TGMK - Chapter 17: The Mountain.

Why did Barrett decide to give such a problematic artifact to the boy? Fou thought, looking down at the leatherbound book.

Fou traced the cover of the artifact with their finger, the gem in the center shimmering with a strange light as they did. Fou could feel its want for mana, the soft prick of it testing and tempting them to infuse mana into it on the tip of their finger.

“I am a Divine Beast, I am in no need of your information. Book,” they told it, the prick of it wanting mana fading quickly.

They sighed as they looked up to where the boy would be sleeping, feeling his mana through the ceiling. “You will just have to wait until the boy is in need of your services.”

The Bestiary was a temperamental Unique True Artifact because it contained the soul of a Mage from the past who had a very warped personality. Fou could only imagine the antics it will pull on the young boy throughout his time using it.

Turning their head to the window, Fou could feel a dense mana signature out of sight, roaming about the forest surrounding the home.

“They seem to be acting up again… And Barrett is not here to put them in their place.” Willing themself to change, Fou flew through the open window towards the forest.

Finding a nearby branch to land on, the culprit was wading through the trees. “Even with you trying to hide, do you forget who this domain belongs to, beast,” Fou sneered, looking down at a familiar beast of metallic black color, red blood-fire streaks, and fiery mane,  looking back up at them. Its most eye-catching feature the obsidian jet-black horn protruding from its head.

It pointed its horn towards Fou as it neighed in response as if to challenge them.

“Why are there so many children that need to be disciplined recently…” Fou scoffed, unfurling their wings as they leaked their mana into the surroundings, increasing their blood lust and pressure, Fou stared back.

“You will leave. Count yourself lucky that I do not end you here in place of that boy. But I will not rob him of his revenge,” Fou said softly, mana enriching their words with power.

The pressure Fou was exuding became palpable, the beast beginning to struggle to stay upright, its knees on the verge of buckling.

Impressively it still fought against Fou, but that was all it could manage. Eventually, the beast’s forelegs bent as it fell to the ground. Its defiant eyes were nowhere to be seen as it frothed at the mouth under the pressure it was feeling.

It began to wheeze as it struggled to breathe. But Fou continued to keep the pressure towards it for good measure. This was one of several times it had come too close to the house, even with the warding artifact within the premises, Barrett having to send the beast on its way before. But now it was Fou’s responsibility.

Seeing the flames on its mane begin to sputter, Fou released it from the pressure and withdrew their mana. Looking down at it again, FouI left it with one word as they flew back towards the house.

“Begone.”

—-------------------

Arthur woke to the glare of the shining sun on his face through the window. Groggily opened his eyes as he studied the familiar ceiling above him.

“Day one of being alone with the shitty bird. It’s shitty….” Arthur said aloud.

Sighing, he struggled to find the motivation to get up. During the previous night, Arthur had felt mana pressure from the forest that woke him up abruptly. After which his body refused to fall back asleep because of it.

Shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the languidness, he quickly slapped his cheeks for extra measure to wake himself up.

“Alright! It’s no time to let up, we have to keep improving!” Arthur said, pumping his arms, trying to motivate himself.

“Being chipper and motivated in the morning is all well and good boy, but breakfast is getting cold. So do hurry up, will you?” a voice said from the doorway as Arthur was in the middle of psyching himself up.

Arthur turned abruptly, “Ah! Doesn't anyone knock in this damned place?! Get the fuck out!” he yelled, his face becoming red with embarrassment.

The shitty bird simply stared back at Arthur, in their again out-of-place apron, sporting a spatula upright in one of his hands, with emotionless eyes. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of boy, being motivated is a natural part of the learning process.”

“I SAID SHUT UP AND GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!” Arthur howled once more, glaring daggers at them.

Fou finally gave up and turned around to leave. Arthur could hear their steps faintly as they descended down the stairs. He gripped at the bed covers, trying to settle himself from the embarrassment of being seen doing something so childish in front of the shitty bird.

After a few moments of silence, Arthur managed to slump out of bed and wash his face in the nearby bathroom. Making his way down to the dining room, a rather modest assortment of food covered the table. The shitty bird sat at the opposing end of the table with a more extravagant meal.

Sitting down Arthur looked at Fou, “Why is my food so plain compared to yours?”

