Chapter 173 (2/2)

“And there was the continued problem of Aemont. By all accounts, he found and challenged @90932njk2389 to combat quite frequently. And although he was never able to slay one, he did survive, which is more than most can say. He was formally enlisted and began to rise within the army ranks. After his second year on the frontlines, Aemont once more returned, and although he was covered in scars, his sons filled him with youthful vigor. This time he remained for a month, meeting and fraternizing with the young disciples, who were swept away by this powerful young man with stories of the front lines.

“But after that time, he was forced to leave. But not before kissing both the eldest son, Pronto, and the younger son, Shal, on the forehead. Then he was off.

“But Aemont did not return immediately to the front line. He still possessed two open skill slots, and planned on using one to learn a skill that could push him to the next level. For after all, even if he had the power of an Artisan, without a skill with a powerful image, he would never be formally recognized as an Artisan, and his potential would be greatly diminished. So he sought out a powerful individual who could teach him a powerful skill. It is unknown who he found, but he came back wielding the powerful skill Wrathful Sickle, which powerfully influenced his later images.

“That year he did not return from the frontlines. Nor the following year. It was only 3 years later that he returned. But when he did come, it was with the head of a @90932njk2389.

“Of course, the Elders did not want Aemont to be formally recognized, so they acted quickly while Aemont was arriving. Some took it upon themselves to cut off the growth from the base; the female disciple was killed. Furious, Aemont gathered up his sons and fled, leaving the central continent and heading to the north. Rumors say that Aemont walked out, carrying his spear, burning with fury and the aura of death, while his elder son Pronto, carried the much smaller Shal like a baby in his arms.

“Strangely, no Elder came forward to admit to causing the crime. In the aftermath, the Head Elder instituted a brutal inquisition, at first secret, but then increasingly public as they could not locate the culprit. The Endless Heat Style even formerly apologized to Aemont, granting him an honorary discipleship for him and his sons. But it was too late; Aemont would never in his life return to the Central Region

“So Aemont settled in the Northern Region, and seemed content to settle down and live a peaceful life. But two things nagged at him, refusing to let him retire. First, the situation on the frontlines turned sour. So sour that it was believed for a long time that Central Region would finally commit a few Pontiff level Spear Users. Second… a string of strange deaths in the surrounding area to Aemont, of monsters, livestock, and even other people, led him to believe that the culprit behind his lover’s murder had followed them. But the culprit was a coward, and refused to move while Aemont remained, protecting his sons.

“For two years, as the condition on the Frontlines deteriorated. Finally, seeming to break under the stress of the realization strange antagonist wouldn’t strike while he was there, and his will eroded by the pleas of his former comrades, Aemont made a decision; he would leave his sons under the protection of some of his powerful friends he had made in the North, and return to the frontlines in the Western Region.

“Although they were only one year apart, Pronto and Shal were very different in their development. Pronto was hale and healthy, seemingly developing at an impossible rate. Meanwhile, Shal was weak and uncoordinated, with the body of a toddler, even though he was almost 8 years old. So Shal was sent to a Style in the Northern Region affiliated with the Endless Heat Style, where Aemont knew he would be cared for. Meanwhile, Pronto went to stay with the powerful Haelthing, who would aid in his spear instruction while Shal was gone.

“Years passed, and Aemont began to return from the frontlines less and less. His sons grew, Shal seeming to finally settle in and grow properly, becoming a talented, if mean tempered youth. Meanwhile, Pronto grew more and more wild and powerful, his moods becoming… violent. And at the same time… there started to be some very strange rumors going around about Haelthing. That there were numerous disappearances among people traveling through the lands his Style controlled. That he was practicing a very forbidden sort of magic there.

“That he had become a Devourer, who consumed the lives of others in order to refine pure Aether from them. Or, as the system refers to it, Haelthing had become a Heretic.”

Randidly blinked. “That’s… possible? Devouring someone else for Aether?”

Artisan Dwei waved a hand. “Well, that is what the story says. At least the popular versions. Others have the Devourer doing other things, but it all involved an evil magic transported here from one of the inner Cohorts. And it all involved sacrifice to power it.”