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Gilliam left for the reception through the door into the Air field, from his short time here he had found out that there were less people in the fields than in the hallways at this time of day. Entering to see the clear and cloudless sky his brief moment of calm was instantly interrupted by the sound of metal against metal, magic exploding, yelling and an all round spectacle.
The field had a lot of people, it wasn't filled or anything but it had a lot of non-school people, there were even small tents set up. Some looked like adventurers, some looked like mercs. There was just a collection of all sorts of people and races. The latter point was very interesting to Gilliam as though he had seen groups of people before, not this varied as far as races went. There were plenty of non-humans at the school but this was different as they were collected. He did find the beast-races to be the most interesting, mainly because of their varied nature.
School uniformed servants went around tending to the people, some had boards they took notes on as they talked to them, others came with plates of food and... were they serving them?
He regretted letting Angela leave before him, he could have asked her about this, though that being said he was heading for the reception, so they should be able to answer this.
It was a very short walk from the mess hall door into one of the side doors of the main hall. There were a lot of people here as well. This felt more normal as the students were moving from breakfast to wherever they were going.
Walking over to the reception the middle aged man from earlier sat there and lifted his head when he came within talking range.
"Good morning. How may I help you today?" A polite and well practised sentence.
"I would like to speak to Ghaos, it's about the girl that stabbed me." Gilliam noticed that he didn't return the greeting, added any pleasantries or anything of the sort; he just stated his request almost like an order.
This was not at all like he remembered himself as... Had he really changed that much?
The man checked a large leather bound tome behind the desk, flipping the pages back and forth for a few long seconds until he found what he was looking for. "Here we go, he is currently in his office. I'll go check with him."
The man politely nodded at Gilliam and started to leave for the central staircase.
"Oh, hold on!" Gilliam stopped him before he properly left the reception area. "I just wonder, what's going on with all the people outside?"
The receptionist stopped in his tracks once he was asked to hold on and replied with the same calm and polite voice he had used so far. "The Circle recruiting day is coming up, some people always show up early to show off and make themselves more interesting, here-" he walked back to the desk and got a piece of paper which he handed to Gilliam. "-This should explain most of it. I'll answer any questions I can when I get back."
As the receptionist continued towards the stairs like before, Gilliam checked the paper. It had information written on both sides and was explaining the Circle Recruiting to complete newbies such as Gilliam, this was perfect!
The paper explained that a Circle is a name given to a mage's group, clan, servants, people... and so on. People can sign contracts with mages to become their servants, colleagues or, well, any other kind of contract as long as both sides agree. Many merchants use this as advertising, often for a percentile cut of sales, this is basically free income for the mage. Farmers or people who might have lost their homes can gain a tiny bit of fame and a job, even a new farm or the like depending on the mage. People good at fighting might become bodyguards and even starving homeless people might become slaves or servants if lycky. This was just a few examples but the short of it is that a mage, due to the social power they get in V'ida, often have a lot of people wanting to associate with them. A mage isn't exactly automatically a noble, but depending on their reputation a strong or interesting mage might socially outrank certain nobles depending.
The only problem for the mage is that whatever their Circle does will reflect on them, so if something bad is done this might reflect bad on the mage, likewise in certain cases if a mage takes in servants or slaves, the mage might have to provide for them. It all really depends on the contract signed.
The reason this event is so interesting for people is that out in the wild, to use that term, a powerful mage can force people into certain scenarios through threats or otherwise. Here nobody can be forced to do anything, and if two mages want the same person in their circle, a bidding process might happen which might greatly increase the situation for the new recruit. Though more often the mages just duel or something.
Gilliam didn't intend to take in servants or people like that, but it sounded like an interesting thing at least. He was considering taking a gander but since he didn't have any money or income, that was not exactly something he could handle even if he wanted to.
Before he got the chance to think more about this, the receptionist had come back down the stairs and walked up to him.
"Ghaos can see you now, he's waiting for you up the stairs."
The man gave Gilliam a nod bow and returned to his work behind the desk.
Gilliam thanked him and walked up to find Ghaos at the top of the stairs. Ghaos nodded at Gilliam as he came into view and nodded in a 'follow me' motion before he started walking.
Gilliam returned the first nod and followed him through a little hallway of doors before entering the last one into a simple office. It had stone walls like everything else seemed to have, there was a wooden desk, a window, a bookcase on one side filled with old-looking books and a box of engraving tools on a small table under the window.
Ghaos sat down, seeming to expect that Gilliam handled the door and sitting down if he wanted.
Gilliam entered, closing the door behind him and sat down.
Ghaos didn't wait for him to be done and just started speaking as soon as he had sat himself down. "I was told that you wondered about the girl who stabbed you." This was toned like a statement more than a question, the receptionist had spoken with him, after all.
"There isn't much I can say. Her name is Iathe Vatec, the only daughter and fourth child of the Vatec family, a smaller noble family here in V'ida. She said that she couldn't remember it at all, the last few days were a blur to her and she just 'came to' after she had let go of the dagger."
He changed the weight in his chair a little as he continued. "From what we got out of her we suspect that she's either a very, very good liar, or she was affected by something. Her teachers did say that she had been acting a bit weird the last few days but we don't really know. Nobody got a good look at the dagger used but based on the explanation you gave about your trip to the demon world-" the word 'trip' was emphasised a bit. "-makes it seem that this was some demonic influence thing."
Gilliam pondered the information given, this all made sense and it was really clear that the demons were somewhat behind it. His own theory was that there were some mind affecting spells involved, one or more demons could have banded their powers together to get this working, it made probable sense.
"So, what happened to her after she was caught?" Gilliam wondered, asking a bit hesitant.
"Well, she was first interrogated as said, she's been locked up since. People aren't sure what to do about her. On one hand she attacked another student, the very one that has saved us twice now. Inside the Academy social rank doesn't mean anything but mage law is sometimes hard to avoid, meaning that since she attacked a superior mage she should be executed-" Gilliam wanted to comment but Ghaos continued, cutting him off a good place to break in.
"-Though that said, she is an interesting case considering that she was under demonic influence, this means that though some think she should be executed just in case she is still affected, others think that we can use this to our benefit or learn about it... In any case she's automatically expelled as a minimum step."
The latter part hinted strongly to experimentation or similar things.
Gilliam didn't really know what to say, all of this kind of made sense. The expulsion made perfect sense and sadly he couldn't argue the other points. In the modern world it would be a strange grey zone if you are actively mind controlled to do something, you still did it so... And if someone were proven to be under demonic and magical influence, she would most likely become a test subject of sorts...
"So... What's going to happen to her now, then?" Though it was sort of touched on already, he needed to ask specifically.
"I have no idea. Without the demonic influence it would be considered a student on student attack, so expulsion and most likely some compensation paid by her family. If you had a powerful family behind you there might be some other social things to it... I don't really know, didn't bother learning all this stuff. But you don't need to worry, she is being taken good care of, especially now that you returned."
He didn't seem worried about this at all, Gilliam was not sure if this was just him protecting Gilliam or it was how it actually was.
Parts of Gilliam wanted to worry for the girl, but other parts didn't care at all. The latter part was out of a kind of vengeance or spite thing. She did stab him and send him to the demon world to be eaten. However she did so while being mind controlled, it didn't sound entirely fair. However given that she is being cared for and they are trying to find out what was going on he supposed that would have to be enough at the moment. Personally he didn't hold it against her but at the same time he kind of did, slightly biassed after being stabbed and all the other stuff happening because of it.
They spoke about this a little more, not that anything changed but it gave Gilliam the answers he was after. He could get more involved later if he wanted once there was a chance of her not being under direct investigation. There was also the possibility that the control could reactivate somehow, so it made sense that they would have to keep her under observation for now.
After the further talks Gilliam ended up leaving Ghaos to his work. There were others waiting for him so the next step would be Nolis.
Wishing Ghaos a good day he exited the office and headed for the stairs, going downwards this time. Nolis mentioned Basement level four, shouldn't be too hard to find as the spiral staircase only had one path, after all.
Having walked down the angled corkscrew that is the central staircase he realised that he forgot to ask Ghaos about the battlemage guard that was supposed to follow him around, it seemed so important but he just stopped and disappeared.
He found himself at basement level four, at least the fourth one from the ground level. There was only one heavy wooden door on this mini-level in the stairs. Entering it he came into a small room with a heavily armed young man, he was sitting on a chair in the corner reading a book, already expecting something like this Gilliam didn't react much to it.
"I am here to meet with Nolis?" Gilliam asked with an uncertain tone, he was not entirely sure he was on the correct level, if Nolis had come here already or if there was some odd process to things.
The man looked up and down Gilliam wordlessly a few times before nodding towards the other door. "Third door to the left. Do not go in any other door."
The latter part sounded like a threat, not that Gilliam intended to anger the academy; he was always a bit curious when told not to go anywhere.
Nodding he exited through the second wooden door he came into a hallway that branched off into several other hallways. The hallways themselves were seemingly perfectly square in shape as far as walls, ceiling and floor shape was concerned. And they were made of brick-like rocks stacked close.. It was illuminated by what looked like glowing orbs that were just stuck to the wall, there was no holder or string that kept them there, just looked like they were glued there.
The first branch to the left was after the door he was told to go in, so that was not a problem.
Knocking on the heavy and very worn wooden door he didn't have to wait long until he heard Nolis' voice call for him. "Come in."
Opening the door he came into a room that was a bit different than the other classrooms he was in. The room was rectangular with the long side pointing into the room. It had several shelves of books, a recurring theme in this place, but it was very different from the other rooms as the end of the short hallway that was this room was covered in magic runes and circles, the quick glance there was a lot of control, protection and stabilisation aid.
Nolis himself sat at a desk filled with books, papers and writing utensils, along the other wall was another desk that seemed to be filled with weird drawings of monsters and creatures reserved for most horror stories.
It was only now that Gilliam got a proper good look at the young man, before in the mess hall he looked so vacant and his facial expression was so... not here, that it was oddly hard to get a proper look at him.
He has shoulder long white hair kept loose, and strange eyes that almost act like they have different colours depending on the angle you see them in. He wore his black robe making it somewhat hard to get a grasp on his physique but save the plethora of scars he has on his face and hands, he looked above average in looks.
"So!" he started without even greeting Gilliam. "You want to learn more about dark magic."
This was a statement more than a question, but he seemed like he just wanted to start a conversation about it.
"Y.. yes.." Gilliam stuttered out as he entered the room properly and closed the door behind him. "I don't know what Angela told you but... Darkness is the only element I don't really know much about." He was clearly unsure, though he had used a spell twice it was still in a weird situation.
"Oh, that's fine. I have heard about you and I was given permission to share as much as I feel is proper. So we can with the fact that I can tell that you have used darkness magic before." He sounded a bit full of himself with the permission to share, but there was probably a reason for it.
Gilliam was confused, he could tell that he had used darkness magic? Was there some weird signature on him after he had cast his first spell or something?
"How can you tell?" Gilliam finally asked after a few seconds of thinking.
"Let's start with what Darkness magic is and how it works..."
Nolis started explaining how when speaking about the elements, Light and Dark is usually put to the side compared to the five other elements. The reason for this is how they are very different from the others, but similar to each other.
Light deals with healing, curing and improving life. Darkness lies in creating, bastardising and using life. The simplest of darkness magic is to steal vitality from someone and give it to yourself, the thing with this magic is that it doesn't just take mana or stamina from your target, but you steal their very lifeforce, easily to the point of death. The concept of creating is more comparatively to summoning, as far as testing has shown you don't call on a creature from elsewhere but you create life based on what your mind sees or thinks. Since this is a primal part of your mind it often deals with nightmares and monsters. There are very few forms of 'direct attack spells' in Darkness magic, there are draining and cursing concepts but not much in the sense of direct and immediate damage like a fireball would.
As he explained that part he gestured to the drawings of eldritch abominations on the drawing desk. There were a lot of claws, tentacles and spikes collected on the drawings on that desk.
Depending on how your darkness energy is aligned, most are able to animate corpses as well by instilling them with a tiny bit of their own life. The problem here is that where the other elements draw on your mana, darkness often draws on lifeforce. This comes from your own if you're daring, or from sacrifices or other sources like the very enemy you want to cast the spell on. The perfect combination is actually any mage having both light and darkness, since you can heal the restored lifeforce with light magic. This is a weird form of converting mana into darkness magic through your own lifeforce as the middle step.
Nolis was envious of Gilliam having, amongst other things, those two elements.
The reason he could tell that Gilliam had used darkness magic before, is that he could sense more than one form of life energy in him, he had clearly absorbed energy from someone, and enough of it that it could easily register to Nolis.
The explanation was simple and made a lot of sense, the time the draining spell failed to be cast was that he didn't use his own life force to fuel it, he tried giving it mana, and since there was no other life in range at that point it just ran out of fuel immediately.
"Can you show me the magic circle you used?" Nolis requested with great interest. "Just... don't activate it." He smiled at the end.
Gilliam set up the same circle that he used before, it came to his mind oddly fast and easy, though he still had to make the circle and enter the runes, he did so and entered the runes he used in the demon realm: Area, Drain, Absorb, revitalise, heal, energise. They were connected by a hexagon.
Nolis looked at it for a few seconds. "What do these three runes mean?" he asked as he pointed out the three latter ones.
Gilliam pointed at them and identified them in order. "In this context this one means Revitalise, this one means Heal and this one means Energise."
The runes sometimes changed meaning depending on the context, which is why swapping runes was so dangerous for other mages, the Heal rune might change to something detrimental if used in another context.
Nolis took some notes as he drew down the circle, muttering to himself a bit before returning attention to Gilliam.
"Well, I guess I won't be helping you a lot with the runes, then, based on what Jial said you could read and know them like any other language. I have to say I'm somewhat jealous at that."
Gilliam would blush if he weren't already somewhat used to this. He knew this was cheating but he couldn't not love it. "I wouldn't have been able to do all this if I didn't." He replied in comment to the statement about knowing them like any language. Deciding to ignore the compliment for now.
"Well, In that case I think I can help you with concepts, this is a demon summoning circle." Nolis started drawing a circle in the air, it had a lot of runes, circles connected and sub circles. At a thorough check by Gilliam it seemed that this circle channelled the Darkness energy through a creation circle, that in turn was channelled through a command circle. The creation circle had a wildcard in it that was not defined, but seemed to connect to the casters mind.
"So... if I'm reading this right.. The circle channels darkness, so it eats your vitality, goes through a creation circle that is tied to your mind, I imagine your mental picture is important there. Then through a control circle, it seems to try and set up the caster as the control source?"
Gilliam didn't sound confused, more like double checking with the circle's creator if the analysis was actually correct. It was incredibly complex and detailed, odds were high that this circle had taken quite the time to put together, especially when considering that most mages research their runes.
Nolis looked at Gilliam with a mix of anger, envy and bafflement. "That... That is correct. You really are able to read the runes... Now I'm even more envious..."
He used a second to recompose himself. "Well.. Yes. You're correct. However when I activate this circle I don't channel mana into it, I give it access to my life force. As strange as it sounds this will actually open wounds on your body and consume the blood." To illustrate he seemed to activate the circle somehow, this opened a cut-like wound on the top of his hand and started channelling some deep red mist into the circle. It started activating and after a second or so the mist stopped and the circle imploded with a weird electronic thump sound in a dim flash.
From the little flash of what looked like a dark red, almost black caterpillar with many string-like tentacles sticking out of its back manifested in the air, it was caught by Nolis before it fell.
"Small things like this are easy, though as you saw the circle is a bit more complex than your average fireball."
"I have considered complicated circles before but it seems that the more runes I add the more mana it drains, that circle had a bunch of them, why didn't it just... kill you?" Gilliam was referring to the fact that Darkness spells consumed vitality and not mana, if more runes ate more mana, should not more runes eat more vitality?
"Hmm, that's correct for normal spells, but Darkness is a bit weird with that, it drains based on the effect and what runes you choose. If I use the same circle but summon something dog sized, it will hurt me more. If I use a circle with a hundred runes, if the result is just a candle flame it will drain based on that."
