Contracts and Choices

A clash of weapons off to the side did not affect the apothecary's work.

She sat in the shade sifting through the collected plants, occasionally participating in the conversation between the two fighters.

At Veshan's request, Keane had to fight and talk to people at the same time.

This is really difficult for the boy, he often messed up the rules.

At the moment, Sela is attracted by some kind of plant and has no time to respond to the question just now, he has to climb up with Veshan.

".

....."

"There was a time when I really thought you had eyes in your back!"

"Now you know!" Veshan took a step back, letting his opponent's weapon fall short."A polished weapon is like a mirror.

That's the eye behind your back!" He swung his weapon for a test.

"..."

"Why are you stronger than the other Spell Banishers?"

"Haha." Veshan laughed openly, but the sword in his hand swung out a cold wind."My father was a barbarian, and my mother was a dark elf.

And I have inherited their strengths! A strong body, agile hands.

And most importantly, a cunning mind!" With that, he swung his sword at his opponent's negligent knee.

"Barbarians? That's-" Keane blocked the attack just in time while his battle axe slashed at his opponent's sword-wielding arm, "What?"

Veshan withdrew his arm and drew his other sword from his back, "They are highlanders of the Talon continent, much like you highlanders." Immediately afterwards, he launched a fierce attack on his opponent, "They live mainly by herding.

Everyone is a good fighter, beast trainer, and duelist."

These unfamiliar words were as difficult to fight as Veshan's attack, and Keane hurriedly retreated to avoid his opponent's edge.

He drew his short sword from his waist and held it back in the hand that held his shield, calculating how to attack.

"Did you invent this yourself? Looks like I'm going to have to watch out!" Veshan wandered in front of his opponent and suddenly burst out with a roar that startled the perching birds in the forest.

Keane was forced back a few steps by this intimidation and his ears began to ring.

Seeing his opponent take the opportunity to attack, he didn't have time to wait for his hearing to return and racked his weapon to meet it."What is - what - magic?!" The opponent did respond with a question, as to the content the boy could not hear.

After a few moves, he was knocked to the ground.

Sela was interrupted by the roar she had just heard, and she stopped what she was doing and came over to watch the battle.

Veshan didn't stop and continued to move forward to finish off his opponent.

Keane uses his shield to support himself and rolls to one side, getting up and immediately countering.

Veshan kicks up the dirt on the ground to disrupt his opponent's vision, and then raises his leg to stomp on the shield his opponent is relying on.

After the target fell to the ground, he continued his bullying attack.

Keane would have liked to protect himself with his shield, but that would have kept him passive.

He rolls again, while throwing his battle axe to stop Veshan from getting closer.

After getting up, he clears his eyes as he escapes.

"Yes! Run away! You coward!" Veshan chased after him.

"There is no shame in running away!" Keane repeated to himself.

After his vision was restored, he turned back to meet the fight again.

But by now he was already physically exhausted and was quickly defeated.

"That's it for today." Extending his hand to the boy, Veshan felt danger coming.

Both had their swords pointed at each other's throats, but Veshan had the better of the two due to his height and arm length.

He nodded, "Yes, that's right.

The fight won't end until the enemy is dead."

Keane rubbed his ears until he could hear the birdsong in the distance again."What did you just say? I mean the magic, it's been making my ears ring for a long time."

"That's a war cry, a battle technique created by barbarians in long battles." Veshan stuck his sword in the ground, "I know you're interested, but it's not something you can learn overnight.

I used the war cry against you to remind you that the enemy always has a way to put you to death."

"You mentioned your parents earlier.

How did they meet?" Sela sat down to join the conversation."I heard from Master Sosbin that most Dark Elves are matriarchal clans."

"What is a matriarchal clan?" Keane asked.

"The simple fact is that the lords of the Dark Elves are all female." Sela explained in a northern way.

Veshan nodded, "Yeah, and barbarians are definitely a patriarchal clan.

It's baffling that a female dark elf and a male barbarian can roll into the same bed.

My father chopped a mammoth with his own hands to prove his toughness and brought its head to my mother's clan to propose marriage.

He was so 'romantic' that he didn't know he should bring ivory to the marriage proposal."

"He obviously succeeded, or there wouldn't be you." Sela could imagine the scene; it wasn't the most outrageous proposal of marriage she'd ever heard.

"Yeah, well, the dark elves are more enlightened in that regard.

As the eldest daughter of the clan, my mother accepted the bloody romance, though she still asked my father to defeat the other contenders."

Keane was still thinking about the mammoth.

Before coming to the refuge, his impression of the mammoth was stuck on the thundering cry."You told me to kill a mammoth by cutting it between the two protruding spines of its neck.

