"We were all interested to meet the champions my third son had selected given that you were absent yesterday." Solaris mused with a hint of wariness in his tone.
From his perception, he still couldn't believe that the pair in front of him were tier five experts. There was nothing he could sense off them.
'They truly are experts in masking it.' He thought unaware that there was an entirely other conversation held within the same premise without his knowledge.
'Andy?' Ashley asked as she looked at Orsen. 'You finally found me. And you've been making waves as well.' She chuckled from within.
'Covertness was never a specialty of mine.' She looked at Orsen making those around her wonder whether there was something special about him. 'Do you want to end this trivial test and head back to Sablestone?'
'I've been preparing it and everything just for us. This world isn't as bad as I had initially thought. Not to mention the secrets scattered all over the world.'
'Of course I'll join you but after I'm done with this test. After all for them, I'm not Andrew, just another tier five expert.' He mused as he stood in silence.
"Very well. It has most certainly been an honor to meet you. My king." The pair said simultaneously. "Just don't show off to much." Ashley said as she saw their figures leaving the tent.
'What does she mean by that?' Zayne thought as he heard this. It wasn't just him who found the situation quite odd. 'It seems that these two are acquainted somehow.'
Orsen mustered a smile. "Very well." Before both their figures left the tent. "Do you know them, Miss?" Solaris asked as he found the situation off.
"Something like that." Her response was barely satisfactory but that was what they had to deal with. "Don't you think that we should get this test underway?" She changed the subject.
"Ah, right." Solaris mused as he made his way out the tent. A podium was presented raising his figure to be seen by all. In front of him were his three sons and their respective champions.
The venue was packed with a lot of eyes landing on the various influential figures. "Wait,those two are working together?" Some of the nobles were perplexed as they saw the pair together.
However to the rest, Zayne had a huge disadvantage. He after all had two champions while the rest of his brothers had four each respectively.
"We are gathered here to celebrate the growth and development of the kingdom. And with it, there have of course been slight hinderances here and there however we have managed to pull through as a kingdom."
"However before we proceed with the test of the princes, we have a special guest joining us. Miss Ashley." Solaris mused as his hand gestures towards Ashley who gave a casual wave of her hand, similar to a queen greeting her subjects.
"I'll let my sons, take over from here." Solaris spoke as he took a step done from the podium. The three stepped up and gave out their respective speeches that they had lined up.
Kaissus promising a good match hoping it serving as a learning point for not himself but also for those who are watching it as well.
Sirius was for show, hoping to keep the audience entertained and Zayne was to prove his one self worth among his older brothers.
The stage, a grounded and secure place for casual fights. However knowing how out of hand things would get, it was laced with all kinds of arrays all over the place.
It was wife allowing for a diverse plays. Should be it long range or close combat, all were allowed considering the huge size of the arena. The audience was a huge portion however they were stationed far away from the battle ground.
"All of you should be pretty familiar with the rules thus I will not go over them once more. You must take down your opponent in the fastest way possible. Killing is strictly forbidden. Other than that, everything else is allowed."
The champions looked at each other. Orsen and Hedon didn't look fazed as they went back to their tents. "Okay I was able to find and secure a deal with Hilda however I fail to see her worth at the moment."
Zayne mused as the trio was in Zayne's tent. He sought out Hilda similar to Orsen's orders however he failed to see why he would tell him to do so.
After doing a background check, he realized that she had recently made her arrival at Rien. The caravan she had come with was ruthlessly attacked by both ravenous beasts and demons alike.
They had faces a lot of casualties and a lot of property was lost. Further investigations, he realized that she was a servant for the household of the Scarletbornes however she had company making her way here but sadly he perished along the way.
"My prince." As if on cue, Hilda made her presence into Zayne's tent. She was proposed a tempting offer and given her current situation, she could only take it.
"Here are some of the potions and vials I was able to concoct." She said respectfully as she put a basketful of potions and vials on the table. 'Alchemy is her strong suit.' He was able to deduct.
She had made a marginal amount of profit with this. He looked at the basket as curiousity was written all over his face. He took a small vial and drunk it.
His eyes shot wide open as he felt a cool euphoric bliss wash over his body. He could feel a change happening in his own mana disc. There was a slight exertion, a minor breakthrough from the first array to the next.
"Wow! To think that you could actually concoct such recipes." Zayne praised Hilda as he looked at the test of the vials. "Sell them, we won't be having any use for them." Hedon pointed out.
Zayne took the basket and placed it elsewhere. So far, meeting these two has always been a streak if luck after the other. To think that he would meet such people in his lifetime was something that he hadn't expected.
But that didn't mean that he trusted them blindly. For them to shower him with such benefits, it was clear that there was a catch. "We have been working as partners for quite a while now."
