NOVEL WEB Chapter 11: Bastard Order
The main residence of House Arkwell stood tall like a proud monument of history, its halls lined with tapestries and relics from bygone conquests. Deep within, in the austere chamber of Lord Gaius Arkwell, the official study, an air of authority settled upon the space.
Gaius sat behind a grand desk cluttered with documents, each one a fragment of the territory's affairs. Behind him stood Oakley, his trusted assistant and personal guard, his appearance of humble note just as Tyberius once described.
Opposite the desk stood a man, gaunt, dishevelled, and visibly out of place in the noble room's elegance. His attire was simple, worn from travel and hardship, a stark contrast to the polished marble floors and gold-stitched drapes that surrounded him.
"Speak. The Lord hears you," Oakley said, voice calm yet commanding.
The man hesitated, visibly shaken in the presence of the noble lord. But necessity lent him courage.
"It's the goblins, my lord," he began, his voice trembling as he forced the words through clenched sorrow. "My village… we are under siege."
Gaius did not look up from his scrolls. His hands moved with practised precision as he continued to scan the parchment, quill scratching notes in the margin. He had long learned the art of multitasking, ruling meant rarely looking someone in the eye.
"They come at night without rest. They steal our livestock, our harvest, and our people. Each raid leaves us more broken than the last. We can't even grieve before they return again."
Oakley narrowed his gaze. "How many of them?"
"Too many," the man replied, shame clinging to his tone. "We managed to repel them once. The young men fought valiantly. But then… then they returned with greater numbers. They slaughtered what few defenders we had left. The rest… were torn apart or left to suffer."
At that, Gaius finally looked up, his piercing gaze falling upon the man like a judge issuing a silent sentence. "Where is your village?"
"Far north, my lord. On the outer border. We share the edge with Lord Halbrant's land."
Gaius leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin. That explained the absence of military response. The borderlands were the first to be stretched thin, his knights deployed far and wide in response to the Demi-Kin threat that plagued the north. It wasn't negligence; it was the limits of power.
Still, Gaius was no lord who ignored his people. The man had travelled leagues, abandoned his home, and entered a citadel that likely felt like another world just to plead for protection.
"...Oakley."
"Yes, my lord."
"Prepare a dozen knights. Assign them under the command of Knight-Captain Edward. Have them move out at once."
Oakley nodded. "Understood, my lord."
But Gaius lifted his hand, reconsidering. "On second thought, send the bastard with them. He'll take command of the expedition."
Oakley paused at the door.
There were… quite a few bastards.
"Forgive me, my lord… Which bastard?"
"The one I met yesterday," Gaius replied, not bothering to recall the name.
Oakley quickly searched his memory, he was efficient, and yesterday's events weren't far. "You mean… Tyberius, my lord?"
"Yes. That one. Let him lead the knights to the border village."
Oakley's brow furrowed, unsure whether to question the lord or comply. Still, he clarified carefully, "My lord… Tyberius is only four."
Without lifting his eyes from the parchment, Gaius replied, "He is an Arkwell. He will be fine."
The sheer dismissal in that answer made Oakley's jaw tighten. But he knew better than to argue when the Lord's word had been sealed.
"As you wish, my lord," Oakley said softly, bowing. "I shall carry out your orders."
Inwardly, Oakley reflected. Gaius had shown an odd interest in the bastard son, a curiosity that bordered on purpose. Perhaps this was a way for him to dive deeper into that interest, to ascertain if it would remain what it is or if there was more to be found.
---
In his private quarters, Tyberius sat cross-legged on a cushion, his breathing slow, his body still. The world around him faded as he slipped deeper into meditation, sound and sensation falling away like ash on wind.
Then came the shift.
He stood now atop the mirror-like surface of a vast body of water, its edges fringed with dreamlike savanna trees. A floating orb hovered above the water's centre, pulsing with soft light. Essence flowed upward from the lake, pulled toward the orb in slow, fluid spirals.
Tyberius focused, and his body responded, he began to levitate gently toward the glowing sphere.
"It's over halfway full now," he murmured to himself. "Soon…"
He studied the orb carefully. The accumulation of essence wasn't just a sign of spiritual progress, it was a promise. When full, it would become the vessel for his awakening.
A gateway to awaken his magic and his talent, to unlock what has been made inaccessible to him as of current.
He allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before letting go of that realm and returning to the physical world.
His eyes opened slowly, greeted by the soft glow of light streaming through the ornate windows of his room.
Once more, he whispered, "Once the orb is completely full… I'll awaken. Magic, talent, I will finally gain access to both of them"
It was only a theory.
But it was all he had.
"...Bastard," he muttered under his breath.
[Tyberius Arkwell]
True Name: Ngth'rel Varkhud (Lifespan: 100 years)
Race: Vaylun (Lowest tier divine Human)
EP: 6,138 | 10,000
Force Factor: Force Fundamental Stage (61%)
Magic: Unawakened
Talent: Unawakened
[Subspace]: ??? Egg
[Player Ranking: 319]
There was progress to be seen here, real progress he believes, measurable growth.
Tyberius glanced at the EP counter. Where once there was only zero, now numbers danced steadily forward.
He didn't know what all of it meant yet. He didn't know what awaited him once that orb finally got to the end of it, but he was hopeful for better moments.
And if there's anything his life as a gamer taught him, it's that his assumptions on this sort of thing always, mostly turn out right.