After recovering my ether, I repeated my training numerous times, until
the day that I tamed my ether pool to the point of me not dying while
recovering my ether. Master let me go to the town and have the day off, in
her words, "You deserve a break, and a good one too." She threw me out
of her cave, gave me a bag of money and told me to not comeback until
the bag is empty, at first I went in town to gather supplies, then buy some
books and tomes to read, and stayed at the pub to eat lunch, I was eating
there when I overheard a group talking.
"Did you hear? The war broke out, the empire broke through the
outskirts!" "Yeah! It's just a matter of time that they come around the capital,
it really is unfortunate, so many brave souls was lost in that battle, it raged
on for weeks for no avail, our forces was utterly defeated." I paid for my
food and went outside the pub, the news unsettled me so much that I lost
my appetite, after these events, I went to the academy to see what is
happening with Thea and Sol. On my way to the academy I bumped into
Elder Eldrich near the entrance, "Hmm? What are you doing here Razael?
Taking a break?" he asked "Yes I am elder, master threw me out and gave
me money." I explained "Hahaha, She never changes I see, now tell me
young Razael, how's your training?" he asked with a big smile on his face
"It is going well, but I feel like it's not a class up training at, it's more
like, ether control and whatnot." I said while grumbling a little, "I see, so
she have noticed it as well.." his face went from goofy to serious, "What do
you mean Elder?" I asked "You see Razael, you are a special case, you can't
class up." He replied "What?! Why?!" I yelled "It's because when you class
up, you undergo specialization, which means you will have to pick a main
class and a sub class, so you can access the Tier-2 classes, the combinations
of two specialized classes." He explains "Then I will just do them all! Like I've
always used to!" "Then what? Be in the academy forever? Young Razael, you
must think this through, not only will you lose time, you will lose you title as
well." I froze after hearing this from the elder. "Lose my title? I cannot afford
to lose my title now, not after I worked so hard to get one. Plus the privilege
of a title holder will be suspended and I won't have free rations or equipment
if I push through this." I immediately went inside to check up on Thea and
Sol, but the Elder stopped me and said "They are already gone, they went
back to Lior to help."
"Since when we're they gone?" I asked "Two days before you arrived."
He replied, after hearing this, I bid the Elder Farewell and went to town
square, and sat on the fountain's base, feeling down and despaired after I
learned I cannot class up, "Big Brother Raza?!" a familiar voice called my
name, it was Mara, with the children of the orphanage, she rushed to me
and clung unto me and so did the other children, "What are you guys doing
here?" I asked them "Sister Teleported us here so we'll be safe!" they
answered "That is right, and right now we are going around town to gather
supplies, right children?" Sister said while closing in to us "Yes Sister!" the
children answered, and they went and said goodbyes to me.
Seeing the children reminded me of what I'm supposed to do, the
reason to do what I have been doing, "To not help while you can means you
are one of those people who hurt those in need." Sir Fedel used to say this
to me and Thea when we we're still kids, seeing them made me remember
my goals, and so I started to run, run towards the mountains, as I'm running
towards the outskirts of town, I noticed an army of soldiers marching it's
way out of the city, they are very numerous, leading them are two members
of the order of Eos, the Elite of elites in the whole Continent of Eostra, and
some high nobles. In the looks of it, they are being deployed for combat,
most likely to help the people of Lior, you can hear the townspeople yelling
and cheering for them, wishing for safety and victory as they march out to
the plains sending them off with much needed courage to fend of the
invaders.
I began my travel towards master's home, pulling a cart of equipment
and items I shopped a while ago while reading a Tome called "Merchantry".
The spells and words within the tome is being printed in my mind as the
pages vanish after I read it, and as I was about to finish reading it ,*Thwoop*
An arrow hit the wheel of the wagon I'm pulling, "IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE,
LEAVE THOSE STUFF AND BE ON YOUR WAY!" a man shouts from the distance,
as a group of bandits surround me, unsheathing their weapons and aiming
at me with their bows, "Come on kid, just leave this items and we will let
you live." says another of the bandit, I stopped on my tracks and kept on
reading the tome, ignoring them.
"Look here laddie, I will give you your final chance to skeedadle away
from those items, or else-" before he could even finish what he was saying
I landed a punch right on his face as the tome vanish from my hand. "Or
else what? you'll kill me? I'd like to see you try!" I shouted, "Fire at will!"
one of the bandits shout. "Flames of Protection, cover me up! surround me
and don't let up! Flame Cloak!", the arrows that flew towards me was burned
by the cloak of flame surrounds me, "He is a mage?!" "What should we do
boss?" "Grab his stuff and run for it." As the bandits scrambled for my
wagon, the ones it the trees fired at me to distract me. "Well then try
stealing it from another dimension then." "Chrono Enchant: Double Cast!"
"and now this!" "Thief Skill: Multi Grab!, Merchant Skill: Portal Pocket!" after
grabbing all the items I put them inside a pocket dimension. "Where did they
go?! They're just here a second ago?!" "Retreat!". As they begin to run away,
I chased after them through the forest where they scrambled to get away
from me, while I was chasing after them, *Crack* something hit me and sent
me flying.
