Garrick and Kyra sit in the kitchen waiting for breakfast, eager for another day of training, not entirely disheartened by yesterday's failure. Meetle cooks a breakfast of steak, potatoes and vegetables for the party. He hands Garrick and Kyra their plate as he sits down with them shortly after.
"So what's the plan today for you guys?" Meetle attentively asks them. His face is bruised along his cheek, and he has a burst lip that has begun to scab over.
"I'm gonna hit that fucking walking bag of metal if It's the last thing I do!" Kyra loudly guarantees.
"You're goddamn right! We'll rip it apart and be done with it!" Garrick optimistically roars in agreement.
Meetle takes a bite of his food.
"It's good you're both so pumped up! What level did you guys get to on the animated Armour anyway?" Meetle curiously asks as he looks down, takes another bite of food and looks back up to see Garrick and Kyra staring at him.
"Uhhh...you both okay?" Meetle laughs nervously.
"Level?" Garrick asks, confused.
"What the fuck you mean level?" Kyra blurts aggressively.
"The Armour has these levels on it. Wait, did you guys not hit it once yesterday?" Meetle curiously asks.
"Bull-fucking-shit! Are you saying there's levels on that thing?" Kyra angrily raises her voice.
"Wait...did you manage to hit it?" Garrick asks Meetle, causing Kyra to stop in her tracks.
"Yeah, I only got to level two, though. It got way more difficult-" Meetle replies.
Kyra grabs ahold of Meetle and carries him out of the kitchen towards the training chamber, with Garrick following beside.
"GUYS!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN!!" Meetle cries out.
"No way, Gnome! I don't believe you hit it; prove it!!" Kyra shouts.
"GARRICK HELP!!" Meetle shouts for help.
Garrick shrugs. "Sorry, Gnome, I'm on her side here."
Kyra carefully but forcefully dumps him in front of the sand.
"Let's see it, Gnome!" Kyra commands.
"Don't get angry at me because you two aren't as good as me!" Meetle snaps back.
Kyra pushes Meetle into the sand, causing the Armour to speak.
"Participant Lalrin Meetlemire detected, resuming previous progress, level two activating." It morphs like last time, with metal banding around the wooden forms and small details forming on the Armour.
"WHAT?!" Kyra and Garrick both shout in confusion.
"WAIT, AHHH!!!" Meetle shrieks as the Animated Armour sprints to him and kicks him out of the sandy area before he can even react.
Garrick puts out his leg to stop Meetle from banging into the wall.
"See, I wasn't lying!!!" Meetle angrily shouts.
"We both couldn't even hit it, and you somehow did it yourself?" Garrick asks, perturbed.
Kyra collapses to her knees, having a mental breakdown.
"The big-nosed Gnome is tougher than me?! He's four feet tall, and two feet of that is his nose! How is this possible?!" Kyra speaks to herself, unable to comprehend what has happened.
Meetle stands back up and begins walking back to the Reading chamber.
"Magic! You know, the thing you both should be learning!?" Meetle shouts as he stomps away.
Garrick and Kyra sit for what seems like hours, confused, their brains refusing to accept a reality where little Meetlemire the Gnome is more powerful than them.
"Nah, It's bullshit! It malfunctioned or something! It's not possible!2 Kyra loudly utters as she grabs a bow and arrows before walking onto the sand, causing the Armour to activate and speak.
"Participant Kyra Starzyn detected, reducing difficulty back to level one." The Armour's appearance changes back to the original, with which Garrick and Kyra are incredibly familiar.
Kyra hangs her head in shame as she walks off the sand, sombre.
"Nope, it works just fine. I guess this is where I find the nearest hole and throw myself down it." Kyra wails as her voice cracks.
Garrick grabs a sword and steps onto the sand. His previously defeated demeanour has faded as he stares silently at the Armour, hand tightly gripping his sword.
Participant Garrick Goldwind detected, resuming progress, level one activating.
The Armour lunges forward, thrusting the sword toward Garrick, who doesn't try to dodge. Instead, attempting a different approach, he allows the Armour to strike his stomach. The wooden sword may be blunt, but the sheer force causes Garrick's breath to leave his body as he coughs up some blood and is pushed back a couple of feet.
"I got you now, bastard!" Garrick smiles as blood stains his teeth, gripping the wooden sword, not allowing the Armour to pull it away. Even Kyra has stopped her sulk and noticed Garrick's determination.
Garrick swings his sword upwards, slicing the sword hand of the Animated Armour off as it clangs to the ground. Not wasting the advantage, Garrick swings relentlessly as the Armour can only defend with its shield, eventually being battered down and splintered; he lands a solid hit on the helmet as the Armour stops responding before standing back up and taking its place in the centre.
