Lies and Friction

Sera recognized that she went too far when she stabbed him during their spar, but that didn't distract her from what was really wrong with their exchange.

"How did you get so strong?" Sera asked, "I felt as though you didn't fight me seriously. Were you holding back?"

"Fantastic question," Seth said smiling. He turned around and limped towards his estoc, which laid at the other end of Linburn's rooftop.

"Well, are you going to tell me?" she demanded

Seth picked up his blade, stored in a dimensional ring, and chuckled before he spoke, "It's a Ryall family secret."

Sera rolled her eyes, "So, you won't tell me, then."

Seth innocently shrugged, "I don't know what you want me to say."

She eyed him, scanning him from head to toe, as though she would gleam off some mysterious technique, spell or secret if she starred long or hard enough. However, the only thing she discovered, was that his thigh wound no longer bled.

"I didn't actually think I would lose to a green borderlander with very little dueling experience, much less an idiot like you," she folded her arms.

"I'll try not to take that too personal," he said, with an indifferent voice. "Now, for what was promised."

He fixed his eyes on hers, and she glared back at him. Her eyebrow twitched slightly, "Fine, we can head down to the shop-"

Seth let out a sigh of relief. He thought she would pout or complain or force him to fight her again. His thigh wound no longer bleeding, but he wasn't sure he could pull off another jumping knee like the one he did in the fight before.

Sera unsheathed both of her daggers and spoke, "We can head down to the shop after you tell how you got so strong, or you can spar with me one more time,"

"What!" Seth couldn't believe the pair on this little shrimp. "We agreed to a spar. We had a spar, I won, you lost," he hobbled back to where she stood, and glared at her, "Don't tell me all those years you spent with mercenary mages robbed you of what little honor you had."

"Don't question my honor cheater," she bit back. "You come up here, duel me half-heartedly, barely touch blades with me once, fling me like a rag doll, and you talk to me about honor? Don't say something stupid like a family secret technique or body refinement, because we both know that's a farce!"

Seth shrunk back. 'just how perceptive is this shrimp.' No matter. He couldn't very well tell her he inherited the legacy of a blood mage and he could toss her like a rag doll if he wanted. No, he didn't owe her anything. She asked for a spar, and she got one. He was in the right.

"Poor Sera," his voice hissed with malice. "It's impossible for someone your age to beat you because you are so fucking talented. Get off your high horse, your talent is average at best. You lost because I trained harder and I am better. You are weak, self-important, and spoilt, Five years away from all those people at the academy didn't change anything. You're just as miserable as you were back then, Those are just the facts."

'That should be enough to put her in her place.' Sera's eyes darkened, her face paled. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came. Seth searched her eyes for signs of resistance. Satisfied when he found none, he turned to the edge of the roof facing the street and decided to head down to the shop, claim his price and resume his mission. He was near the edge of the roof when he felt the hair on his neck vibrate, Sera's blade was headed for his neck. He deftly leaned to the side and watched the blade whistle past. 'This woman is crazy.'

"Who are you calling talentless, you pale skin maggot!" she yelled. Green mana swirled around her, and the air whipped and howled. Her eyes were red with fury, and her short yellow hair danced in the air. "I'll rip you to shreds, you talentless worm. I'll show you what real talent looks like."

"Shit!" Seth turned around and slowly backed away from Sera. Sweat trickled from his brow. If he didn't defuse the situation, he might actually have to fight her real. He didn't know what if he could hold back if she came after him with magic. She could injure him, or worse, he could kill her.

Linburn wouldn't be too happy about that, and he'd have to search for another weapon's merchant shop to frequent. He'd be detained for killing a mage and would be forced to delay his mission. That couldn't happen! He had to apologize and give her something else to chew on.

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. I didn't want you asking questions that would force me to betray my sister's mission," Seth explained with a somber voice.

Sera's eyes widened, "your sister?" Some of the rage in her eyes dissipated.

'It's working,' Seth thought. "My sister was the target of the blood mages that attacked a few nights ago. They wiped out our team, captured my sister, and left me for dead. Before my sister was captured, she gave me the heart of Malum and directions to a special spell he had hidden in her room in Alpehous.

"That allowed me to completely bond with the magic of the heart of Melum. My increased strength is one of the effects of its power," he lied.

"So you did cheat," she glowered. She pulled back her mana and starred at him with most of her anger still in her eyes. "I understand why you wanted to keep your secret. I don't take lightly to insults on my person or talent."

"I apologize. I am so sorry. Again, I never should have said that" Seth lowered his head.

Beneath the bow, he was smiling. He was glad she bought whatever half-baked lie he just told her. It would have been difficult if he was forced to part with his secrets and explain to Sera, someone who was basically a stranger at this point, that he was basically a growing mage. He doubts he'd be able to leave the middle ring, much less the city.

Sera quelled most of her anger, but it did nothing to the jealousy that burnt inside her. "You don't deserve that pendant," she hissed. "That pendant should be in the hands of a mage or knight who could call on its full power. Someone like your sister, or-"

"You," Seth finished her sentence. "You think you deserve the power of the heart, while I don't. You think you are that much better than me?"

