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Chapter 103: Fate
🕑 Added 2024-07-30 05:48:57 +0000 UTCWorld: MSS - Loading...
***
Delas sat on a chair, right outside of the room where Lock and Coum were cooped up in. He was still dressed in light cloth, covering just enough to be considered a loincloth. Both his feet propped up on the table and next to them was his Horse Mask. His hair was slick with sweat as he stared at the ceiling.
“How long has it been since he screamed?” Delas didn’t look at Tanya.
“...He stopped screaming after the first hour.” Tanya sat opposite of Delas, her dextrous dwarven hands fiddling with another contraption. She stopped and fixed Delas with a look. “It’s Coum we’re talking about,” then she turned back to her fiddling.
Delas looked at Tanya and then shuddered.
“He’s good.” Delas finally muttered.
“Of course he’s good.” She replied. “Or else Nathan wouldn’t keep him so close.”
“I meant Lock.”
She frowned and looked at Delas again. Her old friend was staring at the ceiling again. “You won though. And pretty easily from the looks of it.”
“Well, I’ve been here for 8 years.” Delas shook his head, closing his eyes. “He’s been in this world for a year at most, I think. Maybe less.”
“Meh, who cares.” Tanya shrugged. “He’ll turn.”
Delas shifted in his seat, looking at the steel-framed door built into the walls of the tunnels themselves. “You think so?”
“Everyone turns, Delas. Everyone.”
“He’s strong.”
“And you beat him with swords, not even with your daggers.” Tanya shot back. “How strong does that make you?”
“Not like that. And that fight was… well, yes I did win. But I went into the fight knowing exactly what Cores he had and his fighting style. I’m not talking about that.” Delas frowned. “He’s… Gah, I don’t know. I feel bad for him, that’s all.”
Tanya just stared at him, mouth open. She finally managed, “You’ve got to be kidding me. You like the guy?!”
“...He’s got guts.” The rogue shifted position again. “If a little stupid. He could lie and then escape. It’d be pretty easy. He has me figured out too, he could just stall until enough defense buffs stack up. Then speed wouldn’t matter, he’d just bulldoze over everything here. So lying is the best option. Stick with us for even a couple of days you know.”
“And that’s precisely why he lost. Cause he’s stupid.” Tanya growled. “Because he thinks of these NPCs as people. If he bided his time instead of rushing in, he might’ve stood a chance.”
“That’s why I’m saying he’s got guts.” Delas interrupted. “Just saying, T. He’s refusing to bend just out of principle. He’s basically saying a big ‘fuck you’ to all of us here. You, me, Coum. Everyone who hurt that orc master of his. Out of principle. He knows he’s going to end up dead and still going through with it.”
“I don’t think he’ll turn.” He finished.
“Then that’s why he’s going to die. Because he believes in bullshit like loyalty.” Tanya muttered, looking at her wristwatch. It was her own creation. “Coum’s had him for almost a day. You know how he is. By this point… it doesn’t matter how many healing potions we stuff down his neck. He’s going to be broken.”
“I know what Coum’s capable of. He’s the one who taught me how to torture, remember? Just a damned waste is all.”
“And if Coum overhears what you just said, he’s going to tell Nathan. Then Nathan’s going to throw one of his hissy fits again.” She finished. For her, that was the end of the discussion and turned her attention back to the trinket. "And if Nathan throws a hissy fit, then the main branch is going to start looking at us. And no one wants to get involved with them."
“So much for [Aura].” Delas said wistfully.
“We’ll find another way. We always do. If the stupid Emperor didn’t forbid [Aura] outside of Knights and the Great Houses…”
The door creaked open and both of them sat up straighter as Coum stepped out.
Coum exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped his hands, leaving long red stains in the soft cloth. There were scarlet splatters on his face, made all the more eerie by his paler-than-snow skin and the blue tattoos that writhed on his bald head. He finally looked at the two, folding the handkerchief into a neat square and putting it somewhere in his robes.
“Well?” Tanya said crossly.
“Yes, Tanya?” The mans’ voice was soft.
“What happened there?” She snapped.
