Arc 4: What families entail
Edward, Rosemary, and Soku all rode in their small carriage while two large Dire Wolves pulled them. A Mid-Tier Spirit Beast found in packs within higher spiritually dense woods, tamed by the beast tamers of Leviathan army. Favored by the country of Walgonia for their power, speed, resilience, and deep loyalty. Rushing down the large mountain Greenvale rested within, passing across it in order to make it to Athens even faster. Using the longest mountain range in the world to their advantage. It would take about a week and a half to reach Athens, spending half of it passing through this mountain. With enough food, water, and nearby food and water to make it through the mountain. The glowing blue crystals on the sides of the dark blue, longer iron carriage, were blessed to keep the monsters away. Creating a blind spot for all spirit beasts, including any food to walk its way to them. No matter how mean it may make Soku or Rosemary feel.
Julius: "Once we pass out of Godrick Mountain, we will cross the beaches of the West Sea."
Julius stared with his constant smile, looking through the snowy trees without wavering to the chilling winds. Soku would shut the door, shivering and holding a heavy blanket around her. Trying to emit a small amount of wind mana to both train and push the freezing wind away, pulling it in and breathing out. Rosemary uses her stages to warm herself instead, to Sokus dismay.
Soku: "That's so unfair!"
Soku would rush closer to warm up beside her stages while Edward meditated in the back.
Rosemary: "I can train like this, but the carriage's too small for his sword I guess."
Soku: "But what does meditating do?"
Edward: "Julius said to focus on my inner strength, I don't really know what that means but I've been taught similar things before. I spent most of my childhood with a Monk for a father, or step father I guess."
Soku would try to copy Grays Titans Impact with her wind, unable to and struggling to control her mana flow. Almost stopping in annoyance before Rosemary looked toward her.
Rosemary: "Come on, you can't quit every time you mess up."
Soku: "Fine!"
Sighing and stepping into the cold, away from Rosemary's stages, she began to rotate her hands around to gather and practice her wind control. All trying to pass the time as efficiently as possible, to make sure they could never lose again. Rosemary couldn't help but feel bad for what she had said, holding her shorter hair while staring at Souks own much shorter hair. Along with Ophelia's red hair clip she now permanently and proudly wore since Gray gifted it to her. But then she felt the strain, the struggle, the look of sorrow that never left her. Speaking to try and distract her from it, following Gray's own methods instead of her own straight forward ones. Since that seemed to work better for Soku in particular.
Rosemary: "The Island of Athens has been locked into war for the past four years. Will we be able to cross the Great Bridge of Athens to enter?
Edward: "The country itself isn't closed off, it's just been closed off to non-humans. But I think if they figure out we're nobles of any kind they may push us away, so we're best off going in without any raucous at all. "
Soku: "What!? Why am I here if they're gonna kill me the second they find me!?"
Edward: "And that's why we're in this carriage! Unmarked and special, it was used back in the day when Walgonia would send in rescue parties to save Demi-human slaves from Ravoria and Valatroctius."
Edward stood up, lifting the false floor of the carriage open to show all of their things. Along with a small chest for Soku to hide inside.
Soku: "I am not getting in that."
Edward: "We could move it and you could get in the space?"
Soku: "No."
Rosemary: "Okay! We'll worry about that after. But what's the game plan?"
Edward stood, moving over to open the window for Julius.
Julius: "When we get there we are going to try and get into contact with Leo Valentine, the Leader of the Red Arrows. I have an Inn in mind that we will stay at until then, outside of the Capital city. Once we are in contact, we will attempt to either stop Beauregard forcefully or peacefully."
Edward: "That's a little easier said than done. The Athens army aren't known for their powerful magic, but for their might. Their armor and tools, and money so I guess we don't have to fight that."
They all sighed, looking toward each other and trying to swallow their challenge ahead. Athens itself wasn't an extremely large country, with about sixty thousand people within it. Before the Demi-humans were forced to leave, there were about eighty thousand. Their power lies in their tenacity, their immense resolve, and dominating proficiency. Walgonia was all about focus, flow, and unity. Ravoria pride, grace, and an absolute mind. And Valatroctius with their cunning, malicious, muddy nature.
Julius: "I have spent a lot of time learning about the world, mostly through my family's teachings. And Athens, recently, sent away all of the non humans they could. Most of which held the great strength Athens was known for. Along with those people went a lot of the soldiers within Athens in the first place. Off to the rest of Saga. The Red Arrows are supposed to be a rag tag group of rebels, without much strength. Using poorly put together tools, strange plans, and fighting Athens without damaging it. It's why this war is presumed to go on for a few more years, if we do not intervene."
