System Change

Derek moved away from the King and Walter, as he was unsure what kind of process they would need to go through. He didn’t know if it was just going to be a formality or some kind of decree, or what. He walked over and stood by Alanah.

“So, what did you say to him to get him to agree?” he asked in a whisper.

“I told him that you were correct,” Alanah said. “That he would be even more foolish than he has been if he let his stubbornness keep him from this opportunity to gain or increase the loyalty of a powerful noble house, especially with the upcoming turbulence that whatever information he receives from Gerald will cause. You know that it is going to cause a great shake up in the noble houses of the Kingdom.”

“Is that all you said?”

“It is all I needed to say. He would have come to the conclusion himself in time, but I do have an auction to run and all. He would have most likely agreed to your request without any problems if you had gone about it in a more political manner… or at least a little less rudely.” Alanah explained.

Derek snorted. “Maybe… but he hasn’t earned me being less rude or more political yet. He may in the future, but until then, he is just an inept ruler who has let atrocities happen on his watch. He’s misjudged situation after situation.”

“That may be so, but…”

“If not for you sending Avery, or Edgar and myself arriving when we did, what do you think would have happened? Even after what he found out, he still underestimated Gerald, or overestimated Edward. He continues to make poor decisions. I will be respectful when he earns it,” he replied. He respected the hell out of Alanah, and knew she was only trying to stick up for someone who she considered a friend, but he didn’t need to be friends with all of her friends.

“I understand.” Alanah sighed. “I will not push it.”

“Thank you.” Derek nodded. “Now, about gaining the loyalty of a powerful noble house. What did you mean by that? From what I’ve seen, Walter isn’t all that strong. He’s nice and wise, but not strong.”

“Do you know how old Walter Gracefall is?” she asked.

“I don’t think he’s ever brought it up with me.”

“He’s almost 170 years old,” she explained.

Derek didn’t know what she was getting at. He knew that Vitality and Endurance slowed the aging process, so Walter being a couple hundred years old, wasn’t exactly surprising to him. Though, he did only look like a middle age man, maybe slightly older than that. Old age with the system was weird, so he paid it no mind.

“So?” he asked.

“He’s not too much younger than Edwin is.”

That was a revelation for Derek. The King looked ancient, and he was constantly looking for ways to obtain more Vitality and Endurance. What kind of stats and skills did Walter have?

“So, what you’re saying is?” he asked.

“Just watch.” She pointed at the two men. “It’s starting.”

Derek turned his head from Alanah to Walter and Edwin. Edwin was standing before Walter, and Walter was kneeling.

“Do you have it?” The King asked Walter.

“I always carry it with me, Your Highness,” Walter replied. He then flicked his wrist, and a paper appeared.

“Do you promise to serve the Kingdom of Cydaria? To uphold justice and set an example of how a noble house in the Kingdom should act? Do you swear to continue your path of righteousness so that one day, the disgrace that your house once committed will be forgotten.” The King began.

“I do, Your Majesty. I swear on my life,” Walter said.

Derek found it odd that the King wasn’t requiring the man to make an oath to the Great System, but it was better that way, so he left it alone.

“The contract.” The King reached his hand out.

Walter took in a deep breath and handed the paper to the King.

When the King received the contract, power rushed from him. His eyes turned the color of his element, and a contained, but powerful, aura flowed from his person. The blue of mana flowed into his hands, then into the contract.

“Wow!” someone at Derek’s side commented in awe.

Derek turned to look and saw Rudy standing there, watching in amazement. “What is it?” he asked.

“That’s a soul contract,” Rudy said.

“A soul contract?”

“Yes.” Rudy confirmed. “You have bonded with Silvi, correct? She is not just a contracted beast.”

“That’s right.”

“The bond to a beast affects the soul of the user. That’s why, if something happens to the beast, the user is affected on a system level. Your stats will be crippled until you earn them back. That is, in essence, the system repairing your soul.” Rudy explained.

“Then, this soul contract?”

“It works in much of the same way. Except for crippling the soul until repaired, it restrains it until the contract is lifted. I don’t know to what extent, as all contracts are different. It’s what we, as contract makers, one day strive to be able to do.”

