"CASTRATE THE FUCKER!" - that was Eros' first thought upon awakening, "My whole body hurts, bitch, you'll be puking blood when I can get my strength back, and if I can't, I'll take you with me!"
- Where am I?" the titan asked himself, slightly surprised.
Where he was, it was dark and he couldn't see anything. It was just as hard to move, so Eros couldn't explore the room.
"It's too dark to see out, then..." - he covered his eyes and began to release the magic power around him, 'feeling' the space, but after fifteen seconds his breathing quickened and sweat appeared on his forehead, "Bad idea, but at least now I know what's in the room and here.... Nothing, it's just an empty room 9 by 6 metres, but I found something interesting" - he closed his eyes again and started to absorb aether ("the magic power that is in the air and absorbed by the body") from the air.
After an hour, he was fully recovered, which surprised even Eros himself. After all, when he had been chatting with Lily, she had told him that when Rick had completely spent all his magic power, he needed at least half a day to recover only 70%, and it took him an hour to do it all.
"Alright, I'll think about it later, but right now I need to try something," he closed his eyes and began to run the magic power through his body, from heels to the top of his head and back again. Right after the first round, Eros felt the pain lessen with each second and the speed of recovery increased.
This went on for almost two hours until Eros abruptly opened his eyes.
- It's easier now," he sighed and smiled contentedly as he stood up from his seat, "But I shouldn't treat myself completely yet so they don't suspect me of anything," Eros stretched slightly and sat down again and began to release magic power outside of his body, "I should thank those idiots, the room is surrounded by a barrier that prevents magic power from seeping out of it and no one will stop me from practicing." - He began to release the magical power outside his body and at the same time, his body quickly reabsorbed it from the air. With this, the titan was trying to increase the speed of recovery of magic power, as well as concentration....
Three days passed. During this time, he was able to raise the speed of recovery from an hour to fifty-eight minutes, and it can not be called slow. After all, some wizards, in order to increase their recovery speed even for a minute, spent months, or even years on this kind of training.
He thought the same way about his element he could use. And then Eros remembered a planet he had once visited. The planet was called Loi'A, and it was home to a strange people who could use the power of nature, but only on their own planet. When one of them left the atmosphere of the planet, he lost all his abilities and became an ordinary man.
Eros stayed there for almost a year, studying their abilities up to the point that he read the entire library on the planet, as well as under the consent of the King, opened and studied almost twenty otherworlders, but he could not instil in himself this power and the titan had to fly away from there with empty hands.
But now he thought of the elemental theory he had read in one of his books. It described that the element can be determined by the character of a person, for example: irascible, aggressive, exuberant, purposeful, determined and courageous, most often such people are inclined to the element of fire. Calm, thoughtful, inconstant, passive, as well as unstable as water, which can turn into steam or ice. To earth, can be attributed strong body and spirit, stubborn, having a firm character and unshakable will. People inclined to air, are very sociable and inquisitive.
But even in this theory there were exceptions, so it was not as popular as the book that was on the farthest shelf in the corner of the hall.
Thinking about this theory, Eros tried to relate himself to each of the elements, and calculate his own, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come to a conclusion.
Fire suited him well, but the titan did not consider himself so decisive and brave, yes he sacrificed himself for the sake of his loved ones, but even if you take this situation, Eros can add himself on top and the element of earth, because he found the strength to do it, to sacrifice himself, as well as water, because at that moment he was calm as never before.... And after he had been in that dark place, his psyche had become a bit unstable, but not so much that he considered himself crazy.
When he thought deeply about it, he came up with a very stupid idea, which he immediately tried to realise... Of course, the first ten... a hundred... a thousand... well, a great many attempts later and just as many destroyed nerve cells. Eros looked at the transparent white square in his hand, and the stupidest possible smile was on his face. After all, the titan had created what he wanted, all that was left was to try it out.
He went to one of the corners of the room and began to infuse the cube with magic power, it began to grow at a very fast rate, but just as fast the magic power flowed away, after a minute, Eros spent almost 90%, and the cube became 1 by 1 metre.
