Chapter 22 - New Beginning

Verity did not, and could not know what was happening in every corner of this new world. Whether it be the two he had encountered first, Felicia and Marco, or any of the other survivors of the first trial.

He did not know of the young man who’d ended up at the doorstep of the magic tower, the older woman who’d found herself captured by cult practitioners, or even the young girl who’d wound up enrolling as a mercenary only a few days after being transported to this place.

All he knew at that point was that he needed to learn from this mysterious spear-wielding figure, through any means necessary. Something within told Verity that this was the person he was meant to meet when he was transported to these foreign lands. Fate, perhaps, or simply desperation.

Once she’d heard his request, the woman paused for a moment. “..What’s your name?” She asked, her tone unreadable.

“Verity..” He replied, straightening his back.

The woman tilted her head. “Sounds like a girl’s name.”

“...I know.” Verity exhaled.

“I’ll just call you kid.”

Verity wasn’t really bothered, he was never a fan of his own name anyway. The way she phrased it did sound promising, however. ‘From now on’ insinuated that they’d spend more time together. Hopeful, Verity attempted to get a more definite answer out of her.

“Then… Can I call you Master?” He asked hesitantly.

There was a long pause, where the woman seemed to study him intently. Eventually, she sighed, and turned around. “Nah, I don’t take disciples. Sounds like a hassle.”

She took another step toward the forest, before being interrupted again.

“W-wait!” Verity stumbled. He knew he couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

The woman sighed again, longer this time, her patience thinning. “Look,” She said over her shoulder. “I get it, you want to be stronger. Everyone does, but there’s plenty of spearman ship schools out there. Plus…” She looked him up and down. “...You might have a half-decent spear, but you’re not even a spearman. You won’t learn anything from me.”

It was true, what would a non-spearman want with the Spear of Hell herself? Strangely, Evangelina couldn’t see his class despite the high-level of her [Appraisal] skill, but she wasn’t curious enough to ask him about it. She just knew from the shape of his muscles, the way he held himself, and especially the way he held the spear, that he was not a Spearman, most likely not even a combatant.

Even if he was, Evangelina had no intentions of taking him in as a disciple. She hadn’t taken one in a very, very long time, and she wasn’t planning on doing so now. She hoped a few words would discourage him, and if it didn’t, she was planning on just leaving without saying another word.

‘He’s not in danger anymore. I’m sure he can find his way to the next town.’ She thought.

But Verity had no plans of letting a few words stop him. He remembered something Ash had talked about in the carriage a few hours prior.

“Is the Spearman class imperative to wielding a spear?” He asked.

Evangelina frowned under the hood of her cloak. “...Not necessarily.” She admitted. “But I won’t teach someone who isn’t one.”

“Why not?” Verity asked, his lips curling into a smirk. “You’re not confident enough to teach someone without the support of the sys- Terra’s Touch?”

The words that had left Verity’s mouth created a tense silence. He tried to look into the woman’s hood, but there was only an unnatural darkness covering her face.

“I understand what you’re trying to do, kid, but…” Suddenly, Verity felt a crushing force descend on his shoulders. His knees buckled, and his vision blurred. It was as though a ferocious beast had grabbed the back of his nape, ready to devour him whole. “...Watch your mouth. I am not someone you can afford to offend.”

Despite the threatening aura, Verity’s grin remained. “It’s only… offensive.. if it’s true…!” He managed to reply as his head hit the ground.

For a second, the pressure seemed to become heavier, threatening to cause serious harm, but Evangelina quickly scoffed, and she retracted her bloodlust. “So young, yet so stupidly bold.” She crouched to Verity’s level. “To begin with, regardless of my teaching abilities, I can tell at a glance that you do not have the talent to learn the spear without Terra’s Touch.”

Perhaps she was right, but that didn’t mean that Verity would simply accept her words and move on. He had already decided that he would learn the spear, and that he would learn it from her. Verity could be extremely stubborn when he wanted to be.

He raised his head slowly, staring into Evangelina’s obscured eyes, and clenching his fist. “...That’s what you think, but there’s only one way to really find out…Or… are you afraid of being proven wrong?”

Evangelina stared back at him. She wondered how such a weakling could be so bold. Was it bravery? Or just foolishness? ‘Those eyes.’ Either way, Evangelina became unable to control the grin forming on her lips.

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In one, deliberate motion, she removed the hood of her cloak, and the first thing that caught Verity’s attention were her dull, gray eyes, like the moon veiled behind a curtain of clouds. They seemed stale, and yet, they also shimmered with something indescribable, of an unfathomable depth that seemed to pull him in. As Verity stared into them, it was as though he was losing himself to their embrace. He couldn’t very well put it into words how they made him feel, and what he sensed from them, but what he knew for sure is that those eyes had seen a lot, much more than a normal person could handle.

What came next was her hair, following down like a cascade. They were of a silver matching her eyes, creating a harmony that vastly contrasted her porcelain skin and her lips as crimson as fresh wine.

She truly was beautiful.

“Don’t stare too hard.” She said with a faint smirk. “You’ll make me blush.”

Verity blinked, snapping out of his trance. “S-sorry.” He mumbled, before promptly looking away.

Evangelina chuckled, and extended Verity a hand. “I’m willing to see if you’re more than just talk.” She helped Verity stand, holding onto his hand firmly, and grinned. “My friends call me Evie, kid, but I don’t have many of those anymore.”

She turned toward the forest. “Come with me. I’ll decide if I want to teach you a thing or two after testing you.” She said as she started walking.

