Schemers scheme, Teachers teach

Chapter 109: Schemers scheme, Teachers teach

Zagan was beyond excited. Her hall of extravagant art was growing more and more, especially since the invention of the whinyl machine, and now there was an opportunity unlike any before. She might be able to add the spark of a dragon to her collection!

It had been quite a while since the last time that group had given her an update on the situation. They worked slowly, since forcing someone to hand over part of themselves was not easily engineered. Threats never worked, nor did any offers for trade, though perhaps that was in some way caused by the animosity between the two parties.

After all, lord Zylnareth had long since been bothered with them. He had chosen a territory to stay in, and now they were using it as leverage to essentially keep him caged there. Zagan shook her head at it, cornering a beast was usually a bad idea, but as long as she was only providing funds and tools, she felt safe within her walls.

Now however, the perfect opportunity had arisen. Someone connected to the lord who was terribly weak, and would soon be all on their own. They could not have possibly wished for a better target.

A wide grin spread across the demoness' monstrous face as she thought about it. Lately, fortune had been favouring her very much, and thus she decided to set one of her people on the beast's tail, too. Of course, they were instructed to simply remain close rather than put an actual marking onto that thing. She didn't want to risk being detected by the others, after all.

This way, there was a chance she could coerce a spark out of the lord completely on her own, without intervention from any of the others. That truly did bring a smile to her face.

The demoness indulged her thoughts for a little while, until a knock rang against her chamber's doors. One pair of her reptilian eyes quickly shifted to look there, and sensing the mana past the door, she gathered her composure again. "Come in," the master of the city called.

Almost instantly, Wilhelmia stepped into the room, and within a moment, the human's eyes had taken in the atmosphere. Zagan saw that her nose wrinkled for a moment from the smell of brimstone, though the other woman quickly hid it again.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, lady Zagan," the human said, giving a bow. It was a rather good choice, since with her pants and suit, a curtsy would have looked quite out of place.

"The pleasure is mine," Zagan replied with a smile, showing off a glint of her pearly, razor sharp teeth. She was the lady of transmutation, and a patron of fine arts, yet she was also still a demon, and her appearance was fearsome. Multiple sets of eyes like those of a viper and two mouths equipped with razor sharp teeth, one above the other. Her skin was black and red and purple, in strange patterns, and she had patches of fur as well.

"Though I do have to ask what brings you here. Has my sponsorship not been generous enough?"

"It has been," the human asked, "I simply wanted to ask whether you consider us idiots or not." With that, Wilhelmia crossed her arms, maybe to have something to hold onto. It was sensible, given the hint of murder that was now hanging in the room.

"Pardon me," Zagan pressed forth between grinding theeth, "but what do you mean with this?" The demoness had almost risen from her seat, and her figure had already been imposingly taller than the human singer when still comfortable. Her hands were still on the armrests, all six of them, though her fingers now gripped them quite more tightly.

"Perhaps you have forgotten part of our agreement," Wilhelmia said. "Let me remind you that Ragnarok never plays in the name of someone evil. We chose your name to spread as it seemed among the better part of the demon lords, yet now we find ourselves at a standstill. You are allied with Berthorn? Truly?" She almost hissed the last words.

Zagan was stunned for a moment, and didn't quite know how to react, though she didn't dare deny it. "What? How do you know of this?"

Wilhelmia shook her head. "This is disappointing," she said. "Truly, I had hoped we could work with you for longer, yet it seems your greed is not as bound as I had believed. We are no longer under your sponsorship, and we never will be again."

Zagan was shellshocked. She had expected many things, but most of them were good news, not something such as this. She could feel anger rising from within her, yet it was forced to stay down by the terms of the pact. "How did you find out?" she managed to ask again.

"I'm a singer, of course I have to be in touch with how my fans feel." The human shook her head like it was the most obvious observation ever. "I could hear your greed from the other end of the castle. It was so strong, I even know what you are greedy for, almost loudly enough to fully hear your thoughts."

"You have broken the pact, lady of alchemy. I invoke the conditions put in place."

"You cannot!" Zagan yelled.

"I can," Wilhelmia said calmly. Slowly, she pulled out a charr, and lit it with a hellstone match struck against firebeetle chitin. Her eyes were cold and unrelenting.

The demon despaired. The pact had been fair, but the punishment for breaking it was harsh, for her at least. Whichever party broke it was not permitted to indulge in the arts, any arts, for a whole season. She would be unable to hear any music, whatever picture she would look at would turn up blank, and any creative writing she would attempt to read would be illegible.

"No... NO!" the demoness was despairing bit by bit as the severity dawned on her. It also meant that she had to immediately call her spies back, anyone tailing the little target, since attempting to get a display piece was certainly "indulging in the arts". Her face became a grimace of despair in front of the meagre human.