- Well, it's time to test you kid, - smirked the titan, - Don't disappoint me, - as soon as the cube touched the ground, it began to increase in size, until it reached the size of 3 by 3 metres and at the same moment it shone and disappeared.... And also everything that was in the area of this cube disappeared.... - The power of destruction," Eros said in a satisfied voice as he sat down on the floor and began to recover.
Yes the power of destruction, that's what he was thinking at the time. Eros remembered the power he had once received from that stone and the idea came to his mind, which the titan immediately put into practice.
Once he had decided on his element, the hardest thing he had to do was to raise the volume of his magic power, because the power of destruction was eating it up at a furious rate, as well as to think of new techniques that would be useful to him at the moment. The cube he had created could hardly be called a good technique in battle. And if he needed to destroy something on a global scale, he could just use the second energy.
For the next three days, Eros busied himself with coming up with new techniques. It wasn't until the end of the third day that he was able to finalise one, and he called it 'Bullet of Destruction', the name made it clear what it was.
Eros, scratching his head, looked at the wall, which had many holes in it with a diameter of ten centimetres.
"This is the best I can do so far, combining destructive power and minimal cost..." - The guy thought with a sigh, pointing his index finger at the wall again. A small white magic circle appeared at the end of his finger and in a moment it was extinguished, and another hole appeared in the wall, - "Hmm.... The fact that the bullet is invisible has its advantages, it's almost impossible to dodge. If I gave it a rank, then at least B, and maximum A, because the disadvantage is that there is still the sound of flight, and to keep track of it will be easy, because the bullet will fly where the finger points. The cost is minimal, but for my reserve at the moment, it's still a lot, because one bullet is equal to one per cent of magic power..."
The next hour, he spent recovering.
At that moment, Eros heard the sound of a lock opening..... The door to the "dungeon" slowly began to open, letting a bright light into the dark room.
- Hurry up, take this rubbish and bring it to the master, he's already waiting... - The man who looked into the "chamber" froze, for what he saw was a battlefield. On each wall, there were hundreds of holes of perfect shape and different sizes, and in the centre of this room stood a smiling boy, who was pointing his finger at him.- I'll give you a choice, first, you show me where you have the food storehouse, and after I've had a good meal, we'll go after your master's fat arse," Eros hadn't eaten anything for a week, he'd been eating ether and trying to shut himself off from all senses, and for a piece of meat, at the moment, he was ready to kill, "Second, you die on this very spot, and I'll find another escort who's smarter and more cooperative.
- Who do you think you are, you little-- - Before he could finish, he vomited blood, and where his heart should have been, there was a gaping hole through which Eros looked at him with a look of animal horror.
- Wrong choice, - Eros shook his head with a sigh and looked at the second man, who was shaking all over, - What do you say, or are you going to play the hero too?
- N-no! I'll do anything you say, just don't kill me! - falling on his knees, he looked at the boy with horror, who now looked more like a demon than a man.
- THERE! - with a smile exclaimed Eros, - That would have been your friend smarter, and not a finished d.... like that! Either good or nothing about the dead, - he said with a smile, - Alright, let's go, show me where the food is, because I'm very hungry, - at that moment, the titan's stomach rumbled, - I'm sorry, - Eros said with embarrassment, stroking his stomach, - It's just that I haven't eaten for almost seven days.
- Yes, of course, come on, I'll show you everything!
All the way the man was shaking, and at every slightest rustle he flinched and looked back at the titan.
After five minutes, they reached a wooden door, from which they could feel the magic power, and when he opened it, it smelled cold....
- Cold magic? - Eros nodded approvingly, "That's good, that means the ingredients are fresh.
- Y-yes, you're very clever, this is an artefact with Thermos magic," he said with a flattering smile, "Master Stole.... bought it when he was in one of the cities, it allows you to keep the room at a pre-set temperature.
- Interesting... - nodded the titan, "Come on in, show me where the meat is and don't be silly.
- YES! - He exclaimed with fright and entered first, and went straight to one of the shelves, where there was something wrapped in white paper, - Please, this is the meat of the magical beast Raging Bull, very tasty and nutritious, - but when he saw the frown of the boy, he broke into a cold sweat, - W-what's wrong?
- What am I, some kind of animal to you? - Eros asked with a raised eyebrow, "Can't you cook it or at least fry it?
