(One Month Later)
Arthur, if the timeline is the same, should be back in about ten months. There hasn't been any other Retainer or Scythe sights, so it's looking like we are on the same track. The dungeons have quieted down.
I've been in the castle the whole time, Callias and Victoria went back, creating a new team. Tessia's team joined them back in the dungeons, it was sad not to be going with them, but I needed this.
I was sitting on the ground, inside of the training hall, by myself, just thinking. I've been absorbing mana into my core, and my Acclorite. I could feel it, any day, I would be in white core, and I would have a weapon of mass destruction, which now thinking about. Someone who was mentally insane shouldn't have, but I wasn't, I was only slightly insane.
This might be a stupid plan, but I was thinking about sending a clone into Darv to watch over everything. It might be able to gather info, find Alacryans, and allow us to get a step on them without anyone knowing.
The only thing was, Agrona had eyes and ears everywhere, I couldn't trust anyone, not because they couldn't be trusted, but because Agrona could be listening. If I did this, I couldn't tell anyone until I found something important.
I laid back on the floor of the training hall, looking up at the ceiling, I was a Lance, no one knew though. I thought I would feel more pressure from becoming a Lance, but I really didn't. I felt normal, it might be because I wasn't officially one.
They've been interrogating Olfred, but he refuses to talk. Mica has been gone, she doesn't know yet, that should be a show. The only Lances that have been in the castle the past month have been Bairon and Varay.
Aya was coming back soon, I was excited to see her again.
I already knew what I was going to do with my dad at the wall, I wasn't thinking about that anymore. If I could find Seris, it would go a long way, I had a plan involving her, as long as she was still on our side.
I activated my mana ring, and absorbed mana into my core, waited ten seconds, then stopped, then absorbed mana into my Acclorite. I tried to do this throughout the day, knowing that I couldn't overdo it.
I was waiting until Arthur came back to absorb the mana in Uto's horns. "Alright." I said to myself and shot myself to my feet using wind magic. "No time to wait."
I pulled out four tubes that I had filled with blood of mana beast from the dungeons, then dumped them onto the ground, in separate areas. I activated "Blood Oath" and started to manipulate the blood, making it float into the air.
Let's start with you, I turned to the blood on the far left, and started to form a clone. It only took me about a minute to complete it.
"Hey." I said to the clone. "You there?"
"Yeah." The clone responded.
The soldier had armor on like the one I made before. "You're staying here in the castle in case anything happens, or if you hear anything. I gave you an eighth of my mana, and you can only use fire magic."
"On it." Knowing his duty already, the clone left, running out of the training hall. I didn't sense anyone coming, so I was fine to continue.
I turned to the next pool of blood and started to form another clone. I pictured the person I wanted to appear, and it did, only a minute later. Standing before me was Lance Olfred, in normal clothes, with a hood over his head.
"Lance Olfred." I smiled at the clone. "You are going to Darv."
"You made me into this guy, come on." The clone spoke, and I laughed.
"I gave you half of my normal mana amounts, with all of my powers, even blood." I smiled at the perfect clone of Olfred. "You only use mana when you need to, which shouldn't happen a lot. You use illusion magic to hide yourself if you have to, but your goal is to stay in the shadows and find out everything you can."
"How do I get to Darv?" That's a good question from the clone.
"I'm sure you'll find a way, you're me, think, but do it outside of the castle. Use illusion magic to leave, understand?" I told him.
"Yeah." The clone of Lance Olfred left with his hood up. I have to say, that was a perfect replica. Will it ever actually get to Darv, who knows, it has my knowledge, and to be honest, I don't know how.
I pulled the two other blood samples back to me and placed them back into their tubes. I turned to the entrance of the training hall and waited, the clones were gone now, and I didn't have time to create another one.
I was going to spar with them, but I won't have too anymore. That's what I did when no one was here, I sparred with clones of myself, and went hand to hand with them. I smiled as the Lance stood in the doorway; she was back.
"Lance Aya." I said as she shot herself at me, drawing her sword, I created an illusion and made myself invisible to her eyes. She swung her sword through the illusion, and I reached into her hand, causing her to lose her grip on her sword. "Nice try."
I came into view and shook my head at her. "You took down a Retainer I just found out." I nodded my head. "Unbelievable."
