There may also be some inaccuracies, since English is not my native language.
Essentially, TBATE is first translated from English into my native language — and in that process, some details are already altered to make it more understandable for us. Now I'm taking that adapted (and somewhat distorted) version, revising it, rewriting it, and then translating it back into English.
I hope you'll point out any mistakes in the text that I might have missed.
× × × × ×
Lucius Zogratis
I wouldn't have paid much attention to their shocked faces and the way they looked at us, because I knew that we were indeed involved in this mess. Dozens of steroid-pumped carallians were popping out of the ground, and it didn't look like they were going to stop and wait for us to start the conversation.
"Form a Three-Layer Circle!" A clear voice rang out from the chaos.
The Ascendants looked at each other, including Arthur, because he had no idea what the hell a Three-Layer Circle Formation was. The others, however, had looks of indecision and reluctance on their faces.
"Now!" roared the same voice. It was an Ascendant from Daria's team.
His decisive voice cut through the Ascendants, urging them to follow his command. There was no signal, no words to indicate the start of our battle. We just fought, while I controlled my power so as not to stand out, even though I knew it was temporary.
The carallians' strength reflected their increased size, but their speed was unhindered. Nevertheless, Arthur and I killed much stronger monsters and emerged even stronger. White crescents curved around me as my dagger flashed with deadly speed and precision. With the aether amplifying my body, my kicks and punches turned me into an impenetrable storm.
The Three-Layer Circle formation constantly shifted to avoid the pile of carallian corpses, and everything seemed to be going well until the first ascendant was killed, opening a hole in the outer ring.
"Garth!" shouted the thin ascendant standing in the middle ring. He waved his staff with a dozen or so lightning balls floating around it.
Immediately, two on either side of the fallen ascendant smoothly filled the gap, and we continued moving. Then my attention shifted to the inner circle of our formation. I knew Daria's skills were good, but seeing it with my own eyes was instructive. Her main arsenal consisted of spells that created ice spears from moisture in the air, as well as wind blasts around her enemies.
The long-range mage next to her used only fire magic, but behind him was a wider variety of spells, from throwing fireballs to waves of scorching heat capable of melting the tough skin of the carallians. Both were precise in the power and accuracy of their skills, despite being surrounded by an outer ring of ascendants protecting them, focused on defending both of them, as well as fighting and killing as many carallians as they and I could.
Spotting an approaching carallian, I kicked a corpse lying on the ground, hitting my target, and threw another carallian who was trying to sneak up on my right with my shoulder. I grabbed the dagger hooked on my finger and plunged its blade into the eye of the resisting carallian before absorbing the remaining aether from his corpse.
Despite the extra strength, speed, limbs, and spikes protruding from the carallians' bodies, they carried more aether, which actually made fighting them easier for me.
Suddenly, a painful scream caught my attention. I didn't turn around because Arthur was already sending me some of his memories in real time. Damn, I thought as Arthur's anger swept through our mental connection again. I knew he had quarreled with Regis, but I couldn't blame him. To him, they were the murderers who had killed his father. It would be strange if he blinked and forgot his hatred for them.
I used the carallians as training dummies again to test various techniques on them to incorporate into my developing enhanced aether fighting style.
I focused on the feeling of enveloping myself in aether. The power my body received when the aether seeped through my limbs felt as if the strengthened muscles were my own and the protective layer of aether was my thickened skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Arthur, who with each blow and swing of his sword became calmer and calmer, becoming almost a robot with such perfect movements that I myself did not notice how I began to devote more time to memorizing this fighting style than to fighting the carallians.
Diving under the carallian's snapping jaws, I knocked him off his feet with a low, sweeping blow. While he was scrambling back up, I focused on another carallian rushing toward me. Dividing the aether between my supporting leg and elbow, I lunged forward, pressing my supporting palm against my fist to increase the force of the blow. The sharp bones protecting the carallian's torso shattered from the impact, and my elbow pierced his stomach like the tip of a spear.
