“What?!” Kala questioned as her head quickly snapped back at Jude.


    “Bullshit!” the Goliath male shouted. “There’s no way he’s a crafter. Crafters can’t fight at all or even come close to handling themselves properly in a fight. I should know. I tried to fight one back in the Tutorial Dungeon and they were wiped across the floor.”


    “He’s right,” the dual dagger wielding woman agreed. “He easily dodged Falin here and puffed out into that strange black smoke like a ninja when I tried to attack him. There’s no fricking way he’s a crafter.”


    “No matter how much you refute it,” Theodore chimed in, a grin slowly growing on his face as he looked at the Goliath male, Falin. “He truly is a damn Crafter. We all can attest to it. Which means you, a big bad bastard sword wielding man, got your ass kicked by the one class you have been looking down on.”


    Liam raised a brow at Theodore’s words as he looked the others behind him.


    Avery and Roman looked confused as they stared at him. Blair looked like she was trying to decipher his words as well while Mercer shrugged at Liam. Liam looked back at Jude and noticed he saw his confusion. Clarifying, Jude stated, “We’ve met them before at a bar and this guy got drunk and went on a rant about how those who crafter, whether it was their class or not, were weak and relied too much on wasting time making things that training and practice could do better on.”


    “So you know these guys?” Liam questioned as he looked at Kala. He wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.


    Jude shrugged. “About as much as I know Aranis and Inyis. Like I said, I met them once at a bar. They all get really chatty when drunk. Kala here told me about how her power sometimes goes out of control, and it makes it hard for her to keep it in check. I happened to appear on the island when things started to go a bit hectic for her when she was trying to fi…”


    “What the hell do you think you are doing?” Falin questioned. “Why are you revealing such information to outsiders like that? Kala, I told you he couldn’t be trusted.”


    Jude turned his gaze upon Falin. The smile on his face may have looked genuine, but from Liam’s experience with the man, he had just thought of something he thought was fun and wanted to test it out on him. Probably a new ability or an old one with a new application towards it.


    However, before he could say or do anything, Kala snapped, “Falin, could you stay silent for just a moment? Would it kill you to not jump at everything that is said?” Liam watched as Kala’s body language changed from the confused, discomposed state she was in, and into a stern, commanding one. Liam could feel she was finally out of the bewilderment she seemed to be stuck in when he arrived and wanted answers.


    She snapped back at Jude and stated in a demanding tone of voice as she pointed at him, “And you. I know I may have slipped and said that to you when I was in a drunken stupor, but I didn’t think you would flap your gums so easily to someone else. My Patron said I could trust you and that you could help me in that situation, and I trusted him, but for you to just say it to an outsider so easily…”


    “First off,” Jude cut her off. “I do not care whether your Patron told you to trust me. It was dumb and ignorant of you to even let that slip to someone you barely even know. Even if your Patron told you to, it is still an idiotic thing to give away any information that could potentially hurt you in the future.”


    Liam nodded at Jude’s scolding. He was shocked to admit it, but he had a point. Ones, he would have said as well if Jude hadn’t beaten him to it. He could see Kala’s body tense up, most likely agreeing to his words, even if involuntarily.


    “Secondly,” Jude started back up as he pointed to Liam, “He is not some outsider. If you had listened to what I had said earlier, he is one of us. Also I mentioned those facts to him because, like you, he couldn’t control his powers. In fact he went completely insane when he activated his for the first time.”


    Liam averted his eyes and looked a bit sheepish as Kala looked at him. Jude continued as he said, in a surprisingly praising way, “And because he is my rival, I know he must have found a way to learn to control his senses and figured he could enlighten you on ways that might benefit you.”


    Kala looked back and forth from Jude to Liam. Her face, while still stern, grew a bit puzzled. She then asked, “Why do you keep calling him your rival? If he is one of us, then wouldn’t he be an ally or friend? Especially with our certain…predicament?”


    “I call him my rival because of two reasons,” Jude said as he looked happy to explain. “One, he’s the only one I haven’t officially beaten in a fight. We had one back in the Tutorial Area, but the fun battle I was having was ruined when someone decided they wanted to tamper it by applying debuffs on him. The end result may have been what everyone else says was my win, but I don’t agree with it. I have my doubts that I could have truly won if he wasn’t Debuffed like he was.”


    Falin tensed at his proclamation. Liam and his crew noticed it as well as the other individuals a part of Kala’s crew suddenly twitch as they turned to look at Liam. Kala then questioned, “Is he truly that strong?”


    Jude let out a chuckle. “Strong? Maybe. Smart, yes. He used methods in his fight many didn’t think were possible. He is good at applying spells in different ways. For example, those hands made out of mana. I have heard of them. Crafters use them to help with their crafting sessions. They are supposed to help with channeling the mana type or something into the object being crafted or could help carry materials.”


    Liam narrowed his eyes as he stared at Jude. He was surprised that he knew so much on them. It made him wonder if the guy had looked into what a Crafter was capable of and what they could do.


