Chapter 40: Consequences

Chapter 40: Consequences The forest was devastated by the small battle against the Crunchers. Trees laid scattered about, portions of the earth were smoking and charred, while others were drenched in water. Large gashes and craters dotted the forlorn landscape. The scent of smoke and resignation filled the air. The voices of people and the sound of burnt grass crackled through the ruined land. The soldiers laid under the shade of the untoppled trees, sweating profusely, covered in blood and dirt, and watching each other closely. The nervous anticipation that filled the young Squires now dissolved and was replaced by a heavy, grim disgust. They peeled off their ruined armour and cast aside broken blades while they talked. "I’ll never complain about hunting Lurker Hounds again," Callan murmured. "You’re so fucking cool, Helie," Kon said, "I don’t think I could have managed fighting those things without your orders." "Yes, I felt so empty," Hither murmured. "Your voice jolted me out of my mind but wasn’t too annoying." Helie brushed her hair back, blushing, and sent a tense glance at Lucen, who had gone missing early. He was arguing with Set, or rather, Set was shouting at him. "You’re making it seem like I wanted to fight that psycho," said Lucen, tiredly brushing back his dirty blonde hair. Set’s black hair was all over the place, It made his constant nagging look comical to Lucen. "I wouldn’t be surprised if that was your plan." Set barked, "You’re always looking for how to show everyone up." That sounded like something Set would do. Why he was so invested in this was beyond Lucen. Set’s voice dropped much lower. "Don’t involve yourself in anything illegal. You’ll disgrace Father even more and reduce his chances of ever becoming a Grand Knight." Lucen raised an eyebrow. Why would Heimar need approval to become a Grand Knight? Was there some kind of approval needed from the Patriarch just to advance? Grand Knight was the strongest knight he knew of. All of Alger’s sons, except Duran and the youngest son, were Grand Knights. He mentally categorised them as Heroic-rank knights. What rank was Peter Cross? Even though Lucen was still a Squire, he was more than sure he could beat a Knight. Could Peter match a Grand Knight? He didn’t learn any channelling techniques, but he still had a High-rank spell and the Spear of Judges. He shuddered a little. That wasn’t the full power of the Ascension-rank weapon, and just the heat it generated was traumatising. In the hand of a Knight that could draw out its power, what type of hell would it bring down? Set tapped him on the head, making him jump slightly. "You’re not even listening to me." Lucen was about to say something when he saw Warren cutting through the treeline, returning to his students. His greying brown hair was impeccably smooth, something Lucen could not boast was the case when he fought Korgath. There was some dust on his black, stone-like armour, but you’d think he just took a stroll through the forest. Lucen rose, the other soldiers and students rising too, and bowed deeply. When they rose, Lucen caught the looks of intense admiration sent to Warren and guessed he must have been impressive. "Where did you go?" Warren’s gruff voice asked evenly. Lucen pointed at the charred corpse behind him. "I got into a fight with a stranger." Warren eyed the corpse, but it was only one of the many burnt bodies scattered around the field today. "So a Cruncher burnt and beat you into this state." "Well, for one, he wasn’t a Cruncher, his name was Peter Cross," he explained, "and he had this very powerful weapon that kept burning us both." "Where is it?" "Disappeared as soon as he died." As all soul-bound weapons did. They would return to their Waiting stone for the next wielder. But of course Lucen already had the spear, so eventually he would have to explain why the spear hadn’t reappeared. But he had a feeling he wouldn’t be around at that time, and Chester would want to suppress whatever his relation to Peter Cross was. "You stay by my side as we return," Warren ordered, "and I ask you to briefly return my brother’s spear. I swear to you, once proven innocent, I will return it. From now to eternity." Warren didn’t have to swear on the Pillar of Eternity. Lucen pulled out Barth’s treasured spear and released his soul binding. The magnetic sensation between his soul and the spear disappeared. Warren nodded, taking the spear, before turning to address the still crowd. "We will return to the city. Drink and make merry. All of you are heroes who put your lives on the line for the people you love. May the blessing of light follow you wherever you go, and may the souls of our comrades find their way from the underworld back to us." Everyone bowed again, and the soft sound of murmured prayers filled the air. But Lucen could still smell burnt flesh and dead men. ■——■ Castaway Valley exploded with celebration. The roar of celebration welcomed Warren and his student back, and streamers and confetti turned the air into a colourful wave. They paraded them through the streets as they returned to the Grey Keep. The city councillors and guildmasters poured money into getting drinks and setting up an impromptu party, which they begged Lucen to attend. But he could still see Warren’s wary eye watching him and declined, as he needed to return to the Keep. Lucen saw someone pushing through the crowd. His brown hair bobbed as he ran, his eyes were full of restrained tears. Liam threw his arms around Lucen in a hug that scared him a bit. "Everything alright, buddy?" Liam said nothing for a while. "I should have stayed in the town like you said. All I did was burden you guys." Lucen’s face softened, and he smiled a little. "You’re the one who almost died. Whether you were there or not, I would still win. You don’t believe in me?" Liam’s face split into a wide smile. "Oh, shut up. Pompous ass. I just... I didn’t want to be the one who dragged you down." "Did I find Peter’s hair in the fishing guild?" Lucen said, "Or find a tracker? Or turn an enemy into an ally?" Liam looked a bit lost for words. Lucen laughed heartily, "See, I do smile. But it’s easier when you’re the joke." "Hey, when I become a full Knight," he continued, "maybe I can teach you magic, too." Liam’s eyes widened, and he shook his head vigorously. "That’s not possible. No one’s become a Knight before they turn twenty. I’ll be too old by then—" "Are you seriously still doubting me?" Liam paused. A reluctant smile crept onto his face. ■——■ Once he crossed the high gates of the Grey Keep, Selene crashed into his arms, crying, and running her hands over his face like he wasn’t real. "You can’t do that," she cried. "You can’t disappear for two days. You will return to this house when it gets dark." Her relieved cries slowly turned to enraged admonishments. Lucen could barely defend himself, and Selene raised a hand to slap him but couldn’t. He didn’t even flinch, Selene hitting him sounded like a corny joke. He wrapped his arms around her, briefly halting her angry rant. Her hair smelt like flowers, it was blonde and shiny like a long river of gold. He pulled back and stared into her dark eyes. "I didn’t mean to worry you. But Mom, I needed to be out there. You raised me to be a Knight, and people needed my help. I can’t promise you that I’ll never do anything like that again. I already promised I’ll be with you whenever you seek me." Selene’s stern face crumbled into pain and tears. "I didn’t mean to force you to become a Knight. I was so young, so stupid. I could have shown you more paths—" "I think I would still be a Knight. It’s always called to me." They hugged once more and exchanged a couple words before Warren interrupted them. "It is to my displeasure that I say that we have to go. The elders will want a detailed explanation of what happened." Selene held on to him, eyes flashing with fear. Lucen gripped her arms tighter and nodded to her. He slipped from her arms, smiling, and followed Warren into the castle.