NOVEL WEB Chapter 19: Do not loose hope!
" Are you God Loving or God Fearing, dear students? " asked a sage to his pupils, his voice laced with mystery and intrigue as well as full of wisdom.
"We both love our God's Grace and fear his wrath, Teacher" replied students in unison, their voices carrying their conviction and the weight of their devotion to their God and Guru( the sage) as well.
"But where does that love or fear originate from?" asked the sage again
....Silence befell all his students, ... They raced their minds trying to come up with an honest answer! They knew that their teacher's questions always had a deeper meaning. Thus, they wanted to answer him honestly, however, they couldn't come up with one
With a gentle nod, the sage acknowledged their contemplation, his eyes twinkling with the spark of enlightenment, he smiled and then bestowed on them a simple task, "It's elementary my dear students, just try to reflect on the moments when you remember God. Do you all remember him and express your gratitude and thanks even in times of joy and prosperity? or only during times of hardship and trouble? "
Location: Unknown
Time: An unknown/forgotten period, Is it the future or the past?
Unkown's POV:
"Hey, brother, did you ponder over the questions that the professor asked us to think about and discuss today?"
"Ahh, my dear brother, Indeed, I have pondered deeply upon the questions posed by our esteemed professor."
{
In this class, a sense of uniqueness presented itself in the air, matched only by the exceptional nature of its students. There were 15-20 students, all in their twenties, each possessing a distinct aura of maturity and wisdom. Instead of the conventional chairs and tables, the students sat upon floating pods, suspended gracefully in mid-air. With their legs crossed in a manner reminiscent of the Yoga position.
Their attire mirrored the unconventional atmosphere, for they adorned themselves in the traditional dhoti, which exuded a timeless elegance. Yet, some students paired their dhotis with vibrant kurtas, while others opted for a more contemporary touch, sporting comfortable t-shirts.
}
" To be honest with you brother, I couldn't get past the first question itself, would you be willing to share your insights to this question?"
"Yes, yes, the first question in itself was pretty difficult, the professor asked us to think about whether one should strive for perfection or feel content with being imperfect?"
"Well, I mean, you know his classes, there are no real correct or wrong answers, he just wants us to contemplate the origin of our souls,"
"So, I came up with the conclusion that we should aim for perfection but should also find happiness in being imperfect, as this small happiness is what makes a life worth living"
"Hmm, I think I can understand how you would come up with such an explanation, you have always been the type to love everyone!" said another guy jokingly.
"Well, I stumbled and couldn't get past his last question. He asked us what it meant to acknowledge our shortcomings and mistakes."
"I mean in the first place, what can one achieve by simply acknowledging one's mistake, definitely you should apologize if you hurt a third party or anyone but that acknowledgment cannot remove the mistake you have made. So I am more concerned with what just simply accepting your shortcoming or mistake achieves until one starts to take action to repent for those mistakes?"
"Hmm, brother you present a unique perspective here, let's wait and get our answers from the professor,"
{
The professor enters the class, one can see that he is an enlightened individual! He humbly asks all his students to settle down, before he begins today's lecture.
}
"My fellow students, I believe yesterday, I posed a few questions to you all and I hope to listen to your insights into that question, As you know there are no right or wrong answers in my class, it's just that I want to hear a perspective that is different from mine and I hope to learn from you all as well, however, I will get on those questions later,
I have an important announcement to make! Your principal asked me to inform you all that one student, named KETU went missing, he was last shown to have entered the spirituality room for "training his senses" but when he didn't come out for the full 3 days, the staff went in to check on him as it is common for people to fall asleep in there while trying to sharpen their senses but to their utter surprise he was not there, even the cameras showed him entering but not leaving! He was an orphan so we have informed the relevant government authorities but I want you all to pray for him and his well-being, Let's hope we find him soon. That is why until further notice from the authorities, entry to the spirituality room is forbidden and anyone found roaming near the spirituality chambers will be subject to questions by the government authorities and can also be suspended until further notice. So my dear students I advise you to not go near them for some time until we all get an update from the authorities."
