The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Volume 2: Chapter 7)

The Northern Noble is a Grinder (Volume 2: Chapter 7)

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 Commissioned by Sivantic

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“Hm. Looks like it’s about time.” Lord Trelawney’s remark made me pause as I finished making sure my arms and armor were ready for my next patrol. Alice and Chloe just signaled their imminent return after intercepting a particularly large band of foes. “I’ll shatter this little thunderstorm they’ve got brewing, but after that they’ll charge in thinking that all three of you guys are winded.”

I barely managed to parse all his words before he sauntered out the room while I followed.

In the sky the clouds were swirling and growing darker. A great and terrible assembly of mottled gray and black clouds spiraled in the air. The wind outside picked up and leaves began to be ripped from trees into the sky.

Lord Trelawney opened a tall window and the howling of wind struck me like a hammer, yet I felt no magic in it.

The howling winds were merely a secondary result of the spell, yet if I strained my ears I could hear the strain of wooden buildings and branches to stay where they were.

Lord Trelawney looked at it unimpressed.

“If you’re conjuring a lightning storm, just don’t. All that wind, water, and movement is a waste. Too many steps for firepower that you get. Just heat the enemy with heat. It can’t be destabilized. Just ablated.” He hung out of the side of the castle and held onto the window frame with one hand. With his other hand, he aimed a finger towards the sky. “Watch. I’m just going to hit it with heat and you’ll see what I mean.”

There was no declaration.

No words.

Only power converted into heat and propelled towards the building storm.

The tops of many trees came alight, dry leaves burning away in an instant, while living leaves had their surfaces singed. I could not see the ball of heat he generated, but I could grasp its size. It was about the size of the entire castle, and the shape of an immense orb. In its passing steam formed and flowed over the entirety of the forest and castle, the defenses of the castle activating to protect us from its hissing bite, while the orb sped towards the gathering storm.

It collided with the forming spell in the sky, there was a moment of stillness, and suddenly… the dark clouds came apart, swallowed by a truly immense amount of steam, and that steam began to fall from the sky. It cooled as it fell, turning into droplets, and for a single moment a great deluge engulfed the castle and its surroundings.

Then, in horizon dominated by the sea, a great power surged.

Aigen came to mind in an instant. Though I never truly fought her, she used her immense power to intimidate others. That overbearing strength and might, still potent even after a botched spell of immense power, was a declaration of wrathful intent aimed squarely upon us.

I trembled as the wave of power washed over me, until Lord Trelawney suddenly gave a hum.

“Hm. About as strong as I expected, but a few more helpers than I thought. I’ll give you guys a hand to keep things nice and fair.” He aimed his hand towards the horizon. Then, in an instant, there was darkness all around us. The same darkness was blasted away as a small orb of light formed at the tip of his finger. A perfect sphere of compressed light harvested for an instant. “This sort of attack is weak, but the benefit is that usually only the best can dodge it. It’s useful.”

The duke spoke of his spell as one would a particularly interesting weapon in a wide arsenal, before unleashing it.  

A thin line of light surged forth from his finger and connected him to the horizon.

One moment there was an orb, then the next it was simply where he willed it to be.

Then, it returned to his hand, lessened, and with the life essence of another clinging to it.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

The beam of light surged five times in quick succession before he cast it high in the air with a yawn. Each time it returned the life of another clung faintly to it before disappearing. There was no sound, no vaporization of water or destruction of the air, only the traversal of gathered light lashing out and striking down individuals at an incredible distance.

“There you go. The fight’s way fairer now. You guys should do fine.” Lord Trelawney turned my way before idly looking back towards the horizon. I became aware of a wave of pure power that could smash the whole castle apart just before it slammed into the fortress. The forest west of the castle was obliterated. Trees became nothing more than splinters and the earth was gouged out like it was caught in the wake of an immense battering ram. The earth shook, dust fell from every crevice of the castle, and a sound close to the clap of thunder echoed in my ears. But the castle remained unmoved and Lord Trelawney was unimpressed. In fact, he seemed downright frustrated. “Damn, I shouldn’t have killed those supporters. Whoever they’ve got is young and stupid. The fight was already fair.”

He grumbled and I felt a wave of relief almost wash over me until he suddenly pointed at me.

“No heat magic. I want you to land the kill with light only. Wind if you’re not confident enough.” I wanted to argue against his sudden declaration, but my argument died as he glared at me. “You want my help if things go south? Then, do as I say.”

My shoulders slumped at the sudden demand forced upon me, but I mustered up a meagre showing after summoning my courage.

“What do I get if I succeed, then? I am no longer your student. If you want me to go through such a trial, then I deserve compensation.” His glare stayed for a moment after my declaration, before a satisfied smile of a teacher with a now-learned pupil appeared on his boyish face. I felt a damnable heat come upon my face at his ridiculous treatment of me. “Coming to our aid if we face death something you can demand, but the hazards you demand of us—

“Full furnishings for three bedrooms from my own castle. All made from the highest quality material from the North.” I almost accepted his terms instantly. Suddenly, the thought of facing such a powerful foe without my most potent magic didn’t seem that harsh. I was going to receive the furnishings that I needed to rest with ease in exchange for fulfilling a single request. Not to mention the fact that if we failed, then Lord Trelawney will intercede on our behalf. It took all my might to not immediately nod as I noticed he was not finished. “And, one artifact selected from my armory. Just one and the three of you will decide what it is and who gets it.”

My mouth suddenly went dry at the enormity of the reward that we could call ours.

His grin was almost child-like at my silence, while I did my best to try and form a plan around the challenge that lay ahead.

