The Fool's Freedom

The two squared off below the walls after the elf had dramatically jumped down like some sort of a hero about to make history. Alan had reluctantly followed. If that’s what it took then he had no issue of taming the guy. However, it bothered him that the beasts of the forest were smart enough to stay away from him, but the elves weren’t.

Few of those who came up on the walls to watch seemed to separate themselves from the main group of elves that had intercepted Alan’s, and more were coming by the minute. There were no bands tied around the arms of anyone around, and everyone was dressed in similar clothes, which either meant that he lacked a lot of details and making conclusions from the brief glimpse he had gotten was pointless.

He didn’t see familiar faces either. He was pretty sure he would have recognized them.

“What are the rules?” Alan asked as he sized up the large elf.

“To the death. Mercy has no place in the new world,” the large elf roared, more to his companions than Alan.

Oh, this is fucking stupid.

“What’s your name?” Alan asked.

“Velethuil. Now fight, human. We’re wasting time and my hammer thirsts to taste your blood.”

“Well, my name—”

The elf pushed off the ground and charged with surprising speed. He was obviously one who cultivated the physical side of things as most cannibalistic elves seemed to do, but Alan was no slouch. He easily moved away without even having to use [Void Step] and stared at the rude giant.

The elf stopped his charge a bit clumsily, leaving a deep mark in the ground, and turned only to bare his teeth and charge again. His hammer made an arc through the air and Alan stepped away just moments before it was about to squash him. It hit the ground and made it explode from the strength behind. There was a bit of mana and some sort of different energy in the weapon.

Stamina? Whatever, no use in wasting time or making a show for them.

Blobs of dark shadows appeared randomly around the ground. Alan had briefly entertained using the full weight of the [Chains of the Dark Servants] but it seemed like a waste, even if the lifeforce came from Cole. Tendrils of shadows shot out and wrapped around the arms and legs of the rude elf, stopping his third attempt to charge and making him grunt in frustration.

He thrashed and his muscles swelled further to no avail. Alan raised an eyebrow as he felt the shadows weaken one by one. The elf was surprisingly strong but there was a qualitative difference that couldn’t be bridged so easily. As Alan saw it after spending some time at tier two, a hundred strength at tier two was equivalent to two hundred or more at tier one. It was just a whole different state of being, and even if he technically didn’t have a single level, he was many times stronger than even those sitting at level 98 or 99. Not that there had been any so far.

The elf screamed and struggled but more and more shadowy tendrils shot out and wrapped around him. His companions stood silently on the wall, watching the sight without much reaction. Whether they didn’t care or simply refused to acknowledge the defeat of their ‘chief’, it didn’t matter to Alan.

His mind was still stuck on the word ‘regenerator’. He had some guesses but hoped he was way off the mark. Being a regenerator in a society of cannibals was… a sad fate. Fate that was many times worse than Cole’s or the witch, and a punishment he wasn’t sure he could enact even if he had the power to do so. Then again, Alan knew the levels of hate he was capable of experiencing now…

“I think we’re done here,” Alan said.

The elf screamed, “Magic is not the warrior’s way!”

“That’s… a stupid take if I’ve ever heard one.” Those guys… how have they survived?

“Enough! Release me and fight, you coward!”

Alan frowned. He hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but this was just a stupid situation. Did they not understand the System and how it worked?

Just to prove a point he pointed to the side and cast [Void Pierce] along with [Sacrificial Attack]. Cole could easily bear the cost of a small demonstration. Hopefully, the bastard was working tirelessly to raise his Vitality further since Alan planned to employ him for a long while.

It took more than a few seconds for the skill to work and the place he had targeted twisted gently. He felt the two skills intertwine and change and become one, before the ground near the elf suddenly twisted sharply and sank, leaving a large round hole in the dirt as if something cylindrical had taken a bite out of it.

“I can do that to you if you insist?” The result was quite surprising to Alan too, but he hid it. While exploding that one guy with [Mana Zap] and [Sacrificial Attack] had been a mistake… This had the potential to do much more. I’ll end up deleting monsters if I use that on them. It feels so goddamn broken. Like the parasite skill, but with a larger diameter. It’s slow though.

The large elf stared at the hole next to him and then back at Alan. There was a shock in his eyes that hadn’t been present before. His mouth opened but no words came out, and those on the wall remained unmoving.

“Enough, Velethuil. Stop bringing further shame to us,” a man’s voice sounded out. It was a newcomer, holding a staff and brimming with mana. If Alan had to guess he would say the man was in the mid-nineties of tier one. His face was long and sunken, and his hair reached his waist.

“Stay out of it, betrayer,” the large elf hissed.

The newcomer sighed and then turned to Alan. “Esteemed guest. We know of you, and if Reyvalur could, he would’ve greeted you himself. Unfortunately, you come at a strange time, as we recently suffered many losses and tensions are high. Some believe that is our punishment for abandoning our warrior ways…” he eyed some of those on the wall, opting to ignore Velethuil, who was still struggling against the shadowy ropes, albeit with a bit less enthusiasm. “And I know we were simply unprepared to adapt to the System and make use of the power it offers to the fullest… Like you seem to have done.”

