The Last Dainv

Chapter 280

William screamed as his body squirmed, streaking his blood all over the arena floor.

"Winner: Gale Hathie," Mr. Yang announced. "The evaluation is complete."

"MEDICAL!" William shrieked in pain. "I NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION! NOW!"

Erebus dematerialized as Gale stood a couple of metres back from William. His opponent had done that zippy zip thing just as he was able to cut his arm and leg. Too bad for him, he had formed Erebus into an odachi, increasing the length by at least twice.

This was a good test of Erebus's ability to transform. Before, when he just used the Weber blade, there was a sort of delay when using Alter to turn into spear or sword form.

One critique he had for himself was that the other forms were quite clunky. Only sword and spear shapes flowed smoothly. Mentally noting, he needed to practice more weapons.

"You're overreacting," Gale said, looking down on William. "That doesn't even look that bad. Just a gun syringe, a spit and shine, and you're right back up."

Before he could move to do the spit and shine, William screamed. "SHUT UP! That's exactly what a feral would say!"

Gale smiled curtly. "Thanks."

"STOP THANKING ME!"

The barrier around the arena dissipated as Mr. Yang deactivated the runic inscriptions. Everyone moved toward the centre of the platform.

Esther walked in a natural manner as if the man on the floor didn't have his limbs cut off. Rachel followed behind, trying to hide a smile that had already formed. Erin floated beside them with her fake walking.

William laid in a growing pool of his own blood. His skin was now pale, and his clothes now drenched in red. His right arm, cut exactly at the elbow, lay a metre away behind him while the left leg, cut in the middle of his shin, had landed near the arena's edge.

"Stop acting like you're gonna die," Rachel shrugged, crouching beside him. "It's just two limbs. I'm sure you've lost a couple of limbs in a rift before."

"JUST TWO LIMBS?!" William shouted. "HE SHOULD BE DISQUALIFIED! HE USED LETHAL FORCE!"

Esther smiled coldly. "And that last attack you conjured. Was it not lethal force? Gladius Iudicii is restricted to Rift-Only use. We are not in a rift, Mr. Elisworth."

William snorted, acting mighty even though he was in a pool of his own blood. "It wouldn't have killed him. Should I have used my full Ether signature, he would be dead by now."

"Pfft, whatever," Rachel said. "Consider yourself lucky you didn't die. Being coddled and sheltered by mom and dad during rift raids is starting to catch up to you."

William's face twisted in anger. "Shut up. Just... shut up and heal me. Please."

Esther's grin widened. She turned to Erin. "Would you mind?"

Erin's blank expression didn't change. Her eyes turned to the hand and then to the leg just on the floor, away from its original body. A blue outline covered them as they lifted off and moved towards their original position.

The limbs jammed themselves into where they should be, causing William to squint his eyes and grit his teeth.

Her hands held up two fingers, and a single droplet of water formed. One blow to the water, and it spread into a mist that covered William's limbs where they had been sliced off.

William screamed again.

The sound of flesh knitting together and bone forcefully fused back could be heard from the limbs. A slight spasm grew slowly until it was suppressed by another set of mist.

Finally, William's breathing grew steadier, but his face still remained pale.

"Refrain from any strenuous use of these limbs for two days," Erin said with not an ounce of emotion filled her voice. "The cellular mending is complete, but the structural integrity is not yet absolute."

"Thank you, Erin," Esther said pleasantly.

"Your gratitude is noted," Erin replied. "However, the debt I owe to Lady Esther for allowing me to shelter at her residence still requires repayment in full. This action does not reduce that obligation."

Esther's smile softened slightly. "Always rigid, aren't we?"

"It is not rigidity. A debt must be repaid. That is the only logical conclusion."

"Of course."

"So." Rachel stood up, looking down directly into William's eyes. "You did your evaluation, apparently pushed Gale to the limit, while the runic extraction array was active the entire fight. All of us were also here monitoring the fight."

William winced as she was about to raise her foot, but then caught Gale's eyes, which stopped her.

What was she even supposed to do? Gale asked himself. She should just stomp him if she wanted to.

"Did you find any demonic energy or occult residue? Any entities inside him? And watch your mouth before you say shit."

William gritted his teeth as he looked for Mr. Yang.

"Answer the question."

"He is much worse than a demon. He's a monster in human skin." William spat blood to the side.

Alas, another person had recognized the dark hunter within him. A monster in human skin. The heroic nightmare demon hero that they had called him to be... as long as these thoughts didn't get out of his mind, he'd be happy to roleplay.