…

Interlude: Anisette, Demigod of Love

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The immensity of the invasion fleet was something that I only truly understood once I laid my eyes upon it.

There were hundreds of boats stretching into the horizon. The high cliff coast which they sheltered in had shelters being carved into the rock, while many boats were being lashed to sheer cliffsides. Landing on the beaches invited reprisal from Lady Argelia, Chloe, and Alice, so they made do. Larger boats acted as the foundation, intricate scaffolds of rope and wood were assembled to lash them against the cliffside and the sides of their hulls were opened so that they could serve as points of entry into the stone cliffs. Smaller boats were being dragged into them, disassembled, and used to create infrastructure.

How long before this force created a fortress embedded into the land?

They were already using the displaced rock from their carving and mining make a small cove for their ships.  Not only that but, they had vessels dedicated to fishing, and I recalled that they looted smaller villages and towns of everything that they could carry. The large hulking ships that they first made use of also must have carried more than just warriors, but also material. The uniformity of the ships, the speediness of their construction, and their rugged endurance in the face of their failed initial landings all suggested that they have invaded other lands before.

This was a dedicated effort to invade our lands and to continue to ravage it.

“There, that ship at the center that’s covering the main fleet and the construction. It’s emitting a lot of magic.” Alice was clad in a hooded, furred cloak that shimmered and melded with the shadows. Her eyes were sharp and I could faintly tell that she was suffusing them with magic. A dangerous action that could result in her eyes exploding, if not for her inherent toughness. With strengthened bodies, we could all more easily use power within ourselves without harm. “There’s also a massive carcass on it. Probably what they hunted and sacrificed for their ritual.”

I followed her pointed finger, seeing nothing for a moment, until I also enhanced my gaze.

Father had taught me to always be careful with magic, to always make sure it went outward, but now those lessons held me back. My three companions were all using it without thinking. It made perfect sense. All our bodies were more than capable of withstanding the trifling amounts we now suffused it with.

My gaze sharpened and extended. I saw droplets of water in ocean mist, as well as the faint ebbs and flows of glittering magic awhirl in the air. Motes of light that swirled with wind and water both in myriads of glittering colors changing from one to another with every heartbeat.  It was beautiful and wonderous, and made me wish for a brush, but such luxury was beyond me for now.

Instead, I looked upon a carcass.

“It is a smaller version of the creature that I had slain.” The shape of the beast was the same, but it did not have my foe’s size and scars. All three of my companions turned to me, while I looked upon it. “The kill was a long one. I see many scars and harpoon marks on the body. They must have expended many lives to get it.”

“They kept their elites untouched and sacrificed the regular soldiery. I would say it’s despicable, but if they wished to remain strong to ward us off, they had no other recourse.” Chloe wore armor, but not of steel. It was leatherlike but had a metallic sheen as it enrobed her body. A helm made of metal not known to me covered her head, while a fluttering cape hung from her shoulders. One hand had a buckler while the other rested on the pommel of her sword. A one-handed mace hung from her hip and she also had a spare dagger. “My lady, you said that Lord Trelawney struck out against their elite forces five times?”

“Yes, and each time his light returned touched with the life of another. He complained that he slew more than he planned. Are only outnumbered three to one instead of four or five.” Lady Argelia was clad in a red dress and a pointed hat with a wide brim. Charms and jewelry hung off her, while a black cape hung from her shoulders and fluttered in the wind. A lady in silk and lace that would not seem out of place in a ballroom. Still, though, I could tell that each ring, bracelet, and trinket on her person was meant to protect her in one way or another. A resplendent sorceress who would have been empress one day, if not for a single man’s desires. “Anisette, you will need to focus on fighting against the guards while Alice and I take on their anchor. Chloe, I want you to help her, but only as long as you can keep the rest of the group off us.”

Chloe gave her assent while I nodded.

I was clad in steel armor. Fitted plates that faintly glittered. The artifacts I bought from Lord Trelawney felt more reassuring. I could bend the steel that new garbed my frame and even pushing a finger through it if I held it still. Against my newfound strength, it provided as much protection as paper, and it would give the same amount of protection against my new foes. My new foes who were soldiers, trained and skilled, and who fought for their nation.

Fear arose from the depths of my stomach, despite all my newfound strength.

They looked different from us. Lizard-like and bestial, but they were undoubtably not without traditions, tactics, and training. I was to face individuals who may have trained their whole lives to fight against people like them. People who were chosen for their talent in defeating others in combat and who were ready to kill. They have prepared their whole lives to kill or be killed.

Just like Lady Argelia, Alice, and Chloe, they were ready to take lives or have their own be taken.

I realized what Lady Argelia meant when I was not meant for this, that this wasn’t my duty, and that I should be recompensed even if I was willing to fight.

Being willing to fight monsters and being willing to fight against soldiers was a wholly different matter entirely.

It took me a long time to summon the courage and nod, and I was sure that all three of my new companions noticed in their silence.

However, before Lady Argelia could speak, another presence appeared behind me.

For a moment, I thought it was Lord Trelawney, but then when I looked it was something else.

A being covered in innumerable curses, grudges, and dedicated entirely to vengeance. I saw armor for mere moments, but the curses were alive with flickering black tongues of flame that resembled grasping hands. Being in mere proximity to it made me flinch and back away in fear, and my heart stopped when Lord Trelawney’s voice came forth from the shell of curses pretending to be armor.

“I will strike first. Be ready.”

Then, before I could speak out, he extended his hand towards the fleet in the horizon and unmade it.