The Stonehearted Knight

Hex needed rest to recuperate from all the damages he suffered. The baron had employed a Knight with the Healer subclass.

She was a young woman called Lira, probably mid twenties, with short blond hair and a nice figure.

Whenever she was checking on Hex, he could smell her alluring fragrance. He also enjoyed her soft chest pressing against his arms as she administered the Health potions.

The process of bone regrowth was more painful than having them shattered, but Hex suffered through with gritted teeth. The sooner he could, the quicker he would get to train.

Luckily, his body seemed to be capable of fast regeneration. In just two days he was able to move and lift his limbs. This shocked both Lira and Hestia. According to them a regular Blessed would need about a week just to regain feeling in their limbs.

Hex suspected that the special heart he had seen inside him had something to do with this all. But he didn't disclose his suspicion to the ladies. Anything that differed from the norm could attract unwanted attention.

'I should ask the baron about it.' Hex's decision was based on the fact that the baron probably already knew about his situation. And if a man with his power wished to harm Hex, there was little Hex could do to guard himself.

'Life is funny sometimes. The man I hate most in my life is somehow the most familiar with me. And he might be the only one I can trust fully.'

Other than healing, which alternated from being painful to being boring, Hex spent most of his time learning from Hestia. As she had said, the things she talked about were general things he needed to know, but still very interesting.

On Hex's request she first listed the stages the beasts and other creatures had to go through during their advancement.

"Do you still remember the stages humans have to go through on the path of the Blessed?" She started off by quizzing Hex.

"I think so. Humans go from Regular to being Squires. After that comes the stage of Knights, Refined Knights, Transformed Knights…ahm…and finally Enlightened Knights, right?"

"The Enlightened Knight is not the final stage," Hestia corrected him. "It's the one till I know the stages. I suspect there are higher stages, but I don't have access to information about them."

'The path is longer than I thought. It will take time, but I need to take it one step at a time. One day I will stand at the top.'

The last couple of days made Hex realize that the world was far bigger and more dangerous than he thought. He believed that he was strong enough to survive. He even considered himself a predator the morning they left for the mountains.

Reality was harsh, however. He learned that he was just a bigger prey now. Nothing had changed. Without help, luck and chance, he would have died.

He still wished to defeat the baron, but not for the sake of only acknowledgement. He wished to be as strong or stronger than the baron. He wished to be at a stage where no one had control over his fate.

Hestia explained that beasts and other creatures have similar stages to their progression. "Beasts and other creatures start as Regular, become Demons and then evolve into Fiends. At this stage they can already feel the elements of the world."

"After they accumulate enough energy they grow into Disasters. The stage was named precisely because of the fact that at this stage these creatures wreck havoc wherever they go."

"If a Disaster is left unchecked, they ascend into Calamities. A Calamity is capable of wiping an entire town or city from existence. Calamities grow into Devils."

"I have never encountered a Devil, but I heard at this stage they can change into humans or take other forms. It's hard to find them or once found, to get rid of."

"Devils become Sins and Sins…Taboos."

"I don't know about Sins, but I once heard about a Taboo. It caused the destruction of an empire. The empire lay at the other side of our mountain range."

Hex had been shocked by this information. He couldn't imagine the power needed to wipe an entire nation out.

Other than that he learned about his own nation. Grindeston was the northernmost town of the kingdom Asterella. The nation lay at the south of the Endless Mountains, which divided the entire continent.

To the south Asterella faced the Calm Sea and at both sides there were two large rivers, acting as natural borders. To the west lay Pontiffe, a country under the direct rule of a temple and to the east lay Edune, a country of merchants and shippers.

Aterella had a royal family and noble clans. They all ruled over their own territories. The baron was the strongest noble with the lowest title. Nobility ranks were bestowed based on the territory and inhabitants in the territory.

'Now I understand,' Hex mused. 'I wondered why someone so powerful as the baron had such a noble title. Grindeston is small and has barely ten thousand people. No wonder he is just a baron. But why does he stay here?'

His question remained unanswered as not even Hestia knew why the baron remained in the small, isolated place.

Although Hex still had many questions he did learn quite a lot. He passed a few days more like this. He realized that having a rest like this helped him calm his mind and feel more motivated. He never had a chance to just lay around like this. It was a nice feeling.

Even then, when he healed completely, he jumped out of bed. He was eager to resume his training. He had spent a lot of time meditating on his sword technique and glyph.

'My path forwards is understanding the essence of my glyph.' The last fight when he lost himself in the glyph and allowed it to take over, his power had skyrocketed.

He had still been incapable of killing the Disaster, but he had unleashed damage comparable to a Knight level.

'If I can gain mastery over it, I will be able to fight on even grounds with people and beasts levels higher. It will be an incredible trump card to have.'

But before he went to train, he had something more important to do. He wore the clean robes provided by the servants and left his room. He quickly found Wallen.

Before the butler could greet him, he approached the man. With a firm tone he lay his demand.

"I need to meet the baron."

Whatever Wallen was about to stay remained stuck in his mouth. But he was an experienced man. He coughed a bit.

"I am afraid the master is otherwise engaged…"

"I don't really give a fuck. I need to speak to him. I am his student…his only student. I think I have the right to meet him when I need him"

Hex was being rather forceful, but he had no other choice. If he kept waiting on his teacher, it would never happen. The man never visited him. So, he needed to take what he wished.

Wallen could counter him by stating that students didn't get to demand anything from their teachers - Hex even expected him to do so - but the man just nodded in the end. He signaled Hex to follow him.

'Let's see whether I am a human or some other creature.'