L.E. Miranda
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SSR - Book 2 Chapter 28: Third Circle (3)
🕑 Added 2025-04-09 01:35:31 +0000 UTCA week after the discussion that had been held about Rylan and the Dungeon.
Nathan drummed his fingers on the wooden desk as he looked through the window. The sunlight reflected off the glass, creating a tiny rainbow inside the bedroom. Beyond, the Flameheart estate’s garden was in full bloom, red and orange flowers shaking gently in the wind.
Nathan only stared at this sight with a blank expression. Apart from his fingers, he didn’t move at all.
…This isn’t going as well as I’d hoped.
He had underestimated how much hostility Elizabeth had been able to create in Rylan with words alone. It had even started back in Caer Rhelon, when she had spent barely any time with him. During that brief window, she had managed to make him feel completely against the Astassier house. It was impressive, really.
Nathan turned his head to look at the man standing silently in front of the desk. Hugo’s head was bowed.
“And there haven’t been any incidents?” Nathan asked after a second.
Hugo shook his head slowly.
“No, sir. Rylan is more than enough to protect Aelfric, even in the Veria Woodlands. Nothing happened.”
Nathan frowned slightly.
“…Very well. You’re dismissed.”
Hugo bowed deeply before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. With a sigh, Nathan stood up and approached the window, letting the warm sunlight cover him.
…How annoying.
The purpose of his trip to Cantavega hadn’t been to immediately recruit Rylan into the Astassier family or force him to fight for them. Instead, he was only here to build some goodwill. Any amount was enough. Naturally, this would be easier if he could help Rylan in a moment of need, which was why he had decided to join the Dungeon raid party. But…
He doesn’t need my help.
Rylan had crushed almost every single plan Gael and Nathan had come up with by clearing the Dungeon with Gerard alone. Elizabeth had made sure to destroy whatever was left. In the end, this trip hadn’t even come close to achieving its original objective. That was not to say it had been pointless. At the very least, Nathan had managed to get a good grasp on exactly how powerful and talented Rylan was.
…No, is that even true?
Originally, one of Nathan’s plans was to draw Rylan in by proudly showcasing how much more support the Astassier family would be able to offer him, from money to training resources. Yet, what was any of it worth? The Rylan that had come out of the Basilisk Wilds was one that could reach the Third Circle anytime, not to mention his nonsensical physical body. A monster that Nathan didn’t understand. Even if Gerard had done most of the work, what kind of eighteen-year-old could stand against a Basilisk?
Nathan let out another deep sigh. The sight of the flower petals drifting in the wind was becoming more hateful by the second. He turned around and scanned the bedroom. It was plain and lackluster compared to his own in the Astassier mansion. Even its scent was irritating.
“Whining won’t achieve anything,” he whispered to himself after a second.
Instead of complaining about how Rylan had completely escaped his expectations, he needed to come up with an actual plan regarding what to do from this point on. Naturally, the family couldn’t give up on who was probably the kingdom’s greatest talent. They just needed to take things slow. Even if Elizabeth had convinced Rylan not to seek the Astassier house, he was confident that he could prove its worth. He just needed to have a better grasp of Rylan.
Nathan slowly walked up to the door and left the bedroom.
***
One hand on Silver Twilight’s hilt, Rylan watched the battle unfolding in front of him with rapt attention. Aelfric was fighting one of the large beasts that appeared at the start of Basilisk Wilds.
Aelfric ran behind a large tree just before the giant jaguar landed where he had been standing, claws sinking into the soft earth. Without wasting a second, Aelfric circled the tree, putting it right in between him and his enemy.
Not enough.
It was a decent tactic, but the trunk wouldn’t hinder a beast at the jaguar’s level for more than two seconds at most. As if it could read his mind, the jaguar dashed toward Aelfric with a snarl, adjusting its position to get a clear view of him. With an anxious expression, Aelfric finished chanting and pointed his wand at the enemy with trembling hands.
“Magic Missile!” he shouted, his voice cracking.
Orange mana coalesced into the shape of a small arrow, which then shot toward the jaguar’s right eye. In response, the beast merely tilted its head. The Missile dragged across its cheek, drawing a line of blood. But that was all it achieved. The jaguar leaped toward Aelfric, who froze up as the large creature approached him. Rylan resisted the urge to draw his sword, widening his eyes.
You can do it.
He had been watching Aelfric from the start, and he was here to ensure the battles wouldn’t result in his younger brother’s death, but in order for Aelfric to grow, he needed to know what it was like to struggle with his blood on the line. Despite his thoughts, Rylan slightly lowered his center of gravity and circulated his mana at its full power. He could feel the maelstrom within him speed up.
It was as if the world had slowed down. Aelfric flinched and blinked hard before abruptly running to the side, chanting. The jaguar landed on his previous position a heartbeat later and snapped its head toward him. There was now only a gap of a few meters between Aelfric and the enemy.
You need to make it unable to reach you.
Given the spells Aelfric knew and could cast in a situation like this, there was only one way for him to win, but it would be risky. As if he were thinking the same thing, Aelfric’s expression slowly changed into one that was a mix of fear and determination. The face of a warrior who knew what price he would have to pay to survive. Rylan’s grip around the hilt relaxed a bit as he grinned.
