“What kind of memories work best?” asked Ash.
“Usually, its easiest to use soul power when there’s someone or something you’re trying to protect,” said Phoenix. “The first time I brought out my soul power, I was defending a group of children during a demon attack. I kept telling myself I would not allow a single child to be harmed, and even though I was outnumbered my passion to save everyone drove out my true power.”
“And once you unlock it, it becomes easier to do again?” asked Aura.
“That is correct,” said Wilhelm. “All you need is one good push, and you’ll find it easier to accomplish every time after that.”
The Royal Advisor entered the courtyard and approached the tired group. Phoenix was on his feet at once to greet the man.
“Am I interrupting?” Goddard asked politely.
“No sir, Mr. von Gosick,” said Phoenix. “I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to speak at length when we met. I had the good fortune to attend one of your classes years ago, before you accepted the Royal Advisor job of course. You were quite brilliant.”
“Ah, I knew I recognized you from somewhere else. Yes, well these days my brilliance is hard at work securing the prosperity of the Kingdom.”
“I’ve heard rumors going around that a new group of rebels are amassing. Is there any truth to the rumors, or are they simply the paranoid delusions of the upper-class?”
“Unfortunately there will always be a tiny minority of the citizens that think they could do better as King,” said Goddard. “But that in no way means they are a real threat. In fact, my team here is already hard at work tracking them down.”
“Then I know we’re in good hands,” Phoenix said with an encouraging smile. “Lady Shiva and her team are quite capable fighters. Once they’ve mastered their souls, I know they will be a force to be reckoned with. I must formally give you my thanks for allowing us the honor of working with them.”
“It is I who should be thanking you and Master Wilhelm,” said Goddard. “I’ve been meaning to teach the team about soul power but I haven’t had the time to do it myself.”
“We were just leaving,” said Wilhelm. “I’m sure you have business to discuss with your team.”
“That is why I’m here,” said Goddard.
“We’ll be off then,” Phoenix said. “Perhaps another time we could chat for longer. I’d love to pick your brain.”
Before they departed, Aura snuck a glance at Leona. He’d taken to studying the servant girl when she least expected it. Her face was lovelier than any servant he’d seen before, but the boy was perplexed by her usual lack of emotions. He noticed her staring at Goddard with icy malice in her eyes, though she said nothing. When she left with her master, the boy forgot about her face and turned his attention towards her rear.
“So what’s up, Goddard?” Ash asked. “You don’t usually come down for our training sessions… unless you have a job for us.”
“Actually, all this talk of extra training got me thinking. You guys fight like hooligans and you’ve been getting your butts kicked a lot more than usual lately. Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin weapons training with your new instructor.”
“Weapons like swords and spears?” Ash’s face lit up. “That’s awesome!”
“Heh,” Aura snickered. “I guess I’ll finally get to show you all my skills.”
“So Yazma has agreed to give up some of her days for us to do this? So how many days of advanced flame training and weapons training do we get now? Because I’m totally fine with giving up that pesky free day,” Shiva said.
“Not our free day!” Ash and Aura said simultaneously.
“Shut up, everyone!” Goddard said, raising his voice. “I managed to get one of Hell’s foremost weapons experts, a living legend, and relative of someone in this courtyard right now.”
This caught their attention. Both Ash and Shiva were relatively sure they had no family they were unaware of in Hell. Goddard was a mystery, and it was his usual style to brag about himself, so perhaps the weapons expert was someone in his lineage. The only clues Aura gave were his eyebrows slanting and a nervous tap of his foot against the grass.
Someone opened the door to the courtyard. Aura directed his eyes down at the grass and closed them. The man stepped into the yard and approached the team. Ash had never seen him before, so he was off the hook. Shiva recognized him from long ago, but could not remember what business he’d had with her father back then.
“Here he is now to introduce himself! I give you your new weapons instructor, Amos Draxler!” Goddard said with smug satisfaction.