The carallian collapsed to the ground with a broken spine. As he convulsed on the ground, I turned my head to the left to avoid the stumbling carallian. Two precise strikes later, and two carallians were added to my pile of corpses. My eyes automatically searched for the next victim, and only when I could no longer find one did I finally notice that the sky had turned blue again and the corpses scattered around me were slowly disappearing.
Looking around, I saw several ascendants mixed in with the decaying corpses of the carallians. Five ascendants had apparently perished in this wave, and Daria and Traider were two of the seven remaining on their feet. Daria was in fairly good shape, apart from a few cuts on her legs and a torn cloak. Trader cradled the remaining stump of his bleeding left arm, his face calm while his breathing was heavy.
Despite my distracted state due to the enormous amount of information I had gleaned from this battle, my instincts kicked in the moment I sensed someone rapidly approaching me. Turning on my heels, I grabbed the wrist of my unexpected opponent, pressing the tip of my blade against... her throat?
Ah, it was definitely Caera and her brother's dagger.
I paused my attack for a split second out of surprise, and in that split second, the hand holding my white dagger was grabbed by a large hand, and I found myself face to face not only with Caera, whose wrist I was holding in my grip, but also with Taegen, who had grabbed my arm, and with the swordsman, whose humming blade would have been aimed at my unprotected side if it weren't for Arthur, who appeared right next to me, blocking it.
Instead of flinching or getting angry at the unexpected turn of events, I asked with my usual calmness, playing along with the scene. "What is all this?"
"Let her go," Taegen ordered as his thick fingers closed around my arm. Arthur pressed his black sword against Taegen's arm, ready to strike at any moment.
Seeing this, I sent Arthur a mental message: "Play along with me."
"She attacked me," I replied calmly in an even tone, but the aether pressure I exuded worked even on Caera's defenders, as their faces became tense.
"I thought... I imagined it all," Caera muttered, but she wasn't addressing me. Her trembling red eyes were fixed on the white blade inches from her throat.
"But I was right..." Caera's eyes met mine, her expression stern. "Why do you have my brother's blade?"
Caera's voice became suspiciously quiet as she looked at me with bloodshot eyes. "I asked you... why do you have my brother's dagger in your hands?"
"Answer, effeminate one," Taegen demanded in a commanding tone.
Having sent the signal, I watched its execution.
"Want to see if your blade is faster than mine, swordsman?" Arthur asked defiantly, turning and meeting the brown-haired ascender's eyes.
I felt Taegen trying to pull my hand away from Caera's throat as my companion began to threaten in response, pouring out his aether intent.
After a moment's hesitation, the warrior lowered his sword and raised his hands. Taegen released his grip and reluctantly stepped back. Yet despite her position, Caera's gaze remained unflinching, as if she were still waiting for an answer.
"I found it in one of the zones I encountered before arriving here," I replied calmly.
Caera's face showed many different emotions; she seemed frightened, happy, depressed, and hopeful all at once. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, almost afraid of what she might hear.
Exhaling, I spoke. "I'll tell you what I encountered in the zone where I found this dagger, and I'm even willing to part with it... but in return, I want something."
"We don't take money in relictombs, and we haven't found any relics yet, but as soon as we get out, if you come—"
I shook my head, interrupting her. "I don't want money or relics. I just want some answers."
Now came the final part.
The four of us moved out of earshot of the other ascendants after I loosened my grip on Caera's wrist and put the dagger back in its sheath.
"You three seem too noble to do something so senseless, unless... Lady Caera is in danger," I said, looking at them knowingly. "Besides, I can assure you that killing me will be anything but 'easy.'"
"We will answer your questions to the best of our ability," Caera assured me, also kneeling down on the ground. Even aside from her proper and refined sword skills, every bit of her movements and behavior suggested that she had received very strict and proper training in conduct and etiquette.
