If I have to be completely honest, the situation is not looking that great.
Orvick might have passed a Gold Skill Crystal to me, which finally gave me an Offensive Skill, but I barely got any practice with it.
I breathe deeply and I see Clayton and the others being completely taken aback by the sword. However, their bravado returns as they realize it's a five vs one situation.
"Look at him clutching that shiny trinket," the tallest scoffs. "Bet it's just a lantern disguised as a sword."
"That glow's nothing," another chimes in. "He'll swing once, and the spark will fizzle."
"Bluffing, all of it," says the third, slapping his thigh. "Old Orvick probably palmed him a dud Skill Crystal for laughs and scammed the boy."
"You will all regret this," I say, narrowing my eyes.
Clayton and his four friends close the distance in a loose semicircle.
Clayton grins at their chorus, lifts his sword, and the circle tightens.
I drive my foot into the cobblestone and swing upward, forcing the skill to ignite. A flash of golden light spills from the sword, and for an instant, the world brightens. Two of them recoil, their flesh scorched where the glow licked against it, and one staggers back, clutching his shoulder as he yells curses. Clayton's eyes go wide, and he hesitates.
I don't pause to savor it. I step through the opening Clayton forgot to close, and I angle the blade so that the residual energy slices the ground between his feet. The stone cracks in a thin line, and he stumbles over it as if he's lost his footing entirely.
"Give up now and we'll let you live!" Clayton barks.
I look at them and realize that even if I create more flames, there's no way I'm going to win this. My mana is already at half tank.
But I have a little trick ready for you idiots.
Clayton's friends rush me. I yank the Mana Pool Skill Crystal from my pouch, absorb it, and feel my heart swell until every heartbeat thunders like a drum.
You guys thought this was all the sword could do? I snicker as I release the flaming sword.
Thanks to one of the diagnostic lines of The Grimoire Extraordinaire, I found out that there's a hidden effect that the Skill Crystal itself hadn't communicated me.
Grimoire Extraordinaire – Flaws of the Hell's Sword (Gold)
Mana draw while active: 23.2 MP per heartbeat.
Additional Mana draw while flying: 74.2 MP per heartbeat
I whisper a command, and Hell's Sword tears free of my grip.
The mana drain digs deep in my gut. I feel the new Mana Pool stretch.
I flick two fingers, and the sword answers faster than thought. It darts across the room and pierces a guy through the chest, pulling him off the ground for a moment from the force of the impact.
This is a Gold Skill for you… they're just fools without class levels.
I order the blade to circle back and on its way I have it cleave a guy in two, spilling his guts all over Orvick's floor.
The next two go pretty much in the same way until there's only me and Clayton left.
"You spoke about Orvick like he was trash," I say. My voice shakes, not from fear but from fury. "You thought a week's quota and a Silver Skill Crystal toy mattered more than a man who spent fifty years breaking rock for his family."
Clayton spits on th eground. "Kill me, then. The Guild will never let you walk free after this."
"The Guild can come," I answer. "I am done crawling in shafts while you and Luthor gamble with our bones."
I let the sword fly and I don't even look back as it kills the man.
* * *
We put Orvick in the ground at first light when the cold still keeps the dirt loose. I work the shovel until the pit reaches my chest, and Reese and Hayes brace two rough planks to cradle the body while Knox watches the lane. The soil sticks to our boots and stains the cuffs of our trousers, and the only sound is the hiss of each blade cutting earth because none of us wants the silence that follows.
When the hole stands ready, we lift Orvick on a canvas sheet. I set his favorite pick—Reese told me which one was it—across his chest, and I wedge an old lantern he liked to polish beside his knee. A few miners, the ones with enough backbone to show, form a ring and drop small chips of silver onto the shroud. The clatter is thin, yet it sounds like the rock itself agrees to remember him.
We don't say much. We're miners, not poets. A few, including me, shed a few tears.
Then, we ease him down, and the first shovelful lands with a dull thud that rattles my arms. We keep shoveling until the mound rises, and I plant the pick's worn haft at the head.