Did your father do the same thing?"

"How would I know.

I hadn't crawled into my mother's womb at the time." Veshan shrugged his shoulders."Even among barbarian warriors, my father stood out.

But his competition was dark elf males.

Though they are not as socially prominent as the women, they are skilled assassins, frauds, or tricksters." He touched a metal plaque on his chest, "Thanks to the war cry, otherwise he would not only fail to get a wife, but also put his life on the line."

"This type of competition is not uncommon.

I've read about stranger ways of choosing a mate in a travelogue.

The chronicler called it the 'lever test'.

The women in that primitive tribe would test a man's strength by asking him to use their 'levers' to lift heavy objects." Sela stated briefly."And how did they get along?" She asked.

"That depends on which side you are referring to, Lady Sela.

Dark elves always want to sit on top of barbarians like mistresses, and barbarians always want to ride dark elves on their hips." Veshan bristled, "So don't expect to hear moans and pops until the clashing of weapons stops."

"In that case, the men of other races count themselves lucky.

At least they can save their strength to do something proper." Sela teased.

"No, I don't agree.

Luck or bad luck depends mostly on the kind of woman one finds." Veshan turned to Keane."Take my advice and stay away from female elves."

"Why?"

"If your partner is a dark elf, you may be too crushed to get out of bed.

Of course if you are not as skilled, you may also be too beaten to get out of bed.

If your partner is an elf, I guarantee you don't want to sleep with her.

Because they are used to sleeping in the trees, and a normal person would surely fall from there."

"Master Veshan, your knowledge of elves is still centuries old.

I think they will change too." Sela said.

"Did your parents escape here, too?" Keane asked.

"No.

After we were banished, my father died in battle on the run to protect my mother and me.

My mother called him an idiot and a fool, but she wept behind his back." Veshan took off the metal plate on his chest and handed it to Keane, "This is what he left me.

He hoped that one day I would return to the savage tribe with this token."

Keane took the sign and observed it.

It was a circular amulet the size of the palm of his hand, the front carved with a barbarian warrior with a double-bladed axe roaring at the sun from the sea, and on the back were some hieroglyphic symbols."Do you understand these symbols?"

"It says here 'Even the gods cannot bring us to our knees.'" Veshan explained.

"Where is your mother?"

"She's lying right under us." Veshan patted the grave mound hidden among the many weeds."She died shortly after arriving here.

She couldn't adapt to the climate here."

Keane intended to return the amulet, but Veshan waved his hand and refused."Yesterday I listened to the goddess' instructions.

She said you would go to many places.

Maybe one day you can take it back to my homeland for me."

"Aren't you going to go back?"

"Like Sosbin, I'm too old to withstand a life of running around.

Hopefully you can help me with this."

"Okay." Keane strung the amulet on Betty's necklace.

Veshan plucked a herb and put it in his mouth."About that necklace, I know it's important to you.

But I want you to consider one question, perhaps a series of questions.

If giving up the necklace would save someone's life, would you give it up?"

"No."

Veshan turned his attention to Sela."What if this person is Sela?"

Keane touched the necklace and looked at Sela, then fell into silence.

Sela knew it was a deliberate conundrum set up by Veshan.

She did not want to hear the answer and then got up to leave.

"You don't need to answer me.

Sooner or later we will all face a choice." Veshan leaned back against the grave mound.

----------

The twilight came as promised, and with it came the sparse, dense whispers from the shadows of the trees.

Veshan understood the meaning and he got up to leave leaving Keane alone.

"Young man, do you remember what I said about the will of the Goddess?" Sosbin's voice arrived before his own."The time has come for you to listen.

Come with me."

Following the deep passage, the two entered an isolated hall.

The circular walls here are covered with incantations.

In the center of the hall is a statue of a woman.

Her arms were open.

One hand reaches up to the dark vault, as if to touch the night sky.

Keane suddenly realized that she was the same person as the one depicted on the stone door of the refuge.

As Sosbin recited the incantation, the spell on the wall changed its arrangement.

The magical energy converged into a mirror without edges under the statue's as-if-it-was palm.

The mirror surface fluctuated like water.

Numerous eyes emerged from it, observing everything around.

"Go ahead and get into that tunnel." Without waiting for Keane to ask a question, Sosbin turned to leave.

It would be a delusion to say that Keane is not afraid.

Those eyes are shadowy in form and contain indistinguishable emotions.

They surrounded the boy in the mirror, as if they could peer into the depths of his soul.

Being under these eerie eyes makes one's skin tingle.

After staring at the many eyes for a while, Keane gathered the courage to approach the mirror.

