A Summoner Awakens, Chapter 6 [Skull]

The forest was silent... as if it could feel the tension between the youth and the three mercenaries. The wind remained dormant, the leaves above held perfectly still, and even the distant boars had ceased their clamour. Only the young man dared to interrupt this tranquil moment, his grin never fading.

"You boys didn't waste any time, did ya?" I chuckled and leaned lazily upon my staff. The centre mercenary's face scrunched when he heard my words, but he didn't respond. I sighed and gestured toward the pouch, "I don't suppose you'd like to hand over my Essence? How about you do that, and we can chalk this up to a deadlock."

Rock's face twitched, "Is that your game? Kill a few boars and bluff your way out of the mess you've caused. Do you think feigning arrogance is your best option?"

"I suppose neither of you gentlemen wishes to contribute to our conversation?" I asked, glancing between the two younger men and focusing on the smallest. "It seems strange that you're letting Rock do all the talking."

Rock and Stone exchanged glances. On the other hand, Boulder grew red and pulled the broadsword from his shoulders, "How the 'ell do you know Rock?"

"Perhaps I'll tell you if you bring me that bag," I winked and shifted my stance slightly. The reports I'd read painted Boulder as the hothead of the group. Stone was the brains, and Rock was the brawn. In another few years, they would gain possession of the Skull Mercenaries and wreak havoc on the lower Floors.

Boulder's face turned red, and he snatched the back from his brother's hand, "You want this Essence? Hows about you try an' take it?!"

"Boulder, wait!" Stone shouted, but the call landed on deaf ears.

Boulder charged forward, swiftly closing the distance between us. The broadsword flashed in the pale afternoon light, its wide frame careening down as soon as he had me in range. I stepped forward slightly, turning into the brute's momentum...

Click!

***

Stone watched in horror from the clearing's edge. He could scarcely follow the youth's movements as Boulder's sword came down on nothing but air. The young man had already spun into him. There was a hushed clicking sound, a flash of light... and a blood-soaked blade sticking through the back of Boulder's throat...

The youth snatched the Essence from the gurgling man's grasp and freed his sword. A dull thud sounded in the silent clearing as Boulder's body crashed to the ground. Stone watched this youth, this Rowan Wilder, shake his head and look down at the corpse with a condescending gaze.

"Thank you for delivering my Essence," his smile was jovial as he spoke to the corpse and weighed the pouch in one hand. Stone gulped and turned to warn Rock, clenching his fists in anger at what had to be done. They weren't equipped to handle this. They needed to run.

"B-Brother..." Stone hissed, trying to get Rock's attention without alerting the youth. A clinking noise caused him to look back at the boy. He'd tossed the pouch to the side and was staring toward them.

"How dare you!" Rock screamed, his knuckles turning white on the grip of his longsword. Stone's eyes widened when his brother took a small step back.

***

"What was that?" I cocked my head to the side and looked at the large man incredulously, "How dare I? You mean to tell me I should've stood there and allowed him to cleave me in half?"

Inwardly, I thought about how he actually would have if I hadn't memorised those reports. The middle brother was famous for his temper and his brash nature... Along with his immense strength. With Agility and Strength Foundations accentuating his already profound natural abilities, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Fortunately, goading him into doing something careless wasn't challenging. In fact, he'd been lured out similarly, according to the file, which ultimately led to the group's capture.

***

"Rock... H-He..." Stone glanced at his brother.

"I know," Rock frowned, his voice quivering.

Stone glanced at the youth. He stood there casually, acting like none of this was his problem. His bright green eyes gazed back at them as if he dared one of them to step forward. It made Stone feel uneasy, but seeing the youth standing there, uncaring, over his brother's corpse...

"He has to be bluffin'..." Rock hissed doubtfully, moving his weapon in front of him. "Stay out of this. If it looks like I'm on the back foot, you run an' finish that business we started."

Stone gripped the handle of his dagger, "Rock, if we both-"

"Stone!"

Stone looked at Rock again. His brother's face was stern, and sweat trickled heavily down his brow. Stone conceded and took a few steps back, keeping a grip on his weapon in case he was targeted.

