132 One Day Before
The next day, the day of the Elixir delivery, Luke woke up early, and before doing anything else, he got dressed and went to Manilyn’s house to check if everything was okay. Since there was now a tear in his clothing, caused by the Claymore that had gone through him in the first stage, Luke tried to disguise it with a black shirt underneath.
There were still a few hours left before the agreed-upon deadline, so if something had gone wrong with the Elixirs, the half-wolf could still try to do something to fix it in the remaining time.
When Luke arrived at the old man’s house, he found him still awake and with huge dark circles under his eyes. On the table were two large, checkered vials with a yellow liquid inside.
“Good morning…” Luke greeted the old man, who was rubbing his hands on his back to try to ease the pain.
“OUCH! What the hell… it’s just you, half-beast. Why do you walk around like that quietly?” The old man questioned after being startled, placing his hand on the left side of his chest.
“Are the Elixirs ready?”
“I am almost finished with the last process of the one that is missing.”
Then Manilyn walked over to a table that had some books, and a golden scale that had two plates. On the right side of the scale was a thin iron bar with the number 100 engraved on it. On the left scale, the old man poured some of the lead, which had a cement-like appearance.
“Luke, do you know the story of the Elixir of Flamel?” asked Manilyn, seeing that the half-wolf leaned his back against a wall to wait for him to finish.
“I have heard the word ‘Flamel’ on a few occasions, but never understood what it actually means.”
Smiling, Manilyn took one of Forbannet frosk’s fingers and began to mince it like a sausage.
“I’m not surprised I don’t know…few people do…Flamel was a man, and one of the worst who ever stepped foot in this world. He subscribed to many cruel and mystical arts, and his studies were completely inhuman… No wonder he is to this day considered to be the first Witch in history.”
Luke began to get interested in the subject. “And what is a Witch?” Luke had only heard about Witches through Yoelona, who called everyone who used Genes Abilities that way.
“Let’s just say he was the first to start studying how to use the spoils dropped by monsters that are killed.”
“Does that make you a Warlock too? After all, you are using monster components at this very moment.”
Manilyn stopped pricking the last finger and left only the fingernail intact. “Do you mind if I keep the other fingers?” He asked, pointing the knife at the other five remaining fingers and looking at Luke over his shoulder.
The half-wolf merely denied it with his head.
“Thank you, and moving on… no, I am not a Witch… Witches are those who merge with monsters.”
“Are you talking about the Genes Abilities? The Monster Cores?”
“No, those are gifts forgiven to us by Gods… Well, someday you will understand what I am talking about… Just understand that even though he was one of the worst humans that ever existed, Flamel did one good thing for the world, he created what we call the Elixir of Flamel.”
“And what exactly does this Elixir do?” Luke inquired.
At that moment, Manilyn finished straining the liquid from a vial onto the pieces of Forbannet frosk’s finger.
“It is a very strong anesthetic, which allowed mankind to begin to learn advanced medicine. Ten millimeters of Elixir de Flamel is enough to leave a healthy, adult human in suspended animation for up to twelve hours.”
He said as he carefully rotated the vial in his hand by the head of the bottle. In the center of the bottle, a small swirl formed with the spinning. Manilyn stopped the movement and placed the last vial with yellow liquid next to the other two.
“Before Flamel was discovered as the monster he was, to many he was a charitable genius… Half-beast, the lesson I’m trying to pass on to you is: that the opinions of others do not define who you are, but rather your thoughts. So when you make a decision that matters in the future, don’t do what you think people would do, always do what you think is best. Only then will you live without regrets.”
At the time, the half-wolf didn’t understand why Manilyn Strogueher said this to him, but this advice proved paramount in his future. Luke took the three vials of Elixir de Flamel that were on the table, thanked the old man, and returned to his residence, a little more thoughtful than before.
Focusing on the playoffs, Luke wondered who his first opponent would be. He knew that in that white courtyard of the Central Palace many formidable people were present, some wore Clan Armor and others stank so much that they looked as if they had just come out of Dungeoneering, which meant that they were adventurers as well.
As a child, Luke argued a lot with his friends about the Tournament of Legends. This competition made them respect adventurers even more, or rather fear them… but this year Luke was participating, and better, he was participating with his true identity, as the Luke Lange who is a half-wolf.
A few hours later, Shiro, Nathalia, and Luke were standing in front of the huge staircase of the Central Palace. The staircase itself was empty, but the square around it was crowded as never before.
With many outdoor bars, stores, restaurants, and markets, the Central Square, as it was known, was crowded with people curious about who would try to pass the Second Phase. Many people had already climbed the stairs during that day and countless had come down helplessly, for not getting the preparation or ingredients right.
The trio of competitors, representing the Strogueher Noble Family this year, had to climb all 999 steps of the colossal staircase. Apparently, the alternative entrance was not cleared. When they finally reached the top, one of the three knights wearing armor adorned in silver stopped them.
“Medallions, please.” The knight demanded.
They took the Medallions out of their pockets and showed them, and then their entrances were released. The riders moved out of the way and a proactive tournament organizing assistant came to greet them.
“Oh! Nathalia Strogueher! It’s you, isn’t it?” The middle-aged man asked excitedly. He was wearing a long, gray outfit.
“Yes. We have come to deliver our Elixirs.”
“Of course… I will guide you to the checkpoint.”
Then the man led them to the same white courtyard where the Sensory Magician had given her speech two days earlier. Arriving there, they found none other than Mikaela Åkerman herself.
“Finally, someone came along, and not a moment too soon…” The blonde woman said, a little bored. “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon…” Nathalia, Luke, and Shiro greeted her simultaneously.