As soon as the clang from the bolting of the cell door’s padlocks faded in Laz’s mind, he helplessly walked to the farthest end of the cell. By the edge, a slab of stone protruded from the ground, rough-edged but smooth enough to serve as a seat.
Without thinking twice, Laz sank down onto it and raised his gaze to discern his environs.
The cell was surprisingly enormous to be called a captive’s domain.
While looking from the outside, and based on the popular perception about dwarves, he had expected a cramped pit that would barely allow him to stretch his legs, but here, these creatures even keep proving why they were infamous with crafts of any kind.
The floor on its own was spacious enough to host a skirmish or even a small gathering.
He could make use of this advantage. He would do so, somehow.
Good enough, unlike most prisoners he had seen in old city lockups, he wasn’t tethered to the wall or floor. His wrists were free from the shackles of the chain.
’Why do I get this sullen feeling that all that has been happening is somehow tied to a consequence, or a future event?’
’...’cause, they would have chained me to the ground if they wanted me helpless. Or is it that they are not worried about my escape, or just know that I can’t?’
Whatever the case might be, it was of no use to make them bother him at the moment. So, he let them fade.
After a few moments of staring at the done under his shoe, he began thinking of what he could do to pass the time. The emptiness of the cell was like a challenge, and boredom was already gnawing at him.
’Maybe training... I could begin to make advancements through training.’
He opened his right palm and observed it for a little while, imagining summoning his Nagarion blade. The idea of practicing swordsmanship crossed his mind, but the reality was surreal.
He didn’t actually know any proper sword forms, but he should have tried to train himself. Randomly swinging the blade at empty air would more or less make him look hopeless, pathetic.
’In that case, first things first.’
He still had some confusion he needed to clear concerning the notification rewards earlier.
The number he had seen earlier from his rank core was nowhere near his mental calculations. And, for his Abilities to suddenly connote levels beyond them meant a limitation could have been placed as to how he makes use of them.
’Let’s stop assuming.’ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ nοvelfire.net
Once he uttered those words, he summoned the translucent system notification again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Rank: Ascended ↑»
«↓ Rank Core: 50.4/100 [+13.4] |
«↓ Core Trait Stage: Summoner | Stage Rank: Awakened ↑»
«↓ Abilities:
> Summoning [Lv. 1] |
> Qi Manipulation [Lv. 1] |
«↓ Weakness: Reflection |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Rank Core: 50.4/100 [+13.4] ↑»
« Description: Laz, you should know that there is always the existence of punishments which are meant to serve as the key to enable one stone for the sins. Your inability to complete the task that was given to you has caused a slash of 80% cores, granting you the rest. »
’But, the system never mentioned this.’
« That is because you were blinded by ignorance and didn’t read the required books where it had been written down. »
«↓ NB: Henceforth, failure to complete any task at hand will only grant you 20% of whatever cores you gained from slain creatures. Further punishments, based on variation, will be meted out to you by the Council ↑»
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laz read through quietly and understood that the drastic reduction in his rank cores was a result of the punishment being meted out to him. Yet, he felt it was not fair at all.
The system is depriving him of the right to rapidly evolve in ranks and become stronger.
And the Councils.
’Who are the Councils?’
Knowing that no amount of thinking things out can get him the answer, he shifted his attention to the next descriptions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Summoning [Lv. 1] ↑»
« Description: Allows bearer to call forth bound entities from soul-link space. Entities act independently unless overridden by direct command. Level growth enhances summoning speed, entity strength, and summon duration. It can even create summoning extensions. »
------------------------------------------------------------------------
’Summoning Extensions? I wonder, what would it be used for at that stage?’
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Qi Manipulation [Lv. 1] ↑»
« Description: Grants bearer control over internal and environmental qi flows. Level growth refines qi efficiency, strengthens physical techniques, and allows minor external qi disruption. »
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It only meant that in the meantime, he can only control his environmental absorb energies, and use imagination-fused attacks on his opponent.
