Path of the Slayer B1 C25. Resignation

My battle with Elric Auraguard became one of attrition while learning each other’s patterns, which mostly involved him learning me. The situation flipped when he predicted my maneuvers and applied blocks that were on beat with the violent song I was following.

That forced me out of Barbaric Musician Grace and slowed my strikes severely. Worse yet, Hellion was feeding on my Path Energy while I channeled autosaw energy on the Fallen Slayer Greatsword.

Elric’s sword of radiance and lightning caught me on the side of the head. My vision went white. My thoughts disconnected with my body for a split second. Even Pain Eater Gluttony couldn’t outright save me.

Somehow, my Path Energy took over for me before I was back in control. My arms raised on their own, putting up a weak guard to defend a strike meant for my throat.

I was forced to retreat by that point.

Elric showed his years of experience and his grit as a veteran adventurer who reached the peak of Rank 3 and the badge of gold. I defended while trying to regain my footing, and Elric crashed down upon me like the wrath of the God Emperor himself.

Rays of light and sparks of lightning shot out with every strident crash.

“Damn, you’re good,” I grouched, collapsing to a knee as Elric hammered down strike after strike after strike, like the God Emperor was sending smite after smite after smite.

Elric had no words. He was roaring as he slammed his sword upon me to break my guard. Lara was in the background screaming with her half giant voice, cheering him on. I was crumpling under the weight and power of the empire’s golden child.

I wasn’t good enough yet.

I would need to practice more.

But for now, I cheated.

Path Magic activated: Tyrannosaurus Roar!

I shoved the extra Path Energy into the roar with all my might. Elric’s next strike came down while lacking punch, and I let it strike my shoulder, zapping me.

With my Path Energy dwindling, I risked activating Plain Eater Gluttony while combining it with Barbaric Musician Grace.

My next sword strikes slashed Elric’s inner thigh, hammered his left side, and placed a cut along his right biceps. All of those strikes would heal because of his powers, but all I really wanted was for Sword Player’s Flurry to activate.

I made it rain a dozen sword strikes on Elric before he could mount any sort of defense, his arms and legs bloodied as he tried to tackle me. Dropping my sword, my half ripper fist dipped down before rising. I landed an uppercut on Elric’s face. My autosaw blades punctured his skull.

He still kept healing his hard body, so I did him a favor. I hooked my free arm under his armpit and stood him up. That way, he could stay on his feet like a proud adventurer as my half ripper magic blended his face around.

I let Hellion feast and pass down some energy my way. My reserves built back up as Elric remained slack in my grasp.

There was so much Vitality in a guy with powerful self-healing. It almost felt like I was spoiling Hellion too much, but I was benefiting, so whatever.

I looked over the golden hero’s shoulder and found Lara’s eyes focused on me as she stood in horror. Then the inevitable happened.

[You’ve slain a Rank 3 human!]

I lowered Elric’s body gently. 

It was a little unsatisfying that I couldn’t beat him without my Tyrannosaurus Roar. He’d put up a great fight, though, and he deserved my total respect.

He was truly everything the empire promised and more.

Lara collapsed to her knees as I moved to a spot in front of her.

“Why?” she asked.

I didn’t answer her. I was on the precipice. She wasn’t a combatant anymore. Would I slaughter her while she was on her knees?

I sensed I would grow if I went through all the way. But there was a part of me that recognized how wrong that would be while she stopped being a combatant.

In the end, I made the best choice.

I turned away from her, giving her my back. Ten steps later, she struck me with a quick bolt of lightning that knocked me down to a knee and took a chunk of Path Energy from me.

The air filled with the miniature claps of thunder and crackling lightning as she charged another attack. All of that noise hid the sound of cursed javelins flying toward me – with Lara in the way.

She let out a cry as a dozen cursed javelins ran through her. She was a lot tougher than most mages though, with the Vitality of a half-giant that paired well with her high Aether.

She didn’t go down easily, but by the time she regained her composure, I was punching my half ripper hand through the armor on her belly.

She grasped me with her lightning-coated hands. From there, we shared a look as I tore up her insides and she electrocuted me.

I came out winning in the end.

[You’ve slain a Rank 3 half giant!]

You would think this was the perfect time to celebrate.

Instead, I turned and took a fireball to the face. Once the smoke cleared, I saw an entire squad of silver adventurers standing at the street’s corner.

I looked back at them as I dropped Lara’s large body into two separate halves.

I knew all of them.

They were former classmates of mine.

Seraphina was with them. But she didn’t lead them. She didn’t even draw her sword. She waited off to the side.

There were no extra notifications. The System was waiting to see how this encounter ended. I had decisions to make.

“Leave,” I told them, my voice masked.

“No!” shouted one of the idiot guys. “We’ll avenge the gold adventurers! We’ll put you down!”