    “Many look down on Crafters yet look how he used those hands in his little skirmish against your two people,” Jude said, pride in his voice. “I don’t do that. Not against him at least. I know he will be a wonderful rival. One I want to fight and win against at full strength. However, as much as he has grown now, even I can see he is learning something new and hasn’t mastered it yet.” Jude looked at Liam and asked, “Right?”


    Liam nodded. He didn’t want to give away too much, but since he was strangely praising him, Liam decided to say, “I am currently learning a new fighting style that will highlight my capabilities. I have met someone who has created this fighting style known as the Crafter Fighting Style and am currently learning from him.”


    Jude’s grin widened at that. “Good. I look forward to seeing it when you have it down.”


    “What about the other reasons?” Kala asked, still curious.


    Jude looked back at her, almost forgetting she was there. “Just like how Lolita is your natural opposite. Like how whenever you see her, or even being in her presence, you have this sudden urge to fight her. He is like that with me. He is my natural opposite.”


    “What?” Kala said, being taken aback. She looked at Jude then back at Liam. “If your Matron is the Deity of Order making you Harmony. Then that means…”


    “His Matron is the Deity of Chaos,” Jude frowned at hearing what his Seed ended up being.


    Liam starred at Jude. He understood why he was frowning. After hearing what Jude’s seed was, it made even him frown. He couldn’t possibly see Jude representing harmony in any way possible. Then, without warning, Liam chuckled a bit. Jude’s frown deepened as he stared at Liam and said, “Yeah, yeah laugh it up.”Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Liam placed a hand in the air as he said between chuckles, “Sorry, that chuckle came out of nowhere…But really…Harmony? I don’t see it.”


    Jude looked slightly embarrassed as he said, “I don’t like it either, but it makes sense after my Matron explained it to me. Harmony is another form of Order. And if you really think about it, it should also make sense to you since it’s the opposite of whatever your seed is. What is your seed by the way.”


    Liam starred at Jude. He wasn’t really sure if he should say it, but after receiving a message from Eri telling him it was safe to, he replied, “Mine is the Seed of Discord.”


    “Damn it, why does yours sound so much cooler than mine?” Jude complained.


    Liam shrugged. Seeing Jude embarrassed by the name of the seed he got from his Matron Deity made Liam want to tease him a bit, so he jabbed with a sly grin, “I don’t know, probably because my Goddess is cooler than yours.”


    Avery, Blair, Mercer, and Roman suddenly laughed at that. Liam was holding back the chuckle he was holding in as he stared at the man. He didn’t know why, but deep down he was loving this.


    “Really? You really went there?” Jude deadpanned as he stared at Liam.


    Liam waved away the message Eri had sent him. It was just her laughing over and over. He then controlled his laughter as he stared at Jude and said with a controlled tone, “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself there. Anyways, getting back to the problem at hand.” He looked at Kala and then asked, “You’re having some problems controlling the power your Patron gave you right?”


    Kala nodded, unsure what to make of Liam’s and Jude’s banter. “Yes. It doesn’t always happen whenever I use it. Its random.”


    Liam nodded as he thought about it. His first conclusion was to see if her deity had done what Eri did for him. He asked her, “I’m not sure if it applies to you, but my Matron created a skill to help lessen the power that courses through me whenever…” Liam trailed off as a sudden thought came to mind. The ability he was about to talk about was something he had only because he had a seal on him due to his second class being much stronger than his first.


    Not only that, but he was a Gemini, and his issues really only came to life after he activated his Zodiac ability Class Fusion. She would need to have the same conditions as him in order for him to suggest this. However, the likely hood of that being possible was astronomically low.


    “What?” Kala asked, confused by his sudden silence. “What’s wrong?”


    “Sorry,” Liam started back up. “I just realized that what I was about to suggest was something that needed certain…conditions.”


    “Conditions?” Kala questioned. “What conditions?”


    Liam waved a hand out in front of him giving a dismissal gesture as he said, “Don’t worry about it.”


    Jude stared at Liam and tried to figure out what he meant by conditions. He had an inkling on what some of those conditions were, but not all. Deciding to see if he could get some insight, he asked, “Does one of the conditions involve a certain Zodiac type?”


    Liam raised a brow as he looked back at Jude. Slowly he replied, “It might. But that is just one of them.”


    Jude let out a sigh. “Liam, I said she is like us. Right?”


    “Yeah,” Lai replied, unsure where Jude was going with this.


    “That also includes the Zodiac,” Jude said as he watched Liam’s confusion. It looked like Liam understood where he was going with it, but just in case he added, “Apparently anyone who is a Champion of them is the same Zodiac.”


    “Are you serious?” Liam asked as he stared at Jude. He was about to ask another question but was stopped as Eri decided to chime in and move the conversation along.


    [Liam, I believe we’ve had this discussion before, but just in case. What my sister’s champion is saying is true. And to help you move along with helping this Champion of Time’s problem I will also say, yes she also has a seal like yours. I am also ninety percent certain Cronos has already done what I did with you, so you can thinking about a different method. – Eri.]