Nolis placed the little caterpillar on his desk, the little creature slithered itself into a shaded area underneath a small shelf.
"In spells for other elements it's a bit different, this is why darkness mages who are lucky enough to also be blessed with healing powers are so dangerous."
Gilliam nodded as he listened, this made a lot of sense. If you were wounded when using darkness spells, but the cost is relatively low and static, it could be easy to just have healing magic going and avoid the wounds.
While pondering this he also considered healing Nolis' wound, but it was so small it had already coagulated and stopped bleeding, it should heal fine even just today.
"Now, let's have you give it a go. Use the same circle I used, but make sure to keep it small, you need to work your way up, doing something too much from the start can kill you."
Nolis was still smiling but the weight of his words weren't subtle. As he explained this he called on his magic circle again, the same he just used, and kept it stable so Gilliam could replicate it for himself.
"So, I activate the circle, have a clear image in my mind of what I want to call, let it wound me and hope for the best?" Gilliam wondered as he was creating the complicated circle.
"Pretty much, the clearer the picture the better, but if we keep it small we should be fine even if something goes weird." It seemed that Nolis was also paying attention to the runes, making sure they were in the correct places.
Gilliam used a few solid minutes to make sure this was correct, he was not making this on his own he was cloning something, though it seemed that he got the copy correct on the first try he was still a bit unsure, as it would wound him more than needed if he overdid it.
"Ok, something small." He pondered for a few seconds. "I think I have an idea."
Nolis dismissed his own spell circle as Gilliam focused on the mental image of his creation, he needed to have a clear image but from all the media he had consumed and his time in the demon realm, it was not too hard to imagine something weird.
"Here goes nothing." Gilliam started activating the circle. |
Gilliam couldn't stop himself raising an eyebrow, both at Yan but also at the box. This felt shady but... You normally didn't honestly lay out your cards like this... right?
Learning back in his chair Gilliam responded, uncertain as he was.
"What do you mean? You giving me something amazing and only want something cheap in return? That does indeed feel shady."
Honesty was often the best way to go, in this context Gilliam would rather deny a contract than go in uncertain. Especially if the price is indeed suspssiciostly low.
Yan raised a finger to stop the conversation with a counterpoint. "Suspicious, yes, but not shady." The tone of voice hinted that though he didn't take this as an insult it was a poke at his image or ego. "It will only feel suspicious until we talk about it."
The little goblin nodded at his guard who took a rolled up parchment from a pocket inside his robe, placing it on the desk in front of Gilliam.
It was quite short and well explained, not using heavy or abstract words but rather to the point and specifically detailed.
The short of it was that Mazewares was allowed to use Gilliam's name and title for their advertisement of wares in the form of 'the Heptagon Mage is using our wares' but on purpose being vague about exactly what wares are being used, this is to broaden the advertisement. However the contract specifies that if anyone were to ask what wares in specific, they would list honestly. In return for this he would get a powerful artefact created by his company "free of charge", the non-free aspect to this is the advertisement of using his name. Naturally the artefact would be explained properly and only after accepted could the contract be signed.
All in all this was a really good deal for Gilliam. Indeed suspiciously so. Unless there was some invisible fine print or something then this was basically a free artefact of sorts for him, the only cost to him was basically normal advertisement. Another odd thing was that there was no exclusivity clause to stop him from doing similar things with others.
"This... Feels a bit too good to be true." Gilliam honestly commented in an uncertain tone. "I'm kind of getting things for free here, what's the catch?"
He looked at Yan with a suspicious look, no self respecting businessman would ever do this without an ulterior motive.
"I assure you, there is no catch. As the contract explains we will be up front and honest about everything. I think you are simply underestimating the value we get from helping the Heptagon Mage." There was something about Yan's voice that just made you want to believe him. He felt like someone you might want to read your autobiography's audiobook. However this up front honesty oddly enough had Gilliam more uncertain.
"I understand the concept of having a famous name in advertisement but this is like being given a free car for just turning on a lightswitch." Gilliam sort of commented to Yan, but it was somewhat clear that he was thinking to himself.
Though Gilliam was not used to reading certain races' facial expressions, he could see that the little goblin had a confused expression for a short second before recomposing himself. Considering this Gilliam assumed it was his comment to the car...
"With respect, I don't think you understand the value of your title. You are the only Heptagon Mage in recent history, the last one was long enough ago that we don't have proper records to even validate if it's true or not. If I were to just donate money to you it would easily be worth ten times its value in advertisement. Now, if we were to also help you with the demon invasion thanks to one of our crafted items, don't you think this would be a massive boost for certain item sales?"
He had a socially acceptable sleazy smile as he explained this. It was absolutely clear that this was done more for his own gain than for Gilliam's, if anything this seemed to be part of his transparency.
"So... in short-" Gilliam placed the contract back on the desk, focusing properly on Yan. "-I get some crafted thing from you as payment for using my name and title in advertisements. However, this advertisement will be true and honest in the sense that you, on purpose, is being a bit vague to spread the potential interest across other items but if asked you will be legitimately honest about things?"
Gilliam was a bit weirded out, this guy seemed to be purely honest and upfront about everything, to the point of it feeling shady due to the contrast of how he's used to thinking about high-ranking businessmen taking advantage of everyone.
Alleyan gave him an agreeing nod. "Exactly. Naturally this will only be a thing as long as you feel the item is worth it." He vaguely gestured to the fancy box on the desk. "Please, go ahead." He had the self certain smile again, like he already knew that this was a done deal.
Gilliam was curious as he moved the expertly crafted box closer to himself, pulling on the loose ends of the red string that undid the knot in a smooth simple motion. Lifting the lid up he saw that the inside was lined in a red silk-like fabric. The hinge stopped the lid from going further than a bit past 90degrees, he could see that in a small pocket on the roof of the box was a few sheets of paper tied together into a small booklet fastened with some string as its spine.
Inside the main compartment was a folded piece of clothing, it was dominantly dark grey with some metal buttons that had their shine dulled. Unfolding it revealed the clothing to be a hooded coat. It was pretty good in length for Gilliam, having five buttons on the front to keep it closed, though even closed it was a bit open around the front of the legs, having a long part from the back down to the end of his calf, the front part was more open to allow for movement. There were black linings along certain parts of it, like the edges that went around the whole outer rim. On closer inspection all the buttons had a little stamp on them, the stamp had the outline of a goblin's head with large ears, its eyes were replaced with the letters S and G.
The whole coat was surprisingly heavy, not uncomfortably so but it was absolutely heavier than it should have been if made of cotton or some normal material. All things considered it also looked quite mundane, just like any slightly fancier than normal coat.
As the coat was taken out of the case he saw that there was a very complex magical circle embroidered on the bottom of the compartment where the coat was.
"Well, it looks nice but... what does it do?" Gilliam asked, not yet knowing how this is considered an artefact.
"I don't understand the specifics, but I took some notes when she explained it to me."
He took out a small piece of paper from his inner breast pocket. "There are four dimentional storage compartments on the inside of the coat, they aren't big but each one can hold a mana crystal and can somehow 'hold' a magic circle.-" Putting the paper back in his pocket he focused back on Gilliam.
"According to Skirnik who made it, each pocket can basically hold a spell and the crystal to fuel it, letting you cast or activate a spell instantly without preparing your own magic circle. If the coat gets damaged or destroyed, as long as you place the remaining parts in the box and either channel mana into it, or give it a mana crystal, it will mend it."
Gesturing to the booklet fastened in the lid-pocket. "She wrote up how it works and everything there, that would be much better than me explaining." He added honestly.
This was quite amazing, though Gilliam was learning to fast-cast his most used spells, this could let him put complex or new ideas into a pocket for later activation.
Before Gilliam could consider it more, Yan continued. "There are also some basic enchantments in the coat itself, they are self-sufficient and automatic. Skirnik said that the coat will act as armour, both from protective platings in the coat itself but also from the enchantments. I believe she mentioned some body enhancements as well, but that should be described in there." Again he gestured to the booklet in the lid.
It suddenly dawned on Gilliam that this thing probably cost an insane fortune, if it could do all that, be this versatile and... just how much did he give him.
"Isn't this like stupidly expensive? Is my name really worth this much?" Really questioning the value of his advertisement at this point, this thing felt like it could buy a country. Not that he had any concept of monetary value yet but it was just...
"Kind of." Yan replied, though it almost sounded like a scoffing tone there was only professionalism in his voice. "This is the Magnum Opus of my best crafter. She makes things that she feels like making, mostly for testing but she's working towards some long-term goal. It might sound expensive to have her do things like this but she has really become incredibly important for Mazewares. If I were to sell it at a proper cost, it would cost about the same as a large castle with the surrounding land or thereabouts. It became a test of extremes when she made it. Since she made most of the materials and enchantments herself it didn't cost that much in production but she used quite the time on it. I cannot sell it at cost either, you see, as that would devalue everything I do."
He chuckles a bit as he readjusted his sitting position on the chair.
"The problem is, anyone who wants this can't afford it. And anyone who can afford it doesn't want it. However with the demon gates and you being you, this opens a door that didn't exist before. This means that it'll just gather dust somewhere, which is an incredible waste."
Pointing at Gilliam like he's making a point he sounded much more interested. "Now, if I give it to you, get some advertisement in return for it, it opens up a loophole where it becomes worthwhile!" For a short moment he broke composure but he very quickly took control of himself again.
Gilliam pondered this for a few seconds. He really had the businessman's sense of thought properly down. Though he technically could sell it for cheaper, this would indeed skew the value of a few things, mostly in the form of devaluing other created things. If you make the materials yourself this sort of makes everything handmade and shoots the sell price up a lot as your time then becomes the main factor. This is also one of a kind so...
It made sense that he wouldn't be able to sell it normally, a merc or adventurer that might love this kind of thing would most likely never afford it, and the noble pompous people that could afford it might not want it as it's sort of designed to be used in dangerous scenarios, and it doesn't look fancy or decadent.
"So... in short... You will give this to me in return for the advertisement listed in the contract..."
Though it was just restating what they had just talked about, it felt unreal enough that he had to confirm.
"That is correct." Yan simply confirmed. "Us having a good relationship can also open up future doors, like if you need to sell something exotic you might think of me before others." He smiled a bit slyly. "Though, this is not a requirement I felt like I should just let you know."
Gilliam was incredibly grateful, but at the same time this felt like something so expensive that he couldn't really use it. However if it broke it could easily be fixed. And it would never see light in most scenarios. In a weird way it was almost as this was made for him with the unique situation he was in.
"Well, I do have some weird thoughts about accepting something this expensive, but I think you got a deal!"
There really wasn't anything for Gilliam to lose here, everything was in his favour in his mind. Likewise the business goblin had the same mindset that this was most beneficial 'to him'. So a proper win/win.
The contract was signed in duplicate, one for each of them.
"Great doing business with you, and should you ever need any help in the future, don't hesitate to contact me. I live in this world as well and I cannot gain anything if demons take over." He smiles at the end, it seemed that he was a bit more relaxed and casual now that business had concluded and the signatures were on paper.
"I might." Gilliam smiled as he tapped his finger on the business card that was still on the desk.
"Well, I do believe I have taken enough of your time, there is a long line so I think you better get to it. I would love some thoughts and feedback on the coat after you've used it for a while, and I'm sure Skirnik would as well."
He climbed down off the chair as he talked.
Once he was properly on the ground he gave a casual wave. "Don't be a stranger."
Not even looking back, both him and his guard left towards the central hall.
Gilliam could barely overhear him speaking to his servant-guard to fetch the celebration robe because this needed celebration.
This whole discussion had only taken between ten and fifteen minutes, this had left Gilliam in a weird situation with a fancy box, contract, business card and coat on the desk before the next person was to arrive. Though, he had a very simple solution for this. Grabbing each item one by one he simply put them all in the storage ring, everything disappearing instantly.
There was still a large group remaining, so he decided to take a gander at the booklet later, he needed to chew through this.
"Next!" he shouted for the next person to come up.
The next few people weren't that interesting, though he did his best to not compare them to the insane deal he got from Alleyan and rather let the deals stand on their own. But the following were people wanting to become servants, various forms of slaves, bodyguards or similar. He didn't really want any slaves or servants, Petal was a special case but besides that he didn't really need anyone of the sort. At least not yet.
Bodyguards sounded nice and all but in those cases there was then suddenly another person to care for, and nobody seemed interested after he explained that there were very high odds that he might find himself the main target of the next demon invasion, if he just doesn't end up returning. Nobody was interested in that uncertainty and danger level.
Others were farmers or crafters wanting some sense of protection of name to work under, this required that he could travel about to make sure this is how it should be, or suddenly need to go somewhere. This was also not something he was after at the moment. Perhaps in the future if he even survives the demon invasion, but at the moment he didn't really want any of the sorts.
There were a few smaller business owners that just wanted his name on a review, they had brought a sampling of some bakery, or newly grilled food and things of the sort. These were the kinds that Angela mentioned that you got a tiny, tiny percentage of their profits for basically agreeing to a review. He took a few of those as that was nothing lost, but he made sure to only agree to the ones that he legitimately liked the taste of whatever was presented.
He also made sure to only take a very low sum from the smaller chains. Though he could probably take a high price for this he felt that it would be exploitation. A small sum was plenty for something he didn't have to work for or even consider. If nothing it was a tiny passive income that would just be banked, which was a nice thought.
Gilliam was not sure if it was a negative or positive thing, but there wasn't anyone else that really stood out as interesting. Or rather, there were plenty of interesting and interested people that wanted to sign up, but he didn't want any servants or slaves nor did he want any mercenairies that would only work for coin. Though he could probably end up with a lot of money if he wanted to, the main problem was that most of the ones that were still interested after being warned about the demon invasion didn't leave Gilliam with a good gut feeling.
Then there were the few that were interested in Petal, a specifically pushy slave merchant who wanted the 'most exotic slave', he recognized the slave brand on her and he tried to take advantage of this.
This man left with threats on his life after he didn't take a no for a no. If he tried to further the conversation after this point it would not end well for him.
The odd ones were other students that had skipped their own chance of expanding on their Circle and wanted instead to join his. This caught Gilliam off guard but it made a lot of sense when he looked at the pattern and explanations. It was mostly the minor nobles or the mages without a predefined noble status, or perhaps the ones with less amazing focuses; like how Angela can only heal herself and might not be considered an amazing mage.
He didn't sign any contracts there either.
The day was long, it started going a bit faster once he started generalising and pre-warning people that there was most likely certain death in his near future in the demon invasion, but also mentioning that he had no intention of hiring anyone as servants or getting any more slaves at this time.
Food was seemingly handled by some servants running about taking orders, Gilliam sent Petal to get them something to eat at some point. And eventually the day came to an end. He had sent many, many people away disappointed, but it seemed that some just went on to Nolis or through the gates to other students. Gilliam was apparently a first pick for many but it's not like he was the only one.
As he was about to end the day, the last person that had been standing in line; a small lizard-man came over. It was clearly a male, and he matched the concept of Kobolds that he had read about earlier. He was about 60cm (~2ft) tall, had some spiky shaped scales along the top of his head and a bit in his neck almost mimicking hair, his exposed body was covered in purple hued scales and his eyes were covered with some smoked lenses, not unlike sunglass-goggles. He wore earthy colored clothing and Gilliam could barely see a fine-chained silvery chainmail looking piece under a vest of sorts and a fancy ornate messenger bag over his shoulder.
He was even smaller than Alleyan and had to use some effort to climb up on the chair.
Once he was on the chair properly he sat down with a plomp, his bag landing on the chair next to him.
"The name's Harroc." He smiled a toothy grin, the lack of proper lips to a human standard made this more like a smiling dog. "I would like to buy some mana crystals from you."
He got straight to the point and seemed to know about something that Gilliam had not really explained or showed anyone.
"I have been told you make amazing crystals, so I wonder if you can make some specifically sized ones for me of different elements." He looked oddly happy, almost like he had found someone to help him with a problem.
