Throne of Steam

Night fell as the gates opened, the weary hunters were grave faced and grieved silently, a few recruits came to clean the battlefield and carry the two bodies. Those that fell in battle deserve nothing less than a hero's burial.

Hehehe!

While Garett could relate to the sentiments illustrated by his companions, a strong feeling of elation flooded throughout his body nonetheless, and the scenes he saw during that split-second reflection were enough to rekindle the hopes he had in the abilities bestowed by the old book.

Thank you, Vellen... Focusing his will, he stealthily operated the tiny serpent abilities. For a duration that didn't even amount to a full second, he could feel his body becoming like an impenetrable fortress! Even if the feeling lasted very shortly, it could help him in a critical moment.

It's still very taxing, though. The veteran hunters can keep using their powers for a very long time; I wonder how... Doing his utmost to keep his face from portraying a joyful expression, to avoid being misunderstood by his companions.

I may be a jerk! But I'm a jerk with principles!... He thought to himself, feeling prideful about his sense of social awareness.

"There's no need to be so tense, boy. People like us constantly face death and despair, and it's not so easy to shake them." Lurmon's large hand suddenly clapped his left shoulder from behind, pointing Dante's figure amidst the hunters. Even if during the battle he was the most affected, his countenance seemed peaceful at the moment.

"Everything is foreordained by 'Her', and we are not to question her decisions." Seemingly having heard their conversation, Dante answered in an unnatural tone, as if trying to convince himself with words.

Silence ensued after that, and only the subsequent sound of the gates closing again sounded. The night was here, so the gates opened only for a short moment before being closed again.

"I think it's better if we all get a good night's sleep, the passing ceremony will be held tomorrow at dawn at the watchtower, and I hope to see you all there." That was the last of Dante's words that night, and before anyone could muster a reply, he left. His back looked especially onerous that evening.

It was a traditional custom to hold a hunter's passing ceremony at the watchtower; the mists are especially thick at dawn, and cremating their bodies signified the revolution of one's soul to the mists. There were some extraordinary incidents when a mythical hunter passed, and the mists would revolve and dance, glorifying the conjunction of the departed with the Goddess.

Should I go? I mean, I've only met these people today! I'm not familiar with any of them... Garett felt conflicted! He didn't want to look inconsiderate!

"I'll be there." Lurmon's heavy voice boomed like lightning, eliciting a brief stop from the departing captain before he continued.

The executor turned and stared at Hilren's conflicted expression before shaking his head in bafflement.

"Let's go, kid. Even if it was an unofficial mission, you still helped them hold long enough for me to arrive. I'm sure the church will give you some reward." Putting his arms over the boy's slim shoulders, he led them to leave, and soon the only ones remaining were Garett and the red-haired woman.

"It's not always like this, you know. We usually fight less... difficult opponents." She rustled, as if afraid of him developing a dread of the battlefield. "Do you want to eat? I know a very good restaurant around, and dinner's on me this time."

She sounded like a senior trying to appease her juniors, doing her utmost to keep him from having second thoughts.

"N-no... There's no need... I'm not-" His stomach grumbled at this time, and his face reddened as a result, as shame burned hot in his interior. "-Actually..."

The sudden change in attitude evoked a lovely laugh from the beauty, her dimples delicate as the finest porcelain.

"Let's go then, and we should have a few drinks too."

As such, both of them went to have a lovely night, trying to forget the events that day events.

...

F**k, a few drinks? That woman drunk at least a whole keg or even more than that!... Garett complained as he left the lady's company, his vision blurred at the slightest movement, and he could feel the veins on his head throbbing continuously!

"I'll never drink again after today! I'm a new ma-" His drowsy shout was interrupted with a sudden belch. "I should go home."

He limped through the streets on his way home. Not a lot of people stood outside at this hour, and those who were still outside were mostly homeless or drunkards.

Suddenly, his perception ability triggered, and he noticed a least four people following him! His nerves tightened; why did these thugs pick today of all days to mess with him!?

Heh, I'll teach those guys a lesson... He wasn't a normal person! He was a Ritual Marked, and normal people couldn't hold a candle to him!

What Garett forgot was the fact that he hadn't had any kind of battle training, he was fundamentally a normal person with exceptional abilities!

"Why are you following me?" He stopped, his voice radiating confidence in himself as he turned to eye the four men.

