Extra26
patreon
Chapter 44
🕑 Added 2023-12-25 13:27:16 +0000 UTCGideon was dead. They’d won the battle. They’d won. He’d won. Seth slowly stood up, taking a final look at Gideon's corpse as he kneeled beside him.
His armour was tattered and there were bruises and cuts going down his body. The worst part was his face which Seth had repeatedly punched and now, it resembled something akin to a monster that would come up in the worst nightmares, a physical wreckage.
Now that Seth was in control of his emotions, he could feel what he had done. How he’d lost control over his emotions.
It had won him the fight, but the aftermath of it left him with questions and a strange uncertainty over his powers. The cult Gideon belonged to, and just about everything…
To distract himself from these thoughts, he took another look at the notifications. He hadn't checked the levelling ones yet and wanted to know how many levels he had gained after defeating a strong opponent like Gideon.
You have defeated an Enforcer!
You have received experience!
You have received experience!
You have levelled up to Level 27! You have received +4 points in Agility, +2 points in Strength, and 1 free stat point to assign.
You have levelled up to Level 28! You have received +4 points in Agility, +2 points in Strength, and 1 free stat point to assign.
You have received experience!
You have levelled up to Level 29! You have received +4 points in Agility, +2 points in Strength, and 1 free stat point to assign.
Defeating more than a dozen bandits and Gideon pushed him a lot in terms of experience. Since they were also high level opponents, he was even able to level up faster than expected.
Now he stood just one level below Rank 4.
With the stat boost his title had given him, he might just be stronger than most people at the same level and might even stand a chance against early Rank 4 opponents. Yet, he felt nothing.
In the past, he might have celebrated, but the sense of nothingness quashed everything else. Frowning, he dismissed the notifications when he heard footsteps behind him.
Turning back, he saw Rebecca who looked at him unblinking, concerned deep in her eyes.
“Seth, you look terrible,” she said, looking at his body. It was only now that he looked down at his body.
Similarly to Gideon, his own shape was no good, either. His mana had only replenished enough for him to walk and his health was embarrassingly low. His body ached all over and his leather armour now looked like rags, most of it having burned away.
Contusion marks were all over his chest and it was hard to say how he had survived the assault.
“Here, take the potion. It's the last one left.” Rebecca handed him a potion. “We will get you bandaged up and get you a Cleric once we get back to the city.”
As he drank the potion, strength slowly returned to him. He felt a surge of energy travelling everywhere inside of him, slowly healing him and increasing his health.
From the corner of his eye, he kept observing Rebecca. She had the look of someone who had a lot of questions in her mind, but didn't know how to ask. She peeked at this dead body of Gideon, then back to him as he finished the potion.
“What happened to the ones we bought here?” He asked, recalling having three of them, including the one in Derek's party.
“We lost them,” she said, casually, as a matter of fact. “The bandits went after them first, knowing they were a big advantage. One was pierced by an arrow and another fell to an unsuspecting rogue. The last one fell to blood loss after getting hit on the head. We weren't able to save a lot of people because of losing them.”
When Rebecca pointed that out, he looked beyond her to see the dead bodies of the adventures. Those who had survived were checking on every body, hoping to find if someone was still alive.
They had won, but almost half of their forces had fallen. Even the guards had lost quite a few and if Seth hadn't interfered, Hudson might have the same fate.
“Wyatt… Is he okay?” Seth asked. Wyatt had gotten injured severely while protecting Seth and Gideon's last attack on him had been deadly.
“He's better now. He’s got burns all over his body; would take weeks to fully heal, but he will be okay. We were able to save him with a few potions. He’s not as young as he used to be, you know. It will take him a long time to recover his strength even with healing spells and potions.”
Rebecca pointed far behind them atop a boulder where Vernon was putting on some bandages on Wyatt's burnt hands. When he noticed Seth's gaze, he nodded encouragingly with a wry smile.
“I’m glad he's alive,” he said, standing up and giving one final look to Gideon before walking towards the Dark Blade that had fallen on. “You should pick those up. They are probably valuable.”
He said, pointing towards Gideon's gauntlets that were right in front of a tree. Rebecca nodded and they started making their way back towards the area where the others were gathered.
All of them were bloodied and battered. Only a few knew minor healing spells and even in that, most of them had no mana left, so they could simply endure until they make their way towards the city.
Seth saw Derek sitting with his party members, all of their shoulders sunken. One of them had tears in his eyes as he kneeled to the dead body of their Cleric.
When Derek saw Seth, he looked up at him, “Good job. I heard you defeated the bandit boss.”
“Yes,” Seth said. “Are you okay?”
“I will be.”