Those eyes felt like water to the touch and did not seem to be solid."Well, it's not water in here, and it's not too cold." After saying that, he took a step into the tunnel.

It was pitch black.

Near or far, eyes as busy as stars looked in the direction of the comer.

Something flowing surrounded the visitor, sending him to a distant shimmer.

The unfamiliar surroundings and the unknown ahead made Keane feel helpless, and he couldn't help but touch the necklace around his neck.

The shimmer is getting closer.

It was not an exit, but a space, as if someone had plucked a corner of the darkness and built a dam to prevent it from refilling.

All kinds of past events about the boy are replayed in this space.

"Those fleeting happiness, those biting hatred.

Clear as silk.

Clear as silk." This voice came from all around, or it was in the thoughts of the visitor.

The past was gathered in the center as shadows to form the shape of a woman.

A robe of woven shadows flowed over her body, and a thick veil hid her face from view.

"I...

I am Kiren, son of Ivar Eid.

You are the Goddess?"

"Hmm." The woman let out a deep, long sigh."Yes.

I am Ciara, the Mother of Shadows and God of Mysteries."

"Can you help me get revenge?"

"How impatient.

What is it you want from me? A result, or a choice? What result you get depends on the choice you make.

Just like here -"

A past event appears in space.

Being hungry, Keane climbed a big tree and ate all the eggs in a crow's nest.

After the boy left, a crow hovered in the air for a long time.

Later, from time to time, crows would come to the town in pairs to steal crops.

"It's called the Black Feather.

That's what you get for choosing."

Surprised, Keane felt very innocent, "What? It has a name?! Is it your friend? I'm sorry, I'm starving.

I promise I won't eat bird eggs again."

"You don't get it.

There is no right or wrong, only choices, your choices.

What I can give you is not the result, but the choice."

"So what do I get to choose?"

"Choose between the contract I offer and the friend you have with you."

"What does that mean?!" Keane became very sensitive, he didn't expect Veshan's words to be fulfilled so quickly.

"I have prepared a contract for you, a contract between you and the Shadows.

With it, you will gain the bloodline of 'Shadow Affinity' and be able to learn its mysteries and complete your revenge.

But in order to maintain the balance, I will take from you someone who is willing to pay for this contract."

"I don't want anyone to die! I don't want to lose them! I can just as easily kill that screamer - screamer - without your help," Keane reached for his list, only to remember that they had been left in the room.

"You've forgotten his name, haven't you? Let me tell you, his name is Frostfire and he's an Archmage.

I know Veshan has taught you a lot, but do you think you can get close to an archmage without him noticing? Do you think you can kill an archmage who is under the protection of a mana shield?"

Frostfire throws a fireball at a young man who is hiding in the shadows.

The youth dodges the fireball and steps in front of the mage to deliver a dagger.

The dagger bounces off the mana shield ...

Keane recognized the dagger Sanchi had made for himself, the grip with the word "Kiren" engraved on it."Is that...

is that me?"

"Yes, that's what you choose to do."

Another scene opens.

A middle-aged man in leather armor throws his battle axe to hit the incoming beast, but the latter's residual power remains.

It rushes closer and shatters the shield with a punch, and the middle-aged man is sent flying ...

"This is also the result of your choice." The voice became incomparably cold, and every word was like a handout."I have foreseen your next choice."

Although he couldn't see Ciara's face, Keane felt himself being watched by her at all times.

Half a day later, he finally spoke, "Who are you taking, Sela, Sosbin or Veshan?"

"I have no right to take anyone except My devotee, and this devotee shall come to serve Me voluntarily.

My cloak will cover his circumference.

There is no pain in this process." Ciara's speech was slow, and the voice squeezed the boundary between the realms."He is ready, are you?"

Another scene opens up, and it is Veshan's room.

He is dressed as he was when he first met Keane, reciting a scroll with the seal of Ciara.

After a moment of silence, Keane looked up, "I'm ready.

I accept your contract."

As soon as the words were spoken, a scroll unfolded in front of this mortal.

"What do I need to write? I'm not very good at writing."

"Put your hand on it.

There will be a little pain, but it will soon pass.

Your body will be marked and your flesh and blood will be accepted.

Remember, this is a contract.

Each takes what he needs."

Ciara's voice is getting smaller and smaller.

Shadows begin to overwhelm Keane and Veshan's entire body.

The flow of things around him was no longer strange.

It was not the wind, nor the water, but Ciara herself, and Keane knew he had been accepted.

Just as he doubted the goddess' words, a sharp pain began in his inner left wrist, as if pecked by an eagle.

"The shadows are with you, Elandion."