"I mean... I guess I can. I haven't really made any crystals on order before, just for my own sake."
To sort of show off his vares, Gilliam took one of the fist sized Aether gems out of his storage ring and showed it to Harroc.
Gilliam could almost feel the stare behind his goggles.
"Oh... That is magnificent... Can... Can I hold it?" He extended both his hands like he was about to be given the newborn of a god.
"Sure." Gilliam nonchalantly replied as he handed the little Kobold the crystal with the same care as if it was a random fruit.
Harroc took it in both hands and investigated it closely, he even took off his goggles showing his green slitted eyes, and through a squint similar to staring at something bright he looked even closer. This took about half a minute before he pulled his goggles back down and handed Gilliam the gem back.
"This... this is perfect. If you can make this purity for me to a few specific sizes and elements, I would love to buy them off you." He smiled still, almost vibrating in his chair out of excitement.
Not waiting for a confirmation he took out a small notepad and ink pen from his bag, flipped a few pages until he found what he was after.
"If you are willing, I need a few of different sizes, the sizes aren't exact but need to be within some parameters. For example I need a few 5cm (~1.9inch) ones, they need to be within a tolerance of 2mm (~0.078inch) over and under."
Gilliam pondered for a moment, since most of his gems are somewhat spherical, though a bit uneven surface, it shouldn't be a problem stopping within the correct size.
"If we have something to measure with, I think I can slow down when I am near the correct size and do my best to keep them spherical."
Almost to test his theory, Gilliam held his hands almost like he was holding a nonexistent sphere and channelled Aether energy into a single point. Before he had just done so without any thought of shape so it grew naturally into the uneven 'rough sphere' that it wanted to. This time he took great focus to consider its shape, he wanted to make it as spherical as possible, but he didn't really care for the size at the moment.
He was surprised at the fact that this took much longer than just letting it grow, it was still manageable but felt slower due to the extra care to the shape, but the end result was a perfect sphere. It was like a polished glass marble. He stopped after it got roughly 2cm (~0.78inch), he didn't take extreme care for size but stopped around that size.
"Would this be good enough?" He handed it to Harroc who took it with great interest, again taking off his goggles to inspect it further.
After inspecting the crystal, Harroc looked at Gilliam with a perplexed and questioning expression.
"How many are you willing to make?" |
Since it was only Gilliam who had any ideas what he was going to do, Angela and Petal looked a bit worried. He couldn't blame them as for all they knew they might be caught in some explosion or something.
Gilliam's goal was to restrict Kintas, but since he was incredibly fast and would probably just cut anything coming his way, the answer was to use something uncuttable. It couldn't be just hard to cut, it also needed to be able to restrict him, lots of arms came to mind but that was not uncuttable. No, the best idea might actually be some sort of sentient high viscous monster. Instead of a water elemental, something like a honey or glue elemental with multiple stretch limbs to catch Kintas off guard.
Expecting that Kintas would just mess with the spell as it was being cast, it seemed that Kintas had some morbid curiosity to find out what the idea that Gilliam had actually was. Well, this worked fine for Gilliam as he also wondered how well this thing would work on the fly.
Mentally preparing the image and details were simple, a water elemental looking thing with lots of tentacled arms, the whole thing made of high viscous glue of sorts, semi sentient and highly obedient only to Gilliam. An important factor was that it would self-heal or just re-attach to anything that might be cut or torn off.
Activating the creation circle in the coat was not a problem, what Gilliam hadn't expected was the sudden cost of the summoning. As the circle manifested for only a split second it all happened at once, a large collection of deep and severe wounds opened up across Gilliam's whole body, it felt and looked like 15 men had a sharp blade each and just cut into his body at various locations at the same time. He yelled out in pain as he fell to his knees, blood practically exploding out of his body into a mix of both red mist but also straight up painting both himself and the ground around him.
This amount of wounds would realistically have him bleed out in no time at all, in fact had it not been for the healing dome he would most likely not have survived as the pain would have crushed his focus and made healing himself very, very hard.
However, since he was in the dome the wounds and pain were temporary, which was why he chose to test in there in the first place. Ignoring the worried looks he got from the girls, and the oddly amused raised eyebrow from Kintas, his wounds were already closing and the blood production was being managed by the dome. It really was a wondrous creation.
In the course of the same few seconds this was going on, the blood that was not already in mist-form seemingly evaporated into the magic circle for its brief existence. It only took a second more for the energy to form a deep dark smoke rising from the ground, into a rough humanoid blob-shape before the black vapour solidified into the final created form.
In front of Gilliam stood a weird creature, it was about human height, but easily twice as wide. It didn't have too much of a proper shape than a vague silhouette, it was simply a standing blob, being taller than wider so it looked a bit unnatural in that sense.
It was made of a clear substance, it didn't look exactly like water but had a transparent apperance, much like clear honey so you couldn't see through it but light passed through it easily enough.
Though it didn't have any features or sensory organs, Gilliam got a feeling that it was looking at him expectantly.
Gilliam didn't immediately say anything, a mixture of the not yet faded pain and surprise at the thing he had created had him a bit delayed mentally. Though processing all of this briefly he pointed at Kintas.
"Restrain him." Though the order was clearly a statement, it had a vague questioning tone to it.
The creature didn't seem to linger or wait, right after the order was given a bunch of rope-looking tentacles extended from the creature towards Kintas.
Kintas being the combat monster he was, managed to dodge the lot of them, but he didn't seem to have expected the creature to just move them sideways towards him, they seemed incredibly prehensile.
He dodged yet again but a single tentacle managed to make contact, showcasing its sticky nature and cut-resistance as Kintas' sword passed through the tentacle only to have it not affected at all. The blade cut through it but the fluid and sticky nature of the goop had it just instantly stick back again, he was forced to create distance again which luckily for him overcame the sticky tentacle.
"Ok... I'll admit that caught me off guard..." Kintas had lost his smile, but for some reason his eyes seemed more interested than normal.
He followed this up with a quick sentence too muffled for Gilliam to overhear, but immediately after some weird pale white energy seemed to mix into the glue elemental's otherwise clear body, it seemed to do something with its speed as it was getting a little slower.
It seemed to react to this, retracting all but one tentacle which it moved back and forth in front of what could have been a face on its upper part, almost like it was testing something.
Seeming to have realised something it made its next attack, a much larger number, though thinner, tentacles spawned from its blobby body, all of them heading for Kintas. However, this time they were not heading straight at him, but rather spread out around him almost like an oversized cage before slamming together.
In a swift motion Kintas had swapped out the hexagon gem in his sword's pommel from the teal one to another multi-colored one, it had a mixture of a similar teal colour but also some white streaks through it. His sword started crackling with electrical arcs jumping both from and to the blade, but also into the air much like a tesla coil. A swift motion later and several of the incoming tentacles were spazzing out in an electrical spasm. He used this opening to dodge the incoming attack but it seemed that even he couldn't overcome sheer numbers.
One tentacle landed, sticking and wrapping around his foot, this allowed two more to stick to his back and after this he was covered in sticky tentacles to the point of having him forced to the ground, all limbs held individually, barely being able to move at all. Having hand and wrist control he tried to move his sword around to touch one of the tentacles, but this only had the angry goop-monster crush his wrist before forcing the sword out of his hand.
"Well d-" Kintas tried to compliment Gilliam but had his face crunched into the ground. "-... done..." Muttering the end of his sentence through a faceful of dirt he got another thunk of the creature thudding his head against the ground.
Gilliam was ecstatic, but also in somewhat fear. Though this was absolutely a successful test, this creature was amazing and managed to take down Kintas in only a few moves while remaining unharmed, there was the sudden and drastic cost. This creature will absolutely be helpful in a fight but... If he summoned something like this without being prepared he would just kill himself instead...
Walking a bit closer, Gilliam wanted to gloat a little bit at his creation. Angela and Petal looked somewhat uncertain about things, they weren't horrified or something like that, but they just looked heavily confused and didn't really seem sure about what to think about this.
Between having his head slammed into the ground, Kintas was saying something.
"Ch-lle-ge a--pted" Some letters disappeared in the muffling but Gilliam prepared himself nonetheless.
Kintas might be in a bad position at the moment but he had shown himself to be a beast before.
Gilliam cast a shield on himself, which prompted the girls to prepare themselves as well. Kintas muttered something else between thuds but this was not something Gilliam caught.
However, what followed was very, very different.
The tentacles holding him down suddenly disintegrated into mist, leaving the ex Inquisitor free to move, his sword had stopped crackling at the same time though he still picked it up. As he darted towards Gilliam, dodging the attack of the girls there were two major things happening. First all following attacks by the glue-monster also disintegrated once they got close to Kinta, and as he got close to the monster it also disintegrated into nothing.
The swift dash towards Gilliam caught him completely off guard, his bewilderment only amplified as his shield spell fell apart into glowing dust as the swordsman came close. In a swift dash he had avoided the girls, taken out the summoned monster, done something to the shield and was now standing with his sword against Gilliam's neck.
"...What... the... fuck..." Gilliam stated, he knew that Kintas was good but this just defied any logic. What just happened didn't make sense. How could he do all this in a single movement?
Relaxing his body and getting out of his murderstance, Kintas lowered his sword and said a word Gilliam recognized as 'Disable'. It was in a language he had not heard spoken before but he could at least understand it.
At this point the air felt normal again, something Gilliam didn't really realise had happened. Thinking about it now the air started feeling oddly dry and cold, but it wasn't something he was able to react to at the time.
Kintas smiled widely. "That was a good trick, against anyone else you'd have just won right there."
The compliment was good and all, but Gilliam broke out in an almost angry tone. "The fuck was that?!"
Kintas smiled even wider than before, being incredibly satisfied and full of himself. "Trade secret." The smugness was... suffocating.
"No, what the fuck. The hell did you do?" Gilliam wanted answers, enough for him to lose composure and get almost a bit annoyed.
"It's simple, really. You're a mage." His smile grew even wider, to the point that, as the saying goes; had it not been for his ears, it would have gone all the way around.
Gilliam pondered this for a brief moment, and it started making sense. Kintas is an Ex-Inquisitor, the people who are more than 'just' trained to fight mages like himself. He might have cheat-level abilities and incredible power, but Kintas was trained and augmented to fight his kind. Given his level of skill, time of training and all of that, things were actually making sense.
When fighting Kintas in the dome a while ago, Gilliam remembered that he wasn't always able to even cast spells against him, the spell circle destabilised during casting.
"You cheeky fucker... You can use antimagic..."
Gilliam didn't think it was possible, but Kintas' smile grew even more smug and full of himself.
"I don't use it a lot anymore, but it was fun to give it a go again." His smile faded ever so slightly as it seemed like he remembered something negative.
"Well... If you do that then I suppose I could always throw shit at you, throwing rocks or objects shouldn't be affected, but... You'd probably just dodge it anyway." Gilliam had an unamused and almost annoyed expression
"Though... I think I need to speak to Nolis a bit more..." Gilliam looked at his hand and arms, where deep wounds were only a minute ago only proper skin was now. He wanted to find out how to negate this damage in the future. Though he had already had good tests done with using mana crystals, he would prefer to use someone else as a source for this.
Looking through the barrier he could see that the sun was still high, they hadn't used too much time in here yet. Which made sense, he really only joined to have the creation magic tested. Though it was stupidly versatile, piggybacking on Nolis' research in a way that he could spawn things by thinking of it rather than baking his ideas into the circle itself, allowed him to create anything at a moment's notice. However, given the cost of the glue elemental he needed to find out just how the cost was calculated, but most importantly; how to use an external source for the payment of life.
He had a brief moment where he considered the weight of that question, but as he was only going to use that concept on those he deemed deserving of this fate, it quickly passed.
"You guys keep training, I'll see if I can find Nolis." Gilliam stated to the group as he left. Not really leaving them any time to properly react as he didn't want them to have a chance to persuade him to not go right away.
Patience when something interesting was in his grasp was not one of his strengths...
Exiting the dome he found that there were a large group of students around again, not that this was anything new he still found it somewhat interesting, not letting this stop him he continued at a speed-walking pace towards the central room.
He didn't properly notice what the others said or how they reacted to his sudden leaving, but in the moment he was too focused on 'this other thing' to properly give it any thought.
His mind was spinning of ideas he could summon, all from carnivorous insects to dragons, from large cat-like creatures with fangs and claws to eldritch horrors with blades on the end of tentacles and worse. This could potentially be one of the most dangerous, non tactical-level spells he could end up with, using their own life force against them was an oddly exhilarating and effective thought.
Before he knew it he stood before the receptionist, a young man of 20something, short brown hair and wearing a nice suit.
"Can I help you, Sir?" His voice had an almost impulsive nature to it, almost like he was not yet used to the job, perhaps he was new?
"Hello-" Gilliam responded on auto-pilot without thought as well. "-I would like to speak with Nolis."
The young mad nodded and started flipping in a large tome, seemingly finding the page he was looking for he read a bit.
"Can I confirm your name?" He sounded uncertain, though he did have a glance at Gilliam's student badge.
"Gilliam Gibson." Gilliam briefly wondered if there were many people who didn't know who he was yet, but he mentally stomped that arrogance down a lot, he didn't want to become one of those kinds of people.
"Ah, yes. That's not a problem. He should be at Basement level four, just go down that set of stairs and you'll find a door marked with B4."
The young man gave him directions and seemed somewhat pleased with himself.
"Thank you:" Gilliam smiled back, it was oddly refreshing having someone random to talk to, even though it was just pleasantries like this.
Leaving the reception Gilliam found himself in front of the B4 door fast enough, it wasn't exactly hard to find as the spiral staircase didn't exactly have many chances to leave it.
Opening the door he came into the familiar smaller room with a guard sitting there, a young woman in the same armour as the others. She gave him a quick glance before giving him a nod of approval.
Not asking any questions Gilliam just continued through the other door. Remembering that it was the third door on the left last time, he walked over to it and knocked it.
"What?" As soon as Gilliam knocked on the door there was a surprised question inside the room. The thick door made it hard to hear who it was but it sounded like Nolis?
It didn't take more than a few seconds before the door opened, it was indeed Nolis, although a confused one. "Oh, it's you. That makes sense."
He left the door open as he walked into his room, seemingly inviting Gilliam to enter.
"I almost never get visitors, and the few that come down here don't knock, so I was a bit surprised." He smiled as he explained his reasoning.
"What can I help you with?" Oddly polite he got straight to the point.
The politeness had Gilliam pause a bit, he originally wanted to get straight to the point but he stopped himself and changed the subject with a confused expression. "What's with the strange politeness...?"
"Oh, well. You are the Heptagon Mage, the Gate-Crasher and I heard about your mega fireball from Aeris. So... I thought it was a good thing to keep relations as high as possible, once we're out of this invasion and we're done at the academy I would love to keep in touch. To be honest, anything I can do to help you, will just help me in the long run." He smiled, being almost annoyingly honest.
This was sort of the way to behave that Gilliam expected more people would do, perhaps the others were just afraid or were not acting up due to some rules or something, but Nolis seemed to take this in stride and just went straight up honest.
"Well... I'm fine with that.." He paused a bit before getting back on point, the straight up honesty really caught him off guard. "Ok, here's the thing. I tried to create something larger, in the dome, and it would have killed me had I not been in the dome, so... Is there a way to shift the life-force drain to an external source?"
Nolis smiled widely, it was not his usual derpy smile but the kind of smile that would normally have you call the police.
"There is, and it's actually frighteningly simple."
Nolis unbuttoned his shirt and pulled his left arm out of the sleeve before creating a magical light source he showed Gilliam something. Above his heart was a very complex tattoo, but it was clearly a spell circle. It was tattooed in skin-colour ink, though the ink was not exactly the same tone so now that he knew what to look for he could see it somewhat clearly. The circle had Darkness as its element and by reading the runes he could see that it was a complicated transferring setup, though the source was an external source. A line went down his arm into his palm where another tattooed spell circle was located. The one in his palm was a bit strange; it was another external source tattoo but it had its own complete spell circle inside it.
