Tiago:
Continuing…
Tiago didn’t make it far before running into trouble. He feels a constant piercing pain in his thigh. Every step pushed forward by vitriol and determination.
The concrete ground beneath his feet, transitions to sand, and then morphs into the roots of a tundra, he walks through the memory of the battlefields that befell him.
He knows his mission. Protect the V.I.P. However, his captors have a large number and power advantage. He is wounded, in foreign territory.
A location, it pushes him forward but he wouldn’t even know where to begin to find it.
Two enemy combatants enter his field of vision. A further two think they have Tiago for a fool, approaching closely on his flank.
“You from that explosion over there, lad?” The man asks him, small knife in hand.
Tiago stares daggers into the man, he is small, skinny, clearly from impoverished backgrounds. A victim of an unjust system.
Tiago continues to walk forward, ignoring their attempts to threaten the small boy.
“When adults speak. You listen.” He steps in front of Tiago, a smirk across his face.
In his smile Tiago sees Dargor, his purple eyes almost glowing in the sunlight.
“You have eyes like a dragons. Anyone ever told you that?” he asked.
In Tiago's palm a small white blade is forming slowly, as he stares at the man.
He is full of openings, like everyone else they spend too much time talking and less time analyzing the situation. The weakness of weak warriors.
He was a machine built for wars, battles, skirmishes. Emotionless, effective and most of all disposable. So he should fight like it, like every battle was his last.
Tiago stood no longer as himself but as a remnant of a life once lived.
He gripped the mana blade which had formed itself as a dagger tightly.
His heart was racing, but unlike in his adult life his younger body couldn’t keep pace. Adrenaline wearing off slowly, the feelings of determination transforming into anxiety. The man was no longer Dargor, but his father from his previous life.
“Finally understanding your place.” He spoke down to him.
His voice mixed with the man from the Shallows. Tiago shivered with fear as he walked backwards. The looming figure of his father before him.
He's caught from behind, the other two criminals taking on the form of his mother and sister. Tiagos eyes widened, hyperventilating.
“You must think yourself unlucky, but in truth you’re just weak.”
Their voices play in his head. He crouches into himself. His mother reaches down to grab him.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” A booming voice snaps Tiago out of his delusions.
The visions fade and the assailants change their attention away from him. Instead they turn towards a new target. A teenage boy, clad in knights armor with a white cloth and a teal insignia of a cloud on his chest and forearms.
“Another kid playing hero, huh?” The smaller man told him, acting tough despite coming to a similar height as the teen.
The boy's demeanor was tough and proud, and his voice surprisingly deep considering his age. His helmet blocked the view of his hair, but his face had a confident grin.
“You will leave that poor boy alone, people like you, scum of the shallows always try to bring us down to your level.” The boy told the men as they surrounded him.
Tiago took a deep breath in, steadying himself, his vision blurred with every breath. He didn’t know what just happened, his wounds felt far more visceral and painful than he first thought.
Tiago dropped to his knee, looking up to watch the situation unfold. The men paced around him like sharks, searching for any opening.
Pack tactics, Tiago has seen it alot in all types of battlefields but most commonly seen among those who consider themselves weak individually. Cowards basically.
The boy draws his sword, its long in length, the blade thicker at its hilt slimming to its tip. A greatsword, but he held it tall. He must be familiar with the blade.
One of the criminals' faces lit up with a wicked grin, he lunged forward, drawing a hidden dagger from his belt. He took on the knight head-on, swinging at him viciously, the knight boy calmly swung his blade through the air, warding the man back.
However he was just a distraction. One of the women took the opportunity to sneak close behind him with a dagger drawn.
She shoves her blade towards the hip of his armor, attempting to pierce the small gap in armor. Suddenly the knight boy raises his blade, shouting.
“Wind Pillar!”, With a massive whoosh a large gust of wind billows around her pushing her backwards and into the air. The other three assailants raise their arms, failing to resist as they’re blasted back as well.
The young knight points his blade towards the woman who attempted to attack her. The confident grin on his face unfazed.
“It’ll take more than foul tactics to get the jump on me.”
Tiago stared at the young knight, an impressive show of power.
