Across Eternity B. 01

Cooperation

It took a whole day to ride back to the village, repeating the original journey he had made when he first arrived in this timeline but now doing it alone. Like the day before, he arrived as the sun approached the horizon. Fatigue gripped him, so he went straight to the inn. He sat at his usual table, and the innkeeper brought two food trays.

"I was worried when you didn't show up for dinner last night or breakfast this morning. Where's Tin?" she asked.

"She died."

The woman set down both trays. "I'm... I'm so sorry."

"She was just a slave," he replied.

He then pulled one of the trays over and ate his meal silently. Over the past month, everyone who came for drinks grew used to seeing Noah and Tin eating together. A few people, noticing her absence, inquired just as the innkeeper had, and Noah told them the same thing he told her. His emotionless response angered Holly, one of the chambermaids, and she grabbed Noah by the collar and lifted him to his feet.

"She was a nice girl! Everyone here knows how devoted she was to you!"

Noah stared her in the eyes. "Does any of that even matter?"

Perhaps it was the way he said it or the coldness in his eyes, but she dropped Noah back to his seat and stormed off in disgust. After that, no one approached him. Finally, when he was done with his meal, he made his way up to his room. This time, when he opened the door, there was no greeting. The candle was unlit, and there was no fire in the hearth. It was just a dark room. Noah shut the door behind him and went straight to bed. Two days without sleep had left him exhausted, and a deep, dreamless slumber enveloped him.

----------

"How much longer are we going to wait?" The impatient voice came from a young man with a halberd on one shoulder and a noticeable chip on the other. He was sitting on the front porch of the Fault mansion, along with Oath and the two other team members, Beth and Mira.

"He said he would be back today, but I know he also has business to attend to," Oath replied.

"Do you have any idea where he rode off to?" Beth asked.

"No clue."

"I don't care how tough you say he is," the man with the halberd said, "if he rode out into those woods at night, he's dead for sure."

"Shut up, Trevor. When Beth and I met him, we knew that he was the real deal."

"Tin was hit, and it was like I blinked and he had already chased down the assassin and killed him."

"I still call nonsense on him taking out four men in that field."

"I gathered their horses myself."

"Oh, there he is!"

A galloping horse with its rider could be seen on the road leading to the mansion. Noah approached them and climbed off his horse. "Sorry, I'm late."

"That's the nice ring. You look more like a noble than I do," said Oath.

It was the knight ring, recovered from the local goldsmith. Gold leaf covered the avenium runes, and the enhancement jewel sat atop the crest. It was undoubtedly gaudy, but sometimes gaudiness had its own charm.

"Thanks. Beth, Mira, you're doing well, I see. When did you form this party?"

"Right after we met you in the woods. We looked around for anyone willing to team up with us and found Oath and Trevor," said Mira. "And I'm sorry about Tin."

"Me too," Beth added.

Noah simply nodded. "So, the baron has asked me to lead this team to conquer the dungeon crab. Before we do that, I need to--"

"You aren't leading anything," said Trevor. "You're not the boss of us, just the babysitter for the baron's son."

"You're just going to bitch and moan throughout this whole ordeal, aren't you?" Beth asked.

"I didn't become an adventure to take orders."

Noah took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. "Ugh, one of you people. This is the last thing I need. Listen, here's what's supposed to happen: you and I spend the next several days playing the game where I act as the stern yet understanding authority figure, and you keep throwing temper tantrums due to some unspoken deep-seated issue. By the time we arrive at the dungeon crab, you'll hate me more than ever and almost get us killed, probably with me having to save your life.

However, your screwup will help you realize you're full of nothing but bravado and horse shit, and you'll finally decide to listen to me, allowing me to break your hard outer shell to help you solve your behavioral problems, which I'm guessing are about your father, or feelings of inadequacy, or something along similar lines. We'll capture the dungeon crab and form a long-lasting friendship of respect and trust.

Now, that is what is supposed to happen, and as much as I would love to go on that emotional journey with you, I have literally a million better things to do with my time. So, let's nip this in the bud right now. You and me, one-on-one, until one of us can no longer stand. The loser has to listen and obey the winner until the dungeon crab is captured, including an order to leave the party."

