Chapter18- Sockblocked
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Jaylin sat at one of the benches within the private room, staring at Amiya with a silent condemnation.

Amiya avoided his gaze.
I didn’t even do anything that bad! Why do I feel like I just committed a crime...?

"Ahem!" Amiya cleared his throat in an attempt to lighten the strangely tense atmosphere. "Well. Are we going to spar?"

Jaylin looked at him and nodded, effortlessly hiding his excitement.

You're not actually going to fight him are you?  Exilis concern was beginning to show.

Amiya stopped wrapping bandages around his fists and looked up at Jaylin. As expected. He thought as he narrowed his eyes, The magical presence doesn't want Jaylin hurt. If I just rough him up a little, it'll probably show itself.

Silently apologizing to Jaylin for what he was about to do, he promised himself to buy the kid a meal later. "You ready?" He asked. 

Master, You can't kill him.

Exilis could swear he heard soft laughter coming from Jaylin's direction.

I won't kill him. I'm simply...

 

Roughing him up a little.

 

...

A lone thought occupied Exilis' mind.

Someone save this poor bastard.

The sword took a breath and composed himself. He had to be the one to do it. For the sake of the no-longer-young Sima, he would save this young man. 

Silently looking past the fact that he misremembered her name once more, Exilis made his plan. All he had to do was scream really, really loudly, and Amiya would back off, or at least pause long enough for Exilis to persuade Jaylin to not kill someone.

Amiya took a battle stance, tightening his fists in preparation. Jaylin didn't move in the slightest. Exhaling softly, Amiya tried to shake the strange anxiety rising within him.

Jaylin stood completely still. His face was as blank as ever, but hiding within his eyes was a crazed grin. Amiya seemed to pick up on this and paused.

Is he...

...excited?

His unnatural feeling of panic grew more prevalent, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

Exilis could feel things getting worse, and he took a deep breath, readying his shout.

It was then he realized.

 

Jaylin had trapped him in his scabbard.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

The fucker really just muted me?!

Exilis felt he might actually scream in anger. Cramped within the darkness of the sheath as Amiya's composure whittled down, a sense of feebleness grew within him.

In the face of a helpless situation, the determination Exilis built up to stop them from fighting evaporated in an instant as he begrudgingly gave up. It's not like he wanted to stay here in the first place. Exilis melted into a pathetic puddle of weakness as he calculated the fastest way to escape the premises once Jaylin finished the job.

Amiya felt his heartbeat speed up, adrenaline coursing through his limbs. His last threads of rationality frantically looked for his method of attack. It was as if he'd forgotten the situation and could only come up with a desperate counterattack.

Counterattack? Amiya felt concern at this strange thought. Nobody's even moved!!! Yet, the term seemed to fit the situation perfectly. He was acting like a cornered rat who feared for his life. 

Amiya felt took a deep breath and looked Jaylin in the eye. 

For the first time since he'd met him, Jaylin had a significant change in expression. His eyebrows rose lightly, their soft curves of inquiry painting an image of peace. And a simple smile, adorned on his lips. His eyes that glittered like the sea sparkled as always, instantly lowering one's guard.

And then, his chilling voice, frozen over by bloodlust.

"Are you going to start?"

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

[ Amiya's composure has left the chat]

 

 

Amiya's chest contracted in fear and his stomach rolled in that uncomfortable kind of terror. 

In this outbreak of panic, Amiya made a move.

He made split second decision as if his life was on the line, which it probably was. He would be ashamed of this decision for the rest of his lifetime, but he would never regret it. Not for one second. 

He made an excuse.

"Your sword!"

"hm?" Jaylin's 'peaceful' expression dissipated as he voiced his confusion.

Amiya pointed at Exilis, hiding the panic in his voice. "ah, well, aren't we-, we're having a hand-to hAnD- " Amiya's voice cracked, "Ahem! We're having a hand to hand combat match... you can't use a sword."

Jaylin stared at Amiya blankly. 

With the youth's intense stare of scrutiny, Amiya felt his face flush with shame as he looked at the floor.

What in the gods am I doing?!

But he didn't stop talking.

"I'll- We can- We'll start when you put the sword down."

Amiya stared at the ground like there was no tomorrow.

