Chapter 10: A Difficult Conversation

  A couple of weeks passed after Lilli left for Kelgrim. Orsen would be gone for well over a month, so Sev wasn’t able to do much regarding runescribing. He continued to practice the runes that Orsen had taught him, becoming very consistent with ‘unbreakable’ and ‘self-repairing’. However, he wasn’t able to replicate ‘recitation’ or ‘heat’.

  Most of his days were isolated to physical training, and he spent several hours at a time with Theo, Bryton, Hendrick, and Magdin to continue to hone his skills. He had recently turned 8 years old, but in terms of combat mentality and technique, he was years ahead of the curve. He was still limited by his physical capabilities, but his intellect and natural aptitude for combat more than made up for it. Every so often, he would catch Bryton off guard and hit him during training. Even Hendrick found himself surprised by how smoothly Sev could bypass his defenses from time to time. The longer the training sessions seemed to go, the more hits Sev would land in each spar.

  As the next school year approached, Sev and Arthur were approached by one of the handmaidens who had helped escort the Oracle to Whitemane. Since he was now 8 years old, it was time for him to be read for his Talents. The original plan of reading him when he was 5 was cut short due to the severe condition they found him in. Afterwards, Arthur and the Oracle decided to wait until the normal age to give him time to get comfortable and adjust to his new life. And now, the time had finally arrived.

  Arthur couldn’t help but wonder what Talents he had been born with. Talents were given at birth to every creature, regardless of where they were born. Most were born with 3-5 Talents, but a rare few had been found with 6-7. The bare minimum was 1 Talent, which was even more rare. Perhaps he has several combat and cognitive Talents. That would explain how quickly he learns and how well he can fight for his age. But if he has a Talent for magic, he would be able to join the paladins regardless of whether or not he used it. Arthur thought intently as he and Sev approached the large stone double doors of the Oracle’s temple.

  The temple’s doors were decorated with intricate stonework. Depictions of the First Realm War were the main focus, emphasizing the joining of the humanoid and Primoran forces to defend against the forces of Infernus. At the center of these depictions, there were the humanoid Kings and leaders fighting side by side with the 3 Primordials, all depicted as mighty warriors that towered above the humans. This was the first time that Sev was properly visiting the temple, and Arthur was easily able to pick up on his anxiety about it. He simply placed his hand on Sev’s shoulder and made sure to walk side by side with him as they walked into the temple’s entryway.

  The 3 handmaidens who had traveled with them before greeted them briefly before leading them through the halls. The temple was a large stone cathedral, towering pillars held up many arches filled with beautiful stained glass murals. The main chamber held several tables and benches for people to sit at in silence to clear their minds. Several side rooms filled the hall as they walked, some merely for storage and others still were used as study halls or instruction rooms. Finally, they reached the Oracle’s personal audience room. The handmaids ushered Sev and Arthur in before leaving and shutting the door behind them.

  The Oracle stood next to a large fireplace, arms crossed behind her. She was an older woman, roughly in her early to mid 50s. Her hair was mostly grey, with small streaks of white cutting through in various places. She wore a simple, navy blue dress that matched that of the handmaids. As Sev and Arthur entered, she turned and greeted them with a warm smile. She waved her hands, gesturing for them to take a seat. Arthur and Sev complied, sitting in the 2 chairs closest to the desk in the center of the room.

  The Oracle poured 3 small glasses of water before sitting down at the desk. “Well, well, it’s been quite some time. How have you been faring, young Sevagoth?” The Oracle asked.

  “I can’t complain. I’m very grateful to Arthur for all the kindness and care he has shown me.” Sev answered a bit awkwardly. How should I act around her? Is this okay? Am I too stiff? His thoughts raced as he sat.

  “I’m very glad to hear that. I heard you are attending the Academy. How has that been? Adjusting okay?” She asked.

  “Uh, yeah. It’s been good. I don’t know how much I’ve learned, but it’s been a positive experience all things considered.” Sev replied, shifting a bit in his chair.

  “Oh? Are the classes there so dull that you can’t learn from them?” She prodded.

