Level Up Legacy - Chapter 1287: Stages of Wrath

“I thought my grandson would address me more affectionately,” answered the old man while squinting his eyes. Arthur studied him. A head full of white, but a body better than most middle-aged warriors. His grandfather was tall and burly, and his green eyes contained a sliver of gold. “How about you call me Gramps?”

Arthur found his attitude endearing, but he didn’t let it show. There was no chance for him to call a stranger by an affectionate title, even if they shared blood. Instead, he looked around the cell and saw that his grandfather was tied with black chains.

“I will say no to that, Benjamin,” answered Arthur as he studied the chains. “You pissed them off quite a bit.”

“Enough to disbelieve that they would allow you to visit me,” said Benjamin with a frown. “What happened when you arrived here?”

Arthur told him what happened, and Benjamin was shocked to hear that his grandson had the legendary blade, Nightmare. It was believed to be the only Godslayer Weapon outside of Devaheim. He was even more shocked when he heard Arthur traded the weapon for his freedom.

“You shouldn’t have done that for me, Arthur,” said Benjamin with a frown. “That blade is way more valuable than you think. Every force in the universe wants to obtain it, while Devaheim tries to find and destroy it.”

“I would never hand over Nightmare, and they know it,” said Arthur with a smile as he took out the blade and showed it to Benjamin, since he seemed to revere it so much. “But I lied to make sure Rain was alright first. They are probably preparing to entrap me here as we speak.”

“You walked into a trap knowingly?” asked Benjamin with worry, his eyes unable to leave Nightmare. “Either you are confident, or a fool. And I sure hope that you are not an overconfident fool.”

“We’ll see how it goes,” said Arthur while looking around. “Where is Rain? Are they keeping her in a different prison?”

“The Netherborne don’t believe that your friends can escape, so they just had them stay in the guest room. Of course, the room itself is locked and surrounded with wrath.”

“That makes more sense,” said Arthur with a nod as he held the blade. “The plan is simple. We bust out of here and fight them off until we are out of the walls. Then, I will teleport us to my guild. I doubt they would let us escape easily, but it’s worth a shot.”

“Are you always this reckless?” asked Benjamin with a gaping mouth, his chains rattling. “Has Seref taught you nothing about how to survive in the world?”

“Seref was a great dad throughout my childhood, but he didn’t seem too inclined to teach us anything, only disappearing for a while before reappearing,” said Arthur as he took a few steps toward the gate. Then, with a single slash, he cut the lock in half and it fell to the ground. “After that, he disappeared for three years, leaving us with a crushing amount of debt.”

“…That sounds just like him, always pursuing things while never taking the time to look around,” said Benjamin with sadness as Arthur pushed the door open and came to release his chains. “You cannot destroy these chains. They were created by the first founder using the purest form of wrath.”

“Mine is the purest,” said Arthur with confidence as he grabbed the chain and cut through it with ease, as if it were rubber. The chains fell to the ground and disintegrated as he helped his grandfather stand.

Benjamin stared at the chains as if he saw the devil himself, looking ghastly white with bulging eyeballs. Arthur chuckled as he helped the old man walk out of the cell, since he could tell that he was still unwell.

“No, wait,” said Benjamin before he walked out of the cell, turning toward Arthur. “Your plan is great, but we need the Netherborne Clan. If your wrath is the purest indeed, it will be the hardest to overcome. You must obtain the Ancient Scroll of Enlightenment.”

“I don’t care about that. Wrath might be hard to control, but I have it figured out so far,” said Arthur with a shake of his head. “I sealed Eragon in my inner consciousness and I only release him once I contract enough wrathful souls.”

“Ragnar did not need to talk to any wrathful souls; they just followed him,” said Benjamin as he grabbed Arthur’s shoulder while backing away. “You need the scroll to learn how to be the true King of Wrath, not just a holder of its title. I admit that you have everything working out for you, but—”

“Alright, then a little change in plans. We bust out of here after stealing the scroll,” said Arthur with a nod, interrupting his grandfather, who seemed a little upset. “We don’t really have time for convincing. Just consider me convinced.”

“The scroll is not something that exists inside the clan, but a trial that every descendant participates in for a chance to take a glimpse of the scroll’s knowledge. It helps the descendants to master wrath, something that you should attempt as well.”

“But why?”

“Because this is your right by birth,” said Benjamin with a broken expression, his eyes telling a story that Arthur seemed to understand but did not know. “I never thought that my descendants would have a chance to become masters of wrath. But now that it happened, I want to give you the chances that I did not obtain.”

Arthur couldn’t say no to the old man anymore. Although he hated Seref, the case was different with his grandfather. Arthur wondered if that scroll would actually hasten his control over wrath. “How good is that scroll?”

“Ragnar wrote it after his enlightenment. It is said that before that, he was just a wrathful king. But once he mastered wrath and allowed it to become his weapon, he became the King of Wrath.”

“I already mastered the first two, light and lightning,” said Arthur with a frown. “How fast is that progress?”

“A five-year-old in the clan can master those with a little bit of talent,” said Benjamin with a shake of his head. “Your wrath can be the purest and strongest, but your mastery over them must be lacking. The daughter of the clan leaders, Nyx, has already mastered the sixth stage of wrath, Tempest.”

Arthur frowned as he remembered the seven stages of wrath that Azkahar had told him about. They were as follows: Light, Lightning, Flames, Armor, Chains, Tempest, and Chaos. In the battle of Runera and before he met Azkahar, Arthur reached the Armor stage where he lost all sense of self. The one taking the wheel was wrath, or its personification, Eragon.

“Alright, how do I participate in these trials?” asked Arthur again. “I doubt they would just let me.”

“Let your Gramps handle that,” said Benjamin with a grin. “Let’s go outside.”

***

Nyx unsheathed her swords again, looking at the pair of grandson and grandfather. She never thought that she would fight against her benefactor, but it has to be done. The clan leaders’ words were absolute. If she disobeys them and allows Benjamin to escape, she will lose everything.

“Please return to your cell, Benjamin,” said Nyx with a pained expression. “I have no idea how you escaped the chains, but you must return. Otherwise, things will get ugly.”

Nyx already knew that Arthur Netherborne did not plan to hand over his weapon and wrath, but she knew that the clan leaders had a plan of their own. She could feel the array take over the clan itself, entrapping them all here, and ensuring that Arthur Netherborne has no choice but to leave the blade of wrath.

“Take it easy, girl,” said Benjamin with a smile. He was still rubbing his wrists due to the chains they used. “I just want to make a deal on behalf of my grandson. Lead us to your parents.”

“My parents have already made a deal with Arthur Netherborne,” said Nyx with a frown as she aimed her swords at them. “The lives of you and his friends in exchange for wrath and Nightmare. There will be no other deal, only a consequence of breaking that deal.”

“This is my final request as a member of this clan,” said Benjamin with furrowed brows. “Please let me meet them again, Nyx.”

The woman stood there, rooted, remembering the warmth that Benjamin had offered in her darkest moments. Then, she lowered her blade, biting her lips. For the first time, she was disobeying the clan leaders’ wishes and letting an outsider get his way inside their clan.

Nyx guided the two of them to the same pavilion where her parents mediated. However, the Matriarch and Patriarch were already waiting for them, expecting these events. As soon as she saw them, Nyx bowed to the ground, hoping that they would hear her out.

“Benjamin Silvera and his grandson have escaped the prison, but sought to make a deal with your esteemed selves instead of fighting,” implored Nyx. “Please hear him out.”