"Watch your footwork. I'll forgive the first time, but you won't get a second chance to correct it in the wild."
Artak's voice echoes with vicious clarity as he bears down on me with his sword. All I can do is stay on the backfoot as he swings again and again, Scholar's Folly being used as a club to swat and parry at him.
Not long after, true to his words, my foot catches a stray rock and I stumble, his sword at my neck only a half-second later. He smiles for a long moment.
"Told you. You're a dead man, Anaxa."
Artak then lowers the sword, replacing it with his hand as he pulls me from the floor. I wipe myself down of any mud and dirt as I scan the surroundings shortly after.
I'm still not sure just where exactly he's taken me. The walk alone took almost a half hour, and the only notable landmark is just a small waterfall nearby. The pouring rain doesn't make the view any nicer, either.
Artak himself stands off to the side, giving me a moment to drink from a canteen he'd brought for my sake. I don't think I've ever even seen him winded, let alone thirsty.
He just stares at the water, countless thoughts on his mind as he flexes and pulses his Aura every few seconds.
No longer drinking like a desperate peasant, I toss aside the canteen and fix my now damp hair, asking the man a question shortly after.
"What exactly is the point of this, Artak? Forgive me for sounding ungrateful, but what Grimm is going to deliberately exploit bad footing or hesitation before it kills me?"
He looks surprised to hear me for a moment, before smiling.
"This training was never about preparing you for Grimm, Anaxa. The beasts are beasts, they're simple. Only time you'll ever have trouble is either in numbers or age. The old ones are smart, I'll give them that."
He runs a finger along his sword, staring at his own reflection in the blade.
"This was always about fighting your fellow men. There's no such thing as unity in this world, no matter what the Kingdoms want you to think. Be it for Lien, or some other selfish reason, a man will always try and bring down those around him."
His gaze hardens a split-second later.
"A Grimm can't think, it can't conceive of the same cruetly that mankind are capable of. They only know the hunt. Men, though, they know how to hurt."
He swings out of nowhere, his blade a blur as I hastily throw Scholar's Folly up to block. He doesn't stop for a moment, his every swing faster and harder as I struggle to keep myself standing.
The vicious clang of metal upon metal leaves my bones aching and the air disturbed, stepping further and further back as the grit of Artak's teeth only deepens.
Thinking quickly, I twist my grip on Scholar's Folly and hold it up to block another strike, using my pinky to pull the trigger and fire a round into his foot.
Any satisfaction I may have felt is wiped away by his fist smacking into my cheek, my body yet again immersed in the wet mud.
Wiping my cheek and not finding any blood, I lift my body and reload my rifle, desperate to wipe that smug grin off his face.
"You're learning. Good. Any non-Aura wielder would've been left open for another shot after that. Remember, you don't have the luxury of fighting clean. Always fight dirty. You'll thank me when the other guy is a heap on the floor and you're still breathing."
Heaving a breath, both in exasperation and exhaustion, I cast Eye of Erudition and watch the glow of a Weak Point in his left shoulder pulsating.
"Did they really teach you all that in the Academy? I doubt homicide was standard on the syllabus." I grit out, to which he laughs as he responds.
"Of course they did. Being a Huntsman isn't about killing the Grimm. It's about protecting the people, and unfortunately, Grimm aren't the only danger to our people."
He begins stalking in a circle around me, his every step a hollow thud in my mind as I track him relentlessly.
"You think a bandit will give you a moment to breathe? To have a break? You won't get a chance. The people behind those walls need you to shoot first, and contemplate morality later. Women, children, innocent lives. They're in your hands."
He swirls the blade around in his hands, before deliberately shifting to my blindspot on the left. Well, he thinks it's a blindspot. I've long learned that I can see through the Seal with full clarity.
"You may not want to be a Huntsman. That's fine. I'm here to say you won't get a choice. A day will come where you'll need to take up arms and kill your fellow men. When that day comes I can only hope I've trained you well."