Gilliam tried deciphering it, as he didn't get much time before Nolis pulled his hand back; he only understood that the sub-circle created some field.
"Now, what do you think this is?" He smiled a bit sadistically as he looked at the tattoo in his hand.
Gilliam pondered this for a moment, using his own thoughts and logic from all those games and stories he had read to try and inspire the thought behind it. "I am guessing the field that the circle in your hand creates becomes the external source, so the main circle in your hand absorbs from whatever is in that field to feed the circle over your heart with energy that you can in turn use for creation magic?"
He did get a decent glance of things, and though he hadn't tried out game design much he did know that overlapping fields were used for a lot of simple coding.
Nolis' eyes widened as his smile faded for a moment, blinking a few times in disbelief his smile grew large and happy, his expression becoming a mix of joy and intrigue.
"That is exactly it! Wow, I was jealous before but this is amazing. You deciphered it that fast?"
Almost as if asking some god their secrets he hinted to wanting to know more about how Gilliam did this.
"I can read the runes, but some of it was guessing based on weird knowledge from home." Gilliam sported a sly smirk, not knowing if Nolis knew he was from another world or was believing the lie that he went through the Mist. But even though explaining the concept of coding could be a mixture of easy and hard, it was easier to just... not.
Nolis became much more interested in the mystery. "Ok, you'll have to explain that to me more later, but yes. You're correct. This is something I devised after years of testing and learning. When I activate it the spell forms a field that consumes life from the targets in the field, not too different from the spell you used to energise yourself when in the demon world-"
Nolis started getting dressed again now after showing what he intended to show.
"-the main difference is that I can control the field, and if I connect to someone before I cast a creation spell the cost will be transferred to them."
Turning his focus to Gilliam with an incredibly serious expression. "This is a horrible event, so keep that in mind if you plan to use this..." Nolis put heavy pressure on the word 'horrible'.
"Yeah, I assume as much, but given where I'm going I want every kind of help I can get, besides that creation circle of yours is amazing, if I don't have to make a large stock of darkness mana crystals, that would be-"
Gilliam was interrupted mid sentence.
"Wait, wait. Hold on." Nolis' composure broke completely for a moment. "You... you can make darkness mana crystals?" His face screamed of disbelief but there was a hint of curiosity in there.
"Err... yes? Isn't that normal?" Gilliam wondered a bit, was this really that strange?
"Or rather, I suppose it's not a mana crystal per se, it's more like crystallised blood."
Nolis' expression changed again, it was now filled with extreme interest.
"Not many can do that, I don't think you know how rare that is. Can.... Can you show me?"
He was looking almost desperate to get this confirmed, and to be honest this was not really an issue for Gilliam. He could control this pretty well and a small fragment was not an issue.
"Sure, but only if you help me with that draining tattoo of yours." Gilliam smiled, trying to form a bargain where he felt like he would earn the larger cut of the cake.
"Yeah, sure, sure. Just... If you can show me and if I can have even just a small one, I'll fix the tattoo for you." Nolis sounded extremely desperate, hinting that there was more to this than Gilliam originally thought.
"Great, it's a deal." Gilliam smiled as he moved his hands into position to create a small Darkness mana crystal. |
Charging the magic circle took quite some time, the runes and lines started to glow, increasing in brightness as the seconds went by. He was on purpose charging it slowly so he could make sure it wouldn't collapse, every now and then he needed to thicken a line or add another thin one next to it before taking notes. He started with the outer control circles and worked his way into the main circle. The charging runes were the first area that started to glow an almost white fiery colour, the lines between them charged up almost like molten metal flowing from node to node, slowly making the whole thing glow with a white-hot flame feel. The heat extending from the spell circle was akin to standing only a few metres (1m ~3.2ft) away from a campfire, pleasant and fine, but clearly warm.
The charging continued for a short while more before the aiming circle activated, he had decided on one of the furthest away landmasses that had a small patch of jungle on it, the whole island was around the size of a large football stadium, rough distancing put it at about 3 kilometres away (~1.8miles). As the extended rings of the aiming circle narrowed down to their target, the whole construction was glowing white hot, enough to overshadow the sun at this close range and cast Gilliam's shadow on the ground behind him.
The shaping circle around the whole construction activated for a split second, flickering out of existence as it contracted into the main circle. As soon as the shaping circle was done with its activation the whole construction activated.
The main circle collapsed, but not instantly as the smaller spells tend to do, this used a few whole seconds to implode into an actual miniature sun that hovered in front of Gilliam. As it was contracting it seemed to outrun the contraction of the shaping circle by only the slightest, it was only possible to differentiate them due to their colour differences. The sun was no bigger than a human's head, but it radiated enough heat to make Gilliam's crew, who were standing a few solid metres away, feel like it was getting a bit too hot.
As soon as the rest of the main circle disappeared, the shaping circle followed right after, imploding into the burning sun. Instantly after the shaping circle had disappeared, the aiming circle flashed once before being eaten up by the sun that shot forwards at a blinding speed. It ignited any particle it came into contact with as it left a plasmic trail after it through the air, perfectly heading towards its target.
Gilliam had an almost mad scientist smile on him as the comet-shaped sun zoomed towards its target. The rest of the party didn't share his glee, the only one not sharing the same fear was Petal, who might just not be used to large scale magic. Angela and Aeris were a bit more worried.
The miniature sun made contact, the bright light from the fiery explosion very briefly whited out the entire area in a light bright enough to make the sun seem like a strong candle. It only took a few seconds for the deep bass shockwave to lift them all off their feet, punch them deep in the chest and knock them over, the shockwave parted the clouds and the following fireball spread out at a terrifying speed consuming everything in its path. The fire luckily stopped before it came close enough to cause any problems for the group, but the heat from it even at this distance made them feel like a forge was going to eat them, and there was nothing they could do.
Due to their elevated position, amount of things between and potentially some luck they took no damage, save a temporary bright spot in their vision.
Sitting up, Gilliam was laughing like an insane madman who had just tasted the glee of his creation coming to life, shouting out a satisfied "WOO!" with his hands in the air before he got himself to his feet. The following mushroom cloud forming only had him even more ecstatic, the adrenaline kick alone was enough to have him vibrate in excitement.
It took a long, long few seconds for the fireball to stop expanding before the negative pressure wave came flowing back, it was enough to notice it and move some debris but not enough to cause any problems.
As the mushroom cloud extended far into the sky Gilliam was still quite happy with himself, he was not shouting and jumping anymore but he was visibly excited. He quickly took some notes, changed some things and scribbled some more in his notebook.
Angela finally broke the dialogue silence with her own raised voice.
"What... what the fuck was that...?!" Her voice was filled with more disbelief than it was an actual question.
"A fireball.. Or miniature sun... Or something, I dunno. But it worked as planned!"
He was still busy taking notes and drawing things, sounding very happy with himself.
"No, yes.. I mean, I know that but, what the hell. You could have killed us!" She didn't sound angry with him, or rather, there was too much surprise in her voice to properly get the anger.
"Yes, I know, right. And this was not even at full power. I wanted to make sure I didn't just... die.. So I dialled it down a bit." He let out a little laugh as he said that. Deciding to calm down a little was definitely a good idea.
Angela was for a loss of words, the others didn't say anything either as Gilliam kept scribbling down notes.
A short while after, once everything had calmed down a little, Gilliam could properly survey the damage. Though the fireball had calmed down, there were some trees and forest fires where the fireball stretched but in the inner area of it the islands were now completely bare. Since the fires wouldn't go anywhere so he didn't really care much to stop them. The target island had seemingly been exchanged with an underwater crater. It had long since filled in with seawater but the surrounding small islands had been carved out to form a ring around the central crater. The central crater itself was more than just the stadium sized island, it had taken a decent chunk out of the surrounding islands as well. In short, it was not a strategic nuke sized explosion that can remove entire cities, but more of a tactical nuke that would remove a large area.
Gilliam was incredibly excited at this test.
"No, this is no laughing matter." Angela had calmed down a bit, enough to see that she was actually angry at this. "If you have that little control..." It was clear that she was hinting at how close they almost got to getting toasted, or nuked, but she chose to stop her sentence there.
"That's why I dialled it back, it's all good." He sounded somewhat carefree as he replied, but there was a slight hesitation at the end. "Though I do take your point. I plan to live longer than this, so I think I'll do future tests a bit different." Though he might be underreacting, or she might be overeating, she did have a point.
He absolutely didn't know his limits and if he had not decided to dial back the power of this thing, they could very well have died if Aeris weren't fast enough.
The fact that he didn't feel mana starved or anything at the moment just furthered the point that he could potentially have made it way bigger, meaning that they could have been consumed, and as briefly considered; if Aeris wasn't fast enough in getting them out... They might be toasty at this point.
Angela seemed to calm down at least a little, she was still somewhat agitated but the fact that he at least considered calming down the testing power had at least made a little difference.
"Good, I don't want to die before the prophecy is completed, after all. In fact I intend to live for quite the time as well." There was a slight positive tone to her statement, knowing her healing she could potentially live for quite some time. She was still annoyed but there was a little hope in her voice.
Gilliam considered this for a moment and if he could throw out something like this on a controlled basis, it might reassure her a little about the whole hero thing.
So far her prophecy really seemed plausible.
There was a slight awkward silence for a moment before Gilliam changed the subject.
"Well, I still got some testing to do with the sword and ring, you got something to do in the meantime?" They had already sort of discussed what to do during the testing, so this was more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah, we can do some light sparring in the meantime." Angela smiled as she turned towards Petal, who still looked surprisingly content.
Gilliam didn't respond, he simply manifested the broken blade and started doing his testing.
He wanted to see how the different elements behaved, both in the first and second activation. Based on what Kintas said it could have some interesting differences that in turn could prove valuable in a fight.
He realised that he had a small crowd as he changed the stored energy into fire, having the runes change from their teal colour to an almost waving yellow and orange. Activating the slender blade in this form had it keep the same shape and pattern as the teal blade, but it was again burning with an angry fire. Waving it around felt surprisingly similar to the normal sword but moving it closer to anything had the thing it was moved closer to, act up like you brought a white-hot piece of metal close to it. Plants instantly wilted and caught on fire, more resilient things like stones started sizzling. The more he tested the more he realised that when he burned anything with the blade, a sooty ash-like layer started collecting on the blade. Passively nothing happened but when things were actively burned the spotted soot grew in size and covered more of the fiery blade.
It didn't seem to affect the burning capabilities nor the rest of the blade, but when he triggered the second activation a thick and uncomfortable plume expanded from the blade in a poof, removing it from the blade. It didn't affect him at all but he realised that the rest of his party was not as lucky. Instantly dismissing the blade didn't affect the plume, it was still around him and it wasn't until it was blown away by the mountaintop breeze that the problem was resolved. During the time before it went away the smoke acted a lot like teargas, Angela could easily overcome it due to her personal healing, Savia seemed unaffected like Gilliam but both Aeris and Petal were absolutely not having good times. Having tested CS gas in his military service, Gilliam had baseline control over what it did to your body, so some well placed healing alleviated this a lot until the body could process it passively.
It took a few minutes for the wind to remove it, as it almost seemed like the smoke had some weird viscosity to it, it was still smoke but there might be something magical in nature surrounding it.
The others weren't happy.
Though this was an accident, the group realised that perhaps it's better if he does some of the testing a bit further away, this also meant that he wouldn't have as much of an audience. So a win/win scenario in his book.
The testing continued as the girls did their own thing. For safety's sake Savia was left with Aeris, keeping both of them somewhat entertained as well.
Having a better location he moved on to testing with water, the slender blade looked like it was made of ice, radiating a biting cold, this was enough to cause the air to condense near it and caused micro rain in its vicinity.
Gilliam also found out that touching it to anything caused any moisture to freeze right away.
The second activation allowed him to shoot out water from the blade, it was stupidly cold but that seemed to be it. Or at least so he thought until he saw that once the water was distrubed enough it rapidly froze on its own, like those supercooled water bottles he had seen in the media in the modern world. Testing this with the blade itself, this was enough to trigger the water to practically instantly freeze.
Earth seemed a bit dull at first, physically and metaphorically. The slender blade manifested in a tapered cylinder, with the fatter end on the non-handle side, much like a club. Though hitting something he noticed that it hit harder than it should, almost like it was unnaturally heavy, just light in his hands. This let him do significantly higher damage than normal when hitting something.
The second activation had it widen out considerably, even growing around the handle into a rough shield shape. It looked like it weighed several tons but in his hand it was not that much heavier than the sword itself. Putting it on the ground it landed with a heavy thunk, so there was some heft to it.
Air seemed to focus on lighting, he couldn't test it on anything living but the slender blade looked much like the Aether one he had used before, but it had small tines of electricity ark off into the air like someone was pulsing a tesla coil, the sound was more crackly than screaming as the coils tended to be, but the little testing he could do with it seemed like it acted like a normal blade. The electric effect was probably better against living tissue, perhaps he could abuse Kintas in the dome later.
The second activation replaced the whole blade with a continuous lightning arc, it was painfully bright to look at but for some odd reason, it didn't crackle or scream out like he expected an arc like this doing. Pointing it at a stone had its length shorten like a stream of water hitting a wall before reaching its peak. It started heating up the rock at the contact point but it seemed this might also be an organic thing.
Light was also hard to figure out, the slender blade looked more like an energy beam, it didn't feel like it had any weight and it didn't cut as well as some of the other blades.
The second activation didn't change it in the slightest, there was a heavier energy drain but he didn't really know what it did.
Dark was an element he was a bit uncertain about, the runes alone took a red, black and purple hue to them. Manifesting the slender blade had it take a more serrated look to it, dull black and feeling bad.
The second activation made the blade smooth like the basic slender blade, again it was dull black in colour and all in all, they acted rather normal when cutting trees or poking rocks, he couldn't figure out what they did without a test subject.
For now he deactivated the sword, channelled some aether energy into it so it reset to what he was used to using, if nothing else he knew the rough ideas of what most of the elements did, some further testing was needed. He didn't exactly want to stab someone with the darkness blade, so he might need to talk to someone properly before inviting them into the Dome. Kintas might be the only one he dared do this with, first of all it was easier to explain the concept but... He just seemed different than most people when it came to stuff like this.
For now he considered himself satisfied, moving onto testing the Ring.
This was much, much easier, he just needed to take out his normal things in there and fill it with rocks, then wood and water, and so on. Basically check different densities of material to find a weight and size limit.
Then make some dumb constructions to find dimensional limits, like tying three long sticks together to form a weird three-dimensional plus.
This was surprisingly easy, though a bit time consuming due to the repeated testing but in the end he had a rough grasp on things.
There was a weight limit and a size limit, he could fit more wood in there than rocks, in pure volume, this meant there was a limit to both. Likewise when filling it with sticks there was a point that it was considered full even if there was more weight to spare.
Making the branches on his 3D-plus sign long, then cutting them shorter, little by little, he could figure out that the rough space in there was 2x2x2.5m (~6.5x6.5x8ft).
He was not good enough with weight to figure out how much it held, but using a simple lever-weight comparison, standing on a log balanced over a rock, then placing rocks on the other side, he got to a rough concept that it could hold like 7-10 Gilliam's worth of weight. This was a stupidly simple and inaccurate measurement, so he had no idea how far off he was.
If he tried to put in something once the ring was full, it just failed.
Feeling satisfied with this for now, he put his stuff back into the ring, but left the coat-case out. It was time to find out how this thing worked.
Opening it he started by reading the manual that was put in the pocket in the lid. It was surprisingly well explained. There was a text explanation, a little sketch with arrows and further explanations to compliment the original text.
It was almost better made than some modern building instructions Gilliam had read, it was pretty apparent that the creator absolutely took pride in her work, for the object itself or just the guide materials.
Gilliam used some time to read through the whole thing before he even put it on. The creator, Skirnik, had put some legitimate effort into making this thing.
