System Change

Derek took three vials out of his storage bracelet and poured them inside Captain Herrett’s mouth. If what he was thinking was correct, the stamina and mana potions would help the man wake up, and it never hurts to throw in an extra health potion while at it.

The longer he waited, the more tempted he was to just throw Clay and Herrett in his Time Prison and sort everything out later. What he really needed to do was have a conversation with Alanah about what he learned from Malcolm. It was hard for him to think that with all her resources, she wouldn’t know anything about what was going on.

Derek waited around a few more minutes before deciding on a different approach. Using his aura worked well enough to knock some people unconscious, and that was back when he wasn’t as strong, so who’s to say it wouldn’t be able to wake someone up.

He stood from the carriage and walked around to Herrett’s side. Using what he had practiced, he moved the void through himself without holding back, then he released the held energy throughout his body and tried his best to direct it towards Captain Herrett.

At that time, he wasn’t thinking about Silvi, who was sitting on his shoulder. When his aura poured out, it also hit the bunny. She launched herself off his shoulder and landed on top of the carriage.

‘Ass.’ She called out into his mind, then to his surprise, she shot her aura back at him.

When Derek used his aura, a purple glow fell over his body, his muscles and veins bulged, his eyes turned purple, and his black hair took on a purple shade. Silvi, though, grew. She didn’t grow a lot, but when such a small creature has an increase in their muscles, it is very visible.

Her entire coat of hair turned the same color as her mane, and the purple streak on her horn glowed brilliantly. The freshly cleaned cloak on her back fluttered with her aura. It all made for a magnificent scene.

Derek locked eyes with his companion, then he felt a wave wash over him. Obviously, she directed her aura at him. It didn’t have much of an effect on Derek, but it was very uncomfortable. It felt like he was moving in water, or like the air was extremely heavy in humidity. If he wasn’t as strong as he was, he was sure he would have trouble breathing.

And that was when Herrett shot up and took a deep breath. The man wearily looked over to Derek, then at Silvi. Again, he breathed in deep. It didn’t seem to help much. Soon, his eyes turned red and a glow, not as distinct as Derek’s or Silvi’s, washed over his body. With that, the man breathed much easier.

Derek could feel the third aura. It was minor, but if he focused, he could find it. It was almost completely washed away with Silvi and his own aura.

Derek chucked and withdrew his aura, letting Silvi’s aura fall over him with no resistance. The feeling stayed the same, but it was much more pronounced, almost like the water was even heavier than before. He only experienced the feeling for a few seconds before Silvi retraced her aura as well. Then, as if nothing happened, she took her place back on his shoulder.

Captain Herrett rubbed the sweat off his forehead, then cautiously withdrew his aura as well. “I thought I was going to suffocate.” The former guard broke the silence.

Derek began to laugh, then remember Clay, who was lying in the carriage that Silvi was standing on before. The boy had passed out with just one weaker aura before, and now he had been hit by both Derek and Silvi.

Derek rushed to the back of the carriage and looked in. Clay, in all his golden-haired glory, was on his side coughing up blood and heaving. Apparently, their auras had done more than just weighing down his breathing.

Derek put his hand on the teen’s back and cast Rejuvenation. That seemed to lessen the boy’s injuries. Next, he saw the teen pull out a red vial and chug it. It was a much more expensive looking potion than the vial he had fed Herrett.

“You done?” Derek coldly asked.

That was when the noble noticed Derek. When his eyes landed on him, the teen scampered backwards until his back was up against the wall of the carriage.

“None of that.” Derek reached in and grabbed him by the collar of his tunic. Then, in one swift motion, threw him out of the carriage, onto the ground. After that, he picked the teen up by the back of his neck and walked back to the front of the carriage where Herrett was waiting.

Derek tossed the noble to the ground, then took a seat in the driver’s box on the carriage. “Get up.” He told the teen. “If you run, you die. If you fight, you die. If you don’t answer my questions… you guessed, you die. Do you understand?”

To the noble’s credit, he was able to stand and nod without pissing himself. Well, that was until he decided to look around the area. What met his eyes first was his father’s dead body. Then, he turned his head and looked behind him, at Silvi’s battlefield.

The ground had turned crimson and bodies, both whole and parts, littered the area. Hundreds of corpses fell into the boy’s view. With that, his legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. That was when his eyes fell back on Derek and he lost control of his bladder.

Derek shook his head, ignoring the noble’s plight. His gaze landed on Herrett. “So, Captain Herrett, what should I do with you?”

“Former Captain.” The man answered. The man had to have been through some stuff, because there was not a hint of fear in his eyes when he looked at Derek. “You can call me Jackson, or Jacks.”

“Okay, Jacks, what should I do with you?”

“That is up to you, sir. If your offer still stands, I would gladly accept it. You seem like a decent enough person to work for.” He gave Derek a toothy grin.

Derek had offered the man employment in jest when they first met. “And after your old employer just died, isn’t that a little rude?”

The man scoffed. “That twat? I hold no loyalty to him or his family. If I were able, I would have ended him myself.” He said. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Why would you work for him if that was the way you felt about them?” Derek asked.

“Contracts and oaths.” Jacks answered.

“And why would you make an oath to such a despicable person?”

Jacks sighed. “My son…” He said.

Derek frowned. “What happened?”

“I was out on a mission from the guild. When I got back, my wife was dead and my son was missing.” The man clenched his fists. “I looked for days. None of my contacts with the guild knew anything. I had to find my boy, he was all I had left.”

“And that’s when Gerald found you, in person.” Derek cut in.

Jacks looked at Derek in surprise, then nodded his head. “Yes. He said that he would help me find my boy as long as I made an oath and signed a contract once they found him.”

“An oath and a contract?” Derek asked.

Jacks nodded. “It’s how Gerald does things. He makes you take an oath and sign a contract. The terms are exactly the same. The only difference is that the penalty for breaking the contract is death.”

“How does that work?”

“The punishment for the contract is death one second after it is broken. It allows the oath to wipe out any skills that may be used to break a contract, then the contract takes care of the rest.” Jacks explained.

Derek nodded. “So, Gerald found your son, and you signed the contract and made an oath? Where is your son now?”

Jacks smiled. “I haven’t seen him since Malcolm was sent to be City Lord here. I trained the boy hard because I knew what kind of house Torith was. When he turned 12 and unlocked the Great System, he obtained a rare class. From there, I helped him level and sent him to the Academy. Nobody can lay a finger on those in the King’s Academy.”

Jacks sighed. “I haven’t seen him in five years. He’s 19 now. The last letter I received, he had joined the King’s Army and was working his way through the ranks. It’s much easier when you’re a graduate from the Academy.”

Derek nodded. “That’s good.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Jacks asked suddenly.

Derek nodded. “Go ahead.”

“How did you know? How did you know that Gerald personally offered his help?” Jacks asked.

“Well… that’s because he’s the one who killed your wife and kidnapped your son.” Derek answered calmly.

“What?” Jacks shouted angrily. “How…” He shook his head. “What do you know?”

Derek shook his head. “Not much. Just what that asshole told me before he died. Apparently, his father likes to kidnap children and sell them. When Malcolm overheard him talking about it, the man placed an oath on Malcolm, though not nearly as bad as the one you talked about and sent him far away where there wasn’t anybody strong enough to worry about. Well, until me.”

Jacks was trembling in rage at that point. “I’m going to kill him!”

“Calm down. You’re not the only one who wants him dead.” Derek said. “Now, if his contracts are so fierce, how are you still alive?”