Sera grit her teeth, in thought. She tried to rephrase her words, but she ended up blurting out, "Yes. Yes, I am that much better than you and most junior knights in this fucking city." She gestured with her hands as she spoke.

"I am sure I could take down third class and second class junior mages. Someone like your sister, who was first class, would be difficult for me to battle, but I'm sure I would win.

"I have only been training for three years and I have improved this much, how much more powerful do you think I would if I had a secondary core?"

Seth dryly chuckled, "Can you handle fighting two blood mages simultaneously. Because that was what my sister did. You couldn't win a duel against me, you wouldn't stand a chance against her," his voice cracked as he spoke. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "She sacrificed herself to save me when she could've run, and she managed to beat back a greater mage, don't you dare compare yourself to her."

Sera shrunk back. Her fingers curled. "Seth, I-I shouldn't have. Of course, I can't compare myself to her. I," her voice trailed off. She looked at him with somber eyes and reached out. Seth grabbed her and squeezed tight. "Will-Will you help me?" his lips quivered as he spoke.

***

Linburn looked to Seth's bleeding leg and turned to his daughter with a reproachful scowl, "You just had to stab him didn't you."

Sera pouted defiantly and cocked her head sideways. Linburn muttered furiously and spoke to Seth with his merchant smile, "Let me get you a new pair of clothes. Something leathery and tough, and a healing pellet for your leg too."

He went behind the counter and came back a few minutes later with the items he promised and the weapons and supplies Seth requested for. Seth paid 25 silver marks, instead of the full fifty. Linburn apologized once more and glowered at Sera, before handing over the promised items. He stepped into the back muttering furiously and cursing.

Seth crushed the pellet in mouth and thought of how best to approach the subject of asking for Sera's Mercenary contacts. While she did agree to help him rescue his sister, they hadn't discussed how they planned to go about it. Seth searched his mind for the right words to use and when he finally opened his mouth to speak, Sera spoke before he did.

"So what exactly does saving your sister entail?" she asked with slight hesitation.

"Well," Seth went over the plan in his head one last time before speaking. "We go to the lower ring, get a capable team of mages with attack power comparable to 3rd class intermediate knights, then journey to the city of Grechit that borders the forest of Wershe. We gather information there and then, with Uvu's blessing, hunt down the mage and rescue my sister in the forest."

Sera nodded, pulled out her dagger, twirled it by the hole in the handle, and paced around the room as she gathered her thought.

"How did you find out that blood mage was in the forest of Werhse?" she asked, still pacing.

"A recently promoted senior magic knight told me. His squad of junior mages were supposed to back us up when the blood mages attacked, but they didn't make it in time. He felt responsible for my sister's capture so he gave me the information and told me how to rescue her."

"You don't find this suspicious?"

"Why would I." Seth shrugged, "He is a senior magic knight. His honor and skill are unquestionable. What does he have to gain by tricking me into saving my sister?"

"Something we don't know," she answered thoughtfully, pausing from her pacing. "Don't forget its people like you and me who eventually become senior knights. It might take us a few decades to grow to his level, but we remain human inside. Power does not make you nobler or honorable. He has his own agenda. Trust me, he didn't just send you there out of the goodness of his heart," Sera warned.

"So, what do you want me to do about it? Baston is going to block my leave application and I might never be a knight, but that isn't enough to stop me from trying to rescue Tessa," he declared. "Trap or no trap, I have to try."

Sera studied him and thought of a counter for a while, but finally conceded with a heavy sigh. "Fine. I guess you're right. You are understandably emotional about your sister and you might not see the danger now, but know this, we are not the only ones who are interested in your sister and the blood mage that kidnapped her."

Her last words struck a chord. He knew she was right and he needed to be careful, yet he recognized that double thinking every action or encounter was a luxury he couldn't afford. That was why he asked her for help. She was ruthless and talented. If she was as vicious as he remembered, then his half-brained lies and false tears were not wasted. Seth acknowledged her warming with a thoughtful nod.

She smiled, "Good, now that you know, let's gather a team and save your sister. I doubt you have a team in mind, so I will introduce you to my masters and their team. I'm sure they'll agree to help us once they learn of the rewards waiting for them if we succeed."

"Rewards?" Seth said with a confused frown.

"Of course. I imagine a blood mage's body would be worth quite a lot to Empire," her lips arched with a calculative smile.

Seth's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that. Seth did want the blood mage dead, but he never thought of the potential rewards that could follow if he actually succeeded. If he presented the Empire with a dead blood mage's core and body, the emperor would personally grant any request he and his potential teammates asked.

He could buy back his father's lost lands. Sera would have enough merit points to be a knight. His potential teammates could be granted titles and lands if they wished it so. He turned to Sera with a gasp.

"You didn't think I was only helping you because you cried a little bit did you," Sera smirked.