“Oh. Well, I began by inserting the hooked needles underneath his toenails. Then I started with the shins, stripping off his skin in inch wide strips, until they were hanging by a flap on the bottom of his feet. Then I-”
“Stop!” Tanya blocked her ears, glaring at the mage. Once she was sure he wasn’t speaking, Tanya lowered her arms. “I wasn’t asking for that, Coum! I’m asking if he said anything.”
“...He begged.”
Delas and Tanya looked at each other.
“He begged?” Delas leaned from the chair, his body all lean and hungry. His words dripped with greed and an emptiness, a longing so intense that Tanya shied away from the man. “Did he say it then? He told you how to use [Aura]?”
“No.” Coum didn’t seem bothered by Delas at all. “He did not beg for me to stop.”
“He begged for me to kill him.” He finished, without any particular inflection.
"Shit." Tanya hissed in sympathy.
“Tch.” Delas clicked his tongue and the intensity around him abruptly melted away to nothingness. Getting up from his seat, he said, “That’s my cue to go. I’m heading out to the Church. I’m supposed to be at the docks, bright and early tomorrow.”
“Take care of Astelion.” Tanya muttered, waving a hand in good-bye.
Without another word, Delas disappeared down the tunnel.
“You going back in there or need a break?”
“Strange.” Coum said, looking down the tunnel.
“You know I don’t like it when you do that right?”
“Do what?”
“Answer my question with something cryptic. What are you, Jesus?”
“The prophecy I intercepted,” Coum began, much to Tanya’s chagrin, “Stated that we would have to face off against five individuals.”
“We did. Lock and his party.” Tanya humored the mage. Delas was gone and she had nothing better to do.
“No. If it was truly him, then the amount of Fate surrounding him would have disappeared.” Coum muttered to himself, his gaze distant.
Tanya spun her finger on her temple, rolling her eyes. “Always knew you were Cuckoo, Coum. Didn’t think you’d start talking about Fate.”
“The whole reason why we exist is because we fight against Fate.” Coum turned, his words growing more cryptic. “This Lock has a great amount of Fate surrounding him. Yet, none of it has disappeared. Even in this moment where his life hangs in the balance. That means… that the danger has yet to come. His Fate does not recognize this as a significant event where he will have to exert influence. Someone else will use their Fate to save him.”
“Dude, seriously.” Tanya scowled at Coum’s back.
“If I were you, I would check on your men. Meanwhile, I must check on something…” Then Coum opened the doors and re-entered the room where Lock was.
Leaving Tanya wondering.
Nathan often spoke about the Fates and the Gods of this world. But she always turned a blind-eye to it and never paid it much attention. Still, there was a reason why Nathan valued Coum and kept him around. If nothing else, Coum was smart. Crazy, but smart. Deciding it couldn’t hurt, Tanya walked down the tunnels just to check on the state of her Clan.
***
CRUNCH
THUD
THUD
The bodies dropped to the floor even before they could scream.
L’teya braced one foot against the corpse and wrenched her ax out, one at a time, with a sickening sound. She flicked the axes and blood came off, staining the ground. Spinning them in each hand she tucked them into a loop on her belt. The red–headed elf barbarian looked around to see everyone else cleaning up.
Arione had burnt two men to cinders within the first second of the fight and stood out of the way, allowing the others to work. He kept Scarlet and Clover close, keeping them within arm’s reach. Clover was nothing more than a hooded figure with pink curls flashing whenever she moved. Her eyes reflected the fire around them with an eerie glow.
Maria sank her fist into the man's face and her spiked gauntlets came out the other side of his skull. She smiled, bracing her foot against the corpse much like Lety had done and wrenched her fist out. Turning, the Akka Xalud Scion smiled at L’teya. “Always a pleasure to watch you dance, Elf.”
L’teya ignored her. “How much longer?”
Scarlet rummaged in the folds of his robe and brought out a small piece of parchment. [Magellan’s Map]. An enchanted map that was classified as a rare [Artifact Relic]. It was constantly active, self-updating to reflect where the user was. In this case, Magellan’s Map updated itself to match the Scavenger’s Hideout. There was a small blue dot which represented where they were.
“Clover… our target… you said he’s at the top?” Scarlet asked, in his usual calm, evenly measured style of speech.
