"My lord rarely takes in apprentices and even if he sees potential- he might just send you over to someone else-" The man said, leading.
Steps-
Flint didn't say anything but just followed.
Really large mansion.
Maids, and butlers everywhere.
Pictures on the wall- lots of flowers on the vases and-
Clean.
Expensive.
Honestly, he didn't think they'd let him in.
"Why do you want to be a chaos knight?"
"To be the strongest."
There weren't any training grounds-
At least not in the mansion.
"TO do what?"
"TO kill the strongest."
"You wish to kill Darksy?"
"No. I want to kill the overlords-"
"Those accursed scum?" A chuckle… "Sadly, even my lord can't claim to be capable of that. If you seek that kind of strength, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."
"I know. But it's a step forward."
He almost chuckled but hid it well. "Judging by the stance you took earlier- and those dodging skills- I'd say you were trained in the arts of Rune Knight- and you maybe even possess some assassin skill- am I right?"
"My father was an assassin. And I was a rune knight apprentice for two years."
And though he didn't take in any assassin training- he did watch his father practice daily-
It certainly wasn't because his father beat the shit out of him a couple of times for speaking out of terms or anything….
"Really? Why did you leave?"
"My village got destroyed- everyone died…"
"And now you're out for revenge?" He stopped- looked back.
A small sigh but- "Yes and though I know it's meaningless to throw away one's life for revenge. I've accepted it and would do anything for that."
"Wrong, you've accepted nothing. You're still haunted by your ghosts-"
Flint wanted to argue but-
They'd arrived.
Apparently, they were standing just behind the lord's room.
Four knocks. "My lord- it's me-"
"Leave." The voice came from the inside.
Deep-
Jarring-
"I'm coming in." The butler just grinned like a devil and went in anyway-
Curtains open- blindingly bright.
Large room-
Lots of bookshelves and books.
And just a table-
Behind the table-
A man.
A rugged- tall- muscular man.
Medium beard- no stache.
Archivis.
The legendary chaos knight.
Destroyer of cities-
Or so the saying went.
"What do you want?" Annoyed, he glared.
"I've brought in a guest. He wishes to speak with you."
Flint had thought of many ways he could convince the man.
And yet-
At the same time-
Now that he was in the moment-
He couldn't muster up anything.
He couldn't even think what to say-
The words-
Didn't leave-
'Why did they even let me in?'
Become an apprentice?
Just how many had tried and failed?
And yet- why was he here?
What drove him?
'NO, I have to do this!'
Coming this far and getting cold feet was the last thing he wanted.
"Um.. ah- good afternoon-"
"Get out." The man showed him the door.
Yet- Flint didn't. Rather, he just took a deep breath- feeling even fainter. "I want to be your apprentice."
"Go on-"
"I want to kill someone. I have to kill someone. And to kill that someone I need your skills- No, I want your skills. So please teach me. I'll do anything!"
He didn't stutter.
But he didn't quite speak his mind either.
In the end-
He might have complicated things far more than necessary.
"To kill- one must be prepared to die oneself. Are you?" Eyes sharp- glaring even.
"I am-"
"Really-?" The man smiled-
And though it was a smile-
The air-
Shook-
The whole room-
Shook.
A pressure-
A downward pressure- all the shelves- everything- vibrated-
And a moment later-
Flint fell on his knees-
Unable to move. Face pale, breath erratic.
Ears ringing- the world spinning- and- breath out of sync- 'What the hell?'
It was almost as though-
He'd seen death itself…
Sweat pouring in buckets.
His body refusing to listen to his commands….
"Then how come you're so afraid?" A faint chuckle. "Throw him out of here-"
"No, please!" He tried to get up but-
Couldn't.
Legs frozen stiff-
"Let's go kid-" Alberto- slightly disappointed- held his arm, ready to pull him up-
But-
'No-'
Gritting his teeth- Flint shoved the knife on his thigh- searing pain yet- he managed to stand up- "Please." Glaring- "Let me!"
Mouth widening- the man grinned. This time- though- it really was a grin. "Throw him out- he's bleeding on my floor." The grin widened. "Go kill ten trolls and bring them back. You'll get a teacher."
Eyes sharp- Flint glared. "Would it be you?"
"Depends on how many extra you bring and how fast you bring them." Yawning. "Do you want me to kick you out too?" He said, staring at Alberto.
Alberto snorted. "Like you have the guts." He picked up Flint and carried him like a potato sack. He left laughing.
Slam!
And he slammed the door closed too-
All the while- with that same devilish glee…
***
Quiet.
Two didn't say much.
And as they approached the gate- "Trolls aren't easy. I'm afraid with your skills one would be too much- let alone ten. Revenge is sweet but it is poison. My words don't mean much to you but- once you grow past a certain age, you too shall understand." He slowly sat him down just outside the door, and handed him a small vial of red liquid- "Don't throw your life away. I'm sure your mother would like to meet you in the afterlife but definitely not so soon. Which is why- take your time." With a smile, the butler left.
A nice man.
But-
Flint didn't need nice men.
He needed an asshole.
An asshole that could beat the shit out of him and teach him to beat the shit out his enemies.
And for that-
He had to hunt trolls.
And find out ways to bring them back.
So, first order of business-
He had to learn warp-
Or at least find someone who did.
After all-
The man asked him to bring the trolls but he never said he had to be alone.
"You okay kid?" The two guards were still there-
"Kid?"
Grinning- Flint drank half of the vial- and stood up. He was not listening, no.
The wound on his thigh was gone but the small hole wasn't.
It was time to go on a hunt.
***
Before doing anything though- Flint had some lunch.
He was starving and though the potion healed him- it really did take out a sizable portion of his stamina.
'But where should I go?'
He could go to the Guild Hall but they'd charge a fair amount- money he didn't have.
He could become an adventurer and join a party but that wouldn't be a great investment in the long run. Since he'd have a lot more responsibility and why would they risk their lives for him and his cause?
Actually- 'But maybe I should-' At least for the time being.
And though he wanted that, at the same time, he didn't.
Becoming an adventurer was a bold commitment and would eat up a sizable amount of his time- time he didn't want to waste….
So-
That only left him with one choice.
'Shit, I have to go back…'