Arthur came at me with his blade held close as he sped forward, boosted by wind mana. He was costing his sword in the wind mana like I had taught him back then on our journey. The slash came fast, but I held up my sword at an angle and let his slide off.
The clash of his wind mana coated sword and my mine released a small gust of wind that sent our hair flying as he continued his attacks. Each swing generating a gale of wind that sent rocks and dirt flying from our position. The earth melded with his feet as he used it to keep him steady with each class and used it to add more force into his swings.
They were indeed quite heavy, but nothing compared to some of the beasts I had fought against in dungeons. He sent a blast of wind mana towards me that I deflected with a wind wall but quickly had to dodge some earth spikes he conjured beneath me.
Like this we continued back forth, sometimes I would let Arthur lead the exchange before I would counter and take control to push him. After only 10 minutes he was breathing heavily with multiple nicks and cuts on his body as he held his ribs from a particularly heavy punch I delivered.
However instead of send another attack my way I see Arthur freeze up with a terrified expression as he whirls around to see Tessia. She was clutching her chest where her core would be and was falling from a vine she had conjured as an attack from grawder and Curtis was blasting towards her.
Ah yes, that's right. Something like this does happen in the book, I had honestly forgotten after so long. I tie a mana string around Arthur as I pull up my amulet that allows me to control the functions of the other amulets I gifted my close friends and family.
I had deactivated the protection features as that would be quite unfair for the ones fighting against them. With a bit of mana i sent through, Tessia's amulet was activated again just as the blast reached her. Arthur was too worried to think rationally and only screamed in anguish as the blast approached her. He glared at me when he looked away and I just shrugged, which didn't seem to be the correct response as he charged me.
Or tried to as my mana string held him back and I walked towards him pointing past him.
"You really shouldn't let your emotions get the best of you Arthur. Do you really think I would let one of my apprentices get injured? Especially the one that makes the best tea out of all of you." I said while shaking my head and walking past him, releasing my strings as I did and he dashed to Tessia who was on the ground writhing in pain.
"Professor Glory, I think we should end this exercise here. I need to take the Vice President to get help." Glory stared at me as she reached the ground before absently nodding. Clive also rushed up to see what happened to Tessia as Claire comical smacked Curtis over the head.
Arthur lifted Tessia up into his arms and looked to me and I nodded as I started walking.
"We're going to the training room, Arthur." I said and he jogged up beside me before realizing he was moving Tessia too much.
"The training room? She needs to go to the infirmary and see what's wrong with her!" He exclaimed in slight anger and I turned toward him with a displeased expression.
"I know what's wrong with her, and this could have all been avoided had you told me what you had done. You gave her that damn elder guardian core didn't you?" He flinched back at my tone, but nodded as we continued our brisk pace to the training room.
"What does that have to do with anything?" He asked and I nearly scoffed out loud but kept it within.
"You remember how you told me your core was in pain when you were given your beast will?" He nods so I continue.
"Well yours was freely given, you didn't have to assimilate it from a core. If the pain you went through was from a freely given one imagine the pain of a forced one. Especially from a creature that claimed seemed off like the elder wood guardian. It's fighting against her right now trying to take over because she wasn't taught how to properly assimilate with it and now I have to fix it.
If you had told me you were going to give her the core I could have purged it, so that it would go smoother, but I thought you were using it to progress your core." Arthur had the sense to look abashed from my scolding, but straightened up when Cynthia met us halfway to the room.
"What happened?" She asked as she fell in stride with us.
"Beast will assimilation back lash. We're heading to the training room now so I can fix it." Her eyes widened as she gazed at me.
"You can fix it?" She asked with wonder and I just shrugged.
"Yes, Tessia is doing most of the work already fighting against the creatures Will. I'm just going to give her a little help."
We entered into the private training room and Arthur carried her to a stone slab that we would sometimes sit around when resting and I ushered them back. I paused and turned around to face Cynthia.
"I don't think you should be here for this. Because of your… circumstances." Her eyes went even wider than when I had said I could help Tessia, but she nodded and left the room. Arthur looked curious but swallowed the question as we both turned back to Tessia who was pouring sweat and writhing on the stone.
I placed my hand just above her stomach where her core was and activated my first phase of my beast will. I focused in on her core and could see the beast will of the Elderwood Guardian lashing out in anger and I could see the sickly purplish black of some kind of poison on its will. I pulled some flame mana inside and mixed it with my vivum aether mana and began attacking and purging the nasty infection.
Tessia began writhing with increased fervor and i wrapped her body in mana strings to still her movements. Once the sickly aura left the Elderwood Guardian I could see it kneeling within Tessia's core and I reached out to it.
"Thank you son of my creator." It's rasped out with reverence in its voice and I cocked an eyebrow at the words.
"What do you mean, guardian?" I asked and it lifted its head hesitantly before speaking.
"You are a descendant of the Phoenix, are you not? Your kind gave birth to us to protect this land many many years ago, before the humans, elves and dwarves had settled into their cities. We were charged with the protection of the wildlife and the weaker beasts of yours and the other divine beings creations.
Alas, I was the last of your Elderwood creations. Named Elderwood Guardian. I should warn you creator, there are devious creatures at work in the hidden corner of this continent, and not all of them are foreign to Dicathen." I nod to him and think over all that he said before gazing back at the guardian.
"I maybe the descendant of your creator, but this elf that you now take residence within will be your new master. You will not cause her harm as you have since being assimilated, and you will aid her in getting stronger. This is your final order." The Elderwood Guardian knelt and pounded a fist on to some solid surface and nodded.
"Yes, I will do as you command." It said with as much emotion as it could garner before I pulled out of the core and dropped my beast will phase I stood above Tessia who was no longer sweating or rolling in pain. Rather she seemed to be enjoying a peaceful sleep and let out the occasional soft snores.
I stepped back and turned to see Arthur staring at me intently and I sighed while letting a soft smile creep onto my face.
"It's done, she'll be alright." He let out a breath of air he had been holding and knelt beside her as he held one of her hands. I sat down beside him with my back leaned against the stone platform as I rested.
"I'm sorry for not telling you about this, Jaron. I just didn't think that this would happen." Arthur said as he gazed down at Tessia's sleeping form and I smiled.
"It's alright Arthur, with everything that goes on it's easy to forget that we're only 12 years old." He twitched at that and I smiled a little wider in my own amusement, but I didn't prod any further. He still had yet to come out and say it, but I'm sure he had his suspicions that I was reincarnated, or at the very at least a being like Sylvia. Which I guess both would be true haha.
I was still waiting for the day that he either brought it up and released his own secret about being reincarnated, but I was patient. It's not like him telling me would change what I already knew. Tess began to stir and both our focuses looked at her to see her eyes beginning to flutter open. I stood up as she finally fully awoke and looked at me before seeing Arthur.
A sight that caused her cheeks to blush from the close proximity and I grinned mischievously.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you 2 love birds alone. I'm sure the rest of the class is wondering what's happening. I won't tell them too much, just that you 2 were alone and Tessia was strangely very sweaty for some reason." Both their faces now blushed heavily and I cackled like an evil villain as I slipped out the room before they could begin throwing spells at me.
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Author's Note
Yeesh, finally got out a chapter. Little more insight into some things and a little Arthur and Tess teasing. Seems like a standard chapter lol.
Not sure when next chapter will be but thinking about skipping to the Widow's Crypt as nothing else really happens after this match in the book. At least nothing that particular concerns Jaron.
Thanks for reading.
-SocioPhobia