Sunlight bleeds over the ridge as we finish.
I'm sitting on a plank of wood close to Orvick's grave when I see Reese come and sit next to me.
"I was at Orvick's place. He wanted me to divide the stuff between us old timers."
I look at Reese, immediately understanding what's happening.
Oh, he knows I killed the bastards.
"You should probably skip town. I got family in Clearbay," he says, handing me a piece of parchment. "My letters are not good, but they'll know it's me. Stay with them for a while. You want to become a Knight, right? There are a few Dungeons in Clearbay and you can take a boat to capital when you feel like taking the entrance exam. Also, you should probably take this too."
Luthor takes a sack and pulls out a long red cloak from it.
"It was Orvick's son. I don't think any of the guys will want it. Orvick wanted his son to become a Knight but the poor bastard had an accident in the tunnels right before the old man could buy him the right Skill Crystal—which I guess he gave to you. If my other guess is right, he would have wanted you to have this."
I take the cloak—it feels soft and light, but also warm.
"I—I don't know what to say," I tell Reese, looking at the cloak and the piece of parchment.
"Thank you's enough, kid. You made us enough money we might retire now. We never expected even to get a few golds. You… we prepared some provisions—well, we're preparing them as we speak. Hayes is taking care of it. You'll want to avoid the road for a few weeks. The Guild will find out and Luthor will tell them it's you. Do you know the surroundings? Have you got any family that can help?"
"Not that I speak to," I smile bitterly. "But, don't worry. I know the land. I'll walk to Clearbay. It'll take a while but I should be able to get there without too much trouble."
"Good, good," Reese says, looking at me and awkwardly patting my shoulder. "You're a good guy, kid. Good luck with your Knight business."
The awkwardness of the situation makes me erupt in laughter and Reese, too, smirks.
"Thanks, I'll do my best."
Six Weeks Later
"Milady, are you sure about this?" A bodyguard Knight asks after the umpteemth 'shortcut' their lady ordered them to take.
Around them, the lagoon stays silent except for the loud buzzing of insects and chirping of crickets.
"I said, that way!" Felisia Clearwater, daughter of Sigmund Clearwater, Lord of Clearbay, orders.
"Milady," the driver of the carriage says, exasperated, "can't we just take the road again? I'm not even sure where we are anymore. We're probably days away, still!"
"I don't like that tone, Richard!" Felisia stomps her boot on the mushy ground, the lagoon around Clearwater and narrows her eyes. "I said, that way!"
Before they can enter the carriage again, the butler, Greyson, unsheaths his longsword.
"Who goes there?! I can feel your presence!"
An haggard young man comes out of a few bushes and falls to their knees.
"Thank the Gods! I found someone!" He cries out. "My goodness, good sirs, have you got any idea how easy it is to get lost in this stupid lagoon?! I've been surviving on boiled water and fish for weeks!"
"Eew," Felisia says, looking at the homeless man. "Greyson, kill that thing. I don't want monsters roaming the lagoon like this."
"Milady," Greyson clears his voice and sheaths his sword again, clearly feeling the guy's not a threat. "I don't think that's a monster. I believe that to be a young man."
"That? Eew. Can't we kill him all the same? I find his presence disgusting."
The guard looks at the muddy cloak of the guy and raises an eyebrow.
"Milady, that's illegal. We don't have cause."
"He bothers me, that's the cause."
"Hey! I didn't say anything! You can't just kill me!"
Felisia looks at Greyson with a 'see, what did I tell you?' expression and the Knight facepalms.
"Guy, you might want to go in that direction. That's where the road should be. Then, go north. That's where Clearbay is."
"Greyson! Let's go! I need to go home to train or those stupid sisters of mine will win the trial!"
Greyson nods and gives a sympathetic smiles to the guy.
"Wait! Train?! I—I can help! In fact, I'm a Tutor! I can help you train whatever Skill you have! Errr—I want a ride in return!"
Felisia turns again to look at the guy and then at Greyson.
"Why haven't you killed him yet?"