They sat and listened, eating and training, thinking and learning. But Edward could only sigh in despair. As the blood of the Last Helsing would continue to course through him, his hair was still black and had no signs of changing, and his might was still so far from what he needed it to be. Each second he wastes swinging his sword making his stomach churn. Trying to use the great burden that this mission to Athens was seeming to be to over power it. Thinking of anything and everything that could help.
Edward: "I have met Lincoln before, and his sons once in my life. When I was a young kid. They came with their late mother to greet my moms official retirement. And Lincoln was war buddies with Musashi, hell he's the one who gave us the egg that hatched Dema. He was always just super focused on fighting or training, or training others."
Soku: "That's the guy bailed right? Isn't he supposed to be the strongest dude or whatever?"
Edward: "Physically strongest, and yeah. I guess now that Kioshi is gone he's the strongest. Unquestionably."
Rosemary: "If we could get that on our side, taking Walgonia back might be way way easier."
Edward: "Yeah you could say that again."
Dashing in a similar but far higher direction, was Gray and Dema. He rode atop the car sized black Dragon, holding tightly into the light brown and thick saddle with all of his might. Regretting wearing his normal gear, as he was freezing and freezing in the cold winds. Dema's intense speed makes it even harder. But he would continue moving up the massive mountain, looking far in the distance at the two large villages of Greenvale, separated by a small bit of the large forest surrounding Godrick mountain. The rest of the mountain was used as a large mining depot, forcing only a few villages to be built to insure their secrecy. Even within their own country.
Gray: "Small from up here isn't it Dema?"
She would happily squawk at him, her green eyes jotting toward him. She had a rounder face compared to her slimmer body and tail, the bottom of her jaw and body a light brown. All coated in her thick, mana resistant scales.
Gray: "Good Drake."
He looked forward, watching with a mix of panic and awe as they rocketed toward the clouds. Seeing the mountain piercing them, rising higher and higher. Gray's heart was falling and falling, with an immense fear of heights weighing him down. A deadly fear of falling, roller coasters, and everything in that margin. Even after all the times he had almost died, his choice or not, he still hadn't shaken such fears. Only being able to distract himself with his own thoughts. However he was quickly snapped back into it when they brushed past the clouds, entering the thick forest. Dema was nearing the massive presence of spirit mana, bolting right toward a small sight in the distance.
Gray: "THERE IT IS! OR SOMETHING IS!"
Gray focuses his eyes seeing a smoke trail coming out of a two story cabin, with beautiful craftsmen ship. Dema lands in front of the cabin, letting Gray off. And stepping forward with fear, fleeting conviction, he knocked. However, right before he could, the door opened, looking face to face with a grand figure.
Gray: "Sup - I mean hello!"
He instantly bowed, but the man stopped him. Letting Gray look up and see his surprised smile. He was a beautiful man with long, soft silver hair flowing in the wind. He was in mid-forties but didn't look at it, and wore surprising attire. The geta shoes, blue kimono, and duel katanas made Gray instantly realize what was in front of him.
Gray: "Are you a samurai!?"
Ryo: "No, I am Ryo, a Spirit Knight! And you're Gray, correct?"
Gray was a bit shocked but brushed it off, sticking straight up when Ryo quickly grabbed hold of his shoulder and pulled him through the snowy forest.
Gray: "Yeah, I am Gray! Conner Gray Kyojin!"
Ryo: "Well hello Conner Gray Kyojin. Now, what is it that you are here for."
Gray: "Wait did Gordon not say!?"
Ryo: "No no! He did. I just want you to ask, sorry!"
Gray would sigh, shivering as the cold snow continued to pile onto him. Rubbing Dema as she brushed against Ryo and himself.
Ryo: "This is a beautiful Earthbound Dragon!"
Gray: "What's that?"
Ryo: "I'll explain later. Now, I would like you to answer."
Gray: "Oh sorry!"
Again he would bow, Dema copying him.
Gray: "I would like to train under you as a Spirit Knight! Musashi trained me, and I made it through the first two trials of the Knights exam. I just spent the last month breaking myself with Gordon to get even stronger on top of that! So, I'm ready! Please teach me!"
Ryo would bow his head along with him, smiling with Gray's awkward one.