He trained tirelessly since he was a child, developing his reflexes so he could naturally counterattack no matter how precarious the situation. But this kid...no. Jaylin was no kid. He was an unsurpassable mountain of horror, one that could draw his long forgotten cowardice out effortlessly.

Amiya noticed the several shaky breaths he just exhaled. He was...scared...

...He wanted to run away.

He wanted to hide under a blanket with all his strength.

It was a strange impulse, one he hadn't felt in ages. Standing up from his battle stance, Amiya did his best to cover up the trembling of his knees.

All of these concerns of his passed by in a mere second, and Jaylin was still staring at him.

Exilis felt somewhat relieved. This God of Psychopaths finally had time to reconsider his near felony.

Jaylin sighed, still staring at Amiya with a hint of disappointment. He was less excited after the stalling fiasco.

At this sigh of his, Exilis felt a bad premonition.

With a click, Jaylin removed the belt that held Exilis' scabbard, and tossed his sword to the side like it was garbage.

Exilis hit a blank at this move, though it didn't last for very long.

?!?!

He just-!

Eh?!

Threw me?

...

Jaylin could hear the faint angered shouts of his sword within his head. Even if he locked him in the scabbard, Exilis was still his contracted weapon, and Jaylin could sense extreme emotions of the other party. Exilis did not know this, as he had never experienced it.

Exilis' anger mostly consisted of:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-... but then suddenly cut off.

Although Jaylin held the slightest curiosity of what in the gods could have possibly gotten Exilis to shut up, he had better things to do.

Inside the scabbard, Exilis felt his rage dissipate, completely replaced with exasperation. 

Gods, what did I expect from him anyway?

But of course, his rare tolerance, or rather helpless acceptance, for Jaylin's behavior went unnoticed, and more importantly, unpraised.

Jaylin's stare had never left Amiya's figure. Amiya kept his instincts in check this time around, yet still felt intimidated as Jaylin began to crack his knuckles.

He gulped imperceptibly, almost having completely forgotten his original goal of uncovering that magical presence. Amiya told himself it was just a sparring match, not much harm done.

So why...?

His fears were useless. There was little he could do to stall things any longer.

Subconsciously sinking back into his combat stance, he prepared for death.

They both stared at each other, and Jaylin seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. 

Strength flowed into his legs as he leaped forward off his toes. 

The lingering dust bunnies atop the floor mats that never seemed to leave, no matter how hard you vacuumed, were thrown and blown out of the way. 

Time ticked by ever slowly as Amiya's attack launched. 

Is it that magic presence I'm afraid of...?

Amiya's eyes were locked on Jaylins face. That serene look crumbled and Jaylin smiled.

...Or Jaylin?

'BAM!'

 

Jaylin turned toward the training room door as it slammed open,"???"

"Yo! Amiya!"

A different voice shattered the tense atmosphere as a blond man burst through the door.

His shoulder length hair swayed as he nonchalantly strolled into the room. He tossed the traveling bag he had in his hand on the floor mats, cracking his neck as he looked at Amiya with a taunting smile.  "Been a while hasn't it, Amiya~!"

He looked to be an average bodybuilder, but it was clear from the bag he threw on the floor that he was no average person. As soon as his luggage crashed, the mats underneath it tore, sending dust flying all over the place.

This man was Leo Seian. Rank 5.

Unfortunately, this glorious title held absolutely no meaning in this situation. Jaylin was undoubtedly pissed at being interrupted and didn't even bother hiding his cold glare, but due to his small presence, Leo hadn't even noticed him. 

Amiya was preoccupied at the moment, not to mention he outranked Leo anyway. As soon as Leo entered, Amiya unhesitantly used the opportunity and readjusted his attack, missing Jaylin entirely. Due to his momentum he had to hop to slow himself down. He was awkwardly trying to keep his balance with his one-legged hop when the slam of Leo's bag nearly knocked him over.

But he wasn't going to get mad at the man who just saved his life so easily.

Amiya looked at the sneering man, wondering why he looked familiar.

The annoyed Jaylin was entirely disregarded as Amiya regained his balance and asked, "Do I know you?"

Leo seemed to change personalities in a second, slumping over like a bullied puppy, and Jaylin was reduced to a background character.