"That will be all, we can now resume the classes,"
Location: Outside The Barrier, surrounding the Stormgarde Mansion
Time: After the Attack
Cerci's POV
"Mam, we were able to locate Mr. Farkas, he is currently located on the far north end of the forest, these are his co-ordinates, and ss trapped in a similar type of barrier but smaller in scale. He seemed to be under a very strong gravitational force! We have scouted the area, there is no one aside from one that seems to be Mr. Farkas's kind !" I look into the magical map as it shows his location along with the overall depiction of the place from surrounding trees to even the skies above!
"Good, you all try to figure out the person involved with the outside barrier, I'll free Farkas. Also, do not engage with the target, if found, prepare the location-switching spell as soon as you locate him. Use this, my handkerchief to switch my places! " I ordered them.
"Go Now, And I repeat once more, Anne to you specifically, do not engage with the target, It's my prey!" I said my eyes focused on her.
"Ma'am but I have a duty to protect and follow you!" she said back, bowing down but I could feel her thirst for blood,
"My father can do whatever he wants, I separated from him and I have no intention of following his rules, and bending to his will. You can include this in the monthly report you deliver to him. Don't worry, I knew it the moment you came and "decided" to follow me instead. It is of no consequence to me as long as I can serve the Young Master!" I replied as she looked up at me, scared,
"Ahh, don't fret about small things, as long as you don't harm master, you won't be able to because of the blood oath, I have use for you and maybe my father as well, one can only prepare," I said smiling, "Now go and do as you are ordered, " She left immediately and all the other clansmen followed her!
"Aria, we need to first free Farkas, and then we can leave the rest to him. As much as I hate to admit it, he is loyal to his very core to the Young Master, and would have never left the halls if it wasn't serious!" I told Aria with a sense of urgency in my voice!
"You are right, Cerci, he is dumb but loyal," she said jokingly
{
Cerci immediately does a floatation spell, her innate spell, and begins storming to Farkas's Location, with Aria trying to keep her pace!
}
"Brother, It looks like we have a guest approaching us. Oh, if she isn't the rumored BlackHorn serving your master alongside you! This is going to be fun." Ferko replied chuckling, "Why don't I send her a welcoming gift?" And he began casting his spell. "Wolf's fang," he muttered as the "fangs" of the air force rushed to Cerci's Location.
Cerci, on the other hand, immediately applied a protective shield. "This is Wolf's clan way of telling you not to approach them; it means they consider you an enemy, a threat." A smile crept up on Cerci's face, a desire to kill, something that wanted to be freed of the leash and control. "I love being treated as a threat; it's my favorite form of welcome!"
{
The BlackHorn Clan popularly referred to as the Blood Crazy Tribe, over the years they have gone and became a clan from the tribe. This credit goes to their current Patriarch, the Father of Cerci Blackhorn. It is said only after they vow to serve do they get a name and as such, her father has never vowed and remains unnamed. Everyone in their clan, fears him, respects and fears him, and worships him, because to stay Unnamed, means no one has ever defeated him. He brought to the clan, what they needed the most, an Order! Everyone obeys him. While the Blackhorn tribe, was known to be scattered and vagrants, he created a home for them and brought them together. He saw in his clan, the potential to become spies and thus, established his clan at the center of information gathering. This was all done so that The children of today, are born with love and proper names. Being named doesn't signify defeat anymore, it now means to have a home, to have someone, simply it means 'to belong'.
Blood Crazy Tribe has become a thing of the past now! He imposed restrictions on the clan's usage of their inherent blood techniques and made them proficient in using other spells. The reason behind this comes from the fact that, upon diving and using their blood for techniques, they start craving blood, their own, their enemies, and even their friends and family.
To the BlackHorn of today, hierarchy matters the most, losers follow and pledge allegiance to the winner. Those who follow on their own, form the Blood Pact. In the fights, no one is allowed to use Blood Magic except some common ones for defending oneself but never for attacking, but if they use it, they are removed from the clan and treated as traitors!
The restrictions imposed on the blood techniques vary with common techniques being allowed in a somewhat emergency setting. The crime of diving deeper becomes increasingly more devastating as the rarity of the technique increases. One is free to learn the techniques but they are not taught, moreover, close eyes are maintained on those who wish to learn it. This is done to ensure the children of tomorrow can breathe fresh air free from the shackles of the curse that not only attracted the old but also crippled them!