- Excuse me! Now! I'll be right there! - An orange magic circle lit up on his hand and a small fireball appeared, on which he started frying, -Give me five minutes!
"Why is he so nervous?" - Eros thought slightly surprised, but quickly put it out of his mind and sat down on the sack to wait.
Commentary on Chapter 3: The Force.
Enjoy reading!
========== Chapter 4. A foolish act. ==========
Chapter 4
- Not bad," Eros said, throwing the bone on the floor, "Why did you join the dark guild, you're such a good cook, you could have opened your own restaurant and worked in peace.
- My mum told me the same thing," Roni, the man's name, said sadly, "But no matter how many times I tried to find a position, I was rejected, saying that there were no positions available or my level wasn't high enough.
- I'm not the best taster, but I can tell you that you cooked the meat well, which means that your flame control is very good, because the meat was perfectly cooked on all sides, and the fact that it didn't burn anywhere confirms it.
- Really? - The man asked with tears in his eyes.
- Of course, - Eros answered confidently, - Okay, let's do this, now I will finish all my business here and in the near future I will create my guild, and I invite you to join it as a cook, well, do you agree?
- N-but... - I can't leave the guild, the master won't let me," he said sadly, "There are two ways to leave the guild, the first is to die at the hands of the master, and the second is to defeat the master, but both options are impossible, because he is an A-rang mage.
- I was going to slaughter that thing like a dog, so it's okay, - the titan's gaze hardened, - Okay, I'm talking to you, I'm going to finish my business.
Seeing the confidence in the boy's eyes, Rani decided to trust him. After all, for the first time in all these years, someone had praised his food, which made his heart melt. He remembered the faces of his family again, when he first cooked his first meal and gave them a taste.... The face of his mother, before she died, who had always told him to grow up to be a good man, so that she could be proud of him when she saw him from the other side....
Looking at the back of the fleeing boy, he felt disgusted, because even a child had the courage to stand up with a straight back and confront Karl, and he is a grown man, which is almost the third decade, scared like a girl!
- No! That won't do! - Gritting his teeth, Rani got up from his seat and clenched his fist, he ran after Eros, -I'm not a weakling, and if I die today, I'll die with honour, so that my loved ones will be proud of me, that at least at the end of my life I did not run away!
***
- Apparently not all the people in this guild are badasses, but... - But I don't have time to talk to everyone else, so forgive me, but if you get in my way, I will kill you.
After running through another intersection, a door three metres high and two metres wide appeared in front of him. In the next instant, he pointed his finger at the door and shot at it, but this time he concentrated not one per cent, but five per cent at once.
As soon as the bullet hit the door there was nothing left of it. The previously noisy hall fell silent and shocked looks were directed at the place where the door used to stand. From there, a boy with scarlet hair, wearing a white t-shirt and shorts that he had found in one of the rooms slowly walked out.
- Oooh... I'm already being greeted, I'm honoured," Eros said with an embarrassed scratch of his cheek.
- W-what was that? - exclaimed one of the shocked mages.
- Not bad, kid," Carl laughed, "You've just awakened your magic, and you're already doing such things, you have great prospects in the future," but after a moment, his expression turned icy, "If you survive, and I won't let a potentially powerful enemy go," a grey magic circle lit up in front of him.
Eros felt himself being drawn in, but he didn't resist, he just smirked and pointed his finger at Carl....
- What are you trying to do? - The guild master asked with a frown, but in the next moment, he abruptly stepped aside. All that was left of the chair he was sitting on were the legs.
In all these years of constant life-and-death battles, Carl had learnt to sense when he was in danger and this moment was no exception. When he saw that little magic circle, his back was covered in cold sweat.
- Little bastard! - Carl shouted with rage, -Your death will not be peaceful!
- Eros laughed and fired again at the mage, who dodged and threw a dagger at him. The Titan had no trouble dodging.... But in the next moment, he jumped aside, as the dagger flew back at Karl.
When Eros turned to Carl again, the latter was already a metre away from him with his fist raised....
"How fast!" - The titan was thrown aside by the blow to his face.
