CHAPTER 134: CHIEF OF MANA KNIGHTS

Calien glanced at the fallen shapes of the humanoid twin-tentacle octopuses strewn across the darkened corridor, then looked back at Chief Varros with a gleam of unabashed eagerness in his eyes. "Chief," he began carefully, his voice tinged with respect but also a spark of boyish excitement, "can you show us again, sir? Another one of those techniques you just did?"

Before Varros could even draw breath to respond, one of the chief’s own attendants frowned slightly at Calien’s boldness and took a quick step forward. "Sir Calien," the attendant said gently but firmly, dipping his head toward him, "you must remember that Chief Varros is a busy man. You shouldn’t make such a casual request of someone at his level."

Calien’s brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to reply, only for Erik to lean in, voice measured as always. "My friend simply wanted to see more," Erik offered, glancing at the attendant. "There was no disrespect intended. Chief Varros is a chief of the Mana Knights, after all. I’m sure he understands we’re just eager to learn."

The second attendant gave a deep bow toward Varros, hands clasped. "Of course, of course," he said quickly. "Please forgive them, sir. These students are still very young and passionate, so they speak without thinking sometimes. They mean no offense."

The first attendant followed suit, bowing even lower. "Exactly. They truly admire your skill, Chief. Even so, we’d hate for you to feel put upon."

Calien, feeling chastened, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while Erik stood silently at his side, hands tucked into his belt. Both kept their eyes respectfully lowered in case they had overstepped.

Chief Varros, watching this little exchange with a faint, knowing smile, held up one gloved hand in a graceful, pacifying gesture. "That’s quite all right," he assured them, voice deep and calm. "I don’t mind the enthusiasm."

The tension eased visibly as Calien glanced up, relief flooding his face. "Thank you, sir," he said earnestly.

Erik nodded along with him, his expression settling into one of quiet anticipation as he added, "Your skills back there were really something. We hoped to see more."

Varros studied them for a brief moment before allowing himself a low chuckle. "More, is it? Even though I’m not exactly a knivesman by trade," he began thoughtfully, twirling one of Calien’s slender knives between his fingers, "as chief of the Mana Knights, I’ve learned a thing or two. Knives may not be my first weapon, but I understand their ways."

That was enough to make Calien and Erik lean in, eyes bright.

"Then would you, sir?" Calien asked quickly, his voice humming with barely contained excitement.

"Of course," Varros replied with a casual shrug. "If you’re so eager, I’ll show you—and explain every detail as I go."

With that, he turned toward the nearest shadowed archway where another humanoid twin-tentacle octopus was shuffling into view. Its slick flesh glistened in the gloom as its multiple tentacles reached out toward him with an eerie grace, but Varros never paused.

He raised the blade, his voice lowering into that commanding timbre that had led his troops so many times before. "First," he said, stepping into the beast’s path with measured steps, "you need to control the distance. Let them come to you, and wait until their focus is locked."

As the monster lunged forward, Varros shifted sideways with a smooth pivot of his heel. "When they commit," he continued, hands steady as his knife flashed up in a sharp arc, "you strike quickly, right at the crown."

The knife bit home with a wet crack, piercing the exact center of the creature’s skull. Its grotesque body spasmed once before going utterly still, tentacles collapsing into a limp tangle at Varros’s feet.

Calien and Erik stared, rapt, as one.

"You see," Varros explained calmly, stepping back as if he hadn’t just dispatched a nightmare, "it’s all about reading their weight and moving faster than they can react. You don’t aim for their arms. That only wastes time."

He glanced back to the two students and his voice softened slightly. "That’s the first technique: control the distance, wait for the commitment, then strike precisely at the weakest point."

Calien was the first to find his voice, nodding so quickly it was a wonder his head didn’t roll clean off. "That was amazing, Chief," he said breathlessly. "And so smooth."

"Can you show us another one?" Erik asked, stepping up alongside Calien, his gaze sharp with focus.

Varros inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Very well," he said, scanning the darkened hallway. Another of the octopus creatures was slithering toward them, its slick appendages dragging against the stones.

As it neared, Varros raised the knife again. "This next one is for when they don’t lunge straight," he began, his eyes never leaving the beast. "If it circles, you use that against it. Shift your weight into its blind spot."

He moved then—a subtle feint left, drawing one tentacle toward him—and then spun around the monster’s flank with impossible grace. The blade flashed low and quick as he sliced deep into its neck, then followed up with a brutal downward stab into its skull before it had a chance to counter.

As the creature crumpled, Varros spoke, voice smooth as silk. "That’s the second technique. It’s about creating the angle they don’t anticipate. Every shift of their body is an opening if you look carefully enough."

Both Calien and Erik stared at the fallen beast for a long, breathless moment before Calien finally found his voice again. "That was—" he started, but Erik cut in before he could finish.

"Can you show us one more?" Erik asked, his tone more measured but his eyes alive with the same fierce enthusiasm.

Varros glanced back at them, his mouth quirking into a faint smile. "If you insist," he replied. "One more, then."

As if on cue, a third octopus monster appeared further down the corridor, moving faster than the others, its tentacles whipping toward him with eerie speed.

Varros didn’t wait. "When they’re aggressive like this," he instructed, stepping toward the oncoming threat without an ounce of hesitation, "you meet them halfway. Don’t wait for them to decide the pace."

Before either student could blink, he rushed in low and fluid, one hand knocking the tentacles aside as the other drove the knife up through the underside of the creature’s jaw in a vicious, clean thrust. The blade burst through its skull with a sickening crunch, and in one smooth motion he yanked it free and stepped back as the monster fell lifeless at his feet.

Wiping the blade on his sleeve, he continued as if narrating a lesson. "That was the third technique. Anticipate their aggression, cut through their rhythm, and use their own momentum against them. Never give them time to regroup."

The corridor fell quiet as Calien and Erik exchanged glances, their awe evident. Both boys nodded at once, their respect obvious in every motion.

"That’s incredible," Calien breathed.

"Absolutely," Erik agreed. "We could learn so much more."

Varros gave a low chuckle at their enthusiasm. "And we will," he promised, sheathing the knife smoothly as he straightened. "That was just the beginning."

He paused then, studying them carefully. "So," he asked at last, voice warm with challenge, "you want to learn more?"

Without hesitation, both Calien and Erik nodded eagerly, hands tightening around their knives as their eyes shone with resolve.

And that was precisely when a deep, familiar roar shuddered up through the very stones beneath their feet, the sound rolling like thunder through the tower’s halls and shaking the walls around them with its ferocity.