Following the conversation of last night, Xerxes and Leiya both went off into their rooms.
Xerxes felt quite accomplished with himself. Although his training with Aemon was fatiguing, he had gained a great deal of knowledge and power from it. Additionally, with his chance encounter with Leiya, he had begun to step foot in the door of incantationless mana.
Despite his goal of needing to return to the guild, he also felt gratified that he could begin a friendship with Leiya, too. She was erratic, probably obtaining that from Aemon, but she was also cautious when she needed to be, similar to her father Conrad, and she did not look bad, thanks to Aliya.
Xerxes' cheeks then reddened, as he thought about Leiya's looks. Why am I even thinking about that!? He cursed himself, as he tried to distract himself with other thoughts, besides her appearance.
"That's right, soul fragments and all the other stuff..."
On the contrary, Leiya still tossed and turned in bed. She was thinking about her and Xerxes' conversation and how he had spoken with conviction when discussing his goals. "Seriously, I thought you were lame, Xerxes, but… I guess you did sound quite cool," she spoke out loud to herself.
She found it quite hard to believe his words though.
Could she truly prioritise her goals above those she valued, or could she incorporate the people she valued into her goals and ambitions? She did not have the answers as of yet, but she had a feeling that tomorrow she could ask Xerxes what to do.
Both of the young mages had decided to sleep, as they knew they would have to wake up relatively early.
***
A few hours later, Xerxes awoke, and after brushing his teeth and freshening up, he walked over to the dining room with sunken eyes from the terrible night of sleep he had gotten.
Aemon was sitting down, sipping from a mug of coffee, whilst Aliya was fixing Conrad's hair, whilst he cleaned his sword– a habit they had both grown accustomed to over the years.
Leiya was sitting by her mother and was barely awake; her long sapphire hair was frizzy, indicating her rough night of sleep. Her eyes were barely open at the table.
Conrad saw Xerxes walking in as he took a seat next to Leiya. Xerxes greeted Leiya, "Hey Leiya, rough night?"
She was practically drooling on her mother's shoulder and muttered without thinking, "Shut up, Xerxes, it is your fault, you kept me up late!"
Aemon almost choked on his coffee and spat it out. Conrad's habitual sword polishing had stopped, as the tissue had fallen to the ground, and Aliya had frozen.
Aemon's eyes darkened, and he coldly asked, "What do you mean, you… You kept her up, Xerxes?"
Xerxes gulped – holding his breath – and his eyes twitched as he looked at Conrad. "No, we were j–"
Conrad spoke with venom in his voice, "I knew you had ulterior motives, YOU DEPRAVED DOG." Conrad instantly jumped over the table, ready to slice down with his sword. Xerxes did not even know what they were referring to, and he simply did what he possibly could to escape the onslaught Conrad was above to dish out.
A wave of fire released from Xerxes' hands, propelling him back in his chair, and it happened instantaneously. Conrad was not done yet; he drove his sword into the marble floor, ready to take Xerxes' manhood.
Aemon shouted, "Wait!" Conrad looked back at Aemon, as Aemon reasoned what had likely happened, but with surprise in his voice, "You just used incantationless mana, did you not, Xerxes?"
Xerxes wailed, "YES, I WAS PRACTISING THAT, AND LEIYA HELPED ME!" He was convinced that if another attack like that came, his pants would be drenched, and his pride would vanish, and that was not something he was willing to lose.
However, Xerxes then realised what Aemon was really saying. Xerxes looked at his hand, then looked at Conrad and Aemon, "I actually did it, I used incantationless mana!" He said with joy filling his voice.
Leiya finally woke up from the commotion that had just unfolded. "Yeah, I told him holding his breath helps with using incantationless mana, but Xerxes was being quite loud. That is the only reason why I was awake."
The entirety of the room shared a sigh of relief, and all returned to their seats. Xerxes could finally eat in peace, Aemon could drink his coffee, Aliya unfroze, and Conrad relaxed. What could have turned very dark quickly was lightened with the accomplishment Xerxes had made, in such a short time as well.
Aemon chuckled, as if he had not been about to act as furiously as his son had. He then spoke to Xerxes, "I am surprised you have got it down to that level already. Leiya seriously did help you, so I expect you to repay her generously."
It was the sickly love a grandfather held for his granddaughter. She was spoiled rotten by Aemon. Though this comment was part truth and part deflection. Aemon observed Xerxes, chewing away, who didn't have a single clue in the world of what he had just done.
Xerxes had no clue that he had actually been able to use incantationless mana within a singular day of observation and lesson, something that took Aemon over 4 years.
Aliya also decided to change the subject quite quickly and asked Aemon and Conrad, "What is the update with Lieutenant? I was expecting results and a report today, that I could study."
Aemon answered, albeit a bit delayed as he was stuck in thought, "There is no time like the present for Conrad, my boy, to ask. Luckily, Xerxes is with him today, so Xerxes, you are going to see firsthand some procedures and how the outpost generally operates. Do not forget to receive the reports that we need for my precious daughter, Aliya."
Aliya then smiled, "Thank you, Father."