Garrick pants in exhaustion. "Yes...fu...ck....you...."
"Garrick Goldwind, level one is complete, and level two is activating."
"...Shit..." Garrick pants as he tries to run off the sand, only for the Armour to throw its shield, hitting him on the head and causing him to faceplant the ground. The Armour walks over, picks up the shield, retakes its starting position, and deactivates.
"Now I'm worse than you! This day can't get any worse!" Kyra cries.
"What the fuck even is that thing? Why did It know our names?" Garrick spits as he sits up, pushing the sand off his clothes.
"The Battlefield Unit for Developmental Increase or the B.U.D.I." A voice says from behind Kyra and Garrick as they look towards it. Araval stands at the entrance of the training chamber.
"It's a combination of magic and metal developed for someone to hone their skills in a safe environment without risk of death. It was a pet project I've had for some time since I started developing the Sanctum. Many complex spells are infused into the Armour, allowing it to 'scan' you for basic information such as your name. It wouldn't work against someone actively rejecting the scan." Araval speaks with enjoyment and pride in his work.
"I Didn't even know it was scanning me, though." Garrick looks at the inactive B.U.D.I with a curious stare.
"If you developed your understanding of magic, then you would. Even when not being used, magic gives off a certain 'pressure' that we can feel; the air becomes thicker, and the stronger the person, the denser the air becomes." Araval is noticeably frustrated at Garrick for slacking on his magic duties.
Garrick sighs and nods as he puts the sword back on the weapon rack.
"I know, but sitting reading just feels like a waste of time. I depended my whole life on my swordsmanship for it to take a backseat to magic that I could never use. I guess It'll take a while to wrap my head around things." Garrick sadly utters, his mind still not fully comprehending the situation.
"That is why we are here, to guide you. Follow me, please, Garrick. Put your trust in me as I have in you." Araval begins walking into the reading chamber, with Garrick following after. "You should come too, Kyra." Araval adds. Kyra stays catatonic, still reeling from the 'Meetle Development'.
"Do you sense my magic?" Garrick inquisitively asks Araval.
"No. I can't even tell you're magic, and only the strongest mages have that level of control where they can disguise it." Araval replies.
They enter the reading chamber, where Meetle sits reading books with his feet kicked up on a small stool.
"From now on, Garrick, you must follow Lalrin's orders. You are in charge, my boy. You've learned fast; now, use that talent to help Garrick." Araval earnestly declares as he quickly walks away before Meetle can respond.
"Wait-uhhh, okay. Take a seat Garrick." Meetle nervously laughs as Garrick sits on the seat near Meetle.
"Well...uhh, I guess you start reading. It's all hand movements and chants, so If you do that, it should work, right?" Meetle says with uncertainty as he passes a book titled 'Produce Light'. "It's an easy one to get you started."
Garrick sighs and mumbles in response. "A goddamn light...okay, I'll read it."
Araval makes his way through the hallways into the candle-lit room where Lillian has almost finished setting up the Teleportation spell. Noticing his entrance she turns her head in his direction slightly, making the finishing touches.
"It's nice to see you. Did you manage to find any information that pertains to our issue?" Lillian asks.
"Yes, and it's more troubling than we originally thought." Araval worryingly replies.
Lillian stops her work and stands up to face Araval.
"Well? What did you find out?" Lillian voices back with worry.
"Xzeralaki wasn't expelled for her differing views from the Archnobles. She went rogue when the Archnobles discovered a Primordial Artefact, and she killed them when they were sealing it to take it for her own."
Lillian gulps as her usually confident exterior is shaken to its core.
"So the boy was telling the truth. This is unsettling news, to say the least." Lillian paces the room, unsettled.
"There is potential light in this situation of darkness. Grand Magister Vyn informed me he has been creating a device that could track the location of the Primordial Artefacts." Araval replies, hopeful, as Lillian stops pacing.
"The Grand Magister? You went to him for help?" Lillian raises her voice with frustration. "Whatever, it is irrelevant considering the circumstances. But why would he share that device with us, though? A lot of trust in a couple of retired Magisters." Lillian curiously adds.
"He says he needs help finishing it, and with our current knowledge of Xzeralaki, we seem to be the most trustworthy." Araval voices.
"We have no other choice and don't have the time to think of something else. Tell Grand Magister Vyn we'll help him, but tell him nothing of the boy, Garrick. He needs to remain as invisible as possible." Lillian utters with a disapproving tone.
"I agree with your sentiment. I'll tell Grand Magister Vyn our decision at first light tomorrow." Araval says.
End chapter