Chapter 297 - 297 Preparations

With a confident smile Marcus responded to Mrazivý's question and said, "Yes I can win."

At this point winning the tournament was about more than just getting some supplies, it was about helping out someone he cared about.

There was no doubt in his mind that he could not win it all, and he was willing to use every power and trick up his sleeve to do it.

"And first things first I will go give that bastard Wyatt a beatdown for what he did to you. But before that could you explain what kind of powers, he used on you. I have a good idea already but having your insight would be helpful."

Nodding her head Mrazivý went on to explain what she remembered and what she had just found out from her great grandmother.

"Psychic magic huh. The ability to control someone's mind is certainly scary and I understand now how you lost. Well, I simply need to strike first and prevent him from using his magic. Though his ability to teleport certainly might be annoying. Do you have any idea, on where he got something like that?"

"Yeah, it is probably his father's. He is currently one of the highest ranking archmages in the kingdom and his family comes from a long line of mages, so them having a rare item that lets them teleport is not farfetched. I guess he decided to let his son use their families best magic items to help win this tournament." 

Mrazivý then let out a long sigh since it was those magic items that ultimately led to her defeat, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

"Well, I have some other ideas on how I might deal with him, but I am going to need to go and see someone about them."

After saying that Marcus decided to leave telling Mrazivý that he would be gone for a while and that he may not be back until it was time for his next match.

However, unbeknownst to them, someone had been listing in on their entire conversation and now had a lot to think about themselves.

'I certainly did not see this coming. So, they are also called Marcus, and are the one that is possession of that egg, well I guess it has hatched now. So, what do I do with this? Do I take it to Aaren, or to Gwyneira?'

With the decision that would decide Marcus', Roxene's, and Mrazivý's fate seemingly in her hands, Aria was quite conflicted.

On one hand she was not certain if Marcus could be trusted, but on the other hand, he has already proven himself a valuable asset to the kingdom, and if they could utilize his talents, it could be a great boon.

'I suppose I will go and see them first.'

With her decision made Aria quickly headed off to figure out what to do with the information she had learned.

…

Bang! Bang!

Knocking loudly on the thick metal door, Marcus waited for a reply from inside, before going in.

"Come on in."

Opening the door, Marcus' senses were immediately assaulted by the strong scent of alcohol and looking into the room he could see his master had large cask on a table with a cup full of an amber colored liquid.

Moving over to the table Marcus sat down across from Thabon who was quietly sipping his drink and poured his own.

Thabon's eyes went wide seeing this and said, "Irene I recommend that you not have any of that. This is the strongest alcohol I have and even I need to be careful drinking it."

Nonetheless, even after Thabon's warning Marcus took a quarter filled glass and downed it in a couple of seconds, before calmly placing the glass down and filling it up to full this time.

Seeing this Thabon could not believe his eyes since this whiskey had an incredibly high alcohol content and most people would get tipsy just from the smell of it, and one sip would numb a person's tongue and cause them to get drunk.

'Damn is that smooth, but this thing must have an alcohol content of around ninety percent. If I still was in a human body, I would have spit it out and started coughing the second this stuff entered my mouth.'

After taking one drink Marcus could tell that this was a high-quality alcohol and had not sacrificed flavor for its high alcohol content.

Still as much as Marcus liked it, he had not come here to drink and so he looked at Thabon seriously and said, "I assume you saw the match."

With a grimace coming over his face Thabon took another swig of his glass before looking at Marcus seriously and saying, "Yeah I saw it. I was really hoping that the two of you would not have to end up fighting, but sometimes that is the way of the world. You know I went to see Gurrom in the arena's infirmary but when he woke up, he gave me the cold shoulder and told me to leave. It appears that he is quite upset with himself for losing to you when he is the senior apprentice. I am afraid that he may even leave the forge."

Thabon then took a long look into his glass and Marcus said, "I suppose that the fact that he asked for your help and he still lost also played a part in it."

Sighing Thabon looked back up at Marcus and said, "So you noticed. Yes, I gave Gurrom everything I could to defeat you, and even designed his equipment to counter your magic. Of course, I knew that his chances were still slim, your strength is far beyond the ordinary. But even when he was giving it his all, he lost while you were still holding back."

Marcus could see sorrow in Thabon's eyes as he said, this, since he did not want there to be any animosity between his apprentices. But Marcus' talent and speed of growth were enviable, and it was hard to keep feelings of inadequacy and jealousy in check when you watched someone with much less experience rise to the same level and then surpass you.

The two of them then sat in silence for a good ten minutes simply sipping on the alcohol in their glasses, before Thabon said, "I am surprised you are still drinking that, and your face is not even flush. You know that this alcohol is called Dwarf's Poison since many people that have had it died. Even I cannot drink it as fast as you. Are you sure you are human Irene?"

At this Marcus simply shrugged his shoulders and said nothing as he finished off his glass and decided to get down to business.

"Master would you be willing to help me like you did Gurrom. I know I have not been your apprentice as long, and I have no animosity for you showing favoritism towards him. But I could really use your assistance if you would be willing to help me."

Surprise was written all over Thabon's face as he saw Marcus bow his head and ask for help.

This was the first time he had seen him ask for his help. Certainly, he had wanted Thabon's knowledge and training, but he had never once asked for help.

"I see you must be desperate since, I know that you pride yourself on accomplishing everything on your own.. Very well I helped Gurrom, so it is only fair that I help you as well. So, what did you need from me?"