Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Okay, here goes...[Greater Heal]," Chanted Raven, before grimacing and letting out a sigh, "No good, it's still way too slow. Well, nothing to do but keep practicing, I suppose...I am able to cast it a lot faster now than I could at first, at least, so that's something."

A month had passed since Raven joined The Irregulars, and he'd continued training under each of them on a rotational basis, with the exception of Aster, who was often away from the hideout.

About a week after he first began training, Aster brought him a Recovery Magic Grimmoire with Level 2 Spells, and he'd been working on those in between his training sessions.

He'd learned a number of new and more powerful Recovery Spells, but he hadn't mastered any of them yet. The visualization process was more complex for the higher level Spells, and he'd been having trouble figuring them out.

"Hey, kid, how's it going?" Came Aster's voice, as he knocked on the open door and walked in.

"Oh, hey, Aster. It could be going better...I think I'm close to being able to cast Greater Heal properly now, but I'm having trouble with the other Level 2 Spells. Area Heal is really tricky though I'm starting to figure it out, and I'm also starting to get the hang of Stamina Recovery and Mana Recovery, but I'm really struggling with Antidote and Remedy, they're completely different from Heal and Greater Heal," Sighed Raven, looking a bit frustrated.

Another point of frustration was the fact that he hadn't been able to practice with the Mana Recovery Spell much since it was a Spell that's dangerous to use too frequently. When activated, it replenishes Mana by drawing in natural Mana from the surroundings, but it also puts a heavy strain on the user's Mana circuits, and if the Spell is overused, it could even damage the circuits.

With damaged Mana circuits, casting Spells becomes difficult and painful, and depending on the severity of the damage, it could take days, even weeks, to recover from the damage.

That said, the Mana circuits grow stronger afterwards, in the same way that muscles get stronger. However, the more Spells you cast with damaged Mana circuits, the longer it'll take for the circuits to recover. And with so many other Spells he needed to master, Raven couldn't afford to waste time doing that.

"Well, chin up, you're making great progress, you know. Recovery Magic is fairly rare to begin with, and Recovery Mages with high levels of mastery over their Magic are even rarer. Only a small handful of Recovery Mages among the Knights can use Level 3 Spells, so the fact that you're close to mastering even one Level 2 Spell after just three weeks is really impressive," Responded Aster encouragingly, as he patted his shoulder.

"I guess that does make me feel a little bit better about it. But I need to progress faster regardless...it's been a month already, I can't wait much longer," Replied Raven, concerned about his sister.

"I understand that, but don't worry...it won't be much longer before we make our move. Before I go into any details about that, there's an important matter that I wanted to discuss with you, I think it's about time now. I've spoken to the others about the results of your training, in order to help determine what Combat Template would be best suited to you.

And based on everything I've heard, I think the Brawler Template fits your fighting style the best. You move and react instinctively, and you're steadily getting better and better at listening to your instincts, plus with your brute strength, you attack with heavy strikes intended to defeat, or at least significantly injure, an opponent with one hit," Surmised Aster objectively.

"Yeah, can't argue with that. I don't think I can easily master any complex fighting styles, they didn't really feel natural to me, so I agree, I was thinking that the Brawler Template would be the best option for me," Nodded Raven in response.

"Right, Celia mentioned that she tried to teach you her martial arts, but said that you didn't have much of a knack for it. And you didn't do very well in sparring sessions where you were made to use weapons, so the weapon-based Combat Templates are off the table too. With the sheer physical prowess you possess, it'd be a waste to not make full use of it.

I did consider that you could be a Pulverizer like Tacitus, but I figured that would compromise on your speed, especially in flight. That, plus the fact that your affinity with weapons is pretty low, led me to the conclusion that you should be a Brawler. Of course, the final decision is yours to make...so if you have any objections or a differing opinion, don't hesitate to speak up," Smiled Aster assuringly.

"No, I'm in complete agreement. I didn't feel comfortable using weapons at all, they just got in the way, and I was completely lost when it came to martial arts, I just ended up feeling muddled about my next move," Recalled Raven sheepishly.