He was the friendly neighbourhood monster of the deep darkness. Gale nodded to himself. It was very cool, but only in his head.

"Irregularities must be eliminated," William continued. "According to Aurian laws, entities that pose a threat to the stability of our society cannot be allowed to exist."

"Which article?" Esther asked.

William gritted his teeth. His eyes avoided eye contact.

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"You mentioned Aurian laws," Esther said, still smiling. "Surely you can cite the specific article that mandates the elimination of 'irregularities.' I'm quite familiar with the legal texts. Perhaps I need a refresher from your own knowledge?"

William didn't respond. His eyes fixed on Gale as if to challenge him again.

It would've been intimidating if he wasn't lying down and he would oblige to accept the wannabe United Knight boy's challenge. He could probably practice flowing into different weapon forms.

"That's what I thought," Esther said.

Rachel shook her head as she sighed. "This is exactly why Aurian Families are losing reputation. Too busy making rules up because of their pride."

"Like you're one to talk," William said.

"Sure, whatever," Rachel said.

William glared at Rachel in reply.

Mr. Yang cleared his throat, tapping rapidly at his tablet. "Well then. With the evaluation complete and all parties in agreement regarding the results..."

He tapped a few more times, then looked up with a professional smile and tone in his voice.

"I am officially submitting that Gale Hathie shows no signs of occult residue or demonic energy. The runic extraction arrays detected nothing abnormal throughout the duration of the combat stress test." He turned to Gale. "Congratulations. You have passed all three evaluations and earned your credentials for rift entry."

Gale fist pumped. That was it. Very simple fight, and he even won two Bueno bars.

"Would you like to receive your official card by mail?" Mr. Yang asked. "I can send it directly to your registered address, or alternatively, to a guardian's address if you prefer."

Shit. He celebrated too early. He didn't even know his own address. Just that he lived by the building at the intersection of Eglinton and McCowan. Looking at Rachel, he hoped that she would answer for him.

However, she looked back at him, smiling, waiting for him to answer.

This was another test. Even though Mr. Yang wasn't behind a desk, he was basically a man behind the desk! Asking him bureaucratic questions that he didn't care for!

Gale's breathing slightly increased. Adrenaline started to build up in his veins. He just needed to say something to the man behind the desk.

"Send it to me," he said, taking a deep breath. "By mail. To my address. Or something. I don't know."

The words came out fast. But it was his win anyways. He didn't stutter. The dark hunter should never stutter.

Somehow, the adrenaline that filled him at this moment was much more than what he had felt when shattering William's giant sword of light with One Step.

That thing only hurt his eyes. But the real menace was the man behind the desk. A being that cannot be hit, killed, or bargained with.

"Excellent," Mr. Yang said, tapping at his tablet. "Your credentials will arrive within two to three business days by post mail."

Which one was his post box in the building? Gale actually didn't know. But that problem was for him in the future.

"We are done here then," Esther said, turning toward the exit. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Yang. As always, Neutral Grounds provides exemplary service."

"The pleasure is mine, Lady Ann." Mr. Yang bowed slightly. "Do visit again."

Esther began walking toward the stone double doors. Erin followed, floating beside her. Rachel followed as well and waved Gale to follow her.

He did. But not before Esther paused at the edge of the arena and looked back over her shoulder.

"Mr. Elisworth," she called coldly. "Do ensure that Gale's compensation is processed in a timely manner. False accusations carry consequences, as I'm sure your family is aware."

"10 coins as compensation. 5 business days," William said, pushing himself up.

"That is fine," Esther said.

10 coins of those gold thingies? Gale didn't know what those were, but his plan was simple. What yummy thing could he trade for it? If he was given so little, probably something very yummy.

The four of them continued to move, exiting the gym through the stone double doors. The grinding of rock against rock sealed the chamber behind them, leaving William and Mr. Yang inside.

They passed through the corridor, door after door of not knowing what was inside. Probably best that way anyways.

Counting the seconds that went by, the four had gone into silent mode again. No one was talking. Rachel was just glaring at her grandmother like always. Erin's feet still didn't make sense.

They reached the polished lobby of Neutral Grounds. The black shiny pillars and the brown polished walls. Gale wanted to ask why did the angels have guns. Usually, they had swords or tridents or spears in book illustrations. It felt like the demons with the swords were the righteous ones.

