B6 Chapter 10: Check Up

(Alright, so I'm medicated. Recovering. Mostly fine, still a lil feverish and having the worst sleep I've ever had. But my cheeks have finally stopped being numb, so yay. Honestly, been a crap shoot of a week and I'm now existing in the weird hours of the world because of sleep problems. Sooo things are okay, not the best, but good! That said, Moogs is asleep and the chapter is rough. I'll fix it tmr. I'll also be creating a poll for tomorrow regarding something you guys can vote on. No spoilers and nothing too important. :) )

“Is it true?” she exclaimed. Before I could move back, she blurred forward and clasped my hand. “Are you truly a Reborn? Like from the stories? Do you have a harem? A dragon? What about a cursed but surprisingly powerful amulet that lets you–”

“Ahem,” Brelten interrupted. Imelia blushed and took a step back, curtsying gracefully as she did. He eyed her with exasperation, but I could tell there was no heat in his gaze. “Lady Imelia shares some of Celenae’s… interests.”

“A pleasure to meet you, sir Cyrus,” she said with a nod.

“Uh, nice to meet you. Officially at least. As for your questions, yes. Well. Yes, no, and never. I have two dragons, no, I cannot ride them like that one novel, and I don’t actually possess a cursed item. The closest thing I have is a pseudo-alive chained journal that is massively stingy about teaching me ancient and reality-shifting runes.”

If the stars could shine any brighter in her eyes, they would still look dim compared to the excitement in her gaze. My response seemed to trigger a dozen more she wanted to ask, but she was held back by a hand on her arm. 

Alistair sized me up and slowly bowed. “A pleasure to meet our savior. Thank you for helping us and our father in a time of need. The way this kingdom has treated you has been more than unfair. If I can, I’ll do whatever it is I can within my authority and ability to help right that wrong.”

 Huh.

I regarded the kid. He looked sixteen, seventeen at most? It was interesting to see the same golden hair as his father, but there were streaks of platinum in between. His eyes had a brighter shade of brilliant blue than his sister's, which didn’t help the wonder-boy look. Honestly, he looked barely old enough to grow chin whiskers.

But looks and ages weren’t the same as they were on Earth. I wasn’t about to think less of the kid just because he looked young. He did, after all, recently experience his father’s death and was actively dealing with the fact that the patricide involved his older brother.

I wasn’t about to touch a royal, not with someone like Hubold guarding them. Instead, I channeled mana into my fingers and snapped. The echo created just enough pressure to make the siblings flinch.

“I–”

“Don’t bow to me, kid. I’m not a noble,” I said.

Alistair frowned. “You may not be an official noble of our kingdom, but you–”

“Nope,” I interrupted. “Curry favor with the other sycophants. I’m not a noble, nor am I noble. So keep the bowing for the assholes who need it.”

“I see…” Alistair glanced toward Brelten, who simply shrugged. “Well, thank you nonetheless. I appreciate being able to live out my life. If you don’t mind, I have lessons to attend to. Thanks again, sir Cyrus, sir Khrem, and lady Sereza. May we meet under more polite events.”

With that, the young royal made his exit from the hall. The grand doors slammed shut once more and all eyes turned toward the princess.

She shook her head with a smile plastered. “Oh no. He’s afraid of you, but I’m not wasting this opportunity! I want to learn everything I can!”

“I’m only here to turn in your father’s tokens,” I said.

“Plenty of time while you decide! Does this mean we are going to the vaults?”

“We are. If you don’t mind, Huu,” Brelten answered.

Hubold remained expressionless as he raised his hand. The world started to warp and the itchy feeling rushed down my femur. By the time it ended we were inside a sealed room made of black stone. I braced for the pain, but the electricity faded by the time the others appeared. 

Oddly enough, I was the first one to teleport, along with Hubold who raised a brow in my direction. It was probably the first time he showed any signs of having emotions in a while.

Khrem reached for my shoulder but I shook my head. 

“I’m good.”

“Curious. Perhaps the method of transportation effects your body differently. It might be wise to test your resistances to teleportation skills of varying affinities,” he mused.

“Eh. Later. I don’t recognize this place. A different vault?”

“Indeed. I selected one in particular that should be more useful to travelers. Less restricted by circumstances,” Brelten said.

He waved his hand and a slab melted into the floor, revealing a grand room. It looked like a library stacked with clear boxes rather then books. Rows upon rows of shelves filled the space creating a labyrinth-like appearance.

We stepped inside and I whistled. 

“Just how many of these does the kingdom possess? You guys are loaded.”

