Horus grabbed June's shoulder, his expression grim. "My friends are inside the house."
She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? How do you know that?"
"I can hear them," He walked to the stairs, ignoring her look of disbelief, and paused. Listening.
They were moving through the house slowly talking about the awakening.
"Every single one of the Twilights gets Crescent Swordsman," Ulrich said worriedly. "It's like Argent Mage for my family."
It was discovered hundreds of years ago. Legendary class holders, who were called Heroes, passed on their classes to their children.
Through the years, Seraphina had donated her eggs to allow for artificial insemination. Horus was the product of that. While children she gave birth to like Ares, were her true inheritors.
"It makes no sense," Shiv whispered. "He's already used Twilight swordmanship, before he was even awakened. Something happened; it has to be a curse maybe."
Randall's footsteps sounded lazy, uninterested. "It's the System, it's always fair. Why would it not give Horus what he deserves."
"The fuck does that mean?" Shiv shot back. There was no answer.
Horus heard them round on the staircase and scowled. Unless he jumped off the building with June there was no way out.
[Physicality]> 20 (Common) [Skill limit reached]
Common-tiers skills were the only skills that could be increased by hard work, but they still needed Soul shards to evolve. Right now his [Physicality] was at the human limit, if he had some shards he could instantly gain strength above human limits and make the jump.
So they would need a different plan. He motioned to June to calm down. Her gaping mouth and bright eyes radiated too much fear.
He got closer and whispered in her ear. "Pretend we haven't done anything wrong."
It was a hard ask, but she did her best to compose herself. He was so close to her. When his friends came up, they saw Horus and June face to face.
Shiv's concerned expression shifted to irritation. "Jumping straight to degeneracy. You couldn't even take a second to process your failure."
Ulrich stared straight at June, barely contained rage in his eyes. "Why are both of you up here?"
Randall circled them suspiciously though.
Horus couldn't help but feel the blonde boy was instinctively cutting off escape routes. He ignored it and sighed.
"I wanted to reassure June that her brother was still alive."
"You show more concern for a Mundane that's still alive," Randall pointed out with an innocent look on his face. "Then John who's dead. It's a bit weird"
Horus' tongue felt bitter. Wally was friends with all of them. Yes he hadn't mourned John as much… but there wasn't time.
"What do you want? Are you just here to accuse me of being heartless?" He asked bluntly. Randall flinched unintentionally.
Ulrich just glanced between him and June, and the way he covered her from their gazes, and the obvious tension in her body. The white-haired boy could sniff fear like a bloodhound.
Shiv was just staring at him in faint disbelief. "Why are you talking to us like that?"
His fear of Horus seemed to also fade, Randall stepped closer. "We were worried about you. We're your friends if you remember correctly. Wanted to give you a drive to Fort Thunder."
"Didn't you see the broadcast?" Ulrich asked with narrowed eyes. "We're all to report and be checked. Because of the lord selection."
Horus pulled out his phone, glanced at it, then showed them the unread broadcast. "Didn't check my phone."
His mind was so consumed he didn't even notice it beep a few minutes ago.
"Why is the terrorist scared?" Shiv pointed at June behind him. He felt her shiver from the sudden attention.
"Don't call her that," Horus warned, his gaze sharpened. "What's with the interrogation?"
"We're worried!" Shiv shot back angrily. "Shit that hasn't happened in like a hundred years is happening today at the same time."
"Yeah, first an Inheritor not inheriting his mother class," Randall said, "Then the Lord selection. Something is obviously wrong."
Horus clicked his tongue in mock irritation. He turned to June. "Go. I'll meet you at the hospital after they check me and we'll visit Wally."
June nodded tensely and tried to leave, but Ulrich blocked her path. He towered over with, eyes black with fury. He grabbed her shoulder hard enough to make June yelp. "We aren't done with you, slut."
No one other than Horus could have heard that. Anger moved him. He surged towards Ulrich and grabbed his throat.
June's eyes widened. "Horus, don't!"
"Horus, What the hell?!" Shiv exclaimed.
Ulrich grabbed his arm and immediately tried striking the center of his chest, but Horus broke the grasp and deflected the blow.
June hurried past them in the confusion, but Shiv grabbed her.
"That's enough." Randall jumped between Horus and Ulrich before the fight could continue. He eyed Horus suspiciously.
"Show us your status."
Horus' blood turned cold, but his face remained unchanged. "When did you start giving me orders? I guess our positions have completely switched, I'm the Common and you're the Master."
Shiv's voice wavered. "It's not like that at all. Something is just obviously—"
"Give it up Shiv, he doesn't care," Randall said. "So what? Yes, I'm the Master now. So do as you're told."
"I wonder if you have the stats to back up those words," Horus snarled back. "And no one tells me what to do. Not anymore."
Randall languidly turned to shiv, expression giving, I told you so. "If you have nothing to fear, show us. If not then I think we all know what you're hiding."
The vibe between them changed immediately. Fists tightened, even Shiv reluctantly sharpened her gaze.
Horus looked down, feigning exasperation, before exploding into action.
His fist slammed into Randall's jaw first, sending him stumbling back. His other hand knifed towards Ulrich's throat, but the white-haired boy dodged.
He couldn't avoid Horus' kick to his side though. While Ulrich fell, Horus rushed to June and Shiv.
"Horus! Don't you fucking dare," Shiv bellow in confusion.
But she had to release June to fight. While she parried his blows, June ran for the stairs immediately.
Ulrich shot to his feet, glanced between Horus and June, and then followed the girl downstairs.
"No!" Horus roared.
He grabbed and twisted Shiv's hand savagely before slamming his knee into her stomach. Then he rushed to follow Ulrich.
But Randall cut him off with a furious smile. "You're fucking insane."
Shiv rose behind him, face contorted by rage and disbelief. "You really just did that to me… to your friends, for some Mundane whore?"
Horus grit his teeth and raised his fists. He couldn't go back now. Fight or lose everything.