Walking through the lobby, they rode up the elevator in silence all the way up to the Royal York Hotel. As the doors slid open, warm dim orange light and murmur of hotel guests replaced the heavy sterile air of Neutral Grounds' lobby.

Esther turned to them with that same pleasant smile she'd worn throughout the entire evaluation. "Rachel, Gale. Erin and I will be taking our leave first."

"Sure," Rachel said.

"Erin hasn't finished her research yet," Esther said. "Apparently, there's a bird store she wants to revisit for further investigation."

"I must acquire another bird," Erin said. "My memory indicates there were multiple birds that hung at the venue. I must verify any differences between them."

"It's a duck," Rachel muttered.

"A duck is a bird," Erin said.

Rachel grumbled.

"We'll see you at home," Esther said to Rachel. "Don't stay out too late."

"Whatever!"

Esther laughed slightly as she and Erin began to walk toward the hotel's main entrance. A couple of the doormen stared at her seemingly floating feet, but by the look on their faces, they couldn't figure out how.

Rachel and Gale stood alone in the hotel lobby. She asked, "So, want some more bubble tea?"

Gale nodded vigorously, which then caused a couple of passersby to stare at him and take a step back.

Of course, he wanted more bubble tea. There were other flavours on the menu. This time, he'd pick one himself. The fruitiest one too. Especially the strawberry pink one. That one looked like it was the sweetest.

"Alright, alright," Rachel laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

They walked out of the hotel together, exiting as the doormen opened the door for them. Before the January cold hit them, the surrounding air warmed up immediately as Rachel kept the temperature intact. The Ann family ring also enveloped him with a slight warmth.

But now, it was a bit too stuffy... Though, it was ok. He'd been through deserts before. This was nothing.

Downtown Toronto bustled around them even though it was cold for the mundanes to walk about in the evening. Soft big clumps of floating snow began to fall from the sky.

In the scenery of dim lights of the buildings and flashing lights of cars passing by, the snow made the atmosphere even more serene as they walked side by side together.

"So," Rachel said after a few moments, "you going to tell me how you did all that?"

"What do you mean?" Gale glanced at her.

"Those golden orbs of his were his signature," Rachel said. "It didn't slow you down at all even though you got hit multiple times."

"Oh, those."

"Yes, those. You charged right at them."

Gale didn't really think those were threatening in the first place. At first, he just wanted to try out the Distort skill since that looked like a light based skill. He simply wanted to test out his theory and it worked. Distort allowed him to literally bend the orbs away from his body. Easy enough. And it also had a few issues.

"It was like Annett's slow," he said after a while, "but much weaker. Like it was an imitation."

"Really? Why do you say that?" Rachel asked.

"When Annett used hers in the Eclipsed, it felt like she really was bending the time around the target. But..." Gale thought for a second. "William's felt more like an imitation that didn't do the same, I guess?"

Rachel laughed. "You just called an Elisworth's magic a fake."

"It felt like it..." Gale paused. "Like, you know how I can go invisible, right?"

Rachel nodded slowly. "Right. What about it?"

"The way I do that is to bend the light around me. And William's temporal magic uses light as a medium. The golden glow, the way the orbs shine when they activate." Gale made a waving motion with his hand. "So I just bent it away from me."

"Which made his temporal debuff unable to properly target you?"

"I just tried it and it worked. If it didn't work, I still would've won though."

"Pfft, that's some confidence." Rachel laughed louder. A few pedestrians glanced their way, but Rachel didn't seem to care. Wiping her tears from her eyes, she continued, "That's kinda cheating. Think about it. You basically made yourself immune to William's whole fighting style. His signature was just to get people to touch one of the slowing orbs and he'd eventually win."

"It doesn't matter if it's cheating. I won my 2 Bueno bars!"

"Sure, sure," Rachel straightened up and continued walking with him. "What else can you do that you're not telling me?"

"A few things."

"Like what?"

"Like that same skill can make an illusion," Gale said. But he hadn't used it for a while. Definitely not because it was an annoying skill to use that felt like he was trying to move each muscle fibre of a different living being with just his essence.

"Really?" Rachel put a finger on her chin as if thinking. "Illusions are kind of in demand right now. Very good for baiting during rift raids. Anything else?"

"Bubble tea first," Gale said immediately.

"What?"

"Bubble tea first. You promised more bubble tea. And you still owe me two Bueno bars."

Rachel smiled, "Fine. Let's talk about it over bubble tea and Bueno bars."

"Deal."