Amiya snapped his fingers, remembering where he saw the blonde's face, "Ah Leo! Isn't it?

The blond man brightened in an instant, effortlessly shifting back to arrogance. He raised his brows with a smirk, confirming Amiya's question. This look would've provoked anyone, but Amiya's restive heart felt nothing but relief at the freedom from that horrifying youth's claws.

Amiya calmed down after Jaylin turned into air, and he began to converse with Leo. "You ranked 5th correct? The one with multiple personalities?"

Leo nodded contentedly, his rapid shift in expressions proving amiya's statement.

They continued talking as Jaylin stood at the side, feeling like he just had a delicious cut of meet ripped away from him as soon as he was about to eat it. He grumbled quietly as he took the chance to go and grab exilis off the mats.

Exilis was completely silent for a long while, even confusing Jaylin with his lack of mockery.

Is it... dead?

Jaylin looked under the sword as if checking it was alive. Jaylin pulled him out of the sheath ever so slightly. 

"Hey. Are you alive? Was that toss on the ground really too much for you?"

"..." The sword was silent.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-"

This outburst shocked even Jaylin as he slammed Exilis back into the scabbard.

Amiya and Leo's heads snapped back at Jaylin. The sword had been speaking aloud, and the both of them could hear it. Jaylin slowly put the sword behind his back and waved at them. 

Amiya was baffled, and Leo had no idea what just happened.

Was that...the magical presence??? It was laughing?"

Amiya was utterly perplexed by the presences' behavior. First it was protecting Jaylin, then it was laughing at him? Or maybe it was laughing at Amiya himself?

Leo was not troubled by Amiya's theories, he was currently wondering if Jaylin was insane. I mean, what kind of sane person laughs like that?

The sight of Leo's face put Jaylin in a bad mood once more, and with a darkened expression, he decisively left the room.

Amiya and Leo watched as he reattached his belt, slid Exilis back into place, and ignored them as he walked out. Jaylin could hear Leo asking Amiya who in the world he was. Jaylin was in no mood to listen in, and he continued walking, his frustration fueling his speed.

Ren was conversing with one of the members, and looked surprised as he watched Jaylin nearly storm off.

Well, wasn't that fun? Exilis' was beaming, contentment lacing his tone. His drab mood was completely cleared away, and he felt refreshed.

Jaylin ignored him.

Exilis laughed once more. Jaylin did not speak very much, but he was not often at a loss for words. This was truly an accomplishment for Exilis, and he would likely remember it for years to come. 

Meanwhile, Amiya walked out the door in pursuit of Jaylin after he finished talking with Leo. Ren stopped Amiya as he was walking.

"What the fuck did ya do to him, man? He looks pissed!"

Amiya sighed, "It's difficult to explain, now let me go talk to him."

Ren stared at the long haired man as if he were insane, "Are you kidding? He looks like he'd kill you!"

Amiya paused, feeling uneasy at the thought. Ren sighed, "Just wait, I'll do it."

"Wait-" Amiya reflexively tried to stop his friend from going, but Ren had already walked off.

"Oi! Rookie!"

Hearing Ren's voice, Jaylin turned and looked at him. 

"What happened?" Ren asked.

"Nothing." 

Ren flinched. Jaylin's iceberg voice is startling no matter how many times Ren heard it.  It was hard to tell Jaylin was upset by his face. Jaylin's mouth was always curved downward in his natural frown, so there wasn't any difference there. The only perceivable difference was the slight wrinkle between his brows. 

Ren still hadn't said anything, so Jaylin turned around and kept walking.

"Hey wait!"

Ren chased Jaylin through the halls of the B-cadre, and only caught up when they were back in the main cavern. he leaned on his knees as he caught his breath. 

How fast does this kid walk?!

Jaylin realized that Ren wouldn't stop following him if he didn't do something, and needed something to distract him. Preferably something shocking.

Jaylin interrupted Ren's inner musings with a question. 

"Ren, is it?"

Ren was caught off guard. "huh?"

"Your name."

"Oh, Yeah. Why?" Ren was confused by the usually silent Jaylin's abrupt query.

Jaylin glanced around the main cavern, "This place. It isn't the only base, is it?"

Ren looked shocked, impulsively stuttering out, "H-how did you-?"