"Arrrgh!" *Whoosh**Thud* as I try to recover from the attack that
sent me flying I heard a voice low voice saying, "This is the problem with
those who have power, they tend to get cocky and underestimate their
opponent." A Giant wielding a greatsword came out of the forest "Ha!"
"Serves you right!" "The Boss is amazing!" the bandits shouted. As I tried to
stand, the man charged at me and attacked me again, "Sonic Step! HAAAAH!"
*Clang!* I barely blocked the attack with my buckler that shattered after
impact, "What the-" before I can finish my sentence, he kicked me and sent
me flying again, "Hurghe!" *Cough! Cough!* I managed to stand up again,
fairly quicker this time because, but I don't think I can withstand another
attack like that, "Have you got enough?" the man asked.
"I… Will… not…" as I mutter this words, I began to expel my ether
throughout my body, "I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" as my resolve to live becomes
more stronger, my emotions getting more heightened, I can feel the ether
flowing throughout me and cover my whole body, getting ever stronger and
more resilient, as my ether began to envelop me the man began his attack
once again "THIS IS YOUR END! Reaping Slash!" *Clang!* as the attack hit
me, the blade began to crumble, "Wha?! How is this possible." Without
saying anything, my body began to move on it's own, my attacks that didn't
hit eventually began to overpower him, *Crack! Thump!* with every punch I
make, the man is forced to step back, "HAAAAA!" I kicked him and sent him
hurling across the plains. *Thud* "Ooof…" the attack was enough to knock
him out, and so the bandits started to chatter and panic. "How is he
overpowering the boss?!" "This isn't possible!" "Run for it!" But before they
can even move, I already dashed to their location and knock them out one
by one. After I apprehended all of them, the rush of ether began to subside
and the pain that was numb for a moment hit me like a dragon's stomp.
As I began to be overwhelmed by the pain, the Giant stood up and
looms over me, "Hehehe, that was pretty good, but now…" I tried to get a
grip and poise myself to fight, but I can't even lift my arms up, I'm too
exhausted, my ether is depleted, and the pain of my body is overwhelming,
as I stare him down, he pulls a tree off the ground and began to swing it,
as if warming up before he finishes me off. Then I heard a familiar voice
from above the forest "So, this was the fruit of your training then little boy?"
It was Master Scarletta, floating above us as she watch the giant get ready
to swing the tree onto me, "HA! There is nothing you can do! I will finish
this boy up, then I will deal with you next!" as he swing the tree, a rune
hovers in front of me, and manifests a barrier that deflects the attack. "What
happened?! Did you do something you witch?!" the giant shouts. "And what
if I did?" master replied, "If you wanted to die that badly…" as he says this,
he throws the tree towards master "You should've said so!" the tree is flying
towards Master Scarletta like it's been fired from a cannon, "Child's play…"
as master says this, another rune hovers before her and as soon as the tree
hit the rune, it shatters the tree to pieces. "Hmm! So one won't work? Then
how about this!!"
The Giant started to pull trees off the ground and hurls them towards
master. "Don't you know when to quit and turn tail?" as the trees fly towards
her, more and more runes float to protect master. "Well, it's about time I
finish this, I've got my apprentice there needing some attention." She starts
to weave a signs that produced runes, the runes that master scarletta weaved
made a circle in front of her, and she started to invoke spells that the circle
spews out like a spell turret, "Flame Shot!" "Shadow Bolt!" "Thunder Shoot!"
"Flame Blast!" "Shadow Smite!" "Thunder Strike!" as the spells fly towards
the giant, he desperately tried to deflect every attack using everything in his
vicinity, Rocks and trees was destroyed by the spell until he has nothing left,
spells began to hit him like it was a volley of arrows, at first he was standing,
then he got on his knee, and now he was knocked out cold by the sheer
number of spells that he took head-on.
"Can you still move Razael?" Master asks me, but the only thing that
I can say was "I'm okay master…" *Thud* I was out like a light, master
carried me to the cave and laid me to rest at my room. I was wandering a
room that looks ancient then a heard a voice call to me, "Hero…" "Who?"
"Hero of The Crests…" "Who are you?" "The time of your story begins…" "My
story? What are you talking about?" "Bring order… Destiny awaits…" the
disembodied voice began to fade away as a blinding light fill the room "What
do you mean!" as I shouted, I opened my eyes to realize it was a dream,
but it felt so real, "Oh? You're up early young apprentice." Master Scarletta
walks in my room and puts food on a nearby table, "Now, explain what
happened." she says with a serious face, as I started to explain the events
that happened yesterday, she got upset, hit my head, then drags me in the
dome to spar with me the whole day. In the evening Master conducted a
lecture about spells and runes, teaching me the basics of Rune magic and
basic alchemy and crafting as well. I took it up fairly quickly to master's
surprise.
The next day we went to town to gather supplies and buy items and
crafting materials, we then passed by the town square where people are
being gather. "Attention Citizens of Trana! The invading army has broken
through the town of Lior and is headed towards our capital, we must ask
civilians to leave the capital at once!" and so began the preparation for war.