    Liam frowned and furrowed his brows as he read Eri’s message. There was some things that caught his attention and made him think. Even though he had believed the probability was really low, this bit of information proved that it wasn’t impossible. This young woman having a seal like his on top of being a Gemini made him question a lot of things. She’s the Champion of Time? Seriously? Also Cronos? Like the Titan that ate his children Cronos? Also are all the Champions like this? Wait…how many are actually out there in the same predicament as us? Do they all have seals? If that’s the case then maybe…


    [Liam. I need you to focus here. You do not have all the time in the world here…no pun intended…Anyways, you might actually have a way to help her. – Eri.]


    Really? What way is that? Liam asked, still stuck on some of his thoughts from earlier.


    [It will depend on how much she has trained her Will Power and Zen Sub-stat. She will need to try that to help, but there is a Knowledge Theory you have that you use to help calm your mind whenever it starts to overload, or you need to calmly assess things. Calm the Storm. Whenever she starts to get out of control she can use this to help calm herself. It’s not a for sure way, but it can help until she finds a method that helps her out better. – Eri]


    Calm the Storm? Liam repeated. While he had used it to help him think better when things got dicey he wasn’t entirely sure how well it could help Kala and her situation. Albeit, the more he thought about it the more it seemed like a good solution for now. Eri was right, until she found a better method that could work for her this was probably the most helpful way.


    Liam looked back at Kala and noticed she, Jude, and the others were staring at him with strange looks on their faces. Slightly concerned, Liam asked, “What? Is there something on my face?”


    “You looked like you were zoning out there,” Jude stated.


    Liam frowned at that. He then realized it must have been because he was talking to Eri and was lost in his own head again. He shook his head before replying, “I was just talking to my Matron. She had informed me that what I was originally going to suggest was probably already addressed by your Patron.”


    Kala looked like Liam had poured cold water over her as she looked dejected. Before she could say anything Liam continued, “However, she did offer an idea.” Kala looked a bit more hopeful at this and waited to hear what Liam had to say a bit more. “I have a method that I use to help me calm my mind whenever I start to overthink things. I have used it plenty of times in fights and whenever I feel overwhelmed I calm down. It’s a Knowledge Theory called Calm the Storm.”


    “Calm the Storm?” the other cloaked females repeated as she looked at Liam. “I have heard of that Knowledge Theory before.”


    “You have?” Kala questioned as she looked at her.


    The cloaked female nodded. “I came across it back in a library on one of the island we had visited. I think it was three days ago.”


    “You could probably find it in many libraries I think. I came across it back in the Tutorial Area so it’s probably a more common book than we think it is,” Liam offered. “Keep in mind that this knowledge Theory isn’t a solution, but more of a way to help you for now. You might have to try different things to see what better helps you. Also she mentioned something about training your Will Power and Zen Sub-stats.”


    “My Will Power and Zen Sub-stats?” Kala repeated as she looked like she was thinking something over. She then started mumbling some things that didn’t make sense to Liam, but from the look in her eyes he could tell it wasn’t towards him, but to her own mind whispering resident. She nodded a few times before finally saying, “Yeah that makes sense and could probably work.” She then looked at Liam before giving him a bow and saying, “Thank you. Yours and your Goddess’s suggestion might be the best help I could have asked for. You know it’s a bit strange that you hold the Seed of Discord and yet have something that helps create harmony.”


    “Now that you mention it, it does seem odd,” Jude said as he stared at Liam. “Do you want to trade seeds? I think the Seed of Harmony would probably suit you better.”


    “Are you stupid? Hell no. I like my seed thank you very much,” Liam said as he faked looking offended.


    Jude was about to say something, but stopped as Kala jumped back in, “Too bad I can’t get Lolita to listen to me for a good moment to tell her about this suggestion. She could use it as much as I do.”


    Liam looked confused as his brows scrunched up. Jude noticed the look on his face and informed, “Lolita is Kala’s rival. She’s the Champion of Atrophy, a Hex Witch that specializes in Debuffs and curses. I think she has the Seed of Decay. I don’t know. All I know is it hurts like a bitch if she lands her magic on you.”


    “Wait, does she look like a cross between a Tiefling and an elf?” Liam asked.


    Kala and Jude looked at Liam with surprise as soon as he described the woman.


    “Yeah. Have you met her before?” Kala asked, concern and worry on her face.


    “Met her? I guess you could say that. We ran into each other on the last island we were on yesterday morning. There was a big battle going on and a strange power was slowly destroying the people and the buildings before we could escape,” Liam explained. As he talked about his experience from yesterday morning’s fight he could see the look on Jude’s and Kala’s faces and understood that the woman he ran into was really the one they were talking about.


    Before Liam could say anything a sudden message appeared in front of Liam. It looked like Jude and Kala had received something as well since they looked to be staring at something. All three champions quickly closed the message they had received and turned to their groups.


    The message wasn’t long, and it wasn’t a good one either. It had only two words. Jude, Kala, and Liam repeated those two words as they readied their weapons and looked their members in the eyes, “Incoming enemies.”