Soul of the Warrior

A haze filled the air as Reivyn and his Party made it back to the capital. A half day's travel on horseback didn't mean half of a full day, but half of the normal daylight hours. The trip took about six and a half hours, and the sun had yet to set by the time they reached their destination.

"I wonder what's going on with this haze, or mist, or whatever," Teilon commented as the city came into view. The haze was localized to the city, and it didn't appear to be natural. There was no weather to indicate it was a natural fog or anything, and it was contained within the city walls.

"We can ask one of the guards, or a passing pedestrian, once we reach the city," Tom said.

The group was a little intrigued about the phenomenon, but they could see that it was mostly peaceful with people still streaming in and out of the gates. There was no indication of anything abnormal from the guards at the gate or the people moving about their lives, so they weren't concerned.

"... just completely gone," a snippet of a conversation entered their ears as they passed by a group of people talking as they got closer to the gates. The speaker was someone leaving the city, and he was apparently answering a question from the group of people about to enter it. Reivyn shared a look with his friends, and they all perked up their ears to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Just completely gone?" One of the entrants asked, disbelief on his face.

"Yeah, apparently in one strike," the first person answered, nodding his head. "According to the rumors, some guy walked up to it, completely disregarding everyone's attempts to find out who he was and what he was doing there, and he punched the building, completely obliterating it."

"Yeah, right," another person said. "You know how rumors are. One person says something, and the next person has to embellish it to make it more interesting, and then there are a hundred different versions, each one more fantastical than the last. I bet that the building wasn't even completely demolished, much less by one guy with one punch."

"Then you would lose that bet, my friend," the first person said, shaking his head. "I saw it personally. Not only the entire building but even the foundations are completely gone. That haze," he pointed above himself, "is all that's left."

"So everyone was killed, then?" A third person from the group entering the city said, fear on her face.

"Nope," the first person denied. "There weren't even any injuries, as far as I know. It was..."

The voices faded as Reivyn and his friends continued beyond the range of easily eavesdropping. He shared a look with his friends, and he saw curiosity and wariness in equal measure on their faces.

"Wonder who was so unfortunate as to lose their home, as it sounds like," Trick said.

"We'll find out soon," Vane answered.

Reivyn had some speculations in mind, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions without investigating further.

Reivyn and his friends were all students of the Academies, and they carried their tokens on their waists. As such, the guards waved them through the gate after using a tool to verify the authenticity of their tokens without asking any questions.

An entry fee was usually reserved in the form of tariffs for traders, and the regular pedestrians didn't have to pay one. They still had to go through at least a cursory inspection before being allowed entry, though. Not having to go through such a process was one of the perks of being a student at one of the Academies.

"You guys are official members of the Adventurer's Guild, so lets all stable our mounts there for now," Reivyn turned to his friends. "We can go have dinner at my house, and you guys can meet my parents. You can come back and get the horses and head home afterward."

"Ok," Tom agreed. Vane and Trick also nodded their heads.

"We can step inside the Guild Branch to ask about what's going on while we're here," Kimberly suggested. "There might be more reliable information among the Adventurers who are more likely to have reliable sources than the everyday citizen just walking around."

"That's a good idea," Teilon said, smiling at his girlfriend. "I knew I liked you for a reason." Teilon winked at Kimberly. Kimberly gave him a playful shove in reply, to which Teilon just laughed.

The Party quickly got their horses settled in the stables provided by the Branch, and they headed inside. The Branches were different than the strait administrative buildings of the Adventurer's Guild, and they provided space for the Adventurers to relax with some food and beverage.

The establishments that provided the food and drink weren't actually associated with the Adventurer's Guild, but they were instead local businesses that bid for a slot in the branches to ply their wares and advertise their business. The contracts were set up for a couple of months at a time, and a business couldn't win a bid more than two times in a row or in multiple Branch buildings at the same time. It was one way for the Adventurer's Guild to further support the local economies while not having to pay for the resources involved.

It's a pretty good revenue stream, as well, Reivyn thought as he surveyed the bustling crowd. Their only cost is maintaining the space.