"So it's true."

Ren was silent. He slipped up.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

What Jaylin just said was indeed true. The Striped Devils was a giant conglomerate of magicians. Though this cavern was nowhere near small, their numbers were insufficient to reign over the entirety of  Inzoscape. There were numerous identical caverns, all buried underground around the city. This information was classified. With great skill, you could feel the enormous yet evenly sized clusters of mana and may be able to make a guess based on that. But other than that, this information wouldn't get out unless it was intentional.

It would be revealed to a member once they had years of experience working and had already had enough ties to the point where any injury to the Striped Devils would hurt them as well. While there where a few special circumstances, like Amiya, who sensed it immediately after he walked in. Or some rookies who were needed in a large confrontation against the Dark Magic Association and learned it after all the different bases gathered together, but besides others like that, this information was tightly guarded. The Striped Devils had a lot of rules like this. Things that felt strangely meaningless. But this regulation had benefited them many times. 

No matter how vigilant they were, outsiders would still infiltrate their ranks every now and again. Keeping their total numbers a secret was like letting the infiltrators subdue a single beast thinking they've won, and let all the other beasts approach them from the bushes.

It was one of their best methods of attack when facing particularly dangerous foes, naturally, they'd want to keep it a secret. Anyone who figured it out would have to withstand extensive interrogation, likely even immediate death, and would never have the slightest chance of leaving. Someone like Jaylin, who's many mysteries where already cause for suspicion, would be removed immediately if he found out. 

Ren had to play it cool, and figure out a way to deal with this privately later.

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

Jaylin glanced back at him. Hoh? He's a better liar than I thought.

It was to be expected with this industry. Even the most ordinary mob characters could lie like it was nothing. Though the Striped Devils is usually quite peaceful on the inside, things haven't been going well these past five years. Families could split in the blink of the eye, people could die because of petty grudges, the slightest mistake could lead to the demise of their entire organization, all of these were problems everyone dealt with on the daily. At this point, it would be strange if anyone didn't know how to lie, not to mention the B-Cadre leader, Ren, a victim to several of those horrible circumstances.

Ren closed his eyes with a confident smile. Still stabilizing himself from the earlier shock, he took the chance to change to subject, "What's that look for?"

Jaylin was quiet for a very long time.

Ren tensed up. Did he mess up? Could Jaylin tell he was lying? Should he just admit it and get the kid to keep quiet so he doesn't reveal what he knows in a less private situation?

All of these concerns and more rattled within his head. After the silence grew a little to long to be considered a pause, Ren looked up.

Jaylin left.

"???"

was he...

distracting me?

 

 


 

 

Jaylin speed-walked back to the probationary lodgings.

Exilis didn't forget to comment on the situation. Ever talented at escape, Master. 

Why, thank you. Jaylin's voice was heavy with annoyance, and somehow seemed more taciturn than usual.

The concern Jaylin brought up with Ren was nothing but a distraction. Exilis had already mapped out the entire underground of Inzoscape as soon as he was freed from the corrupted mana, and the several tens of inhabited caverns had not escaped his eyes. Exilis would have mocked Jaylin far more, the chance to catch the man when his feathers were ruffled was not an opportunity that came often, but it was far more important to make sure Jaylin didn't attack someone impulsively now that he was upset.

What are you up to now? Gonna provoke that girl again? 

Exilis asked in a joking tone, though the matter he was getting at was nothing but serious.

Jaylin sighed, suppressing his anger. I admit, my actions were a tad bit hasty then. I have no intention of doing that again.

Exilis was relieved on the inside, but still did not let up his guard. What are you doing then?

I believe there was that first ranking youth wasn't there?

After a long silence, Exilis chuckled despondently, having totally given up hope. Of course, one child doesn't work and you go after the next one...

What was that?

Oh nothing nothing, hahaha...haha...ha...ha...

Jaylin briefly considered taking the sword to a mental hospital before he continued on his way.

 

This whole book is just a crappy rollercoaster where I constantly shove new characters down your throat but then suddenly realize I have no use for half of them and have no choice but to kill them all off one by one.

Anyway, thanks for getting to chapter 18! Or maybe you just skipped here? Who knows? :>

Let me know if you find any spelling mistakes please :>

 

 

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