"Great, then we'll adjust your upcoming training sessions to maximize your development into the Brawler Template. Now, then, about our next move...we'll be making it next week. I've been observing the situation in Ruby Village over the last month, and things are starting to settle down there, so it's the right time.

We'll split up into groups and hit multiple locations...I'll send you to Ruby Village, there might be some Inquisitors there who have the answers you're looking for. It's unlikely that the Knights will know anything about your sister, so the Inquisitors are your best shot...it shouldn't be too difficult to get their attention and draw them out. The Irregulars are wanted criminals and enemies of the church, after all, and the church undoubtedly has an interest in finding and capturing or killing you too," Pointed out Aster.

"You know, I'd never even heard of the Inquisitors before all this happened, I had no idea they existed."

"Well, yeah, that's only natural...their existence is kept secret from the general public. After all, it doesn't make a great impression of the church, that they have a secret squad of shady figures that carry out their dirty work. Hm...unless you get really, really lucky, it's pretty much inevitable that you'll have to face off against both the Knights and the Inquisitors in your quest to find your sister, so I'll tell you everything we know about both groups. I'll start with the Inquisitors, since they're more relevant to your goal.

So, the Inquisitors are a covert unit that reports to the church, and like I said, most people don't even know that they exist. They usually operate at night, wearing black hooded robed and white masks with a red cross pattern. Unlike the Knights, they don't have any ranks among them, I assume that's to prevent them from competing with each other. They're tasked with carrying out dirty work for the churches, stuff like info gathering and assassinations, including but not limited to the executions of Royal bastards, like you and your sister," Explained Aster.

"Hm...that's a bit strange. Black hooded cloaks and white masks with a red cross, that fits the description of the figures who were present during the Homunculus Ritual, with the exception of the Priest. The Priest gave me the impression that he was operating in his own self-interest, and the Inquisitors were definitely helping him. In fact, looking back, it seemed like they were strongly devoted to him. But if they're tasked with killing people like me, Commoners who have Royal blood, why would they help the Priest?" Wondered Raven curiously.

"Yes, I've been thinking about that too, it's really strange...anyone who joins the Inquisitors has to undergo an initiation that involves harsh mental training that borders on brainwashing, in order to ensure that they stay neutral and don't side with any of the individual church leaders. In other words, if a church leader was to give an Inquisitor a command that goes against their duties, the Inquisitor would normally refuse the command and immediately report it to a church leader in a higher position, or, depending on the severity, to the Pope himself. Well, I suppose it's possible that some of the Inquisitors managed to resist the brainwashing and maintained their own self-interests," Mused Aster uncertainly.

"I guess that's possible, yeah."

"Alright, that about covers what we know about the Inquisitors, so I'll move on to the Knights now. The leader of the Knights is the Commander, followed by the Vice-Commander. Then there are the three Captains, and the Vice-Captains under them. After that, the ranking go First-Class, Second-Class, and then the lowest rank of Third-Class. The Knight Order is split into four squads; the Commander Squad is in charge of the Capital, and then the First, Second and Third Squads are spread out across the rest of the nation. Incidentally, Ruby Village falls under the jurisdiction of the Second Squad.

The Captains of the First, Second and Third Squads are each in charge of the cities outside of the Capital, their Vice-Captains are in charge of the towns, and First-Class Knights are in charge of the villages. In other words, the bigger the settlement, the stronger the Knights you'll encounter in them. The Commander is the strongest Knight, naturally...she's one of the Kingdom's Princesses, and she has the highest Magic Power that's been recorded in over a century. Well, not counting you, of course. Her Vice-Captain is also a member of Royalty, one of the Princes, and he's on the same level as the Captains.

The First Squad Captain is also a Prince, and the other two Captains are high ranked members of the Nobility themselves. They're all serious threats, and the Vice-Captains can't be taken lightly either. At present, I believe there are fifteen First-Class Knights in total, and they're significant threats too. I doubt the Second and Third-Class Knights would be much of a threat to us, but all the same, don't underestimate them if you end up having to fight one," Aster warned him.

