Arthur Leywin
The doors to the cell began to open, Elder Virion was by my side, however, if he didn't mind, I was going to ask to speak with Uto by myself, there were certain things Elder Virion could not here.
The sight before me was horrendous, Veer did this? Uto was against the wall, the Vritra half breed, hornless, eyeless, down a leg and an arm, dirt covering his whole body, bruises everywhere, but a smile on his face.
"Gramps, can I speak with him alone." I turned to Elder Virion and asked, I think my voice intrigued the Retainer, because as I spoke, he tilted his head towards us, trying to figure out who I was.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine, I just have some questions for him." I insisted on him waiting out here for me to be finished, I wanted to speak to Olfred as well, but that was for a later time, he didn't matter at the moment.
"Okay, but we'll have to close the door on you two, so be careful." I nodded my head at the old elf and stepped into the cell.
"Good luck, he loves talking." Gentry, the man who ran this whole dungeon spoke, but he gave me a smile as the door began to close, Elder Virion stared at me in a way that said good luck too.
"Hmm, I don't know who you are, but by the way you speak, with such authority, and calmness, you have to be the wonder boy, Arthur Leywin, brother to the little devil." Uto told me with a tired voice, one I wouldn't expect to hear from a Vritra, but he was in a bad state, from being tortured, and from Veer.
"Retainer Uto, it's nice to finally meet you." I told him, there was no light, everything was dark now, Veer told me he had shadow magic, so that must be why.
"I wish I could say the same." Uto replied to me. "Why have you come here? You want to free me and fight? That would be fun, wouldn't it?"
"No." I answered, even though I knew he was joking. "I came to talk."
"Ohh, the boy wonder wants to talk, actually, are you the boy wonder? I mean, your younger brother was the one who took me down." Uto was trying to make me angry, it wasn't working, I could careless who took him down.
"Speaking of my little brother, that's what I want to talk about." I needed to see something for myself, I've been worried about him ever since I got back, and now that I know he is a reincarnate, I worry even more.
"Haha, you want to talk about that little devil, you know, if he is still around, he's going to be something else in the future." Even in the dark, I could see Uto smirking at me. "That brat is a real monster, one that smiled the whole time we fought, even while being wounded." That is what I wanted to hear, I wanted to know just how bad the Serpent's Will has gotten, I know he was at silver core when he fought him, and supposedly now at white core he can control it better.
"I want to know something, how does the corrupted mana beast work? The virus inside of them, is there a way to remove it." I won't let anything happen to Veer, and if we can't find a cure here, I'll find it myself.
"Corrupted mana beast?" Uto said questioningly, then a lightbulb turned on inside of his head. "Oh my god, the little devil piece of shit has a corrupted beast will, it all makes sense, I thought he was just crazy, but let me guess, that thing is making him go crazy." He hit the ground with his hand and started to laugh a little. "Hahaha." That really pissed me off.
"Uto! Is there a way to cure it?" I asked him, taking another step closer to the Vritra with mana restricters everywhere on his body.
Suddenly he stopped laughing. "And why would I tell you that? You can torture me all you want, break my core, take another arm, or leg, I won't tell you a thing, but I will tell you this, sooner or later Agrona will have him."
I stared at the Retainer, anger boiling up in me over my brother's safety, but I knew I couldn't do anything to him. "I don't understand why Agrona wants him so badly, is it really only because he can control blood?"
"Do I have to answer that question?" Uto asked me, and I shook my head, I was only thinking out loud. "I'll take the silence as a no, cause anyone that doesn't know the gravity of being able to control blood, doesn't deserve the name wonder boy."
"Let me ask you this then, Uto, how did my brother defeat such a powerful opponent like you?" I wanted to find out as much as I could, was it possible to use aether to heal his will, I don't have that much control over it, but Sylvie does.
"Listen here, Lesser, I only lost to that brat because I was ignorant, which I will admit, but don't think if we fought today, he would come out alive." Uto spoke with anger towards the end, but then he added some more. "Like I said, he was lost in his head, didn't give a shit towards the world, all he wanted was to win, and the look on his face when he was butchering me was pure joy."
"How strong are you compared to Cadell? Not that much, right?" I bent down, getting within eye level of him, even though he didn't have any.
"Tch." Uto waved his only arm at me. "You wouldn't last a minute in battle with a Scythe, Lesser."
"I think our battle lasted way over a minute." The Retainer's mouth shut, and I went on. "Virion actually wounded Cadell a couple of times, and I'll say, you are right, I would have died, but Virion gave him a good fight."
"You mean to tell me, the two of you survived a battle with Scythe Cadell?" Uto was in shock, this must be big news to him. "There is no way, I don't need to hear your lies, and I am done talking, so just get out."
"Fine." I stood back up, still wanting answers, but knowing he wouldn't give me any. "If I lose my brother, Uto, I'll come for you in this cell, and end you here." I could feel my anger building up, even when I tried to calm myself I couldn't.
'Arthur? Are you okay?' Sylvie's voice spoke in my mind as some of my emotions must have seeped over to her.
'Yeah, I'm fine, sorry.'