Seth nodded and hesitated a bit, “You have my condolences.”
“He was a young kid. It happens in this work. He knew that. I didn't want to lose another one in my vengeance, but it seems like the Gods aren't that kind to me.”
Seth wanted to say more, but he felt like it was better to let Derek grieve alone with his party. He didn't know the Cleric, hardly spoken to him before.
They didn't talk any more and picked up the members that had broken legs, then made their way outside the forest area. A few parties picked up their fallen members to give them a proper funeral in the city while others were left behind to pick up later on.
There was a chance of monsters living in the forests to devour them, but Rebecca used what was left of her to cast a barrier that would protect them for a few hours.
The distance between the city and the forest was around two hours and they had binded their horses just outside the forest area.
So, they had some respite despite being severely injured. The journey back was still not easy and no one spoke.
Tons of people have lost a friend or a comrade and there was unspoken understanding that they should give each other time to grieve. Seth walked in the back with Rebecca and her party, silently looking onwards.
The two hours of journey felt like a lifetime and as they reached Sacria City, they saw a crowd gathered there. There were a lot of people gathered at the gates, waiting for their heroes to return.
***
The guards at the gate waved at them as they saw the adventurers coming back with Hudson and Wyatt leading the front. They congratulated them on their victory and by their expressions, it was clear that they had already heard the news of the expedition being successful.
It seemed like Wyatt had sent back an Archer with the news of them returning. It was already spreading in the city that the Banished were no more.
After the attack on the Mayor's estate, their infamy had risen by miles and everyone was talking about them. With them finished, it was a moment of celebration.
“We will get everyone healed at the Adventurer's guild. Church Clerics are already present there alongside the Mayor. They have enough space for everyone.”
Wyatt said, looking towards the rest of the adventures who all nodded their heads.
The gates of the city opened and Seth widened his eyes, seeing the people all looking at them.
A crowd had gathered on the streets and all of them were looking at them. Seth could see young ladies excitedly talking among themselves and children waving their hands at them. As they entered the city, a cheer erupted, almost startling the horses.
A few adventurers looked surprised by the display of the grand welcome as everyone clapped and cheered for them, but they soon got used to it. Wyatt looked unsurprised as he led the adventures, waving one hand at the crowd.
Their return had somehow turned into a parade of sorts as they stepped towards the Adventurer's guild. It helped dispel the solemn mood of the adventures as they smiled and waved at the onlookers.
People peeked out from the windows of their houses to look at the adventurers, shopkeepers momentarily halted their business and they all looked at them with eyes of wonder and curiosity.
In the back, Seth perked up his ears to hear the whispering voices of the City folks.
“I can't believe they were able to defeat The Banished,” a woman said, ogling the adventurers making their way through the city. “I thought they had over a hundred high-levelled members.. And especially their leader was said to be strong.”
“Yes, but they were led by Wyatt,” a man, presumably the woman’s husband, replied. “The Guildmaster isn't someone who could be defeated by a mere bandit.”
“It was only a matter of time before they were exterminated,” someone else said. “They went after Young miss Helena and the Lord cares for her too much. It's a surprise he didn't ask help from the capital mages to burn them to the ground.”
A boy looked on gleefully, pointing up. “That man looks so cool on top of a horse. Do you think I could become an adventurer like him one day?”
But his parents shook their heads in response. “Adventuring is a dangerous job. It’s better if you become a merchant like us.”
Seth got to know about the celebrations to be held for the victory against the bandits from the whispers. Rebecca kept walking next to him, occasionally taking glances at his face as they reached the Adventurer's guild.
A lot of people that Seth recognised were standing there — The receptionist Erika, Galan who was busy with another quest and wasn't able to accompany them and a few others he had seen occasionally in the guild. In front of them all, Lord Thorian stood, welcoming them with open arms as they descended the horses.
“Welcome. I heard about your exploits. I had no doubt you would be able to defeat The Banished and return safely,” he said, patting Wyatt on the shoulders and looking beyond him at the injured. “It seems like you had a hard time.”
“We lost more than we expected.” His shoulders sagged. “It wasn't an easy battle, for sure, but Seth took on Gideon, their boss, and defeated him single handedly. He saved my life.”
Thorian's eyebrows shot up at Seth before settling on his tattered clothes and congealed blood on them.
“You performed better than my expectations. For defeating the leader of The Banished, I will make sure to give you a special reward. You have protected my daughter and even killed the perpetrators behind the attack. I cannot be thankful enough.”
Seth nodded at that, not wanting to hold a conversation in his state, but Thorian clapped his hand.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said and looked on the side. Seth followed his gaze and saw two guards dragging Charles through the street.
