wkrrk
patreon
Chapter 110: Arrosh Bloodedge (5)
🕑 Added 2024-08-13 06:03:17 +0000 UTCWorld: MSS - Loading...
***
“I’m going to say this once. Move.”
“He’s cute. Can I kill him?”
The way this figure held herself told me that she was a warrior, a seasoned one too. I thought I saw the glint of metal –something wicked sharp and curved– around the hem of her sleeves but couldn’t tell what it was. It could be anything. A short dagger. Just a plain metal greave. Regardless, the presence of armor told me that my suspicion was correct. She was no mage.
The tall figure next to her growled and I recognized the voice. Strands of red hair were hanging down out of the hood and there was a definitive strength to her stance. “Cool it, Scion.”
I fought not to grin, recognizing the voice.
“Oh, acting cool now that your lover is here?” The other one replied.
“I’ll-”
Slowly, I raised the sword across my body. My stance made them both stop talking.
I had missed her, yes. But who knew how she’d changed in the time she traveled with this new party? The banter could just be a distraction. I couldn’t be reminiscing about what could’ve been, I had to focus on what was. Yeah, I was not sure how deep the damages were to my body was, as of yet, and this battle against a known face might be pushing it.
But so what? Some things, you just do. Protecting Arrosh was one of them.
“Lock, ” The one in the front took a step out from the others. “I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings this time.”
I ground my foot into the dirt. Those skilled with combat should know, I was making sure my footing was stable. The two bickering cloaks stiffened, slowly turning their gazes in my direction again.
“Oh, I see why you like him now.” The scratchy voice said, still amused, yet in a completely different tone than before. “He really is cute.”
Lety –or whom I assumed was Lety– stayed quiet and I could see that her eyes were glued to the center of my body. One of her fingers twitched towards her axes.
Who knew when the day would come when I would even think about taking on Lety?
“Everyone, stop.” The cloaked figure finally reached her pale, snow-white hands up and took the cowl off. Revealing a pretty face, much too young for the eyes socketed into them.
Her features were sharper than I remembered, her cheekbones stood out sharp against her almost too round eyes. She’d lost weight but was no less beautiful than before. All the cute baby fat of a twenty something year old had disappeared. She reminded me of those confident business women who worked at my parent’s company. Assured of their influence, hungry for power –but there was always a hint of tiredness about them. She was the same. Her pink hair was cut short and barely reached the bottom of her chin, framing her face in a pixie cut.
Following her cue, my other friend took off her cowl too. She had always been pretty but now, she was breathtaking. Even the loose cloak couldn’t hide the deep lines of her body.
“Slaveborn.” Lety said easily, grinning.
“Hello, Lock. It’s been awhile.” Clover said, her voice so soft that it was almost muffled by the sheer presence of the high-leveled adventurers in this cavern.
Then she said something that made me believe aliens existed in MSS. Because there’s no way she said that unless she’d been abducted by aliens and replaced.
“I’m here to help.”
How can I describe this feeling?
There was definitely longing there. Not the longing of a long-lost lover, neither of them had been that for me, though the possibility had been there in my opinion. It was a longing that existed between friends who had a misunderstanding and a falling out. A longing that exists on a basic level that it could be clarified right above the need for food and sleep. A need to connect, to make things right.
Before the Samak Horde’s downfall, both of us had been running on adrenaline. Bodies were burning, I had just battled against the Mage, Arione. People were screaming. Emotions were heightened. Perhaps it’s even fair to say we weren’t really mad at each other, but just lashing out with the hurricane of emotions that boiled up from the events of that night. Maybe, just maybe, it was all just a misunderstanding and things could be made right.
We could be something like comrades again.
But I remembered. I remembered the burning orcs, the smell of burnt flesh that tickled the tip of my nose and drilled their way into my nostrils and buried themselves in my brain. The acrid scent of smoke and horrible hair follicles catching flame as the Fire Mage burned civilians –both women and children– alive. I remembered how Clover had stuck up for him. The merciless look in his eyes as he slayed the people of this world, right before he claimed to have loved them.
But beneath that, beneath all that, there was hope.
Hope that there was a middle ground here. Some consensus we could reach.
But first, there were things needed to be said.
“The three of them,” I whispered, my sword still held high. “Tell them to show their faces too.”
The tallest one took a step back.
“You already know who it is, Lock.” Clover said. “There’s no need to aggravate the situation.”
