To Claim Independence
With Tearsman under Adam's mercy, there was nothing left he could do.
"What… What was that skill…?" [Tearsman]
"Made it up." [Adam]
"You… You made it up?!" [Tearsman]
Unbeknownst to Adam, creating a skill was said to be near impossible. Even if it was influenced by another, such a thing was only plausible for those who have deep understanding over specific skills and have met specific conditions.
"Such… blasphemy! Only the gods can create skills!" [Tearsman]
"Is that what you believe? I'm not one to judge, but sometimes you should consider checking your facts." [Adam]
("He managed to learn and transform my own skill?!") [Asil]
The demon was more than just shocked. The skill: |Windless Slash Arts: Single Point Draw| was the culmination of a demonic swordmaster. It was a grueling task to learn it, not to mention master. Although she expected Adam to learn it one day from her teachings, the thought of Adam creating his own skill from it was unthinkable.
"Enough about the skills though. Accept your defeat." [Adam]
Tearsman stared at his broken spear, then turned his eyes towards his shield Adam tossed aside.
"Even with two |Divine| weapons, I couldn't win. Strike me down, Astos. I will not tarnish my name with a retreat." [Tearsman]
Arrogant as he was, it looked to Adam that his opponent still had honor.
"I told you already, I'm not too fond of taking lives. I will spare you." [Adam]
Tearsman gripped his spear handle with rage.
"You dare shame me?! Kill me, Astos! Or I will make you regret ever letting me live!" [Tearsman]
Adam looked at him with eyes of pity.
"Killing you would also be one of my regrets. Leave." [Adam]
Unable to contain his rage, Tearsman lunged with the broken spear shaft.
"I will not be humiliated! For the gods!" [Tearsman]
Reacting quickly, Adam used compression to grab Tearsman's broken weapon before redirecting it. He then gave a swift blow to the hero's chin, knocking the man unconscious.
"He… He won…?" [Awestruck Soldier]
"Against a Supreme Hero… What will the temple think of this?!" [Fearful Soldier]
There were mixed reactions amongst the soldiers, which Adam had expected.
"Attention!" [Adam]
All personnel froze upon hearing Adam's voice.
"If you haven't noticed, I have gone against the temple's wishes. From now on, this fort is an independent force. Those who do not wish to stand by me, take the Supreme Hero and return to the temple's headquarters. Those willing to stay are always welcome." [Adam]
The soldiers murmured amongst themselves, some simply pondering alone.
("No! That idiot! We need them! Why didn't he try convincing them to stay!") [Felix]
In the end, almost eighty percent of the soldiers decided to leave. They retrieved their belongings, took some supplies for the journey back, and gave their salutes before leaving. It was a strange sight seeing four men lifting up Tearsman to carry back as well.
"Are the rest of you staying?" [Adam]
The remaining soldiers nodded with conviction in their eyes. They were young, seemingly 17 years of age at the oldest. Perhaps they thought that following Adam would leave their mark in history. Perhaps they were foolish. Either way, they remained.
"What are your orders?" [Pilton]
("Huh?") [Adam]
He was surprised to see one of the commanding officers among those who wished to stay. In fact, it was two out of three. Erise was also present whereas Bilt was nowhere to be seen.
"For now, refer to Fable for commands. I hereby transfer all authority to him." [Adam]
With that, Adam stepped back.
("Not bad.") [Felix]
It was a surprisingly good way of passing the responsibility over. Felix didn't mind it since it was his intention in the first place.
"Now that we are lacking forces, let's redistribute roles. Raise your hand when called." [Felix]
Felix assigned everyone new positions. The roles were so spread out it was as if each person had their own specialty.
"From now on, we can only rely on ourselves. There will be no support from the temple. That means all victories and losses belong only to us." [Felix]
His words made the soldiers anxious, but also filled them with excitement. In the short time Adam and his friends have spent in this world, Felix has come to understand what the humans here are like. Using honeyed words, he tried to appeal to them.
("This should give them some motivation. For now, I should plan our next move.") [Felix]
"Pilton, Erise. Come meet me at my office. We have things to sort out." [Felix]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The plan now was to manage negotiations with demons.
"Sir, not to be insulting… I must ask, are you sane?" [Erise]
"I'm perfectly sane. We will negotiate with demons." [Felix]
"They may kill the messenger! No one would be willing to deliver the message." [Erise]
Felix put up a hand as if to say he is aware.
"I'll release one of the prisoners and use them as a messenger." [Felix]
"Will they listen?" [Pilton]
"I have a way to convince them." [Felix]
"And what of the negotiations? You can't go speak to them yourself." [Erise]
Felix went silent.
"...You're actually thinking of speaking to the demons in person?!" [Pilton]
Felix nodded.
"Everyone else here thinks its equivalent to suicide. I've not ruled out the possibility that they may try to kill me during our meeting. However, I do have a plan." [Felix]
"And that is?" [Pilton]
"I will take Astos with me. In terms of strength, he's unparalleled." [Felix]
With that, the two officers agreed.
"Even so, you two will be in danger." [Pilton]
"We are occupying their fort. They will send a raid soon to take it back. Now is the best time to negotiate while they don't know most of our forces have left." [Felix]
Felix's officers were unable to say anything against that.
"Which of the prisoners shall we send?" [Pilton]
As much as Felix would have liked to send Asil, she was a key reason why negotiations would be in place. Her value as a captain far outweighed any of the other demons.
"I've an idea." [Felix]