Guide 8: Chapter 31: Buddies or Foes

Arcus locked eyes with Victor and nodded. “Agreed. Allow us to consider the remainder of this treasure earlier than settling the matter of the orb.”

“After all.” Arona took a step again and gestured on the massive, iron-bound chest. “This orb is a part of a treasure, seemingly generated by the System. If touched, it might be absorbed, so let’s use warning.”

Victor nodded, however a part of him was considering he ought to simply seize the orb. If Arcus wished to battle about it, possibly it was higher to get it over with. It could be a straightforward option to push issues to a head. After all, it will make him the aggressor, and he’d lose any ethical excessive floor he would possibly presently get pleasure from. Because it was, all he had have been rumors of Arcus’s impending betrayal. Up to now, the person had been sometimes acerbic, and his character wasn’t precisely Victor’s cup of tea, however he hadn’t completed something to warrant outright hostility.

“Victor,” Arcus mentioned, startling him out of his musings of betrayal. “Do you object to me taking out the opposite objects within the chest? I gained’t contact the orb.”

Victor shrugged and glanced at Arona. Her darkish eyes have been targeted on the chest, and her face was emotionless. “Why are you asking me?”

Arcus smiled and tapped the heavy wooden of the chest together with his darkish steel rod. “I’ve adventured with Arona. She is aware of I gained’t try any subterfuge.”

“It’s true,” Arona rasped. “Arcus could have character flaws, however he’s no thief.”

Victor grunted in assent; he figured it was simple for a man whose household was thought-about rich in a metropolis stuffed with wealthy demigods to withstand the temptation of thievery. The Pyromancer leaned over the chest and lifted out a glittering, jewel-studded golden crown. It was an enormous, gaudy factor, and Victor discovered himself hoping it wasn’t something nice as a result of he couldn’t see himself sporting it. “Mundane treasure,” Arcus introduced. “I’d estimate its worth at 2 hundred thousand commonplace beads.” He set it on the bottom earlier than the chest.

Arcus reached again into the chest and took out a broadsword. It was a few yard lengthy with a large, double-edged blade of shimmering, opalescent gray-black steel. It could be a brief sword to Victor, and he doubted his hand can be snug on the human-sized, slim hilt. Nonetheless, the steel regarded superb, and he may sense the standard of the weapon with out even touching it. Arcus cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes. “A Rhovarian broadsword crafted from sableglow metal.”

“Does it stay?” Arona requested, leaning shut.

“There is no such thing as a aware spirit inside this blade.” Arcus hefted it, a considerate expression behind his eyes, then added, “It’s effectively made, however I’d say the supplies are price greater than the sword itself. I’d wager it will garner greater than one million commonplace beads at public sale.” He set the sword down beside the crown.

Victor heard a grunt of consternation and turned to see Tyn leaning ahead, hesitantly lifting a hand. “What’s it, Tyn?”

“What’s an public sale?”

Arona answered earlier than Victor may consider a straightforward rationalization, “A manner for big numbers of individuals to specific curiosity in an merchandise. They make provides, and the one who ‘bids’ probably the most wins the merchandise.”

“Ah!” Tyn nodded eagerly.

Arcus chuckled, then took one other merchandise from the chest. It was a darkish blue crystal ring. “A hoop of Crystal Safety—two expenses.” He set the ring beside the crown, and when he regarded up, he will need to have seen Victor’s expression as a result of he added, “It is going to create a shell across the wearer manufactured from dense crystal. The shell lasts a number of seconds and absorbs vital injury.”

Victor nodded. “Thanks.”Findd new tales at novelhall.com

Arcus reached again into the chest and withdrew a black, leather-bound tome. It wasn’t very giant—about 5 by seven inches and, Victor figured, in all probability contained round fifty pages. Arcus frowned, opening the highest cowl and peering on the first web page. He leafed by the next few pages after which shrugged. “It doesn’t supply any data once I try a bond, and I don’t acknowledge these runes.” To Victor’s slight vexation, he handed it to Arona. “Any concept?”

She, too, flipped by the pages and shrugged. “My grasp has some tomes and scrolls with runes of this model on the binding. He’s by no means taught me from any of them, and I actually don’t know what they imply. It might be treasured, or it might be junk.”

“Can I see it?” Victor held out his hand, and Arona handed the e book to him with a raised eyebrow. Victor knew what they have been considering; it wasn’t a secret that he was a berserking brute in fight. He didn’t usually do issues that exhibited a lot finesse, and it was in all probability changing into widespread information that he was comparatively uneducated in comparison with the opposite “prodigies” round Sojourn. With that in thoughts, he fought to maintain a straight face when he thumbed by the pages and instantly acknowledged the runes and patterns as elder magic.