- Don't underestimate your opponent, do you think I was given an A-rank for nothing? - The master smirked, tossing his dagger, "Ranks are not only given for strength, but also for the ability to use it effectively...
- YES! THIS IS OUR MASTER!
- SHOW HIM WHO'S THE STRONGEST!
- DIE, YOU LITTLE PUNK! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE DISCOVERED YOUR MAGIC POWER, YOU'RE INVINCIBLE?!? THERE'S A WHOLE GUILD OF MAGICIANS HERE!
"My jaw." - Eros felt a slight pain and a little dizziness when he touched it, "He's got me pretty bad."
- Get up, I'm not done with you yet," came a voice from beside him and turning around, the titan saw Carl's smiling face and the blow that sent him flying back a good ten metres.
Lifting himself up, Eros spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Su*a! He broke a couple of bones for sure!" - Feeling the itchy pain, he began to channel magic power through his body to dull the pain a bit and speed up recovery.
- You do realise I'm just playing with you now," Carl's bored voice sounded, as he sat down at one of the tables with a bottle of beer, "Give it up kid, you can't beat me.
- Fuck you!
- I'll go, but you'll die," Carl smirked, taking a sip, "Let's put it this way, I like you and I don't mind accepting you into my guild....
- Master! We don't need that weakling in the guild!
- Kill him!
- SHUT UP! - shouted the Guild Master, - Since when do you get to decide what I do? А?
- I'm sorry! - Those who were shouting fell to their knees and began to bang their heads on the floor, Carl just hummed and took another sip.
- What's up, kid? I'll accept you into my guild, and if you refuse, you'll die," the mage had a nasty smile on his face, "But because you attacked me, I'm not going to just accept you, you have to fall on your knees and kiss my boots, and then I'll accept you," the other members of the guild started laughing, only the children who were watching from the corner were shocked, especially Lily and Rick, the girl who told Eros about magic and the only mage among the children.
Rick felt only one thing at the moment, self-pity and disgust, because he was afraid to challenge Carl, but the boy who was two years younger than him, or even more, wasn't afraid, and now he was looking him straight in the face without a drop of fear.
The boy felt someone take his hand, and when he looked up he saw Lily's face, tears streaming from her eyes. She shook her head and squeezed his hand tightly.
- Don't think about all that nonsense, we can't beat this enemy," the girl whispered sadly.
- But...- Rick, - her firm tone made the boy shudder, - If there were only two of us, I wouldn't say anything, but now behind our backs are those we swore to protect, and if we do such a stupid thing, who will be left with them?
- You're right...
***
- Fuck you! - I'd rather die than join your guild," Eros said, standing up and straightening his back.
- I'm not forcing anyone to join," Carl shrugged his shoulders.
The next moment, the titan's head snapped to the right, dodging a table knife that flew past him. He looked in shock at the things floating in the air, forks, spoons, knives, chairs and other objects among them....
- Another one of my skills, I called it Attraction Point," Carl smirked, "I'll ask you again, are you ready to join my guild or...? - Without letting him finish, Eros shot at the mage again, but the mage sharply moved away.
- Do I have to repeat my answer again?
- If that's the case, THEN DIE! - all the objects surrounding Eros flew towards him. He dodged the first ones, but when he realised that it wouldn't help much, he jumped aside getting out of his surroundings and ran towards the seated Carl.
"Hmm... Got faster, very interesting..." - Karl thought in surprise as he looked at the boy running towards him.
"Since I can't escape them, then I need to knock out the mage who put this on me." - Eros thought, firing a shot at the mage. He didn't try to repel this spell, his sense of danger was telling him not to try to repel this attack, only to dodge it, which he did throughout.
- Good thinking! - But even in such cases there are exceptions," Carl said with a smirk, throwing the bottle directly at Eros, "If the mage who cast such a spell on you is stronger, then the best choice is to try to escape from the range of the magic," the titan leaned sharply, dodging the mage's leg and moving sharply to the right of the dagger, - I am the exception," he was unable to dodge the next blow, and received another blow to the jaw, which threw him right into one of the tables, and the next moment, he was pelted with all kinds of things, creating a large mound of them over his body, reaching the roof...
***
The whole story is already available at:
patreon.com/posts/126338071