Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

In a clearing not far from the lake, Aureleah stood with her arms folded as she watched the failed Alchemist struggle.

Even after hearing Veyrath’s dramatic complaints, her expression remained unchanged as she spoke with utter indifference.

”If you think drowning yourself is more important than learning how to defend yourself, then by all means, be my guest.”

As she spoke, the silver-haired Assassin stepped aside and gestured toward the lake.

Veyrath froze, then slowly, he turned toward the shimmering body of water.

The lake reflected the crimson sky above like a gigantic mirror. Gentle ripples drifted across its surface while the waterfall thundered endlessly nearby, sending mist into the air.

The failed Alchemist was genuinely speechless as he turned back toward Aureleah. Somehow, he had thought threatening her with his own life would provoke at least some kind of reaction from her.

Instead, she had practically given him the permission to commit suicide...

But what had he really expected though?

By now, he should have known that amongst everyone in the group, Aureleah was perhaps the coldest.

Veyrath scratched the back of his neck awkwardly before retreating half a step...

”You know what...?” He said while waving his hand dismissively. ”Never mind. I think training is the most significant thing ever.”

Nearby, Caelestra clicked her tongue...

Sweat dripped from her forehead as she tried to maintain her stance alongside Sylveris.

”I seriously don’t understand you at all.” She said. ”Why do you keep saying things that you would never actually do at all?”

The failed Alchemist ignored her question as he grumbled under his breath before reluctantly returning to position.

The martial stance looked simple at first glance, but in reality, it was actually torture.

Their feet were spread under them soulder-width apart while their knees remained bent. Their backs had to straight, their hips were lowered, and their arms where positioned properly.

It looked as though they were sitting atop an invisible horse which earned the pose it’s name at at first glance... Horse stance.

According to Aureleah, the position strengthened the legs, improved balance, increase endurance, and built the foundation required for wielding weapons effectively.

Unfortunately, none of those benefits mattered to Veyrath right now. His thighs felt like they were on fire, his knees were trembling, and in fact, his entire lower body was screaming in protest as he struggled to maintain balance...

Somehow, he was beginning to think that this wasn’t a martial stance at all, but torture disguised as one. They’ve been at this stance since Aureleah told them about martial arts and that was actually nearly thirty minutes ago.

Just as he was about to complain once more, Sylveris suddenly blinked. The younger girl stood upright before pointing toward the waterfall.

”Sister... Regaleon’s back!” She shouted.

The moment those words left her mouth, all conversation ceased as the others instinctively turned toward the waterfall cave just to see four figures emerging from its entrance.

At first, Veyrath’s face lit up as he thought he finally had an excuse to get out of this despair. But the moment he looked closely at the four of them, his smile vanished immediately.

The quartet looked miserable...

Valmyr was practically leaning his entire weight against Vaelorin, Kaeloris looked as though he might collapse at any moment as he struggled to keep walking...

And even Regaleon looked battered. His Armour was damaged in several places, deep claw marks ran across the chestplate while blood stained portions of his clothing beneath the Soul Essence.

Both he and Kaeloris carried crude sacks that were also stained with black blood...

Aureleah’s silver eyes narrowed when she saw their severe injuries.

”What happened?” She asked curtly.

Vaelorin barely managed to keep Valmyr upright before reaching the clearing. Then, he simply dropped to the ground and released a long breath of relief...

”We found a Rank One Anima...” He answered tiredly.

There was a stunned silence as the other four stared at him with visible shock reflected on their faces.

Vaelorin rubbed his face before continuing. ”Actually... It was the Anima that found us first.”

Aureleah’s expression shifted slightly as she asked further. ”A Rank One Anima? In the cave?”

Kaeloris shook his head as he dropped the heavy sack from his shoulder. Then he stretched his aching back before replying.

”The Anima was not inside the cave. There is a tunnel in the waterfall which leads to an underground passageway. And beyond that, there is a ruined temple...”

Hearing this, curiosity immediately appeared with several gazes.

