Opening Moves (The Lion Knight Book 1)

by Aurelius L. Zero

  Turning to look a Noire for her opinion, the noble merely nodded her assent.

  “Okay then… we’ll wait, we have some time yet.”

  Once more settling in to wait, Noire engaged Leon is some light conversation about his other travelling partner that was absent at the moment.

  “Old man Libra is many things really, there really isn’t any way to describe him accurately. The man has more secrets locked up inside him than a room full of paranoid federation ministers. I’ve been travelling with him for almost eight years now and I still don’t know much about him or his past.”

  “Eight years?”

  “The old coot pretty much adopted me just after my eighth birthday, I’m almost sixteen now so yeah eight years.”

  “I… I see, and what about you Sir Geahart”

  “I joined up with them two years ago so I know even less. What I do know is that he is strong, and he has very powerful enemies.”

  “It is one of the reason why he leaves us on our own at times, this way he can go off to deal with his enemies without dragging us into the crossfire.”

  Leon muttered even as his face scrunched up in frustration.

  “You are unhappy with that?”

  “Of course I’m unhappy! We’re burdens to him. After all he’s done for me, I… I… I just want to pay him back you know? But to know that I am too weak to do anything to help, it hurts, it hurts a lot. To him, we are a weakness that can be exploited and I am powerless to do anything about it.”

  Leon all but shouted that last bit, anger clearly audible.

  Understanding dawned on Noire’s face, “He’s family to you isn’t he?”

  “He… I…” *sigh* “He’s my father in all but blood, what son wants to be a burden on his parents?”

  A self-deprecating smile found its way onto his face.

  “He saved me a long time ago, took me in, taught me almost everything I know, made me who I am today. I just want to pay him back you know?”

  “I understand. We-well that just means we need to train harder yes?”

  “We?”

  “Un. I don’t intend on needing to be protected forever. I will stand on my own two feet.”

  A fire burned in her eyes as she stated her resolve.

  “I… I will aid you all on your job, I will not allow my uncle’s machinations to hurt anyone else. I will not be deadweight any longer.”

  “Uhhh, there’s no need for that milady, Sir Geahart and I are-”

  “I-is my help not welcome?”

  “No no no…” *sigh* “young miss, if that is your choice I won’t stand in your way.”

  “Then it is decided.” Noire declared to her two guards resolutely.

  “I… I can use a rapier if I had one and I am a mage. It might not be much but I am proficient with barriers and healing spells.”

  “Is that so, I see… well that covers all our bases then.”

  “Eh?”

  “My squire and I are heavily biased towards offense, to call our defence weak would be an understatement. Having a barrier user who can heal and defend herself at the same time would be a great boon to us.”

  “Hmm hmm, I knew I could be of use now I-”

  “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

  Leon, Noire and Geahart looked up at the sound of a gruff voice.

  There standing behind them stood a heavy set middle aged man with a full beard and Mohawk wearing a grease stained apron.

  Despite his thuggish appearance, the man’s eyes held a twinkle that betrayed his friendliness.

  “Me name’s Dex, I run this little joint here. I trust you enjoyed your meal?”

  “I did indeed and I can say for certain that my two young companions here did as well.”

  “Wahahaha. Another satisfied customer, makes me happy it does. This be thanks for saving my young niece. And my my, did she have such a story to tell about the man who called down thunder itself to save the day.”

  “We were just doing what anyone with power would have done, it isn’t really that big a deal.”

  “Nonsense, more of those ‘people with power’ could stand to learn a thing or two from you. And it is a big deal to me so there!”

  Dex let out a booming laugh as he shot down Geahart’s modesty.

  “You shoulda seen the man, Regis was all ‘they be heroes mon’ earlier today. But.”

  Face losing some of the mirth he had, Dex’s tone turned serious.

  “Didn’t say nothing about the monster he did, said we should all stay away from the forest and such. Heh! Not like I needed any reminder.”

  “That thing… it’s sill out there isn’t it?”

  Eyes widening in surprise, Leon and Noire exchanged a glance, shocked that someone would connect the dots so easily.

  The information wasn’t supressed but it wasn’t exactly publicised either, no sense in fostering undue panic after all.

  Just as Leon was about to manipulate Geahart into answering, Dex began to speak once more.

  “Your silence tells me everything I need to know. But okay, me no tell anybody else. But, I need to know, is that monster still a threat to us?”

  This man, he’s good.

  Well nothing to it, I’ll have to fill him in on some of the details, as long as I keep all the critical information out I should be fine.

  “Yes sir, that thing is still out there. We have reason to believe it won’t be a threat anymore since its master has found what he’s looking for. We will be heading out to rectify the problem soon, for the time being we are just going to walk around town to see if anyone knows anything that might help.”

  “Hmmm…. Any luck yet?”

  “Unfortunately no. Most of the traders and townsfolk we spoke to haven’t seen or heard anything. A few have said that something big is going down in Bose soon but other than that nothing.”

  “Me thinks you should check the Vitae Tower.”

  “Hmmmm?”