His brother must have already decided that the two of them couldn't take on this threat with the few Cards at their disposal. Stone tightened his grip on the dagger. His knuckles turned white as he pictured the leader of the Skull Mercenaries, who only provided them Cards based on the scope of the job.

He glanced at his brother. They'd experienced so much pain, removing and adding Level 1 Cards every time they left the inn. The boss was so paranoid that one of the men would turn on him...

"Rock, don't! We're so close! Just a few more-" Before he could finish his sentence, a voice called from across the clearing.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but unfortunately, it's getting late. I'll be needing to wrap this up," the youth spoke casually as if this were just another day for him. "So, since you won't step forward..."

The young man leapt forward. As if he'd kicked off a wall, his body flew toward the still hesitating figure of Rock. Stone made to rush forward, but something struck the side of his leg before he could.

"Aarghhh!" he collapsed and looked down. His knee was twisted at an unnatural angle, and the long black shaft of the youth's cane lay beside him. Stone's apprehension turned to dread. He watched as the youth... no, demon reached his brother.

"Lady Tara... Please help us..."

***

My blade left a faint trail as I stabbed forward, the speed from Dash supplementing the power behind my Pierce. Still, Rock was no novice. He adjusted his stance and sidestepped my assault. Simultaneously, his blade swiped toward my neck.

Using the last of my skill's momentum, I threw myself out of the sword's range. My heart raced when I realised how close that had been. My hair fluttered from the wind behind that strike. Rock had already shifted to another stance, his sword overhead, preparing to strike.

He was open, but his blade would reach me before I could close the gap. Dash and Pierce were on cooldown, but retreating wasn't an option. If I backed off, he could find a way to follow through. I stepped forward... and Howled.

"Hooowwoooooo!"

Rock's muscle's tensed, slowing his strike, and I dipped forward to take advantage of the opening. It wasn't enough. Howl was only Level 1, and the man quickly recovered his wits and struck down just as my blade found a gap in his armour.

Searing pain exploded in my left arm, but I drove my blade forward. The sword's tip tore into a gap just under the mercenary's arm. Blood gushed out, and I leapt back as the man tried to pursue me. He never had a chance. His body collapsed after a single step, and blood flooded the ground around him.

Now, where's...

I looked around the clearing, not wanting to leave an enemy unchecked. It only took a moment to find my prey cowering near the trampled brush where I had left him. This... was supposed to be the great Stone..? Seeing that the man was practically paralysed, I took a second to analyse my wound.

The side of my arm was bleeding heavily. Rock's sword had fallen on the outer edge of my shoulder and cleaved the muscle down to my elbow. It was a nasty tear. Gritting my teeth, I pulled out a bottle of Infernal Wash and gently tilted it so that a drop would fall on the wound. The blood and dirt evaporated and continued to do so as I cast Heal.

The massive wound scabbed over almost instantly, and the leaking blood ceased to evaporate. I sighed in relief as the pain eased, though it continued to throb, and my hunger spiked. It would take a few more casts to gain full movement and another few to bring it back to normal. Heal was still at a low Level. I'd be starving by the end, and a nasty scar would remain.

"Alrighty then..." I walked toward Stone, who was trembling intensely. I sat on the corpse of a nearby boar while he stared at his oldest brother's body. His face was white as a sheet, either from fear or the pain in his leg. Possibly both.

"To be honest, he probably would have had me if he weren't so inexperienced," I tapped the cowering man's head with the flat of my blade to get his attention. He flinched but turned his gaze to me.

"When you swing wide," I lifted my blade and pointed to a section between my bicep and chest. "You leave yourself open here below your arm. There's a spot here that, if sufficiently severed, can bleed a man to death in seconds."

"It took several years to learn to fight properly with such a frail body. In that state, mistakes weren't something I could allow," shaking my head, I stood up and placed my blade against the future assassin's neck, a feeling of solemnity brushing away my nostalgia. "You lot are lucky, in a way. You'll never have to experience the pain of growing old."

With one swift motion, I thrust my blade through his neck and the base of his skull, severing the bone and watching his life fade almost instantly. There wasn't time to give a lesson on this method. It was a painless death, one he probably didn't deserve.