Wilhelmia on the other hand just shook her head a little. "It is a punishment you deserve. You have roped me, or rather us, into a confrontation I would have preferred not to be part of." Once again, the human shook her head, sighing this time. She would have to go get the other members. They were leaving Arterus, the land of demons, and would return to Damoy.

After all, now that they were entangled with the perpetrators, it was only right they help out the victims as well.

- - - - - -

For Mercury himself, the next days passed eventlessly. The tug at his mind that had been there one night was gone the next, and even the shadows he would occasionally see flickering near him soon disappeared. It was almost enough to make him think he'd been imagining things.

Of course, the cat was more than keenly aware that it was far from his imagination. Maybe if it had just been the feeling of being watched, he would have ignored it, but especially after that strange dream, and feeling <Intuition> react to the movement he saw from the corner of his eyes, Mercury was sure. This was all very real.

He didn't know why he was being watched, and the likelihood of receiving an answer to that question was very little at best. Shaking his head, the cat continued his usual rounds. He'd run around town and the forest to train himself some more, seeing a slight improvement in his stats. To him, it was very important to stay physically fit, especially in this world, where something might try to eat you every couple steps you take.

Unfortunately, he never woke up inside his mindscape again. Not for lack of trying, either, the usual fields he'd enter so casually just never seemed to appear in front of him, no matter how much he meditated before sleeping. Maybe somehow, he'd gotten himself injured during his last expedition again, though he didn't exactly know how that would have happened.

Shaking his head, he got rid of that train of thought. Two pages had passed. Alex had felt someone very familiar enter the proximity of the village. It was finally time for Mercury to meet his next teacher, one he would hopefully get along with well, Yasashiku Ryuutesai.

Armed with that knowledge, Mercury hadn't ventured out too far, so he'd be able to hear if he was called back. He made sure not to meditate too deeply either, since it might mess up his senses. With so little to do, he instead chose to give his new Skills a test-run.

<Bite> itself was very straightforward. Once activated, Mercury would snap his teeth closed with slightly higher force than usual. The Skill could be properly activated with a mental intent of using a Skill, or would also just support regular bites to become slightly more powerful. If actually activated, it also consumed a small amount of stamina, of course.

The other simple newcomer, <Claw>, worked very similarly. The only difference really was what type of attack it supported, since apparently, the Skill worked for any type of swipe attack using his legs. It simply enhanced the speed and strength of the attack, and he could use it even when his claws were sheathed. After all, they still existed and were being swung, just hidden underneath his skin.

It felt a little strange using the Skill that way, but it worked.

What felt much stranger to use was <Training Weights>. He had used it a little bit, mostly to make himself feel heavier, but that was by far not everything it could do. He could make his thoughts sluggish, decrease his maximum stamina, make Skills have long cooldowns, even seal something away until a condition was met.

Mercury had tried those out very subtly though, since he actually couldn't deactivate <Training Weights> until the condition was properly fulfilled. The only real limit of the Skill was that it could not make anything easier. For example, while it could seal Skill effects, it could only seal positive ones. Which means that it could never seal the rage Berserkers feel, but it could seal away all the benefits they get from becoming angry.

All in all, the Skill was strange, and extremely fitting for Mercury. If his affinity for it hadn't been so high, it probably would have cost a lot in the shop, so he was happy to receive it for a reduced price.

Whistle!

Just as Mercury had finished his train of thought, a loud sound sent him back to reality. That was old man Alex, for sure, and it was his call to go meet them.

Following the noise with his <Enhanced Hearing>, he was soon able to find not just Alex, but also Marsh and another man with greying hair. Yasashiku wore a bird-like mask, with a slightly protruding beak, which covered a good chunk of his face, though it stopped above his mouth, revealing the man's salt and pepper mustache and goatee.

His hair was similarly a mixture of black and grey, both present in almost equal parts. It would have been a little longer than his shoulders, but was strung together into a bun behind his head. His clothes was a simple robe, dyed in darker colours matching his mask, though on its back a hammer was embroided in dull grey.

As Mercury drew closer, he could begin to hear the conversation going on between them.

"I am glad to see the two of you doing so well, then," Yasashiku said. "Yet while I am interested in whatever else you have been up to, there is something else I am more curious about. This... friend of yours, as you described him, Alexander-san. You said he is unusual?"

"He is," Alexander nodded. "Well first of all-"

"I'm here," Mercury interrupted, deciding to make his presence known. Almost immediately, Yasashiku raised a brow of his.

"Old friend, you neglected to mention that Mercury-kun is nonhuman," he said, causing Alex to give a slight cough.