He started off. "But after all the things that you have for me. I feel like I haven't been all that reciprocative if what you have done for me. So just name what you desire provided I can satisfy it."
He wanted to know their actual intentions. "Consider it an act of mercy Zayne. However my colleagues does have a request." Orsen said softly as his eyes landed back to Hilda.
Zayne looked at Hedon. A chaotic and unruly air seemed to be stuck around him. For him, he was the more brutish one fo the two. "What is it that you desire?" Zayne asked with a hint of caution.
"I'm sure that I already told you however seeing that you have already forgotten, I'll refresh your memory. I'd like your sister, Elexa as a slave." A soft chuckle followed after.
"That's... I can't grant such a request. Preferably something within reach." The calm air around Hedon wavered. "If you can't grant it then sadly I won't request anything else. Maybe your other siblings or your mother. Yeah, the full pack will suffice."
At this point, Zayne felt that Hedon was teasing him. Sure he knew that he couldn't face such an abomination like him, but he couldn't take all of that as if he wasn't asking for something so basic.
"If anyone heard about what you are requesting, they would no doubt view you as a psychopath. The king would request your hanging." Zayne warned Hedon as he felt that he was overstepping his boundaries.
"Zayne you pitiful excuse of a prince, does it look like I give a shit about your barely capable disgrace of a father. I could kill him right now if I wanted to along with you."
"Even though I appreciate the acts of kindness you both have gifted onto me, there are matters that I can't let you do as you please."
"Hahaha!" Hedon gave off a light laugh as he looked at Hilda. She was wary of the two individuals already as she had heard that they were both tier five experts, what array was still shrouded in mystery.
Hilda felt there was a faint tint of familiarity with Orsen and Hedon however she couldn't quite pinpoint it. "Have we met before, sirs?" She quizzed.
"I doubt we have." Orsen said flatly. Hilda had intentionally asked a random question to diffuse the tense atmosphere that was building. However it seemed to have failed.
"Don't test me Zayne!" Hedon's eyes glowed a deep crimson color as they peered into Zayne's eyes. "It seems that you haven't got the slightest clue of what you are facing you insolent fucker."
*Snap*
Hedon added as he casually snapped his fingers. Zayne felt a slow and groggy foreboding in his heart and to his surprise, Hilda who had been patiently observing the whole scenario unfold applied a dense exertion on her mana disc...
*Plop*
Herr head burst like a bubble splattering all over the sheets. The tent blocked the sounds that were being thrown back and forth and so did it when it came to the sound.
Zayne grew wary of Hedon as he saw this. In order for her to die such a death, over exerting one's own mana disc would require for one to do it themselves.
Not a forced attack meaning that Hedon could make people end their lives in such a casual manner.
"Ahhh!!!!"
A choking force was exerted on his own throat as he felt his body being holstered way up into the air. Hedon tightly gripped his throat with a dangerous smirk on his face.
"What makes you think that I can't kill you right now?" He asked as Zayne felt the world around him slowly fall into darkness. "Wait! Why can't I use my mana?"
Zayne ran into a wall as he realized this. "Didn't you think of how easily you killed that imposter was odd? Or were you blinded by bloodlust to care?"
Zayne recalled the moment he killed of Ethan. "Wait?! It was you?!" A look of shock appeared on his face upon realizing this.
At the time, Hedon was nowhere near him and yet he could influence the situation with such precision.
It meant that he could cast such techniques with easy and catch his opponents off guard. Such a skill was deemed dangerous and it was something that he hadn't even witnessed before.
That was the reason why people would rather formulate their own attacks rather than stick to a rigid attack. Such labeled attacks were potent but they were also easier to counter.
Either way, facing it first hand was something he couldn't deal with. "Where is your excuse of a father to come and save you?" Hedon joked as Orsen watched the event unfold.
*Snap*
With a snap of his fingers, he got rid of Hilda's body. Incinerating it till there was nothing left. No sense of remorse or regret could be seen in his eyes.
"We have to get ready, you'll kill him after we're done. Or does he want to revoke our privilege as his champions which would mean that we are free to kill him right now?"
Orsen asked as he looked at Zayne. His face was ugly to look at. He had intense hatred and resentment for these two, treating him like garbage and yet he couldn't do anything.
"So what is it, Zayne?" Hedon added making him all the more perplexed however if he failed to give an answer right now, his life would come to a dramatic halt.
"Fine, you may do as you wish." He caved in to which the monstrous grip around his throat loosened.
As he greedily breathed in for air, he saw the two figures walk out of the tent. "Just know your place Zayne." Hedon finished off before their figures were out of his peripheral vision.