First of all, the simplest thing on it was a resizing factor, putting it on and channelling any mana into it would have it perfectly fit the wearer. It also worked on the passive energy of the surrounding area as well as the mana that the wielder passively emits, the one you never use, to keep itself charged for the defensive and buffing spells. It stored them in special runes over time and only used it when needed.
The coat, though cloth, would behave like it was solid steel for defensive purposes, and just wearing it would increase the wearers' physical prowess a little. It was not an insane amount but it would be noticeable.
But, the majority of the descriptions were on the spell-pockets. Though surprisingly easy in concept, the guide explained it to a degree that Gilliam understood it immediately.
The short of it was that the pockets in the coat were not physical pockets, but enchantment locked subspace pockets. There was no physical location tied to them so you could access the same pocket from anywhere 'on' the coat.
The way it worked was that you manifested a magic circle and 'assigned' it to one of the pockets, the pocket would sort of consume the magic circle to remember it, you could then shove mana crystals in them to fuel it. When activated you just had to think about wanting to cast the spell and it would activate instantly. If the spell doesn't consume the mana crystal completely it could be used more than one time.
Each dimensional pocket had a physical size-limit on 'about a goblins head'. So not much different than a bucket. The pocket could hold several gems so you could fill it up. You would always know roughly how much remained in each pocket, so you didn't have to fear accidentally running out.
If the spell needed more energy than the stored gems held, you could supplement with your own mana through the casting effect. This was a mental choice so it would never just 'eat it' without permission.
This had Gilliam become super eager, if he could store the Doom spell... he needed a proper name for it, in the coat it could become waaaay more useful. Likewise with the creation spells, or just things he might need instantly.
He had put on the coat before he had properly considered anything, the passively emitted mana had the coat resize itself perfectly. The first thing he noticed was the buffing, it was quite noticeable even though it was not to the point where he would start juggling trucks. But that was not the thing he wanted to test first.
Though he was getting used to it, he still used a bit over a solid second to create the Aether Dart magic circle, but assigning that to, what he mentally called, Pocket #1, the magic circle disintegrated and flowed into the coat. This was followed up with taking a fist-sized crystal out of his ring and mentally wanting to 'feed this to the Aether dart'. The whole crystal just faded into the cloth as he touched it against the coat.
At this point everything looked like normal, he was just wearing a grey coat.
Flinging his hand towards a tree and just thinking about casting Aether Dart had the dart manifest and fly into the tree faster than he could have even said the word 'dart'.
A giant grin grew on Gilliam's face. This was more than he could have even imagined! |
Kintas' sword penetrated Gilliam's hand without problem, sinking about halfway through the blade. This had Kintas smile with a satisfied grin as he had stopped the incoming attack.
Though this was not entirely true, this was one of the perfect possibilities for Gilliam.
Slightly curving his fingers against the blade he activated the ring to absorb the thing he was 'holding'. His idea worked perfectly and it completely vanished.
This was the first time that Kintas was completely and utterly taken off guard, the broken sword was still in Gilliam's other hand, but the blade was too long for a proper stab at this short distance. Though that was easily fixed. Swingting the blade towards Kintas' side he activated the wide blade at the same time. Kintas jumped backwards to gain distance but it was too late.
The longer blade with its wider cutting surface effortlessly slid through Kintas' gut, entering near his right hip and exciting through his left torso.
It was a miracle that Kintas was able to even stand for the few seconds he needed for the dome to properly mend his body. A single cough with a bit of blood came up but even that wound was handled right after.
Gilliam pumped his now healed ringed fist in the air with satisfaction. "Yes! Finally!"
He lost count of how many times Kintas had won that fight, but this was the first proper 'victory' that Gilliam had. And he was going to own that.
Kintas seemed to calm down, even to the point that he dismissed his body enhancements.
"You little shit, that was a good trick." He smiled, still seeming to have had a good time behind his compliment to Gilliam. "Though, I do hope you plan to return it. Or we're going to have a bad time."
"Or what, you're going to kill me with your bare hands?" Gilliam wanted to be a bit uppity and joke about his victory.
Though, thinking back to the things that Kintas had done to him so far, and the dry "Yes" he replied with was really all the motivation he needed.
Taking Kintas' sword out of the ring, first now getting to hold it properly and it felt weird. It was so easy to move around, not just being lighter than the broken blade, it was more that it only needed a nudge to move around rather than being lifted properly.
"Stop fondling my sword." Kintas joked for a brief moment. As Gilliam looked at him to wonder what kind of innuendo he was speaking about Kintas used that moment to take the sword from his hand with surprising fluidity.
As it was not like Gilliam intended to keep the sword away from him further, there was no resistance in the movement.
At this point Gilliam first noticed, and remembered, the crowd around the dome. Like last time there were lots of different facial expressions, most just being a different form of interest. There were plenty of happy and sad people, starting to hand over coins... Seems like there were a lot of bets going, not surprising but Gilliam felt oddly strange being the target of betting... Again.. He vaguely remembered something similar having happened in the training with Ghaos as well.
Kintas sheathed his sword after weirdly looking over it for a moment, almost like he wanted to make sure that Gilliam didn't do something to it when it was in the ring. Shaking his head, Gilliam didn't really pay it no mind. Someone as weirdly skilled as Kintas probably had some weird relationship with their swo* Come to think of it... Gilliam really needed to ask him about the communing thing. And now that he was checking his mental list he also realised that he forgot to check up with the girl that stabbed him yesterday.
Ugh, this is going to be one of those days, isn't it...
His train of thought was interrupted as a strong arm slapped him on his back. "Come, I suppose you have some questions, it's only fair that I keep my side of things, but I refuse to do so entirely sober!"
Gilliam wanted to comment, but at the same time... It really had been some time since he had a pint back home, and he hadn't even tasted that much of the drink of this world. This sounded like a win/win.
"What about Savia and Petal?" Gilliam wasn't even sure where they were going, so double checking was probably a good thing.
Kintas rubbed his chin for a second. "I was going to suggest we leave the academy and go drink somewhere... But I imagine your friend could cause some problems... Then let's go to my room!" Pointing in the direction of the very end of Wing 6 he starts pushing Gilliam that way.
Suddenly finding himself walking towards the point where the wing hallway meets the outer wall, noticing that Petal was following then, still having a smiling Savia in her hands it seemed that it was all good.
"Wait. Hold on-" Gilliam realised something as they were walking through the crowd that had formed around the dome. "-Is drinking even allowed?"
He didn't know the laws of this world, or even the academy, so the first question was drinking age, but also on academy grounds?
"Not normally, no, but this is for medicinal reasons!" Kintas replied with a certain weird smile to him.
Gilliam decided to just look at him and wait for him to continue instead of asking what he meant. "My medical condition is that I'm sober." There it was. Kintas was apparently one of those people.
"But... it's not even noon." Gilliam managed to comment as they made it through the cheering crowd, not properly hearing what most people were saying. Though he did notice that everyone turned wary when Petal walked through.
Kintas sighed.
"Listen, I don't plan on getting drunk, but I do feel like a drink. Better now?" His happy smile faded just for a moment as he had to admit his actual thoughts about things. It was clear that this was a man that enjoyed drinking so... He might take a drink or two at times without really being affected. At least that's how Gilliam read him.
After navigating through the crowd and walking in the end-most ground floor entrance of Wing 6, it was not far to Kintas' room. Which seemed to be at the very, very end of the hallway.
He opened and entered the door without any special ceremony, Gilliam was a bit surprised to find out that his room was identical to his own, save a few extra things that he had seemingly put in there as well as his personal effects.
From the cupboard he pulled out a deep green bottle and two wooden cups, nodding for the table in the corner.
Gilliam sat down, Petal entered the room, closing the door behind her she placed Savia in Gilliam's hair before she sat down as well. Wanting to ask why she did that without asking, it was clear that the two of them were talking on the way to Kintas' room. And given how much Savia likes being up there, it made sense.
He reached up to give her a small pet, which was met by her hugging one of his fingers in return. He caught himself smiling a bit when that happened, as she let go and got comfortable he changed focus to the drink and Kintas.
"So, you want to just begin, or?"
Kintas sighed as he filled both cups with what looked like a clear liquid with a hint of pink in it. It smelled sweet.
"First of all, I really didn't think you'd actually land a solid hit... Good move, don't get me wrong but... I didn't expect to actually having to keep my word on that one."
Plopping down on his own seat, Kintas took a solid drink from his cup. "But Moran would have my ass, heal it and have it again if I didn't keep my word... so.. Here we are."
Gilliam made a mental note that Morgan was either a nice person, or some weird sadistic individual...
Not deciding to say anything, mostly as he didn't really know what to say, Gilliam ended up just waiting for Kintas to start.
"Well, in short. I used to be an Albionian Inquisitor." Though Gilliam had no idea what this was, he could hear in Kintas' voice that this was a surprisingly hard sentence to admit.
Kintas noticed Gilliam's confused look. "Ah... You don't know what an Inquisitor is... Well.."
He took another deep sip from the cup.
"The simplest explanation is that we are hunters of Arcane mages. Albion is a Theocracy, so the religion runs the country on the surface. Their magic comes from their god the Lord of Light and most of the people see Arcane magic as something to fear as it is magic not from God... Over time someone to hunt and either recruit or kill these mages were gathered and formed the Inquisitors."
In the middle of Kintas' explanation, both of them took a sip of the drink, this had Gilliam coughing something fierce.
"Holyshit, what kind of drink is this?" It felt like it burned its way down his throat. It felt like this thing could probably degrease engines.
Kintas smiled very wide but didn't comment on it. "Since mages are dangerous, as you are aware, the Inquisitors needed their own edge. Most of us have magic in some form of way from the Lord, but that was not enough as our magic is different than you might be used to. So the Inquisitor program was started... In short we are magically and alchemically experimented on, the survival odds are not good but the ones that do make it out turn into proper Inquisitors."
Gilliam was horrified at hearing this but... He didn't comment yet, and didn't want to trail the explanation into something else.
"Now, this also gives us a stupid long life, our bodies being weird and all. Though I'm certain I'm sterile, I am currently 87 years old... I don't even think I told that to Morgan, she's gonna slap me when she figures that one out. The Inquisitors have one mission in life; track down and find unregistered Arcane mages in Albion and either recruit them or kill them. Now... As you probably guessed; I did this for some time before I managed to get out of it."
Kintas seemed to remember much more than just one bad memory as he explained this, completing his drink as he did before filling it up again.
"They keep you almost under a spell, not actually but they are very select in how they portray Arcane magic in their sermons, everyone is religious and we are blinded by.. Everything else. So I did my job for... a long time.. The last few years I managed to smuggle out a lot of them, sending them to Aloth or Haven but I got careless and had to escape Albion. I somehow ended up in a small village on the accounts of inheriting a house there from someone I helped many, many years ago."
This was not a story he liked to explain, the alcohol seemed to be a crutch he needed, which sank half of his cup.
"In the end. Morgan wanted to go to the Academy, she brought me and due to circumstances I work here now." He smiled at the end, though it felt a bit more forced and pained than before.
"To sum up, I'm a highly trained, magically and alchemically mutated, religious fanatic that has spent a lifetime hunting and killing mages."
Saying this sentence actually seemed to hurt him a bit, but it felt.. On purpose, somehow.
Gilliam couldn't say anything, there were a lot of conflicted feelings at the moment. Kintas was clearly a victim of this and he was clearly passively mind controlled through teachings to do this. Gilliam was just glad that he had broken out of it and helped people before leaving. He halfway guessed that him working here to train mages could be some redemption thing. But it explained a few things, first why he was so good at what he did, but also that Gilliam knew surprisingly little about the world.
There was apparently an entire country religion controlled with trained murderers walking around...
To change the subject Gilliam decided to bring the focus to the swords.
"Your sword is weird, it moves so... well.. On its own?" Gilliam marvelled over it. He didn't have much experience with swords and weapons in general, but it felt pretty neat.
"Oh yeah... Fun fact about the swords. They are made with arcane mages souls." Kintas sat back in his chair with his cup, taking a sip. "Enjoy that thought for a moment. Also a state secret that would be denied and have me publicly dismembered or something."
Gilliam was very uncomfortable at this thought.
"Don't worry-" Kintas assured. "They aren't sentient, but when you learn to communicate with your sword you will find out that it has feelings, preferences and the like. It's not easy, they don't talk. This isn't something they teach you, I just found out one day." He ran his fingers across the hilt of the sword as he mentioned this.
This had Gilliam call on his own sword as well, looking at the broken sword and teal runes.
"How... does that work?" he mused for himself.
"No idea-" Kintas shrugged in response. "I am not an Arcane mage, and I doubt any Arcane mages have really had their hands on an Inquisitor weapon with the ability to use it properly, you might be the first." Finishing his second cup of alcohol he placed it on the table.
"Besides, there might be individual differences. My best explanation is to just connect to the sword and see what happens." He smiled, in a weird way this.. Could make sense?
The rest of the chat was somewhat random and just two guys shittalking things. Kintas was surprisingly easy going even as a member of the faculty. He was not above talking shit about students and saying his personal opinions. He took an interest in Petal as a creature from another world and as a member of his future enemies, but as an information source, Gilliam had more relevant info anyway.
After a short while of more back and forth their little talk ended, Gilliam having only completed half of one cup, Kintas deciding to just pour the remaining back to the bottle. The strength of the drink could probably work as sanitizer so there was most likely no danger of anything like that being an issue.
"Oh, I just realised.. You mentioned that you were a different mage. How does your magic work?" Gilliam asked, very interested in this other kind of magic.
"Oh, it's simple in concept. Your magic works by calling on magic runes that alter and produce magic. I ask my God through a small chant and if He deems me worthy, it happens." He explained it like it was the simplest thing ever. "There is a bit more to it, but in general you create your own magic, we ask God to give it to us." He smiled, it was clear that Kintas was religious, something Gilliam for some reason didn't have him pegged down as.
The oddest part to Gilliam was that with this in mind, was that not proof of a god existing? He would have to look into this at a later time since now it was high time to get some food, though luckily very little Gilliam had still been drinking on an empty stomach.
Kintas headed elsewhere with a casual wave, and Gilliam headed for his Wing's mess hall. He had a lot of things to think about. The Inquisitors were a dangerous bunch, he would have to keep them in mind if he ever goes to Albion. God or Gods apparently being real was a weird thought for him. And then there was the thing about his sword. He really liked it but the fact that it was made using a mage's soul? It kind of made a bit of sense in a weird morbid way, it might make channelling energy easier somehow? He had no idea and though he was curious, parts of him also felt that he didn't really want to know.
Come to think about something else, what happened to the guard that was supposed to follow him around? He was supposed to follow him everywhere but he just disappeared at some point as they entered the meeting yesterday.
So many questions.
Like several times before he was lost in thought, to the point that he didn't even notice people trying to say things to him as he passed them in the hallway. This went on for a while until the point where he sort of came to in the middle of eating, Petal having her own plate and Savia even eating of his as normal. He had gotten himself to the mess hall, gotten food, sat down and started eating on full auto pilot. The brain is weird.
What brought him out of it was a familiar redheaded student who just sat down at his table.
".... yes?" Gilliam managed to halfway ask after he snapped out of his deep train of thought.
At a brief moment he also realised he needed to spend more time with Savia and Petal, they had been alone for quite some time and he was just acting as if nothing had happened...
Rotia fake-cleared her throat before she started talking.
"So... The students want to thank you, though most of them are afraid to talk to you for some... arm-related reasons. Most of us are still glad that Garend was taken down a notch."
Her tone hinted that this might have been somewhat personal for her as well.
"Though I didn't do it for any of you, you are welcome." Gilliam replied honestly. He's glad that his actions helped people but at the same time, this was purely for revenge for Savia. And even still he was wondering if he should have killed him.
"There is something else..." She seemed hesitant and a bit weird. Gilliam couldn't place this body language properly. "Who is the pale woman you were with yesterday?"
