Eternal Rest

Bones, unsure of what Silva meant by "showing what he got," decided to lighten the mood with a joke.

"Alright, alright. Pick a number. Any number from 1 to 100, but don't tell me which number you picked!" he quipped.

Silva's expression turned puzzled. "What do you... Solin? You haven't told him?" he questioned, turning to Solin, who mirrored his confusion. "Told him what?" Solin replied, momentarily forgetting before realizing, "Ah! Sorry, I forgot."

Dismissing the confusion, Silva clarified, "Never mind, Bones. I'd like for you to spar with Solin. I want to see what you're capable of."

"Assessing my abilities?" Bones questioned.

"Yes, and also giving you the opportunity to experience fighting against a more seasoned opponent," Silva explained.

Bones glanced at Solin, who had already assumed a fighting stance. "Alright, show me what you've got, Solin!" he declared, readying himself for the spar.

"Wait, wait," Silva hurriedly interjected, his urgency palpable. "Clover, CLOVER!" he shouted.

From within the building, a crashing sound echoed, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps bounding down the stairs.

The courtyard door swung open, and a head peeked out. "What?" A woman emerged, instantly grasping the situation as she stepped into the courtyard. "Oh, are you ready to spar?" she inquired. Silva nodded, and the woman, Clover, approached the trio. Kneeling, she pressed both palms against the ground. Bones watched in amazement as thousands of small blue clovers sprouted from the earth, covering the entire courtyard. Rising to her feet, Clover raised both hands simultaneously, and from the mass of clovers, a barrier sprung up.

"The barrier will muffle the sounds of battle and prevent any stray attacks from damaging the walls," Silva explained.

"Are you certain the barrier will hold?" Bones inquired skeptically.

"Absolutely! Clover is a skilled barrier specialist and a silver rank, so you can unleash without worry," Silva reassured him with a smile and a thumbs up.

Bones turned his attention back to Solin, noticing the eagerness on the assassin's face. "Don't hold back, Solin," he urged.

"Of course I..." Solin's sentence was cut short as he swiftly sidestepped Bone Spikes erupting from the ground where he had been standing just moments before.

"Failed, huh?" Bones thought to himself, while Solin grinned widely. "Way to go, Bones! I bet most others would have fallen for a sneak attack like that!" Solin exclaimed, impressed.

Solin assumed a low stance, hunching slightly with both hands hanging loosely by his sides. With a swift movement, two daggers materialized in his hands as he dashed forward. Bones countered by casting and firing lance after lance, but each was skillfully evaded as Solin weaved between them, closing the distance rapidly. The courtyard, only twenty-five meters wide, quickly transformed into a battleground as Bones prepared to confront the oncoming attack. Though he hadn't yet drawn a weapon from his inventory, he trusted that his Bone Armor would provide sufficient defense to test his opponent's strength.

The assassin closed in from Bones' left side, poised to strike. Anticipating the attack, Bones stepped to his right, only to lose sight of Solin in the next moment. In that split second of vulnerability, the attack he had expected from the left instead came from behind, piercing halfway through his armor before Solin swiftly withdrew his dagger and somersaulted away, creating distance between them.

Solin grinned at Bones, finding amusement in the situation, but Bones didn't share his sentiment. In that moment of realization, when he had lost sight of Solin, Bones knew he stood no chance against the agile assassin. Solin playfully maneuvered around the courtyard, demonstrating his prowess.

"Assassin, indeed..." Bones muttered to himself, acknowledging Solin's formidable skill.

"What do you think? Surprised?" Solin asked, clearly enjoying the outcome of their first encounter.

"Quite surprised. Please, continue," Bones responded, his armor visibly repairing itself at a rapid rate as he prepared for the next round.

Solin winced slightly at the sight of the armor repairing so effortlessly, realizing he had much more to offer than a simple backstab. Assuming his stance once again, he launched his attack. As he advanced, Bones retreated, attempting to create distance between them, but Solin swiftly closed the gap. A low slash aimed to sever an artery on anyone else left a long gash in Bones' pants. Solin then turned and leaped onto Bones' back, leaving another mark on the armor from his piercing attack.

Reacting swiftly, Bones spun around and summoned a lance, executing a sweeping attack. Solin stepped back, narrowly avoiding the spear's tip as it passed perilously close to his forehead. "Phew, that was close! Nice one!" Solin complimented Bones, before resuming his one-sided assault.