Deciding to take the initiative for once, I take a shot at his weakened shoulder and relish in the way he winces, using the opportunity to dash forward and smack him over the head with the butt of my rifle, barely fitting a reload in as I move.
He blocks the initial strike, but I grab the blade of his sword and drag it down, hand burning with searing pain as I level Scholar's Folly with his eye. Just as I'm about to pull the trigger, he lifts his hand to the barrel and drags it aside, leaving me with no choice but to dismiss the rifle and summon it back a half-second later.
Swatting him upside the head, I line the barrel up against his chin, another shot echoing in the wind as his head is kicked back. This time though, the bullet bounces, ricocheting several times in the air and tearing into his shoulder seven times over as it travels. His pained grimace is made only better by the flicker in his Aura.
Before I can take further advantage of his downed state, he sweeps my leg out from beneath me and freezes my position in the air, the blade of his sword placed squarely against my neck, cold steel digging into my skin.
Right. I'm floating. What a shock that was, finding out people had unique superpowers of their own beyond Aura, 'Semblances'.
He calls his Rain Walking, allowing him to control the rain around him and use it as a shield, a weapon, or a wall.
I call it bullshit.
Swatting aside his sword, I stand from the 'ground' yet again and groan at the rinse and repeat nature of his training.
Artak already suggested I carve a blade into the underside of Scholar's Folly several hours ago, and I'm starting to agree with him. In close quarters, I'm free game.
"Again, you're getting slightly better. Don't get disheartened. I'm a Huntsman with a strong Aura and a handsome mug. You're barely an adult with a gun and some grit. Put you up against any regular mook, and you win handily, I say."
He moves to my side, patting my shoulder as he laughs at the sheer power difference.
"Honestly, I'm impressed you even got a few hits on me. That's one special gun you've got. You sure those bouncy bullets aren't your Semblance?" He probes.
"No." I respond, a hand suddenly against my eye without me even realising.
"There's a deeper power in it. Something I've not yet gotten to the bottom of. This Eye holds far too many secrets."
He looks at me funnily, like I'm slow in the mind.
"I don't think it's got many secrets to keep considering it's not there. It's okay, we all wish for cooler Semblances. Imagine how I feel, I'm only strong in the rain!"
He makes a joke of it, but I can see the small sadness in his eyes as he speaks on it.
"Now, come on. Anna would make a stew of me if I kept you away for too long."
He moves to collect our empty bags, once holding all manner of food and drink, but a sudden alert from my System leaves me shouting into the open air.
New Quest: The Hunter and the Heretic
Conditions: Train in hand to hand combat with Artak.
"Wait!"
He stops, glancing over at his shoulder.
"What, something you wanna say?"
"Let's train a different way. This whole time, we've had our weapons. Why not go without them for once?"
His brow shifts, raised in question as he mulls the idea over. Seems I need to convince him further.
"I won't always have my rifle with me, will I? May as well train now and save myself the trouble of learning when there's lives on the line, right?"
Were it any other circumstance, I'd not be so desperate, but I've seen neither hide nor hair of a Grimm or a Quest since that day over a month ago. This is the first chance I've had in weeks to get some fucking EXP.
At the very least, the training hasn't been useless. Two hours spent training gives +1 to one of my Stats, going down the list from STR to VIT.
Anaxagoras
Level: 4 (5/30)
HP: 1017/1100
AP: Locked
STR: 11
AGI: 9
INT: 14
VIT: 6
It's nothing compared to Artak's. Just a single Stat of his, STR, is 97. Aura supposedly gives a passive +100% boost to all Stats while active as well. Basically, he'd eviscerate me if he took this seriously.
The man in question eventually shrugs, deciding to give it a shot as he sets our bags down once more. Cracking his knuckles, the rain still pelting down just as much as it had an hour ago, he smiles.
"You may come to regret this, o' student mine. I'm notorious in Telloro for wrestling an Ursa with my bare hands."