Aura’s eyes shot open, but he did not look up. His teammates stared in disbelief at the man before them. He was old but not elderly. Large but not fat. His black beard hung down to his chest. Strapped to his back was an enormous barrel stuffed full of various weapons. All sorts of varieties were present, but Ash really wanted to get his hands on a sword.
“Uh…” Amos said, his eyes lingering on Aura. “Thanks, Goddard. It’s nice to meet you all.” Amos looked choked up. He still stared at Aura, who refused to remove his eyes from the ground. “It’s nice to see you again, Aura.”
“Hey, Aura,” Shiva said. “This guy knows you. Is he your…”
“Is he your brother?!” Ash asked.
“Idiot! He’s way too old for that!” Shiva barked.
“Aura…” Amos said, holding back tears. “Please, look at me!”
Goddard stifled a smile, pleased at the chaos he’d introduced.
Aura exhaled and lifted his head. “It’s been a while, huh…” he said.
“Almost thirty years, son.”
“How can you still call me that after… everything.”
“I never stopped thinking of you as my son!”
“Then why didn’t you ever come looking for me?”
“I’ve come here today to make amends with you. I’m ready to forgive you.”
“You forgive me…?” Aura asked. “Well you can keep your amends; I don’t want them.” The boy turned his shoulder to his father and headed for the door.
“Hey Draxler! Where are you going?” Shiva called.
“There’s nothing more for me to gain by training with him,” Aura said. “I’m going to have to decline.”
“You can’t just get out of training that easily!” Shiva said. “Hey old man Draxler! Toss me one of those swords! I’m going to teach him a little respect!”
“As you wish, Lady Shiva,” Amos said and instinctively grabbed a wooden practice sword from his back-barrel, tossing it to Shiva. “But I must warn you: I highly recommend against attacking him.”
“He may be your son, but I won’t go easy on him!” Shiva dashed towards Aura, screaming barbarically as a warning while holding the wooden sword above her head.
“I warned her,” Amos muttered to himself.
Shiva pounced on Aura from behind, swinging the wooden sword like a club at the boy. Aura responded by simply stepping to the side of her attack, avoiding it completely. With his gauntlet hand he grabbed the blade of the sword, spun around backwards pulling the wooden blade out of Shiva’s hand and grasping it with his own free hand. Now he was the one pointing a sword directly at Shiva.
“Whoa!” Ash said, as Shiva took into account everything that happened. “He’s good!”
“I don’t need the training, because I’ve been through it all before,” Aura said. “So I’ll take these days off instead. See you.” Without another glance back at his long-lost father, the boy left. Everyone looked stunned.
“I guess the younger Draxler is going to stubbornly insist on skipping these sessions,” Goddard said. “I’m taking that out of your fee, Amos.”
“I don’t care,” said Amos. “I’m just happy I got to see my son…”
“Dude…” Ash said. “What’d you do to him?”
“None of your damn business, kid!” Amos replied. “I apologize for making such a scene. When Goddard told me he could reunite me w
ith my son, I just had to take the chance. Honestly, it went about as well as I imagined it would… This is a pretty lousy first impression of me you’re all getting. Still, I’d like to thank you for bringing me here today Mr. von Gosick. I’ll continue to try making amends with Aura on my own time.”
“I’m happy I could bring you both together once again.” Though Goddard said this with the noblest of smiles, in the back of his mind another scheme was hard at work. As it happened, Goddard knowingly hired Amos Draxler just to see how his estranged son would react. The results were less than he had hoped for.
“Why don’t we just forget what happened here and start over,” Amos said. “I’m Amos. I used to run the weapons factory that at one time supplied the entire Kingdom. I’ve mastered every weapon there is, and now I’m going to pass down that knowledge to you two.”
“Whoa…” Ash said.
“’Bout time,” said Shiva.
