wouldn't, or couldn't perhaps, look at me properly. A man of little words was strangely even quieter. He took in our new small canvas village much as I had done with a curious gaze, listening to Garret prattle about unimportant things.

As night fell, I sat around the fire to eat some poorly cooked rice and snake meat. There had been plenty to go around after the attack. Teresa had decided to train by borrowing my Jian. She had already reached level seven in the flowing water skill and was improving at a quick pace.

Soft thuds beside me indicated someone had sat down on the ground next to me. I glanced right and saw Harold solemnly eating a snake skewer. His legs crossed neatly, the tear in his trousers revealing a patch of smooth dark skin. Like my arm, all signs of injury had disappeared thanks to the handy work of the Earth Summoners of the Medical profession. It was as though we had never been injured. Such power was incredible; too often, I had seen commoners suffering from broken limbs and lesions in Talbour. It made me uncomfortable knowing how easily we had received such treatment when many would beg for it.

"Lady Heversham", Harold spoke low as he gazed into the fire. "I understand I owe you my life."

"Uh", I stammered. "Please don't think much of it. I only did what I wanted."

"On the contrary", Harold shook his head. "You honoured me, Lady Heversham, for that" he turned and bowed his head deeply, making me blush. "I offer you my sincere thanks and gratitude. If you ever require my aid, please ask."

"R-right, I will" I wanted to say he didn't need to do such a thing, but from his posture and the tense hardening of his jaw, I could see that this wasn't easy for him. Telling him I didn't want to burden him with owing me his aid would have likely been insulting.

"What are you two talking about" Garret sat down opposite with a small bowl of rice. He narrowed his eyes at my expression, catching that I had been blushing. "You know she is my fiancée, Lord Eastmond?" He said, accusing.

"It doesn't concern you, Lord Asher," Harold said with a heavy sigh.

"Oh? I think the opposite. Anything involving Lady Heversham concerns me. As her fiancé, it is my duty to ensure she stays in line with her propriety." Garret sneered, and I gripped my metal cup of boiled water tighter.

Propriety? Was he really suggesting I already belonged to him?

"I will be training my Sai blades with Miss Garpson" Harold stood, not wanting to be a part of this. "Lady Heversham, Lord Asher", he bowed to us and left, looking back at me as he did so. I saw the unspoken suggestion that I could call him if required.

"Lord Asher", I pressed my lips tightly now that we were alone. "I am not yours to accuse of such things."

"You are mine, Lady Heversham. The faster you accept that the happier you will be" Garret smiled sickeningly.

"Then you will be waiting a long time Lord Asher" I growled. "I have no interest in you."

"So you prefer unknown men from lowly taverns? If that is your type, I can become a dishevelled man for you. Just ask" he grinned, slurping on his watery rice.

"There is nothing you could do that would make me accept you, Lord Asher", I grimaced. So Garret knew of my scandal, but it did not seem to have deterred him as much as I had hoped.

"I think you will find there is much I can do. I am far better than any scum that may have seduced you. But don't worry; I will rid their experience from you with my own soon enough" His determination sent shivers down my spine.

"You keep referring to him as scum" I smirked, realizing something. "You have no idea who it is, do you?"

"I know all I need, too," Garret scowled. "You are a commoner adopted into nobility. The fact I even show a shred of interest in you should be exhilarating enough. Your actions to go against this is quite preposterous, though I suppose that is expected. You are the Crazy Cerue."

"Then, as the Crazy Cerue, why do you show me such interest? I do not believe I have insinuated I share feelings for you," I said, trying to recall the ball in which we first danced. It had been so long ago for me.

"You are a deadly rose Lady Heversham, beautiful, but your thorns are sharp. As a man who appreciates luxury, I enjoy the challenge of getting what I want. A complacent woman is boring, such as your sister. She has no appreciation for the life she has, whereas you," he paused to watch my reaction, "You will appreciate what I can offer you. As a woman with no prospects, I can give you a life of comfort. You will never have to fear living as a commoner again."

"So you want me because you believe I will be grateful?" I asked to confirm I had understood. Garret truly was an egotistical, selfish man.

"Precisely", he grinned happily. "Your beauty is, of course, also appealing. You are a rare treasure in Zopan," he said, referring to my Dramorian features. My hair colouring and skin tone was indeed rare in Zopan. So I was also a trophy he wished to acquire.

"I find your reasoning flawed, Lord Asher" I put down my cup and stood so I could glare at him looking down.

"You are presuming I have no other options but to marry you, so I am not forced into a life of a commoner or the shame of living as a burden on my family as an unmarried woman into old age."

"What other options do you have?" He raised an eyebrow smugly.

"My options?" I tutted. "They are quite simple," I said, causing him to frown. "I become a commoner, or I succeed in my training and open my choices for marriage from anyone but you."

"Tch", Garret snarled. "You barely have a core. Those choices will not improve."

"Then I will gladly become a commoner", I declared, spotting Callan making his way over for our scheduled training session.

