Chereads / Shadow of the Empire / Chapter 4 - The Storm. A True Man.

Chapter 4 - The Storm. A True Man.

Inside his room Jak was thinking about everything he read in the library.

"So basically this world didn't always had magic, until one day demons started to appear, no one knew where they came from. God took pity on the weak and defenseless human race, then He gifted them with the power of magic. Humans last line of defense, that is today the capital of the Holy Empire, could finally fight equally against the savage demons, they integrated Magic with Knight training, thus giving birth to Magi Knights. " murmured Jak under his breath.

"There are 9 leves, not everyone can become a Magi Knight, level one to three is called Aprentice, the commoners who joined the army are usually between these levels of power, then level four to six is called Master, the people on this level are already considered to be experts, they can study alchemy, runes or craft magical equipment that apretice can't. The runes, alchemy and crafting equipment is devidade in three grades, low grade, intermediate grade and high grade. The three categories are further divided in low quality, medial quality and high quality. From level seven through nine are the Magi Knights, these are the true elites of every power, after crossing that barrier between level six and seven, 90% of the channels in they're body are opened, they power increases immensely and their lifespan also increases between 300 and 400 years, after level seven every single advance is harder but the increase in lifespan is also bigger. To distinguish the power in the same category people usually have a bracelet with one star, two star or three stars. The apprentice bracelets are made of broze, the master bracelet are made of gold and the Magi Knights bracelets are made of mythril. The book didn't say if there was room to improve after a Magi Knight reaches the peak 3 stars or if its the end of the road."

"Well this is all amazing and all but the book didn't contain a method to cultivate, it only explained the power system and that I have to strengthen the body and open my channels." Jak was extremely excited about the idea of being a powerful Magi Knight, but he was also depressed because he didn't knew how to star cultivating.

Suddenly some one entered came to his room, it was "his mother" Annabeth.

She had a kind smile on her face "How do you feel today Gabriel, Maria told me that you spend almost all day in the library, who knew that you liked books so much, mother is happy to see you all better. She sat on the bed beside him kissed him gently on the forehead and said. "Mother loves you very much, don't push yourself too hard. I talked to Master Arnold and he said that he might have something to help you get your memory back, after all Master Arnold is not only a powerful three stars Master but also an intermediate Alchemist" After saying that she smiled gently and Jak, the love in her eyes was unconditional, no matter what she just wanted for her child to live a happy and peaceful life.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion and voices of people screaming like they were fighting.

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Let's go a little bit back in time.

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In a dark room inside the Castel Arnold was sitting in a chair pondering about the operation, suddenly some one said. "You summoned me Master?" said a lifeless voice, and then from the shadow appeared a slime figure in maid uniform.

"Go and activate our sleeping agents." said Arnold.

"How many?"

"All of theme, we strike after dinner time, poisen the guards food, then take the others and meet me at the library entrance."

"Yes Master"

Arnold suddenly said "Wait, your job will be to take care of that Gabriel brat, after you finish join us"

"Yes Master" then the slime figure fadded in the darkness.

"Haha even if I fail the Standford lineage will be broken forever, and it can serve as an insurance. Well I better preper too"

At dinner time in the Castel a big part of the guards were eating in a happy mode

"Haha the Lord will be back in a few days, then I can finally relax, all the elits he took with him will be back"

"Hmph you know nothing, I heard from one of the guards in captain Sam team that the Lord will be back by tomorrow" Said another guard.

Suddenly the guards in the cafeteria started fainting one after another, and a group ou about 40 people came in.

"Do we kill them ?"

"No, you all go to the library, Master is waiting there, I have something eles to take care off then I will join you."

"Yes" all of them responded in union.

At the entrance of the library Arnold had a sinister smile one his face. In fronte of him all nine guards, except for the red helmet Sam, were bleading from their sever orifices (eyes, ears, nose and mouth)

"Hahah give up, all of you were affected by a high grade low quality poisen pill"

"Hmph do you think that is enough, we are more than enough to kill you" Said same in cold voice.

Suddenly about 40 people were coming from the cafeteria direction.

"Haha reinforcements" said one of the guards.

Arnold chuckled "Yes reinforcements"

Sam expression turned grave, these weren't the Castel guards.

Suddenly Sam pulled a big Saber, about two meters tall and two centimeters thick (about 6.4 feet and 1 inches) the blade was red, like a demon bathed in blood.

Then Sam body started to emmit a red glow "LISTEN TO ME MEN, WE WILL HOLD THIS DOOR AT THE COST OF OUR LIVES!!!! WHO WANTS TO RUN AWAY I WON'T STOP YOU OR JUDGE YOU!!."