“So, you can’t create a soul contract?” Derek asked.

“Oh, Gods no. Perhaps if my class rarity increases one day, but until then, I am just a common contract maker,” Rudy said.

“So, Walter has his stats restrained, then?” Derek asked.

“At the minimum,” Rudy replied. “There could be all kinds of other terms and conditions in his contract. I did not know that this was how the Kingdom punished a noble house like House Gracefall. It is fascinating. And to be able to see the contract being released with my own eyes. I can’t thank you enough for bringing me to this auction.”

Derek chuckled. “I’m just glad somebody knows what the hell is going on.”

“It’s starting.” Rudy whispered, then focused entirely on the happenings in front of them.

The King’s mana slowly seeped into the contract, gradually turning the papers blue. Once the contract was filled with mana, it exploded into thousands of tiny blue fragments. The fragments formed back together, appearing in the form of chains wrapped around Walter’s torso.

Derek watched on in astonishment as the chains began disintegrating from the bottom up. Slowly, but surely, the chains wrapped around the man ceased to exist. When the final link disappeared, Walter jumped to his feet.

An aura exploded out of the man, which he was quick to contain. When he opened his eyes, they shone the deep blue of an ocean. The blue aura radiated off his skin as the man trembled in excitement.

Judging from the blast of aura Derek felt, and the remaining aura he could sense, he could make the assumption that Walter was now much stronger than he was when they had dinner long ago. From the aura, he wouldn’t place him as strong as the King, or Edward, but he wasn’t a slouch.

At that time, Walter glanced over, and he and Derek made eye contact. Tears streaked down the older man’s face as a genuine smile appeared on his face. He was about to say something, but Derek nodded, then nodded in the direction of the King.

Walter’s eyes shot back over to the King, and he hurriedly fell back to one knee. “Your Majesty. I thank you for showing this humble servant such grace and kindness. I will strive to keep my house honorable for as long as I shall live.”

The King let out a breath and smiled. “Rise, Walter of House Searidge. The debt and disgrace caused by your uncle shall no longer be held against you and your line. Be proud, for you have earned it.”

Walter rose and bowed deeply once again. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“It is not I who did it, but you. Your actions have restored your house’s honor. The Kingdom needs more nobles like yourself.” The King said. “I will leave you to adapt to your recovered strength. Please, enjoy the auction. We shall meet again once this is all over.”

With that, the King turned and walked away. Derek watched as the man approached one of the booths, walked inside, then sat. Soon, a sort of privacy shield fell over the booth, and Derek could no longer see inside.

“He has to rest now,” Alanah said. “Removing that kind of contract is quite draining. Whether you are level 50 or 250, the results are the same. It will take some time for him to recover. That is also one of the reasons this is best done in private.”

“I don’t think so,” Derek said. “Letting all the nobles here witness it and the ‘grace’ of the King is a good thing. They will talk about it for a long time. It may even overshadow the fact that someone is missing.”

“Maybe.” Alanah conceded.

Derek turned to say something to Rudy, but the man was just standing there, staring into space. That was when he remembered the effect that hearing Alanah speak caused. Also, Rudy wasn’t exactly a strong person with a strong will, so he didn’t know how long it would last. He chuckled and turned back to Alanah.

“Sorry about that,” Alanah said.

“It can’t be helped.”

“He can move to your booth until he recovers.” Alanah said and waited for Derek to nod. “Go to your private booth over there until you recover. Activate the privacy rune once you enter.” She pointed at the booth.

Like a zombie, Rudy turned and made his way to the booth. Soon, he disappeared inside.

“It looks like you have company. I will talk to you later, once the auction begins,” Alanah nodded at Walter and smiled before she dismissed herself.

Next, Walter, Jensen, and Clare all stood before Derek. Walter was radiating joy, and even though Jensen looked a bit conflicted, he couldn’t keep the smile from appearing on his face. Clare continued to look a little confused, but she could read the atmosphere, so she was happy as well.

“Congratulations. Walter Searidge.”

Walter took Derek’s hand and bowed deeply. “I will never be able to repay this kindness.”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s what friends are for.”