System in Assassin's Creed

Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Extra Chap

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It was now night time, the sounds of the crew working to repair the galleon and sort through the salvaged goods providing a constant backdrop, like it as some kind of background music.

Alaric pushed open the door to their cabin, it was still functional enough. He saw Reuben sitting at the small desk, staring intently at the Sword of Damokles which was laid on top of the wooden surface, its faint glow muted in the lantern light. Reuben’s expression was grave.

Alaric announced his presence with a loud, ”Sup...”

Reuben looked up, startled, his gaze flicking from the sword to Alaric and back again. They were alone now, the thin walls offering minimal privacy but enough that no one should overhear.

”What’s this sword, ’Laric?” Reuben asked, his voice low and troubled. ”During the fight... I felt like I was about to become... a war maniac.”

Alaric raised his brows slightly, walking over to his bed and sitting down.

”Did it tell you to kill?” he asked calmly. ”Was it uncontrollable?”

Reuben shook his head slowly. ”No... not exactly. It didn’t speak, not in words. But it... guided my movements. Showed me where to strike for the quickest kill, where the blood would splatter the most.” He shuddered slightly. ”I didn’t feel like I was fighting with my own abilities, ’Laric. It felt... borrowed... and wrong.”

Silence settled between them for a moment, thick with unspoken questions.

”How ’bout you try swinging the sword at me?” Alaric suggested, breaking the quiet.

Reuben’s eyes widened in alarm. ”Are you crazy? You saw what happened out there! The sword... it amplifies my strength so much!”

Alaric just smirked, raising an eyebrow and chuckling softly. ”Have you forgotten who you’re talking to, Reuben?”

Reuben stared at Alaric for a second, the fear in his eyes slowly replaced by resignation. He sighed. ”Yeah... thanks for reminding me.”

He stood up, hesitantly picking up the Sword of Damokles. The faint golden light seemed to intensify slightly as his fingers wrapped around the hilt.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped it firmly and, with a sudden burst of movement, aimed a powerful downward slash directly at Alaric.

Before the blade could connect, Alaric’s hand shot out, catching the flat of the blade between his index and middle finger.

Despite the seemingly casual block, the force behind Reuben’s strike, amplified by the sword, created a powerful shockwave.

The air in the small cabin compressed, making the curtains flutter wildly and sending Reuben’s stacked books tumbling to the floor once more.

Reuben stared, wide-eyed, as Alaric held the powerful artifact still with just two fingers.

He felt the familiar, unsettling urge from the sword, demanding that he should press the attack, break through the impossible defense.

He instinctively tried to pull the sword back, to wrench it free and strike again, but it wouldn’t budge. It was held fast, completely neutralized by Alaric’s deceptively simple grip.

”Even with the sword’s power...” Reuben breathed, the influence receding slightly in the face of his shock and Alaric’s sheer presence.

”You’re really abnormal, ’Laric.”

As Reuben spoke, the frantic energy subsided completely, his mind clearing as if waking from a trance.

He stared at the sword, then at Alaric’s unwavering fingers, finally back to himself. He let go of the hilt, letting Alaric hold the blade.

”Your strength certainly increased,” Alaric noted, releasing the sword and examining his fingers. They trembled almost imperceptibly for a fraction of a second before the slight strain vanished, healing instantly.

Alaric then met Reuben’s gaze. ”I felt the sword’s intention. It’s certainly amplifying your strength... but it feels like it eats away at your sanity, little by little. Pushing you towards bloodshed.”

Reuben listened intently, staring at the sword now held by Alaric as if it were a venomous snake.

”Let me hold it properly,” Alaric said. Reuben nodded wordlessly.

Alaric took the sword, gripping the hilt firmly. He closed his eyes, focusing his senses, reaching out with his chakra towards the artifact.

He could feel its ancient, powerful ego... not truly sentient, perhaps, but a reservoir of intent, of purpose, honed over who knows how many millenias.

He began pouring his own chakra into the blade, weaving intricate Fuinjutsu patterns mentally, imagining them locking onto the sword’s core, suppressing its overwhelming influence.

Slowly, complex sealing ink patterns seemed to shimmer into existence along the blade’s surface, glowing faintly.

Alaric raised his eyebrows slightly as he felt the sword resist, actively draining his chakra at an alarming rate, trying to fight off the seal.

He smirked. ’Stubborn, aren’t you?’

He increased the flow, pouring more and more potent chakra into the Fuinjutsu matrix, overwhelming the sword’s resistance. The artifact seemed to hum, vibrating slightly in his hand, until finally, with a soft pulse of golden light from the embedded seal patterns, it subsided.

The glowing ink shimmered once more, then faded from view, absorbed into the metal itself.

Alaric nodded, satisfied. He opened his eyes and handed the sword back to Reuben. ”Why don’t you try again?”

Reuben took the sword hesitantly, raising a brow. He gripped the hilt, focusing, then nodded. He swung again, perhaps not with the same desperate force as before, but still with considerable strength.

Alaric caught the blade again, this time infusing his fingers with a thin layer of chakra as a precaution. The impact was solid, but the wild energy was gone.

Reuben’s eyes widened, this time in pure surprise.

”It’s... gone,” he stammered, lowering the sword. ”The... feeling... the influence. It’s completely gone.”

He swung the sword experimentally a few times. ”But the power... I can still feel the strength it lends.”

Alaric smirked, lowering his hand. ”What... was I successful?” he asked innocently.

Reuben looked from the sword to Alaric, a look of profound relief washing over his face. ”Yes... whatever you did, it worked. Thank you, ’Laric.”

Alaric just grinned. ’Buying the Fuinjutsu: Ascendant was definitely worth it.’

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