Most of what he said went over everyone's heads, but bless Trevor's heart, he was smart enough to realize he had just been insulted. "You son of a bitch!" he barked as he got to his feet and pointed his halberd at Noah.

"That's the spirit. Give it your best shot, because if you don't take me down, you're going to end up swallowing a lot of blood."

Trevor took a stance, gripping his halberd with both hands and enveloping the blade with mana, with runes appearing in the air. It was just like the spell the goblin chief had used on his sword to increase the strength of his slashes, meaning that getting hit with that halberd would surely be deadly.

"Trevor, stop this! This is insanity!" Mira implored.

"No, don't get in his way," said Noah as he removed his ring and cricked his neck. "The most important lessons hurt the most."

Trevor lunged with a decent form and thrust his halberd toward Noah. It wasn't just the destructive power of his halberd; his speed had more than doubled. "Mountain-Splitter!"

It was by a thin margin, but Noah stepped to the side, and the blade missed. He grabbed the halberd's shaft and delivered a bone-crushing punch to Trevor's nose, causing him to let go and stagger back.

"That was a good thrust. I imagine you've spent plenty of time practicing it."

Trevor's face was pouring blood, but he remained standing and glared at Noah with limitless hatred. "Give it back!"

"Fine, but I think it's been established that you can't hit me with it."

Noah tossed the halberd back, and Trevor wasted no time in charging the blade with mana, producing an impressive aura. This time, instead of a thrust, he made a wide swing, with blood splattering off his face. "Erasing Cleave!" Apparently, saying the name of the spell helped focus the mind and increase its potency. To Noah, it seemed a bit ridiculous, but it did make things a bit more entertaining.

Once more, Noah simply backed out of his range, escaping with zero damage. Then he closed in and delivered an uppercut to Trevor's jaw, busting his teeth and making him an even bloodier mess. This time, Trevor couldn't stay on his feet and fell back, trying and failing to contain his cry of anguish. Noah could see the baron's servants watching from the fields and through the windows.

"Noah, that's enough! You two need to stop this!" Beth exclaimed.

"He's the one who decides when we stop. Feel free to give him a health potion, though."

"I don't need a damn health potion!" Trevor shouted.

He scrambled to his feet and went at it again. He abandoned the idea of using magic and attacked Noah with a barrage of rapid-fire stabs. Noah deflected each attack with his shield, and when Trevor tried to get in close for another swing, he again grabbed the halberd and stopped Trevor from moving. It became a tug of war, but Noah maintained his posture despite Trevor's accumulated strength.

"You know what I'm going to do now, right?" Trevor tried to figure out how Noah would throw another punch, but instead, he let go of the halberd and sent Trevor falling onto his ass. "Your skills with that thing aren't that bad, at least, if you just stick to hunting monsters, but you'll never hit me with it. Try showing me how good you are with your fists." Noah placed his hand on his longsword and slowly drew it halfway. "Unless you'd prefer to stick to armed combat, in which case I'll gladly humor you."

Trevor abandoned his halberd and charged, sending a straight right punch toward Noah. Noah caught his fist and struck his elbow, snapping his arm like his bones were made of glass. Before Trevor could even scream, Noah silenced him with a brain-rattling punch to the jaw, once more knocking him to the ground. He seemed to be out cold, so Noah poured a health potion on his face. The spray woke him up and healed his nose and mouth, though his arm would have to be reset before a potion could mend it.

"So, do you want to keep going? I can go all day if you wish, but only if you can handle it. And we can go whenever you want. This isn't your only chance.

Now I suppose there are several ways we can go about this. We can do the whole emotional journey thing, but the fact that I've explained it kind of takes away the magic. You can choose to leave the party. There's the option of waiting until I have my back turned and then getting your revenge, which, again, you are free to do so at any time, but at your own risk.

Poisoning my food might work, but it would just be you admitting you're weaker than me. So, I suppose your best option would be to shut your fucking mouth, accept that I'm stronger than you and smarter than you, and pay attention to what I will teach you, as it will improve your skills and your chances of survival.