The group of friends quickly spotted a table filled with people laughing and carousing, and they heard bits of conversation about the topic they were interested in. There were other people with the same idea as them, and several other individuals and groups stood around the table listening to the story.

Reivyn sidled up to one of the individuals listening to the story, and he leaned in to whisper to him. Teilon and the others spread out to do their own inquiring.

"So it's true?" He asked. "An entire building was demolished?" The man glanced at Reivyn from the side of his eyes before responding.

"Not just an entire building. An entire compound," he answered with a nod. "It seems the rumors are true."

"And it was caused by just one guy with one punch? Did he punch each building one at a time?" Reivyn continued asking.

"Nah," the man denied. "According to these guys, he punched one building once, and that one punch destroyed everything. All the way down to the foundations. The Hawthorne estate is just a giant hole, now. Nobody was hurt, either. Well, except for the few guards that tried to stop the fellow. Apparently, the weaker guards just collapsed to the ground from a look, and the stronger guards who actually got in his way ended up with broken bones."

"So he attacked the guards that tried to stop him?"

"No, he just walked into them," the man chuckled. "He acted like they weren't even there."

"And how do you know these guys are telling the truth?" Reivyn furrowed his brow. The man once again stole a glance at Reivyn.

"They're friends with some of the Hawthorne guards. Listen, they're getting to the next part of the story."

Reivyn turned his attention to the man telling the bulk of the story. He was able to get caught up in the telling because so many people asked clarifying questions from time to time to stall the pace.

"... finally brought the big guns out, and the head of the household came out to ask what the man wanted," Reivyn heard. "The man was magically shrouded, and not even Saired Hawthorne himself could see anything other than a fuzzy appearance. The man ignored him, walked up to the front of the building, and smashed his fist into the ground.

"He caused a small earthquake as the vibrations from his strike radiated out, and all of the buildings in their compound exploded from the force. He had pinpoint accuracy in his strike, and not even an inch outside of the grounds was affected, and nobody got hurt." The man shook his head before taking a swig from his mug. Everyone was silent as they waited for him to continue the story, hanging on his every word.

"I wouldn't have believed it myself if not for my buddy, Jek, standing right, watching the whole thing. The buildings didn't just explode into chunks, either. They disintegrated into fine dust, and now it's floating around the city even now, hours after it happened.

"Saired crawled out of the mess and looked around with distress and worry obvious on his face. He shouted to the man, 'Why?! Why did you do this to us?'" The storyteller took another quick sip of his drink. "The shrouded man paused in his steps, turned his head, and said one sentence before leaving." The man paused for dramatic effect, taking on the stance that he described in the story. "'Your son annoyed me.' And then he was gone."

Teilon and the others had rejoined Reivyn's side as they had finished their own inquiries and listened to the end of the story. People were coming and going, and it was clear that the man and his group were living it up, telling the story over and over again with donations of drinks from the listeners.

Reivyn leaned over and whispered to Tom.

"Who's Saired Hawthorne?" He asked. Tom looked at Reivyn with a complicated look before answering.

"Lance's full name is Lance Hawthorne," he replied. "Saired is his father."

"That's what I was thinking," Reivyn said. "I think we got everything we need. Let's go."

Reivyn tossed a couple of coins to cover the cost of drink onto the table, and he and his Party departed the establishment.

"Looks like Lance gets to suffer more than just the punishment the Commander issued," Reivyn chuckled. "He shouldn't have tried to use his background and connections."

"So you're confident this is the work of your dad?" Trick asked. Reivyn nodded. "Just how strong is he?"

Reivyn looked at his roommates, in turn, contemplating what to tell them. He finally shrugged and revealed the truth.

"It's not a huge secret, though I would ask you guys not to tell anyone else," Reivyn said. He waited until they all nodded assent. Even Teilon and Kimberly agreed as they had only speculation without concrete confirmation themselves. "My dad is Tier 5."

Tom, Vane, and Trick sucked in a breath at the information. Their mouths once more dropped open, and they stared at Reivyn for a good long while. Teilon and Kimberly shared a look, and they just nodded their heads like it was expected. They had heard Refix say he had over 40,000 Health Points when they were all entering the Academy, so it wasn't that much of a surprise to them.