"Well, gentlemen, I hope you'll forgive me for what happens next," I sat down... and pulled off the near-pristine boots that the youngest mercenary was wearing...

***

About an hour later, I was walking along the side of a nearby rocky hill, admiring the comfort of my new boots and sporting an extra pack. My cane tapped gently against the gravel while I looked closely for a shallow cave to use as shelter.

The First Floor was set up in multiple rings. The centre had long been cleared, and the Academy, Town, and farmland took the place of the old plains. The Old Boar Forest encircled the farmland, while the Howling Hills claimed the next section. The outer ring was a mountainous area simply known as Bear Peak.

Without the canopy of leaves above me, I could see the beauty of the ceiling. The clouds were painted orange from the sun's glow, and it felt like I was looking at a work of art rather than the bottom of the next Floor. Each Floor became progressively darker, and once I ascended, scenes like this would only be available during brief trips to the Origin Floor.

When the Origin Floor crossed my mind, I shuddered. During my last visit, those monstrosities wrecked the place... and then I wound up back here. Thinking of my previous life, I began to reflect on the three brothers and the Skull Mercenaries.

The Skull Mercenaries gained notoriety in about two years. Rock, one of the men I'd just killed, had arranged a coup and taken over the organisation alongside his brothers. It was supposed to happen just after the turn of the century. Stone's confessions after being interrogated exposed many of the plots their gang had been involved in, even before the takeover.

Those confessions were what made me so confident. The Skull's current leader wouldn't allow his subordinates to have Cards of their own, afraid they'd turn on him. It was ironic that his paranoia was what caused the rebellion.

I adjusted the second pack on my uninjured shoulder. The loot from the brothers was in there. Along with their Cards, I seized their gear and Essence pouches before finding a pad in one of Stone's pockets. After taking a few seconds to give it a read, I decided business between myself and the small merchant hadn't quite run its course.

"Maybe I shouldn't be too hard on him..." adjusting the pack on my shoulder, I could feel the weight of the armour and Essence within. If all went well, this would be a very lucrative venture.

The Skull were still known as a budding Mercenary organisation. They'd yet to be caught in any illicit activities, primarily due to Stone's work tidying the books. Books which I now possessed...

Knowing the dates that the Skull checked up on their wears had been instrumental in luring those three out. The rest of the gang was of no consequence. I'd also eliminated one of the most significant future threats to the lower Floors, saving many lives. That gave me pause...

How much will change because of this? Stone and his gang had taken hundreds of targets before he was caught... Sure, some were innocent, but most had been other unscrupulous businessmen. They'd wronged some other corrupt individual that wanted them dealt with. What if something terrible happens because those criminals get to live..?

My introspection was broken when I noticed a broad fissure in a nearby rock face. It was wide enough for two men to walk abreast and shallow enough that I could see to the end. Thankfully, it was unoccupied.

I trudged into the little cave and made myself comfortable against the back wall. It was dark, but one of the brothers had been kind enough to provide me with a source of light.

With a wave, a glowing ball the size of my palm appeared on the ground. It wasn't overly bright, only illuminating a one-yard area around where I was sitting.

Why a mercenary would carry such a Card, I'd never know. Ball was nothing more than a child's plaything that provided a bit of light. Only the caster could hold the object, and it would disperse if touched by another Wielder, so it couldn't be used as a projectile. It would cause me pain later, but the light was bright enough to sift through the day's gains.

Opening the pack, I pulled out the stack of Cards the brothers left behind. Aside from the Ball Spell, there were twenty-one Cards, and I'd only briefly glanced through them. Each of them carried Level 1 Strength, Agility, and Inspect Cards, which I sat to the side as they were useless to me.

Of the other twelve, I pulled out Perception, Dodge, Movement, Tracking, and Stamina and slid them into my Deck Box. I recognised all of these from their illustrations. There was also a Card called Rage, which I sat to the side along with the copies since it wasn't something I would use.

Finally, I turned my attention to the last Card, which, oddly enough, I didn't recognise. After tapping the Card with my Demon Glass, I looked it over while waiting for the results.