Regaleon also lowered his own sack before adding. ”We followed the Drake’s trail through the tunnel. And as it turns out, the creature responsible for dragging it’s corpse to the temple was a Rank One Anima.”

Realization settled within the other four as they looked at the quartet with amazement. Surviving against a Rank One Anima was really something that would stun others, especially when the person to survive is merely an Awakener.

Then, Caelestra’s gaze drifted toward the sacks as she asked. ”So, what’s inside those things?”

Hearing her question, Valmyr immediately grinned. Despite looking half-dead moments ago, excitement suddenly returned to the failed Vanguard as he pointed at the sacks.

”Those... Those are the spoils of war.”

Veyrath looked at the sacks for a few moments, then he stared at Valmyr. ”Hold on... Are you saying that those things actually contain parts from the Anima?”

Valmyr nodded his head as he said simply. ”Right.”

The failed Alchemist almost choked on air. ”You mean, you guys actually killed a Rank One Anima?!”

The bulky youth’s grin widened as his eyes flashed with pride. ”The battle was tough, but eventually, we brought the bastard down.”

It was at this point that Aureleah spoke once more. ”So, what about the temple?”

Regaleon exhaled heavily before replying. ”We didn’t bother investigating it further. The battle against the Anima had drained too much of our strength, so we had to prioritize recovering...”

Aureleah nodded her head in understanding. Then, she turned yiard Veyrath. ”Would you continued to stand there or get to work?”

The failed Alchemist was stunned for a brief moment, then he immediately understood.

”Right...”

Without further delay, he approached Regaleon first. However, the silver-haired Knight raised a hand before pointing at Valmyr.

”Take care of him first. He is more injured than I am.”

Veyrath nodded before walking to the failed Vanguard. Crouching next to him, he summoned his Life Tree and activated his Essence Rune ”Root Dominion.”

Immediately, roots slithered from his hand before wrapping around Valmyr’s body. A warm emerald glow spread through the vines, and instantly, the bruises covering Valmyr began fading away.

The swelling on his body lessened, the pain gradually receded, and through all of that, Valmyr released a satisfied groan. Clearly, he was enjoying the treatment...

While the healing continued, Sylveris quietly approached one of the sacks. Curiously flickered in her silver eyes as she asked.

”So, what exactly did you bring back?”

Kaeloris opened the sack and reached in before pulling something out...

An enormous ivory fang emerged as he pulled his arm back. The tooth was nearly as long as Sylveris’ arm and beneath the crimson sky, it gleamed with a sharp light...

Then, Kaeloris reached back in and pulled out a second one. The pair looked more like two short swords than fangs...

Sylveris eyes sparkled as she looked at the saber and complimented. ”Wow... They are so beautiful.”

Kaeloris managed a small smile as he replied. ”Regaleon figured that you might need a weapon so we brought them back.”

Then he raised the fangs and explained. ”With proper shaping and sharpening, they can become excellent blades so you can defend yourself better.”

Sylveris had a wide smile as she carefully accepted the fangs from Kaeloris. Despite their size, they were surprisingly light and she tested their weight experimentally.

Suddenly, her smile faded as she immediately turned towards the silver-haired Knight.

”Uhm... I don’t actually know how to use weapons.”

”Don’t worry, I’ll teach you.” Regaleon comforted.

After that, he pushed himself upright despite his injuries and walked over to her. Taking one fang, he pointed towards its base...

”You see, this is where you grip goes. Since they haven’t been refined yet, stabbing with them will be easier than slashing. But once we shape the edges, they’ll function like proper blades...”

Meanwhile, Veyrath had already completed Valmyr’s treatment. The failed Alchemist stared at the bulky youth’s torn beastskin armour and remarked.

”Seriously, how badly did that Anima beat you up?”

Valmyr glanced down, then he shrugged before replying perfunctorily. ”Why don’t you fight a Rank One Anima first and you’ll find out.”

Hearing that, Veyrath wisely shut his mouth as he decided against responding. Then, he stood up and moved toward Vaelorin...