But why had his weakness suddenly shown up? Or was he the one who summoned it out of mistake?
But then—
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Weakness: Reflection ↑»
« Description: You are vulnerable to any power or emotion you project. Anything you summon, tame, transfuse, or shift into can be used against you if mirrored or reflected. »
------------------------------------------------------------------------
’If I am vulnerable to any power I can project, does it mean...?’
He gulped, widening his eyes in sudden realization.
He now understood why his opponents were indeed deemed to be called Awakened Scholars. They had used his ability against him, and that was even more reason he couldn’t defeat them.
That was the truth, because, if not for Good’s intervention, he would have long been dead.
’Although, I hadn’t noticed any changes that could have made me aware that my weakness was used against me, it has even led me to understand the real definition of reflection.’
Just like looking at one’s self in the mirror to project a virtual image of the exact look, his ability was projected before him and even in a more professional way.
He leaned back until his spine rested against the cold wall. Pulling one knee up, he looped his arms around it and tilted his head back to stare at the cell’s lofty ceiling. His mind, for the moment, was still turning over the system’s explanation, imagining the implications for his future fights.
"This will only prevent me from making use of my abilities, except for an urgent reason. Hence, I need to grasp swordsmanship."
Looking around the cell once again, he imagined that it was big enough to contain Gold, and so he planned to summon his creature.
That was when he heard a faint, deliberate scrape against the stone slab beneath him.
He froze, tilting his head forward slightly, ears straining. The sound came again — a shifting, a brushing of stone.
Slowly, Laz slid off the rock-seat, crouching to peer into the narrow gap between its base and the floor.
A face stared back at him.
It belonged to a dwarf, though far more ragged than any hopeless being Laz had seen in the streets.
The dwarf’s beard was a tangled thicket streaked with grey and grime, with dirt staining the pale skin. The way he looked at Laz with those deep, suspicious brown eyes caused Laz to experience a flicker of tremble.
As if to worsen the situation, the dwarf curled the lips into something between a smirk and a snarl. Then, it rapidly stood from the ground where it was and paced to the other end of the cell room.
"Well now," the dwarf rasped, voice low and rough from disuse. "A fresh rat in the King’s cage."
Laz bent his head to understand what it meant.
"A cell-dwarf?" Laz asked for clarity.
"That’s our popular nomenclature. Every cell in this city has a dwarf in it."
***
After a few moments, Laz and the cell dwarf seemed to have gotten along easily. Sitting beside the stone slab, the cell dwarf was having a discussion with Laz.
"You’ll pay for every life you and that serpent of yours took," the man said, his voice low and sharp. "Who would imagine our experienced Elites, and even Scholars, can be slaughtered by an inexperienced weakling..."
"I’m not inexperienced," Laz defended.
"I didn’t refer to anyone in particular," the dwarf said, tugging at his ragged clothes. "I was just expressing my freedom of speech."
This angered Laz but he wouldn’t do anything. He was sure the dwarf had referred to him, but indirectly since it didn’t call his name.
But still, it is clearly evident that the only person tied to what had happened and was in the cell is Laz.
The cell dwarf stood from where it sat and moved to rest a hand on the bars. His next words came slower and deliberate.
"There will be a great wedding ceremony soon. That same day, your execution will take place."
"But you know what keeps confusing us? The king’s motive for killing these humans and take their blood."
A faint smirk pulled at the edge of his mouth as he turned to Laz, not trying to be indirect anymore.
"That’s why, when the time comes, you won’t go alone."
Laz’s brow furrowed slightly.
"In a few days," the dwarf continued, "a female human will accompany you. Through the same execution."
"The king says it’s going to be the last sacrifice before he embeds his relationship with the Elf queen..." the dwarf paused.
"Elf queen? You mean, she would travel the South from the Eas—" Laz shut his mouth immediately, remembering he shouldn’t act like he knew a thing.
The cell dwarf, however, was not fast to catch up. Or, acted in ignorance.
"No questions. This poor cell-dwarf has committed an atrocity already."
"What atrocity?"