"So, considering the rogue at the military base does that mean..." Teilon trailed off, an inquisitive look on his face.

"The swordsman was my dad," Reivyn confirmed. "What you probably haven't realized yet, though, is that Caster who summoned the tornado was my mom." That revelation finally got some raised eyebrows from Teilon and Kimberly.

"I think that explains her strange behavior toward Melissa that first night we had dinner at your house," Kimberly absentmindedly said. Teilon gave her a frown, and she clarified herself. "Think about it. Reivyn has hidden masters protecting him from the shadows, so she definitely knew about what happened at the victory feast between her and Lin. She's just a Tier 2 person in a Tier 1 kingdom whose family has ties to a Tier 2 kingdom's nobility.

"Melissa was a stuttering fool after she met Reivyn's parents, and that's not like her at all. My guess is that Miss Ameliyn put the fear of God in her with her presence alone during that meal."

Teilon rubbed his chin in contemplation. Tom, Vane, and Trick were still staring slack-jawed at Reivyn, hardly processing the continued conversation. Trick was the first to snap out of his stunned state, and he shook his head to clear the fog away.

"Wait, what?" He said. "Did you say that your mom and dad were in that group of Adventurers that saved Magron from the Dungeon Break?" Trick snapped his fingers in front of Tom and Vane, finally pulling them back to the present. "Guys, this is a great opportunity! Haven't we all said we wished we could meet such an amazing Mage? Well, we're about to!"

"I don't know if I'm ready," Tom said, ineffectually trying to wipe the sweat from his palms on his robes. Vane gave his shoulder a shove.

"Quit acting like a girl," he said. He suddenly stopped and turned his head toward Kimberly who was giving him a death glare. "Ugh... no offense." Kimberly turned her head up and to the side with a "hmph!"

"This certainly explains a lot of Reivyn's abilities and talent," Tom said after a moment. "Why would you even attend the Magic Academy if you had access to such an amazing teacher?" The others all looked at Reivyn with the question clear on their faces.

"Some things can't be done by oneself," Reivyn said. "I'm attempting to force a Tier 3 Class transition in Tier 2 through graduation, and I have to attend the Academy to do that. There are various reasons I'm not going to get in to as to the why's, but my mom also can't offer me a perfect education on her own. I'll just leave it at that for now. Maybe one day I'll explain the rest to you."

"Fair enough," Trick said. "Everyone has their secrets."

"Like your engagement?" Vane teased.

"Hey!" Trick said, mock shock on his face. "I just said everyone has secrets! Why you gotta go and reveal mine like that?"

"Wasn't much of a secret," Tom said with a grin.

"I didn't know about it," Kimberly raised her hand. Teilon nodded in agreement.

"See! Right there! It was still a secret to some people," Trick huffed.

"Yeah, like you actually care," Vane said, throwing his arm around Trick's shoulder.

"Just because that's true doesn't mean you need to tell everyone, Mr.-sleeps-with-a-stuffed-bear," Trick retorted. Vane gasped as he removed his arm from his friend's shoulder.

"How dare you!" He held his hand to his chest. "This demands a duel of honor!"

"Accepted!"

Trick and Vane stared at each other for a moment, halting their progress towards Reivyn's home. They both simultaneously entered their dueling stances and attacked: They leaned back, turning their heads to the side, and extended their arms straight out, slapping at each other. Tom jumped into the middle of the expert-level combat, holding his arms out on either side to keep them away from each other.

"Hey, hey, hey," he shouted. "No need to come to violence, you two. We're all friends." Trick and Vane stopped slapping at each other to turn their deadly assault on the new intrusion into their duel.

Teilon couldn't hold it in any longer, and he double over laughing, holding his sides. Reivyn also laughed at the display. Kimberly pretended to try and soothe Teilon, patting him on the back, but she had a grin on her face as well.

"Alright, guys," Reivyn said after a moment, interrupting the three-way slap-fest. "Let's get going. We don't want to wait too late, or my parents will have already eaten dinner before we can get there. I told them to wait to eat tonight, but they're only going to delay for so long."