Fou didn’t respond right away and instead finished their plate and wiped their mouth with a cloth. “You will have to learn to cook for yourself starting today, you know where the pantry is I assume.”

Arthur tilted his head at the plain plate in front of him. It reminded him of the meals he had back at home. Simple bread and a sparse amount of eggs covered it.

He looked at the bird across the table, “I don’t and how will I learn to cook… There is no one to teach me…” Arthur said irritated.

With a sound of a plop a moderately sized leather-bound book was placed on the table, and the shitty bird pointed to it, “You will teach yourself from this book,” Fou said, sliding it over to him.

Looking from the book to the shitty bird, “You expect me to learn this from scratch on my own, with zero experience, and no one to help…?” Arthur asked incredulously.

Fou leaned back in their chair and pointed to themself with one finger from their crossed arms.

“I’ll learn on my own,” Arthur spat as paging through the book.

It was slightly worn from use but otherwise in good condition. The recipes ranged from ‘simple’ dishes like fried eggs, chicken bone broth, and meat stew. To more complicated dishes, some of which Arthur couldn’t read as they were in a language he couldn’t understand. “B-b-broo… Brooo-l-leee? What is that?” he asked looking back up.

Fou wasn’t in his seat anymore and instead was standing in the doorway of the lounge room. They held in their hands a small wooden object with a clear front.

“You will have to learn that on your own or wait until Barrett returns. I wasn’t instructed to help you cook, just to make sure you received the book,” Fou answered with a stone expression.

Fou walked back to the table where they were just sitting and placed the wooden object on the end of the table. “This is a basic clock artifact. It is powered by a small magic stone that moves these hands here. The shortest hand is the hour. The second is the minutes, and the longest is the seconds. There are twenty-four hours in a day, sixty minutes in an hour, and sixty seconds in a minute,” Fou explained quickly, pointing at the clock, then explained further, “It is currently 7:40 in the morning. When the small hand reaches eight, and the second reaches twelve, you will need to be outside for training. If you are not, I will drag you out. Do. Not. Be. Late.”

The last sentence of Fou’s explanation was laced with magic, forcing Arthur to shiver slightly. Nodding back, Arthur began to eat the food laid in front of him. Although it was disappointing to have to go back to eating so minimalistic, Arthur was used to it for the majority of his life. It made him realize how much he had been spoiled by the food here.

“And make sure to clean your own dishes,” Reminded Fou as they turned away to exit the house.

Scoffing at the shitty bird, Arthur continued to finish his meal while studying the clock.

I had around ten minutes left to wash the plates and leaf through the recipe book. Arthur thought, slightly proud of himself that he understood how to read the time so quickly.

Finishing up the plates, he wiped his hands on the cloth nearby. Looking from the book on the counter upwards Arthur sighed. “It’s going to be a rough couple of weeks isn’t it haha…” Arthur lamented, his eyes drawn to the shitty bird outside the window.

Fou casually stretched in the yard. Seemingly not a care in the world.

“Guess it’s about time I head outside to be ‘taught’,” Arthur grumbled.

Storing the book on the table next to the other books he had accumulated, Arthur made his way outside. Fou had changed from the cooking outfit they were wearing earlier to a more form-fitting attire suited for sparing.

Fou also held in their hand something new. A long-sword.

Arthur looked at it wearily. “Aren’t we going a bit fast? Weapons are a bit….”

“We don’t have time for you to properly learn how to wield a weapon as of now. So the only alternative is how to defend against one. Fear not, the weapon is dulled and if your barrier is strong enough it won’t physically hit you, only the impact will,” Fou explained as they twirled the sword back and forth in a smooth practiced motion.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better about it…” Arthur grumbled.

“Then, I will only slash downward and thrust forward for now. Survive this for the week and I will teach you a fire incantation you will be able to use against me in the following weeks. I believe this is fair,” Fou amended.

Arthur’s ears immediately perked up at the mention of new magic. Even if it was the shitty bird, the prospect of finally learning offensive magic was too good to pass up for Arthur.

“Good, that seems to have motivated you enough. Although I thought what you did this morning would have been plenty.”

Arthur’s face quickly flushed red as Fou mentioned the embarrassment fromthis morning.