The affluent merchant looked completely opposite than before. His luxurious clothes and accessories were replaced with a rag to conceal his body, and he seemed to have aged considerably in just a short time. There was a collar around his neck and the guards were pulling him by chains.
Even Seth felt a little bad looking at him. They had a sour relationship, but it wasn't that deep for him to not have any sympathy for him. Though, knowing what he had done, Charles deserved it.
“Unhand me, you filthy peasants!, please! Lord Thorian, please forgive me, this once. You are making a grave mistake! I am wealthy! I can offer you all my wealth! Just spare me this humiliation! Just forgive me!”
Charles shrieked, looking at Thorian with pleading eyes, trying to wriggle out of the iron grip of the guards, but one of them slapped him hard across his face.
“Stop barking. You have no rights here. No one can save you. By the law of the kingdom, you are guilty of treason against the Lord and conspiring against the nobility. You are going to rot in the darkest pits of the dungeon for the rest of your miserable life!”
The guards dragged him by the chains and walked towards the main street.
“He's getting dragged to the dungeon cells. It's a punishment and warning, so no one dares to do something like it again,” Thorian explained and Seth nodded his head.
All of them moved inside and the next few hours, they all tended to their wounds. The Church Clerics used their spells on everyone, providing much needed assistance to the injured adventurers.
A few people were pulled from the jaws of death and had been told to rest for over a week. Some people had lost their arms and legs, and like Jules, it was going to be a long and expensive process to regrow them with magic.
Fortunately for them, they had been all promised all the assistance from the Mayor, so they could rest free.
***
At night, after everyone was done healing their injuries and putting the fallen to their graves, celebrations begin in every tavern in Sacria City.
Thorian had funded the inns and taverns for tonight's celebration, so everyone could drink to their heart's content and celebrate the heroes who have returned to the city victorious.
Seth also joined Rebecca's team and Derek after he was bandaged up at the Rabbit Hole. After a few healing spells and one spell to dispel the burn marks, he was feeling as good as before. A few marks remained, but there was nothing he could do about them.
“This feels good!” Derek slammed the jug of ale on the table and took a bite out of the chicken meat. “There's nothing better than some good ale after an expedition like this.”
“Especially when it's on the house,” Jules said, chugging up a glass. “The Lord is truly generous.”
“He had to be since The Banished went after his daughter. I can't believe we took them on and managed to defeat them. You should have seen how I plunged my blade into a burly one that was charging at me.” Elva made motions like she was swinging her sword as she ate a steak from the other hand. Her flushed face was enough proof that she was already intoxicated.
“You were only able to do it because I supported you. Even Vernon did more than you with his spells.”
“That's not true! You are just trying to take credit from me!”
Elva protested as everyone around her talked about the battle and how valiantly they had fought. Seth kept mum, silently eating his food.
He didn't feel like participating in the conversations or drinking a lot. Maybe a drink would help, but the thoughts in his mind would not dispel with it. He would just delay them.
Halfway through the celebrations, he silently climbed the stairs up to his room. No one noticed him not being at the party as he slipped through, making full use of being an Assassin.
As he walked into his room and sat down on his bed, his shoulders slumped. A knock on the door made him jump up from the bed and hesitating, he opened the door to reveal Rebecca standing there.
“Rebecca, what are you doing here? Why are you not at the party?”
He asked. His ears still picked up on the noise of the celebrations, so she had left the party midway after him.
“Can I come in?” she asked back and he nodded, letting her come inside, wondering what was going on.
“So, what is—”
As he opened her mouth, Rebecca suddenly hugged him tight, surprising him. He didn't push her back and gave her a moment.
“I heard bits of what Gideon said back there, about you being a failed vessel and Seven Seals being responsible. I didn't understand everything, but I know he stripped you off your family. You are not the same since we left for the city. I don't understand what is going on, but I know you are not part of a Cult. I support you and am here if you want to talk.”
Seth stayed silent as she finished. Come to think of it, she was right next to him when Gideon had gone on with his mad laugh. There was no way she wouldn't hear parts of it.
He hadn't thought about it due to being distracted.
What am I going to do?
Lots of thoughts went through his mind. He wanted to keep his origins hidden since he didn't know how anyone would react. All he knew, he might be dragged to the capital and experimented on by mages who want to know how he skipped dimensions. Still, he trusted Rebecca.
Something caught in his throat when he thought about lying again. Thinking about the time he had spent with Rebecca and how much he knew about her, he trusted her. The weight of keeping it all in for the unforeseeable future was too much for him and finally, he decided.
Sighing, he held her shoulders and looked down at her, “Rebecca, actually, I'm not from this world. I'm from another world called Earth.”
