Chapter 14: Caught in a Trap

A week, full of rigorous training had passed. Edward had decided to help Vulen become more versed in his new surroundings. Each day Edward helped Vulen fix his slightly hunched posture and helped a bit with his manners. Though Edward wasn't a stifler for manners, the memory of Vulen talking with his mouth full of fries had haunted him. Today the pair were in Vulen's room discussing Aflair's currency and Vulen confusion that had caused Edward's blood to boil.

" So you are telling me that two hundred-eleven copper crowns make a  silver coin, but what if I have two-hundred and twelve copper crowns? How many silver coins is that?" Vulen said with all ten fingers held up and a confused look which only enraged Edward further. Edward let out a deep sigh before smacking Vulen in the back of the head. " You idiot! That's called change! Which I mentioned an hour ago! You will have a silver coin and one copper you dingbat. This is my last time saying it so I suggest you write it down." Vulen went to get what Edward called a "pencil" and paper.

" Two-hundred copper crowns is one silver coin. Thirteen silvers is a gold piece. To give you an estimate of how much things are worth, a loaf of bread would be fifty-six copper. Better meals will cost a lot more than that. Renting a home would cost around nine-teen gold a month. Purchasing a small cramped home would be a commoner's entire salary. Buying a nice family home would be twice that, plus property tax. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about these things hailing from a royal family and all." Edward's puffed chest and smile made Vulen sick.

" The average commoner salary is around thirty gold pieces a month and those with better jobs average close to sixty gold a month. The real earners would be soldiers who earn around ninety-five gold a month. Soldiers, mercenaries, and others who get their hands dirty  earn a lot more when you factor in expeditions and fighting rift-kin."

Rift kin were beasts who came from cracks in space and invaded the planet causing nothing but mayhem and death. The beast of Lunenmore Woods couldn't compare. Snakes with three heads and bodies the size of homes. Spiders with Exo-Skelton harder than steel and powerful enough to remove a limb with ease. The beast from the rifts was the biggest threat on the planet. Lunenmore Woods had the benefit of being surrounded by ashwood. Ashwood's mana properties ensured that rifts were never opened close to the woods. The only drawback would be that the beast in the Lunenmore Woods was stronger than most places. So much so that the woods were classified as a rank five threat area. The highest possible. The fact that tribes not only lived there for thousands of years but made the woods their homes was a testament to their strength.

" That's how money works my friend. I'll teach you about notes and bank accounts another time. In the meantime, keep walking with that book on your head until it barely moves, and don't eat with your mouth full of food. Our matriarch might cut your head clean off and you'll leave your friend all alone in this world," Edward said sarcastically. " I'll be m.i.a for a while. Family business, but I'll send someone to bring you some new clothes and some robes. See ya later." Edward ruffled his hair which he thought was weird, but Vulen's current body reminded him of his youngest sibling. The two went their separate ways as Vulen headed to Eburhardt's gym. Eburhardt had told him that he had a surprise for him and Vulen could see the happiness on the burly man's grinning face. Eburhardt looked like an abnormally large child to Vulen who tried to look at what was behind the large figures' back

" You're wondering what I have in my hands my little toy?" Eburhardt said, almost salivating at Vulen. He could see the progress Vulen had made. Not only had he gained weight and muscle mass, but he grew a few inches, finally over five feet.

" I'm sure whatever you have won't hurt me more than weighted planks," Vulen rolled his eyes at Eburhardt's amusement.

Eburhardt revealed four bracers except these were black with the only color coming from the large blue mana crystals.

" Are they bracers?" Vulen's eyes and brows squinted in confusion. He'd been training with bracers for an entire week. Why was he receiving more bracers? His question would soon be answered as Eburhardt released the bracers from his grasp, causing the floor below him to crack.

Vulen's gaze slowly went from the abnormally heavy bracers to the large man with folded arms, looking at him like a kid in a candy shop.

" Ever since that day I witnessed your stupid fucking abnormal bullshit healing ability, I realized that I hadn't seen it again? Eburhardt pointed at Vulen lazily. "Is it something your ass can't control? "

" I need the sun, that's all. My body craves the energy it radiates and it only gets worse when I'm injured."

Vulen could see a twisted grin on Eburhardt's face. A slight chill ran down his spine.

' I probably shouldn't have told him that. Curse my big blabbering mouth!'

" Go grab that bucket of sand." He pointed to the workout room." And meet me outside. I wanna test something."

Vulen went into the gym. In front of him was a bucket that came up to his shoulders, filled to the brink with sand. He grabbed the bucket at its base and lifted it with his legs, not his back, just like Eburhardt had taught him. Was he surprised at how light it was or was it how strong he had gotten in a week?

Vulen he waddled to the exit, ignoring the snickers and laughs of the people enjoying the little elf lifting something three times his body weight. Eburhardt stood in the center of an open field, waiting for Vulen who plopped the bucket full of sand in front of him.

" Am I going to squat the bucket of sand? It seemed kind of light so I'm not sure if it will help."

Eburhardt aimed his bent finger at Vulen's forehead. This was a common occurrence between the two. Vulen could feel dread wash over him. Every so often, Eburhardt would remind Vulen that he could destroy him with the slightest of ease, but Vulen had developed a nice poker face. His insides screamed at him to run. His body shook ever so slightly but his face was stone cold.

Eburhardt plucked him hard enough for Vulen's entire sense of reality to shake. Eburhardt stood over the bleeding, half-conscious elf and slowly drew his face closer to Vulen's.