Despite doing so good for his clan, What could be the reason for the wedge between Cerci and her father? Is it truly the case of "all that glitters is not gold" or "visuals can be deceptive"?
}
"Wow, what a warm welcome," Cerci said as she came down to the ground after flying for so long!
"Aria, you analyze the ruins and tell me if you can find out the source binding those ruins, I'll keep this guy company" relayed Cerci through the mind link she has with Aria.
"Well, well, we Wolf Clan humbly treat his visitors! So why don't you just turn back and go, it's a simple matter between family, just between me and my brother," said Ferko as he prepared himself for an attack.
Cerci's eyes widened as she realized that it was none other than Ferko, Farkas's younger brother, she had never met him but Farkas talked about him so much that she practically had a perfect description of him. Then her eyes wandered to the collar and everything started aligning in her mind.
Ferko having seen Cerci glaring at the collar, chuckled, "Oh! this is a wonderful gift given to me by the master, beautiful isn't it? He told me that with this collar now, all I have to do is follow him!"
Farkas shouted from inside the barrier, "Cerci, whatever happens, do not kill my brother, he is being controlled by that collar, he doesn't even seem like his usual self."
"Mam, we have found the person holding the barrier, but he seems to be a doll," said one of her subordinates via mind communication spell, "Do not engage, just observe, prepare for the location switching spell, I will be there as soon as I can," she replies back to her subordinate through the mind communication.
"Don't worry Farkas, I won't kill him but that doesn't mean I cannot have my fun!" Farkas didn't reply, he simply sat down and relaxed until the barrier was broken.
"Brother, you seem awfully calm now, since the moment she arrived!" asked Ferko annoyed by his brother's relaxed expression.
"Ferko, I would focus on getting alive out of here right now rather than worrying about someone else," replied back Farkas.
"Hmm, dear boy, don't shift your attention from me, I get angry," said Cerci, as she launched, a barrage of "Fireball Cannon" towards Ferko.
Ferko dodged each of those cannon balls coming towards him at superspeed with precise manoeuvers, controlling his body with inhuman precision and control.
"Not Bad for a Wolf, unlike that dumb brother of yours who takes everything head-on, you really show the precision of movements that the wolf clan is known for, " said Cerci, her real self, her insane selk taking over as her blood boils in the heat of the battle.
Ferko uses "Surge", a wolf clan native technique, that applies wind force to the legs to swiftly cover up or make large distances between enemies.
In a blink of an eye, even before Cerci could react, Ferko was in front of her, he then used "Vortex Fist", another native technique that wraps his punch with a swirling vortex of wind, increasing punch impact and reach. "Vortex fist" is generally a mid-range attack used to separate enemy forces or create an area of effect damage. But he punched her with this attack at point-blank range. Even Cerci was sent flying and crashed into a couple of trees, however, she used "Blood Shield" native to BlackHorns and one of the few techniques allowed by the clan, to coagulate a large portion of her blood to the impact point to actually reduce the damage.
Farkas observed silently inside the barrier. Using close-range tactics against Black Horns is a good method, as they are mostly adept at using magic and stealth, so their close-range prowess is generally low compared to others. But one needs to focus on the fact that this is "generally true" but not always.
Farkas knows what will happen next, He shouts, "Hey Cerci, don't do it, he is my brother, don't do it,"
"Shut Up. you dumb dog, I promised Mrs Bravehart to only use it to protect Young Master, I will not use it, but that doesn't mean, I won't accept your brother's close-range challenge," said Cerci, laughing as blood fell from her mouth,
"It was quite a punch. I hadn't tasted my blood in quite a while," said Cerci as she stood up, opened her dimensional storage, and brought out a stick. She used a drop of her blood, and the stick's eye opened(?), and it changed the form into the BLOOD SCYTHE.
Laughing menacingly, she leaped in the air and attacked Ferko, but he dodged at the last second using "Surge", however before he could relax, Cerci reached him with some inhuman speed and started throwing her scythe aiming for his neck, all Ferko could do was dodge, there was no opening for attack, as Cerci continued to laugh and attack.
"Fight Young wolf, why are you only dodging, does your new master not feed you well, " she said as she looked down on him, trying to agitate him into making a mistake.