“We’ll have our first official lesson tomorrow, so for right now I’d just like to get a sense of what you both already know.” Amos ripped two wooden swords from his back-barrel and tossed them to Ash and Shiva. “Let me see how you hold them.”
The two caught their swords, more or less, and held them by the hilt. Amos eyed their technique and stances.
“Pathetic! Do either of you even know how to hold a sword?”
“Isn’t it like this?” Ash asked, holding the sword forward with both hands.
“You need both hands to hold that flimsy piece of wood, do you?” Amos asked.
“It’s a one-handed sword,” Shiva said. “Even I can tell that!” She held her sword out with her right hand, keeping her left hand placed defiantly on her hip.
“Your stance isn’t any better!” Amos said. Shiva deflated in embarrassment. “Very well, if this is all you got, come at me and do your worst!”
Despite Amos’s comment, Ash charged forward gripping the sword with both hands. He was planning on swinging the sword as hard as he could, but Shiva beat him to it. She dashed forward pointing her sword directly at Amos’s head. But the old man was much more skilled than them and evaded easily. By grabbing two more swords from his back-barrel and turning his body sideways, Amos defended against their pitiful attacks. Ash, who swung his sword like a baseball bat, found his blade halted with little effort by Amos’s own sword. Shiva’s forward jab was evaded simply by twisting his head and then disarming her.
The two were helpless against him. Ash dropped his sword, eager to surrender. Shiva gave up as well, realizing she was too unprepared to duel with a weapons expert like Amos.
“You both have a lot to learn. Aura was better than you when he was only ten!” Amos said as he collected their swords. “I’ve got my work cut out for me.”
By the time the teacher finished scolding them, the sun had all but disappeared from the sky. After dismissing his new students, Amos navigated the castle halls heading for the exit. He walked slowly, lost in contemplation as he paced the dimly lit corridors. Seeing his son in the flesh stirred up past memories he’d rather of forgotten.
Aura wasn’t doing any better, as he walked the darkened streets of North Hell, going nowhere in particular. He had to get away from his father, but didn’t feel like going home nor did he wish to spend his free time in the company of others. For once, he avoided the bars where he’d usually go to hit on women.
Like his father, the young death toucher walked aimlessly, reliving in his mind the memories that had fueled his nightmares for most of his life.
Chapter Twelve: Daddy’s Little Defect
Twenty-nine years ago…
Amos Draxler sat at his office desk reviewing his weapon orders. He would have to skip lunch again if he wanted to get all his orders filled for the day. With Al Satan recently taking the throne from his father Wilhelm, the castle staff was also going through a big shakeup. Most notably, the new Commander of the Royal Guard.
Sepultura Stryd had been chosen to replace the previous Commander Archen. While Archen was a compassionate Commander who put more efforts into helping the communities and serving the people, Al Satan’s choice of replacement was obsessed with creating an army. He led a successful recruiting operation and nearly tripled the Royal Guard’s number of enrolled soldiers. More soldiers meant more weapons. And the castle’s official weaponsmith was Amos Draxler.
The family business was suddenly booming, but the business was beginning to come before the family. Amos flipped through his pile of papers, pausing only to write down numbers, addresses, and deadlines. Without so much as a knock on the door, his nine-year-old son Aura barged in, his whining louder than usual.
“Dad!!” Aura said. “I’ve been waiting outside for an hour now! Were you ever going to come out?”
Amos spun in his chair, startled. “What are you talking about? Why aren’t you at school? Your mother and I pay a lot to send you to the noble’s academy! You better not be ditching again!”
“It’s a weekend!” said Aura.
“It is?” Amos looked closely at his desk calendar. “This means I’m already behind on tomorrow’s order!” Amos spun around and returned to furiously flipping through his paperwork and writing down data. For a minute, the only sounds that were heard came from the millworkers operating the heavy weapon-forging machinery on the factory floor.
“Fine! Then forget your stupid promise!” Aura slammed the door and stomped away, leaving his father to his work.