  “That’s not what I meant at all. Arthur taught me a ton before I was able to enroll, so a lot of it I had just already learned from him. There are several classes that have been very informative, and I look forward to seeing what this year brings.” Sev couldn’t meet her eyes. Why do things feel so… Off?

  “Madam, that's enough of the interrogation. I know you didn’t approve of the decision to have him enrolled, and I also know you are quite upset over him not joining your temple. But now is not the time to be so petty.” Arthur’s tone was measured and even, yet Sev could not help but sense the hostility in the words.

  “Oh, do forgive me, Commander. I meant no offense.” Her words dripped with venom. “But very well, let's get this underway before we waste anymore of this young man’s time.” The Oracle was not as tactful as Arthur in hiding her feelings. The disdain she was projecting was so thick that Sev could almost feel it on his skin. She stood up and approached Sev’s chair. “Please remove your shirt and stand up, Sevagoth.” The Oracle said as she stood next to him. Sev looked to Arthur, who simply nodded. Sev quickly stood and took off his shirt as the Oracle started to channel. Strange light started to pulse from the Oracle’s hands, and a beam started to orbit them slowly. “I’m sorry if my hands are cold, but do try to stay still.” The Oracle said as she placed one hand directly over Sev’s sternum, with her other hand placed on the nape of his neck. He felt the magic passing through him, and it made his skin crawl. So this is what magic feels like? It feels… gross. Disgusting, even. He thought as he forced himself to withstand the horrid sensation. It’s like my skin is bubbling. My blood feels hot, like I have a fever almost.

  “Now then, let's see here. It appears you were born with 4 Talents. The first seems to be… ‘Frostborne’. It’s normal for Dwarves to be born with this, especially those born so far to the North. It increases your resistance to natural cold climates and weather, which explains how you survived through that storm all those years ago. However, ‘Frostborne’ also reduces the effects of cold-based magics. This means you won’t be as susceptible to ice mages. Now then. The second appears to be… ‘Feast of Blo–’ What?? How is that possible? That is a Talent only given to monsters such as Vampires and their vile spawn!” She yelled as she let go for just a moment. “How is this so?!” She yelled at Sev, who was simply relieved to have a break from the magic.

  “How should I know? Perhaps I inherited it. My mother was a dhampir, after all. Why? Is that a problem?” Sev asked, starting to get angry at what the Oracle had said. “Are you saying my mother was a monster?” For just an 8-year-old, his words were filled with pure malice. His eyes found their way to the Oracle’s, who flinched as their eyes met.

  “Uh, no! No, not at all. I suppose that answers that then.” The Oracle quickly said, trying to move on. Why am I so afraid of this boy? He is still a child, and yet he made me freeze for a moment. As if his eyes weren’t his alone…. The Oracle cleared her throat, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind in the same instant. “Very well, let's continue.” She said as she placed her hands back into place and began channeling once more. “Ahem, as I was saying, ‘Feast of Blood’. It allows you to absorb or drink the shed blood of another creature to restore your own stamina and vitality. Anyway, the third! The third Talent is… ‘Blood Frenzy’. Which is only bestowed on mon—, beasts such as Werewolves, Trolls, and Ogres. I assume I’m missing something here as well?” She asked, her tone now timid and shaken.

  “My father was a Lycanthrope; it's most likely from him.” Sev said coldly, still trying to calm himself from the Oracle’s previous outburst.

  “Ah, yes, of course. That would explain it, I suppose.” She said, laughing nervously to try to distract from how much her hands were starting to shake. A child born to 2 monsters. That may explain why I feel so uneasy around him. “Anyway, ‘Blood Frenzy’ strengthens you the more you fight. As you are in combat or an extremely stressful situation for longer and longer periods of time, your senses and mind will sharpen and clear up. The longer you are affected by this, the more powerful these effects become. You will also become more physically capable, with the stamina and reaction speeds increasing alongside your mental acuity.” She took a second to try to calm down before continuing to the final Talent. Just one more. Then I can get this… thing out of my temple. “Finally, you have…. ‘Graf—’ GET AWAY FROM ME!” She screamed as she shoved Sev away and stumbled to get behind her desk.