Oung’s Chosen nodded. “Yes. I can sense him now.”
“Come on then, we’re in a time crunch. Chop chop, folks!” Arione clapped Scarlet and Clover on the shoulder. Scarlet nodded with determination while Clover escaped Arione’s grasp and began leading the way.
“Ah, ah ah!” Arione wagged a finger. “Formation! Formation!”
Lety could’ve sworn Clover rolled her eyes.
L’teya took point, Scarlet and Clover right behind her. Then Arione followed, with the rear being brought up by Maria.
“You all should really consider recruiting a proper shielder.” Maria commented while the five of them walked through the tunnels. “The poor elf is growing tired already.”
“Mind your own business, Scion.” L’teya growled.
“Um… pretty sure that someone’s going to notice us if you two keep arguing… Master… stop them… that’s how we got into this mess the first time…”
“No no, it’s my fault.” Arione mocked in a sobbing tone. “If only I was a better leader, I could’ve changed out all of Lety’s Cores before our big mission tomorrow!”
“I said don’t call me Lety.”
“Not to worry though! Where we’re going, we’ll find plenty of Cores to replace your current ones! Not to mention that we’ll be going with the Church! So we can swap Cores right on the spot!”
Lety chanced a glance back at Clover. The beastwoman seemed lost in thought, gaze unfocused.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t go tomorrow.” Lety finally said.
“Why? Are you scared, Elf?”
“Because we are running short on time as it is.” Lety snapped, just sharp enough to be mean.
Maria simply smiled. “Or perhaps it’s because your lover is going to be with us there.”
“He’s not my-”
“Oh right, he was Clover’s lover. I forgot.” Maria winked at the barbarian.
“We must go to the Island. Our next clue is there.” Clover interjected before Lety bursted in outrage. “It does not matter if Lock is there or not.”
“It’s going to matter to him, a lot.” Arione pouted. “As a matter of fact, it’s going to matter to me a lot too.”
He had never forgotten Lock’s promise.
One day, the two of them would fight to the death. Even if Arione spoke flippantly about the subject now, he still remembered the chill surrounding Lock’s words and the deathly calm with which they were delivered. Arione had encountered few men like Lock in his time in MSS and every single time, he had to put his life on the line to survive. Yet, Arione was still here.
A small solace, but a solace nonetheless.
“That’s only if Lock finds out about our identity.” Clover said. “And even if he does, it doesn’t matter. We cannot allow the Key to fall into the wrong hands.”
“Be truthful, sweetheart.” Maria drawled. “You’re happy to see your ex-boyfriend.”
“On the contrary,” Clover answered. “I’m scared.”
At Clover’s admission, no one spoke for a bit.
“Do you think… he would hurt you?...” Scarlet ventured.
“Perhaps. I do not know.” Clover sighed. “Back when we were in the Samak Desert, before everything happened, before Oung started speaking to me, he was a friend.”
“I know what I did to him was unfair. But I also think what he did to me is unfair.” Clover continued walking, seemingly uncaring that she had everyone’s attention. “But we knew nothing about this world back then. By Oung’s name, I never thought my life would take a turn in this direction either. None of us are the same people we were.”
“True, never thought I’d find myself traveling with a bunch of lesser races, doing the dirty works of a goddess.” Maria quipped.
“What I’m saying is that he’s a different person now. So am I.” Clover shook her head, finding it hard to convey what she was feeling. “It is complicated.”
“Honey, that’s exactly what we call a lover’s trife.”
Lety didn’t snap at Maria’s comment. Instead she reached out and held Clover’s hand, squeezing gently. The pink-haired beastman squeezed back lightly. Only for a short moment, but it had been there. Lety smiled at her friend.
“You never know.” Lety assured Clover. “Maybe it won’t be as bad.”
“I hope you two are not planning on a reunion anytime soon.” Arione said dryly. “He promised to kill me, remember?”
L’teya growled but did not say anything.
She hated Arione, yes. But did she want him to die? No. She’d traveled with the slimy scoundrel for a better part of a year. As much as they bickered and as much as she wanted to grab Clover and escape his clutches, that didn’t mean she wanted him dead. No, Arione didn’t deserve that in L’teya’s opinion. Truthfully, she meant a little bit of what she said to Clover to include Arione as well.