The jaguar lowered its body, its muscles tightening up like a taut bowstring. Aelfric had maybe a second before the beast jumped on him and tore him to shreds. Despite this, Aelfric kept chanting. The animal abruptly ran forward.
“Earth Spikes!” Aelfric gasped out.
The earth in front of him rippled. Simultaneously, the jaguar closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Once it was less than a meter away from Aelfric, it raised its right claw, which was almost the size of Aelfric’s torso. At that moment, a stone spike ripped its way out of the ground and landed straight on the creature’s belly, piercing its hide and fur and reaching its stomach and intestines. Blood flowed along the structure, glinting under the sunlight.
The jaguar roared in pain, but it still managed to bring down its claw. Aelfric took a large step back and gritted his teeth. Another Spike pierced the jaguar’s back, digging into the gaps between its vertebrae. The gray claws reached Aelfric’s body and easily tore through his robe and armor, creating large gashes on his torso and thighs. Aelfric screamed in pain, but the Spikes didn’t crumble even as he struggled to remain standing. With a pained grunt, he waved his wand.
A Third spike surged out of the ground and curved, then pierced the jaguar’s left eye as it thrashed around, trying to get itself out of its position. The stone spike crushed through its eyeball and reached the optic nerve. The beast roared in pain and shook its head wildly, which only resulted in the Spike going deeper.
Rylan never took his eyes off his brother. Aelfric trembled like a flame in the wind, his blood flowing down his limbs, but he didn’t fall down. With shaking arms, Aelfric waved his wand one last time. The Earth Spikes already inside the jaguar’s body moved. They suddenly grew and rotated, shredding the monster’s insides. Finally, the Spike that had pierced its eye dug through whatever gaps it could find to reach the beast’s brain. A second later, the animal turned limp.
With a deep breath, Aelfric dismissed his Earth Spikes and crouched with a wince. Rylan snapped to the left to stare at a white-robed, middle-aged woman who looked absolutely appalled.
“Heal him,” Rylan said in a tone that allowed for no disobedience.
The woman hurriedly nodded several times before running toward Aelfric. Rylan kept his right hand on the sword’s hilt as he scanned his surroundings. He couldn’t let another beast approach them when Aelfric was in such a vulnerable position. Rylan quickly made his way closer to Aelfric. Behind him, there was another set of footsteps.
“…I know this is necessary, but…” Sarah’s voice resounded.
“You think it’s too harsh?” he replied, slowly spinning in place to take in his full surroundings.
“I agree that the things he stands to gain from this training are worth more than the risk of injury and death, but there must be a better way to do this.”
Rylan shook his head slowly.
“If you’ve got a way of getting used to real fights where your life is on the line without going through them, I’m all ears.”
Sarah went silent.
I don’t enjoy doing this either.
Truthfully, if there was a better method, he just didn’t know it. Roland had fought in life-or-death battles from a very young age, ever since his parents’ death. In the end, experience was the best teacher. There was nothing that could quite mimic an enemy coming for your neck without a similar level of danger. However, that didn’t mean he enjoyed seeing Aelfric bleed and scream in pain.
Rylan furrowed his brow as his gaze finally zeroed in on Aelfric’s crouching figure. A wave of green mana covered him, and his expression had relaxed as his wounds healed in real time, but it would still take a while for him to be back to pristine condition.
Rylan patiently waited without letting his guard down. Sarah also paid attention to their surroundings, wand in hand. After some time, Aelfric dragged himself to his feet. The white-robed healer wiped the sweat on her brow and smiled at Rylan, her eyes revealing the bit of dread she felt when she looked at him.
“How are you feeling?” Rylan asked Aelfric in a tender tone.
“Like I fucking never want to do this again,” Aelfric immediately replied. “But I have to. It is what it is.”
Rylan readily nodded.
“Yes, you do. I won’t be able to protect you at all times forever.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Aelfric stretched his arms and moved them around a bit, as if he’d grown familiar with the injuries.
“What now?” Aelfric asked, looking at Rylan with clear eyes.
Rylan shrugged.
“Depends on you, really. Martha still has enough mana to heal you for longer, and both Sarah and I are here to deal with whatever unexpected situations pop up. If you think you can keep fighting, we can keep going. If you want to call it a day, that’s fine too.”
The plan was to train Aelfric, not force him to repeatedly confront his limits of pain and exhaustion. The mental strain because of the knowledge that he would still need to get hurt and suffer was bound to be considerable.
This is already good enough.
The battle against the jaguar had been the fourth one in the day. In each one, Aelfric had been injured. Rylan hadn’t stepped in even once, as if they had agreed upon this beforehand. Even if Aelfric wanted to stop here, it would be a fair decision.
“No, let’s keep going. One more battle,” Aelfric stated after a second. His eyes betrayed his fear, as did the tight grip around the wand that he’d just put away.
Rylan furrowed his brow.
“Don’t force yourself.”
“I’m not. One more. After that, you should go focus on reaching the Third Circle.”
Rylan let out a small sigh.
“…Fine. One more. Be careful.”
After Aelfric nodded, they started walking as a group to the side instead of deeper into the Woodlands. Rylan thought about his brother’s words. He was closer to the Third Circle than he’d even expected.
Soon, the moment would arrive.
Comments
Some Guy
TFTC
PhantomGlitch
Thanks for the chapter
