The Pursuit of Power, page 14
He pulled up his status screen and saw he had earned a few more points in strength, endurance, and even mana. But his eyes went to the bottom where he saw a new skill.
“[Longsword].” Vincent spoke the name aloud. Nothing seemed to happen so it definitely didn’t need spoken activation. But Vincent didn’t need to even look at the skill description.
Vincent lifted up his sword and swung it through the air. The blade made a clean slice, forceful from the second he wanted and stopping as soon as his body commanded. What had taken so much deliberate thought had suddenly become something akin to muscle memory. The action felt lighter and more natural, to the point that now he felt he could exert more force and more speed into the swing.
Vincent swung the sword again, but this time he pushed the muscles in his arms further. The blade ripped through the air. Vincent had never swung such a large blade this fast before, but he could also tell some of the control went away with more speed. He would need to start working on gaining balance over this level of power now.
Once again, Vincent was left stunned by this world's ability to surpass expectation. He needn’t practice for years if he had this skill. He had gained a new base of passive skill with a longsword. He must have unlocked it simply from understanding the mechanics and performing them over and over during combat.
Vincent smiled as he looked down at the goblin’s body. It was in the midst of turning to dust, its colorful skin spotted with shimmering pus-filled boils that sparkled as it vanished.
Vincent reached down and grabbed its gem. Just as he was about to throw it into his pouch, he noticed the color was completely different. Usually the goblins dropped a small purple crystal with rough edges and jagged sides. But what he held in his hands was a clean yellow and orange crystal like amber. And it formed a perfect oval, smooth and glossy to the touch.
Vincent wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was certainly more beautiful than a normal crystal but he couldn’t measure its mana or put a value on it. Maybe the goblins this far out started to drop different items.
Vincent put the crystal away and continued his path forward. He hoped it was going to be a smooth stroll all the way to the end of the first floor, but it was only a dozen feet before he heard another sound. With his heightened senses he could make out at least six distinct goblins coming his way.
Vincent felt a chill down his back. He wasn’t sure he would be able to take on that many at once. He could probably make it through it, but what if he got injured and couldn’t fight the next group. Vincent didn’t know what to do. He could hear them getting closer.
Ten seconds later, a group of six green goblins bustled their way through a patch of foliage and came out the other side. They all looked around, taking a minute to eye their new surroundings. Their beady little yellow eyes scanned the tall grass for prey. But, they didn’t see anything. The group of goblins kept roaming on.
Vincent was watching the whole scene. Just before the goblins came into view, he had moved to a nearby tree and concealed himself within a large bush. Dark green leaves covered him on all sides but he was able to use his sharp eyes to peer through the thin cracks of overlapping branches.
Vincent didn’t like the idea of hiding. Something about it felt wrong. He wanted to rush out and fight, not sit back and watch the fight go by. But, if he got injured while alone, the trial would be over.
Vincent knew a goblin’s senses weren’t very good. Even when they saw an enemy it took a moment of recognition before they riled themselves up to attack. The best counter to not being able to take on a whole group was to suppress his presence and let them pass. Or better yet…
Vincent waited in the shadow of the tree, covered by the surrounding shrubbery. It took about fifteen minutes but then another group of goblins came through the same area as the previous ones. This time the group was only three strong. And oddly enough, they all still had dark green skin.
Vincent watched them look around and once again see no one. But Vincent didn’t relax or pull his focus away. He waited for the goblins to walk past his hiding spot. And just as all of their backs were turned, Vincent jumped out with his sword drawn.
He took no time to bring down his first slice. The goblin died before even realizing what had hit him. Then the other two realized what was happening and turned around. But Vincent’s swing was already coming in from the side. The second goblin’s gut was torn open and it fell to the ground. The third and last goblin frothed at the mouth and lunged at Vincent with its club. Vincent stayed calm and took a quick step back. The goblin swung and missed, crashing itself into the dirt. Vincent stepped back to where he was and stabbed his blade into the goblin's chest.
Vincent felt no qualms with this way of fighting. He fought them and killed them in battle. Soon after killing his first wolf, Vincent knew: this wasn’t some noble act.
Vincent was not in the dungeon by accident. He was not just trying to solve a situation he accidentally found himself in. No, in truth, he was killing for money.
The part that surprised him was that he didn’t mind.
He ripped his sword from the goblin’s chest and wiped the blade off on the grass. If this section of the trial was about being alone, then Vincent would learn how to pick and choose his battles.
***
Quickly another two hours passed this way. Vincent stuck to the shadows and moved deeper into the forest. At the slightest sound of an enemy, Vincent concealed himself. If the group of goblins was too large, then he let them blindly stumble onward, but if they were small enough for attack, then he struck hard and quick from a good vantage point.
Vincent had already earned enough crystals to finish the trial. He only had to survive in the forest throughout the night. The day was already progressing quickly and soon enough the sun would be down.
Vincent weaved around a clump of trees. He had already taught himself to shift his body slowly so the surrounding branches didn't sway. He let down every step lightly so the leaves and sticks underfoot would only whisper their cracks.