"Well, I was about to," he said, throwing a glance between Mercury and Yasashiku, who now stood sternly with crossed arms. "But I suppose if the person in question is here, he may as well introduce himself, no?"

With a quick nod, Yasashiku then turned to Mercury. "You're very right, Alexander-san. Well then, Mercury-kun, please tell me about yourself."

"Ah, sorry, before that mister Yasashiku, I'm not very familiar with the honorifics you use, perhaps you could help me for a moment with how I should address you?" Mercury asked in his most polite tone. He felt that the system was activating <Diplomacy> as well, which almost made him frown. He really wasn't forcing himself that much yet!

Though showing some amount of respect seems to have worked. "For now, Ryuutesai-san will do," the older man replied, the corner of his mouth raising ever so slightly.

"Well then, Ryuutesai-san. My name is Mercury Rainfall Starlight. I have an interest in most types of magic, though I heard that I do have some talent in carving runes. Given the natural tools at my disposal, I acquired the Skill fairly early and have been working on it since, although my progress has been slow."

In response to that, the old man simply nodded. "Well then, Starlight-kun," Yasashiku said. "It is a pleasure to meet you. While I am not the greatest runecarver you will ever meet, I am certainly proficient enough in it, especially when it comes to using them on weapons rather than items of convenience," he explained. "Perhaps you could show me some of your current or earlier work?"

That sentence made Mercury feel as though he was in the middle of a job interview, and while it was uncomfortable, it was also a familiar tightness in his chest, so he quickly swallowed it down and nodded. "Of course, Ryuutesai-san." With that, the cat brought out his log, and the bag of rocks, showing them to the older man.

"Hm," Yasashiku nodded. "How long have you been carving runes for when making these?"

"The log was my very first work, though there are some newer ones on it as well. I believe it shows my spectrum of improvement very well. The rocks were made in the latter third of my journey through runecraft," the cat explained.

"Good, yes," Yasashiku nodded again. "Taking this and Alexander-san's evaluation of your talent into consideration, I have no qualms accepting you as my student. However, it will not be an easy road to travel, Starlight-kun. In fact, your talent seems to be the least of your problems," he said matter of factly.

"What would be my problem then?"

"Your will," Yasashiku said, eyeing the cat. Behind the mask, Mercury now caught a glimpse of light in his eyes, that of expectation. They were dark and deep, almost black with a hint of grey and blue in them.

"My will?"

"Indeed. Why do you wish to learn runecarving, Starlight-kun?" the older man asked. "Do not think over your answer too long, simply say it as soon as it comes to mind."

"Well, uh, because... I think it's neat?"

"And there is little drive behind that," Yasashiku shook his head.

Alexander's lips revealed a hint of a smile as he watched the two talk it out, as Marsh did the opposite, a frown instead placing itself on their face.

"Well then, why should I want to learn runecarving, Ryuutesai-san?" Mercury asked, his interest sparked. "Truly, I simply want to see more of it because I am curious of it. What are its limits, what can you do with it?"

"How would I know?" the older man asked back. "Figure it out yourself."

With that said, the man's lips split into a grin, along with old man Alex' as well.

"You can replace the 'san' with 'sensei' now, Rainfall-kun. I shall take you as my pupil until you have found out why it is that you want to learn runecarving," Yasashiku said. "That means teacher, so you know."

Politely, Mercury nodded. "That sounds fine to me, Ryuutesai-sensei."

"We shall be off again then," the old smith said, now turning to Alexander once more. "It has been a pleasure seeing you once more, old friend."

"The pleasure is mine," Alex replied. "Make sure to push him along far enough, he's got the stuff to push through."

"I fear my first task may already be walking that line, Alexander-san. After all, how am I to teach him my craft if he cannot swing a hammer?"

- - - - - -

Zyl was pacing nervously. His two pages were nearly up, and he would have to give an answer soon or see Mercury face peril. He didn't have the luxury to send out any letters, since they might be intercepted or found. Even magically sent ones might just be stopped by those greedy bastards.

It was infuriating really, and with every second that ticked by, the man in white grew more agitated. His eyes were turning a little bloodshot from the pressure, and he was genuinely beginning to feel worried. A solution had refused to present itself as time went on.

By himself, he couldn't attack, since while he was gone there may be a retaliation against his nation. Putting those people's lives at risk to save but a piece of himself wasn't quite like him. Something so cowardly wouldn't quite do for being the "guardian".

He shook his head in dismay. The clock was ticking down, perhaps he should really just stop this game and just get on with it.

After a long sigh, he decided to just do it, and began meditating to separate a spark from himself. Except the moment he did, there was a knock on the door and Leon's clam voice ran out.

"Sir, you have visitors."