Return of the Fallen Volume 1 Chapter 60
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch60
Master Garn led Itsu to his living room. The two sat on the floor in front of a fireplace and sipped tea out of old wooden cups Garn had retrieved from the back of a closet. There was no furniture in the entire place, no chairs, tables or desks, and shelves of any kind. Itsu gnashed his teeth.
(Damn them, to even take the dishes from his kitchen, how petty.)
Itsu passed over the bag he had confiscated from Kazuki and explained how he had caught him in the middle of a transaction of some sort, as well as everything else, including Nunully being a half-elf.
Garn took everything in and contemplated things. The more he thought about it all though, the more confused he got.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Do you actually believe that Ryuta has some connection with the King, how, and when could he possibly have had the time when the heroes have only been in this world for a little bit.”
Garn stood up and began pacing back and forth.
“Master Garn, that’s why I’m asking for your advice. Should I use a Mind Frey on Ryuta or should I just let him go? I can’t keep him locked up forever.”
Garn opened the bag once more and looked at the Beast core. Remembering everything he had just been through, he squeezed the bag tightly.
(I’ve already been betrayed too many times, if Ryuta is another traitor, even if he is a hero, it’s best to snuff him out now than wait for a dagger in my back.)
“A Beast core is no laughing matter. If Ryuta was planning something with this then it’s better to invade his memories and see what he’s done than let a disaster go unimpeded. Once you find out the truth, you will have a decision to make. If he truly has ill plans for Treia then you must do your duty and kill him on the spot. If not, it will only end badly for everyone.”
“But Master Garn, what if he does have plans against Treia and I kill him and the other heroes decide to seek revenge upon our lands. What then?”
Garn placed a hand upon Itsu’s shoulder.
“Itsu, I was a fool and because of that, I failed to see the pitfall before me. If they seek revenge then they are not heroes and Treia does not need them. And If Treia doesn’t need them then they are merely disposable.”
Itsu’s mouth fell open.
“But…But…But what about the Azirian’s? We’ll need the heroes, otherwise, we’re all doomed.”
Garn shook his head.
“Not necessarily.”
Pulling out the Beast core from within the bag, he held it up under the glow of the fire.
“After the Beast core went off in the Mirian swamp, a thought accrued to me. If the Azirian’s met me and a few like me on the open battlefield, we would slaughter them but because they travel and advance with the poisonous Miasma, we can not face them head-on.”
Garn tossed the Beast core to Itsu and Itsu panickedly caught it. With a bit of shock and anger, he shouted at Garn.
“Master Garn, are you insane?”
Garn pointed at the Beast core and laughed.
“I don’t know who sealed this Beast core but their skill is similar to mine. Were it to fall from this height, whether it be once or a thousand times, there’s no doubt in my mind, this thing wouldn’t go off. Instead, it would need some real force, like a boulder crashing down upon it or for it to suddenly be flooded with magic power, otherwise, it’s completely stable.”
Itsu was still a little freaked out but since Master Garn said so then Itsu took it as 100% fact.
Garn continued.
“The Azirian’s need the Miasma and the Miasma seeks out and consumes life. So a thought had occurred to me. What if we collect several hundred Beast cores and set them all off at the border of the Miasma.”
Itsu’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Master Garn, that’s brilliant. If we did that, we could deplete the Miasma of living beings by destroying all life within that area, thereby halting the Miasma’s approach. This…This could possibly buy us years and years and by the time the land in that area healed we can once again set off more Beast cores. This in effect, as long as we had a steady supply of Beast cores, could be a permanent wall between us and them. Master Garn, out of all those you’ve saved over the years and after all the times you’ve protected both the kingdom and the king, this contribution would go down as your crowning achievement. If you actually pulled this off then you will have saved the world.”
Garn smiled.
“What do you mean if? I will do it no matter what.”
Itsu felt inspired and saw a new light at the end of the tunnel.
(Master Garn can do it. As long as he’s here, then there’s still a chance for the future.)
Itsu handed the Beast core back to Garn.