“Go, get in clo-”
Vincent heard a loud voice call through some of the brush. The noise was so sudden that he snapped his head in the direction it came. He couldn’t see anything because of the foliage he was hiding behind, but the sounds became more clear.
A couple of yards away were the sounds of fighting. Feet running in the dirt, swords being drawn, and animal grunts that Vincent could now recognize as goblins.
Vincent gently made his way through the brush and peered through a small opening of branches. He hadn’t run into anyone all day. With a forest this huge it wasn’t that surprising, but as Vincent peered onto the scene, he saw four different participants standing in a tight circle.
They were all dressed in full sets of expensive armor. Two had spears while the rest held one-handed swords. All four were facing each other in the circle. Vincent was shocked to see this many people during a trial constructed for people to work alone.
Vincent watched them move around, shifting their feet and stabbing their weapons downward.
“Come on, get it!” one screamed.
“I’ve got it!” another frantically replied.
Vincent looked at the center of their circle formation and saw a single goblin flailing about. It swung its small club over its head while it tried to swipe its claws at the legs of the participants.
“Ahh!” One of the boys yelled as he thrust his spear at the ground, stabbing the goblin in the throat.
The goblin died instantly and fell to the ground while the boys surrounding it made small cheers of triumph. Vincent almost laughed but remembered he was hiding.
They were obviously trying to kill goblins for their crystals, and to do so they chose to form a team after entering into the forest. Vincent didn’t recognize most of them, but one boy with a bat crest stood out. He was a member of Tekov’s gang.
It seemed they were breaking the rules again so that they could make up for a lack of crystals they made on the first day.
Vincent did the quick math in his head. If there were four of them here, then they needed at least a hundred goblins. That was a dangerous amount.
Vincent tried to take a careful step back through the shrubbery. One of the boys was bending down to pick up the goblin’s crystal while the others sheathed their weapons again.
Vincent heard a small crack of a branch under his foot.
“Did you hear that?” one of the boys said, peering off towards the forest.
Vincent froze his body mid stride. The boy was almost looking at him directly but the leaves and shadows of the branches hid his form. Vincent sat silently in that position and slowed his breathing.
“What is it?” The one bending down looked up.
The other one kept his eyes on the forest for a second, but then shook his head and looked away. “Never mind, let's get going. We still need to meet up with the others.”
They all walked away and disappeared behind a row of trees.
As soon as they were out of sight, Vincent took off in the opposite direction. He dropped away any pretense of stealth and ran with all his speed. He didn’t need to be running into anyone during this trial, let alone a group of people still trying to earn goblin crystals. He would get far enough away so that he didn’t meet a single one of them again until morning.
Vincent swerved around trees and jumped over a knot of roots in the dirt. He ran without holding back. If he were to come upon a group of goblins, he could quickly cut them down or outrun them in any distance sprint. Vincent saw a thick wall of leaves up ahead. A large bush had grow between two trees, forming a column of branches.
Vincent was at full speed and could make it through. He sprinted towards the obstacle and pointed his shoulder forward. He barreled into it and pushed his whole body through in one swift motion. There was a moment of darkness before he came out to light on the other side.
But suddenly Vincent’s shoulder ran into something hard and he was pushed back to the ground. He landed on his ass with a thud.
“Ugh.” Vincent groaned, shaking his head back into place. He looked up and saw someone standing in front of him. Tall, red hair, and dark eyes.
“Jax?!”
Chapter 14
Aeris stood in the clearing and waited for his name to be called. By now the light of day had fully bloomed. Blinding, hot light cast over the entire field. Aeris had been standing here for hours now, his forehead glistening with sweat. He hadn’t moved or said a word. He simply watched as name after name was called.
Aeris could only see a handful of other people left when he looked around the field. With having to wait five to ten minutes after each name, the day started to sweep by. As one of the last ones left, Aeris wondered if Elisa was doing this unknowingly or in pity.
He knew he wasn’t the best fighter. Aeris had asked his father to let him try for the trial a year from now, but it was well known that the best families sent their children at the age of sixteen. He had to go.
“Aeris.”
Elisa’s voice carried across the clearing and hit him in the chest. Having to wait so long had only made his nerves worse. He needed to be more confident.
“You can do this. You can do this.” he spoke under his breath.
Aeris took a slow, deep breath, and let it out gently, just like he had seen Vincent do. A bit of the tension in his shoulders fell away and he could feel his legs again.
He walked over to Elisa and she handed him the crystal like she had to everyone else. Without letting his legs stop, Aeris strode into the forest. The shadow of the canopy consumed him and the clear bright sky was something of the past.
He grabbed his spear from his back and continued cautiously. A minute went by, then three, then five, then ten, then fifteen. He was deep within the forest by now but had not encountered a single goblin.
He prepared himself for a fight, for it was surely just around the corner. Aeris travelled for nearly another hour in a straight line, but the whole time he did not come across a goblin.
