Marcus...
Over the next few days, he started working with Alfronn more as the two of them continued to map out future business plans with selling light bulbs as their starting product. Although he knew that over time it would eventually turn into a very successful and profitable industry, he needed to find a way to accelerate it further.
For that to happen, he would need to head to the kingdom of Forrosa and make them an offer. Hopefully they would be interested in what he had in mind and fund their business right away.
He headed over to the cafe that Ruvick visited often and sure enough, there he was, sitting at a table in the far side of the room with a book in hand.
The very moment he walked inside, Ruvick's head tilted up and he waved to greet Marcus. He walked over to his table and took a seat.
"So!" he said with enthusiasm in his voice as he closed his book with a loud thud, "What brings you here today?"
"I'd like your help with introducing me to some people in Forrosa if you can," Marcus said and Ruvick raised his eyebrows in interest.
"For what purpose if you don't mind me asking?"
"Brotherhood bounties don't pay as well I would need them to so I plan on advancing the world into the industrial era and monopolizing it. To accelerate that, I want to propose a few ideas to the Forrosan kingdom in the hopes that they would invest in it further," he said and Ruvick choked on his coffee.
Hold on...he can choke on coffee?
Ruvick tried to speak but the liquid in his lungs made the words sound watery and unintelligible so he spent a few moments forcibly coughing into a napkin. Though he didn't seem to have any actual trouble breathing, not that he needed to breathe in the first place, it looked like having things catch in his lungs made speaking coherently quite difficult.
Once he had cleared out his lungs he gave Marcus an amused chuckle.
"I didn't really figure you for some kind of business tycoon. A ruthless warrior and murderer, sure, but a philanthropist? Its hard to imagine," he said with a smile.
"Yeah well, I eventually got fed up with killing people for money so I started looking for alternative ways of making money. Eventually I started selling weapons and it worked rather well. Right now, I'm in a similar position. I can't depend on jobs that the Brotherhood lists out because most of them are rather poorly paid jobs, aside from the one that Selene and I took together. The one that you organized," he said and Ruvick winced as if he didn't want to be reminded of that.
"Yes, and I already apologized for that didn't I?"
"You did but that's not the point. Trying to depend on jobs of that level of risk for that amount of pay is not a reliable source of income," Marcus said and Ruvick sighed.
"You know...you could always just ask me and I'd pay you whatever you needed," he offered but Marcus shook his head.
"I already had that in mind but I don't want to depend on you financially. I want to see if I can stand on my own in this world. That would mean finding my own way of gaining assets and income," he said and Ruvick nodded approvingly.
"I can respect that. However, before I take you to Forrosa and show you around, I'd like to work on something else with you first," he said.
"And what would that be?"
Ruvick leaned forward on the table with his arms folded on the table in front of him as he said, "I would like to continue training you on how to control your manifested rage."
Marcus's right hand tightened into a fist at the thought of it.
"You're not going to antagonize me like last time are you? Or will you try stabbing me in the chest again?" he said with bitterness in his voice but Ruvick just laughed.
"No, of course not. I only intended to do that once to see if it could manifest at all. Now that I know it can, I intend to help you manifest it in a less violent manner," he said with a calm tone but it failed to calm Marcus down.
Marcus tilted his head back, narrowed his eyes, and looked down his his nose at him. Seeing this, Ruvick dropped his smile and was replaced by a look of impatience.
"What...? Is there something wrong with what I'm suggesting?" Ruvick said with a dull tone.
"I know you said that learning manifestation was so that I would be able to handle others who are capable of the same, but I even I can tell that there's something else you have in mind. What is it you are after that it involves me?"
Without changing his expression, Ruvick said, "If you win the contest of champions, I will tell you everything."
"Don't give me that shit! Words have little value to me without action to back it up," he said but Ruvick's eyes narrowed in such a way that gave him a very clear message.
"Be silent", his eyes said.
"I will repeat myself and you will listen. I swear upon the Styx that if you win the contest of champions, I will tell you everything. I will tell you what I am, I will tell you my goals, I will tell you things that you are not even aware of about yourself. However, I will only agree to this oath under the condition that you cooperate with me without complaint until the agreement is fulfilled. Are the terms acceptable to you?" he asked in a tone that made it clear that refusing was not a wise decision.