After several intense bouts, Solin wore a frown of frustration while Bones grappled with his own sense of vexation. Bones found himself continuously repairing cracked, pierced, and broken pieces of his armor, struggling to keep up with the relentless assault. Solin's frustration stemmed from the fact that the match should have concluded some time ago, yet Bones remained standing, tirelessly repairing his stubborn armor.

"You aren't out of mana yet?" Solin eventually inquired, his voice betraying his exasperation.

"Yes," Bones replied simply. A few seconds later, he added, "Not anymore."

As Solin's frown deepened, he launched another attack with even greater intensity than before. His strikes were swifter and more precise, indicating that he was giving it his all. In one instance, when Solin closed the distance, Bones surprised him with a bone nova. Projectiles were unleashed in a circular pattern around Bones, with one heading directly towards Solin. However, Solin's acute perception allowed him to detect the impending attack and react almost instantly. He evaded by swiftly diving beneath the projectile and charged towards Bones.

The moment Solin deftly dodged his attack, Bones realized he had nothing left to demonstrate. As he saw Solin closing in on him once more, frustration boiled within Bones. With a significant portion of his mana instantly depleted, Bones was on the verge of unleashing a mana blast in retaliation. However, before he could act, Silva intervened with a loud clap, bringing their spar to an abrupt halt. "Alright, that's enough for today," Silva declared.

Solin skidded to a stop, and Bones glanced at Silva, acknowledging his decision with a nod. That clap... it felt eerily reminiscent of a soul attack. Bones recognized what Silva had done to halt them. He was somewhat familiar with soul magic, but the sudden attack had caught him off guard. Now, he had learned something new about Silva—he possessed knowledge of soul magic.

"Bones, you still have mana left!?" Silva asked, a hint of surprise coloring his expression. Bones nodded in response, noting the surprise flicker across Silva's face.

"At the end there, it felt like you were about to cast Mana Blast. I didn't know you had an affinity for arcane magic," Silva remarked, his curiosity piqued.

Bones hadn't anticipated Silva's keen observation, and he inwardly cursed his slip-up. "Ahem, you should probably fix your shirt," Silva added, pointing out the damage to Bones' attire.

Bones glanced down and noticed the numerous holes and gashes adorning his shirt. While it possessed a self-repair enchantment, it would take some time to mend itself. "I have a spare one, be right back," Bones replied, excusing himself to change.

Meanwhile, Solin remained in meditation, beads of sweat trickling down his face as he replenished his depleted resources. "We'll be in the booth," Silva announced before departing, with Clover following closely behind.

Inside the booth, Clover and Silva waited patiently as Bones descended the stairs in his new shirt.

"You haven't formally met. Bones, this is Clover. Clover, meet Bones," Silva introduced them. They exchanged greetings, and Bones couldn't help but inquire if "Clover" was her real name.As he suspected, it wasn't; it was either a nickname or a codename.

"So Bones, I take it you understand now why I needed you to see the difference?" Silva asked, to which Bones nodded in agreement. Silva continued, "You actually surprised us greatly there. You may not realize it, but Solin has a wealth of experience in one-on-one combat. He's gained it through his work as an assassin and from fighting in the arena against other opponents."

"I didn't know the guild had an arena?" Bones asked with genuine interest.

"It does, and it's quite a big deal. But I was referring to an Underground arena. Never mind that for now. I'm sure you've realized by now the difference in having advanced skills. It wasn't a fair matchup, but it was a necessary one," Silva explained.

"Not at all, it was an eye-opening match," Bones replied.

"I'm glad you see it that way. Most adventurers have at least two advanced skills before they reach level twenty-five. I don't think you're like most adventurers, Bones. However, I do have one remark. Tell me, why haven't you used any physical abilities in the match?" Silva inquired.

Bones paused, pondering for a moment before responding with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? I have weapon mastery, and I used a lance."

This time, it was Silva and the usually quiet Clover who were taken aback. "I meant weapon abilities or skills that enhance your movement, like Solin used," Silva clarified.

"Ah, I see. I don't have any," Bones admitted.

"What?" Both Silva and Clover exclaimed, their surprise echoing within the private booth.

"How can you not have any? By now, you should have learned at least one weapon skill or a passive skill that boosts your movement speed, if not a movement skill," Clover questioned, finally chiming in. Meanwhile, Silva remained silent, lost in thought.

