August Intruder [SOL Progression Fantasy]

"Remind me of why you are here," Chetam said, not looking up from his laptop.

"There are a lot of things wrong with that sentence structure," Ruth answered, smiling.

Hearing the smile in her voice, Chetam looked up from the laptop, abandoning his online game to whatever was happening.

They were seated in his main office at the highest floor of the company building. It was a spacious room, with a large glass work desk. Ruth sat at the center of the room were a set of chairs surrounded a coffee table.

Chetam gave her a quizzical look, ignoring the flowers and book shelves and carpets that filled the office to make it look more… occupied.

"Why exactly are you so happy?" he asked her.

Ruth gave him a cheerful yet teasing smile. "Guess."

"No," he answered without missing a beat. "Why are you happy?"

Ruth sighed. "You're no fun."

"And I'm trying to work."

"Oh please," she snorted in good nature. "You're playing game and we both know it."

Chetam sighed. Ever since the Madness fiasco he would be lying if he said his patience with Ruth wasn't beginning to wane. The Oath of Shield was beginning to get on his nerves easier than before.

"Alright, alright," Ruth conceded. "I'm happy because I might have found a way to find out who the [August Intruder] is."

That had Chetam's attention.

"How?"

"Well," Ruth adjusted on the couch. "Aurora just commissioned an armor set and has a pending weapon request from Black Scythe."

Chetam would be lying if he said that he wasn't impressed. Black Scythe was unarguably the strongest of the smithing classes alive. Items crafted by him were legendary by default. The problem was that he didn't take requests. He also tended to craft generic items. These items were better than their peers but remained, ultimately, generic.

The proof of his ability existed only in the armors and weapons he wielded and very temporarily armed his teammates with whenever he chose to enter a portal.

How Aurora had succeeded in commissioning the man when the man had turned down countless Oaths countless times confused him. Just how resourceful were the Lockwoods? They'd even known about Melchizedek when none of the Oaths had ever heard of the Oath of Life.

Discarding the thought, Chetam paid attention to the conversation.

"And how does that lead you to the [August Intruder] exactly?"

"My sources say that the size of the armor is that of a full grown man," she continued.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, I assumed she would use it for her kids but…" she paused, frowning slightly.

"But?"

Ruth shook her head. "But…" her words came slowly, uncertainly. "But I actually can't remember what her kids look like." She shook her head, looking at him. "I could've sworn that we've met her kids before."

Chetam nodded. "We have. A few years ago. Well, we didn't actually meet them, but we know what they look like. If I'm not mistaken, they are like…"

He paused, lips puckered in confusion. He had no idea what Aurora's kids looked like. He tilted his head to the side in greater confusion.

He frowned. "That's weird."

"I know right?" Ruth chuckled. "Anyway, my sources have the measurements which means that I have the measurements. So, all we have to do is find a way into the Gifted database and cross reference the measurements to that of all recorded Gifted in their vicinity with any and some chance of having run into the Lockwoods in the past month, and we can narrow it down to potential suspects."

As much of a good idea as it was, Chetam was more concerned about why he couldn't remember the Lockwood children.

"We can just narrow it down to men between the ages of twenty and thirty-five," Ruth continued. "I'm sure we'll get enough hits to start."

"It's really not legal, though," Chetam pointed out. "We Oaths aren't supposed to have any business with the Gifted registry unless for official purposes."

Ruth shrugged. "This is about the fate of the world. I don't think it gets any more unofficially official than that."

"I would say that…" Chetam's voice trailed off as his voice began vibrating.

Ruth was surprised by it.

"Who's that?" she asked.

Chetam looked down at the phone and paled slightly. "Unknown number."

Ruth's brows furrowed. "There's someone with your number that you don't know?"

Chetam shook his head. There was someone with his number that didn't have the complete presence of mind to call only with his own phone.

This was the fourth time the person was calling him and the fourth number the person was calling with. The first had been the person's own number and Chetam hadn't picked. His Oath instincts kept on telling him that if he picked the call, he would begin a chain reaction with unpredictable outcomes.

After all, the caller existed, by their very nature, to be unpredictable.

Once again, for fear of the unpredictable, Chetam ignored Madness' call.

"Pay it no attention," he said, as he silenced it and returned his attention to Ruth.