Gilliam narrowed his eyes for a brief moment before returning to normal. That made sense. Rotia did seem to like him, with the wanting a date and whatnot. Gilliam never considered himself that handsome, more average than anything but... He had saved people multiple times, he had power and a lot of things were going his way... He supposed that he would become attractive through those things. He hadn't thought about it before now but in a world where he assumed that nobles and the linking of families through marriage was still a thing... he would become a target. Now, he would never assume to actually know a young girl's heart but... Odd jealousy was not hard to guess.
Though, with his 'skill' in taking hints, he might be lightyears off for all he knew, but it felt plausible if nothing else.
"You mean Angela? She's a friend, what about her?" He wasn't lying, he hardly knew her like everyone in this world. She's definitely the person he has spent the most time with so far but that was mainly due to travel and necessity.
Like even his own companion and familiar; he knew surprisingly little about people....
Making a mental note to spend at least a solid day with everyone important could be a good idea.
Rotia seemed slightly more at ease as he introduced Angela as a friend. It could have been funny if he had pretended there was more to it, but that could have been more mean than intended.
Gilliam really didn't want this drama, he just wanted to go test things and learn more that might help him against the demon invasion.
Luckily this situation fixed itself, Angela came walking with her own plate of food and sat down. Before she even got to ask anything, Retia got up and left, bringing the rest of her food with her. She looked oddly flustered.
Gilliam decided to just ignore the whole situation.
"So, who was that?" Angela asked casually.
"Some girl that has a crush on me." Gilliam said without hesitation, but he kept it a little low in volume, just in case. He didn't want to make anything large out of it for her sake either.
"Oh... Isn't she a bit..." Angela clearly hinted to something with a hesitating voice.
"Young for me? Oh absolutely. She's like 14 or something, that's a no-go. But, to change the subject, what's up?" Gilliam didn't want this weird subject to continue, so changing the topic was the best way to go.
"Well, I have heard that you and Kintas had a spar today. Sadly I didn't get to see it as I was talking to a friend that I'll introduce you to later." She smiled, though it sounded good that she was going to introduce him to others there was... something about that smile.
"Yes... We did.. But I can't say I like that smile of yours, who are you going to introduce me to?" Gilliam was suspicious of her. There was clearly something weird about this person.
"Oh, it's not that bad, he's just a bit... unique. But, I also think we need to consider a few things. If we will be fighting together in the near future I think we need to get some training done." She had a good point but... he had been training all day so far.. This breakfast was technically his break.
Inhaling to comment this to her, she stopped him before he got a single word out. "I mean train together. I haven't even seen you cast much in the sense of magic, and I missed the fight with Kintas. Some sparring between us could be good but I think we should learn more about each other's strengths and weaknesses."
Gilliam let out a long and drawn out sigh.
"No.. you're right... I just hoped for some downtime where I could.. Relax.. It started fun when I came to the academy, I learned, I got to know people a little. Then the fucking demon invasion happened."
Not even considering that he had a demon at the table he was too focused on how this day had progressed. It started so nice, so calm, then Kintas had to go and kill him a gazillion times before breakfast...
His calm life was being blocked by a demon invasion where they wanted to invade and take over their world... Good times...
Angela chuckled. "You were sleeping for two days. You got your rest." Her grin was... slap-worthy. Had Gilliam believed he even had a chance to lay a hand on her, he might have fake slapped her but she could most likely easily whoop his ass.
"Fiiiiine." He fake-whine agreed, clearly in jest as she did have a good point.
He really did want to get better, but at the same time he wanted to relax and just chill. Though it's true he slept for two days, in his mind he had been in chaos since the second gate tried to open.
"What do you want to do when things happen?" Gilliam asked towards Petal, who seemed to not be properly part of this conversation, being somewhere else mentally.
"I... W-what?" She snapped back to this world, seeming to be elsewhere for a moment.
"Yes, we're going to fight your people, what do you want to do with all of this? I will not force you to fight anyone, though you are bound to me I won't make you do anything you don't want to. At least not without good reason."
Gilliam always did see her as his strange companion... All things considered as this group was weird from before.He really wanted her to become her own, have hobbies, wishes, goals.
She replied in demonic, Gilliam picked up on it slightly, like someone changed wording of a slight accent change. He was oddly happy that he managed to notice it!
"I don't feel comfortable being alone in a world of humans..."
Gilliam couldn't blame her, the last time she was left alone for a while, the shitstain of a humanbeing had attacked her, sending her into a weird frenzy.
Deciding to reply in demonic he properly turned to face her.
"I will not abandon you. No matter what you decide to do. But I do want you to be your own person, make your own decisions. I know you are bound to me but unless I absolutely have to, I will not force you to do anything. However we do need to know what you want to do with this coming up."
He was referring to the training and upcoming life or death fights. He was mentally prepared for if she wanted to join fighting, if she wanted to go into hiding somewhere or a plethora of other options.
"I... I want to fight... I was always weak, I was always picked on. This is why I was named Petal.-" She looked somewhat depressed, not to the point of tears but absolutely bad memories in her mind at the moment. "-There aren't many of us that dislike what we do to the other races, invade, steal, eat, kill... Our way of life, brutish, violent, wondering if I will be able to eat or get beaten..."
There was a slight determination in her eyes, her oddly illuminated eyes. "-I want to bring peace to my people. Not to the war and power hungry of them, but to the others like me, who think there can be peace..."
This was a very good sentiment, and Gilliam absolutely didn't dislike the idea of letting the ones that are redeemable, be redeemed.
"That is a wonderful goal. If you want to fight, I can help you lea*... No.. I can help find someone that can help you learn..." He realised mid sentence that he was no teacher, but there were others here that are!
"We can get you trained, find out if there is some cool way to trigger your growth in a good way, and you can join us in fighting to protect this world. I will absolutely stand for helping your people if possible." Gilliam ended up smiling honestly at her, which she seemed to return.
"Besides, I don't see your name as a weakness. To me it's just a cute name fitting you nicely."
He didn't realise just how hard that little compliment hit until she blushed and looked into the table, her blue and purple skin reddening, or rather deepening in hue was an interesting sight. He thought about it for a moment and realised that it might be one of the few if not first proper compliments she might have gotten.
Looking at Angela he continued the talk in V'idan. "Petal will help us fight. We don't know what kind of style or skill she might have, so... we might need to test the waters or get some help there."
"Oh, that's great!" Angela added, seeming to honestly enjoy that Petal was properly on their side. "We can do some light sparring and see where that takes us." She directed this at Petal who was still looking at the table.
It was strangely adorable as she sat there trying her best to hide her face without showing that she was hiding her face, giving a small nod to Angela's suggestion.
Gilliam wondered about a lot of things, the things he had seen in the Fractured Lands... the concept of modesty or being embarrassed. Was this just Petal being unique in that? Or had something happened when he was gone?
"Savia will also fight!" The tiny voice from the table between Gilliam and his plates confirmed out of nowhere. This caused Angela and Gilliam to chuckle a bit.
"Of course you will!" Gilliam confirmed as he picked her up. "We might need to find out just how you'll fight, but first let's get you healed, ok?"
His chuckling faded into a more calm smile, barely tugging on his lips. He placed her back in his hair for the time being.
But this was a good point, she would definitely try her best but.. If she tried to fly into the face of a demon, even if she bit them well they were used to such harsh abuse that they could just swat her to the side or eat her...
This was not happening, she needed something as well.. somehow.
"Why don't we start with some sparring? Both of you are here and we can see how it goes from there?" He spoke to, and about, Angela and Petal.
"If we use the healing dome thing, then you can go nuts without actually hurting each other."
"I'm game." Angela confirmed as she pumped both her fists in the air in front of her.
Petal just nodded, still looking at the table with an odd smile on her.
"Ok, let's head out and see how it goes." Gilliam took command, for once it was not his turn to have a go in the dome! He was also keen on finding out what both Angela and Petal were capable of.
The group set off back towards the Light field and the healing dome. |
"I think it's best if you hear it from him directly." Angela teased, her expression made it absolutely clear that she was triggering him on purpose.
"I'm guessing it's the small team with a teleporter and lots of mana crystals..." Gilliam knew this would work... unless there was something weird blocking travel between the landmasses, but based on Sirzan's explanations it should work. Incidentally, due to the sandy air and uncertainty of distance, flying between the landmasses should keep them safe for the time. Unless someone teleported and informed the others...
There were a lot to consider, and though he got a lot of good info out of Sirzan it was not enough to base everything on. He could also have been lying about things.
Angela shrugged, it seems that either she didn't actually know, or she wanted to keep him in the dark about it. Either way she seemed surprisingly satisfied, and given her prophecy it would hint a bit towards the small group concept, as that would make them the most heroic if they succeed.
The rest of the food was eaten surprisingly fast, Gilliam might be somewhat patient but when he has control over what he's doing, like the speed of eating, he was just as impatient as most kids.
Once the food was done they immediately made their way towards Ledels' office, dodging half sleeping people in the hallway was a norm quite some time already. Walking up the spiral staircase to his office was oddly exciting, in both a positive and negative way. He had made this walk several times before, though today was a bit different; he expected to be told to somehow Uno reverse card the invasion and invade the demon world instead. Last time he was there against his will, if he was to go there now it would be with preparation and a more solid goal in mind.
Being deep in thought most of the walk there he suddenly found himself at the headmaster's door, autopilot had him knock on the door and enter before he properly got a moment to think about it. Inside of the fancy office was not only Ledels himself, Kintas was there, as was a very ornately dressed man and a large tiger-man that looked like he could bench-press horses. Ledels himself looked devastatingly tired where he was sitting behind his desk.
"Ah, Mr. Gibson." Ledels started as the group entered the room, Angela closing the door after they had all entered. "I'll get straight to the point. The Emperor has decreed that everyone who can fight should protect V'ida and her people. Meaning that we're not going to get much help from there."
The fancy dressed man didn't seem to agree with the wording, but nodded nonetheless. Given the situation this seemed like someone higher up in the hierarchy on that side of things.
"I have discussed the different ideas and info we have with my more tactically inclined contacts and... Well... The best idea so far is as you mentioned yesterday; a small group of people going in, finding their leader and taking him out. You fit this idea for several reasons."
As Ledels started explaining why Gilliam was suited for this, he got up from his chair and walked around his desk to better face Gilliam.
"You are not directly tied to V'ida, so you won't be considered to go against any decrees, and I believe you might be one of the few that might be able to actually succeed."
Gilliam couldn't help but be a bit flattered at this, he knew this off course, simply because of what he could do and the dumb power level he was capable of using, it was somewhat clear. But even so; flattery didn't hurt.
"Now, that being said, you shouldn't go in alone..." Ledels looked across the group that was already present. "Your slave should not be a problem, but Ms. Sizoc is a problem."
Angela chimed in with a shrug. "Not really, if I just sign a vague short-term contract to be part of his circle that should fix itself."
The statement came fast enough that she had clearly planned this ahead, either that or she was just more fast-witted than Gilliam expected her to be.
Ledels' eyes widened a bit alongside a smile. "That's a wonderful idea, it should also keep you from any problems when you come back."
There was a brief moment where Ledels had an odd pressure on 'when', Gilliam considered that he might have been wanting to say 'if' but managed to catch it before saying it.
"So... Is that all? The four of us? If you count Savia?" Gilliam didn't seem too happy with the group. There was going to be a lot of shit going down, unless they managed to somehow bypass it all but that seemed incredibly unlikely.
"I was considering sending Kintas, but to be honest he's probably one of our most vital combatants here at the academy if more gates open... So unless you manage to recruit someone else..." It was clear that Ledels really wanted to help, but for several reasons couldn't.
Had it not been for that dumb decree then anyone could be part of this, and though said orders made sense to protect the people it was still a bit problematic. Though a lot fell on Gilliam's shoulders it was still not something he hadn't somewhat expected.
One could argue the point that there was no reason for him to go out on a limb like this for a world that's not even his own. The counter to this is that it is his world now. He might not know that much about it but if it gets properly invaded it will really affect him as well. The longer it goes without stopping the worst it'll most likely become, meaning that the only way of really getting a stable life here is to be part of the invasion. Sending waves of soldiers and other people could end up just giving them more and more food, which will in turn empower them more and more. So the most logical reason is to go in with a few and do the most with that.
At least that was the logic Gilliam used to persuade himself. A little of it might also be the childlike Hero-syndrome, a lot of men dream of the overwhelming odds kind of scenario but always hope it never happens. In Gilliam's case, no matter what excuse or reasoning, he is the best one for the job, both for his own sake and others.
A part of him almost wanted to discuss a reward for this, but he quickly realised that the fame would come with its own, and the potential threat of him not staying could be enough.
But that was a discussion for future Gilliam.
Some time went to discuss the upcoming plans, they also fixed Angela's contract right away so this was solid; it was set with an expiration of when the demonic invasion is handled, or mutual agreement of both parties.
The upcoming plans were surprisingly simple in concept, they would keep training and preparing themselves to go on a moment's notice. The first gate that opens would be their entry; they were to teleport in and up. To make sure that their arrival was not shared in the Fractured Lands a bombing of the inside of the portal was needed. From there they just had to make their way to the center, through figuring out their local teleportation or a mixture of flying and teleporting, and find the lord before publicly challenging him.
Since Aeris was not allowed to go, something Gilliam was completely fine with, and there weren't any other available teleporters; a lot of this fell on Savia. She had shown great promise after such a short time. The only thing the academy could really do in this situation was to allocate teaching and aiding resources in Lisica, as soon as the gate opened they were on their own. The academy itself would go more into practical combat teaching anyway, though this teaching was always present it would be focused more on due to logical reasons. A lot of students will be sent home as part of a war-like clause in the contracts, in short there will be more combat training at the same time as there would be less students.
"Can I take some of Kintas' time?" Gilliam requested Ledels. "The training I did with him and Ghaos really helped me, I want to give Angela and Petal a chance for the same."
Though that would absolutely need the dome.
"You can request the time of anyone who isn't doing anything else, same with any resources the school normally has, if it's not already in use you can take advantage of it." Ledels gave him a blanket OK for anything as long as it was something he should normally have access to.
Though it was nice to get that confirmed, it really didn't change much, however if everyone was in combat-training mode it should at least make a few things easier.
The meeting ended without ceremony, the group left and was left to their own. The first thing on Gilliam's mind was supplies. He had the ring, so carrying things wasn't a problem, based on the tests with the ant and the apple slice, things should last for quite some time in there as well. Asking about he was simply sent to the kitchen connected to the wing he ate in, and they were more than happy to help. Seemingly having been informed about this already it was not a problem to persuade them.
Food that could be eaten as is, and can be stored at least moderately long, just in case. Though he could create drinkable water, having something with more energy in it was probably a good idea, so some juice and dried stock in the form of small dice; just add to water and have a nutrient rich drink.
He filled a sizable part of the ring's storage with this, as it was one of the most vital parts of the trip. The next thing were normal tools, never underestimate the value of things like a hammer or rope. Worst case scenario it could always be taken out of the ring to make room for something else, but this way they were at least prepared. The local janitorial force of the academy helped fine with the mundane tools and equipment.
This gathering of resources only took a few hours in total, they had stored food for quite some time, many different mundane tools and some travelling equipment like tents, tarps and bedrolls. Odds were that they would be underground like he spent time before, but victory favours the prepared.
Once that was handled lunchtime was barely over, and at this point the only thing was to train and wait. There were improvements they could do to themselves, more group training to get used to fighting together and just general self improvement. As they couldn't get into the Fractured Lands without a portal, so they were just using the waiting time for something practical.
And once the Gate does open, they were reliant on Savia, meaning that she had to get a certain mastery level before they could really consider going, so if a Gate opened before she was ready they would just have to close it and wait for the next.
"Yeah, I can fight them." Kintas seemed to have some downtime as Gilliam walked over to the surprisingly empty sparring arena he taught in. He turned towards Angela and Petal specifically. "You want a sparring or a fight?"
The confused faces of the two made sense, they hadn't been through the same talk that Gilliam had before. Or, Petal kind of had, being in Gilliam's room when Kintas demanded a fight, but she might not have been awake at the time.