I paused for a moment to consider how best to play the role before speaking again. "I will ask a series of questions, some of which I already know the answers to, and some of which I sincerely want answers to — you will not know which is which. You may not ask why I am asking these questions, and if you do not know the answer, simply say so."
Taegen sat down on the ground, crossed his arms and legs, and stared at me. "Hurry up, effeminate. We're wasting our rest time before the next wave."
Right away, I started asking a series of questions, some just for show, others because I was genuinely interested. I also decided to ask a couple of silly, well-known questions so as not to change what I wanted to hear. Questions like, "Why do the ascendants come to these relicttombs?" were also asked, even though I already knew the answers.
Taking a deep breath, I asked, for Arthur's sake, "What is the latest news you have heard about the ongoing war with Dicathen and... how long has it been since then?"
"The latest news that was delivered to my estate just before we prepared for the ascent was that Scythe Cadell had managed to conquer the sacred flying castle of the Dicathian's," Caera replied with a glimmer of pride. "So, taking into account the passage of time in the relictombs, I would say that almost two weeks have passed since then."
"One last question," I said. "How far away is the energy source?"
Although I already knew all this, I had to ask mixed questions to keep Caera interested in me or Arthur. Next, we would only need to show them a power that was strange to them and what we would need, or more precisely, the medallion of Denoir's blood. Without it, it would be difficult to leave the relictombs.
"At the pace we've been moving, it's about a day, not counting the time it will take to fight off another wave or two." Arian frowned, looking at Arthur and me with a completely serious expression. "You're not going to leave, are you?"
"We've already spent enough time in this zone," I replied curtly.
"The effect your presence has on this zone speaks to your power, effeminate," Taegen said, also standing up. "But even if you manage to survive the next wave together, it will be impossible for you to defeat the guard protecting the energy source."
Turning to Caere, I tossed her the dagger. "A deal is a deal."
Her lips curved into a smile for a split second as she gripped the dagger tightly before looking at me seriously. "What about my brother?"
"I didn't see your brother in that zone. However, there was a monster there, large and strong enough to eat the ascendants whole, and judging by the pile of human-sized equipment left in its lair, where I found this dagger and this cloak..." I let the sentence trail off.
Despite this news, her expression remained calm, almost serene, but it was easy to understand the emotions she was hiding. Her trembling hands clenched her brother's dagger so tightly that her pale fingers became several shades lighter.
Nodding to Arthur, we looked in the direction where the source of energy was most likely to appear when the sky turned red again. It was Daria, running toward us accompanied by most of the other ascendants. Even from here, I could tell that the expressions on their faces foreshadowed trouble.
"I knew you'd decide to leave!" she snorted, her thin eyebrows knitting together.
Arthur replied calmly. "Is that a problem?"
I just raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you have any sense of responsibility? Because of your presence, the carallians grew so strong that five of us died in that last wave! This is unprecedented in convergence zones!"
Caera stood up, putting her dagger away in her spatial ring. "Even if they leave, part of the wave will follow them, and if they dies, the Carallians will return to their former form. So what exactly is the problem?"
"T-they should take responsibility and stay here to protect the others until we get out of this zone!" Daria hissed, her cheeks flushed with anger.
Several of the ascendants behind her nodded in agreement. The only one who didn't think so was Traider, who was just lazily kicking a loose clump of dirt on the ground.
I looked back at Caera, who remained unperturbed as she replied. "Don't you mean they should stay here and protect you?"
Daria smirked before turning her gaze to Arthur. "So that's why you didn't accept my offer. I didn't know you were a Denoir dog."
"Careful, Miss Lendhert," said Arian, finally standing up and dusting off his matte armor. "Although the use of blood names is frowned upon in the relictombs, everyone here should know that Lady Caera does not take insults lightly, and the Denoirs are quite famous for settling scores."
"Enough! I plan to reach the energy source before the wave begins." The dirt beneath Arthur's feet rose as he channeled aether through his limbs. The expressions on the faces of those ascending indicated that they all sensed the change in the air. "Anyone who can keep up with me may follow."