“The hell there’s no need.” I started to growl.
“The orc behind you is in pain.” Clover said and that made me shut my mouth. “We both know he won’t die. But I also know that burns of that caliber hurt. It hurts more than one knows.”
"...but you already know all about orcs and burns, don't you, Lock?"
It was like she took a knife and stabbed it right where it hurt.
“Are you just going to watch someone burn?” She said, twisting the knife one final time. “Again?”
Ok. Ouch.
Maybe Clover had been replaced by aliens. Because this type of sinister sadistic manipulation had not been part of her skillset back when I knew her.
Regardless, I could set aside the two mages for now and the mysterious ‘Scion’. That was more than enough information to prepare for the inevitable. It’s not like I had any chance of getting out of this alive if it came to a fight. Really, they had been showing me mercy. But I didn't want to seem like a pushover either.
Because there was a reason they were here and whatever they wanted, I had no intention of handing it over for free.
“Then heal Arrosh first. Then we can talk.” I finally said.
Surprisingly, Clover nodded. “That’s fine with me.” She swayed forward, like she was about to take a step then stopped. “I have to lay hands on him. May I?"
I nodded sharply, turning to the side. I made sure I could look at both Arrosh and Clover’s party at once.
“Paranoid. I’m liking him more and more.” The cloaked Scion commented.
While that had been going on, Clover walked across the distance and passed by me. As she passed, there was the scent of Earth and Flowers, something I was beginning to associate with the Oung’s chosen Kaguras. The robe hung loosely on her, more than it should have. Clover had been a rather curvy woman and I assumed she was the same now. But the cloak was hiding just how thin she was.
“You look good, Lock.” She murmured, softly enough that I could imagine those lips nibbling on my collarbone.
Ah, the curse of being a man. Thinking of sex even during moments like this.
"You too."
“That’s sweet of you. Then again, you always were sweet, in your own way.” Then she kneeled next to Arrosh’s body, putting a hand over him.
Then green light fell from her hands like dust. First, just a few streams than a second later fistfuls of green healing mana fell from her palms, enveloping Arrosh. Unlike Healing Potions, healing spells did not hurt at all. His wounds began to heal and the raw red skin turned the pale green of his normal skin again. Within seconds, Arrosh’s ragged breathing was evenly spaced and stable.
Clover got up, saying, “He will wake soon,” then without even waiting for me to say thanks she walked over to her party and faced me and Arrosh.
She was right. Arrosh woke up soon after. “Young Storm?”
“I’m here.” I dared not take my eyes off of the other Party, but kept Arrosh in the corner of my vision.
He turned his head left and right. “The river of blood stops flowing. Young Crow, who are the guests in front of us? Do they hold daggers behind their backs or come bearing gifts with hands open wide in friendship?”
"Definitely daggers."
Clover smiled, just a little. “We come bearing propositions, Elder Arrosh Bloodedge.”
They knew his name? How?
“You know who I am, little sheep?” Arrosh answered.
“...Is he really blind?” L’teya asked, seemingly to me.
I shrugged.
Clover answered, “Yes, Elder. You were once the last disciple of Nearnigh, the [Sword Saint].”
Slowly, I turned to Clover.
That faint smile was still on her face. “I told you, Lock. I’m here to help.”
My head began to spin. How the hell did she know about Arrosh and his identity as the Sword Saint’s disciple? The last time I spoke to Clover, she barely believed in Oung. Did the relationship between Oung and Clover advance so much as for Clover to start being involved in the same questlines that I was involved in? Yes, she was a Kagura but Kaguras were supposed to do queslines that helped the Beastman people. That’s how priests and holy knight and witch doctors got their unlocked more abilities. By fulfilling the requests of their deity.
…Did Oung set this whole thing up from the beginning?
“We serve the same master, Lock.” She said, as if that explained everything.
“I don’t have masters anymore, Clover.” I said, out of reflex. “And neither should you.”
“Then suffice to say, that for now, we are on the same side.” Clover answered cooly “All three of us, in fact. You, Elder Arrosh and us as well.”
I turned my back on Arrosh, facing them fully. “I don’t even know what side you’re on. Stop talking in riddles and tell me what you want.”
The belligerent tone turned Clover’s eyes a shade chillier, and her words were clipped out of annoyance. “Fine.”