"Well, with any luck I'll be able to do the same come the end of our training." I say, gears shifting against the Seal as I watch his every movement with the now somewhat exposed Eye of Erudition.
I've learned recently that I can essentially see better with it active. No, not see... more like predict actions. It almost 'gives' me the knowledge of what move my opponent will make when the Seal is open.
Only downside is it hurts like a bitch to keep active constantly. Probably because it's not an 'Eye' so much as it is a big fucking hole in my head with the essence of what I can only assume is a God smashed into it.
"We start on my mark. I'll keep my Aura down to make it fair. First blood, three rounds." Artak shouts to me over the whistling wind.
Utterly untrained in every conceivable way, I lift both of my fists up and watch his every move as the rain picks up in intensity.
Time passes in slow motion as he stands there, the rain not touching his body once as he wills it all away. All we do is stare. The glow of my 'Eye' leaves his body illuminated, nervous system and blood vessels exposed to my sight as I watch the signals slowly travel across his body.
"Mark!"
He throws himself forward with the force of a freight train, his body moving meters in the blink of an eye. I can see the movements, predict his actions, but I can't fucking act on it. All I can do is raise both arms in a crossguard as his fist slams down on me.
His first punch is followed with a second at my stomach, no room to breathe as I parry it aside and throw my own fist forward. A simple twist of his body, and his boot throws aside my arm.
Another twist, and his boot is bearing down on me again, the Hunstman having lifted himself into the air with his second spin-kick. Thinking quickly, I grab hold of his ankle and turn with his momentum, throwing him at a nearby rock formation.
Before he slams into it, the rain bends to his will and forms a platform for him to safely land on, his grin widening as he watches me.
A split-second later sees him shifting the rain into a mini-staircase as he walks down slowly.
"You lasted longer than the Ursa. Good job."
He lowers himself somewhat, and before he can even finish the thought I know what he plans to do next. A tensing in his left thigh, a barely perceptible shift in his stance.
Just as I had expected, a second later the Huntsman vanishes, the Eye following his path as he looms behind me, fist poised to shatter my jaw. Almost in slow motion, I can see the way his grin drops as he notices my eyes following his movement.
Before he can land his own strike, I've sidestepped it and thrown my own punch at his sternum, the Huntsman thrown back several feet as he once again uses the rain to catch himself mid-flight.
Never giving me a chance to breathe, Artak dashes forward yet again, this time focused on using his feet as he sends a high kick at my nose. I can see it, the next kick coming through the air, but I can't lift my arms in time. All I can do is watch as his boot slams into my head.
993/1100 HP Remaining!
I'm not sure what's worse. The aching in my arms, the stabbing pain in my Eye, or the horrible feeling of being drenched in mud.
"Not bad. I admit, I got a little caught up for a moment there. That should've been one point to you. You still got it in you for another?"
Slowly lifting my body, a hand braced against the Seal as the pain grows in intensity, I come to the conclusion that no. I most definitely don't.
"I'm afraid not. I don't suppose there's any verbal criticism you have instead?"
The Huntsman laughs, his smile radiant.
"I'm not sure what to say. You're scrappy, but you're smart. Read my moves like a book once or twice as well. Oh, don't forget to use your feet I guess, they're the strongest part of your body."
He wipes his chin a moment later, going back to our bags as he heaves them over his shoulder and looks back at me.
...is that it?
"Don't go expecting anything better from me, Anaxa. It's a little difficult to teach a man with no Aura."
The words spill forth before I can even stop or consider a better way to say them.
"Then how come you haven't unlocked mine? What's stopping you? You've gone on and on about the importance of Aura, but you've never once mentioned giving me my own to train with."
I almost regret what I've said when I see his smile dim, replaced by a pensive frown.
"Once you get it, you can't go back. There's no turning it off. The Grimm will see you like a lamp in a dark hallway, constantly chasing you. It's like a bounty on your head."
Scoffing, I brush off any dirt I can find and wash off my face in the nearby waterfall before I respond.
