Chapter 473 (2/2)

Ace pulled down the box carefully, setting it on the ground. With a light touch, he soundlessly lifted the lid, revealing a pile of dirty bones. Human bones.

“Finally… ask Sydney to send that Skeleton Mage of hers.” Ace said with glowing eyes. The passion was back, which gave Rose some hope, but was a twisted monstrous thing. Rose’s mouth crept open into a small smile. If anything, the twisted nature of Ace was for the best. The more his personality was twisted and warped… the greater the pressure, the larger the explosion when his inner passion won through.

“Let’s see if it’s true that he can Raise Dead.” Ace whispered. “We need as many Heroes as we can get.”

****

After knocking on the door, Randidly let himself into the training room. Donny, covered in sweat, paused in his attack on two other Knights from Donnyton. The two sparring partners saluted Randidly when he entered. Nodding, Randidly turned his attention to Donny and focused his gaze there.

Donny had been a skinny punk of a kid when they had met. When the option to become tied to a Village emerged, initially Randidly had pushed that responsibility onto Donny in order to avoid it himself. Randidly had never been good with people, and he didn’t think the apocalypse was going to change that.

Not that Donny had been particularly good with people either, but… he certainly possessed an enthusiasm for them that Randidly lacked. Back then, he had rather beady eyes and greasy brown hair. Long-limbed and awkward, he had been the type that it was more easy to picture as the kid who got rejected when he asked a girl to prom than the leader of thousands of people.

Time, the System, and Randidly’s gift of being the Village Chieftain had been kind to Donny. Whereas his body could have previously been described as wispy, he was now wiry. Although his limbs weren’t overly muscled, they showed clear signs of repeated training. His skin now had a healthy copper glow from long hours working in the sun. His hair was now kept cropped short, giving him a stern look that helped age him a bit.

He was still clearly a teen, but now, at least, he was one with the sense of worth to meet your gaze when you looked at him. Combine that with his powerful looking shield and leather armor, and you had more than a Chieftain: you had a Knight.

Was he 18? 19? 17? Randidly wondered, trying to remember how much time had passed on Earth. His own journeys now put him just over 3 years or so, but even that was suspect. And perhaps most confusingly, their time together, and apart, seemed to have deepened their connection between them, even when they weren’t together. When he looked at Donny, looked him in the eyes, he could see the admiration and respect. He saw a young man who had learned to carry responsibility and pay his debts.

A man who had the strength of personality to protect Donnyton, regardless of what was thrown in his path. That was, of course, only if Donny had the strength to manage it. Willpower was only half of the battle.

“You two can leave,” Randidly said shortly, gesturing to the two training partners. After a hurried bow, they followed his instruction, closing the door behind them. When they were alone, Randidly examined the surrounding area. It was a nice space, plenty of room for both close and far range practice. Although Randidly suspected that Donny focused primarily on defense in the former case, and team battles in the latter.

Well, it was time to shake things up a bit.

“What’s up?” Donny asked curiously, using a towel to wipe away his sweat.

Flashing a smile, Randidly threw a spatial ring at Donny. He caught it nonplussed, and examined the inside. When he discovered that there were about a hundred Health and Stamina potions within, his eyes widened, looking in askance at Randidly.

“I… have thought a lot about Donnyton’s future.” Randidly started, and when Donny went to speak, Randidly held up his hand. “No, nothing to do with how you guys are handling the governing. I have divorced myself from that, and I don’t want that to change. No… I just have come face to face with the realization that I may need to leave Donnyton. And I want to be sure that if I do so, it will remain safe.”

“You are leaving?”

Randidly smiled sadly. “...It seems all but inevitable right now. I’ll give it a chance, but…”

He trailed off, then shook his head. Then, with a steady gaze, he looked at Donny. “After the rescue operation tomorrow, to sweep the new areas for people… you and I are going to spar. For 24 hours straight. I won’t hold back. It’s going to hurt. And I hope to god you convince me I made the right decision choosing you as the Village Chieftain.”