“Oung has charged our party with two missions. One, find Elder Arrosh. Two, stop Turina from getting their hands on the relic in Claw’s Nest. Hence, we were at the Church at the same time as your party.”
I wanted to accuse her of lying. I also wanted to accuse her of beingevil. But my own thoughts had led to the same conclusion, that Oung was involved in this. This was becoming something out of my depth here, in the game version of MSS, the gods had been almost nonexistent. Just background lore. However, in this life, they were so active and I think this was the first time that I started to question just exactly how involved they were.
“She speaks the truth.” Arrosh whispered, only to me.
“Slaveborn, we are not lying to you.” Lety chimed in, when I didn’t say anything. “If we were lying, why would we heal the Elder and try to talk to you?”
“You still haven’t told me what you wanted.” I said quietly.
“Simple.” Clover raised her chin. “A truce. Between my party and yours, for the duration of the Church’s quest.”
I laughed in her face. “You’ve got to be joking.” I pointed at the man behind her, who had surprised me by keeping his mouth shut until now. “He’s agreed to this?”
“You’re the one who promised to kill him, Lock, not the other way around.” Clover stated.
“And how do I know you five won’t backstab us first thing?” I started to poke holes in her plan. “And you really think that having a Scion on your team is a good idea? I don’t know what family she’s from, but if Lety calls her a Scion I’m guessing she’s not a Bastard. You’re planning to backstab the Church with a Scion who was raised to be a loyal dog of Turina?”
The cloaked Scion went deathly still.
“Stop talking.” The Scions voice was no longer the playful, come-hither sex kitten act from before. It was all ice and frozen rage of unknown depth. She actually took a step toward me. “Right now.”
“And your Elven Mage,” I continued, not caring. “How do I know that when shit goes down, he won’t bail first thing?” I narrowed my eyes. “You should know by now, what kind of people I surround myself with. People with principles. Disciple. Honor. He’s not it, Clover.”
“And your party is full of saints, Lock?” Clover argued back. “You have no idea of the things that Kyrian Tricilan did while in service to the Akka Xaluds. There’s a reason why he was selected to be the mage in Jason Akka Xalud’s personal party. Did he ever tell you that?”
In fact, he did. But she didn’t give me a chance to answer.
“What about Aurora Vetilian? I hope you know that Bastards are controlled down to their fingertips. The Turina Empire trains Bastards as their hunting dogs, their spies and their assassins. Why do you think Aurora Vetilian is in Jayu in the first place? To pursue her dream of becoming an adventurer? She’s here because of a mission, Lock. And that mission was getting close to you.”
I growled, taking a step forward. How dare she accuse my comrades of-
“Anger clouds your mind like a fog, red staining everything like the blood of an angry man.” Arrosh rumbled quietly next to me.
Even back in the Samak Desert, Clover and I hadn’t been on the best of terms. Now we were literally at odds.
I bit back my retort, barely managing it. “There’s no deal here Clover. You can forget it. Go your way and pray that we don’t cross swords during the actual mission.” I pointed a finger towards the Mage. “I warned you. I fucking warned you. If you showed your face in front of me one more fucking time-”
Clover strode over and blocked him from my view.
I stopped, mouth open.
For a moment, we just stared at each other.
“Lock. I’ve spent longer with him than I have with you.” She said quietly.
That was true.
But it still hurts.
I think some part of me didn’t want to believe that Clover and Lety had their own lives. Having had their own episodes with the Elven Mage, the same way I did. It’s like… yeah, you might hate someone but you spend enough time together, they grow on you. They become a comrade. A friend. Someone you can leave your back to.
I just never thought it would happen between Clover, Lety and Arione.
“There’s another reason why we can’t work together.” I said, just as quietly.
“...What’s that?” Clover replied.
“Can you trust me? After knowing what I truly am?”
She didn’t say anything to that.
“I can.” The sheep beastman said finally. Then she added, “Please Lock. This is important. Lives depend on this.”
Lives. Huh.
"Funny you'd say that." I retorted.
She looked away.
One thing was for sure though, Clover was hiding things from me. She knew more than she was letting on… which meant that she might have information about the political side of this search for the Relic, while I only had knowledge of the dungeon and monsters.
“...I want a weregild,” were the first words out of my mouth after a long bout of silence.
“Blood money?” Clover confirmed.
