The training grounds were still empty when Gareth arrived. Not that anyone expected otherwise. The massive warrior stood motionless in the center of the field, arms folded behind his back. At well over seven feet tall, his towering frame looked less like a man and more like one of the giants from old legends. Years of battle had carved his body into solid stone, and even standing still he radiated the quiet pressure of a predator at rest.
It had been his habit since youth. If training began at sunrise, Gareth arrived before dawn. If a meeting was scheduled for noon, Gareth would be waiting before anyone else had finished breakfast. The concept of being late simply didn't exist in the man's mind.
A short while later, Arthur entered the training grounds, his pace leisurely as he approached. "I knew I'd find you here."
Gareth turned and immediately broke into a warm smile. "Morning, City Lord." His sharp eyes swept over Arthur. "There is color on your face today." The smile widened. "Looks like you finally got some proper rest."
Arthur snorted. "I can't say much about the rest." His gaze drifted toward the waking city beyond the walls. "But there is hope. That does wonders for the spirit."
Gareth raised an eyebrow. Now that was unusual—hope had been in short supply lately. "Oh?" The giant warrior rubbed his beard. "Mind sharing?" He grinned. "An old fellow like me deserves a bowl of chicken soup for the soul every now and then."
Arthur chuckled. "Buckle up then. I only hope your old heart can handle it."
For the next several minutes Arthur explained everything—Leon's awakening, the strange crystal, the transformed mare, the tests, the accelerated pregnancy, the magical eagle, the blood pact, Raymond's transformation. Everything.
Gareth listened quietly throughout, occasionally nodding, occasionally grunting, otherwise showing little reaction. When Arthur finally finished, silence settled between them. Then Gareth scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Oh."
Arthur waited.
Gareth nodded. "That's what gave little Raymond the courage to challenge me."
Arthur blinked. "...That's your conclusion?"
Gareth shrugged. "Well, yes." He sounded mildly disappointed. "And here I was hoping the city had finally produced another Platinum Rank warrior."
Arthur stared at him. He had just dropped perhaps the most significant revelation in decades—a power capable of creating magical beasts, a power that might change the future of the city, a power that could alter the balance of the coming war. And somehow Gareth had focused entirely on Raymond wanting a rematch.
Seeing Arthur's expression, Gareth burst into hearty laughter, the giant's voice echoing across the empty training grounds. "You didn't actually expect me to understand all that complicated nonsense, did you?"
Before Arthur could answer, a massive hand landed on his shoulder. "If it improves our chances of surviving, then it's good." Gareth shrugged. "I don't give two shits about what those old fogeys at the Mage Association think." His expression hardened slightly. "If those bastards ever come looking for trouble, you can count me in." Then he grinned. "As for all the complicated thinking..." The giant warrior pointed directly at Arthur. "That's your job. I'm counting on you."
Arthur looked at his old friend for several seconds. Then he laughed. Somehow that response was exactly what he had expected, and strangely enough it was reassuring. Not everyone needed to understand the implications. Some people simply needed to stand beside you when things became difficult. Gareth had always been one of those people.
--- This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
The conversation between Arthur and Gareth continued for a while longer before the rest finally arrived. Cedric was the first to appear, walking across the training grounds with his usual composed demeanor. Leon followed shortly afterward, still looking somewhat pale, but compared to yesterday he was in significantly better condition. At the very least he was capable of walking under his own power.
Arthur immediately dragged over a chair and placed it beside the training field. Leon raised an eyebrow. "You know, eventually I'm going to recover."
"Eventually," Arthur agreed. "Until then, sit."
Leon wisely chose not to argue. As he settled into the chair, Arthur glanced toward him. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." Leon stretched slightly before grinning. "And I think I'll be feeling even better after this match."
Cedric chuckled. Arthur merely shook his head.
Then came the screech. A loud, piercing, ear-splitting screech. Every person present immediately looked toward the city. Another screech followed, then another, the sound echoing across the castle grounds like some kind of alarm signal.
Leon sighed. "There they are."
Raymond and Skyrend announced their arrival long before anyone actually saw them. By the time the pair finally entered the training grounds, everyone present had already suffered through several minutes of eagle-induced misery.
Raymond looked pleased with himself. Skyrend looked even more pleased, the metallic eagle sitting proudly upon his shoulder, occasionally letting out another triumphant screech for no apparent reason.
Gareth slowly looked Raymond up and down, then his gaze shifted toward the eagle, then back toward Raymond. Interesting. His first words were: "You're late."
Raymond nearly stumbled. "What?"
"I arrived half an hour early." Gareth pointed around the training field. "You arrived last." He folded his arms. "That means you're late."
Raymond stared. For several seconds he genuinely couldn't think of a response. Beside him Skyrend released an indignant screech that perfectly reflected his master's annoyance. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Gareth's eyes shifted back toward the eagle. "Interesting little thing." He tilted his head. "Can it even fly though?"
The moment the words left his mouth Skyrend froze, then slowly turned toward Gareth. The eagle's golden eyes narrowed and a low metallic screech escaped its beak. Clearly it had understood the insult.
"Show him." Raymond pointed dramatically toward Gareth. "Show them all." Now he sounded offended on behalf of the bird.
Skyrend immediately spread its wings. The movement produced a sound unlike any normal bird—instead of rustling feathers, the training grounds were filled with the sound of dozens of blades sliding against one another. Clang. Clink. Shing. Metallic feathers caught the morning sunlight. Then the eagle launched itself into the sky, shooting upward like an arrow released from a bow. No—faster. Much faster. Within moments it had become a distant speck high above the city.
Leon watched it climb higher and higher, his enhanced vision allowing him to track it easily. Beside him, Raymond followed the bird without difficulty. Nobody else could.
"It learned to fly already?" Leon sounded genuinely surprised.
Raymond immediately puffed out his chest. "I trained it all night." He sounded exactly like a proud parent. Leon wasn't sure whether to be impressed or concerned.
Far above, Skyrend finally stopped climbing. For a brief moment the eagle hovered motionless. Then it folded its wings and dove.
The sky exploded. A thunderous boom rolled across the training grounds as the eagle became a golden meteor descending toward the earth. Even Leon lost track of it for a split second. The speed was absurd.
Just before impact Skyrend spread its wings, leveled out mere meters above the ground, and shot across the field. To everyone except Leon and Raymond it appeared as nothing more than a streak of gold. A flash. A blur. Then it was gone.
Several moments passed. Nothing happened. Then—crash.
Everyone turned. A large tree standing several hundred meters away slowly tilted, then collapsed. Its trunk had been severed cleanly in two, the cut so smooth it looked polished, like a master craftsman had spent hours shaping it.
Silence settled over the training grounds. Even Gareth seemed mildly impressed.
A few seconds later a familiar metallic clanking broke the silence. Skyrend descended from the sky far more gracefully this time, landing atop Raymond's shoulder and immediately puffing out its chest.
"Screeeech!" The sound echoed triumphantly across the field.
Raymond instinctively mirrored the pose—chest out, chin raised, looking unbearably proud. For a brief moment the man and the eagle looked so similar that Leon nearly burst out laughing.
Neither of them noticed. Which somehow made it even worse.