"You, foul B**ch, don't talk about my master," he led out a huge roar, that pushed everything away with huge wind pressure, even Cerci had to stop, "Tempest Burst", he said before releasing another violent burst of wind in all directions. This area of effect attack removed trees and any vegetation even rocks close to him and threw them towards Cerci from all directions.
"Ferko, your task is done, you can release the barrier on your brother and come back immediately." Everyone heard the announcement that was made suddenly.
Ferko immediately calmed himself down, "As you say, Master," as a portal opened beside him, and Scarlet came out!
Cerci rushed with her scythe towards them but Scarlet already enacted her barrier, she couldn't break it, though, Scarlet felt the force of that attack!
"Where are you going it was finally getting interesting, " shouted Cerci, continuing her attack on the barrier.
"My task is done brother, next time we meet, there will be no talking," he breaks the stone he held in his hands, and the barrier surrounding Farkas is gone.
"See you all, later, bye," said Scarlet as they both vanished into the portal as the portal itself closed,
Even Cerci, calmed herself down, gaining back the prim and proper look we have all seen from her before, "Farkas, young master is in trouble, let me teleport you to where the person who made the barrier holding us outside the castle is, simply remove him from the equation and break the stone, this would nullify the barrier and we can go inside the Hall where the master is held" she said as she composed herself.
Sending back the scythe, "I won't be able to use magic for a while so it's all up to you, Farkas," she said as she teleported him to the location of the barrier keeper given to her by her subordinates.
Location: Inside the Barrier
"Sir, I don't think I can go on for more, my mana is already depleted!" said Railan, as he tried to maintain his ability 'Scan' for even a bit longer.
"Hold out for a few seconds, Railan, I have become accustomed to the surroundings, his attack patterns, and everything, just hold out for 30 sec more, " said Sir Sahir. While Sir Sahir didn't possess Railan's ability, he possessed an inherent talent, basically, he has the ability to adapt to his surroundings in any way, it just that it takes time to become adept to his environment like the situation right now, by making Railan his eyes, he made all of his other senses sharper in that short period of time, He could now feel even the faintest of breaths through his skin and even the faintest of sounds through his ears. His sense of smell also heightened and even though there was utter darkness, the minor sparks that Railan defined before, and the faint smell and sound they made, Sir Sahir was now able to adapt to them. This ability is not as great as SCAN or some other trait or talent, however, this ability is great for a prolonged battle as it makes him accustomed to his opponent. This talent is the core reason why Sir Sahir was able to become the SWORD of STORMGARDE.
"As you say, Sir," shouted Railan applying all of his mana to maintain his ability SCAN for 30 sec more.
He continued helping, as Sir Sahir's attack became more and more vicious, More and more accurate!
Sir, I am all spent," said Railan as he fell down his mana totally depleted! as he lost consciousness due to mana depletion.
"Mohini, cover him as well, I will cover you all don't worry now!" said Sahir, as he is now perfectly adapted to his surroundings.
"Found you, Kadir," said Sair Sahir as he rushed to him before Kadir could release his attack but it turned out to be a shadow, before Kadir came up from someplace else, Sior Sahir was already there, "Kadir, why don't you stop this game, and let's fight for real,"
"as you say, Sahir, I am itching to tear your flesh," said Kadir as he started swinging his swords,
Sir Sahir brilliantly parried all the attacks and as he was about to land one, there came another sword from behind him aiming for his neck, he dodged it, but Kadir, slashed Sahir's Thigh.
"Oh, Sahir, I forgot to tell you, I am not alone in this barrier I brought in some help as well," laughed Kadir as blood fell from Sahir's wound,
"let me show you, these guys are soldiers lent to me by someone with unimaginable power," as he said this, hundreds of soldiers started coming out from Kaidr's shadow, and because of the barrier they even multiplied.
"I told you, Sahir, today you will die and because of you, those two will as well!
"Mohini, enact the strongest shield you can on all sides, I will hold as many as possible from attacking it," shouted Sahir, as he rushed back to protect them,
"But Sir, what about you?: she shouted back, the situation just got far worse than any of them anticipated.
"You follow my orders, it was a simple miscalculation on my part, I shouldn't have expected Kadir to honor this fight, I should have expected him to play dirty, Protect yourself, Railan, my wife and child! Don't worry I will hold them no harm will befall you!"