He didn’t know what was happening. While with Vincent and Jax, they couldn’t escape them. Where had they all gone? Was he just lucky today? Aeris was beginning to think this was a blessing in disguise. He relaxed a little and parted two crossing branches in his way.
“Oh, look who’s here.”
Aeris froze. He felt a bead of cold sweat drip down his back. In front of him was a small open area covered in thick shade from surrounding trees that stood taller than the rest. At the center, sitting atop a large grey stone wedged into the earth, was Tekov.
“I’m glad you decided to join us.” he said, the corners of his mouth curling up.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” Aeris asked. Tekov was only an hour into the forest, but he was one of the first to enter. If he had kept moving forward he would be much farther away.
“I was beginning to worry, Spud. I’m glad you were able to find us.” Tekov said, completely ignoring Aeris’s question.
“Us?” Aeris stood silently at the edge of the open area. He looked around but didn’t see anyone else.
“Yeah, that bitch!” Tekov spat on the ground. “If she hadn’t changed the rules on us, we wouldn’t have to do any of this.
It looked like Tekov was talking to himself or someone else Aeris couldn’t see.
“We were supposed to find a special type of goblin on the first floor and just kill one, just one. But now we're stuck doing this all day. Running around like idiots.” Tekov’s face was growing red and his nose was tightening up.
A pit was growing in Aeris’s chest. His left hand, gripped around the staff of his spear, was clammy.
Tekov slowly rose to his feet from the stone. He patted off his scaled armor and straightened himself. Then he sharply looked back to Aeris.
“But, it really is great to see you.” Tekov said, his sinister smile returning. “The thing is, my mother told me to get you on my side. We could use your shops to raise our influence in the western districts.” Tekov started walking slowly towards Aeris. “But you know what, I just can’t listen this time. We are so lucky to run into one another.” Tekov’s bright white teeth glowed in the blanket of shadow. “We finally get to work together, so my mother will have to forgive me.”
Aeris felt his body go cold. He tried to take a step back but he felt something stop his foot. He couldn’t tell if it was a tangle of roots or just that his foot wasn’t responding to him. But Aeris knew in his heart that he should not turn his back on Tekov.
“What do you want?” Aeris yelled out to Tekov. “Crystals right?”
Tekov did not stop.
“If you want my crystals, fine.” Aeris reached inside his pouch and pulled out a handful of purple crystals. “Just take them.” Aeris was about to throw the handful of crystals through the air, but his hand stopped. Vincent had given him nearly half of these. He couldn’t just give them away.
“Oh, thank you, Spud. But look at all of us.” Tekov hung his arms out to either side. Out from the surrounding woods came one, two, five, ten different boys. Tekov gestured to the entire group “I have to look out for my friends, don’t I?” Tekov started walking forward. “I’m going to be needing far more than that.”
Chapter 15
“Ow, Vin. Are you made of stone?”
Vincent looked at Jax rubbing his forehead. He was acting normal, but there was blood staining his armor and his entire left leg was dripping red.
They both started to move like they had been together the whole time. They moved away from the hedge. Jax found a wooden stub to elevate himself. He seethed through his teeth and pursed his lips as he sat down.
Meanwhile, Vincent followed beside him, rummaging through his pouch. After Jax was fully situated, Vincent kneeled down and unclasped Jax’s leg, letting the leather armor and thin steel plate fall.
Vincent rolled up Jax’s soaked pant leg and saw the wounds in his flesh. There were two clear bite marks. Each was a full set of small teeth puncture wounds. They didn’t look too deep, but blood was still continuously dripping out of them.
Jax clenched his jaw as Vincent washed out the cuts with water. It stopped the bleeding for a moment and made a better chance of not getting infected.
Vincent tugged out the cloth shirt under Jax’s chest plate. The end slid out and Vincent quickly tore a strip of it away.
“Hey!” Jax yelled.
“Your blood, your shirt.” he replied.
Vincent wrapped the cloth around Jax’s leg, tight. He tied it off and looked up at Jax’s chest plate covered in more blood.
“Not mine. They were just able to get my leg. I ran into a pack of seven of them. I got three before I had to run away.” Jax was visibly upset at the idea.
Vincent knew Jax was stronger than most. If he got cut up this badly, it must have been a good fight.
Vincent shook his head. “At least you got away, that’s what matters.”
Jax threw his sword point first into the dirt. “It's this damn thing. I couldn’t swing it in two places at once.”
“I don’t know if that's the sword's fault.” Vincent said.
“Definitely not mine.” he said with a grin.
Jax slowly put his armor back on while Vincent packed everything back into the pouch and rinsed his hands of the drying blood.
“I wish we had found each other sooner.” Vincent said.
“I had thought about telling you where I was going, but I wasn’t sure.” Jax focused on fixing the steel plate back in place.
After Vincent had seen the other group of boys forming a team, he realized something about himself, and he was now reminded again by the look in Jax’s eyes.
They were scared. This was their one shot. They didn’t want to get kicked out or expelled from the trial for any reason. They listened to the rules and followed them. If Jax had spoken up about meeting up, then they risked it all.