  Arthur bolted up and drew his sword, stepping between Sev and the Oracle. Sev had known him long enough to know, however rare it was, when Arthur was angry. Arthur had a white-knuckled grip on the hilt of his sword, having to use every ounce of self-control not to cut the Oracle’s hands off. “What the HELL was that for!” Arthur growled, eyes locked on the very soul of the Oracle now cowering behind her chair. “You have one chance to explain yourself.” His words were simple enough, but his countenance and tone were enough to put the fear of the gods into her.

  “THAT BOY IS A DEMON, A DEVIL. HE IS A MONSTER! YOU HEARD IT YOURSELF. HE IS THE CURSED CHILD OF MONSTERS, HOW COULD YOU BRING HIM INTO MY TEMPLE?!?!” She screamed at Arthur, obviously afraid and no longer able to control herself.

  “And just what gives you the right to call him a devil or a daemon? The other Talents you listed were normal enough, given who his parents were. You have 5 seconds.” Arthur said, taking a single step towards the Oracle’s desk.

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  “HIS FINAL TALENT IS GRAFTING!!! IT'S A VILE AND DISGUSTING TALENT ONLY GIVEN TO THOSE FROM INFERNUS! HE IS A MONSTER! HE MAY WELL BE WHAT DESTROYED THAT VILLAGE!!!” The Oracle screamed hysterically, falling onto her ass as she crawled away from Arthur and Sev. Tears welled in her eyes as she lost all reason. A demon, here in the capital? Are we all doomed?? She thought, her breathing labored and sweat dripping off her forehead.

  “Arthur, leave it. We got what we needed. Let’s just go.” Sev said, doing no better than Arthur at hiding his anger. Arthur was caught off guard by the sheer pressure that Sev was putting out. He had never seen Sev angry. Hell, Sev had never really felt true anger. The only time was when he swore to kill Adanon. And now, he was struggling to hold that back. “I’ll give you some advice, Madam Oracle. Don’t ever call my parents monsters. Call me whatever you want, I couldn’t care less. But drag my parents into it, and I will kill you. And if you dare compare me to the undead beasts that tore my village apart, I will tear you apart in kind.” The words rang heavy in the air. Arthur simply stood there in shock. The Oracle stopped in her tracks, frozen in place by what he had said. This was no threat; this was not some empty attempt to intimidate her. It was simply a fact, as true as the very sun rising each morning. Sev’s eyes were locked on the Oracle’s, her fear evident to him. He took a step forward, and the Oracle quickly fumbled to move away from him. “If I’m such a terrifying monster, I’m more than happy to leave this horrid place.” He turned and yanked the door open and began to walk out.

  Arthur was frozen by what he had heard and seen. How could she say such a thing to him? She saw that slaughter. How dare she throw that in his face? But Sev, I’ve never seen him like that. And those words. Everything I’ve ever heard felt like a lie compared to what he just said. He tried to snap himself out of it and sheathed his sword.

  He shot a glare at the Oracle one final time, her body reacting on instinct and moving away yet again. “How fucking dare you. To say such things to a child, a child you saw in that carnage. You know damn well he was the victim, not the perpetrator. You stepped way out of line, Oracle. His Talents may have been strange, but that doesn’t give you the right to say and do what you did. Now I’ll leave you with this. If you EVER lay a hand on him again, I will cut off your hands. If you speak another word to him other than to SINCERELY apologize, I will cut out your tongue. I don’t care if you are the Oracle; I will raise hell. No one will be able to protect you from me. And I fucking dare you to get the king or queen involved. See what happens. Good day.” He spat as he turned around and followed after Sev.

  The Oracle simply lay there trembling. Her arms gave out from under her, and she collapsed fully to the ground. Who is that child? Why did his words shake me to my core? Why was I so afraid of him? What just happened? The handmaidens quickly rushed in, concerned at the state that the other 2 left the temple. The Oracle simply shooed them away, saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine. The results were just surprising, is all. Now leave me, I need some time to think. Cancel all of my other readings for the day. I wish to not meet with or speak to anyone else.” The handmaidens simply nodded and rushed off to do as they were instructed. Once again left on her own, the Oracle crawled into her chair and put her face into her hands. She was still shaking, the adrenaline slowly draining out of her system. What do I do now? What can I do?