Mohini with tears in her eyes, did as she was told, She enacted the strongest shield she could.
She saw as Sir Sahir fought hundreds of those puppets.
Sahir, you should know these puppets are made after me, they are as strong as I am, and you will never be able to defeat them!
Mohini saw in horror as those puppets attacked Sir Sahir and the shield from all sides. Sir Sahir did his best to not even a single attack befall the shield, however, he couldn't properly dodge or parry the ones coming at him
{ 10 min later }
Sir Sahir's entire body was covered in wounds from the swords, and still not a single scratch on the shield, he was losing consciousness due to the loss of blood.
Finally, Mohini couldn't bear seeing him get slashed, so she extended the barrier as Sir Sahir fell unconscious, covering him in the shield before it could become a lethal blow.
"what to do, what to do" She muttered to herself. She can heal Sir Sahir but directing her focus to him would mean weakening the shield!
she broke down and started shouting for help, while all the puppets kept on relentlessly attacking the shield, even her own shield was cracking!
Just then she saw a faint light from behind her, a faint crack in the barrier from above and behind her!
"No one will harm my friends," shouted Siddanth as he along with Sir Sahir's men came rushing into the barrier!
"Protect Sir Sahir and the barrier", shouted men as they formed a circle around the shield
Sir Sahir's vice-captain Moss: "Young Miss thank you for holding out, we will handle it from here," he continued, "However, there is still a barrier outside the hall and the medics can't be called, Miss, it is rude of me to ask but can you give this healing potion to Sir Sahir, we know you are pretty injured yourself but if we have to get out of here we need him," he said as he handed her the portion and himself went on to fight the puppets and Kadir. Mohini immediately stood up and rushed to Sahir, to give him the healing potion.
"Moss, it's been so long, I still remember when you were a knight in training but what do you think to achieve with these measly 20 men? I have an army of 100s of puppets each equal to me in strength and not bound by things such as pain or lethargy, do you think your men are strong enough to beat them? Forget that are you even strong enough to fight me?" mocked Kadir.
He slashed one puppet in one go, and the puppet stopped moving, "This is my answer Kadir" he said as he pointed his sword toward him!, "Besides, we have Siddanth and Prince Salem as well," he said as Kadir saw the synergy of attacks between Siddanth and Prince Salem as they continued to move from one puppet to other!.
"Struggle as hard as you want, tonight is going to end with my victory,"
"Men do not falter, we will win and protect our kingdom," shouted Moss as his men shouted "Yes Sir" back at him.
Farkas let out a loud howl, one of a raging wolf, as he got teleported to the location of the person holding the outside barrier.
"Where?" was all he said raging with anger, that could burn away the entire kingdom.
All the subordinates including Annerose, obediently pointed the direction!
In the blink of an eye, Farkas had transformed into his Lycanos form or semi-Vargr form! He had the puppet's body in half in his mouth, which was about half a mile away from the teleportation point.
As the stone was inside the puppet, it broke when the puppet was shattered bringing down the barrier on the outside!
Without wasting a moment, he rushed inside the StormGarde Hall, while people rushed outside as the barrier vanished and a wolf person came rushing in!
"Master," he howled before he traced him lying in a shield as people outside the shield kept falling from the attack of the puppets, like the one he just chewed up!
"Stay away from him" he shouted before rushing and breaking the toys with the sheer force of his claws!
"Wait is that Mr Farkas?" shouted Siddanth as he and Salem continued to attack the puppets in their way!
"Mr Farkas, we need to get rid of all these puppets before the shield can be disbursed. Mohini is keeping him safe.
"These damn puppets they just keep getting back up no matter how many times we break them!"
"Is there someone controlling them?" asked Farkas, as he smelled a foul smell in the entire room!
"Ya, it's Kadir over there, Sir Moss is engaging him at the moment," replied Prince Salem.
"is he the one responsible?" asked Farkas, anger boiling in him.
"You all stay back!" shouted Farkas.
"Maelstrom Typhoon" and as Farkas said it, a large typhoon formed that pulled everything from broken doors, wood panels, etc to all the puppets surrounding them, creating a clear area around them.
Mohini, Siddanth, and Salem watched in "Awe" as he single-handedly destroyed most of the puppets.