Naive, yes. Even L’teya knew that. But one can dream.
“Yes. And Lock’s the type to keep his promise.” Clover muttered. “He might have changed, but I doubt he’s changed that much.”
“We’ll have to keep our identities hidden.” Arione rubbed his chin, pretending to think. “Just be sure to avoid him. Don’t cross paths if you can help it.”
“We also don’t want Zenom Saintred to find out who we are.” Maria said, serious for once. “That’d be less than… ideal.”
Arione nodded in agreement.
Technically, Arione had his bounty called off thanks to Jason –Maria’s brother. But then again, Maria had a slight falling out with her brother which was why she was traveling with Arione’s party in the first place. Jason was the type to keep true to his word, but Arione also didn’t want to test it. There was also the matter of Zenom Saintred being a genuine zealot: his belief was the real thing. If there ever was a Holy Knight that should be the posterboy for MSS’ version of the Crusades, Zenom was it.
Zenom Saintred. Lock Slaveborn. Not to mention he had recognized some [Players] from the Player’s Guild at the quest…
He had known that the Key would be a coveted item. However, he had no expected so much competition. The Player’s Guild, he could understand. They were also looking for the hidden secret pieces of this world. If people like Clover worked for the gods, the Players Guild worked for themselves. A hidden war for the keys to inherit the quests that could make someone leave their mark in history.
Oh, it wasn’t anything dramatic as the apocalypse. Far from it. The only thing that could be compared to the Apocalypse was a war or a Monster Wave of high grade monster. Hell, even a Grade-SS monster might be worse news than someone actually succeeding the title of one of the [Six Heroes].
Then again, the title of the [Six Heroes] wasn’t simply about the martial power that came with it. It was influence. Political power, for the related race would rally under that person’s banner. They could forge relations with different countries: either for the better or worse. They could cause Wars or end them.
Actually, now that Arione was thinking about it for the first time, it was pretty bad.
Which was why he had to become the [Grand Mage] of the Elves before any of the other Six Heroes could show up.
His mission was twofold in nature. Prevent the rise of the other Six Hero candidates while elevating himself to the title of [Grand Mage]. That way, he could protect this world that he so loved.
Arione could ease the bad relations between Zimmskar and the Turina Empire. He could get the Turina Empire to take a more peaceful approach instead of their war-like aggressive expansionist policies. He could reach out to the Mages in the Babel Towers, releasing magic machinery that could solve many of the world’s problems. He could get the Jayu States to tame the surrounding areas held by the Monster Territory Lords.
Arione could do a lot of good things.
He could change this world from what it was now, a place fraught with danger from monsters and people alike, into a Utopia.
Him. He could do it. Arione could be the main character of-
“Master… what are you thinking about?”
Arione coughed. “Er, nothing.”
Clover sighed and Arione had a feeling that she knew exactly what he was talking about.
The five member party continued to walk towards their Fate.
Comments
Karma Li
Great chapter, I'm a bit surprised Lock can still mumbled something after 1 day straight of horrific torture, it isn't something you can experience everyday and it's not like the pain you receive in a fight as you have dopamine to reduce the pain you feel. And the torture you describe is quite gruesome and painful. It's not something someone can take on without a training or have a great tolerance to pain but as you have said in a previous chapter, Core may subtly affect the mind of it owner so maybe his Cores has enhanced his mind and tolerance to pain but I wonder how you will be able to make Lock "normal" enough to continue on his adventures after such an event. And as for Arione, oh boy, I just want him dead.
Karma Li
I think that either Lock get his mind clean by a divine intervention or he self-brainwash to focus on an ideal/Aim/Goal or anything like that, though he won't be like before. Or he can successfully restructure his broken mind into something else though even for me, it's a bit a Deus Ex Machina as most of the time, the author fail badly this part from what I have read.
ImBaroqe
I’m not sure you can recover from this sort of torture. Will we have an utterly broken main character going forward? I don’t think it’s possible to write with Lock as the MC any longer, too difficult. It is however feasible to have him be a character like Arrosh, and somebody else as the MC.
Mordock 24
Wow, arione made helping the world self-centered somehow