The three friends stopped their play fight and straightened up. Trick adjusted his robes as he held his head high.

"Fair enough," he said. "We all know I won the duel, anyway."

"Hmph, I demand a rematch," Vane thumped his chest with his fist.

"Anytime," Trick and Vane grinned at each other.

The Party reigned in their mirth as they walked along the streets. Many of the people were excitedly talking about the incident, but just as many people hurried along, worry plastered on their faces.

The City Guard was out in force, a much heavier presence than normal. There were even soldiers from the Army marching about in formation everywhere the group looked as they made their way through the city.

"Do you think they're looking for the culprit?" Teilon asked with worry. "That might be bad."

"Hardly," Trick harrumphed. "This is all for show. Do you think the higher-ups are going to send the guards and troops, who are most likely mid-tier 2 with some low-Tier 3 leaders, after someone who's obviously at least mid-to-high Tier 4? Look," he pointed to some pedestrians who clearly calmed down from their frantic walking when they were near the guards and soldiers. "They're just out to keep the peace and soothe the minds of the people."

"Makes sense," Teilon replied.

I hope that's all they're doing, Reivyn thought with a chuckle. For their sake.

"Mom, dad, I'm back," Reivyn called out as he entered the house. The smell of homemade cooking entered his nose as he stepped through the threshold. His Perception Stat was high enough that he had gotten a whiff of it before he opened the door, but it was much more pronounced now that there wasn't a barrier between him and the food.

His friends followed him inside. Kailey and Riley ran up, giggling, to give their big brother a hug, but they turned around and ran off once more with a shriek when Teilon stepped up.

"Ahh! It's the Flower Thief!" Kailey shouted.

"Run!" Riley exclaimed. They giggled as they dashed away from the entrance of the house. Trick walked up next to Teilon, his eyebrow quirked up.

"Flower Thief?"

"It's a long story," Teilon shrugged.

"Big Sis!" Kailey yelled once Kimberly entered the house.

"Sister Kimberly!" Riley shouted. The twins ran up and gave Kimberly a hug. Kimberly returned the hugs with a wide smile on her face. She let the two girls drag her into the living room to show her their creations as Tom and Vane also fully entered the house, closing the door behind them.

Refix was seated on the couch, both arms resting out to his sides in a lazy manner, and Ameliyn was pulling the last of dinner out of the oven in the kitchen.

"There's my boy!" Refix said with a grin on his face. "How'd the Dungeon go?"

Reivyn nodded his head to his dad and walked into the living room. He opened his mouth to answer the question but was forestalled by his mother as she put the last dish on the dining table.

"Hush, you," she admonished Refix. "We have guests. We can talk about that later, after we've made them welcome."

"Of course, of course," Refix said, standing up. "Where are my manners?"

Refix made his way over to Tom, Vane, and Trick with a smile on his face and his hand held out in front of himself. The three boys' bodies locked, and their eyes were wide as saucers as they watched Refix approach them. Refix's smile faltered just a little as he lower his hand. He turned to Reivyn.

"I'm guessing you guys put two and two together?"

Reivyn smirked at his father. Refix sighed as he turned back to Reivyn's roommates with a new smile on his face.

"Hey, you guys have nothing to worry about," Refix said, stepping forward and forcefully grabbing their hands to shake in turn. "You're my son's friends. Those Hawthorne bastards had it coming. It's one thing to hold a di - cough - umm, strength measuring contest," he warily glanced at his wife who gave him a sharp glare, "with one's own strength. Trying to use one's background is a no-go, though."

"They're lucky it was Reivyn's father who handled the situation," Ameliyn said, eyes narrowed. An invisible force bore down on everyone present, and Tom, Vane, and Trick burst out into cold sweat. "He's entirely too softhearted sometimes." Ameliyn's expression quickly changed into a beaming smile as she looked at her son's friends. "But welcome, welcome. Come in and have a seat."

Ameliyn walked around the table and grabbed Tom's hands as she personally led him to a seat. Tom let himself get dragged to the dinner table, but he looked like a frightened rabbit.