Xerxes nodded – he was intrigued by how everything worked and was eager to see how the beasts were killed. Would they be scared, or was it mundane for them? He wanted to know the answer eagerly, so he scoffed down the remenants of his food, awaiting for Conrad to finish his own.
Conrad eventually stood up and began to speak, "I am finished with my food, Xerxes. Let us not waste any time. You are going to see first-hand how we take care of beasts, and then you are going to have some time to practise the sword with me. Get your things ready, we will leave in 5 minutes."
Xerxes began gathering his things. Whilst doing this, he thought about the mechanism of the orb they were talking about. The city was encompassed by one large orb, and it deterred monsters from coming, so why did they still kill beasts?
What was the purpose? Furthermore, the fact that there was a whole group of people who went out to kill them proved how densely populated this portion of the fallen kingdom was with monsters. Those were questions he would likely obtain soon.
Xerxes picked up his sword – the wooden and steel one – and walked with Conrad through the city. The amount of walking they did was enough to make Xerxes feel tired already, but nonetheless, they still approached their destination.
"Xerxes, I want to test your sword skills. You spoke about your master reverently, so I would like to see how his extension of skills matches against the image of mine. From there, I will be able to implement a form of training that can help you excel and integrate both styles into one."
Xerxes agreed. There would be no better way to train than for him to gain a one-on-one gauge of his abilities, and that is what he intended to do. And so, they continued.
Conrad strode forward, his polished armour gleaming beneath the intense heat rays. The heavy iron gates of the outpost stood open before him. The city lay protected behind an immense stone wall that acted as a reinforcement to the steadfast barrier that was powered by Aemon and the people.
As he advanced, a ripple of movement swept through the assembled guards. One by one, they bowed in silent reverence, their eyes filled with respect. They understood his sole position as the leader of the outpost.
Conrad stood as a pillar and a very foundation of the kingdom's safety. When people thought of the greatest mage within the city, they often thought of Aemon, but when it came to the greatest swordsman, it was him.
Like father, like son, Xerxes thought.
Xerxes peered at Conrad, almost feeling insignificant compared to him, but he had fought in combat with Aemon previously, a man renowned as the strongest mage, so he was determined to challenge Conrad.
Xerxes' ambition was fuelled by the various swordsmen who were honing their craft at various training stations within the outpost. The rhythmic sound of steel meeting steel echoed throughout the streets, and Xerxes could not help but have his spirits elevated. It was hard not to when everyone around here seemed so badass.
Eventually, they entered an area where there were enough guards to see Conrad and Xerxes. Something that caught Xerxes' attention was that everyone was wearing a specific ring, and men would go in and out of the barrier with sacks of soul fragments from the beasts.
Conrad looked towards Xerxes and halted in his path. A man who was wearing a similar outfit to Conrad approached the leader of the outpost. The man was bald, with a long and scruffy beard. His left eye had been forcefully shut by a battle scar, and he was holding two axes.
"Ah, if it is not Conrad! What did the cat drag in today?"
Conrad put out a hand. "Lieutenant Mairon, it is great to see you. As you can see, I have the child Leiya, and my father found – I am here to train him with the sword. I see your mission has gone well. Is there any report you can provide?"
The lieutenant's cheerful expression turned bitter. Xerxes knew that there was something concerning based on his expression, but the lieutenant refrained from speaking further, perhaps to not induce panic.
"That can wait till after, Sir. I see your hands are full with the chap. When you have finished, I will talk to you and Aemon at the castle."
Conrad frowned. He fully knew that having to contact his father must mean that what his report yielded was something that his strength and expertise alone could not remedy. What he had discovered must have been something that required his father's attention.
Conrad nodded and shook his hand, whilst the lieutenant went back to the other groups of soldiers who were walking in and out of the barrier. Conrad directed his gaze at Xerxes.
"Bad timing?" Xerxes questioned, but Conrad shook his head.
"Do not worry, Xerxes. We can see what the matter is later. For now, I want to see what you are capable of, so show me – can you work your mouth as much as the sword?" Conrad drew his sword. However, this time, Xerxes did not feel as nervous as he thought he would.
Xerxes followed suit and drew his sword too, entering a square-on stance. Anticipating that Conrad would be significantly physically stronger than him, he wielded his blade with two hands, whilst Conrad held his sword with one.
Xerxes' crimson aura flared; the raw power of his Orc soul fragment pulsed through his veins. The clash of steel from nearby training halted as onlookers gathered, their curiosity piqued by the brewing confrontation.
As his vision tinged red, Xerxes began to experience new sensations within his body, but they weren't his own, it was the Orc's.
"I am ready when you are!" Conrad declared, his stance firm.
Xerxes inhaled deeply, grounding himself. Cracks splintered beneath his feet as he coiled his strength, every fibre of his being surging with raw might. He recalled Dorian's words – start heavy, strike unpredictably at different sections of the body, and unleash the ferocity of a dragon.
His muscles tensed. Then, with explosive force, he strode forward as Xerxes struck his blade against Conrad's.
At that moment, Conrad realised that, for his age, Xerxes was not all talk and that he was ready to take him seriously, as a grin spread across his face.
"Show me what you have got, Xerxes!"