"That's no reason to stop a man from Awakening. I've already long since consigned myself to a life of slaying beasts, if anything having that Aura would only make life easier for me."
Artak laughs under his breath at my words, taking amusement in my willingness to hunt down the Grimm. Looking up at the sky, he almost whispers his next words.
"I gotta make sure you're ready."
His vagueness only fuels my frustrations further.
"Ready for what? We've already gone over what is expected of me, be it killing man or beast. What else could you possibly be afraid of?"
"You."
His answer leaves me reeling for a moment, the word bouncing in my head for several seconds before I can find a response.
"Me?" I ask, the word soft and quiet.
"I've seen it happen before. A Huntsman takes on a student, trains them, teaches them, only to watch helplessly as that student becomes the very beast they were trained to fight."
"And you think that of me, an animal? A beast? Is that what stays your hand, Artak?"
He runs a finger along his sword, the action suddenly far more somber now as he pauses to stare at it briefly.
"You wouldn't be the first student I've had to kill, Anaxa."
...oh?
"Sometimes the power makes a man go mad. Sometimes the Grimm do it. Being a Hunter isn't just a life of glory and honour, it's a life of paranoia. Every moment you wonder when they'll come for you next. You spend more time staring over your shoulder than at the world in front of you."
The skin on his finger breaks, blade cutting into his flesh as he watches the blood fall.
"It drives people to the brink. You never know what's going on in someone's head until they're pointing a gun at you."
Before I can ponder on his wisdom, the Seal shifts and clicks without my permission, Eye exposed for a brief moment as I glance at him and see-
The battlefield echoes with empty silence. A sword embedded in the chest of the student and a hole in the master's shoulder. In the distance, the burning silhouette of what was once a small town can be seen.
The brilliant light of the shattered moon shines viciously upon both men, choked gasps and soft whispers being the only thing audible in the field they occupy.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
The man whispers those words constantly as his pupil chokes and splutters, blood filling his lungs and tears falling from his eyes. Apologies can't fix this damage, but still, the man continues his muttering.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
The pupil, with his last dying breath, lifts a hand to the blade of the master's sword and tries his best to lift it from his chest. The effort is futile, only spilling more blood along the blade as it slices into his hands.
"Mas...ter..."
...Blessed silence. The pupil is dead. The master weeps. His sadness only brings more Grimm.
"-gah!?"
My eyes readjust to the light as the world around me takes shape yet again. The jarring shift from past to present leaves my body reeling, head aflame with pain as my breaths come in short gasps.
Fists clenching and unclenching, fingers running along my head, I blink away the tears of another man from my own eye.
"What? You get some phantom pain or whatever? I heard that happens a lot."
Artak's voice tears me away from the aching pain in my skull. A half-second at best is all the time that's gone by since I saw the past. He's in the same position, and so too am I. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Falling to the ground shortly after, I try my best to ignore the stabbing sensation in my Eye and follow along with Artak's jabs.
"Something like that." I mutter, grimacing, "I guess I'll just have to wait patiently I get my own Aura. Maybe that'll stave off the pain."
The Huntsman smiles, and finally I know why that sadness lingers in his eyes, why he was so reluctant to train Anna.
"That's the spirit." He says, a hand ruffling my hair shortly after, "Now come on. I'm so hungry I could eat a Beowulf."
He walks away a moment later into the woods, footsteps echoing despite the soft pelting of rain all around us. Realising I've not started following yet, he stands in the brush leaning against a tree, as I stare off into nothing.
Quest: The Hunter and the Heretic completed!
Rewards: 150EXP (Level 9!)
Level 5 Weapon Upgrade Unlocked!
Imperative Hiatus: Scholar's Folly can now hold 5 shots per Exile's Fallacy, with the first round of each Exile's Fallacy guaranteed to be a Tetrad Wisdom shot. A maximum of 3 Tetrad Wisdom shots can be fired per Exile's Fallacy.
Secret Instrinsic Skill Unlocked!