“You academy students are so full of yourselves,” The woman seethed at him,
“It’ll take a strong woman to show you the limits of your hubris.” She puts the dagger back in her belt, bring her arms to her sides and opening the palms of her hands,
“Ignite palms.”
Fire ignited in sparks on her palms, and she raised them in fists, to her guard. Her form was amateurish, but it was practiced.
The young boy grinned, sheathing his sword. He gestured to her to come at him. She screamed while charging forward, the flames in her hands crackling as she sprinted.
She swings her fist at him, and he ducks under her arm easily, she turns around swinging her other fist blindly, he grabs onto her burning fist mid punch.
“This flame isn’t even hot enough to warm my tea. Let alone hurt me.”
The burning fire enveloping his hand. She struggles to pull away, as he tightens his grip, crushing her fist. She screams in agony.
He lets go and she reels backward, holding her fist with her other hand. The fire disappearing, the other three assailants rallying in front of her, preventing the young knight from getting closer. He stares at them, disappointment and disgust in his eyes.
The three turn and start running away, taking the lady by the arm and pulling her along with them.
Tiago was still barely catching his breath. The young knight sighed, turning his attention to Tiago, walking towards him.
“Are you alright boy? They’ve done quite a number on you it seems.” He crouched down in front of him. Tiago got a closer look at his armor.
It was weathered and scratched, but it fit his frame perfectly.
The knight extends his hand out to him, “My name is Anvindr Enlil, and what is yours?”
Tiago grabs onto his hand, letting Anvindr help help him to his feet, “Tiago. Tiago Ein Sof.” He replied, patting himself down.
“I’ll be damned. That Ein Sof?” he asked curiously,
“My father is Tore Ein Sof.” Tiago elaborated,
“How can I believe that?” Anvindr asked Tiago, crossing his arms. Tiago thought for a second before summoning a long white mana blade in his palms.
“The Ein Sof mana blade technique huh, so you really are the son of that legendary knight. What are you doing bruised and battered in the shallows?”
“Me and my sister were attacked whilst our father was in an important meeting, speaking of which you must help me.” Tiago demanded of him,
“Woah slow down there, I think we should find your father first, do you know where his meeting was placed?”
Tiago bit down on his lip, he had no idea where his father was, he was an idiot for thinking he could handle this on his own.
“Look I don’t know, but you have to help me, they got my sister.” Tiago pleaded with him,
Anvindr stroked his chin curiously,
“If they’re willing to take on Tore Ein Sof himself they must be the real deal, you know. I could be risking my life.”
‘Damn this kid’ Tiago thought, he might be a knight but he's a teenager first. Anvindr broke into a grin and slapped Tiago's back jokingly, knocking him forward. “I'm only kidding, but if we are gonna do this, we will need more help.” He then looked Tiago up and down,
“Additionally you are in no condition to fight.”
He stepped past Tiago, signaling for him to follow. Walking the opposite direction of the shallows.
“This isn’t the way to my sister.” Tiago said matter of factly. Anvindr didn’t even turn to him as he replied,
“But it is the way to help save her.”
They walked through the city, as they walked past civilians continuously giving him pitying looks, did they think he was being arrested or something? He’s only 8. Then again, he did kill two men.
They stopped in front of a large gate, a name in large bold lettering on an arch above the gate reading. ‘School of Pride and Fury.’ It was the knights academy. What could they possibly get here.
Anvindr pushed open the gate leading Tiago inside. Tiago looked left and right, there were armored teenagers everywhere, some wearing partial plating, others in full decorated knights armor.
However to his surprise there were also mages in robes, high hats and archers with crossbows strapped to their backs.
“I thought this was a knights academy?” Tiago asks,
“Think of it more as an academy that breeds protectors. Knights are just the biggest symbol of that idea, your father for example.” People greeted Anvindr as they walked by.
They were following a path in a large courtyard that led to a courtyard with three statues at its center. Plaques at the bottom read, ‘Varuna, Goddess of justice’, ‘Aegis, God of shield’, ‘Hybris, God of Pride’.
High tier gods, notably the goddess of justice being a 7-star god and the currently ruling family of the country they resided in Dominion.