"I think we'll activate the dome and have a fight." Gilliam smiled, it was the most realistic kind of training and Kintas was a good example of an overwhelming combatant.
"Yeah, no problem." Kintas starts walking towards the Light Field where the Dome was constructed. "We can do a three-on-one if you want. That could be interesting. It's been a while since I had a challenge." He smiled widely, cocky and arrogantly. However, having fought him before Gilliam knew that it was not all arrogance. However he did wonder how well he would fare against the three of them.
Angela and Petal were a bit confused at his idea of teams, Angela did muse that it could let them work on their team play but could Kintas really handle all of them?
The musings and some talks passed the short time until they got to the Dome fast enough. Gilliam put in one of the large mana crystals and activated it easily enough, the dome formed like all the other times and the lot entered it during its construction.
Kintas pulled his oddly short blade and socketed the teal gem in its hexagonal pommel. Cutting his arm ever so slightly he saw that it healed itself instantly, signalling to everyone that the dome was working as it should.
"Well, come at me whenever." Kintas didn't even take a stance or even look ready. Gilliam knew that the man had like 70 years of highly specialised experience or something so he was not exactly a random pleb, but just the way he looked defenceless seemed to be enough to trigger Petal.
She ran in and seemed to go for a somewhat obvious attack of clawing at his chest, he effortlessly dodged both that and the real attack which used the first one as a feint. It almost looked like Kintas just twitched with his blade before Petal fell to the ground mortally wounded. She healed in the matter of a second and was moving again, but it still meant that whatever he did in that twitch of his was enough to leave a deep and fatal cut across her abdomen.
Angela didn't take nicely to this, a deep breath and refocusing later she also darted in, she lasted a little longer due to sheer training experience but it didn't take many moves before she was also heavily wounded.
"So...-" Gilliam started as he manifested his sword, activating the slender, teal Aether blade. "I guess this means you took it easy on me before?" It was more stating the obvious rather than an actual question.
Kintas didn't reply but rather sported the most sinister shit-eating grin you could imagine. The fucker didn't join this fight for their sake... did he...
Casting a simple Aether dart at him, Gilliam aimed for it to mainly distract him enough for Angela or Petal to do something behind him, it would have worked had the man not.. sensed... or something, what went on. He easily attacked the supersonic dart in the air, breaking its stability and having it fade, in the same movement he grabbed onto Petal's incoming clawed hand and used her own hand to stab Angela in the chest. Petal was horrified for a moment before the wound in Angela's chest healed. This calmed her down a bit but it put them both on proper guard against the extreme expert of close combat.
Kintas calmly pulled his finger along the flat of the blade, activating several teal runes as he did so. Looking at the group who had currently surrounded him.
"Bring it, fuckers!"
The following fight was so one sided that it didn't even count as a fight, it was more of a repeated massacre from Kintas' side. Changing blade elements helped a bit but he seemed to catch on relatively quickly, though changing the effects mid-attack seemed to help a lot in keeping him guessing, making his reactions at least a tiny bit slower. Gilliam wanted to use this as a good time to try out some of the more sinister concepts of the blade, but decided against it as possibly affecting friendlies with the Darkness mist didn't sound good...
The boost built into the coat he was wearing helped Gilliam quite a lot, however it was still not enough in front of Kintas' self empowering magic, he also changed the crystals of his pommel which in turn gave him different movements and effects. And it seemed that if he swapped crystals fast enough the runes on his blade took up different colours; letting him stack or change the effects through some weird synergy.
Naturally, Gilliam didn't consider only melee, he mixed in plenty of magic, this turned the tide substantially when done but it was hard to make sure he didn't hit Angela or Petal. In the moments they realised that he was preparing a spell and moved away, this became a sure victory. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't dodge large area effects. Though that said it seemed like he had some spell disrupting abilities as at times he was able to cancel out the spell as it was mid-flight, though this was not the case for spells that 'became real' after casting. The Aether Dart was magic through the point of impact, but pulling up a rock and throwing it couldn't be dispelled after throwing as it was just a rock at that point. Though that only worked a very few times.
Gilliam did find amusement in how much he feared the possibility of throwing the large mana crystals, however based on the explosion they had made before he didn't do that as it would most likely take out everyone. However, he did use some marble sized ones, launching them via telekinesis, even Kintas couldn't dodge actual supersonic speed projectiles, the resulting explosion also took him out several times. However, just as often as it landed, he also managed to either dodge it or force friendly fire by putting an ally in the marble's path.
This went on for quite some time, and like the other times they didn't really stop until it was becoming dark outside. The shimmering field of the dome illuminated them enough that it was not easy to see unless you actively looked to the outside. This didn't deter any students from looking, and as the other times there was a crowd outside. Some cheered, some booed and there seemed to be some exchange of items or money... Again people were betting on them..
Ignoring all of that, the end result of the fight was extremely beneficial, even Kintas commented that their teamplay had improved substantially from the start. Though he said it in a joke'y manner that it didn't become a proper challenge until they started working together, it was still praise and praise is good!
Gilliam had also gotten a different appreciation for the smaller mana crystals, the orbs didn't always penetrate due to their round nature, but nothing stopped him from making a small dart or arrows head out of mana crystals. It would penetrate as it exploded causing significant damage, he would definitely make many of those.
Leaving the dome on as they exited, Gilliam was assaulted by a familiar little creature slap-landing in his face. She really did give the weirdest hugs.
In a single rapid sentence, like a kid hyped on sugar after winning a contest, she started rambling about how today's training had gone.
"Calm down, I can't even understand you." Gilliam had to command his fairy-like companion as he pulled her off his face.
She sat down in his hand, inhaled and smiled widely. Again she went on a spree, a little slower than last time. It seemed that she had been teleported all over the place, to the point that she got sick, and then teleported some more. The so-called 'angry lady' had given her hints and explanations. All of this boiled down to her completing her massive one-sentence daily report with "Savia can teleport people!"
"Oh, that's amazing!" Gillaim responded with honest happiness. Not just for her sake, but this meant that the actual plan was coming together.
Aeris walked closer and joined the conversation. "She's still not super stable, I don't recommend letting her teleport anyone who isn't already a teleporter. But with a few more days I think she'll get there. She's made incredible progress in just this little time."
Aeris' voice was filled with a weird sense of pride, but also envy. Something Gilliam was beginning to understand more properly after Ghaos' statement earlier. The young girl probably used days, weeks, months.. However long she used to get to an acceptable level, if not even just for her first teleport. And now Savia is doing it for her first time in a few days.
It was probably a sub-effect of the Heptagon Mage thing, he did realise not long ago that the morning-after-glow he felt himself after his and Petal's first night, Savia had made almost supernaturally good progress on her healing. She's to the point now that you can't even see the events with Garend on her. Something healing magic struggled a little with.
All this considered, given their weird soul bond, it would make sense that she could reap some benefits of whatever happened to him.
"Well, then I suppose you'll have to keep training, so you can teleport me all over!" Gillaim exclaimed this as the best thing ever. And honestly it would be amazing having private transport like that. Savia was always with him anyway so this was just a huge boon. Adding her size she would also be an amazing scout or infiltrator.
"It seems she can also read the Teleporters Code." Aeris smiled, more honestly this time. Hinting that she could do this as well so it might not hit her ego as hard.
"Teleporters code?" Gilliam couldn't remember having read or heard anything of the sort. Since it was in the context of reading, was this some odd language?
"It's a teleport coordinate system, if you can read it, you will get a feeling of having been somewhere before after reading the code. Not everyone can read it but it allows a teleporter to go places she hasn't been before, with the same safety as if she has." Her tone was very matter-of-factly as she straightened up her back and spoke more clearly, Aeris' teacher-mode was oddly adorable.
"Oh, that's interesting. How does it work?" Gilliam wanted to give reading it a go, since he had his language cheat it could be interesting to take advantage of this as well.
"Hmm..." Aeris thought about things for a moment. "It's hard to explain. It works almost like a spell, once you're done reading it, a mental image of a place just pops in your mind. Like this."
She took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and showed it to Gilliam.
Unfolding it and taking a look, it was a solid paragraph of gibberish, like someone had just hammer-fist-slammed a keyboard for a solid paragraph and printed the result. However, once he had read it all he had a strange mental image of a peaceful island. He had never been there before but at the same time he felt like he absolutely had.
"A... tropical island?" He asked confusedly. It felt the same as if someone walks up to you and says Giraffe, you can't -not- imagine a giraffe. Like that compulsion effect he now had a location in mind, familiar enough that he felt like he had spent decent time there.
Aeris' eyes widened with a childlike glee. "You can also read it?!"
She had the expression of there being a lot of fun in the near future.
"I suppose so, I wonder if I can write it as well." He returned the paper to Aeris and took out his own notebook and ink-pen.
Since he hadn't been too much around in the world, he had to consider one of the few places he had been before, and starting out with the demon realm didn't feel right as a test. As Aeris was the one that would confirm this, it felt better if it was somewhere she could properly go to if she wanted, or even better; having been there before.
He imagined the island where he tested the Star Lance, imagining the point he walked down into when testing the sword. He focused on the place as he tried to focus on the weird collection of runes and symbols used on Aeris' paper, and he just started writing.
It felt so random, he sort of knew what symbol to use but it almost felt wrong, like being told random letters to type in no particular order it just feels off when you hit something that feels like a pattern. But in the end he had a solid paragraph of gibberish.
Looking at it for a few seconds it.. Felt right?
He handed it to Aeris who looked at it for a long moment before looking back at Gilliam with a smile.
"It's the island you used the big fireball" She looks super satisfied with this, almost more so than Gilliam did.
This sparked an idea for Gilliam, he spent some time in the Fractured Lands...
"Aeris, is it possible to teleport to other worlds if you have the coordinates?" |
"Savia can teleport!"
When they were done eating, or rather when Gilliam was done eating, and they were going to see Irila about meeting her portal student, Savia was more than eager to be the transport to get them there.
Parts of Gilliam were a bit unsure about this. On the one side he didn't doubt her, she wouldn't do this unless she felt ready... The question was if her feelings of being ready were true or not for non-teleporters. Aeris did warn him about that earlier.
"Did Irila or Aeris say that you're ready?" He ended up asking her directly, it felt easier than finding any of them and asking, besides; Savia weren't the kind to lie, especially not when their shared bond made this somewhat problematic.
"Angrylady says Savia can teleport master!" She seemed super happy about this detail, more than just being able to teleport others, but the fact that she can teleport him.
Their shared bond supported this, she was honest and legitimately happy about this. "Well, if Irila thinks you're ready, I suppose we're fine." He was a bit hesitant, mainly because it was his first time being teleported by Savia. He had been teleported a lot by Aeris so the teleporting itself was not the issue.
Since she was already sitting in his hand, the contact aspect was taken care of. He briefly wondered if everyone needed to be in contact with her, but based on earlier teleporting with Aeris it seemed that contact with each other was plenty.
Holding out his hand for the other two to grab, Savia got to work as soon as Angela and Petal had taken hold of his hand.
A buildup of energy later and they found themselves in Irila's classroom. Though it worked as intended there were a few hiccups. The blinding light lasted longer, and the teleport itself was a bit shakier, it was a hard thing to explain but Gilliam mentally compared it to a rough drive instead of a smooth highway road.
Irila didn't seem to react much to their arrival like this, though since it seemed that this was Aeris' standard way to go anywhere, she was probably very used to it by now.
She did smile at them as they were able to see again.
"I'll get right to it, Mr Gibson." She got up from her desk and handed him an ink pen and paper. "Before we go and annoy Alyssa with this, let's make sure we have the coordinates." Her stern face was oddly broken up by an honest and warm smile.
She had a very, very good point. Going there, meeting her, explaining and all of that stuff, only to... not be able to give her the one thing she'd need to even do what they wanted... That would be not just a waste, but straight-up dumb.
Good thing they didn't forget that in the haste at all...
Putting Savia in his hair before taking the paper and pen, he sat down and wondered what spot he should focus on. The underground area he made is without a doubt not there anymore. Anywhere in the Hand was not a good idea, and he didn't spend too much time in any good spots in the Finger either.
The best spot felt like the rocky areas in the more outskirts'y zones on the Finger.
Focusing on the rocky terrain, he remembered the heat, the dry air, and the.. desert. He was running and hiding there before he found out he could dig... though bad times all around it was a good spot for this kind of thing.
Holding it in his mind he did as he tried before with the island when he tested this with Aeris. He just wrote down the symbols that felt right there and then.
This took longer than expected, much longer. Normal coordinate runes were about a paragraph or so; this was not done until Gilliam had filled an entire page of seemingly random runes.
When he finally stopped and put the pen away, Irila looked at the paper over his shoulder.
"This... doesn't feel right. It's not supposed to be that long." She sounded unsure about it, but at the same time, there was a hint of certainty, after all, she was the teacher in the subject.
"I have no idea, it worked when I tried with Aeris before, for the island. But now this just happened." He handed the paper to Irila. "Try reading it, if it works you'd know, right?"
She took the paper, and with much scepticism, she started reading it.
About a minute after she had a sudden weird look on her face before it faded, much like Aeris had when she tried to analyse the location Gilliam wrote down before. "A... desert... between lots of rocks?"
She looked confused, seemingly not at the location but that this page-long thing worked.
Following this up with a few seconds of focus she shook her head with a defeated sigh. "And it requires a tremendous amount of energy just to connect to it..."
Gilliam didn't know that you could do that, feel out the needed energy, but it made things much easier for later. Though, since he could do something similar through the coat and spells stored in it, it made sense that an expert could do something similar.
"Well, good, so we're ready to go?" She simply asked as she folded the paper, pocketing it, seeming to want to get this over with.
Gilliam nodded.
Irila walked over to her desk, closed some books and cleaned up a little before she walked back over to the group, holding out her hand.
Everyone in the group put their hand in hers and moments later, after the familiar blinding light, they found themselves at a very different location.
Looking around it seemed that they were still in V'ida, mainly due to the amount of magic being freely used. They were in a city made mainly of stone, but there was also a massive dock to one side, leading out into the open ocean. The docks were mainly of stone as well but anything hanging over the water was made out of wood. There were several huge ships, sails rolled up and either being loaded or unloaded. There was quite a density of people walking about, horses were pulling carriages filled with boxes and seemingly random things. The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea, Gilliam was a bit surprised at how perfectly this fit the image that many games were using as a fantasy dock city. The main difference was the number of soldiers and the guard force.
Irila broke them out of their reactions. "Welcome to Aestu. V'ida's main eastern dock."
Gilliam didn't pay that much attention if she said anything else, he was just somewhat in awe at this place. Everything was so much larger and wider than he would expect, from having been in the older part of his home, and during vacations, not everything was that large back in those times. So this felt a bit odd.
"This way." Irila commanded with a 'follow me' wave. The group did as told as they were taking in the sights.
At this point, as soon as they started moving, Gilliam noticed something he should have seen coming, something he didn't even consider in the slightest.
Petal.
People were leaving at great speed, not exactly running but leaving, picking up their kids and speed-walking away. Others were holding their tools in their hands with a much stronger and aggressive nature, if stares could kill then the party would be one person shorter already.
Gilliam felt horrible, he should have seen this coming, he didn't want to expose Petal to this nor to put her in danger. Though, he became more confused as he saw that she didn't seem to care. She noticed the looks, she was looking back at people, after all, but even as they ran or stared at her with resentment in their eyes; she straight up didn't care, still sporting her strange satisfied smile.
Considering this for a moment, Gilliam couldn't have it make proper sense. She might not be afraid of people, with her newfound power and training, given how often she had died at the hands of Kintas... This training alone as well as her 'empowerment' could perhaps make her more dangerous in a fight than Gilliam was aware of. But she didn't seem to care and proceeded after Irila, taking in the sights and perhaps a weird-looking place in her eyes. This was extremely different from the Fractured Lands, after all; she might not even have seen that much water before.
