Chapter 10: The Holy Body (2)
“Just move it over there.”
Days later, Gebel was out back chopping wood, giving Isaac orders. Already a neat stack of firewood sat beside him. As Isaac followed the directions, he couldn’t help but notice how precise and evenly cut the wood was.
Sure, skilled hands could do it, but there was something oddly familiar about it all for Isaac.
Thud, thud.
Gebel mechanically split the wood, no sweat, never missing the mark.
Isaac, who had been quietly observing, suddenly piped up.
“Hey, Gebel.”
“What’s up?”
“Can you teach me sword fighting?”
Thud. Gebel kept on chopping, breaking a few more logs before turning to Isaac.
And he was smiling.
“So that’s why you’ve been tailing me?”
“Not just that, but…”
“You think I know how to handle a sword because I’m a runaway soldier?”
Gebel brought up an old rumor.
Isaac shook his head. He didn’t care why Gebel was at the monastery; that wasn’t his focus.
“Did you split that boar with your bare hands?”
“You probably saw wrong because you were freaked out.”
Fair point. Isaac knew words alone wouldn’t convince Gebel.
“I saw those rat carcasses you had thrown away.”
The rats Gebel had asked to be tossed out weren’t your typical trap catches; they all had similar wounds in similar spots.
“Looks like a sharp weapon did those, like a knife.”
“Why not think of a spear or skewer? Wouldn’t that be more likely?”
Gebel was surprised Isaac had caught on but seemed more intrigued than upset, curious to see what Isaac would say next.
So, Isaac decided to lay it all out there.
“You’re one of those holy knights, Mr. Gebel.”
“What makes you think that?”
“That tattoo on your wrist.”
Gebel subconsciously touched his wrist. He hadn’t hidden the tattoo, but he was impressed Isaac had noticed it.
“Hans said it’s a sword crossing a crescent moon, but it’s really a sword piercing the moon, right? The Avalanche Holy Knights emblem.”
Gebel quieted down.
Piercing the moon.
Just as the sun symbolizes the Codex of Light, the crescent moon signifies the Immortal Order, especially the Immortal Emperor.
Thus, Gebel’s tattoo was a declaration of piercing the god, Beshek, leader of the Order.
It was a sign that the ‘Avalanche Holy Knights’ he belonged to were a pretty intense group.
“I’ve totally seen that cool tattoo on the list of knights joining in the Dawn War. Those holy knights from the 12th Dawn War…”
“You’ve been pretty observant.”
“Everyone loves talking about the Dawn War.”
Gebel set down the axe, looking all serious and stuff.
“Even the kids around here can surprise you. Only the abbot seemed to notice…”
Gebel mumbled, not really bothering to keep it a secret, then picked up the axe again. Isaac halfexpected Gebel to swing it his way, but Gebel just went back to chopping wood.
Isaac waited for more, but Gebel stayed quiet.
“So?”
“What ‘so’?”
“Can you teach me sword fighting?”
I mean, being a holy knight doesn’t really require sword skills. It’s more about brainwashing kids into believing in faith since forever.
But Isaac was different.
Not because this wasn’t a holy knight gig, but because he couldn’t prove his faith. If they found out he worshiped some nameless chaos deity, he’d be toast.
So, if Isaac wanted to join the holy knights, he had to prove himself elsewhere first.
“What’s me being a holy knight got to do with swords? Go on, spill it. A deserter just becomes a runaway holy knight.”
Wait, so he did desert? Gebel already sounded like he had quit the holy knight scene. Maybe losing his buddies made him not care. So, here he was, at this middleofnowhere monastery, chopping wood.
But Isaac could tell Gebel hadn’t given up on swords. His gear was topnotch, and his sword skills were still on point. Seemed like he was just biding his time in the monastery for some reason.
As Isaac watched, Gebel smirked and slammed the axe into a giant log.
“Try pulling it out.”
“What?”
“You wanna learn sword stuff, don’t you? This is just a plain old axe, not even a big battle one. Real swords are way heavier. You think you can handle one when you’re barely grown? Hilarious.”
***
Isaac hesitated but went over to the axe.
Gebel was waiting for Isaac to struggle and fail.
“Getting the hang of being a swordsman in this lousy monastery is tough. Do you even eat right or just study? All you do is sit around and read; how’s that gonna get you ready?”
“If I pull this axe out, will you train me in swordsmanship?”
“Maybe. It’s not like King Arthur’s Excalibur stuck in a rock, but this axe is jammed real good. You won’t be yanking it out with your size alone.”
Still, Gebel watched Isaac with interest.
He wasn’t completely against teaching Isaac sword stuff. He just saw Isaac as a mature kid. Since Isaac had been training since he was little, Gebel figured Isaac’s body wasn’t ready for anything beyond basic exercises.
“Maybe he’ll impress me.”
Isaac cautiously grabbed the axe handle. It was almost as tall as his face, making it hard to grip just right.
He had no choice but to hold near the blade and pull.
The log budged a little. Gebel had his doubts, and sure enough, the axe didn’t move.