  “I heard from some of me suppliers that the monsters near the Vitae tower have been acting up recently, and they say strange men have been snooping around.”

  Jaegers. Shit.

  “I see, thank you very much good sir, we’ll look into it as soon as possible.”

  “No problem, no problem at all. Just keep fighting the good fight eh? Wahahaha!”

  Bidding them farewell, Dex returned to his kitchen. Leon watched him go face impassive but inside, his mind was whirling.

  If the Jaegers have something like that at their disposal.

  Well this is bad… I guess this is why Libra was so against me engaging them.

  “On… squ… eon.” The sound of someone calling his name pulled him back to reality.

  “Hmm what? Oh sorry.”

  “Is everything alright Squire Leon?”

  “Yes, yes I’m fine. I was just thinking. Nel, I really don’t think you should come with us to investigate the tower.”

  “Wha, why?”

  “I told you that Libra left us with a job to complete yes? It was to snoop around the Vitae tower for any sign of Jaeger activity. Given what Dex said, it’s almost a given that they are present.”

  “Jaegers…. You mean that elite private military contractor group?”

  “A fancy way of saying mercenary but yes.”

  “But, but they’re banned from operating within Albion’s borders!”

  “Laws mean nothing to the Jaegers, they go where they please and generally leave burnt out ruins wherever they go. They’re monsters. Dressed in fancy armour and toting flashy weapons but monsters nonetheless.”

  “What are they doing here? And, and is that… man working with them?”

  “All good questions to which I have no answer milady. That is what we intend to find out. If they are after you because of your uncle, coming with us is a dangerous thing to do.”

  Upon hearing Leon’s words, Noire’s face hardened. Her will was resolute and she would not be denied.

  “I apprecia
te your concern good squire, but my mind is made up. I want to, no I will help. If they really are after me, it’s just a matter of time before they attack Albri. Leaving with you will reduce the risk of collateral damage. Plus, this way no one can attack while you’re away.”

  *Sigh* “There’s no convincing you otherwise is there.”

  “Nope, so give up trying to make me give up.”

  “Very well then, you are free to follow us, but given the nature of our opposition, do follow my orders. Jaegers never operate alone and I may be a knight but even I can’t deal with multiple opponents while ensuring your safety.”

  “I understand, don’t worry, I’ll follow your instructions to the letter.”

  Done discussing their future plans the three left the Ysmos and returned to Elder Regis’ office to turn in their documents and informing him of their new course of action.

  Given how preoccupied they were on their tasks, no one noticed the observer hidden in the ceiling of the restaurant.

  Heh, so they’re off to the tower to hunt me eh? Hehahehahahah.

  Most interesting indeed, well it’s still too early for the curtain call.

  I know, sending in the rest of the Iron Wolves should make for a good show.

  Should I call ‘him’ in?

  Nah, this is my private viewing, next time maybe.

  So Leon was it?

  Hehe I look forward to seeing the might of Libra’s apprentice in action, try not to disappoint me boy.

  You won’t like me when I’m disappointed.

  A small ripple in the ceiling was the only sign that the hidden observer had left for parts unknown to further his own nefarious plans. Ready to call down the storm on the intrepid trio for his own twisted sense of amusement.

  Chapter 4: The Vitae Tower

  The small band of travellers were the only ones on the otherwise deserted road.

  As the sun set, the world was dyed a magnificent shade of orange.

  The azure knight led the way while his two younger compatriots were lost in a conversation of their own.

  “This… this is inconceivable! How can your sagent have eight Ceph crystals linked?”

  Noire was questioning Leon in an incredulous tone while staring at the glove on his right arm.

  The eight crystals faintly glowing on his arm was a mind-boggling sight to her.

  Initially writing off the extra crystals as a decorative piece, she was more than surprised to find they were a part of the network.

  “Ah haha, it’s a long story milady.”

  “Mu…..”

  Leon was walking with his hands behind his head, a carefree expression on his face while Noire was pouting at his answer or lack thereof.

  “Well… it has to do with someone I met a long time ago.”

  They had been on the road to the Vitae Tower for two hours now.

  Elder Regis had given them his blessing once they had informed him of their plans.

  “Go do what you must, I have faith in your abilities. After all, you’ve already pulled off one miracle, I believe you can do it again.”

  It was a simple plan, reach the tower just before nightfall, find a secluded place to camp for the night and then stake out the place.

  Record any suspicious activity and avoid contact at all costs.

  Depending on the situation, either enter the tower in the morn or return to report.

  With a lack of any pressing matters to deal with, the raven haired noble had taken the chance to inquire about Leon’s spells.

  Initially, she believed him to be a mage. In her opinion, only one born with the power to freely manipulate flux would be able to pull off the feats he did.

  Contrary to her expectations, the puppeteer had denied that.

  Just a magician, he said. Any magic he could use was due to the sagent on his right arm.

  It held a whopping eight crystals linked together. That was the reason for his ability to wield spells that had never been seen before.

  While the spells themselves were impressive, it was the miracle of engineering sitting so innocuously on his hand that drew her attention.