Divine Soothsayer: User will rarely experience visions of the past, present, and or future through the Eye of Erudition.
Well, I guess that explains... whatever the fuck that was. Just thinking back on it brings more pain, a static in my mind. Here's hoping it doesn't hurt nearly as much next time. Damn near left me catatonic.
At the very least, the Scholar's Folly upgrade is most definitely appreciated. I'd already long since gotten sick and tired of loading each shot and having to squeeze in a reload in the middle of a damn battle.
Level 5 Intrinsic Skill Unlocked!
Stars, Hidden By Magician: Enemies hit by Tetrad Wisdom shots are Weakened, taking 5% increased damage from all sources. This effect stacks twice, each stack lasting 30s.
...sounds unnaturally useful against Aura-wielders. How fitting. I can't exactly complain about more passive upgrades either way, and this one should be quite handy until my untimely demise.
Now then, 5 Stat Points. I can already tell exactly where these will go. I need to be faster, and until I get Aura, I need to be better at taking a hit should I fail to evade it.
AGI: 11
VIT: 9
HP: 1400/1400
A temporary solution, but a solution nonetheless. Sadly, there's nothing much else the System has for me at the moment. I say sadly, truth be told I already lucked out the day I woke up with a superpower like this at my beck and call. There's nothing to be sad about.
"We're burning daylight, Anaxa! Anna's not gonna be happy waiting this long."
"I heard you the first time." I shout back, grumbling, "Just needed to get my energy back. I'm damn neat exhausted."
The Huntsman grins at my response, folding his arms as I stand and follow after him.
"Good. That means you're trying hard. That's all I can ask of you."
He ruffles my hair again as I walk past, much to my chagrin, the bastard taking great joy in getting on my nerves as he falls in like beside me.
Then, damp, cold and bruised, we begin the long walk back to Akarele.
------------------------------------
"So, did he-"
"No. And he didn't give me an answer. For the time being, I'll still have no Aura."
Anna whines and groans, annoyed at Artak's unwillingness to share his gift. I too share in her frustration, but I've already seen where voicing it will get me. The more desperate I seem, the less likely he is to lend me the power.
"But that's so boring..." She moans. "Why can't he just give everyone Aura? That way, none of us will get hurt!"
Her fist slams down onto the countertop and her grin shines like the sun, as though she thinks her idea has actual merit. I don't hesitate to shoot her down as I continue washing the dishes.
"Grimm are attracted to Aura-wielders. The Awakened are like candles to their eyes, bright spots in the night. A whole village will be enough to have the Splinterlands coming to our front door."
"Pfft! If we all had Aura, then it wouldn't matter if the whole Spindlelands showed up anyways! We'd kick their asses!"
I can't help but smile as she butchers the name of one of, if not the most dangerous lands humanity has explored in this world.
"Splinter. Not spindle. And besides, according to the old bastard, not everyone has the capacity to wield Aura. Some bodies just aren't built for it."
Anna groans yet again as she dries the next plate I hand her, her pout enough to make me chuckle.
"If it helps, I find it silly myself. Granted, I'd say I'm biased on account of not having an Aura yet, but restricting the power to fight back against the predators of our people seems strange to me."
Before she can word any type of response, the vivid, visceral shouting of several people cuts through our conversation. I recognise them instantly. Artak, Erebus, and Daniella.
"Finish the rest without me." I start, drying my hands. "I'll be back in a moment."
"Wha- hey! Where are you going?"
Anna frowns, disappointed that I'd be leaving her so suddenly. I place a hand on her head briefly before I leave.
"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I won't be long."
The words are enough to sway her, the young girl going back to the dishes a short moment later. With Anna placated, I leave our little home and instantly find almost the whole damn village watching the spat.
"-has nothing to do with her, I was the one-"
"-no right to do that in my fucking home!-
"-please, please stop, please!-
Their voices overlap one another, not a single world being eligible to most watching the feud unfold. In the center of Akarele, around a small mural to the village founders, Erebus seethes in rage.