The e book contained a spell or, no less than, a few of the constructing blocks of a spell written in elder magic. Why would the System award it? Was it as a result of the dungeon was tier-nine? Was it meant to assist individuals put together for his or her check of metal? It wasn’t the primary time Victor had postulated that the “check of metal” and “lustrous veil” had one thing to do with studying to make use of Vitality with out the System’s coaching wheels. He shrugged and set the e book down subsequent to the crown. “Anything?”

Arcus reached into the chest, and Victor may hear the clink of metals rubbing in opposition to one another as he ran his hand across the backside. “Nothing however gems, treasured steel cash, and a few attuned Vitality beads. I’d estimate one other million in whole worth.”

Victor sighed and stretched his neck, wringing forth some pops, making an attempt to look impatient as he mentioned, “Effectively, hear, nothing right here appears to be like all that nice, and, as you mentioned, a full stage from an Vitality orb is price an terrible lot for individuals at our stage.” Inwardly, he laughed as he mentioned, “our stage.” If Arona and Arcus knew he was twenty or thirty ranges beneath them, he may solely think about the apoplectic response his efficiency within the problem dungeon would have elicited.

“I . . .” Arona paused and checked out Victor, then shrugged. “I believe it’s extra precious to Arcus and me. I don’t know your stage, Victor, however my grasp indicated that you simply had a methods to go to achieve tier 9.”

“Sure, I have to concur with Arona, Victor. You’re conscious of the exponential improve within the Vitality requirement for ranges, sure? As I am positive you realize, the curve turns into very steep round tier seven. Have you learnt, although, that going from stage ninety to ninety-one is almost thirty occasions that of seventy to seventy-one?”

Victor, in actual fact, didn’t know that, but it surely made lots of sense; he’d gained his first few ranges virtually effortlessly and had gone by total tiers in a matter of weeks. Issues have been positively slower within the sixties, and listening to Arcus, it appeared like it will solely get rather a lot worse. It additionally defined why Arona and Arcus had been so enthusiastic about an Vitality orb they didn’t have to make use of instantly. What if she may save that orb till she hit stage ninety-nine? It’d save her years of labor. Nonetheless, he didn’t need them to understand how little he knew. He nodded and shrugged. “Yeah, but it surely’s nonetheless price rather a lot to me.”

Arcus’s mouth fell open, and he regarded a little bit flustered, like he was making an attempt to elucidate to a baby why he didn’t want a grownup’s costume sneakers. Arona stepped in with, “What if we offer you your decide of two of the opposite objects?”

“And the unfastened cash and treasure,” Arcus added.

Victor rubbed his chin, making an attempt to make it appear like a tough promote. In fact, he wished that e book. “If I take all that, it doesn’t go away a lot for you or Arona in case you don’t get that Vitality orb.”

“It’s superb.” Arcus shrugged. “We’ll settle the matter by probability, and the loser should settle for the smaller award. If you happen to recuse your self from the declare on the orb, it will increase our probabilities considerably.”

“She gained’t abide this case.”

Victor turned and began mountaineering once more. “She will be able to affect the others?”

Arcus nodded. “Oh sure. Particularly contemplating many others are all the time on her aspect of issues—Your grasp, Lord Yon, Kreshta Griss, and Lord Venryn. By no means thoughts the tons of of veil walkers not presently serving as consuls who contemplate her a pal.”

“However not my grasp or the opposite undead.” Arona virtually sighed as she spoke, and Victor may hear the disillusioned longing in her phrases.

“Why?”

“She’s a Summer time Fae. Effectively, not full-blooded, however very shut. She’s been to the Faewild and served on the Summer time Court docket.” Arona shrugged. “The Summer time Fae see undead and Dying Casters usually as antithetical to all they maintain expensive.”

Victor checked out Arona as she spoke; the unhappiness in her voice was unimaginable to overlook, but it surely was laborious to see any emotion in her darkish eyes. He didn’t wish to get private along with her, probably not, particularly with Arcus a part of the dialog, however he couldn’t cease himself from asking, “Are you? Undead, I imply? I knew you have been a Dying Caster, however . . .” He trailed off, permitting her to imagine his intention.

“I’m . . . in between. It’s laborious to elucidate, Victor. Suffice it to say that in her eyes, I’m. Given time, I might be, so why argue the superb level?”

“Oh, poor Arona,” Arcus scoffed. “Right here we go once more. Victor, you’ve no concept what number of occasions I’ve listened to her get drunk round a campfire and lament her destiny.” He shoved Arona’s shoulder and continued, “Weren’t you and Valeska scheming to flee Sojourn and your masters final Frost’s Day? Didn’t you betray her within the Vault of Valor?”

“Valeska—” Victor began, about to say he remembered that identify, however Arona reduce him off.

“Eat corpse bowels, Arcus!” She quickened her tempo, and Victor sighed, wanting down on the Elementalist.

“That wasn’t too cool, dude.”