“Master Garn, there’s one more thing I would like to know. That Beast core, with your discernable eye you should be able to tell if it came from the Scron cub, correct. If it did then that is at least one possible connection to Ryuta. If that’s the case I can go ahead and kill him as a traitor and afterward I’ll use a Mind Frey on his fresh corpse.”
Master Garn inspected the Core but it was difficult without some equipment. Garn shook his head.
“Without a few tools, it will take me a few days to do it manually. For now, don’t kill Ryuta. Go ahead and use a Mind Frey on him and decide what to do after you have the truth. Meanwhile, I’ll hang onto this and study it for a bit, just in case. Once you figure out what’s going on with Ryuta I want to be the first informed, got it?”
Itsu nodded and gave Garn a respectful salute before leaving.
Seeing as Itsu held a stupid grin upon his face the captain curiously asked.
“What are you so happy for, old man?”
Itsu laughed as he passed by.
“Hahaha, Master Garn is truly great. The future is quite bright, hahaha.”
With Garn’s plan, there was no doubt in Itsu’s mind that the world was already saved. Itsu disappeared into the night while whistling a sunny tune.
Kazuki tried to pull the chains from the wall using his incredible strength but every time he attempted to, a magic inscription on the wall would light up and electrocute his entire body.
*TZzzzzzt*
*Nuaghhhhhh!*
Kazuki felt the electricity course through his body like a burning fiery hell. After a few seconds of this shock, the inscription settled down and the electricity faded away.
Kazuki’s limbs fell limply to his sides as his body felt like a noodle with no strength.
(Damn, the power behind that inscription is too much. If I try to force my way out of these chains I’ll only end up like a roasted potato.)
Kazuki tried to use his ancient hand symbols but because of the position he was chained in, it made precise movement nearly impossible. Not only that but every time he tried to gather magic, another magic inscription would light up from his chains and absorb the magic flowing towards his body, thereby increasing the toughness of the chains.
All hope would be lost for a normal person but Kazuki still had one more trick up his sleeve. Closing his eyes for a second he focused on the ki within his body. Sending out tendrils of energy made from ki, Kazuki felt the inscriptions that bound him. Like the counterfeit gold Zeni, Kazuki had changed the inscriptions on one, thereby fooling those who tested it into believing it was the real deal.
The inscriptions on the chains, like the counterfeit gold Zeni, could also be changed as well. However, the inscriptions on the chains were vastly different and much more complex. Kazuki had changed the counterfeit in less than a few seconds. To change every inscription on these chains counting the chain links one by one and including the cuffs, there were about two hundred individual pieces.
On each chain link, there were around 5 inscriptions combining all of them together equaled over a thousand inscriptions. The cuffs were a bit better though, there were only two on each cuff equalling 8 altogether. Still to change every single inscription would take at least 30 or 40 minutes. With his ki though, Kazuki was confident he could do it. The only thing he really needed was time. Of course though, the gods of luck were not on Kazuki’s side.
*Creak*
Itsu leisurely walked in before closing the door behind him and with a clink locked it.
“I’m in a good mood now, so I’ll give you one final chance to come clean. Tell me the truth right now and I can return you to your friends or the alternative…”
Itsu waved his hand and a small box appeared in his palm. Opening it a fleshy nasty creature wiggled around disgustingly. Itsu picked the creature up and showed it to Kazuki.
“So, what will it be?”
Kazuki remained quiet and did his best to focus on the chains as he hurriedly sunk is ki into the inscriptions and silently went to work.
Itsu found his silence disappointing.
“So you really won’t talk. *Haaa*. Fine, you leave me no choice.”
Outside of Garn’s mansion, several guards and the captain remained on duty. Standing around bored, none could predict the carnage that was about to happen. A lone figure was crouched on a nearby roof and eyed them all. Counting their number, the figure grinned fiendishly.
(To have put only this many men here. The King truly wishes you dead, Garn, but don’t you worry, after I’m finished with you, hehehe, the King will quickly follow suit.)
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