The back was royal blue and boasted the familiar outline of a flame in the centre, indicating that it was a Spell. On the front, a man in a robe had his arm extended toward a tree, where a branch with an apple could be seen bending toward him. I watched with curiosity as the information began to form on the glass surface.

[Card Name: Pull]

[Class: Spell]

[Rank: Blessed]

[Level: 1]

[Essence: 498/1,000]

[Description: The Wielder extends their reach beyond the physical]

[Effect 1: The Wielder can focus on any inanimate object and will it into their grasp. The mass of the object can be no more than 3% of the caster's times the Level of the Wielder's Intelligence]

[Effect 2: Object does not have to be within direct line of sight to be Pulled, but does have to be within a range of 3 yards times the Level of the Wielder's Wisdom. The caster must be able to clearly picture both the object and the path between them]

Now this will be useful. I wonder what Floor it drops on. It's not in the Compendium...

I smiled and slipped the Card into my Deck Box with the others. Not much changed from the additions. The Cards were only Level 1, and a ten per cent increase in my Perception was hardly noticeable, but it was nice to have another Foundation taken care of. The Movement Card would show its worth when I set off again in the morning.

There were still two tasks I intended complete before returning to the Academy, both similar to the task with the Boars. One required me to kill 500 Wolves within 6 hours, and the other demanded 200 Bears within 6 hours. It would be a full day, but it would be worth it in the end.

I refuse to end up a cripple in this life.

Bored, I opened my hand and cast Pull the glowing Ball that had rolled a few feet away. At first, it shuddered, but I moved my arm closer, and it flew into my grasp. The distance was poor for now, but I could picture this Spell being handy in the future.

Light in hand, I filtered through the remaining contents of the leather bag. I'd shoved all their gear into the satchel Stone had been carrying. As for their bodies, I headed back to the spawn zone and led a few hungry boars to the clearing. By morning, there would be nothing left.

Most of this gear is useless, but at least I can sell it.

Stone's boots were the only item I'd needed, but Boulder had worn a nice pair of leather bracers. Those were currently strapped to my forearms. Each had a hidden pocket inside that could hold two throwing knives, which I found very useful.

Alongside the Essence they'd picked up on their way to meet me, there was another pouch full of Level 1 and 2 Essence. In total, I'd accumulated 2,167. Since I now had two of the small purses, I filled one with 1500 Level 1 Essence. That would handle the payment on my estate. The rest went in the pouch on my hip.

That done, I leaned my head back and dismissed the glowing Ball, allowing the cave to fall into darkness. It wouldn't do for some passerby to spot me while I was trying to rest. I stared at the cave roof, letting the thoughts I'd pushed aside return.

My actions will change the course of history. But... is that really such a bad thing? Why did I force a battle with the brothers?

When my eyes fell on Crook's shop, the idea sprouted, and I didn't give a second thought to the long-term consequences.

Did I do it because they were terrible people? I suppose that's true. I needed a target, and hunting criminals in the mountains would take too long. What is it that I'm doing here?

Over the last hours, I'd been on the move nonstop, forcing myself to focus on the tasks and not allowing myself to consider my position. Now that I was sitting still, stuck in this cave with my thoughts, I didn't have a distraction.

What is it that I want? To not be sick, for one thing. But when I finish here, if that goal is achieved... what do I want to do next?

I sat in silence. I knew what I wanted. There was a reason I set up shop on the Tenth Floor once I found I couldn't continue. My coffers were full, so I hadn't needed to. It was the same reason I'd leapt in front of that little girl. The same reason I remembered the names of every one of my pupils even before I'd gained my perfect recollection.

"I want a family..." it came out in a hushed whisper, surprising me. I shook the thought away. Even if I could do so, what then? Who would bring a child into this world knowing what's coming?

Hundreds of atrocities would occur between now and the time the Tower collapsed. Even if I could prevent every terrible affair, there was no stopping what happened in the end. I sighed heavily, pushing the thought from my mind in favour of what I could do.

Right. My main focus is to increase my strength. That will always be the priority... and maybe I can make the world better along the way. If not for myself, for the children that will have to live through it.

I laid back and closed my eyes.

Gaining strength from doing good. That's an option, innit?