Ryo: "Well, I accept you. And just so you know, you are my first student. So forgive me if I'm not the best of teachers."
Gray: "Musashi said he only ever helped people, so I'm kinda used to it."
Ryo: "Well that's good."
Ryo would take Gray and Dema toward the stables against the rising mountain, a large sauna to the side with bubbling water sizzling into the air. The steam blowing with the heavy snow, the shaking trees, the howling wolves all building and building. Leaving Gray to feel quite scared, not with pure fear, but because this was the first time in a long time where he was truly alone. With somebody he had only just met and knows practically nothing about. Ryo couldn't help but notice the faint look he held, the weight he was trying to act like didn't exist anymore, and the cursed crescent shaped charm tucked into his jacket. Something that with his incredible senses, he would feel it further pulling down on Gray's spirit.
Ryo: "That charm, the Cloak of Darkness, correct?"
Gray: "Yeah!"
Ryo: "That is quite dangerous to say the least. You know that right?"
Gray: "Of course I do! That's why I gotta master it!"
Ryo would look a bit confused while he led Dema into the stable, watching as Gray took out the charm.
Gray: "I can't get it to flow out though."
Ryo: "Are you sure? It is one of Godricks cursed charms, a cursed tool of Alfheilm! Not a normal cursed weapon! That corruption is undefeatable, and in every case found throughout history, the charms have torn and taken their users."
Gray took that like a slap to the face, staring toward the charm with a bit of worry and distaste. Thinking back to Azalea being constantly dawned on in it, how it coated their OD and her spirit even after death, and how it may have turned whatever she used to be into the Witch of Darkness that the world came to know. So, while he strangely didn't want to, he took off the charm and put it in his pocket.
Ryo: "You know that counts as wearing it right? It depends on the charm but for the Cloak, having it near you, having it connected to you keeps you in its grasp. The longer and closer you grow to it, it will flow into and over your body. Like a puppet of darkness."
Gray: "I guess no matter how cool that sounds I don't wanna end up that way."
He tossed it towards Ryo for the time being, however he dodged it and allowed it to fall into a small pouch. Tossing it toward the front of his house before waving Gray to follow him. Stepping over the dense snow and through the forest, the massive trees and thin air keep Gray locked in a mix of awe and panic. The constant rustling of snow and leaves kept him on edge, not knowing just what might be running toward the massive beacons of mana that were Ryo and himself. The two have the most mana in the world, as with Ryo having about eighty times more mana than the average person. Compared to Gray's one hundred percent increase.
Ryo: "So you trained with Musashi and Gordon, but what did you focus on?"
Gray: "I practiced my sword but I'm not really a swordsman. I'm kinda an all around fighter, but I've been really trying to control my mana and tap into my Spirit stuff."
Ryo: "Good. I would be considered a master but I'm nowhere near the proficiency of Musashi, Lincoln, or even the greater swordsmen from the other lands."
Gray: "Is wearing that gear a part of being a spirit knight?"
Ryo: "No, I've just loved these types of outfits since I trained in Oni-mas as a child. And these katana are used because they are preferred by the spirits. Now, punch that rock!"
Pointing straight ahead was a rock already moved for Gray to punch it. When he went to flow mana, Ryo would stop him, leaving Gray confused.
Ryo: "Without mana."
Gray: "What!? I don't wanna break my wrist! I'm only strong with mana!"
Ryo: "Are you sure? Gordon said your body breaking strategy and constant healing was making for great progress. The more your mana floods into your body the more your control will rise, your resistance to it, how much you can use, and it will even increase your strength without mana."
Gray: "But it's gonna hurt!"
Ryo would continue looking forward with a smile, awaiting Gray's move. Reminding him of Julius. Then, with a sigh, he flung his arm forward and punched the large rock in front of him. And, nothing other than a massive surge of pain in his wounded wrist. Staring up into the sun, with Ryo moving his head over it for his shadow to wash over him.
Ryo: "In the years to come, you will be able to crack or even shatter rocks much smaller than that!"
Gray: "What!?"
Ryo: "Cool right!"
Gray: "No way! Smaller!? Crack?"
Ryo: "Well it all depends on how hard you push yourself."
Ryo would spin, slamming a kick into the boulder. A wave of pressure would then flood forward, knocking back the trees, snow, and even Gray. Watching in awe as the large boulder cracked and crumbled in on itself.
Ryo: "See!"