"I understand what you mean, but I have yet to be prompted by the system with either of those skills. I do have one passive physical skill that reinforces my bones, if that counts? I thought it was odd at first, but then again, my situation isn't exactly normal," Bones explained.

"Could I ask you to tell me, and you don't have to answer, how long does it take you to regenerate your mana to full?" Silva suddenly inquired.

Bones glanced at his status and replied, "Under a minute, if not in combat." He chose not to disclose the fact that it actually took him half a minute to fully regenerate his mana pool.

“Under… a minute?” Silva repeated, his tone laced with surprise.

“Under a minute, that’s…” Clover echoed, equally astonished.

“Is that fast? I thought it to be fast, but I had no one to compare myself to,” Bones admitted, curious.

“Bones, most mages who invest in mana regeneration take at least 4-5 minutes to regenerate mana while meditating. Do you have low mana or something?” Clover inquired, now more intrigued by Bones.

“I don’t know if it's low, but around five hundred mana,” Bones replied.

“That’s not low, a bit above average for your level,” Silva added, offering his perspective.

Solin joined them roughly ten minutes later but quickly left for his room after Clover teased him about Bones’ mana recovery. The rest of them stayed talking until midnight, when Bones bid them good night and retired to his room.

Silva and Tivaara were the only ones left in the booth. Clover had left sometime in the evening after Tiv joined them. “What do you think about our new addition?” Silva turned to Tiv and asked.

“Bones?... I like!” Tivaara replied with a grin.

“I thought you would, Tiv. Don’t get attached though. He's mine!” Silva warned, half-jokingly.

“Oh yeah?” Tivaara exclaimed, teasingly. “Is this where your interest lies? You think he might be The One?”

“I think he could be, and probably is! It won’t be long now until this body expires,” Silva replied cryptically, pulling up his sleeve to reveal dark veins underneath his skin.

“Are you sure? He is a skeleton, Silva. Why would you think that..” Tivaara began, but Silva interrupted her mid-sentence. “Tiv, he is like me!”

“What do you mean?” Tivaara asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Didn’t it occur to you when you failed to identify him the first time? He, like me, most likely is or was, a soul mage. He isn’t just some skeleton that happened to gain sapience. He transferred his soul, somehow, to a skeleton and from the looks of it, doesn’t seem to have any negative side effects like me. Well, apart from the obvious ones like being an undead,” Silva explained, his voice tinged with conviction.

“Are you sure? It seems rather far-fetched, Silva. The man didn’t know a thing about the system,” Tivaara sounded skeptical.

“And yet, he knows his name, his real name. He looks at things like they are completely new to him and yet drinks coffee in the mornings like it’s his routine. Yes, Tiv, I’m sure of it. He was a soul mage. Maybe he lost parts of his memory during a soul transfer as a side-effect of a ritual? Who knows?” Silva mused, his thoughts drifting to the mysteries surrounding Bones' past.

“Maybe he lived before the system?” Tivaara voiced her thoughts, then chuckled and added, “As if!”

“Impossible, Tiv. He would have to be over six thousand years old. That would make him the oldest living, or nonliving I guess, soul in the world.”

“How long do you have?” Tivaara asked, changing the subject.

“My guess? A few years at best,” Silva replied somberly.

“What is your plan with Bones?”

Silva looked at her, narrowing his eyes, then sighed. “Nothing for now. I need him to step into silver rank first. This early, and that body of his wouldn’t be able to handle a soul transfer.”

“So, we teach him? Make him strong so when the time comes, you would have a body worthy of your stature,” Tivaara suggested as she rose from the table and left Silva to his musings.

“Good night, Tivaara,” Silva said, his voice trailing off as he continued sipping on his drink. Ignoring everything around him, he became lost in his thoughts.

"That body of his is something I’ve never encountered before. No stamina and can’t learn any skills to reinforce his body? How peculiar," he mused to himself. "He doesn’t seem to comprehend yet just how much of an advantage he has over everyone else that has to train their body for decades, centuries even. Disadvantages are there for sure, but.. sigh If the circumstances were different, perhaps I wouldn’t have to…”

Silva hadn’t finished his thought, but he did finish his drink. He got up and left, but not to his rooms like the others. He headed toward the hidden manavator and descended into the Underground City. He still had some business to take care of.