"Then you heard about the other news." I was talking about Olfred, the real one.
"Yeah." She said angrily. "I can't believe he betrayed Dicathen, you handled the situation perfectly."
"Thanks, Aya." I smiled at her. "How long are you here for?"
"Who knows?" She shrugged at me. "Long enough to beat you up."
"Ha, you just tried." I spun and conjured an ice sword in my hand, pointing it to where the real Aya was. "I can sense your blood, Aya, you know that."
Lance Aya came out, smiling at me. "You have Blood Oath activated?"
"Yeah." I dispersed the ice sword.
"Dammit." She chuckled. "We are going to spar later."
"That's fine with me, I was about to take a break anyways." This wasn't true, I didn't want her seeing me spar with myself. "Unless you want to spar quickly now?" I backed away from her. "Or are you too scared?"
I only had about half my mana, maybe a little less, it was only sparring, so it was fine. "Fine..." She pulled her sword out and faced me. "First one to yield, like usual."
"Of course." I erupted in blue flames; they surrounded every inch of my body. "I'll take it easy on you." I conjured two ice swords in my hands. "I won't use my blood sword."
"How nice of you." She bowed sarcastically, and then launched herself at me. Aya swung her sword, and I ducked under it, bring my one sword to her waist. She paired the attack, swinging at me again.
I felt the blood in her arm and held it still, not allowing her to attack me, then swung my sword at her ribs. Mist started to form around us as she dodged my attack, this was her illusion magic, it always amazed me. My illusion magic was getting there, I really stopped training with it, when I left Aya.
The only thing was, I could sense Aya through the illusion, letting me launch myself at her. I swung my sword at her inside of the mist, she ducked, I sent a kick into her chest, knocking her backwards.
"Dam you, Veer." She said as I continued my attack. I stepped on the ground, causing ice to spread everywhere. I appeared behind the Lance, swinging my sword down on her, she quickly spun and parried my attack, then brought her sword to my throat, I blocked her attack with my other sword.
"Two swords, Lance Aya, you should try it out." I said, backing away from her.
"That's not how fighting works, you somehow can switch from two swords and one, I don't know how to use two swords in a fight, it would be pointless." Lance Aya told me with a light tone.
"I was joking, I didn't need the lecture, jeez." I conjured an ice wall between us, and created an illusion and hid myself again.
Aya broke through the wall and attacked my illusion. I had it dodge and throw attacks of its own at her, that was when someone walked into the training hall and said. "Please, you two, don't hurt each other!"
Aya held her blade near the illusion's throat. "Looks like I win." She smiled at the illusion, and I came from behind, and patted her shoulder with one of my swords. "Damn, you really did that to me."
"Yeah, I really did." I smiled as the illusion faded away, and Lance Aya spun around and went to hit me with her fist, after she placed her sword in her mana ring. "Nope." I held her arm still.
"Deactivate Blood Oath already." She shouted at me, and I started walking over to Elder Virion, who was staring at us.
"Gramps." I said, stopping in front of him when I got close enough. Aya followed and stood next to me, waiting to hear what he had to say. I deactivated "Blood Oath" not because Aya told me to, but because I didn't need it anymore.
"It's good to see you guys sparring together, but please, don't hurt each other." He repeated himself. "I know you sparred with Lance Varay, and you both went all out, but I rather not risk losing another Lance."
"Yes, Commander." Aya got serious while she spoke to me.
I shrugged. "I wasn't going to hurt her; we know she wasn't going to touch me." I was trying to get Aya to break her serious composure in front of Elder Virion.
"Well, I guess I'll be on my way then, I'll see you two later." Aya and I bowed to him as he turned around and left.
Aya and I waited to say anything until he was out of view, that's when Aya grabbed me. "Oh, I wasn't going to be able to touch you, ha." She placed me in a head lock. "I guess you deactivated Blood Oath."
"You think." She kept me in the head lock. "You know, this isn't how a Lance should act." I was mocking Lance Bairon, but she didn't know that.
"I can do whatever I want." She laughed as she let me go. "I'm going to go see King Eralith, I'll catch up with you more later."
"Alright." We parted ways, it was always nice to see Lance Aya. I wanted to spar with her longer, but I understood Elder Virion's worries.
I might as well go see what my family is up to and absorb mana in the process.