The Lesser One Arc 2 Chapter 4: Restaurant

 

Restaurant

I wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, envisioning a fat clown clubbing me to death with his gigantic fists. The fight from the day before is still sticking with me, and I don’t think I’ve totally calmed down yet. I played it down immediately after the fight ended, but even after I visited Alice I was still shaking. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle more of these battles. They’re just too intense.

But I have to keep soldiering on. For Alice’s sake. And for the sake of the devils and other beings who follow me and help me. Otherwise their deaths would have been in vain.

I get out of my bed and walk to the bathroom. After washing my hands and my face, I look into the mirror. I am frazzled. I look like a crazed man with bags under my eyes and messy hair. I turn away from the mirror.

The apartment that I have been given by Crayton is in Esmex Tower. It’s near the top, so I can see the entire cityscape outside. It’s midnight and yet the city is still so bright. I sit and watch the city go by for a bit before returning to bed. I am finally able to fall asleep a few hours later.

When I wake up I feel surprisingly refreshed. A few minutes after I get dressed there is a knock at the door.

I walk to the door and open it. Mandrake is standing outside. “Hey. I told you I would watch you work today.”

“Sure, sure.” I motion. “Come in. I don’t normally eat breakfast, but I can make you something.”

“No, no.” Mandrake puts his hat on the hat rack. “You don’t have to make me anything. By the way, did you know that there are four devils standing guard outside?”

“Yeah, I know. Sebastian has been keeping my guard detail beefed up recently.”

Mandrake takes off his coat and hangs it. “Then we need to talk. About that Wales portal.” He sits down in a chair in the living room. “I know you used the key artifact. What do you know about the beings inside of it?”

“Not much. I haven’t really tried seeing any of them since the portal closed. They haven’t contacted me either.”

“The contents of an S-class portal are under your control, Markus. You know that this is going to change your fortunes, right?”

I sigh. “Okay. But the thing is, I’ve tried accessing them using the same method I use to access the devils from the Balrog portal I defeated in New York.”

“It’s probably because they haven’t accepted you yet.”

“What do you mean by that?” I tilt my head.

“The individuals inside of a portal are not sentient until a very specific number of conditions are met. When you enter into a non-prolapsed portal, the beings you fight are, for all intents and purposes, inanimate husks. No more than cattle.”

“Does that imply that they were once sentient?”

Mandrake slowly shakes his head. “I shall not tell, not yet. But if three conditions are met, the sentience of the portal beings is restored. Condition one is that the portal must be prolapsed. Condition two is that the lock must be picked or broken. You did this when you destroyed the Balrog from the New York portal. And third: you must be psychically compatible.” Mandrake holds up a finger. “And this third condition is what you are having trouble meeting with the contents of the Wales portal.”

Mandrake takes out a small object. “We have a few hours, right?”

I look at the object. It is like an old fashioned radio, with a lot of wires sticking out of it. “What is this for?”

“This will send you into the portal. You’ll be on your own, but if you manage to convince the portal overseer that you’re worthy, you’ll be able to access the beings of the Wales portal just like you’re able to access the New York portal’s devils.”

“Okay. Will they work like the devils who help me?”

“It really depends on their disposition.”

I sigh. “Then send me in.”

Mandrake flicks a switch on the device and my world freezes for a second. I am pulled through a wormhole and dropped into a forest. For a moment, I am stunned, but then I get up and look around. The forest resembles any other temperate zone in the world, with a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees and a lot of ground cover.

I begin walking. Small movements at the periphery of my vision catch my attention.

An arrow flies towards me. I turn instinctively and catch it—a complete fluke. The arrow quivers between my fingers.

“Whoa!” I try conjuring a weapon but am unable to. My anima power just fizzles out in front of me. I am completely unarmed.

Two elvish-looking beings drop down in front of me. One of them is an older looking man, and the other is a youngish looking girl. They surround me.

“You are the man with the Sword of Truth.”

The bone sword suddenly appears in my hand. I look at it. “Um, I guess I am?”

The female elf scoffs. “My name is Tia.”

The older elf’s eyes narrow. “I am Charn.”

Tia and Charn look at each other. “We shall take you to our village.”

“It’s been two weeks since your portal prolapsed.” I ask the question as I follow the elves. “What has it been like for you?”

Tia speaks without looking at me. “We have been doing our best.”

Charn glances back at me but turns after a moment. “While you are the owner of the Sword of Truth, we cannot fully trust you yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because it is not the first time the owner of that weapon has betrayed us.”

I shudder. “Tell me what happened.”

The elves are silent, merely continuing to walk.

We exit the forest and step onto the edge of a cliff that overlooks a rather large village. Tia turns to me. “We are going to perform the Trial of Strength.” She snaps her fingers and I lift off the ground. The three of us float down the cliff and land in the middle of the elven village. A dozen elves surround me.