“I desire a barrier, unbreakable and steadfast..” Arthur chanted in a low hum, running forward towards the shitty bird, his fists clenched, “UNBREAKABLE!” he shouted throwing the first punch right as he finished the incantation, and he could feel the spell-form coalesce around him.

Fou easily deflected Arthur’s punch with the palm of their open hand.

Arthur’s body still in motion moved past Fou. And while he was still in motion Arthur could see from the corner of his eye Fou raising their sword arm high into the air.

“You are too controlled by your emotions,” Fou muttered.

While Fou stated it coldly they brought down the sword on the back of Arthur’s neck. The sword did not break his barrier surprisingly but the force of its hitting him wrenched a gasp from his mouth pushing him to the ground.

Fou stepped back, “While monsters won’t provoke you verbally it is good to understand that even monsters and animals can do so in other ways. Be it by leaving openings, looking down on you, or simply the intent that leaks out from them.”

Struggling to get back up after the harsh impact of the sword, Arthur was still disoriented but conscious. He could only make out parts of what the shitty bird was saying, but he refused to stay down and let them make a fool of him.

Arthur forced out unsteady words as he stood shakily to his feet, “F-fuck y-y-ou… Stop lecturing me..!”

“We must really do something about your foul mouth, it is going to get you into trouble, and I’m simply doing what I was tasked with, you may listen or not, it is up to you,” Fou stated deadpan.

Fou continued to taunt Arthur, swinging their sword back and forth, their expression never changing. Instead, though Arthur hated to admit it, they indeed gave off the feeling as if Fou was looking down on him through their stature.

Arthur reinforced his barrier and rubbed the back of his neck where Fou had struck him. Never taking his eyes off the shitty bird. Arthur ran the options he had to attack the Fou. But he hadn’t been taught anything properly before the old man left. The only thing he had been practicing was making his barrier more sturdy and how to avoid being hit.

How can I even approach him…? Arthur pondered.

The only option I have is to attack and trust I can learn how to dodge their scripted swings for now. If I can survive this week of one-sided beatings I’ll be able to learn my first offensive incantation.

A cool voice broke him from his thoughts and grabbed Arthur’s full intention, “Have you prepared your stratagem?” Fou cooed.

Arthur rushed forward again, this time with more power in his barrier to prepare for the counter-swing that would inevitably come.

“Shut up!” he growled as he jabbed forward with his right.

Fou turned and deflected the blow with their right palm, and like before raised the sword to bring it down on Arthur. But this time Arthur knew it was coming.

Placing both his feet in front of himself to jump back before the swing. Arthur attempted to push backward, but when he put force into his legs something had caught his feet. Instead of landing backward on his feet and dodging the blow, Arthur dodged the sword swing but was also sent tumbling backward, instead landing on his backside.

Disoriented, Arthur tried to gain his bearings and find the shitty bird. After a moment he focused on them. Fou had not moved from their spot and was wagging his right foot provokingly.

This bastard tripped me!

“Didn’t you say you were only going to slash downward and thrust forward?!” Arthur shouted.

Fou looked down at him, their sword bouncing on their shoulder playfully, “I did. I said I would only slash downward and thrust forward, with my sword. I never stated I wouldn’t fight you in other ways to, trip you up.” they said, a slight smirk faintly appearing on their mouth.

“YOU'RE MAKING FUN OF ME AREN'T YOU?!?!” Arthur yelled and pointed at the Fou.

“I would never,” they countered, innocently.

I’ll kill this bastard I swear! Arthur cursed.

Standing up and Arthur readied himself again.

It’s going to be difficult to fight the shitty bird, they aren’t actively attacking me and only focusing on countering me. It’s the complete opposite of the way Barrett was fighting where he took the initiative.

Again Arthur had to steel himself to try to quickly learn how to dodge their counterattacks or he would only take a one-sided beating and I would learn nothing.

I’ll be surviving this week and learning that spell!

“You filthy monster!!!” Arthur yelled rushing forward again.

Fou relaxed his stance again as Arthur rushed him.

Arthur threw his right fist this time as a feint, then brought his left up for an uppercut.

Fou was still much more experienced than Arthur was and faster. Dodging his upward punch, Fou pulled their sword backward readying for a thrust.