"You're swearing upon the Styx...? You're truly serious about this?" Marcus asked, shocked to hear him mention that name.
"Even I am not immune to the consequences that would fall on me if I were to break an oath in her name. Any oath made under The Styx is absolute, there is no defying it. Now, I will ask again. Are the terms acceptable?"
Marcus went silent for a moment as he thought this over. He didn't really want to get involved into an unbreakable oath like this where he would be forced to cooperate with someone he didn't fully trust but on the other hand, the oath itself would only last as long as the contest did and if he managed to win.
Not only that, but if he was being honest with himself, he needed answers as to why he was being roped into this whole mess despite barely arriving into this world only a few months ago.
Hmm...
"If I accept, you also have to insure Thalia's safety. If I cooperate with you, she cannot be involved under any circumstances," he stated firmly.
"Of course," Ruvick agreed.
"Then I accept," Marcus said and he felt a slight chill run up his spine. He could feel the oath becoming binding.
"Remember, this oath is dependent upon your cooperation as well. Now that you've agreed to the oath, you cannot opt out of it," he reminded him.
"I'm aware of that. Lets just move on already. What is it that you wanted to teach me regarding manifestation?"
Ruvick's dark expression disappeared in an instant and his usual pleasant demeanor returned as he said, "I'm glad you asked!"
He then snapped his fingers and the cafe around them disappeared. What replaced their environment was forest of what looked like pine trees.
"What...what are we doing here?" Marcus asked him.
"I brought us here to help you focus on your manifestation. You won't be doing anything particularly crazy this time. For the moment, you'll be focusing on meditating only," he stated.
"I do remember you bringing that up before, but what does it have to do with manifestation?" he asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.
"It has a lot to do with it. Meditating can help you get a strong sense of self or a sense of what you wish to emulate. Now, sit on the ground with me," he said as he sat on the grass to which Marcus followed suit.
"Okay...now what do I do? I'm not really used to the whole idea of meditation," he said and Ruvick let out an irritated sigh.
"Alright, close your eyes and listen closely. Breathe in deeply, then hold it for a moment before letting it back out. Do it over and over again. While you do this, think about nothing but the smell of the air, the sounds of the forest, the way the wind moves on your skin. Ignore every other thought and focus only on those sounds. Can you do it?"
Marcus's mouth hung open in shock. The way that Ruvick worded that...it felt eerily familiar. It felt like...he had heard those words before but he knew that he had never met anyone who had ever said that to him until now.
Ruvick asked him again, "Can you do it?"
"I...I can try," he said as he closed his eyes and tried to do what he was told.
As he closed his eyes, he deprived himself of his vision so that he could focus on his senses of hearing, touch, and smell. He took in a deep breath and held it there for a moment. As he held it, he could feel a pressure building up in his chest before he released it. A strange but not unpleasant heaviness started to weigh on him as he continued to breathe deeply, in and out in long intervals.
He then focused on the air buffeting against his skin. Wearing just a thin t-shirt and pants, the cold wind bit at him but it wasn't enough to make him shiver. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and goosebumps formed on his arms.
The sound of the wind flowing through the trees, the gentle rustling of the leaves and the swaying of the branches all around him echoed in his ears.
The smell of pine, grass, and clean air filled his lungs every time he breathed in through his nose.
He was in shock at how completely at ease he felt in this moment, even with Ruvick being present, not a few feet away from him.
"Now that you have found a solid center, we will begin focusing on your ability to manifest your will into reality. From what I was able to figure out, your will is manifested through your rage. Focus on all the memories that invoke the most amount of anger and rage in your mind. Anything that instills a deep feeling of wrath within you. I'm sure that won't be too difficult for you. Don't be afraid to cut loose with all your emotions but be aware, meditation is to help you find a strong sense of control, to maintain your center. I would prefer if you learned how to control your anger instead of letting it take control-," Ruvick said but Marcus cut him off.