Alan moved toward the wall, leaving the struggling elf behind. Perhaps a lesson in humility would be a good thing for the warrior. He climbed it quickly and once again the elves stepped back as if afraid to be close to him. Only the newcomer remained standing. Many stood behind him and watched every movement of their comrades.

The tense atmosphere was uncomfortable, and while Alan knew their own Sanctuary had not been a model for unity, what he was seeing here seemed much worse.

“My name is Derzid, and I am the elected leader of our humble Sanctuary. I hope Velethuil has not ruined your perception of us. He is one of those stuck in the olden ways and refuses to use the System to his full advantage, opting to dig his heels in the past. However, despite our curse, we have to learn to evolve and accept change. As you can see…” he gestured toward part of the ruined wall and Alan finally noticed the extent of the damage. “We have failed to do so.”

“My name’s Alan, and I’m glad you’re reasonable. Can I ask what happened?”

“We lost the protection of our Sanctuary due to some choices… and now what we rely on is what we can get from the System. I’m sure you’re familiar, but while it allows us to purchase protections and buildings, they are very expensive and we have not done enough to earn the so-called points.”

Ah, those. I had quite a few back in the fractal. I should check if what I’ve been through has earned me more. It’s like achievement points you can trade for goodies, which is neat.

“We didn’t do so in time, and one of our hunting parties mistakenly attracted the attention of a great beast that roams not far from here. It was a gruesome fight and we lost many of our own, but we managed to drive it out, not without paying a significant price. However, we’re sure it will return and while we have collected enough to erect a weak System shield, it is nothing like the initial protection offered to Sanctuaries and we’re afraid it won’t hold.”

Alan nodded, but a part of him felt like this was an oddly familiar scene. No, they couldn’t be offering him a quest, could they? He almost laughed but stopped himself in time. Considering the hostile gazes still piercing his back there was no need to antagonize the elves further. They had it bad enough as it was.

“You want me to take care of the problem for you?” he asked, making the elf’s eyes widen in surprise. There was a pause and some muttering.

“You’re strong, but… that beast is something else entirely. We have very few who have set off on the path of magic, but even they could barely harm it.”

Now that sounds like a rewarding job. Still, if they had managed to drive it off, then it's probably not a tier two.

“I’d like to see Reyvalur first if that’s fine. We go way back.”

Derzid shook his had and his voice grew almost stern. “Reyvalur is a regenerator and his purpose is to support the existence of our race by… offering us his flesh. You cannot meet him.”

Are they keeping him locked up somewhere, cutting pieces of his flesh to eat and waiting for him to regenerate?

Alan felt a hint of anger slip past his newfound calmness and the shadows around him rejoiced just like they had done in the fractal, exploding with ominous whispering that was nothing more than a gentle breeze for his mind. He had been more unhinged then, but while tiering up seemed to have given him control, his passion for fighting had also grown, even if it was being suppressed.

Derzid seemed to sense the change as he gripped his staff harder. Some of those around reached for their swords and bows, but no one did anything more.

“Don’t misunderstand. I have no use in harming you or your people, but I also don’t care about being friends. How about this? I’ll kill that beast for you, and you will let me meet with Reyvalur. He’s not that important to me at all, but we were comrades for a little while so consider it a whim of mine. If you do not agree to that, then I’ll just find where he is myself and make an example of everyone who stands in my way.”

“Are you certain that you have the power to fight all of us?” Derzid asked. It was not a provocation but a genuine question.

“Yes,” Alan answered. He could feel the flow, and he could feel the concentration of mana, and he could feel the World Temple, hidden somewhere behind the giant overgrown trees littering the Sanctuary. No one around could fight him.

A dark part of him briefly grew excited at the prospect of fighting them all, proving his words to be true, and making them understand his strength. Some of the shadows were excited at that and seemed to urge him on, like devils on his shoulder. And yet, a different part of them showed their disapproval.

Alan shook his head and retracted the will that head spread around. He saw tiny cracks in the wooden platform and even the stone of the wall around him and grimaced with shame. Losing control was not good, and having such dark thoughts was not good either.

This is not who I am.

“Fine, then,” Derzid said after a moment, staring at Alan without blinking. “Rid us of this problem, and we will both allow you to meet Reyvalur, and share our knowledge. This meeting is fated, so let’s see what it leads to.”

He was tense and for a moment Alan felt discomfort from his own actions. Back on Earth, he had hated being the center of attention most of all, and now he hadn’t even blinked before acting like an ass and threatening a whole Sanctuary for his own selfish desires. He didn’t even feel like there was much to talk with Reyvalur about, and yet the very thought of being denied enraged him.

Self-betterment is a long and arduous process.

“Then, show me the way to this ‘beast’ of yours.”