"I think you broke them, mom," Reivyn said as he also walked to the dinner table.

"Nonsense," Ameliyn swatted at her son's arm. "Why would I intentionally scare my son's friends?"

"You mean like Melissa," Teilon piped up, a smirk on his face. He froze while pulling out his chair as Ameliyn fixed a "harmless" smile on her face as she stared at him.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean," she said in a sweet voice. Teilon coughed into his hand as he took his seat.

"Of course, of course," he said. "Just forget I said anything." Kimberly swatted him on the shoulder as she sat next to him, shaking her head.

Tom finally snapped out of his fugue, and he stepped back and bowed to Ameliyn and Refix.

"I apologize for my rude behavior," he said before straightening back up. "Thank you for inviting us into your home."

"Think nothing of it," Refix said as he guided Vane and Trick to their seats. "We're all friends here."

After the awkward start to dinner, Tom, Vane, and Trick were finally able to relax after tasting the home-cooked meal. They gave endless compliments to Ameliyn for her Cooking Skill. They weren't just flattering her because she was a powerful Caster, either. They were genuinely impressed by the meal.

"If I may be so bold," Trick finally said after mustering his courage, "would it be possible to beg some lessons in Casting?" He had a hopeful look on his face as he addressed Ameliyn. Tom and Vane paused in eating as they waited for an answer from Ameliyn.

Ameliyn shared a look with Refix.

"Training brew?" Refix asked, picking up on his wife's intentions.

"Training brew," Ameliyn confirmed with a nod of her head.

Tom, Vane, and Trick had looks of excitement on their faces as they shared a look. They waited for more, but Ameliyn just smiled at them as Refix got up to retrieve something from a back room. He quickly came back holding three small glasses shaped like thimbles, but a bit larger. They were filled with a clear liquid, and he placed them in front of the three teenagers.

"You're a bit young for this, Reivyn," Refix said as he set the last glass down. "But you'll get your chance in the future."

"I hope you portioned them correctly for teenage Casters," Ameliyn said with a serious look on her face.

"Of course," Refix said. "I didn't even fill the cups up all the way. Look."

Ameliyn nodded her head as the three teenagers looked down at the glasses placed in front of them.

"I'm sure young men of your families' stature have attended banquets and have had alcohol before?" Ameliyn said with a lilt to her voice to indicate it was a question. The three boys nodded their heads.

"Yes, but it's been carefully regulated so that we didn't drink too much and make fools of ourselves," Tom confirmed.

"Well, this is a bit different," Ameliyn said, indicating the glasses. "It's not just alcohol. It's a carefully concocted brew that, while getting you tipsy - and flat-out drunk if you have too much - will allow you to still channel your mana effectively. Go ahead and drink it, and after dinner, I'll help you learn how to Cast Spells while your thoughts are impaired."

"So we're just going to learn how to Cast while drunk?" Trick asked, but he still downed the contents of the glass before coughing violently. His two friends also had a coughing fit as they drank their own concoctions.

"Not at all," Ameliyn answered with a smile. "Normal alcohol will impair your ability to channel mana entirely, and this will help you learn how to bypass that impairment more easily. It will also train your willpower. If you do it right, you can even learn some valuable Skills like Clearheaded or even Mental Fortitude.

"Not only will it train you in how to Cast while intoxicated, but this brew is specially designed with certain natural treasures to carry over to when you're sober, too. The effort you put into wrestling with your mana will directly translate to increased control, period. Training with normal alcohol won't have such an effect."

The three boy's eyebrows rose in surprise. They knew from their parents how difficult it was to train themselves to Cast while drinking, and they were already happy with the help Ameliyn proposed in giving them. The added benefits she explained were just icing on the top.

"Thanksh," Trick said, hiccuping after. His face morphed into surprise, and his head bobbled a little as he turned to share another look with his friends. They also immediately began to sway in their seats.

"Eat quickly," Ameliyn said, pointing to their plates with her fork. "Don't want to waste the efficacy."

"Are you sure you gave them the right amount?" Reivyn asked his dad with a raised eyebrow. Refix just grinned back at him.