***

As Callan stood watching, I stumbled through the fifth stance of flowing water with my Jian. He pointed out my mistakes and quickly moved my arms into the correct positions with his hands. Teresa and Harold were nearby, both working on their own practice as they lightly spared. Teresa was using her dagger against Harold's two Sai blades, she was much slower to react than Harold, but her speed in avoiding his attacks was improving.

"You keep messing this up", Callan chided me, lifting my arm higher

"Sorry, It's difficult to raise," I said, my arm shaking the weight of the Jian pulling it down again. "I don't think I'm any good with it", I sighed, trying to move into the sixth stance.

"Probably", Callan agreed.

"Honestly, I may be better training with my dagger," I said, dropping the Jian for a third time as it clattered with a bang onto the ground.

"Did you get a skill with it?" Callan asked, picking it up for me as I slumped in defeat.

"Yes, I think I got it when I killed the snake," I said, holding my palm forward. "Show skills."

Blood Sign

Skills

Aether: 0

Combative: 2

Jian - Flowing Water: 2 – (Novice)

Dagger strike : 3 – (Novice)

Body : 3

Poison Resistance: 15 - (Initiate)

Pain Resistance: 23 – (Apprentice)

Stamina: 4 - (Novice)

Mind: 3

Research: 12 - (Initiate)

Herbology: 57 - (Adept)

Alchemy: 7 - (Novice)

Spirit: 1

Beast Taming: 1 - (Novice) Hidden

Surprisingly, I had gained a few levels with the dagger in my one-time use of it during the fight. With no prior training, I was shocked to see it at level three in comparison to the Jian, which was still only level two despite my many nights of training with it. My poison resistance had also grown by five levels from the attack, alongside my Pain resistance and stamina growing by one level.

Callan looked over my sign interested, his eyebrows scrunched, and he flickered his attention to me for a moment before waving his hand to let me know I could put my palm down. I realized this was the first time he had actually seen my skills. I hadn't shown them to him before.

"You may be right, but you can expect your levels to increase much faster during a fight than they would in training. That's why those two are sparring" he nodded to Teresa and Harold.

"So, if I had used the Jian instead of my dagger, I could have grown my level faster?"

"Yes, so don't give it away next time", he tutted at me. "That's why the commoner gained so many levels in it."

"Understood", I sighed, knowing I would probably do the same again. "So, should I spar as well?"

"No, until you get the basics, you could hurt someone. Those two are well enough trained with their weapons that they won't do that" So Teresa also had competence with the dagger she was using? I was a little jealous of her zealous speed in gaining skills.

"So I just need to keep practising", I sighed, moving to take the Jian from Callan. He handed it to me but looked thoughtful.

"Yes, I want to keep practising the flowing water stances as we have been, but you are horrendous with it" he rubbed his chin, debating something with himself.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt", he muttered more to himself than to me.

"Callan?" I asked curiously

"Sheath it and get your dagger out. I can use this to practice myself" he stepped back from me, and I quickly did as he instructed, seeming as he wasn't going to explain.

He stood some distance away, then raised his arms and closed his eyes in concentration. Suddenly water droplets began to condensate in the space between us. The droplet's number increased faster and faster until an odd blob formed, wiggling, unable to stay stationary. The blob of water bent and grew taller as it absorbed more water droplets. It continued to grow until a figure my size stood wavering on its feet.

I stared at it, jaw open, as the strange creature slowly began to step towards me.

"Fight it!" Callan ordered as he held his arms straight and pinched his features, trying to keep control of the water clone.

"R-right", I stammered, grabbing my dagger and running to it, ready to attack.

I sliced at its jelly-like arm, my dagger moving through the water with ease, splitting its arm in two, but it quickly strung strands of water from the two separated limbs and reconnected them. Turning, I angled for its legs, this time my dagger moving through the water, sending it toppling to the ground as it lost its balance. The water clone reformed its legs and crawled toward me, which was creepy. I continued to charge and stab at it, with it healing itself repeatedly.

We continued like this for a while until the clone suddenly fell apart, the water sloshing into the ground as Callan breathed heavily, leaning on his knees for support. I grabbed my waist, feeling a tight stitch from my running, my dagger shaking in my hand as my body tried to keep up with the intense exercise I had performed.

"So?" Callan shouted from our distance as he got back his breath.

"Sign", I muttered and saw the familiar box appear. There it was, my dagger strike skill, it had raised from level three to level five, and my stamina had also pleasantly increased to level five.

"I gained two levels," I said, pleased that my hunch had been right. The dagger was a far better weapon than the Jian. I simply had no affinity for the weapon.

"Alright, we will do this every evening as well as your Flowing Water stances," Callan strode over, wiping sweat from his brow.

"What was that? What you created?" I asked

"A water clone, it is meant to look exactly like the person I want it to, but I'm not that good with it yet", he shrugged. "So this is great training for me too."

"That's good, then. I don't want to distract you from your own training" I smiled, and oddly he reciprocated with his own.

"Oh, you will be helping lots, got to get something out of this", he grinned a little maniacally, and I felt my stomach flip. Was he going to work me to the bone?