Chapter 80—Obstacles

Chapter 80: 80—Obstacles The Crystal Dome grew quiet, every eye in the room turned to Lucen and Duran. Duran ripped free of Lucen’s grip and stood. Lucen rose to his feet on the other side of the desk—fighting while seated was a bad idea. He summoned his runes in his mind, smiling slightly. Little Duran was a Low-tier Knight. He’d have more abilities than a Stalker Bull wolf, but Lucen was sure he could win. A loud clap drew both of their attentions. Warren had entered the room, his grey shirt and surcoat impeccable as usual despite the night of partying. He strode to the podium and said, "Sit down, children. You can resolve your grudges outside my class." They all obeyed sharply. Lucen took out his notebook and shared a brief smile with Kon. He would be getting Duran back for what he said about Helie and Elle—but after class. "You have a long journey ahead of you," Warren said, looking over each and every young face. "Most Squires’ first quest is to defeat a Stalker. This journey will require you to face Tyrants." All the students visibly gulped, but all still looked excited. Warren sighed, shaking his head. "The Horalix region is unlike the Redgrove or Dinathiel regions. Census records from the Seventeenth Green Almet put Horalix’s population at around ten percent of Redgrove. These lands are ruled by beasts." "There is a single road running through the entire region, connecting all the Keeps. Along the road to the Red Keep, you’ll cross three villages and three cities—if you’re willing to take a detour. These cities will be where you can resupply. The villages are protected by a few Knights, so you can rest there too." Warren unfurled a map over the blackboard behind him. The empire was shaped somewhat like a spiral. Horalix was on the edge, bordering the sea. It was shaped like a slightly curved stick Lucen raised a hand, and Warren pointed at him to ask his question. "Master Warren, was the Void previously an ocean?" Warren nodded. "A very long time ago. This map is old. The maps you read will just signify Void territory." Was that why there was a fishing guild in Castaway? But the last time they’d have seen the sea was thousands of years ago. He really needed to investigate that place more thoroughly; it got on his nerves. "Back to our topic. We’ll discuss the land and dangers you face, and the ones you must avoid," Warren continued. "There is a menagerie of monsters on the road to the Red Keep—Stone Harpies, Drakes, Manticores, and even Bull Wolves. But there are three zones you must take caution with." "First is the Withering Forest. It is home to Basilisks, a type of lesser dragon. Their eyes weaken and kill if you look into them. But more importantly, they have a Tyrant deep in the forest. This is a theme you’ll find for the other two places. The Shattered Plains is home to undead creatures, and a Tyrant controlling them—the Voidseeker Tyrant." Warren’s eyes turned very serious. "But the last one, you must avoid it." He pointed at a massive body of water in the middle of the region. "This is the Nine-Claw Swamp, home to an Omen that’s been here for about a thousand years. She is called the Memory of Lost Paths. Just going close to the lake will draw Nagas at the rank of Stalker. If you’re unlucky, you’ll face a Fiend. And there are Tyrants wandering about." Their excitement was smothered in an instant. Facing a Tyrant was a death sentence. If the Omen even sensed them, then they couldn’t fight even back. Lucen eyed the lake on the map. They could take a detour around it. But with his luck, they’d still have to fight the Omen. "Now, let’s talk about teamwork," Warren said grimly, as though he knew this would be the biggest problem. "If Thomas didn’t get himself killed somewhere, then you’d have one Mid-tier Knight with you. But we’ll work with Low-tiers, splitting them among the groups of five you’ve been working with." There were thirty Squires and fourteen Low-tier Knights. Warren added one Low-tier Knight to each of their groups. Thankfully, Warren put Duran in Set’s group. For the last two Knights, he put them in Set and Ymir’s groups. Lucen thought sparingly of Thomas. Being young enough to go on this quest and a Mid-tier Knight meant he showed a lot of promise. Too bad he was too stupid to avoid Lucen. Based on the way Warren picked them out, Lucen guessed who didn’t like who. The two Low-tier Knights he got sent hard glances at Duran. Competitors, maybe? "If at any point you feel you are unable to move forward," Warren added after sharing the groups, "you can stop at the first city after the Withering Forest—Bulwark—and just wait... for as long as you deem necessary." The tone of his voice and the strong stare he gave them was unnerving. Lucen wondered what he meant. "With that said, I’d like to welcome Lord Chester," Warren announced. "He’d like some words with you before we start talking about the biology and ecology of the journey ahead. Then we’ll gather this evening to hone your survival skills. Lord Chester, please enter." There was a round of applause and some whoops as Chester strode into the hall. He wore black clothes, leather and linen, also sporting a red cape with the Lightcloak emblem engraved. He planted himself on the podium and looked into each of their faces. "I see the best class of Knights in the room, one put through hardship after hardship, but still eager to prove themselves. Though our king may not see it." He said "King" with a knowing smile that spread between the Squires and Knights. "The Bluefeather Knight was the first person to siege a Keep and win without the empire’s full support, and she was a Grand Knight. But I guess a couple Squires and a handful of Knights can easily do it." They all laughed, whispering things to each other. Lucen raised an eyebrow; the contempt for the King was a bit on the nose. Weren’t they worried about Kedral hearing? "But what I came here to do was say a few words," Chester said, straightening up. "It’s okay to fail. Try your hardest, but know your limits." Set raised a hand. Lucen frowned; Set never asked questions in class. He stood up once Chester pointed at him. Set’s face was a mask of barely held back fury. "But what about Crucible, sir? When we fail this ridiculous quest, we lose our chance to ever represent the family there." "Don’t worry about that," Chester sighed. "There are other great schools." Set sat down, biting his lip. Crucible must have been very important to him. Lucen never really have any chance of going, so he didn’t care. Chester stepped down from the podium, winking. "Remember, your lives are important to our future." Again with the vague messaging. Were they trying to make them purposely give up? If the others wanted to stop at Bulwark and wait out their six months, that was their business. Lucen was going to the Red Keep.