“Not nearly as much as one would think. In reality, several centuries' worth of collecting can fill any modest-sized treasury. The truth is that most of the treasures are barely worth being called such. Allaron’s grandfather was a hoarder. His tendencies lined our impressive shelves more than anything meaningful.” Brelten lectured. He paused as he held out his hand and a box floated off the shelf. Insider looked to be a rotating seed with a purple shell. “This was actually my first contribution. It took me another five years to add another.”

“What’s it do?” Sereza asked.

Brelten released the box and it floated back into place. “It’s called an entrenter heart. Consuming it will shift your race into that of an entling. Tree-based elemental race that function similar to lesser dryads. I was tempted to consume it myself, but my sister dissuaded me. Probably for the best as I enjoy my tea.”

Hubold summoned a set of chairs and a table for us to sit at while he began teleporting around. Since I was familiar with the process, I sat down and summoned food. The attendant stopped his search long enough to activate a skill over the bag of fried pastries before Brelten and Imelia were allowed to eat.

“Oh this is good! And it’s fresh. Does that mean your dimensional storage ability has the ability to preserve things in stasis? Is there a rate of decay? Can you put live things in there? Is it true that it can explode if you try to store another storage device?” Imelia rambled.

We all stared and she blushed but refused to look away.

“Uh. Yes, but mine is not like your average storage skill. My Legacy turned it into a summon. I haven’t noticed any sort of decay. Those donut-holes are four months old. Live things? No… I’ve put plants in it before, and they come out okay. But the one time I tried putting a live fish, it died. Usually though, Chomperz wouldn’t even answer my summon if he knew I was trying to use his skill for something stupid like sucking in bugs.” I paused and tapped the table. “I’ve stored storage devices in my skill plenty. I think most of the crates I had use some kind of space manipulation. So no, no explosions.”

“Uh uh. Also Chomperz? That’s so cute! What’s he like?”

As she spoke, a journal had appeared and the princess was writing down notes. The sight sent a pang through my gut. It was too similar to Celenae…

Brelten set his cup down filled with streaming hot tea, and chuckled. “I apologize for her abruptness. She shares the same burning curiosity as Celenae. A good trait, although it leaves her vulnerable to being overzealous in her pursuit. Please forgive her.”

“Hey! Uncle Brel, that’s mean,” Imelia protested.

“And yet you have failed to prove me wrong,” he teased. He glanced at Hubold and nodded. “You can select up to five treasures. Any more than that, and the council will argue. I trust you to know what you need for both yourself and your team, but I am here to offer advice.”

“Good to see you haven’t changed that much,” I said.

Brelten’s eyes grew dim. “A tree weathers the storm. I’ll honor my friend and brother’s wish, to keep the kingdom standing, even if I had no desire to return to the courts. Alas, fate is fickle. A thing I’m sure you know well. The least I can do is help to keep you alive. You were after all, my student. Even if only for a brief time, you and Sam were refreshing on these weary bones.”

“You’re not even a century old,” Imelia said, deadpanned.

Brelten harumphed and let Imelia launch her next barrage. By the time Brelten finished his tea, Hubold had three sheets of papers ready and handed them over. I gave them a cursory scan before stopping and gesturing for Brelten’s attention.

“It’s in the other vault, but I want the demon blood you have stored.”

“Consider it done,” Brelten said as he nodded toward Hubold who flickered in place. “Anything else?”

I scanned through the list again and shrugged. I handed it to Khrem and answered another set of questions from Imelia. She was thorough, even in her excitement and bias from tose awful novels about Reborns, she would occasionally slip in questions that felt closer too something her brother would ask.

Eventually, I saw a gemstone pin along Brelten’s robe flash twice. He winced and he raised a hand, silencing the princess.

He met my eyes and gave me a tired smile. “It seems our time will have to be cut short. I know you wanted to relax, but I’ll inform Walter of the circumstances.”

My hackles were raised at this words. I could already feel the headache starting to build.

“What now?” I groaned.

Brelten sighed. “It involves him. Apparently, the best way to anger a clergy member is to punch a deacon through a wall.”

My groans increased.

“Of fucking course he did.”

Brelten reached over and patted my shoulder. “Do not worry. It is probably for the best. A swift entrance and retreat allow you time to escape. I do not know how you have managed to avoid their divination attempts, but good. I suggest you finish your plans in this kingdom as swiftly as possible before you leave.”

“How did you know?”

“Cyrus, you should already know. A Reborn is a threat to the world’s upheaval. Not just a kingdom. Just be safe, boy. Use what they taught you, and keep safe. I know them well, and nobody would desire to be saved if it meant sacrificing yourself. Alright?”

I sighed and gestured for the list from Sereza. I gripped the parchment and found highlights from Khrem. 

I clicked my fangs and gave a tight smile. “We’ll see. For now, here’s what I’m thinking…”