NOVEL WEB Chapter 19: Kael Osborne.
---[Summoned - Information]---
Name: Kael Osborn
Rank: E
Class: Assassin
Force Alignment: Darkness
Magic Affinity: Shadow
Trust: 100%
Stats: (Further details available on a separate sub-screen)
Skills: Blade Mastery [Lvl 8/10], Unarmed Combat [Lvl 7/10]
Additional Skills:
- Shadow Veil [A]: Allows Kael to blend seamlessly with shadows, granting him near-invisibility and silent movement. The duration and range of this ability are currently limited by his low rank.
- Whispering Blade [S]: A rapid-fire series of dagger strikes delivered with incredible speed. This skill temporarily boosts Kael's attack and movement speed.
Equipment:
- Dawn's Embrace (Gauntlet): Emits a gentle, healing light that mends minor wounds. It can also be focused to unleash a searing blast of light against enemies. The healing and offensive power of the gauntlet scales with Kael's rank.
- Zephyr Stride (Boots): Infused with wind magic, these boots enhance Kael's speed by 20%. This enhancement increases proportionally as Kael's rank improves.
---[Bio]---
Kael Osborn, a figure shrouded in the shadows of history, lived centuries ago. His childhood was a chilling tableau of death and bloodshed, a crucible that forged his affinity for Shadow magic at a tender age. He soon attracted the attention of a powerful underworld figure who offered him an escape and began his training in the lethal arts of assassination.
By the age of 12, Kael was immersed in rigorous training, and at 15, he executed his first contract. He became a loyal instrument of his enigmatic master, carrying out mission after mission, eliminating targets with ruthless efficiency. Unbeknownst to Kael, his master was a high-ranking political manipulator, using him to remove rivals in a clandestine power struggle within a powerful kingdom.
Kael's string of high-profile assassinations earned him notoriety and a hefty bounty. His final mission, orchestrated by the very master he trusted, proved to be a carefully laid trap. He walked into a magical array, his power nullified, and was subsequently imprisoned by the kingdom. Confined within a specialized magical prison designed to drain his life force and magic to power itself, Kael's S-rank power dwindled to a mere E.
In his final moments, tortured and weakened, he prayed to any entity that would listen, offering his unwavering loyalty and life in exchange for vengeance. A swirling, purplish portal materialized before him, answering his desperate plea. He was summoned across time and space by his new master, Lord Magnus Lancaster, lord of the Lancaster territory. Now bound to serve, Kael Osborn seeks to reclaim his lost power and fulfill his oath of vengeance.
-----
Magnus stared at the screen, a frown etched on his face. It seemed his [Synthesis] skill had worked as intended. He had successfully added Light and Wind magic affinities to the card during the merging process. Although Kael hadn't gained all three magical affinities directly, they had manifested in his equipment. Magnus reasoned that magic and equipment were all integral components of a person's overall strength.
Using [Synthesis], Magnus copied the necessary skills before turning his attention to the lengthy biography. As he read, his eyes widened. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the young man's tragic past – betrayed by the world and the only person he had ever trusted, left to suffer and decay in a magical prison.
A thought struck him then. The biography focused entirely on Kael's suffering, the events leading to his summoning, and the resulting absolute trust he placed in Magnus, his summoner.
Magnus frowned, uncertain how to react to this information. Would all of his summoned individuals have similarly dark pasts that would automatically engender complete trust in him? While their troubled histories wouldn't impede their ability to carry out his orders, Magnus wasn't keen on surrounding himself with individuals burdened by such somber pasts. He already had Voidreaver as a source of negative energy, which was more than sufficient. He didn't need to be further immersed in an atmosphere of sorrow and despair.
Magnus pushed these thoughts aside. Kael was still kneeling respectfully, head bowed in a gesture of loyalty. Magnus stared at the young man, scratching the back of his head, unsure of how to proceed.
'This is the part where I give the speech, right?' he mused to himself. While he didn't have a prepared script, he felt confident he had watched enough movies to understand the requirements of this particular scene.
Clearing his throat softly, he began, "Rise, Kael Osborn. Your plea for help has been heard. You live now with a renewed purpose. The shadows of your past, though deep and dark, hold no power over your future."