"By the way," he continued, changing the conversation. "Do your spies have any update on the ranked Delvers who suddenly decided to go to America from all around the world?"

Ruth's smile widened. The one thing that hadn't changed about her since becoming an Oath was her love for gossip.

"Now get this…" she began.

As she spoke, Chetam arranged the worries in his head by hierarchy. Madness calling him on different numbers more times than he'd ever called in his life as an Oath stood at the top of the list.

You're going to have to pick up his call at some point.

Especially now that Aurora wasn't taking his own calls.

…

Why?

It was the only question that came to Melmarc's mind as Oboz's hand came down.

"FIGHT!"

The word boomed through the air, a little louder than Melmarc remembered it ever being. Still, he reacted, acting just as quickly.

[You have used skill Knowledge is Power]

The mana burst out of him and he kept it tucked in, controlling how far it went as his legs sent him exploding forward. He was quick as whip.

So was Devin.

The world blurred around him as he watched Devin cut through the distance to meet him. Just as Melmarc had taught, Devin leaped forward instead of charging forward.

In the same moment, Melmarc activated a second skill

He must be punished.

[You have used skill Weight of Jupiter]

Melmarc felt his sudden increase in weight almost pull him to the ground. [Knowledge is Power] went through Devin and Melmarc watched the glowing mana particles that clung to the boy dissipate. The boy did not lose all of it, but he lost most of it.

Tightening all his muscles so that he was nothing but a moving ball, Melmarc slammed into Devin and came to a stop.

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Gasps filled the entire amphitheater. Silence followed it as if emotions had suddenly been kept on hold, everyone on the edge of their seats. Boys and girls silent as if hanging from a cliff, the slightest sound capable of sending them to the deep depths below.

Melmarc was still in stance. Devin, however, had been sent tumbling along the ground.

Not enough.

Melmarc agreed with the voice in his head as he rose to his feet. [Knowledge is Power] hadn't gone far, but they still had enough time.

Devin rose to his feet, taking his time. There was shock on his face. He tried to conceal it, but Melmarc could see that what had just happened had shocked him.

Oboz stood in the corner, watching as he had done in all the fights. Right now, the instructor was not Devin's commanding officer. The instructor was nothing but a bystander, a referee at best. Devin alone would have to answer for the wrongs he had done.

Melmarc went low again, assumed his stance. It twisted Devin's face in annoyance.

Losing doesn't feel good, does it.

But Melmarc was not satisfied. He had hoped to send Devin flying out of the arena and into a wall. He had hoped to break the boy as he had done the opponents before him.

Melmarc's calf muscles tightened and he leapt forward once more.

Devin changed his stance. Knees bent, he placed his hands before him like a volleyball player preparing to receive a serve from the opponent.

When Melmarc clashed into him, the impact shook the air like two boulders slamming into each other. Devin was forced back but not thrown away. He screeched to a stop, Melmarc's head locked in the crook of his elbow.

He tried to squeeze when he came to a stop, but Melmarc felt the pressure on him like a child's. [Weight of Jupiter] didn't just making him heavier, it made him denser somehow, sturdier.

Melmarc threw himself to the side. He could be faster, but he felt as if he was carrying too much weight. He was too heavy, even for himself. Still, Devin miscalculated, rather than capitalize, the boy tried to tighten his hold.

The applied pressure increased, but was not enough. Melmarc was already behind him. Arms wrapping around the boy's torso, he pulled back and tossed him over his head in a suplex.

Both of them hit the ground hard. Melmarc felt Devin's grunt even before he heard it. On the ground, Melmarc switched tactics, went for a wrestler's aggression. He moved himself chaotically around Devin while Devin struggled to regain his bearing.

Devin pushed himself to rise. Melmarc slapped his hand into the boy's back, putting his entire weight into the blow. Devin was sent crashing back down into the ground.

He leaned into the boy's ear.

"I'm going to break something," he whispered in a very low voice.

It was not a threat. It was not a promise.

It was a matter of fact.

Devin growled under the weight of his words and pushed with everything that he had in him.

Melmarc let him go, allowed him to force himself to his feet just as [Knowledge is Power] came to a conclusion and a red indicator appeared over the boy's head.