  Arthur finally caught up to Sev as they left the temple. He could tell that Sev was still barely keeping himself under control. He has every right to be angry. Hell, I’m angry, and she didn’t even say those words to me. What a bitch. But what can I do to help him calm down? Arthur’s mind raced as he searched for a solution. Suddenly, something clicked. “Feel like beating the shit out of something?” He asked, leading the way towards the castle’s garrison.

  Sev looked down at his trembling hands, fighting to control the spasming. “You have no idea...” he muttered, still barely able to hold back his anger. I want so badly to kill her. However, I feel as though that might be a bad idea. But if she ever says that about my parents again, I’ll kill her regardless of the consequences. She’s old enough, even I should be able to pull it off. And slitting her throat would be so easy, just one well-placed swing. Sev tried everything in his power to stop the intrusive thoughts and put himself back in control. No matter how hard he tried, he was still pissed. I have to cool my head.

  Finally, Sev and Arthur arrived at the garrison. Arthur walked in and yelled, “Hendrick, Elias, NOW!” The two of them came sprinting out of the barracks. They knew that tone. Arthur was fucking pissed. And he wanted to take it out on Hendrick, while using Elias to make sure Hendrick didn’t die in the process. They ran up to Arthur, simply saluting and staying quiet. Then they noticed Sev, but something was off about him. They had never seen him angry, but this must be what that is. Somehow, they felt that Sev was giving off even more pressure than Arthur was. Oh fuck! Both of them thought at the same time. “Follow me,” Arthur said simply, leading them into the training area.

  Hendrick quickly donned his armor and grabbed his shields, ready to get beaten down. As soon as he was ready, Arthur began to throw punches at the shields. Heavy metal impacts rang out in the training room. It took everything Hendrick had to keep himself upright. He was more worried about Elias, though, who had been given Sevagoth as a sparring partner. He managed to sneak a peek over towards where they were and saw Elias in a similar position to him. Sev had a training sword but was unleashing a torrent of attacks onto Elias. Elias was blocking as much as he could, but Sev was on a new level today. They had never, ever, seen him like this. Yet even with him being this enraged, he hadn’t lost any of his technique or battle sense. He was strategically placing the blows into Elias’ weak points. The only difference was that each strike was made with full force rather than the usual technical grace that Sev usually employed during sparring. As Hendrick turned his full attention back to Arthur, he could already tell that the commander was starting to return to his senses. Ah, so this was more for the boy, then. Hendrick thought as all of the weight left Arthur’s strikes. Arthur slumped over, having exhausted himself. Hendrick set his shields aside and put his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

  Sev took much longer to wear himself out. His strikes were landing repeatedly now on Elias, who was constantly yelling out in pain. The cracking sound of wood against bone was repeated over and over, and over again. Elias was starting to bleed as he was hit in the same places so frequently. This continued for just under 10 minutes, when Sev finally lost his grip on the training sword. Sev’s blood seeped into the handle of the sword, as his hands were torn up and now dripping blood from the constant and unrelenting strikes he had used. Blisters were forming, and his calluses were left on the wooden handle of the sword. He slumped down and lay back on the floor. “I’m really sorry, Elias. You didn’t deserve that. But thank you for doing it anyway.” Sev said, finally calming down.

  “It’s okay, kid. That’s what we are here for. We’ve all had days like this; it’s what we do.” Elias answered. His words were genuine and full of empathy for poor Sev. What got him so fired up?? He wondered while he was healing his wounds.