I ordered Hellion to go inactive. It refused at first, but after impressing my will upon him, the half ripper went silent.

I checked my Path Energy and saw I still had the boost from the elixir. I was also up to 92%.

With a roll of my shoulders, I returned my greatsword to my back before I strode forward calmly. I flicked my left hand and summoned the Mole Lord Gem Scepter.

The three-foot long and green crystalline thing settled into my hands with a clink.

“I’m going to beat you all,” I said. “Then I’m throwing you back where you belong.”

“If we work together guys, we can win this!” A silver adventurer girl shouted.

The fighters charged me. The mages stayed back.

I sent one gem shot into the body of a mage and knocked her down.

Then the fighters were upon me, and I took their hits confidently as Pain Eater Gluttony activated. But I didn’t absorb every hit – Path Magnetism was in play. I practiced pushing against weapon strikes.

It was easier to do against Rank 2s. They didn’t have enough personal magic to defend against my magnetic manipulations. Though it was still tricky to focus on multiple swords, spears, and hammers coming my way to push against them all.

Regardless of the magnetic practice, I punched, elbowed, kicked, and swung my scepter. With one or two hits to each one, I folded the fighters until there was no more in my way.

Then I picked off the mages with gem shots, each one the size of a fist while flying at the speed of a crossbolt. When they landed on flesh or soft armor, they left an impression.

In a short time, all the Rank 2s were down and unconscious.

“You didn’t help,” I said toward Seraphina, who hadn’t moved at all from her spot.

“Can you answer me why you’re doing this?” she asked.

I tilted my head.

She scoffed, her icy glare cutting through me. “Why did you betray us? Why didn’t you come back to us? Why did you fight the golden killers to the death? Why did you turn on us? Why, Arden, why?!”

I put the gem scepter away.

My hands found my helmet and worked it off. Seraphina’s icy gaze cracked as she looked at me in a way that was a little painful to see.

Despite all of my changes, my facial features were fairly recognizable, even if I looked older and more chisel compared to the scrappier and smaller non-ranker me.

“I don’t belong in the old world anymore. I’m something beyond that,” I said with my real voice.

Seraphina drew her sword, her grip shaky, before stilling. She stalked toward me as her icy glare pierced through me.

“You promised me you would be the best of imperials. You told me you were one of us. You told me you were different, and that you’ll be the hero we can all look up to. That … you’ll be my hero.”

“And you’ve abandoned me when I got stuck.”

That slowed her down. Her voice came out shaky. “I tried to steal an Epiphany Elixir for you. I … I did what I could to protect you.”

I shook my head, my dreadlocks swishing. Despite all the fighting, my hair remained intact. Path Energy was awesome like that.

Hell, it might be the reason I was feeling so calm even with a tense conversation like this. Or maybe this was par for the course.

“If I had quit, would you have moved on sooner?” I asked.

Seraphina halted.

In her silence, I continued. “That was it, wasn’t it? You broke things off. You stayed cold and distant, giving me looks that made me wonder if you wanted to kill me when nobody was looking. You didn’t stop the others from targeting me with their petty remarks and their Suppression. Because that should’ve forced me to quit. Because I should’ve known my place as a non-ranking cripple and got out of everyone’s way.”

She couldn’t say a thing. The truth was a revelation for me and her. I read her like a book.

“Yeah, you didn’t hurt me yourself. You didn’t need to. The others did it for you. You simply waited in the back as I suffered. Because maybe I would finally have my breakthrough, and you could sweep in as if you were on my side the whole time. Or I would finally disappear, and you can live your life by getting a new dream.”

Seraphina dropped her sword.

“Honestly, as much as I wanted to be a good imperial, I’m glad I was born a nomad. It suits me better.” I snorted. “Some of you imperials can be grandstanding hypocrites. You especially.”

She collapsed to her knees. “No, no, no. It … I … No.”

She blubbered and wept.

I waited for her to shed all of her tears.

Then, when she was finally done and up on her feet, I looked into her puffy and sad eyes. There was no inner strength. There was no defiance. There was none of that icy willpower that would blow in like a tundra and freeze all that dared stand in her path.

Only pure and utter weakness.

I felt nothing seeing that.

Britta was a Rank 1 healer in the slums, and she was stronger than this. Just thinking about that helpful and adoring woman made me miss her, especially with all the adrenaline still pumping through me.

Unfortunately, nobody could get everything they wanted. That was the nature of life. Just gotta cope and move on.

“Clean off your face and help me grab up these idiots and corpses. Then you can all get the hell out of my Realm.” I was turning to collect the dead when I stopped to say a few more things. “Consider this as my resignation from the adventurer guild. The guild leader can do the proper paperwork for me.”

One day, I would grow up and be less petty.

One day.