Not anticipating to be so easily discovered, the thugs stepped out of the shadows in a confused manner. Their clothes filthy with mud and grease, three of them were handling rusty kitchen knives!

Could these fellows be any less professional!? Do I look that easy to bully? They don't even look like authentic criminals... Garett's enthusiasm dimmed, the ones threatening him were not true outlaws! They were just drunkards who got their courage from a few bottles of booze!

"We saw yer leavin' the district earlier! Yer keeping a gold watch in that pocket of yours, give it to us!" The one at the back said. He was the only one not holding a knife; instead, his left hand was gripping at something inside his jacket.

A firearm? That's troublesome... Why did I have to look at the time after leaving? No, he wouldn't dare to fire it, as it would cause a commotion; the night's patrol would arrive shortly... Somewhat certain of his conjectures, Garett calmed down. Even if they had a gun, he wouldn't necessarily be the one on the losing end!

I just have to wait for an opportunity... Garett didn't realize the change in his behavior, and as if he had experienced battle many times in the past, he broke into a fighting stance!

"You'll have to be more persuasive than that, pal'." He said while focusing his will to materializing a blunt looking knife in his sleeves, its shoddy exterior evidenced Garett's lack of expertise with his own powers.

The thugs couldn't understand where his confidence came from. But they weren't interested in leaving a juicy opportunity like this off!

"Take him! Something like that can last us a couple of weeks, so we'll be taking it by force!" One of them waved his knife menacingly as he incited his companions to charge!

The three thugs attacked simultaneously; thrusting and slicing with the rusty razors, in just a moment, Garett was overwhelmed with the multitude of attacks!

They are attacking to kill!? What the hell is with these guys! Stay calm... Garett inwardly told himself, letting out a sigh; his body then started to move on its own!

His hand slipped through the air; instantly arriving beneath a thrusting knife, and with a slight shook, he disarmed one of the attacking thugs! Not losing himself in his elation, he leaned his body to the side as he delivered a frontal kick to the chest of the second criminal.

This! How? My body... I-I know this feeling!... He barely came to an understanding before using his Control ability to send the materialized knife flying to parry the last of the three attacks! Taking advantage of the opportunity; he tucked while delivering a lateral kick on the legs of the third drunkard!

Bang!

At that moment, his ears registered an ear-splitting sound, and the echoes possibly alerted the whole district!

Shit! I was too sure of my earlier assumptions! He really dared to shot that!... His thoughts raced at an incomprehensible speed, chills crawling up his back as his body spurred into action.

Vellen!... In a thousandth of a second, his mind raced as it evoked the powers absorbed earlier today, and finally, everything came into place! The expertise he showed today obviously wasn't his, he hadn't ever been through training before, but Vellen had! He had Vellen memories, he lived through that hellish training, and his body could somehow remember it!

His flesh strengthened, shifting into an unusual grayish color for a split second! The fibers on his insides tightened and changed at a molecular level; he felt like he could survive a direct explosion!

CLANG

The bullet finally arrived at the end of its path and clashed with the briefly strengthened flesh! The bullet flattened against his skin, dropping to the ground with pin-like sounds.

"You bastard." Garett was enraged, his reason lapsing for a second as he controlled the materialized knife to fly and pierce the last man's shoulders!

Garett gasped for breath, his mental faculties drained to the last drop. Using his powers was still very taxing, and his slightly drunk state didn't help on that front.

I should leave... He thought while looking around. The shot should have attracted a lot of attention, and he didn't want to be questioned by the patrolmen

Again...

He hurriedly left, his steps even more uneven than before as he limped on the way home.

...

"F**k." He said as he dropped on the couch after opening the door, the moldy smell of old bread inundating his nostrils. Even more if considering he was treated to a sumptuous dinner today.

"What was that? Did I inherit Vellen's experiences too? Am I a trained Executor now?..." His mind spun as the remembered the day's events.

It all started with him looking for information at the church. And all he got was a token that granted him entry to the hunter's squad.

"And now I'm home after living through two arduous battles..." He sighed in acceptance, thinking that obviously, the two battles were on the same level.

I fought them four on one after all! It was very taxing for an untrained person like me; if it wasn't for Vellen's power and memories, I could very well have died tonight... Garett vowed to avoid unnecessary fights, he didn't want to die over an old pocket watch!

"Maybe I should sleep, I promised her to attend the passing ceremony tomorrow..." He mumbled as he was vanquished by the drowsiness, and finally slept soundly.