  Arthur could tell they were curious, so he told them what happened. “She said WHAT?!?!” Elias yelled, clearly upset. Afterall, he had been there that day. He had seen the bloodbath, the carnage, and the viscera. He couldn’t believe that the Oracle would say such a thing when she was there that day, too. “Bryton was right, she really is a bitch.” Elias said, spitting as he did. He made his way over to Sev, healing his hands. Hendrick simply shook his head in disgust. He had heard the report of what they found. He had heard Sev’s story. And he was hurt that Sev had been treated that way. My life was saved around 15 years ago by a Lycanthrope and a young elven woman; I owe them my life. To hear such hatred directed at a Lycanthrope and his family is deeply upsetting. He thought softly as he stared at the boy.

  Arthur simply sighed heavily. “Well, it's over now. We never have to talk to that bitch again. I’ll make sure the next time she needs an escort, she gets it from the city guard and not us.” I wonder what Amalee will say when I tell her. Nothing good, I’m sure. He thought as he lay on the floor.

  Sev finally sat up, stretching his arms high above his head. “Again, I’m really sorry for using you like a training dummy, Elias. But thank you, genuinely. Arthur, what do we do now? I have officially threatened the Oracle. Not once, but twice. And not only that, but if she had that kind of reaction to my Talents, who's to say that other people won't as well.”

  Arthur sat up as well and thought for a moment. “Well, the good thing is that those meetings are confidential, so she shouldn’t go around blabbing about it. In theory, at least. But, if you join the Crown officially, we will report your Talents publicly. We do it to try and help increase the trust and good faith the paladins have built, but it would compromise your privacy and defeat the purpose of trying to keep it under wraps.” He answered, searching his mind for any possible solution to their issue.

  “Well, we were concerned about whether or not I’d be allowed into the paladins anyway, so I guess that just solidifies it. No paladin core for me. Orsen said he would be willing to take me in as an apprentice, maybe that’s the best path forward now.” Sev said out loud, more to himself than anyone else in particular.

  “Eh, it's a waste of all your hard work, though. With the beatdown you just gave me, it wouldn’t feel right if you just went and became a runescribe.” Elias said, scratching the back of his neck as he thought of how he could help the situation.

  “You could always become an adventurer after you graduate from your apprenticeship. But, the pay, safety, and consistency would all be noticeably worse until you were able to make a name for yourself.” Hendrick chimed in.

  “That’s a good idea, but it doesn’t really sound all that interesting. At least not yet.” Sev said as he lay back down.

  “There is… one other option. It’s one I’m hesitant to even suggest, but it might be something worth looking at.” Arthur said quietly, as if he didn’t want to be heard.

  “Well, what is it?” Sev asked curiously.

  “I’ll reach out and see if they are interested. If we actually get a response, then I’ll tell you more about it. All I can say now is that your Talents don’t matter. They teach you the ones they want you to have anyway, so they don’t even bother asking for what you were born with. And they don’t owe anything to the public.” Arthur responded, still a bit hesitant.

  “Well, it sounds interesting at least. But don’t worry, Arthur. I won’t rush into anything too fast. I’ll make sure we talk plenty about it and come up with the best option.” Sev said, looking over at Arthur, who simply nodded his thanks to Sev. “Well, I’m a bit worn out, and I’m starving. Let's go grab some dinner and head home.” Sev said, slowly standing up. His muscles screamed at him from the adrenaline overload. Looks like I need to practice a lot more at that intensity. Otherwise, I won’t be able to last long in a real fight.

  Arthur and Sev helped Hendrick and Elias clean up before they left. They decided to splurge and go to Dottie’s tonight. They could use the pick me up, and neither of them had the energy to actually cook something at home. When they arrived, Dottie could tell something was up and made them an extra special dish to help cheer them up. They ate a delicious meal of freshly made biscuits with sausage gravy, with fresh apple pie and whipped cream for dessert. After spending some time in the tavern just relaxing, they decided to head home and turn in for the night a bit early.

  As Sev lay in bed trying to go to sleep, he couldn’t help but think back to that night. The night he lost everything and everyone close to him. The Oracle’s words cut deep, but Sev still could not feel sad about it. He felt as though he should be crying, but his body was incapable. That emotion had been lost years ago, and he had yet to regain it. So he simply lay there for an especially long, sleepless night. *sigh* I wonder if Lilli is doing okay? He thought as he finally drifted off to sleep some hours later.