“See? Instead of blabbing, focus on those scriptures. Then maybe the abbot will consider you for the cathedral school…”
Gebel grinned.
Isaac was sharp and hardworking. Even without any special powers, he was the kind of person you’d want on your team.
But then, out of the blue, Isaac hoisted the axe, stuck in the log, high up in the air.
Gebel’s eyes widened as Isaac lifted the log, nearly as big as himself.
Isaac didn’t just yank out the axe, he raised the whole log. And he felt that wasn’t shocking enough.
Isaac brought the axe, still in the log, crashing down into the ground.
Boom! The axe cleaved the log in two in a single swift move and buried itself deep in the earth. Isaac felt a jolt in his hands but gritted through it.
“Whew… Lifting it was one thing, but getting it out is a whole new challenge.”
“What the heck?”
Gebel was baffled and then hurried over to Isaac. Isaac was taken aback by Gebel’s frantic inspection but let him be.
After checking Isaac’s slim wrists and weak muscles, Gebel even lifted him to gauge his weight.
Then it hit him how nonsensical the situation was.
“How is this even possible?”
Isaac averted his eyes, feigning ignorance.
[Temporary Benefit: ‘Beastly Strength’ from eating the plague wild boar]
The boost Isaac got from munching on the plague wild boar was still active.
It was a temporary power, but enough to clinch the bet with Gebel.
Obviously, both Isaac and Gebel knew this was all too crazy. Isaac debated whether to spill the beans about this power but had to showcase this ‘impossible event’ to win the bet or for future swordfight training.
After all, claiming to be a swordsman without enough muscle was equally absurd.
Gebel tried to make sense of it before asking.
“Did you gobble up all those rats?”
“…”
“Even if you did, that strength doesn’t add up to your physique…”
Rattled by the unexpectedly sharp question, Isaac saw Gebel quickly discard his own theory. It was just as absurd. But in this world, when the unimaginable occurs, there’s a convenient way to wrap your head around it.
Gebel mumbled in a daze.
“So was it truly a miracle?”
“A miracle?”
In that moment, Isaac caught the fleeting look that passed over Gebel’s face.
Gebel had used the past tense ‘Was it a miracle?’ not the present tense.
Meaning, Gebel had perceived something in Isaac that he suspected was a miracle.
And that brief expression on his face.
It was a mix of delight and excitement, the kind you have when something you’ve been expecting shows up, not the look of awe when faced with something unexpectedly incredible.
Gebel quickly masked his expression and fell silent, seeming hesitant to say more.
“So?”
When Gebel hesitated to reply, Isaac pressed for an answer.
“Since I lifted it, you’ll teach me swordsmanship, yeah?”
Gebel was speechless.
***
[The Nameless Chaos is pleased with your little triumph.]
[A gift from the Chaos has been granted to you.]
Late that night, while poring over a book in the library, Isaac received his victory gift.
Isaac’s lips curled into a small smile at the message.
‘Looks like he’s made up his mind to tutor me in fencing.’
The conclusion wasn’t reached when he hoisted the axe in the daytime. But the appearance of the message later hinted that Gebel had acknowledged it.
‘No way I could’ve gotten this recognition just by swinging an axe,’ Isaac thought. He realized that it was the persona he had crafted that really caught Gebel’s attention. Being seen as a sharp, hardworking kid always striving for improvement, with a passion for sword fighting and a knack for showing off skills, definitely made people take notice.
‘Well, things turned out pretty good,’ Isaac mused as he checked out the reward granted to him by the Nameless Chaos.
[Got the ‘Rat in the Walls’ perk, courtesy of the Nameless Chaos.]
[Now equipped to share senses through tentacles.]
‘Sharing senses?’ Isaac was intrigued by the concept. Though not immediately practical with all the eyes around, he sneakily made his way outside, pretending to need the bathroom break.
‘Let’s give this a shot…’ Finding a quiet spot, Isaac experimented with his tentacles. Feeling a bit dizzy as the tentacles’ vision and sounds mixed with his own.
[The Rat in the Walls / Sharing senses through tentacles.]
The blending of perspectives wasn’t too disorienting, just a bit fuzzy around the edges. Shutting his eyes helped him tune into the tentacle’s viewpoint.
Isaac stretched out a tentacle, slipping it through a crack in the floor. He knew the confessional room where Gebel and the abbot were situated lay below, his aim set on eavesdropping.
He needed to uncover Gebel’s true thoughts about him.
The tentacle snaked through the gaps in the walls and halted near the duo. With a tiny ear on the tentacle, Isaac listened in on their conversation.
***
“He pulled out the axe stuck in the wood?”
“Yes, Your Reverence.”
As expected, word of Isaac’s feat had reached the abbot’s ears.
“Maybe he’s just naturally strong? Calling it a miracle might be pushing it a bit.”
“It’s different, Your Reverence.”
In the dimly lit confessional, Gebel, head resting on hand, spoke softly.
“There’s a good chance Isaac is a Holy Body. Someone who carries miracles within.”