“This man has been chosen by the Sword of Truth. But is he good enough to rule us? I am proposing a Trial of Strength!”

The whole village cheers.

Tia turns to me. “I shall be your opponent, as daughter of Hormstein.”

Charn nods once. “We shall prepare the field.”

Ten minutes later I am standing in the middle of a fighting ring. I hold the bone sword in my hand. Tia, on the other side of me, holds two curved daggers with intricate lettering carved into them.

Charn stands outside the ring. About three dozen elves are watching me.

From the amount of magic that is pouring out of Tia, I can tell that she is a high A class monster, probably close to an S class. I can’t operate my anima skill in here. All I have is this sword.

Charn brings his hand down. “Begin!”

Tia begins inching around me, holding both blades at her sides.

I point my sword at Tia as she circles me.

Tia rushes me, daggers twisting. I block both daggers with one lucky swing and stagger backwards.

Tia presses the attack. One dagger cuts me in the shoulder. Blood splatters against the ground.

I swipe my blade at Tia and catch her wrist. A small amount of blood flies across the edge of my sword.

Tia backs off and continues to circle me. My right hand is now dripping with blood.

Tia swirls her daggers through the air like a circus performer. One dagger flies at me. I dodge with an inch to spare. The dagger whips around me and returns to Tia’s grasp. Tia takes a martial arts pose. She flicks both of her daggers around her hand. They make a whistling noise as they flit through the air.

“You’re tougher than I thought you were.”

“I can’t use my ability here, so I do have to try.”

Tia steps back. “Okay. You’re god enough.” She raises her injured hand. “The Trial of Strength has ended. First blood.”

The whole elven village claps.

Gigantic footsteps echo through the clearing. Two gigantic mammoths and a number of other monster-like animals appear from over the ridge on the other side of the cliff. They bow as one in a Lion King moment. The elves bow as well.

“That was easier than I thought it would be.” I watch the group of very powerful monsters as they bow before me. I feel a bit giddy. This is far too much for a single guy to handle. I have hundreds of powerful monsters at my beck and call now.

I try my best to grin. “Thanks, then.”

Mandrake’s voice appears in my ear. “I’ve sensed a change in the fabric of the portal. You must have succeeded.”

“Yeah, I did.”

The monsters and elves before me stand up. “We will be at your service. Call us if you need us.”

I am sucked out of the portal and reappear on the couch in my apartment.

Tia rises from a portal in the ground. “I have been sent by my people to guard you.” She bows.

Sebastian is standing behind Mandrake. He looks a bit miffed. “Do you think I cannot handle this job on my own, elf?”

Tia makes a rude gesture at Sebastian. “And can I trust a devil to protect a human?”

At that moment I realize that the bone sword is gone. It disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.

I stand up. “Whatever you two think, I’ve got a job I need to do.”

Sebastian bows. “Very well, then.”

Tia glares at Sebastian. Sebastian’s face does not change expressions.

I walk to the elevator and take it to the floor of my lab. When I get there, everyone is already there. I spend the next six hours teaching my conjurers how to create a singe crystal superalloy, which is what Rearden Metal is.

When the day is over, Mandrake motions to me. “I’d like to take you somewhere.”

I turn to him. “What do you have in mind?”

“There is a three star Michelin restaurant in the city that I’d like to treat you to.”

“Three star? That’s really good, isn’t it?”

Mandrake smiles. “The best of the best. No place is better.”

We pile into the limousine and drive across town. The restaurant is on the top floor of a fancy building, with views of the entire city.

Mandrake, Sebastian, Tia and I sit down at a table.

“Doesn’t this place require a reservation?”

Mandrake smiles. “Being a Silverbone does have its perks.” He takes out a simple metal credit card and flicks it before putting it back in his pocket.

At that moment the sound of a helicopter rises in the background. No one seems to care for a moment, but then the noise gets louder, and louder. A shadow is cast on the dining room. The helicopter rises up to the window—and it’s a military bird. A chain gun points directly into the restaurant.

A carrot drops off a diner’s fork.

Mandrake dives and pushes a table up. Tia shoots a beam of ice at the helicopter. Sebastian flicks his fingers and the room fills with smoke.

The helicopter opens fire. Tracer rounds flit through the smoke, smashing into tables and shattering glass. People are screaming. I can’t see anything.

Sebastian dives for me and pushes me behind a table. “Keep your head down.”

The helicopter continues shooting up the restaurant for at least a minute, and then stops. Sebastian allows the smoke to clear.

A muscled man carrying a huge gun steps from the helicopter onto the floor of the restaurant.

“Hello, boyo.” He grins. “The name’s Ronald. How do you do?”