“From him.” I pointed a finger at Arione, who was still cloaked and hid his face. “To the orcs in the Slums. Pay it before we leave for Claw’s Nest.”
“Then you’ll work with us?” Clover said, hopefully.
“...After you pay it,” I took a breath. “Afterwards, we can talk one more time. And this time, I don’t want you to hold anything back. After you tell me the whole thing, I’ll decide.”
“And we’ll have plenty of time to talk on the boat ride.” Clover nodded. “Done.”
I rubbed my hands, feeling like I touched something greasy.
“We’re literally leaving in a couple of hours!” Arione’s whiny little voice needled out.
“Quiet, master!” I recognized this voice too, it was that kid-mage, Scarlet. “Clover is talking!”
Ignoring them, I made to leave. “If that’s all you wanted, I want you guys to move aside. We’re leaving now.”
“Ah, one more thing.” Clover stopped me, suddenly cheerful. “And this one is not for you Lock, it’s for Elder Arrosh since you became open to cooperating at least.”
I shot her a look. “What’re you-”
Stepping towards us, Clover Weinport flashed a brilliant smile and took the Sword Saint’s last disciple’s hands. “Your disciple most likely meant to leave you behind in the Slums. But I know that you wish to be close to him, to watch over his growth. After all, you only have his best intentions in mind.”
“...Clover, he’s injured. He’s been stuck here for only the gods know how long.” I wanted to step in between them. It was like watching a granddaughter wrap her grandfather around her little finger, acting all innnocent but knowing exactly what she was doing. “Whatever you’re about to ask of him, save it for next time.”
“Elder Arrosh, we need a Wayfinder in our party. Would you like to come with us? Just as long as Lock is cooperating with us?” She said, ignoring me.
Was she crazy?
“What? Are you crazy?”
“This Eldered One is more than honored to accept.” Then without anyone seeing, he pinched me.
…What?
“...What?” I, the Master of Wit, said.
“Oh take it easy, Lock. It's temporary.” The damned beast woman was smiling, her horns shining. Then turning on her heel, Clover left with her party. "Don't be late."
Without looking back, they left with Lety waving a hand over her shoulder. Leaving me and Arrosh staring after them.
“...What?”
And I realized that damned Clover never even offered to heal my wounds.
Comments
Moon Winchester
I just want him to stab himself and almost die. Just to freak everyone out.
Joseph Phoenix
I trust arrosh🙏🏽wherever he thinks they should go they need to be there
Mordock 24
I mean he did find arrosh
Joxter
From a reader’s perspective this is a lot of big losses stacked together with no good wins. Losses: 1) Pushed around by the scavengers without getting the core they were after.The core they got is of unknown value to the reader. 2) Lost to the dwarf and pulled into the pit. 3) Lost to the horse guy. 4) Tortured and broke. 5) Effectively lost in this exchange with clover. Wins:1) Got a core of unknown value (didn’t feel great imo) 2) Killed the torturer (felt like an empty win imo). In my opinion Lock (the reader) needs to start getting some solid wins and get some rest from chapters ending in emotional losses.
Earthy
My first time typing but I don't like this devolpment it is piss poor.
Mordock 24
And we thought coums torture was bad
Predyca
How? Why? Wtf?
Predyca
Whut? What the heck?
SlanneshSoldier69
There is an alternate way to look at this though. One of a manipulator who says it's fine because I am looking out for his best interest as well. She wants him in her party still. I am sure she rationalizes it's because of how strong he is, but really it's due to emotions. There is no way she is cool with orks still. It's just to get Locke to join. Her badmouthing the other party was largely to encourage him to join them. She made it out like she is comrades/friends with the mage, but really she isn't etc. I think the issue is at some point when it is her vs Locke especially if they are in debt with Oung she will obviously choose herself.
Korviz
Mmm that sucks for Lock? I think Lock is gonna lock this up and internalize this for later
Terra
One key takeaway from this: never trust Clover anymore. Whatever she says, it's only for her benefit and her benefit alone. I don't know what Arrosh is thinking but this is at least a betrayal of trust with Lock. I'm guessing he foresaw the future using his core? So that's why he teamed-up? As for party balance? I believe Lock's team would surpass Arione's team in no time. Lock's party has something Arione's doesn't have: trust, integrity, and honor.
SlanneshSoldier69
I don't know what to say. Things just don't go his way.
Seungmin Lim
Wow. Arione's party is more balanced than Lock's now.