The courtyard has three large buildings on each side of the courtyard besides the entrance. They veered left, where Tiago noticed less and less mages could be seen.
He assumed the area he was going must be where the knights learn. The building followed the same themes as the rest of the city, very Victorian in theme, reminding him of his time in the SAS in the united kingdom.
The building was large and seemed to be at least eight floors high. They walked straight through the main entrance, Anvindr hadn’t said a word other than a small greeting to passing peers.
They walked through hallways, all which seemed to have classes in session. He could see numerous students idly paying attention to the teacher.
All in armor, some even leaning on the hilts of blades, it must be normalized to carry weapons, at least in this school at least.
Eventually they make it to a different sector of the building, stopped by double doors with a plate that read, ‘Infirmary’ on its top.
“This will take too long to heal dammit.” Tiago exclaimed,
“Not for minor injuries like those.”
Tiago was dumbfounded, none of his injuries were minor, they would all individually take weeks to heal at least. Especially his broken ribs.
Entering the room, the color scheme changes, from velvet browns to soft blues on the walls, as he pushes open one of the room's doors.
Inside are two chairs, a gurdy and multiple cabinets lining the room. A large window backing the gurdy that shone afternoon light into the building.
Anvindr immediately started searching through the cupboards, only stopping his rummaging to take out miscellaneous items. A syringe, two liquid bottles, and bandages, and another bottle with green liquid inside it.
There was no way in hell Tiago was letting him put that syringe anywhere near him,
He turned to leave sneakily, “Wind force.” Anvindr raised his hand, arm outstretched, as a gust of wind slams the door shut.
Tiago turns, Anvindr stands next to a seat which he points to.
“Listen I hardly know you, I am not letting you inject me with random liquids.”
“Why are you afraid of needles?” He asked,
“No, I'm not afraid of needles, I’m afraid of random armored men trying to put needles in me.” Tiago retorted.
“It's a stabilization liquid, taken from essence trees, when injected into your bloodstream it super amplifies the repair process. I’m sure your father has given you some before.”
Now that he thought about it, whenever he was injured Joseph or his father would feed him a disgusting red mixture and he would recover much faster.
“The stable is for your bones, this padding will do for your wounds. Just dab it onto the cloth and strap it on.” He passes Tiago the equipment and gestures to the seat again,
“I won’t force you to use it but every second wasted is a chance to lose your sister, so I'll let you be the decider.” Anvindr walks past Tiago pushing open the door to leave the room.
“In the meantime, I’m gonna get a friend of mine to help us, trust me he is really good at finding people. You stay here.”
Tiago opens his mouth to protest but Anvindr slams the door shut and his metal boots can be heard clunking away.
He stares at the syringe suspiciously. If the knight had really wanted to harm him, he could’ve just left him behind. He also would have no reason to harm him when all the other students had seen him leading him here. ‘Fine’. He makes up his mind.
He fills the syringe with the green liquid labeled ‘Stable’, flexing his arm to find the vein he injects directly into it. Immediately he feels a rush through his body that makes him keel forward.
He can feel his ribs begin getting less and less painful by the second, it was a strange sensation. Immediately, Tiago began dabbing the red liquid labeled ‘Regen’ on the cloth and strapping it to his open wounds especially on his hip.
The wounds begin closing, and he can feel a tingling sensation on his skin. Tiago lets out a sigh of relief.
He closes his eyes briefly, running the situation in his head again and again. If everyone has access to some form of magic, did that man Dargors magic have something to do with his abnormal strength?
Not knowing what kind of magic or abilities anyone could have really throws him off his game. Altho from what he could see, most heavily rely on it.
At least the woman and her combat was extremely limited, Tiago hopes he can close the gap with just technique himself otherwise he may just be useless.
He feels a slight tapping on the bridge of his nose. Opening his eyes quickly, the afternoon light had gone completely, had he fallen asleep?
In front of a new person stood. He had dark brown irises and curly black hair that fell to his shoulders. He also wore leather slacks and what looked to be a crossbow on his back.
“So you're the kid, huh?” He asked, pulling his hand away from him.
Tiago blinked. Anvindr stood in the corner of the room.
Who was this guy?
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