From there, we can go to the dungeon crab, and you'll easily overcome challenges that would have killed you at your current level of strength. With a good amount of effort, coordination, and no shortage of luck, we'll conquer the dungeon crab and become rich beyond our wildest dreams.

Of course, there is always the option of betraying us down there and running off with all the loot, but boy, oh boy, you'd better make sure I'm dead, because you don't want me coming after you. You really don't. So, basically, your only options are to walk away and never show your face to me again, or get over yourself, cut the bullshit, and fall in line. So, what do you say?"

Everyone was silent, waiting to hear Trevor's response. He glared at Noah and took deep, angry breaths through his nose. "You say you can make me stronger?"

"I guarantee it."

"We conquer the dungeon crab and we're done, right? I never have to see you again?"

"You'll be so rich, you can retire to some fancy beach house on your own private island, spending your days drinking until you can't even remember me."

"Fine."

"I'll let the three of you fix his arm. I need to speak with the baron inside."

Noah stepped onto the porch and entered the house, walking right by where Tin had died. "Is the baron in?" he asked, addressing one of the servants.

"My Lord is in his private study, sir. Please go ahead, he's waiting for you."

Just as Oath had done the day before, the woman knocked on the double doors and announced Noah's arrival, with the baron granting entry. The old man was behind his desk. "That was quite the spirited match outside. Your skills are the real deal. I was wise to choose you for this."

"We won't know that until we've seen the results. It's too early to celebrate."

The baron poured himself a drink. "I'm glad you returned. I'm sorry for the loss of your companion. I hope she found peace and you buried her well."

"Don't worry about it. I already killed your brother and his son."

The glass fell from the baron's hand and shattered. "What?!" he exclaimed.

There was an immediate knock on the door. "My Lord, is everything fine?" a man asked.

Noah's gaze never left the baron, showing no fear of his reaction. The baron gripped the corner of the desk but managed to control himself. "Everything is fine. We are not to be disturbed." Then, when he sensed the servant had left, he turned his attention back to Noah. "You wouldn't even give me the chance to talk you out of vengeance?"

"It was nothing of the sort."

----------

It was midmorning, and Noah had just claimed his ring from the goldsmith, the last of his morning errands. With the information given by those around town, he traversed the outskirts and came upon the baronet's farm. Neither the fields nor the house matched the baron. Despite being of noble rank, baronets were simply commoners with the prefix 'Sir' or 'Lady.'

He found the baronet repairing a cattle fence behind the house. With fewer slaves than his brother, he had to do most of the farm work himself. He was identical to the baron but sporting fewer wrinkles without the beard. Noah was invisible, so the man didn't even notice him approaching, but was calm when Noah pressed the blade of his knife to his throat and told him to drop the hammer he was using.

"Sir Edwin Fault, I presume?"

"Who's asking?"

"Did you hire someone to kill the Oath Fault?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I try to kill my beloved nephew?"

"To get your son the rank of baron. If you aren't going to answer my questions, I suppose I can always ask him, or maybe your wife. That said, I won't ask nicely."

"You must be the bastard who saved him from that goblin den. I had to pay that adventurer a good deal of money to kill him. To think he'd be such a chickenshit and leave the job to goblins. Lazy prick."

"Tell me, did your son know about the hit you put on his cousin?"

"He would have killed that talentless brat himself if I hadn't talked him out of it. He didn't do anything. I'm the one you want. If you have a bone to pick, put that knife away and let's solve this like men."

Noah answered with a flick of his wrist, severing Edwin's jugular and sending him tumbling to the ground, trying pointlessly to stop the bleeding. Noah stood by to confirm the death and then made his way toward the fields, where the baronet's son was working.

----------

"You see, Baron Fault, I am a man of many sins. There was a time when I took great joy in making people suffer, when sadism was a passion of mine, and I've been working to change myself since then. I don't allow myself to kill for pleasure or vengeance, and certainly I didn't kill them for what they did, but for what they would continue to do.

Associating with you and your son has already cost me the life of a loyal subordinate, and I'd rather not give anyone the chance to get in my way. If I were to allow them to live, they would continue to try and kill you and Oath, and I'd have to clean up the mess, just like I've been doing since I found your son in that goblin den. The last thing I'd want is to capture the dungeon and then get ambushed by your brother's henchmen when I'm too tired to fight back.