I calmed myself down, and Uto began to speak. "I'll be looking forward to it, because eventually, your brother's luck is going to run out, and he is going to either die, or get captured, but if I had to guess it's the ladder one. Our High Sovereign really wants him alive, but he'll be on the kill list sooner or later as this war progresses." I wouldn't let that happen, even if he is stronger than me, I'll be the one protecting our family. "How is the war going? If you mind me asking a question."
"We are winning." I told him, even though it really only had just begun.
"I doubt that." Uto spit at me. "You Lessers are so annoying! Get out already, I'm sick of this, you bore me, I thought the boy wonder, Arthur Leywin, entrusted with saving a whole continent by the Asuras would be fascinating, but all I am getting from you is a crybaby who wants to protect his brother."
I backed away from him, knowing I was finished here, and didn't get anything I wanted. "I'll be taking my leave then."
"Good." He said, and I lifted my hand up to bang on the door to let me out, but he said one more thing. "Your brother will die, maybe not from us, but if he truly has a corrupted beast will, it's only a matter of time before it takes him over, it doesn't matter how strong he gets, eventually, he will die in the inside, and be just like me, a true monster, a true devil."
"I won't let that happen." I slammed my hand into the door, telling them to let me out.
"Another foolish Lesser."
The door began to open, gramps and Gentry were standing outside the cell, and as I stepped out, Gentry closed the door behind me, making sure Uto stayed put, but it wasn't like he was going anywhere anyways.
"How was it?" Elder Virion asked me, and I shook my head. "He didn't give you what you wanted?"
"Of course, he didn't" Gentry spoke up. "He's a real pain in my ass, never shuts up."
"Yeah, he was really talkative about things I didn't need to know." I told them honestly. "This was a real waste of time, sorry gramps, I didn't mean to hold you up here."
"It's fine, Arthur." Elder Virion motioned for me to walk out of the dungeon. "I needed the walk; my old bones don't work as well as they used to." He smiled at me, and turned to Gentry who was standing behind us. "You're good here, right?"
"Yes, Commander Virion, all good." Gentry spoke and went further into the dungeon away from us.
"What did you want to know anyways?" I forgot I didn't tell him why I wanted to come down here, all I did say was that I wanted to talk to him.
"If the corrupted beast will Veer has is from Alacrya, I wanted to see if he knew how to cure it." We made our way up a flight of stairs, there were no guards down here, only Gentry and some other man I have not met yet.
"That was a good idea." He said, trying to make me feel better. "We will find a cure for him, don't worry, you won't lose your brother."
"I don't know what I would do if I did." Elder Virion knocked on the door before us, it was the one that led to the castle. "When I saw that Scythe kill the clone before me, my heart dropped, everything in me was telling me to stop fighting, and just give up. I felt like my whole life was over because I was unable to protect my brother, I can't go through something like that again."
"I know, I know, I don't want to lose him either, and everyone is trying their best to find a cure for him, but that feeling you get, like you have to be the one protecting your family, is a good one, keep it, hold on to it, use it to get stronger like you have been." Elder Virion and I stepped out into the hallway as the guards bowed to us, and then he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Virion cares for you, but I know, if something was to happen to you, he wouldn't give up, he would torch every single person who opposes him to the ground." That is what worries me.
"Thanks." I answered as he pulled his hand away. "I needed to hear that." I scratched my head, and then we began to walk away from the dungeon, down the hall. "I think I'll go rest a little before heading out tonight."
"That's wise, I'm pretty sure Virion went to his room as well." I could ask Sylvie where they were, but it didn't matter, I could use some rest, I'll be with them while we are out there. "I'll see you later tonight then." He nodded his head at me, and I turned right, towards my room, and he turned left, towards the council room I assumed.
I walked in silence, deep in thought, tonight our mission would begin, from what Veer has told me, it should go successful, but things have already changed from this novel he told me about.
What if Cadell shows up again? Would we survive? Even with Aya with us, I doubt it. Would anyone be there? There's a chance no one is there, but I guess stopping the slave trade in Ashber isn't the worst thing.
Lance Aya, Veer, Sylvie, and me do sound like a pretty dangerous squad, but I still can't stop thinking that now that Veer showed off his abilities to someone close to Agrona, the plans to capture him may get more severe, knowing what he is capable of.
I shook my head, I wasn't going to let this new knowledge change how I think, I wasn't going to let anything happen to Veer, so it didn't matter.
I got to my room, but instead of going in, I wanted to see what Veer was doing, so I made my way to his door instead. I knocked on his door quietly, not trying to wake him up if he was asleep.
I didn't get a response, and heard nothing in the room, so I opened the door, and the sight before me made me smile.
On his bed, out cold asleep, was Veer, lying next to him in her fox form was Sylvie, not asleep, because as I opened the door her eyes locked on to mine.
'He's asleep.' Sylvie told me.
'I can tell."
'Do you need me, because I am going to go back to sleep as well?' Sylvie was always sleeping so it didn't surprise me that she wanted to sleep as well.
'What's with you and wanting to be near Veer all the time?' I asked her, curious about the whole situation.
'I don't know, he's your brother, so I want to make sure he is safe, that's all.' The eyes of the dragon closed. 'We'll be fine.'
I shook my head at the dragon, and then turned out of the room. 'Fine, I'll be in my room then.'
'Okay.' Sylvie said as I got closer to my door, I needed to take a small nap beforehand too, I don't usually need that much sleep, but I knew this mission might be a rough one.