"I assure you Ruvick, when I let my rage loose against you, I was in complete control. I was fully intent on trying to kill you. There was not a single moment during that time that I wasn't purposely using my rage to take you down," he said and Ruvick chuckled.
"Well then...I applaud your effort but unfortunately I am an immortal undead. Nothing in all of creation can kill me. Not even God himself," he said flatly and Marcus opened his eyes to stare at him. Hearing Ruvick's conformation that God really exists didn't really surprise but hearing it out right was disturbing.
"There will be time to talk about him later. For now, focus on what I told you to do. You said that you've never lost control of your rage yes? Prove it to me," he said.
Marcus closed his eyes and said, "Well...it was a half-truth. I've never lost my control over my rage against you but...there have been times in my life where my anger has completely taken over me. Its when..."
He tried to finish the sentence but couldn't bring himself to say his name.
"'It's when what? What do you mean? Are you talking about your time as The Enderman?" Ruvick asked, slightly amused but not smiling.
Marcus then opened his eyes and met his stare, and Ruvick could tell that something was different about the way he looked at him. It was as if looking at a different person entirely.
"No. Its only when 'Ender' shows up that..., well, I'd rather not deal with him again," he said as he tried to push the thought of him into the back of his mind while he focused on everything else that fueled his anger.
Ruvick...
He sat there, confused as he wondered what Marcus could have meant by this 'Ender' person. Was he a different person who went by a similar name to Marcus's Enderman persona or...was it something else?
Either way, it seemed that he wasn't intent on sharing that information with him and he didn't want to pressure him for it either. He decided to let it go for the moment as he watched Marcus delve into his memories.
It didn't take very long for him to tighten his fists as the recalling of his memories made him tense up in anger.
For a moment though, he wondered if him simply trying to recall his old memories was enough. When the two of them last fought, it took the threat of exposing his past to Thalia to make him snap and force his will to manifest.
Marcus was too intelligent to let something like that bother him that much a second time, and especially so if he knew it was only meant to antagonize him into releasing his strength. It wouldn't be enough of a trigger at all.
However, just as he was wondering if this exorcise was even worth the effort, he started to see a slight red glow forming on Marcus's right forearm. It looked like his own blood vessels were pulsing with energy but as Ruvick gave it a closer look, he realized it wasn't just his blood vessels glowing, but a surging pulse of red electricity that stretched up his forearms and made its way up to his shoulders. As the blood in his veins continued to glow like a red hot plasma, the bolts of red lightning across his body started to crackle. The energy became so intense that it reverberated through the dirt and the ground cracked underneath him. Through the cracks, the red energy seemed to seep into it and started affecting everything around them.
Ruvick looked around and noticed as the energy even started to affect the trees as veins of red began to spread on the roots and traveled up their trunks.
That's interesting...
The slow, natural growth of the trees and the other plants in the area began to accelerate rapidly as he fed his energy into everything around him.
As he focused his attention back on Marcus, his body started to vibrate violently with power. His face seemed almost contorted with pain from the memories he was forcing himself to relive.
"Alright, I think that's enough for now," Ruvick said in a calming tone and Marcus's anger faded quickly. His eyes opened up and rather than seeing a look of rage evaporating, it was like looked at a man dealing with an intense weight of depression. Forcing him to go through this every time just to learn control over his power was too much to ask of him.
"Marcus, let me ask you something."
He looked up at Ruvick with an almost dazed expression and said, "Yeah? What is it?"
"Do you feel that this is really necessary, or do you think you already have decent grasp on what you need to do when it comes to controlling your power?"
Marcus looked down at his hand and clenched it into a fist. He looked at it intently and as his eyes became focused for a brief moment, the red lightning surged through his fist.
"I think...for the most part, I can figure it out. I can somewhat manifest it on my own without having you antagonizing me if that's what you're wondering," he said with a pained smile on his face.
"Alright, I guess that will have to do for now. From this point onward, we'll focus on figuring out the extent of what your manifestation can do. Are you able to continue?" he asked with genuine concern but tried not to show it in his voice.
Marcus looked at him with a determined look in his eyes as he said, "Of course. Lets keep going."