I assumed you had forgiven your brother because he is your family, despite his attempts to kill Oath, but you're hiring me to keep Oath alive, and if I'm going to do that, it will be done my way. If you have any objections, state them now."

Ivan didn't respond. He simply slumped in his seat and exhaled deeply. He'd known his brother had to be dealt with for his son to inherit the rank of baron. However, even if it had been slim, there was always a chance of reconciliation. He had dreamt of conversing with his brother, as they had a long time ago, and burying the hatchet. Now that possibility was gone forever. Noah claimed he hadn't acted out of vengeance against his brother, but Ivan couldn't help but feel he was the one being punished.

"I thought as much. Despite your brother and nephew dying, I'm aware that your son still has little prospect of inheriting your title, so the dungeon capture will proceed as planned. We didn't have the chance to talk about payment for this job, but don't worry, I'm not interested in money or land. There is something else I want."

----------

It took more than one healing potion to repair Trevor's arm, which could only be done once the bones were reset. Nevertheless, he was all patched up by the time Noah made his return.

"For the next five days, I'm going to evaluate each of your skills and see where improvements are needed. First, we're going to hunt some monsters. I want to know your combat skills and see how well you work as a team. You all have your weapons, so we're going to depart now and travel light. Any objections?"

No one said anything, not after watching how he thrashed Trevor. Their silence was not out of fear; instead, it was the awareness that Noah knew what he was talking about. He wasn't the oldest member of the group, but they all sensed he had much more experience than they did.

"Good, then let's depart. Oath, you know the area. Please lead the way."

"I actually know the location of a magic spawning circle. Let's head there."

They gathered some supplies and set off into the wilderness, now vulnerable in the darkness of the trees. The territory of monsters was well-established, due much in part to the summoning circles they spawned from. They only intruded into human territory when there was a shortage of food or their numbers had grown too great. The constant flow of adventurers solved both issues.

As they walked, Noah spoke to everyone.

"Mira, we talked once before about this. Have you developed any skills for close-quarter combat?"

"I've been training with my staff since then. Oath and I spar a lot when we're not hunting."

"What about magic?"

"I haven't been able to develop anything for fighting enemies up close."

"We'll work on that. Oath, Beth, can either of you use magic?"

"I can't," said Oath.

"I can create water, but not in any kind of attack. I use it to fill up my water skin."

"Good, we'll definitely need that in the dungeon. You're still using your bow as your main weapon, right?"

"Yeah, and I got poison for my arrows just like you...." She trailed off, remembering what Oath had told her. Tin had been killed with a poison arrow.

Noah paid no attention to the drop in her speech. "What about close-range? Any weapons?"

"I use a knife."

"Good. Trevor, you can activate magic when you thrust and swing your halberd. Anything else?"

"Nope. The halberd is all I can use."

Noah had picked up some scraps of info on the different branches of magic in this world, and Trevor appeared to be in the warrior class, just like the goblin chief. Warriors could only activate their skills with specific weapons, which depended on the individual. He wasn't exaggerating when he said the halberd was all he could use. He couldn't activate his magic with any other weapon.

"We're here," said Oath. He then stopped in his tracks. "On second thought, I think we should turn back."

Noah looked ahead. He could see a large magic circle on the forest floor consisting of runes and assorted shapes. Standing in the circle was a bear the size of a van. However, its body was faint, translucent, like it was just a hologram, but with each passing moment, its color deepened. The circle was converting mana into physical matter and converting it, essentially 3D printing the massive beast.

"I've never seen a bear like that out here."

"It's a sledgepaw, a rare, dangerous breed. It is to regular bears what that hobgoblin was to regular goblins. We should get out of here before it attacks. This is a little bit out of our league."

"No, it's perfect. We'll wait for it to finish spawning and then take it on. For all we know, the dungeon could have far worse monsters."

It took only a minute for the bear to fully materialize, immediately spotting Noah and the group and labeling them as enemies without hesitation or confusion. It released a roar of fury and charged, signaling the start of the battle. Noah kept his distance while the group spread out, surrounding the bear.