Proving again how inexperienced Arthur was, he couldn’t react in time to dodge the forward thrust aimed at his sternum. The blade quickly met its mark square in his chest, instantly shattering his barrier and sending him tumbling backward several feet.

This shitty bird! He said it wouldn’t break my barrier! Am I still just that weak?! Arthur cursed as he flew over the yard.

After landing Arthur looked back up at Fou, continuing to stay silent, staring back at Arthur.

Arthur could clearly see in their eyes the slight disappointment. He could see the expectation they had for him.

You think you can keep looking down on me!?! You’re just a piece of shit monster!

Arthur growled as the bell on his shoulder began vibrating and humming. He tried to stand up shakily against the pain that was emanating from the center of his chest. Managing to outstretch his legs and somehow stand upright on his feet. Arthur’s hand fell to his chest. It was extremely tender, and he couldn’t tell if it was broken or not.

“I desire a barrier, stead- “

*Cough Cough*

Arthur’s hand quickly covered his mouth, tasting a familiar metal in it. He looked down at his hand, a small blotch of red liquid on it.

Growling again Arthur looked back up at Fou, “I desire a barrier, steadfast and unshatterable! UNBREAKABLE!”

Unable to contain his frustration at the shitty bird’s mocking attitude and look of disappointment in their eyes Arthur screamed and howled as he recited the incantation, putting even more mana into it than before.

This time he felt more in tune with the mana in his body, Arthur could feel the ebb and flow within it as he rushed forward. The adrenaline mixed with the heightened sense of the mana was allowing him to react faster.

It felt like he had moved to the shitty bird much faster than normal. The minute widening of Fou’s eyes as he closed the gap proved it wasn’t just his imagination. But Fou quickly reverted back to their emotionless expression.

Again Arthur thrusted his fist forward toward their chest but just missed the mark as Fou diverted the punch, bringing their sword hand up into the air.

But this time Arthur sidestepped to the left barely dodging the downward swing. In the same motion, he wound his left back to aim for the open side of the shitty bird. But once again Fou was too fast, dodging the blow and wrapping their arm around Arthur’s.

Looking up Arthur realized he had made a major error by becoming so aggressive as Fou held his arm in a painful elbow lock. Fou’s face remained cold as they looked back into Arthur’s eyes.

They wouldn’t! Arthur thought, beginning to panic.

Struggling as he shifted and moved to break free, Arthur tried to use his legs to sweep theirs. Kicking and then clawing at the arm that held him in a desperate attempt to break free. But to no avail, the shitty bird did not budge.

Arthur looked again into the eyes of the monster holding him, the vision of them breaking and tearing the arm they held flashed in the forefront of his mind. Memories of the torn bodies of the villagers then quickly flooded his mind and Arthur could feel nausea take over his senses. His free hand moved to his mouth as his body went limp.

Suddenly Arthur’s left arm was free as he slumped to the ground gasping for air.

“W-why did you let go?! Stop treating me like a child! I know you could have broken my arm, I know you wanted to!” he shouted.

Fou looked down at Arthur, “I am not here to traumatize you or torment you. I am only here to expand your limits and help polish you into the Mage you wish to become. Take a break, I will return in half an hour,” Fou said moving to the table on the far side of the yard near the fence and placing another hourglass on it. Changing forms they flew off into the forest, leaving Arthur with his thoughts.

Still slumped on the ground Arthur could feel the feeling of nausea creep up his throat. Unable to shake the images of what could have happened to him had Fou been like the monsters from the village. He spat at the ground, removing the pooling amount of spit in his mouth.

Although not out of breath he continued to gasp for air. Arthur felt like he was drowning. He hadn’t felt this crushing amount of confusion in his life before. He wasn’t able to focus. Without the old man here to reassure him, Arthur wasn’t able to stand up to his fear of the monsters he wanted to defeat, and the memory of what had happened came flooding back.

“Why…. WHY!” Arthur screamed.

Yelling and punching the ground he continued to shout. “Why can’t I be stronger?! Didn’t you say you would get stronger?! Didn’t you say you were going to be like that person you saw in the image!?”

Continuing to strike the ground, Arthur felt the impact less and less with each blow.

Finally, the strength in his arms waned as his shoulders slumped and he began to feel completely numb.