[Buff mastery is scaled based on mastery of skill Bless Your Kindness. Mastery of buff will begin reduction after eight minutes.]

[Would you like to select a Buff?]

[Yes/No.]

Before Devin rushed him once more, Melmarc deactivated [Weight of Jupiter] with a shrug of will. The drop in his weight made him feel as if he could fly. Devin slammed an open palm straight into his chest.

Melmarc's hand shot out, slapping the hand away by the wrist before it made contact and activated another skill.

[You have used skill Mana Dilation]

…

[Mana Dilation]

The Gifted releases a pulse of mana that increases the cooldown time of active skills used by the enemy by 50%.

The mana left him once more. This time, when it hit Devin, the boy staggered back as if physically struck.

A slow hue of red spread over Devin's body. Frowning, Devin doubled back on him, attacking. The unfortunate part of this fight was that Melmarc knew Devin's class now, and he picked a buff from the effects of [Bless Your Kindness]

[Would you like to use May I Come To You? You will not be able to renege on this decision?]

[Yes/No.]

Yes.

[You have selected May I Come To You.]

May I Come To You (Mastery 19.32%)

The Gifted triples their physical weight and is granted a single instance of a sudden burst of speed.

Melmarc became heavy again. Almost weighing as much as he did under the effect of [Weight of Jupiter]. It seemed his skill was the superior one in strength. The burst of speed, however, was interesting.

Knowledge of the skill flooded his memory as he stepped into another strike from Devin. [May I Come to You] was an interesting skill. It had an active duration of two minutes but ended the moment you applied the burst of speed. If you didn't use the speed, you remained heavy for all two minutes.

Where it was superior to [Weight of Jupiter], however, was that the increased weight did not affect you. You still moved easily and seamlessly.

When Melmarc slapped Devin's next attack aside, the boy paused for a fraction of a second. The defense must've hurt more than he expected. But that was the least of the boy's worries and he didn't even know it.

What followed became an exchange of sumo slaps. Devin struck and Melmarc defended, slapping each blow aside.

Pride comes before a fall, a voice echoed in Melmarc's mind as he found himself engaging Devin on his own terms.

They had both slipped into sumo wrestling, Devin's land of combat.

No greater defeat than to be bested in your own field of specialization.

Both thoughts came from the same part of his mind. The part that insisted that Devin be punished for his hubris.

Melmarc slipped behind one of Devin's blows and stepped forward. His palm shot out, and he slammed it into the boy's chest, a little too close to his neck. The sound boomed throughout the amphitheater.

No sound preceded it. Nobody roared in cheers or anticipation. Nobody called out words of encouragement.

Devin's next blow came slower than the rest. Melmarc would've had to struggle in changing his pace if he had not seen the decrease in speed coming.

It seemed like [Not So Fast] was finally catching up with the boy. The support skill served to slow down all speed stats of the opponent by 0.5 for one minute.

Realizing how slow he had become, Devin stepped back. Melmarc moved forward, capitalizing on it.

Stop.

His front foot hit the ground and he stopped himself.

Punish not defeat.

At first, Melmarc couldn't make heads or tails of it. Then he remembered Patience's fight with the boy, how Devin continued to give her the time to recuperate just so that he could embarrass her afterwards.

Devin's frown turned into a scowl and he sucked in a deep breath. Melmarc did nothing. He simply stood there and watched. Waited.

Mana particles slipped out of Devin's nostrils and ears and mouth, slowly spreading all over him, engulfing him. The crowd around them was deathly silent.

Melmarc watched the mana particles finally engulf him, then solidify into a physical hue of purple. He wondered what skill it was, what it was supposed to do.

Devin burst forward. Melmarc's mind commanded him at the exact same moment.

Slap.

Melmarc swung his left hand without thinking. His palm connected with the boy's ear. It rang free like the perfect clap. Devin was sent staggering to the side, jaw hanging open.

Hug.

Melmarc tackled him into a bear hug and lifted him.

Drop.

Melmarc released him suddenly, obeying his instincts. Devin's hands came down as if to strike him in the ears, but the sudden release left him striking Melmarc in the shoulder. There wasn't enough weight behind the blow to leave an impact.

Turning around, Melmarc backed Devin and threw himself into the boy. Both of them went tumbling down. Getting to his feet first, he grabbed Devin by the belt and tossed him up, then stepped back.