"Yeah, I know...regardless of how strong they are, if I encounter an enemy that's intent on killing me, I won't take them lightly," Nodded Raven in response.

"Good, make sure you don't. Your body may be durable, but you're not immortal...at least, at far as we know. Another thing, there are about a couple dozen or so Commoners in the Knight Order, and five in particular of note, all Second-Class Knights...though in reality, each of them are likely closer to the level of First-Class Knights, maybe even higher. But prejudice against Commoners means that even getting promoted to Second-Class is hard to come by, regardless of how strong they actually are.

As much as I hate to admit it, the current Commander is a somewhat decent person...before she took over as the Commander, there had never been more than five Commoners in the Knight Order at any given time, she's been pushing for their inclusion. It helps that the First Squad Captain, her brother, is in support of that move. As a result, the city, town and villages under the First Squad's jurisdiction are much better for Commoners than the other places. The Second Squad isn't all that bad either...they could be better but they could also be much worse.

Speaking of which, the Third Squad is the worst of the worst, nearly every single Knight in that squad are absolutely irredeemable scum. Getting back to the Commoners, particularly the five who've earned promotions to Second-Class, I'd prefer to avoid fighting them if at all possible. We are fighting for the sake of our fellow Commoners, after all.

Hart Riner, the Knight you were acquainted with, is one of those five...you might end up having to fight him in Ruby Village when we make our move, so be prepared for that. Whether you fight him or opt to run away instead, I'll leave the decision up to you," Remarked Aster, as Raven nodded thoughtfully.

"I didn't think of that possibility, but you're right, there's every chance that I'll encounter him. He was always nice to my sister and I, so I really don't want to have to fight him if I can avoid it. How do The Irregulars match up against the Knights, by the way?" Raven asked him curiously.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, to be honest...so far, the strongest Knights we've run into have been a handful of First-Class Knights, but upto this point, we've mostly fought Second and Third-Class Knights. Colt, Lexia and Celia were more or less on the same level as the First-Class Knights we fought at the time, but they've grown stronger since, so they're probably somwhere between the level of a First-Class Knight and a Vice-Captain. Tacitus is likely at Vice-Captain level, more or less, and as for me, not to brag, but I'd say I'm at least close to the level of a Captain.

And as for you, it's hard to say...in terms of sheer Magic Power, you're the strongest in the world, but you haven't been in a real life or death battle yet. Well, not counting the time we mistook you for a Monster and attacked you, but that battle only lasted a couple of minutes, so I wouldn't count it. Training can only get you so far, it may seem intense at first, but once you process the fact that your life isn't in any actual danger in a sparring match, you don't feel as on edge or tensed as you otherwise would be.

A real fight is different, especially against an opponent that's actively trying to kill you...and with your heightened senses and instincts, you'll likely be especially sensitive to bloodlust and killing intent, which can make you freeze up, or at least keep you from fighting at your best. That's something you can only fix through real experience, it's not something you can accomplish through training alone," Aster informed him.

"Yeah, I don't know...pretty sure Lexia has tried to kill me more than a few times, and Tacitus has come pretty close to killing me too," Recalled Raven dryly.

"Well, yes, Lexia doesn't exactly have the calmest temperament, and Tacitus isn't particularly good at holding back. Still, regardless of what it may have seemed like, they definitely weren't trying to kill you in earnest. Because frankly, at the level you were at when you began your training, you'd be dead already if they really wanted to kill you," Smiled Aster wryly, before adding, "Alright, that's everything I wanted to discuss with you. We'll begin training you as a Brawler tomorrow, and meanwhile, keep plugging away at mastering your Level 2 Spells. Do everything you can to ensure that you're as best prepared as possible by the end of the week."

"Yeah, don't worry, I intend to do exactly that. At the very least, I want to be able to pull my own weight and make sure than I'm not a burden to you guys, so I'll push myself as much as I possibly can."