I knew. I knew it would be hard, and I’ve only just started.

I knew but…

Arthur’s body slacked as he looked down. He had beaten the ground into a bloody mess, his hands were much like the ground and in shambles. The adrenaline had numbed the pain for now, but Arthur thought about what Barrett had shown him at the lake, the almost insurmountable mountain he had to climb. It wasn’t something he was sure he could do anymore.

All Arthur could see in his mind was the destroyed burning village at the bottom of an ever-growing mountain that he wasn’t sure he could climb.

Arthur felt small.

He felt broken.

And most of all he felt hopeless.

Soon in his daze, Arthur heard the flapping of wings in the distance, his body shuddering each time he heard another gust of wind pushed under the wings. Eventually, the sound faded, replaced by the crunch of dirt and footsteps.

—------------------------------

Returning from the forest after patrolling around the house. Fou landed and changed forms in the open yard. Walking up to the boy who was still in the same position they had left him. Fou had noticed that he was in a worse state than before. His hands were beaten bloody. And he was slightly shaking and unresponsive.

“It seems the trauma of your past is finally getting in your way. Seeing how you recognize me as a monster must have unearthed it during our spar…” Fou surmised, looking down at Arthur.

Kneeling down to eye level with the boy, Fou raised his head to see his face. His eyes were deadpan and lifeless, looking down at his hands they were obviously broken from smashing them into the ground below.

“This is much worse than I believed.”

I may be able to heal his physical wounds but…. Fou thought pensively.

Dismissing his thoughts and taking no time to think about the latter, Fou quickly took their hand and placed it on the boy to heal his wounds. Feeling their mana infuse within the boy Fou identified the places that were injured. As if almost reversing time, the injuries began to turn back and vanish.

I’ve healed his wounds but how am I supposed to go about recovering his mental state?

Returning his focus to Arthur, the boy still sat lifelessly.

Fou tried to reason with the boy, “I understand the trauma that you may be dealing with, but understand that I am not a monster. I am a Divine Beast.”

Fou’s words were doing nothing to placate the boy. They had to deal with this once with Barrett but the situation was much different, and the solution was simply for him. To become stronger and learn the truth of Fou’s siblings' evil doings, had been all it took to recover. Barrett was very unique in that he had already seen real combat before his incident, allowing him to overcome his trauma with a solid goal.

Maybe the same would work for the boy. Fou understood how much the boy hated monsters, but they believe his goal was more than that. His goal was to become strong enough to protect everyone he held dear.

Ah, I see.

Fou looked into the boy’s eyes as the realization passed over them. He had in his eyes, no one. He had no one he wished to protect anymore. Everyone he knew was killed leaving him no motivation to get past this trauma. He would see Fou as nothing more than a target for his malice. Barrett was most likely just a mentor to him if even that. Did he truly hold no love for anything else in this world?

“Do you truly hold nothing dear in this world anymore? Your family may be gone but there are many still that live and are in equal danger as yours were. Some of which are fighting for survival against the same monsters that slew your family and village at this very moment,” Fou said softly.

Fou saw the boy’s shoulder twitch slightly in response and continued.

“I may not have met your family, but you for certain remember them. The trauma you hold deep in your heart may take time to heal. But the process of it will not start until you have made the first step yourself Arthur. Whatever wall, or mountain. Person or thing, that might be standing in your way, no matter how great. Starts with a single step to overcome it.”

The boy’s eyes began to focus on them.

Excellent, he only needs one more push.

“Or will you allow those monsters to prevail over you, just like before?”

Tears welled up in Arthur's now trembling eyes, “No… Shut up... Y.. stupid m-monster…” Arthur said, beginning to sob into his hands.

He has managed to come back and take his first step. I hope it is enough for the boy and his long journey ahead. Fou said, leaving for the house, unsure of how to comfort the boy further. Hoping that reminding him of his goals had put him back on track. And will allow him to overcome the trauma that seems to be hidden inside of him.

“It shouldn’t be asked of you, but you are responsible for more than you fathom Arthur. It is regretful that you can not live out your youth as a child should, but now is the time to mature. Whatever you may need to do to find the strength to overcome these hurdles, know that both Barrett and I will be there to help. Even if you do not wish to thank me,” Fou muttered under their breath.