“Even if they did show mercy, Ibai would still be executed,” said Ismael. “As would you and I.”
‘I would be surprised if they let any of our reapers live,’ said Rholtam. ‘The non-servants might be spared, but they would be shunned for the rest of their lives and no longer be allowed to hold office in this country. Letting our House retain any power would just be asking our people to betray them the next time they were vulnerable.’
“I believe you are right.”
‘That sounds like a decision to me.’
“No surrender.”
‘Then let us see this through to the bitter end.’
And as if on cue, another reaper entered the Hall. It was Orric. ‘The enemy has breached the castle,’ he informed them. ‘Xuan Sebolt is leading their infiltration team, so Melchor and I will have to confront him. Your assistance would be most appreciated.’
Ismael stood.
Chapter One Hundred One: ‘The clash of Tide and Sea...’
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Hector climbed through the gaping hole in the rock that Lord Dimas had made for their group. They were entering through the front. The intention was to be noticed, after all.
With Xuan at the head of their party, Asad bringing up the rear, and Dimas and Salvador on either side, Hector was in awe of the power that surrounded him. These men were the strongest members of their respective houses, so it was a little intimidating, accompanying them to battle like this.
He had to keep his wits about him, though. There was a reason why it was only the five of them on this mission. They fully expected to face Melchor Blackburn, and according to Dimas’ father, combatants without the requisite soul defenses would only be a liability against the man.
Hector had figured that would disqualify him and Garovel from participating, but Garovel did not seem to agree. Instead, Garovel insisted on joining and even told everyone that Hector would be able to hold his own just fine.
‘Are you crazy?!’ Hector had said. ‘Don’t tell them that!’
‘Relax. You’ve got that shield of super-cheating, remember?’
‘This piece of shit isn’t gonna save me!’
‘You don’t think so?’
‘No!’
‘Well, let’s see if you’re right, then.’
‘Garovel, what the fuck?!’
Thanks to that, Lord Salvador had tested Hector personally. Which had been terrifying. But in the end, the shield did its job. Salvador hadn’t been able to hurt Hector and so did not object to the young Lord Goffe’s company.
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every night at midnight PST by ~400 words.
Honestly, Garovel is correct. Think about it this way. He sees the rate at which Hector's power is growing. Hector has a reputation, maybe a small one, but he has one. That means that at some point people will notice him. If Hector is not strong enough when that time comes, he is screwed. A while ago it was pointed out that when that time comes you can either pick a side, or pray you survive long enough to become a powerhouse. Picking a side does not fit either of their agenda's, so their only option is to dive into just enough danger that they wont get instant killed. The shield was a wonderful gift because that level of danger has risen tenfold. So he needs to be as involved as possible. Caution or not, he will be noticed.
ReplyDeletethe shield could also be used for training as it forces open the channel between hector and garovel he basically has a short cut to the level of soul power in the sheld , something that tradishanoaly can only incrce with time
ReplyDeleteLord Salvador seems like he'll only see to the test by provoking Garovel's mindset and kick Hector's but from behind to get Garovel's mind to go for it.
ReplyDeleteHector will be definitely be cursing,while Garovel said watch out. Maybe can we get a funny scenario page of Hector and Garovel getting dizzy from Parson's power?
the next [time] they were vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteGot it, thanks.
ReplyDeleteSo now that the shield of [Supercheat] has proven its worth, is Hector going to try to enhance his armor by integrating in some of that special black stone from his fortress? Or is he going to improve his armor from medieval to futuristic by copying that special armor suit from the Sandlords lab? I Sense some sort of Upgrade in the near future.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when Garovel finally introduces Hector to his sister, I will shout your name in praise if you have him describe Hector like you do in your summary, i.e., "Oh, Hector? He's cripplingly shy. No, seriously. He can barely even speak to people. It’s really bad." "Garovel!?" *everyone turns to look at Hector* "Yeah Hector?" *Hector looks down in embarrassed silence from all the attention he's drawn to himself*
ReplyDeleteThe testing seems like it would be the perfect time to practice your "Bad day, bad day, bad day, bad day, bad day, bad day..." chant.
ReplyDeleteIf he can make more iron then a mech suit. Destroying and creating to make it move. Who can withstand the might of vector prime? Oh wait... He died. Never mind.
ReplyDeleteAlex, it's "traditionally", just FYI :)
ReplyDeleteMan Hector, why are you hating on the super shield? (Calling it a piece of shit)
ReplyDeleteYay, more Hector time. Personally I like reading from Hector's perspective in the story more than the others so this is a welcome sight to me.
ReplyDeleteIn theory, maybe, but I don't think it works that way. It does force his soul to operate at above capacity, but it doesn't actually stretch his power, just overtaxes it. If he keeps using it he might be able to survive higher level fights, but he won't grow any faster. Emergence while he thinks he is more outmatched than he actually is, though is another story entirely. Honestly I don't think his ridiculous emergence is so definitely a plus, though. As laser68 said, he isn't interested in any of the three (or arguably four) factions, so getting too much attention before he can get really really powerful is just gonna be trouble. Besides, Garovel said he wouldn't try to cause emergence, and I don't think that has changed despite the fact that it has happened to work when they weren't trying for it. Especially given that since you inherently end up counting on it emergence cannot be found by those who are looking for it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that the nice thing about his shield is that it empowers him when he touches it, and that's dangerous to do for too long. His armor is only good because he can dematerialize it at will. He can't dematerialize nightrock, so that advantage goes away. To compensate for the lower versatility, he would need enough coverage that it would become impractical again.
ReplyDelete"Ibai would be still executed" vs.
ReplyDelete"Ibai would still be executed"
Did you accidentally switch the words or did you mean to write it this way? I can't tell if the first version is actually wrong, but it certainly sounds way less familiar than the second one.
Yep, shoulda been "still be." Thanks.
ReplyDelete