Rex did not let the satisfaction show on his face, but he let it be where it was, in the internal register that he kept for things that had gone exactly as planned.
Two weeks of open ti in Aethelgard, with full Academy access and no assessnt requirents, provided him the opportunity to do many things that the evaluation period had previously limited.
Rex thought. ’Finally... so fucking good quality ti of two weeks where I could just target any won eligible enough for .’
He imagined the possibilities, with each encounter representing a potential adventure waiting to unfold. Filled with desire and debauchery, he ventured out to explore the vibrant social scene, eager to fully embrace his newfound freedom.
’Since I already have two mbers of Apollo’s harem, I need two more, and I know exactly who they are.’ Rex’s gaze was fixed on two of Apollo’s harem, nad Nerith and Miraya.
Both of them displayed a strong level of desire, indicating they could be viable targets for him. What’s even better for Rex is that both appear to be formidable; one embodies the essence of ice, while the other represents nature.
One is a druid, while the other resembles a character straight out of an ice princess storybook. Rex felt a surge of excitent at the prospect of engaging with such formidable beings.
He understood that winning their favor would not only further his plan to defeat Apollo but also grant him allies capable of wielding powerful magic in his future endeavors.
If he could harness it effectively, two weeks would provide ample ti for him to grow even stronger, enabling him to do anything he desired as the one who dominates Aethelgard.
...
The dispersal that followed Elizabeth’s dismissal had the quality of a pressure release, students moving in the directions of their various intentions with the energy of people who had been on islands for three days and were now back sowhere with more than field kit rations and shoreline birds to occupy them.
"First the market district," said one of Apollo’s harem, and everyone else agreed.
Rex could hear the chatter nearby as his eyes locked onto Miraya and Nerith, who seed to have separated from the rest of Apollo’s harem. They were heading down a different path.
Soone else said, "There’s a place near the second bridge that makes fresh flatbread."
"I need a real bath," said soone from another group.
They sounded like soone who had been camping in a field for three days and had strong opinions about the difference between a waterfall and a real bath.
Rex was watching this dispersal when Lily put her hand through his arm and said, "Let’s go celebrate your return in Silver Rest, Rex!"
"That way... we could also celebrate it with Mara and Marceline." She spoke in the tone she typically used when she had already made plans and was informing him about them rather than suggesting them.
"Silver Rest, huh?" Rex said. "Now that’s actually a good idea."
Diana fell into step on the other side of him, staying close enough to talk to him but far enough away to keep the kind of privacy she had asked for in the academy’s guest quarters three days before sunrise.
"We should order a lot of beer!" Diana said.
Rex replied. "Well now... I’m not in a mood for any beer."
Talyra and Aisella exchanged glances, realizing that Rex was successfully charming both of them at the sa ti. However, they felt no jealousy or resentnt.
Rex walked between them, contemplating the night. "For now... I have to enjoy this attention I’m getting from so many won before I face a fight that could potentially injure ."
"But... I don’t care... as long as I can gradually push Apollo to a ntal breaking point... that settles it for ." He smirked.
Talyra and Aisella were half a step behind, with Talyra already engaged in a conversation with Lily about the island, displaying the deanor of soone who had three days’ worth of things to say and had found a receptive audience.
Aisella was walking beside Diana, and their exchange had the distinct quality of two individuals each applying their unique perceptiveness to one another, resulting in a mutually informative experience.
Rex kept track of everything happening in the background while contemplating Avatar Creation and the upcoming night when he could potentially launch his ambush with his undead armies.
After savoring the mont for a bit longer, he had already taken four steps past the main intersection in the dock district. The street of the Silver Rest lay two blocks ahead of him when his Foresight warned him of what was about to occur next.
He took a look at it.
He looked at the information presented by Foresight with the sa detached assessnt he applied to everything useful, which involved evaluating its aning and his options; in this particular case, his options included the one that was not available to him in most tactical situations: simply not being where the event was going to take place.
He did not choose that option.
The event was Theo Morr Nightwing, who was standing about thirty ters ahead at the second intersection in the market district. He was in a state that people experience when they have been holding sothing for too long and are transitioning between holding it and letting it go.
He had seen Diana’s hand on Rex’s arm as they approached the dock.
The forty seconds in Rex’s Foresight revealed the trajectory, timing, and specific nature of what was about to happen, prompting Rex to adjust his pace slightly so that the mont would occur at the point of maximum utility rather than rely maximum inevitability.
’This is...’ Rex thought. ’...a good fucking chance I can use!’
’He’s attempting to attack simply because he can’t control himself anymore, fueled by jealousy over his heroine holding soone else’s arm.’
’The rejection must have struck him deeply, and this mont feels like adding fuel to the flas.’
’This is a good chance for a fucking blackmail mont for the Nightwing’s family...!’
Diana spoke to Aisella, but Rex did not pay attention to their conversation because he was focused on the thirty ters ahead and the Foresight’s countdown.
And Lily was still talking to Talyra.
Ten ters...
Theo was on the move.
He rounded the corner with a distinctive quality of movent, characteristic of soone who had made a decision that had been developing for days and was now executing it from the point of no return.
He wasn’t walking or running. He was crossing the distance between himself and Rex with the determination of soone who had already made a decision and would not be swayed by anything that required more than physical intervention to change.
Rex saw the swing coming thanks to the specific advance notice provided by his Foresight and recalled the assessnt he had previously made when he chose not to move out of the way.
The swing was aid at Rex’s jaw, a target that most people chose when acting out of anger instead of strategy, and its velocity suggested that the attacker had been contemplating this mont for several days, accumulating a significant amount of kinetic energy.
Rex raised an eyebrow. "Here cos... my ticket to a new way to break all of Nightwing’s won!"
Rex’s Foresight presented him with three clear options to avoid the situation, but he chose not to take any of them. He recognized a significant opportunity in this mont, particularly with so many people surrounding him.
He didn’t dodge what was coming. Instead, he used the chaos to his advantage by using his charm to get people’s attention and change their minds. Rex was willing to commit to risking this unexpected choice, which could either lead to a huge breakthrough or a huge disaster.
"YOU FUCKING BASTAARRRDDDD!!!" Theo scread, clenching his fists as he launched a massive punch aid at Rex’s jaw.
"I’ll take that one impact for all of your family mbers, Theo...!" Rex thought to himself.
BAAAMMMM!
The impact arrived.
Rex felt the world shift around him as the blow connected, pain radiating through his face. For a brief mont, everything slowed down, and in that instant, he realized that this confrontation could either solidify his resolve or unravel everything he had worked for.
The punch was solid, and Rex noted it with the detachnt of soone cataloging information rather than experiencing the repercussions.
The result of the blow was that Rex went down, a realistic reaction to such a powerful strike delivered by soone who had been training since childhood and had three days’ worth of accumulated motivation behind it.
He hit the paving stones with the sa level of control as soone who had consciously chosen to fall in a specific manner and was committed to the action.
’Fucking worth it...’
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