“What? To talk the reality? She’s fickle, that one. She makes guarantees to that boy, but when killing the youngsters on this place would in some way advance her or her grasp’s energy, she’d do it.” Arcus shook his head, gathered some phlegm, and spat. “I’ll take the lead. We must always keep away from extra monster spawns so we will be completed with this damned place. Comply with me or my fowl in case you can’t see me.” He gestured to the fiery, circling fowl of prey excessive within the sky. Earlier than Victor may agree, Arcus burst into flames and started to jog, rapidly outpacing Arona. When he reached a steep grade within the hill, he leaped off and glided to the subsequent slope.

When Victor caught as much as Arona, she pointed to Arcus’s fiery type, already climbing the subsequent hill. “He usually does that in a dungeon, particularly wide-open ones like this.”

“It should be laborious rising up in a clique like that. I used to be going to say I keep in mind Valeska; she was that tall, sturdy lady with the 2 hatchets, proper?”

“Sure. Thorn and Bloom are her axes. She hasn’t spoken to me for the reason that contest, however I heard from a mutual pal that she almost went wild with despair when she thought she’d misplaced Thorn; the axe was caught in your again when the System rescued her. Then you definitely stabbed it into Brontes, and when the System rescued him, the axe got here alongside. She was overjoyed. I’m shocked she wasn’t at your get together.”

“Effectively . . .” Victor trailed off. He may suppose of some causes the lady won’t wish to come, beginning with the truth that she’d damaged dozens of bones throughout their battle. He shrugged, although, and tried to maintain issues constructive. “Possibly we’ll be capable of spar or one thing. I’m glad she acquired her axe again, too. I wasn’t precisely considering clearly throughout that battle.”

“No,” Arona chuckled. “My grasp made me watch the battle, a lot as Arcus’s did. I’d say you have been something however analytical throughout that battle, although your battle instincts are unbelievable.”

Victor ignored the veiled praise. “So, you don’t like your grasp a lot, huh?”

“Effectively, I advised you to not belief him for a purpose.”

Victor frowned, considering, after which remembered what Dar’s pal, Lo’ro, had advised him—how he meant to steal Arona away from Vesavo Bonewhisper. “How do you are feeling about Lo’ro?”

“Lo’ro the Grim?” Arona shuddered. “He’s a distinct kind of horrible.”

“Rattling.”

“Why do you ask?”

Victor didn’t wish to make enemies by working his mouth about issues that may have been mentioned in confidence, so he tried to skirt across the topic. “He’s a pal of Ranish Dar’s, I suppose.” Earlier than she may comply with up for extra element, he modified the topic: “You suppose your mates are actually pissed? Don’t you suppose they perceive what you have been making an attempt to do?”

“Brontes doesn’t maintain a grudge, however Valeska and Elandor refuse to talk to me. It’s of little significance. My loyalty is to my grasp, and I did what he anticipated me to do.” She didn’t say extra, and Victor didn’t wish to press. She sounded depressed, and he knew it was rather a lot deeper than her current betrayal within the problem dungeon. She spoke scornfully of Dying Casters and the undead. She spoke longingly of individuals like Rexa, the Summer time Fae. She was trapped by the Vitality in her Core, and Victor wished he may assist her.

After all, he had some concepts. Thayla had gained a death-attuned Core within the dungeon hooked up to Greatbone Mine, and he’d helped her to change it, giving her a braveness affinity. Hadn’t he completed one thing comparable for Lam? May he assist Arona escape the affect of her Core’s attunement? May he do one thing like that with out changing into public enemy primary to all of the Dying Casters in Sojourn? Ought to he? For all he knew, she was simply manipulating him. Victor was conscious of his blind spot when it got here to fairly girls in want.

He snorted, drawing a look from her, however shook his head and regarded away. The reality was that it wasn’t simply girls. Didn’t he wish to assist Tyn, too? He preferred to suppose he loved serving to individuals in want—underdogs, for lack of a greater time period. He nodded, liking the sound of that. It match; wasn’t he planning to return to Zaafor to assist the Degh? Discuss underdogs! He simply needed to determine: was Arona an underdog in want of assist, trapped by her affinity and grasp, or was she simply manipulating him? If that’s the case, why?

He glanced from Arona’s dark-shrouded type to Arcus’s distant, fiery one on the subsequent hilltop. They have been each harmful. They each wished one thing, however Victor wasn’t positive what or how far they’d every go to realize it. He knew he may take Arcus in a battle, however what about Arona? What if she was simply making an attempt to lull him into complacency? What if she and Arcus have been aligned in opposition to him? He hated the paranoia twisting his ideas however couldn’t assist it. There have been too many factions and too many various motivations to contemplate. He wished he had an ally he may belief in that place, however with out one, he merely decided to do what Arcus advised: end and get the hell out.