"Here, in this new era, you are no longer a prisoner of vengeance, a mere tool in another's game. You are reborn, a blade forged anew in the fires of my summoning. Your loyalty, freely given, is a bond I value, and I offer you in return not just a purpose, but a chance to carve a new destiny."
"The life you lost, the power that was stolen, can be regained and even surpassed. Stand with me, Kael Osborn, and together we shall forge a future where your name is whispered not with fear, but with respect. A future where your strength serves not darkness, but the dawn of a new beginning."
Magnus's words, filled with a blend of compassion and authority, nearly brought the hardened assassin to tears. He rose to his feet, a strange sense of trust blossoming within him for the man standing before him. He couldn't explain it, but the feeling was powerful and undeniable. Was it possible, he wondered, that he might finally experience some semblance of peace and happiness in his life?
Kael stood facing the young man, whose handsome features seemed to radiate a light that touched his very soul.
"Thank you, Mast—" Kael began, but Magnus quickly interrupted.
"Call me Lord Magnus. Lord Magnus is fine," Magnus muttered. "Master" sounded too much like he was dealing with a slave.
"Uhm, Lord Magnus, I promise to never fail you. My life is dedicated to your service. Anyone you wish dead will have their head on a platter," Kael swore, falling back on familiar patterns of subservience.
Magnus scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward in the face of such intense emotion. "No need to swear your entire life to me. You should live your own life, too. But be ready to heed my call when I need you," Magnus said after a moment of thought.
Kael appeared confused, then overwhelmed with emotion.
Throughout his life, he had always been a tool, a means to an end. He had grown accustomed to this role. Every favor he received came with a price, even a simple meal.
He always had to repay the kindness in some way, bound by the weight of obligation. That was why, upon being summoned, he immediately felt the immense weight of this new favor and believed the only way to repay it was to offer his life. But Magnus's words struck a dissonant chord within him. Could he truly live a life of normalcy, free from the constant pressure of repaying every small act of kindness?
After a while, he finally regained control of his emotions. "Lord Magnus," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "your words… they are unlike any I've ever heard. My life has been nothing but a series of transactions, a chain of favors repaid with blood. To be offered… freedom… it is a concept I struggle to comprehend." He knelt again, this time not in subservience, but in a surge of overwhelming gratitude. "Though you bid me not swear my life, I vow to fulfill every task you set before me. I will not fail."
Magnus stared at Kael, his heart filled with compassion for the young man. What kind of harsh life had he endured that even such clichéd words could evoke such powerful emotions? He couldn't help but shake his head.
"Kael, please stand," Magnus said, gesturing for him to rise. Kael immediately obeyed, a look of determination hardening his features.
Seeing this, Magnus nodded with a smile. "Good. There's a small task I need you to complete for me," he said.
"Kael Osborn at your command, Lord Magnus," Kael responded, his face resolute.
"Great," Magnus murmured, a smile playing on his lips as he began to brief Kael on his mission.
A short time later, Kael left the room, melting into the darkness outside and disappearing as he sped away to carry out the task assigned to him.
Magnus sat watching the spot where Kael had vanished. It wasn't a difficult mission, so he was confident Kael would be more than capable of completing it.
Turning his attention away from the door, Magnus surveyed his room, which now looked as if a tornado had ripped through it. He sighed and began to clean up, dreading the inevitable moment when Seraphina would arrive with his dinner and demand an explanation for the state of his chambers.
-----
Meanwhile, far to the south of the kingdom, a group of five people led by Nutgrove stood before the gates of a sprawling territory. They signaled to the guards on the wall, requesting entry.
The gates slowly creaked open, and after a moment, they stood fully open, revealing a four-foot-tall green figure with long ears waiting to greet them. It was a goblin. The group had arrived in Gaylordia, Gaylord's territory.
"Hey there, Nutgrove," the small goblin said. "Hope you're here with something good, not one of those crappy intel reports you bring, hoping to score a free reward from our lord."
"Fuck you, Krogg," Nutgrove cursed back. The animosity between them was palpable.
Krogg simply chuckled. "This way. I'll lead you to our lord," he said, leading the group forward as the gates swung shut behind them, oblivious to the shadowed figure stealthily trailing in their wake.