" What did I tell you about your stupid fucking questions! Did your stupid ass really think you were going to squat something you felt was light! Idiot." Eburhardt's hands flew up as he turned his back and mumbled a bunch of expletives, but his murmurs were soon quieted when he saw what he saw that fateful day. Golden light radiating from Vulen's body. The sound of his fractured face healing. Eburhardt's mouth was agape. His eyes were unsteady at the sight of Vulen as if he was looking at a deity in flesh, but Vulen's healing ability was important to him for a different reason.

His daughter.

" Get up," he said, waving his hands. " I know you're fine. Stop the bullshit. I don't have all day."

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'Crazy bastard almost killed me! Being weak fucking sucks, but one day. All of you will be begging for my power or asking me to spare you.' Vulen couldn't help but grin at the thought and for the first time since the two met, Eburhardt felt something from Vulen. He knew whatever blossomed from the boy would be dangerous.

Vulen stood up, waiting for his next order.

" For the next two weeks, you're going to spend your time running laps around this field and punching this sand. I'll warn you now. Half ass it, and your hands will shatter." His eyes looked at Vulen's once fractured forehead, "Not that it'll fucking matter."

—

" How long will we have to wait?" a red-haired boy asked. " You know who is becoming impatient and watching this bastard walk with a book on his head for the past two weeks bores me to death."

His tall blonde-haired companion answered,  "Eburhardt is out today which is what we've been waiting for. We've studied his patterns and determined a good place to attack. We've seen him punching through that sand bucket with ease and healing his shattered hands thousands of times. A head-on confrontation is what we need to avoid. We don't know his true strength so be careful. Get the darts ready. We'll catch him when he walks back into the school since he usually comes in when the sun is setting and most students will be in their rooms."

—

" Ugh. FInally. Two weeks of this is  finally over, but-" Vulen flexed his new muscles." I will admit that his methods work.'"  Vulen had another growth spurt with him now being five-six with broad shoulders and abs that could cut diamonds. His mesomorph body was a bit different from the usual elven ectomorph frame but his body was a healthy mixture of both. The only problem with him fully going through puberty was that his underwear became a lot tighter and a lot heavier due to his reproductive organs' expansion.  He hadn't attempted to cultivate mana in the past three weeks, but he was confident that his aetherial body could handle it.

He picked up the large bucket full of sand, carrying it on his shoulder with ease, and headed back toward the school's entrance. It was getting late. It was around the time the sun set and his healing abilities began to weaken a bit.

As he walked through the door and felt a sharp pain in his neck. His surroundings turned fuzzy as it became harder and harder for him to walk. The bucket shattered against the ground because Vulen could no longer support its weight.

"What is this? Wh-why... Can.. somebody. Plea-" No one was around to save him. He tried to move but his body didn't respond, but whatever had entered his body ensured he was still conscious. He could see a blonde and a red-haired figure approach him. His mind thoughts and nerves settled until they got closer and their villainous smiles were exposed.

" We finally got you Vulen," said the blonde. Vulen could see dark red eyes and fangs. A vampire. But what did they want from him? Like life flashing before his eyes, memories of Edward telling him he was in danger flashed through his mind. Eburhardt's presence made him careless. His new strength made him arrogant. He let his guard down thinking he was safe. A habit he broke in his own home had come back to bite him in the ass and now he was at the whim of two men eyeing him with nothing but animosity.

' I have to endure for Edward. He needs me. I will survive this.' He let those thoughts play over and over again in his mind.

Noah and Liam picked up Vulen's limp body and dragged him through the school's grounds. Any time someone questioned their suspicious behavior, they gave the excuse that their friend was drunk.

Soon they arrived at the entrance of the school and outside there was a carriage waiting for them. The villainous laughter of the pair and the eerie silence of the night played tricks on Vulen's fearful mind. Maybe this wasn't the danger Edward was talking about. Maybe today is the day he perishes. Right when his life was finally picking up. He was really handsome. Some of the women in the school thought he was a model or a sex worker. The only reason why he hadn't warmed many beds was his previous actions. He was stronger. His training had paid off and puberty treated him well. He fixed himself to accommodate his new world and now he was going to die. The worst part was that he couldn't even cry or scream. This poison removed his ability to do anything besides remain conscious. This was true fear.

They soon arrived at their destination. The pair dragged him into an abandoned building, ensuring that his head remained down. The creaking noise of the door gave Vulen goosebumps and the hair on his neck stood as far as it could. Noah turned on the lights while his red-haired friend poked and prodded Vulen with a knife.

" Your school is so bullshit. Do you know how easy it was to blend in?" He raised Vulen's head to look into his heavily sedated eyes.

" It wouldn't have been that easy without 'his' help. Forging information and buying off teachers? Man, the power royals have is too much, but they pay so well," Noah said.

Liam hung Vulen from the chain by his wrist and went to the table full of different tools from pliers and whips to other sharp objects.

" Do you know what these are called Vulen?" Liam slid his hand into a knuckle-shaped metal contraption." These are called brass knuckles" Liam slowly circled Vulen's swaying body, slicing him with the knife, just enough for him to bleed. The metal chains digging into his wrist caused immense pain that he couldn't even portray.

" First I'm going to beat you with these brass knuckles until your body fails you. I know you won't die since we watched you heal. Then I'll remove your toenails with those pliers. Then whip and beat you yadayada. You get the just of the story. Right Vulen? He laughed hard enough to have to hold his belly. " That's right! You can't speak or laugh or cry or yell. But you can feel pain and the poising will only heighten it. I get to torture you for the next few weeks.

" Remember what he said. No killing or dismembering," Noah said nonchalantly.

" At least you know you'll survive."

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