These guards in San unite were are elits, even the weakest was a one star Master, but becous Arnold used the pill to poisen the air, they could only display a portion of they're power, even though Sam absorbed the most, they still weren't in battle conditions. Even so they all said in union

"FOR THE LORD AND FOR GLORY FIGHT TO THE DEAD!!!!!" these men with blood coming from their seven orifices looked like demons from hell coming after human flesh and soul.

Becouse the sleeping agenda couldn't be to power they were mostly two or three star Aprentice. Suddenly a messy battle started the 9 guards against the 40 sleeping agents and Sam against Arnold.

"Hmph even if I am poisoned I can still take you down" said Sam then he attacked with his saber, the strike transformed in a blood wolf that launched itself at Arnold. Arnold dodged to the side but the wolf was chasing after him to shred him to pieces. Sam didn't waste time and launched himself at Arnold too.

Arnold took a small sword from his waist and shouted loudly "Ahhhhh" a white light was shining around his body, then he delivered a vertical chop against the blood wolf. A silver serpent suddenly appeared in the air and attacked the blood wolf. When the two attacks meet they both exploded in red and silver lights. Arnold used the force of the explosion to launch himself backwards. Just as he launched himself backwards, Sam saber strick came. The exchange of blows between the two of them was extremely fast.

On the other side, the battle was extremely brutal. The 9 guards entered in a berserk mode, they fought without think about preserving they're life, when 1 of them fell, 3 or 5 of the enemies came down with them. The guard who asked if Jak was the basterd child of the Lord, lost both of his arms and had a dagger in his chest, before dying he seemed to have go insane "FOR THE LORD!!!!!! FOR GLORY!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!" he launched himself in to the enemy formation, using his last bit of strenght he reaped the throat of one of the enemies then launched himself to another one, but before he could get to close his head was chopped off. When he died there wasn't a sad look or crazy look in his eyes. The only thing there was pride. "To live and die as a true man, as true warrior" that was his last thoughts.

"Give up Sam you can't take me down, if you keep dragging this the poisen will kill you"

"Hmph you will die before that" said Sam

"I might as well tell that if you don't hurry that pice of trash that you call young master will be dead"

Sam face drastically changed, he knew that the Lord could have any more kids and that Gabriel was the only hope to continue the linege.

"Count yourself lucky" after delivering a saber strick Sam launched himself in the direction of Gabriel room.

Inside Gabriel room.

"What is happening outside" said Jak confused.

Then someone burst in to the room it was the small maid Maria, but something was different about her now, her cute small face had a grave expression.

"Maria what..." before Annabeth had time to finish Maria interrupted her.

"Madama the situation is dangerous, the Castel guards are either unconscious or dead, some one is attacking the castle, we need to leave immediately"

Jak was startled, was someone attacking the Castel to kill him or its was something else.

"Well well well, looks like everyone one is here" suddenly a sweet voice sounded and the taller maid who brought Jak soup came in, dressed all in black with a small sword dripping with blood.

"Diana... Wha... What heppened to you" asked Annabeth in a trembling voice.

"Nothing much I am just back at being myself" after saying that she licked the blood of the small sword, then she smiled, like it was the most enjoyable thing to do.

"Guards, GUARDS!!!" Jak called the two guards behind the door but there was no response.

"Don't worry young master you're about to join them" After saying this, Diana threw the sword at Gabriel.

He didn't even have time to react before there was something hot dripping on his face. Jak look up and there she was, smiling, in the same loving manner, as always, but from that beautiful smile came red hot blood.

Tears came streaming from his eyes.

"Don't cry son, you know you are already a man, man shouldn't cry. Mother won't be around anymore, I wanted so much to see you find a wife and give mother many grandchildren to play with, unfortunately I wont be able..." but before she could finish, the last bit of life scaped from her body.

This loving women lost her life becouse of him, for a stranger like him, her son wasn't around anymore, even if she didn't knew that, the pain in Jak heart was growing bigger and bigger until he couldn't take it anymore, the guilt was eating him from inside.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" The only thing he could do was to release a scream like a wounded animal.

At the side Diana smiled "Oh how touching" the she pulled the sword out of Annabeth.

But before she had time to finish the job Sam burst in to the room, withou even thinking Diana jumped out of the window.

"Young Master we have to leave"

But Jak wasn't listening he was just hugging Annabeth corps and crying. When Sam saw Jak wasn't responding he knocked him out.

"You come with me too" he said to Maria, then in the cover of the night they ran away.