Verity’s heart leapt. ‘Yes…!!’

He couldn’t hold back his smile as he ran after her. “Yes, Master!”

“Don’t call me that, I already told you I don’t take disciples. It’d be more… like a teacher and student, so call me Teacher instead.”

“Of course, Master!”

“Oi, did you not hear-”

She turned around to admonish the young man, but when she saw the light in his eyes, she couldn’t finish her sentence. Evangelina’s few friends would say that she wasn’t the most… compassionate person, but even she wasn’t a monster. She remembered what the boy, perhaps no older than twenty-five, had just gone through, and couldn’t bring herself to say another word.

Perhaps this could at least help him forget the dried blood that still lingered on his hands.

“...Whatever.” She whispered under her breath, the faintest of smirks on her lips. She wouldn’t admit it, but in the boy, she was reminded of memories she believed she had forgotten long ago.

When the two disappeared among the trees, Eleanor, who had practically been holding her breath until now, fell down, finally able to breathe. This was supposed to be a simple operation, and yet it had gone so wrong, so quickly.

Midnight, and the carriage driver, were still asleep, Ash was dead, and Bagua would be getting here soon. She didn’t know what she would tell him once he arrived, and she was afraid of what they’d do to her if they understood she was alone. After all, the seal activated only if she died, and there were fates far worse than death.

She glanced at the forest around her. She knew had no hope of escaping the bandits at night, in their home territory, by herself, so she also couldn’t run. She regretted not having bought more communication scrolls before leaving. They weren’t exactly cheap, and they had used the last one to contact Bagua about the change in location.

Her nails dug into the earth as frustration boiled over.

‘Damn it..!! Why would the Duchess be here of all places!! Damn it!! Damn it!!! Damn it! No matter what, Father cannot know about this!!’

She crawled toward the deceased Ash, his blood staining her expensive dress. Frantically, she looked through his coat for the antidote to the poison as she forced herself not to gag.

Inferior as Eleanor believed her to be, Midnight was still familiar with the area. If Eleanor woke her up, as well as the carriage driver, she could make up some lie about being attacked, and have the beast-woman lead her out of here. Having to rely on what she saw as such an inferior species rubbed Eleanor the wrong way, but she’d do what it took to survive, even casting her pride aside if necessary.

She gritted her teeth as she searched for the antidote, cursing her luck, and most importantly, cursing the planewalker.

‘If it wasn’t for him, it would all have gone perfectly!! I should have stabbed him as he slept, damn it!’

At last, after searching every pocket, and every inch of his coat, Eleanor found the flask where the purple liquid was stored. She crawled to Midnight, and she pried her mouth open, quickly letting a few drops drip into Midnight’s mouth. Then, Eleanor backed away, and began crying, waiting for the two to wake up.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Feeling her head throbbing, Midnight opened her eyes. “Is it my turn…?” She asked, but she sensed something was wrong when she received no answer.

Her sharp gaze first fell on a large patch of charred trees and bushes, accompanied by a strong smell of smoke. Then the sounds of sobs, coming from Eleanor, drew her attention and that’s when she saw it. Eleanor was leaning over Ash, who was bathing in a puddle of blood, and from the smell, Midnight could tell that it was his own.

She jumped up. “What the hell happened!!??” She asked, agitated.

Eleanor could barely speak through her make-believe crying. “I-It’s that man…” She wiped a few tears from her eyes as her voice wavered. “ From the beginning, he was an accomplice of the bandits. He spread the poison throughout the camp, and he… he…” She burst into a wail before getting the words out.

Midnight clenched her fists, shaking with fury. She couldn't sense anyone around. “WHERE IS HE!?” She demanded to know.

“H-he left with them…He’s gone…”

Midnight’s rage flared and her tail lashed wagged furiously as she tried to constrain herself. “Dammit!! “ She spat, her gaze flickering to the still unconscious driver. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner!?”

Eleanor pretended to be startled by the outburst. ‘Tone it down, you beast.’ She thought inwardly.

“I-I tried!!” Eleanor cried, her voice cracking. “We.. We were taken by surprise, by the time Ash had noticed, I was the only one who wasn’t affected yet. H-he had to fight while protecting all of us, against that man, and Bagua, and his gang. He…tried his best! It was only now that I could feed you the antidote!!” Eleanor said as she stuffed her face in her palms.

Midnight’s fist was now clenched with such force that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood. She covered her face with her other hand, and cursed under breath. Still, she was an experienced adventurer, so she pulled herself together.

“We… We need to leave the forest, I don’t know how they were driven off, but they will come back. I know of a path that’ll lead us near a small town…” She looked around her. “I-I’ll grab… Ash, you pack your stuff, and feed the driver the antidote too. Sorry Lady Vandervite, but you’ll have to run, we’re leaving the carriage here. “

Eleanor nodded. “O-Okay!” She said as she hid a smirk behind her hands.

‘So gullible!’

Midnight crouched near Ash’s body as she prepared to carry him. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, biting her lip.

The driver was woken up, and he was quite frightened as the situation was explained to him. Immediately, after retrieving the essentials such as water and a few emergency potions, the three of them made their way into the forest, hoping to leave its premises before being caught by Bagua’s gang.

All were silent as they walked, and that night, for different reasons, both Midnight and Eleanor had similar thoughts. Two silent vows were made under the light of the moon.

‘Verity… I’ll make you pay for this…!’

‘Planewalker…. I’ll show you what it means to mess with a Vandervite…!’