"Who the hell are you?" shouted an angry Kadir
"Master Railan's loyal servant but you can call me the mad wolf Farkas," he growled before leaping and reaching where Moss and Kadir were exchanging blows.
"Thank You, Mr. Farkas, thank you for breaking the outside barrier as well as taking down those puppets," said Moss as he again took his stanze!
"Stay Back, he hurt My master, and he will pay," said Farkas as he growled and unleashed a roar sending wind force towards Kadir.
Just then, "Mr. Farkas, Please let me fight him, it's my honor as the SWORD of STORMGARDE that's at stake here! Please you go and comfort your Master," said Sir Sahir as he came out healed as the barrier finally dissipated.
"No, he hurt my master," said Farkas, as he turned to Sir Sahir, but the look in Sir Sahir's eyes didn't accept "no" for an answer, Farkas controlled himself and returned back to his normal form!
"Make sure he pays, for hurting my master," said Farkas before rushing back to Railan as everyone not involved in the fight grouped there.
"I will," said Sir Sahir, his eyes focused, such clear focus can only be achieved by people who are on the top or the precipice of reaching the top!
"Kadir, you and me, were friends and rivals, you made me want to become a better and stronger person, you were the one who got me into sword fighting. For all the memories we shared back then and for giving me my first sword, I respectfully express my gratitude. I also want to apologize to you for not being there when you fell to the dark side of your emotions. You were there for me when I needed you the most but I was the one who failed you as a friend and for that, I also express my deepest and heartfelt apologies." Sir Sahir continued,
"I always thought that you would one day come back to challenge me, that is why, I put all my effort into polishing and improving my skills, so that, I wouldn't disappoint you because I believed you would come back stronger! However, the Kadir I knew, died the day you left the kingdom, what I see in front of me is no Kadir and as your friend since childhood, it is my duty to make you realize your wrongs, I am sorry I didn't do that earlier," Sir Sahir, saw all the moments of their life when they fought together as friends and when they exchanged blows as rivals, but never thought the day would come when they would be enemies. Remembering their childhood pledge they used to recite every time they crossed swords, whether practice or otherwise, he recited: "WITH MY STRONGEST, I SHALL DESTROY YOUR STRONGEST" as tears rolled up in Sir Sahir's eyes as this would be the end of one of them.
Meanwhile, Kadir also gathered all his energy for this one attack, as black soot started gathering on his sword, completely engulfing it
Sir Sahir gathered mana from the outside of his sword, as the mana began flowing along with his SWORD AURA, only 0.000000001% of swordsmen can maintain this state of total concentration and harmony between Aura and mana! His sword glowed into a fierce red color, They both leaped into the air and exchanged blows, it was too fast for anyone to intercept what happened, as they both landed on the opposite side, it was Sir Sahir's sword that broke first but it was Kadir who fell down.
"Sir Sahir, you did it," shouted Moss as he rushed to support his Captain. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as everything calmed down the puppets stopped moving altogether. "Sir you did it" said Moss as he supported Sir Sahir. "Moss, is everyone all right?"
"Don't worry Sir, they will be, you need medical help first" he said as he brought him down to where everyone was either sitting or lying.
"Finally, it's all over," shouted Mohini tears in her eyes!
But just then, Farkas's nose picked up the smell, the same foul smell, he was immediately able to identify the source, "You stupid puppet, why did you suddenly stop acting the way I wanted you to, did you want him to cut you! Hanh, a last-ditch attempt for your friend hanh, did his stupid words reach you?" said the black soot as it came out of Kadir's unconscious body. "You made a contract and sold your body to me and then you act as if you own it, stupid human,"
"My master has called me back but let me give you a gift before I leave,"
"He summoned a seal, that started combining all the puppets lying into one three big puppets. He also did something sinister with Kadir's dead body, he poured a few drops of the black liquid on his body, and Kadir, suddenly started shaking, his body growing and becoming more muscular and strong by the minute but it seemed as if it was some loose animal with nothing but the rage to destroy!
Farkas rushed to that black soot, but his attacks had no effect, "You pet dog, physical attacks have no effect on me, and by the way enjoy my gift," He said before he disappeared. And the next second, Kadir, or better call it a monster, punched Farkas sending him thrashing to the wall behind where they were resting!
To be continued