Devin went as high as eight feet before coming back down. He hit the ground uncomfortably.

Melmarc turned his head to Instructor Oboz and found the man simply watching, unbothered. The fight was not over.

Devin pulled himself up on his hands and knees, trying to get up.

Ribs.

Without hesitation, Melmarc rushed him and kicked him in the ribs. It sent Devin tumbling along the ground. The boy groaned and a mental image flashed in Melmarc's mind.

Elta, the first of Devin's opponents. He saw the boy cough up blood in his head, remembered how his ribs had looked, how slightly panicked Rae had been as she healed him.

Ribs.

Oboz's eyes squinted very slightly. Melmarc paid it no attention as he stalked up to Devin who continued to struggle through the process of getting up. He held onto his side now.

The amphitheater remained quiet, so quiet that Melmarc heard one someone in the crowd said.

"Fuck me sideways."

He recognized the curse. It wasn't always common, but Ark used it often. Suddenly, his mind bade him hurry.

As he approached Devin, he watched particles of mana gather to the boy. He recognized the way they moved, the way they pulled to him. It was interesting.

[May I Come to You] was still active on him, but it was now active on Devin as well. Did the boy expect the weight to protect him?

Melmarc pushed him with his leg so that Devin fell on his back.

He looked down at the boy, so worry and defiance wage war in his eyes. The boy would not allow himself feel fear.

Good.

Melmarc leaned down and Devin's hand flashed out. Melmarc slapped it aside. He knew the boy's tricks now. He understood how he fought, or perhaps how he allowed himself to fight.

Another hand shot out, not as fast or heavy as the first and Melmarc slapped it aside as well. Three more thrusts and three more deflections happened before Melmarc's palm was suddenly splayed out over the boy's chest.

The both of them froze there. In that moment, they both knew what was about to happen. Devin had his moment of worry. Both boys paused. Both boys waited.

The amphitheater stood silent. Mute witnesses to what was about to happen.

Melmarc's thoughts ended it all.

Ribs.

Devin's chest was strong, firm. The power granted to him by [May I Come to You] remained a steady protection of mana over his body. Melmarc watched it, thought about it.

He looked Devin dead in the eye and the boy simply knew.

[You have used skill Weight of Jupiter]

Melmarc felt his weight grown, try to pull him down. Devin groaned as Melmarc kept himself up, supporting his increased weight with nothing but his palm on the boy's chest.

Ribs.

Melmarc pressed down on the chest.

He felt it before he heard it.

Crack!

A sturdy ribcage gave under the weight of his palm.

Much unlike Elta, Devin's pain echoed through the entire amphitheater in a thunderous roar.

Melmarc rose back to his feet and looked at Oboz. Oboz's expression remained a neutral one. Melmarc waited.

Oboz did not signal the end of the match, even as Devin coughed up blood. Melmarc returned his attention to Devin.

Punish not defeat.

He remembered Patience suddenly. The kick to the leg that had sealed her defeat. The mocking smile Devin had given her when he had done it.

What was to happen next came to him even before the words echoed in his head.

Take his leg.

He leaned down, reaching for Devin's leg. Melmarc didn't hate what was happening. He did not despise what he was about to do. He was in agreement with it.

Just before he touched the boy's leg, a hand rested on his shoulder. It was gentle and warm. It was reassuring, promising of an eternal presence.

It was safe.

"That's enough, Mel," he said.

Ark's voice was calm, understanding. He knew what Melmarc was doing. He knew why Melmarc was doing it.

Melmarc forgot all about Devin and looked back at his brother. His own eyes implored, but he had no idea what his imploration was.

Ark must've known because his eyes remained soft. It wasn't a command. It wasn't a request. It was simply an assurance of his presence.

It was simply a sentence from a brother.

Ark offered him a small reassuring smile. The kind a man gives to a monster he loves. A monster he knew was not a monster.

Melmarc rose to his full height and faced Ark. Behind him Devin gasped for air and most likely fought not to drown in his own blood as Elta once had.

Ark met his gaze, undaunted. His small smile never left his face.

Whatever he saw on Melmarc's face, he nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

"You did good," he said gently. "You did good."

Ark was real. Ark was true. And least important of all…

There was no dissonance in his voice.