Several minutes passed before Aura’s words entered his father’s mind. Promise? What promise was he talking about? I don’t remember a promise… He continued to think on it for another couple of minutes, until a big ball came smashing through his large office window. Again, Amos jumped off his chair in fright. He picked up the ball and went to the window.
“Um…” Aura called out from the ground below. “I’m sorry!”
Amos gripped the ball. How could he forget? His son wanted to play catch with him over his lunch break. “I remember now,” said Amos, looking back at his desk covered in paper. Amos grabbed his jacket off the coat rack and exited his office. On the way out he called to his assistant, “I’m going home for lunch! I made a mess in my office, go clean it up!”
He met Aura in the factory’s small yard and they headed home together. It was a short walk, since Amos insisted they live in South Hell to be closer to the factory. The father and son entered their modest home to a mouth-watering aroma coming from the stove.
“You’re home!” Angelica said in surprise. “I can’t remember the last time you came home for lunch.”
“I had to,” Amos said. “I promised.”
“Good,” Angelica said. “Lunch is just about ready.”
Aura was already seated at the table in anticipation. His twin sister Nora sat across the table drawing in her sketchpad, which she carried with her everywhere she went. Once Aura had even caught her sleeping with it! For only being nine-years-old, Nora was a prodigy. She could draw anything. Landscapes, portraits, even abstract art. She went through many different phases, but she was currently stuck on one that her father did not approve of.
“What are you working on there, Nora?” Amos asked, eyeing her paper. Nora dropped her pencil and held up her sketchbook. She just completed a portrait of a very handsome, muscular, shirtless boy. Amos smiled, faintly. “You used to draw the loveliest landscapes. Why don’t you go back to doing that?”
“She’s a young lady,” Angelica said. The mother carried a large pot to the table and set it before her family. Lifting the lid, steam poured out and she cleared the air. The pot contained a roast demon bird that looked every bit as fantastic as it smelled. “It’s just a phase. All girls go through it at one time or another.”
Nora tore the page out of her sketchbook and handed it to her mother. Angelica carried it across the room to the far wall. Grabbing a pin, she stuck the picture to the wall amongst several other risqué drawings of handsome young men in various states of undress and poses.
“But
at her age?” Amos said. “Shouldn’t she still be playing with dolls?”
“I have a doll,” Nora said, holding up an old doll she’d outfitted with a black suit. Over the doll’s face Nora sued on a handsome boy’s face that she drew herself.
“I don’t want you playing with that doll anymore,” Amos said. Nora wasn’t listening; she had gone back to working on another sketch.
Angelica dished everyone up, making sure to cut up Aura’s meat for him. Nora shoveled whole pieces of food in her mouth without even looking up from her artwork. Almost a minute went by before Angelica finished cutting and Aura finally got to start eating his food.
“You spoil the boy too much,” Amos said.
“I know,” Angelica said smiling, running a hand through Aura’s hair.
“You should stop, you’re only softening him up.”
“Nonsense! I’m just giving him all the love and attention he needs.”
“He doesn’t need attention, he needs to start training.”
“Not this again…”
“Why not? All the other boys his age are starting. It’s good for them to get started early.”
“I don’t want our boy training yet. He gets to be a kid for a few more years still.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t decide how long he gets to be a kid. The demons do.”
Aura stopped eating, a worried look appeared on his face. Even Nora stopped sketching, but didn’t look up from her sketchpad. This was not the first time their parents argued over the subject of Aura’s training.
“We’re in a time of great calm,” Angelica said. “Demon attacks have been down for years. You’re lucky the new Commander hasn’t realized that yet, or you wouldn’t be doing so well at the factory.”
“Regardless, I still want Aura to join the Royal Guard when he comes of age, like I did. My father raised me to be an honorable warrior first and a weapons merchant second. If Aura’s going to take over the family business some day, he’ll have to do the same.”
Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) Page 13