  With her upbringing, she was more than aware of how hard it was to create a sagent capable of linking more than five crystals.

  Common sagents available to the general public could hold four, and the spells they could use were severely limited.

  Military issue sagents were installed with a special system that would allow for a fifth crystal to be added.

  To the best of her knowledge, a six crystal sagent had only been developed once by a joint effort between the techs of Bose and the archmages of Zirnitra College.

  It was a massive undertaking and the work was considered revolutionary if impractical. True to what Leon had said, the spells crafted with more than the usual number of Ceph crystals were never before seen.

  However, the prototype was hardly portable, requiring an entire team of flux movers to shift, and expensive in terms of raw materials and power consumption.

  Linking any more than six crystals was considered to be a pipe dream given modern technology.

  Yet here was a boy no older than sixteen carrying around a sagent with eight crystals.

  Her curiosity was on overdrive now and she absolutely had to know.

  Taking pity on Noire, Leon decided to stop teasing her even if he did find her pout to be cute.

  Leon looked up with a wistful expression as he thought back to simpler times.

  “He never gave his name, insisting it was unnecessary, for the most part we simply referred to him as Doctor. He lived for the pursuit of the impossible, always trying to accomplish the things everyone said couldn’t be done.”

  “Did he ever succeed then?”

  “Oh he did, many times in fact. Most of the records regarding technological advancements are held by him under pseudonyms really. Every time he’s done with one goal, he moves on to the next.”

  “And he decided to create a sagent that could hold more than six crystals just because?”

  “Hmm not quite milady.”

  “His goal is the ability to string together an unlimited amount of crystals. His efforts only allowed him to go up to eight before the system would become unstable.”

  Leon paused momentarily and looked at his glove.

  A beat up leather thing with gently gleaming crystals set into it.

  “I don’t know what possessed him to do so, but he gained some kind of inspiration from my old glove one day and just stole it from me. When I got it back, it was an eight crystal sagent.”

  -*-

  The sun having fully set over the horizon now, the sky was now filled with the stars of the night sky.

  The last vestiges of the sun’s rays painted the clouds a dull shade of orange and the looming sight of the Vitae tower was set against that backdrop.

  If it were any other time, Leon would have admitted that such a sight was one of the most magical things he had ever seen.

  As it was though, he was on edge once more. Potential conflict with Jaegers and that monster from the Umbra forest was a distinct possibility.

  At the same time, his nerves had started acting up, filling him with a sense of unease. As used to danger as he was, very rarely did he have his instincts screaming at him to turn back with all possible haste

  Something’s wrong.

  I haven’t felt like this since… since that time.

  I don’t like this.

  I don't like this at all.

  “Is something wrong squire?”

  Noire couldn’t help but ask after seeing Leon’s face becoming serious in an instant.

  Subconsciously she began drawing on her own magic just in case they were about to be attacked again.

  “Nothing milady, I just happen to have a bad feeling about that tower for some reason. It’s probably just me being nervous, but… I think it’s best for us to be on guard from here on out.”

  Twitching his fingers, Leon fired off a flux pulse
to sense for any nearby flux signatures. At the same time he set Geahart to scanning the surroundings with its advanced sensors.

  Both scans came back negative for any hostiles and this allowed Leon to breathe slightly easier.

  At the very least they weren’t walking into an ambush. He highly doubted that any opponent could avoid both scans like that.

  “Valor, can you find us a place to rest for the night? Going any further into the darkness is a bad idea, I’d rather not walk into anything I can’t see my way out off, let alone fight my way through.”

  SCRREEEEEE

  With a mighty flap of his wings, Valor took to the skies as Leon requested and began his search for a place to camp and any hidden hostiles.

  Leon, Geahart and Noire watched as Valor rapidly became a speck on the horizon as he flew towards the tower in the distance.

  “Lady Noire, we should pick up the pace now, the light is fading fast.”

  With that said, Geahart immediately began walking faster with Noire and Leon following suit.

  Unease still ate at Leon despite the lack of any concrete reason to be so.

  Something’s coming, I don’t know what it is but… whatever it is, it’s bad.

  Is it the tower itself?

  My body feels like… like it wants nothing to do with the place.

  Frowning, the puppeteer did his best to put his worries out of mind for the time being.

  Fortunately for the party, they encountered no problems on their way to a small clearing that Valor found.

  Their camp was nothing too fancy, a clearing in the middle of a small copse of trees well away from the main road and within walking distance to the Vitae tower.

  It was well hidden, nigh impossible to find except through the skies, the trees were tall enough to serve as a watchtower.

  Being situated on a small hill as well, the place provided a good place to observe the tower without needing to get any closer.

  Once they were done setting up their camp, dinner was served. Reheated Ysmos leftovers were hardly grade ‘A’ cuisine but at that moment no one was complaining.

  He had sent Geahart off into the treetops to begin his watch under the excuse that he could eat later once the shift had changed.

  Despite her objections, Noire had to turn in first and wasn’t given a shift on the count that she wasn’t used to such an existence and there was no point tiring her out before the big day.