His anger is pointed not at the Huntsman, but at his wife. Artak can only try and placate the furious man as he marches towards Daniella, a finger raised and spittle flying from his lips with every word.
"I gave you everything I had! My name, my blood, my life, and you do this to me!?"
Artak moves between the two of them, Daniella inconsolable as she cries in guilt and shame. Erebus continues his tirade.
"You fucking animal, doing it in our home, in our bed! Have you no shame? No dignity!?"
Part of me wants to get involved, to put a stop to his fury, to say something... but what can I say? They all made this boat. They're all grown ass adults. They can live with their sins, solve it themselves.
"Erebus, wait, just stop for a moment-"
The Hunstman's voice barely registers in his ears, Erebus' hand raised in a threatening gesture at his own wife.
"I should have you fed to the Grimm for this you ungrateful-"
Finally, Artak makes a move. In the blink of an eye, just as he tries to attack Daniella, Erebus is thrown to the ground. His body falls to the floor with a deafening thud, any murmurs among the people silenced in an instant.
No more words are exchanged between the three of them. They don't need to be. I can see everything they could ever say, written in their eyes. Guilt. Betrayal. Resentment. It all boils and festers within each of them.
Monsters clawing at our doors each day, and still we fight among ourselves. I'd call it silly if I didn't know any better. No, this is just human nature at work.
As is expected, Erebus doesn't take no for an answer, the old man back on his feet in an instant and swinging at just about anyone nearby, be it Artak or Daniella. Before his fist even reaches the Huntsman though, Erebus is on the floor yet again, his eye slightly swollen and reddening.
Seconds pass in tense silence as he heaves each breath. Artak walks over slowly, his hand outstretched to the village head.
Erebus lifts himself from the floor, swatting aside Artak's offered hand. The old man grumbles, hisses in pain for a moment, before staring at the broken moon in the sky. Then, he glances at his people. His eyes scan the gathered folks for a long while.
"I'll be spending a few days outside Akarele. I need to clear my head." He says aloud, to no-one in particular. "Don't follow me."
And then he just walks away.
Cold, silent minutes pass as he takes a bag from his home and leaves. Artak watches him like a hawk the whole time, and Daniella can't bear to watch. Shortly after, the town square is almost empty, people returning to their homes and trying to forget what they just watched unfold.
"Man, that must suck, huh?"
Anna appears from thin air at my side, the young girl having a brighter career in the spy industry than as a Huntress these days. All I do is raise a brow as I acknowledge her.
"Didn't I tell you to stay inside?"
She smirks, looking far too proud of herself.
"You did, but you're not my parents so I decided I don't have to listen to you! I only wanted to see what all the shouting was about anyways."
Snorting, I fold my arms. "You missed the main showing. Not much left now but regrets and sorrow."
My eyes track back to Erebus' shrinking silhouette as I speak. Anna's words become static in my mind as I stare at the old man.
Before I can even think about it, my legs have started moving, intent on following Erebus. I don't trust him. Call it a hunch, call it intuition, but there was something in his eyes before he left.
Hatred. Utter condemnation. Humiliation. They drive a man to do stupid things, desperate things, for the sake of his pride-
"Wait."
-but I barely make it five steps before Artak wraps a hand around my arm.
The old Huntsman looks as though the world could eat him alive at any moment, his guilt laid bare for all to see as his eyes meet my own, his words quiet.
"Let him go. He needs this."
"And what, let him-"
"-yes! Let him do as he pleases, Anaxa. I've already taken too much from him tonight. I won't take his freedom too."
Our eyes remain locked in tense silence as we stare one another down. Eventually, though, I relent. I decide that, as I said prior, they can solve it all themselves. It's not my place to interfere.
"Fine. Whatever happens, just leave me out of it. I've had enough of your marital drama to last a lifetime."
In the pale light of the shattered moon, I make my choice. It's one I'd regret more than anything else in the world.