As expected it didn't take long before three guards came over, one was standing a bit back with a crossbow in his hands, at least pointed at the ground for now. The two others came closer with a hand on their swords.
"Halt, what are you doing here?" One of them commanded and asked.
"We're here on official business." Irila took out a document from her robe pocket and handed it to him. After a few seconds of reading, he returned it to her.
"I... See... But why is it with you?" He put an aggressively insulting tone on the word 'it'.
Something Gilliam understood, since there had been other gates opening, then she was probably the poster child of the enemy
"She-" Irila put heavy pressure on the genderization of Petal, strongly suggesting they didn't consider her an 'it', all with a single sentence start. "-Is the slave of Mr Gibson here." She gestured towards Gilliam.
The guard looked at Petal, then at Gilliam once he was introduced. He started with the facial expression of someone looking at a peasant without value until he saw the student badge, his face changed into confusion for a moment as he seemed to be trying to decode it before it turned to straight-up fear.
Suddenly kneeling in panic his commanding tone changed to an almost pleading one. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't know we had the Heptagon Mage with us. Please forgive me!"
The other guards looked confused for a few seconds before they followed his kneeling. The tone instantly changed and it all hit Gilliam.
He was used to being the student at the Academy, people not reacting as he'd guess when they heard of the super-mage he was supposed to be. To be honest, the reaction they showed here was more akin to what he expected originally, but he never found out why they didn't do this at the Academy. He had several theories but he didn't care enough to find out.
The guard was almost sweating, staring at the ground as he practically vibrated in terror.
This caught Gilliam quite off guard, enough that Angela stepped in and seemed to want to clear it up a bit.
"Mages in V'ida are treated almost as nobles, remember? The more powerful a mage, the more social power he gets as well." She smiled as she simplified it down, hinting at the introduction course she gave him once he landed in the jungle not that long ago.
Things fell in place again, it was the first time he had an honest and proper reaction like this, so he forgot the whole better-than-thou thing that V'ida had going just for having magic. And since he was a super-mage... things made a lot of sense.
Though he would never just do it because he could, with the little he knew, and their reactions, he felt that he could probably just explode one of them and not even get in trouble. It was somewhat horrible for non-mages to live in that kind of fear, so he understood their reactions, but if nothing else it should make things a bit easier.
"Don't worry about it. Just leave her, and us, alone, and we're fine." He felt a bit awkward, which in a weird paradoxical sense made him feel more awkward. All in all, he should be used to this by now but he wasn't.
Irila and Angela seemed to have noticed and chuckled between themselves, Petal was just a bit confused and Savia didn't seem to care about anything, rather looking around in awe.
The teacher started walking and the rest of the party moved on.
As they moved on, Gilliam was aware of the guards tailing them, but that seemed to be something that handled itself. It didn't take long at all until they stopped in front of a surprisingly small building. It was a single-floor rectangular building made entirely out of wood. On the side they were on there was only a single door, but there were three windows, hinting at three rooms.
Above the door, there was a simple sign reading Door to Door Transport.
Irila didn't stop and simply opened the door and entered the building.
Gilliam and co followed, coming into a semi-large room with several chairs, a desk with a young woman sitting behind and what looked like a large file cabinet. It was not exactly underfurnished as far as it seemed planned to have just what was needed.
The young woman behind the desk seemed to be between 17 and 20 years old, she wore a simple dress and had her blonde hair up in a ponytail.
She reacted quite harshly as soon as Petal came into the room, for a moment it seemed like she wondered if she should run or not, but she suddenly calmed down a lot once she had a moment to look at Petal more. Perhaps she saw the slave brand?
"G-Good day, do you have an appointment?" Her question was very smooth and practised.
"No, we do not, but please tell her that Irila would like to speak with her." Irila seemed certain about this being enough, and Gilliam didn't see any reason to get involved.
The receptionist seemed to not exactly be convinced but nodded at the request nonetheless. She got up and went into the second door in the room, into the next one. She closed the door behind her and the group was left alone for not more than a few seconds.
She came back out and nodded. "She will see you now." Sitting back down at her desk afterwards.
Irila walked in first, the group following. As Gilliam entered it seemed that they had already hugged, they barely left their embrace in the short moment he used to get in.
Alyssa was a relatively short and slender girl, she had long blonde hair and currently seemed to wear a silken dress of sorts. Her hair was hanging loose but somewhat maintained by a ribbon fastened in her hair somehow.
"It's been a while-" She commented to Irila. "-Though it seems you need me for something specific." She eyed the group that was following her into the room.
As soon as Petal came in she didn't react that much, to Gilliam's positive surprise.
"Yes, I'm afraid this is purely a business meeting." Irila looked a bit sad, she might have enjoyed the meeting more had it been more casual and not as 'an invasion into the demon realm' focused.
Irila made a move for Gilliam to take the word.
He was taken a bit off guard, as he somewhat expected her to take the word for this, but he supposed that Irila just being here was enough.
"Well... I'm Gilliam Gibson, and we need your help..."
He proceeded to explain in vague detail what they needed help with, and how it would benefit them to go in on their own rather than waiting for another gate. Alyssa had heard of Gilliam and already knew the gist of the gates as they were opening up elsewhere at times as well.
"Normally I would charge quite the fee for this, but it is quite the special case, given that you can fuel me with enough mana to not... die... I'll do this one for free, as long as I'm mentioned, of course. Some extra advertisement can't hurt." She had a cheeky smile and, based on what Alleyan said it made a lot of sense...
She was given the coordinate runes and a moment to read through them. She stood still and focused for a moment.
"Yeah, this is going to take a tremendous amount of mana..." She seemed a bit worried.
"Do you know how many? I can produce these." Gilliam asked as he took one of the aether spheres from the ring.
Alyssa seemed a bit surprised at the speed he took the gem out but seemed to be fine with it afterwards. The storage bags or something might not be that uncommon when you go higher in the mage hierarchy.
She took the gem from him, held it and focused. "Oh wow... this is a lot of mana... I will need about... ten of these to open the portal properly." She stopped focusing in the end and hesitantly handed the crystal back, almost seeming like she wanted to keep it.
Gilliam received the gem and put it back in the ring. "Oh, that's good, less than I expected so that shouldn't be a problem. So this means we can just show up with the needed gems and you can send us there?"
Gilliam was not one for formalities, but he did need to know how this would work when the time came.
"Pretty much, yes. Given the importance of this, I'll prioritize it. Just come find me and we'll get it done. Just remember my name when possible." She was quick to agree but also hard to remind about the advertisement. Which made a lot of sense.
It was also a very cheap price to pay.
There wasn't much more to discuss here, they got their transport and she said it was very possible, they just needed to properly prepare for their voyage and stock up on things.
The next thing they needed to do was to get back to the academy, prepare and test some things and they could be ready to go in not that long! Gilliam just needed to confirm the mana cost of sharing flying spells between people, find out if this was something he could handle and make the mana crystals. Once all of this was prepared they could be done in only a few days.
Even though the portals opening around the world were closed with surprising ease, now that they found out good ways to close them, there was still the possibility of life lost, so there was no time to be lost. |
The rest of the afternoon and evening went fast. Gilliam only had one more thing he wanted to test properly before they were ready to leave; multi-casting of the flight spell.
His Core and Boundary had improved a lot since he started training, and during his first round in the Fractured Lands he found out that he could fly indefinitely as his Boundary recharging was more than the flight spell's drain.
"So... We should just try to fly around a little after you cast the spell on us?" Petal asked, seeming oddly interested in being able to fly when Gilliam explained how to control it.
"Pretty much, I just need to feel it for a short while to see if I can handle it or not." Gilliam knew he could handle it, the question was more how long he could endure. If it ended up with a negative drain then he would run out of mana at some point. If it zeroed out or if he still had a positive recharge, they could theoretically fly forever.
Gilliam cast the flight spell he used before, it was relatively fast but not overly so. Probably not a bad idea to start somewhat calm so they don't cream themselves against the walls. Though Angela probably had some hint of control, he was a bit uncertain about Petal.
The first flight spell was attached to himself, more to show than anything. Once he took off from the ground he realised that Savia became oddly ecstatic. Flying out of his hair she made a thing out of keeping up with him and hovering next to him at all times, having a super happy smile all the time. It made sense, flying was her thing and he was taking part in it, and now that she could fly properly again he could see why she was so amused.
Proceeding with the testing, he cast the spell on Angela. The spell circle attached to her chest as expected and the magic enveloped her. Slowly taking off from the ground she started halfway leaning in different directions and slowly moving towards them.
He wanted to test it on Angela before Petal, mainly because he had an idea that Angela could handle herself more in case something happened, so it was a test of sorts.
Once Angela had at least a few seconds under her belt he proceeded to do the same to Petal. The strange thing was that once the spell attached to her, Gilliam could feel a heavier pull of mana towards her than towards Angela. He let it flow for now but he wondered why this was. Was this some magic resistance that tied into how her race absorbed mana to grow stronger?
Luckily it didn't seem to affect the test, Petal slowly took off from the ground. In a pseudo panic mode, she fumbled towards Gilliam, grabbing hold of his hand once he offered it. Using a solid few minutes to get the feel for things before daring to let go, she followed in Angela's footsteps and started flying about. However, she didn't leave a safe fall height, seeming somewhat unsure about the whole flying thing even after being so executed before.
Being airborne himself, he made sure to move about a bit, mainly to make sure the drain was realistic. After all, it was less draining passively hovering than to move about.
Gilliam smiled widely after a solid half-hour of flying around. From what he could feel this ended up with a positive gain. He was still recharging even though they were all flying. Not much, it was barely trickling upwards, but the good thing was that this wouldn't be a problem to maintain. At least as long as he didn't need to recharge his Boundary fast, he could go on like this.
"I would like to do another experiment, I would like to keep the spell active until tomorrow, just to make sure I can sleep with this active. Just... Don't fly high up in case it disables when I fall asleep." He smiled a bit sheepishly, he had no idea about keeping spells active during sleep, but it could be a neat test if nothing else.
In theory, it should just work, the spell was cast so it was just the constant drain from him as the power source. He also didn't know if there was a distance trigger, but that could be tested later,
Angela smiled oddly at this and refused to elaborate when asked. In the end, after testing more flying they retired to their rooms. Though the testing was simple it took most of the evening after they returned. Going their separate ways for the night they agreed to meet up in the mess hall as normal.
Getting some weird looks as he was now flying back to his room, he was already the target of stares before so this didn't help. Especially with Petal's lack of fine control.
Finally ending up at their room, Gilliam had some notes and self-imposed studies to consider, for one there was a blank slot in the coat he could fill with something, other things were improving the Star Lance and scheduling downtime to make more mana crystals.
The upcoming days were going to be important, so having possible schedules to go on was not a bad idea.
Once it came to actual bedtime, Gilliam realised what Angela might have been snickering about. The evening event with Petal, done while flying was not something he had pre-planned when he decided to keep this going. If nothing else it was going to be a test of keeping the spell running through split focus.
The morning gong was as abrupt as ever, he cursed himself for not considering just making a sound-dampening dome around his room, one of the large crystals could probably fuel it forever. He could have used the training in the application of more permanent spell circles, he always wanted to be able to make magical items but... the time just wasn't there.
Once all this was over, he wanted to take up magic item creation, there were so many things he wanted to test.
But that was for later, now he had the plan to work through and the next step was to meet up for breakfast.
Getting ready while flying was oddly interesting, it proved the point that he could keep it going even when sleeping and when his focus was... elsewhere. It felt similar to yesterday meaning that all three were still flying.
Parts of him wanted to randomly cut the mana-feed to Angela, to see her reaction once they met. However he decided against it, she might be hardy and incredibly acrobatic but he didn't want to risk sending her down the stairs or something.
Picking up Savia and floating to the mess hall got them a lot of stares like yesterday, not that weird if you thought about it but Gilliam still couldn't get properly used to that kind of attention. Today Angela was already there with her food, somewhat sitting down.
"I'm going to dismiss the flying spell." Gilliam stated to Petal, who was following him quite closely.
She nodded and moved down so she was kind of already standing, a mental action from Gilliam later and their full weight was now back on their legs. In Angela's case, it was more on the chair as she was now properly sitting.
Having realised this, she looked around and spotted them, waving them over. Giving her a casual wave for now they went over there after getting their breakfast.
As they sat down, Angela had a mixed expression of annoyance and awe. "It seems you can keep the flying spell going while sleeping."
Her tone hinted that she might be a bit jealous at the same time as she was kind of amazed.
Gilliam was happy that this worked, it meant that if worst came to worst they could remain flying indefinitely. A quick check of the food stored in the ring also showed that it remains fresh as the day it was put in there even though it had been stored for several days. As long as they brought enough food and drink, they'd be fine for quite some time.
"I suppose that after all the testing and whatnot, we're ready as soon as we have the mana crystals for Alyssa, I'll need a few days to do that comfortably. I also think I want a stock of different element gems, especially the blood kind. So I think I'm going to use some time on that."
Gilliam was talking mainly to himself, almost as if he was listing things up so he wouldn't forget.
"We can keep training with Kintas in the meantime." Angela added, breaking Gilliam out of his thought bubble. "He seems like he's bored anyway."
The talk went into more detail after this, planning the coming days and considering the math on how many crystals Gilliam could make per day. According to his estimates, he was now able to make four of the large gems before his mana goes into uncomfortable levels, and he could do this thrice per day if he doesn't need to use it for anything else. At perfect mana use, this would net him up to 12 crystals a day without feeling horrible.
They already had a lot of food and sustenance in the ring, looking at the cylindrical gem it was about 60% full, indicated by six of the ten possible disks lighting up in a slightly illuminating pinkish purple. There were some tools in there as well, like shovels, hammers and whatnot, and not counting his assortment of crystals it was amazing how practical this kind of storage was.
The next week was used for preparation. Gilliam used all his spare mana to make the crystals, the needed ten for the portal were done on the first day. He focused on the blood crystals first, as they were somewhat annoying to make compared to the others, and the restoration was vastly different from the other ones. When making a normal mana crystal, he just needed to wait or relax to recharge, but the blood crystals took his blood, he needed magical healing and sustenance to have his body make new blood. This meant that the day he focused on those he was only able to make three, the mana was used to heal and aid the blood refill, to use that term. But the other days were more easily fixed by just filling up on different elemental crystals.
The seventh day was used to make marble-sized crystals for misc usage, he was not sure what to use them for but if nothing else; they made good projectiles.
At the same time, he had decided on the last spell to put in the coat, the simple Barrier.
Though the barrier was fast enough to make normally, it was best used with unstructured magic due to how easy it was to form, however, the variant put in the coat was a structured barrier focused on sustained defence. He got some input from Jial to make it perfectly transparent, but the idea was that it was super fast to cast and would eat up energy when needed. That way it was much stronger than it appeared to be as it wouldn't shatter as easily.
In the downtime, he joined Angela and Petal for some of their training, though as being out of mana also affected you physically, it usually didn't go that well. Though the downtime did allow him to spend some more quality time with Savia and Petal. Savia mainly wanted to fly around with him, sort of show him her world like he's somewhat showing her his. They spent a lot of time in forests. Petal was a bit stranger, even with the world as a possibility, she just wanted somewhere quiet and relax. Gilliam assumed it was somewhat related to her hectic and dangerous previous life, any calm moment must be surprisingly nice to her.
The week blasted past before they knew it. The school had fewer and fewer students present, most going home under orders or their wishes. With a demonic invasion becoming more and more active in the world, the military forces available collected in areas of higher noble and governing areas. The students capable of combat were probably going to be a part of their family's protection or something like that. Gilliam got it, he did, though the school was becoming more and more barren it was a good thing to stick with family. Though this meant that the teachers that didn't have anywhere specific to go were much more available for tutoring or aid. Taking advantage of this Gilliam got some more teaching by Jial, mainly about the smaller things like the cleaning spell, more practical spell-circle constructions and that kind of information. Savia was training more with Aeris and Irila and though some time was used for relaxation, most was spent on something practical and relevant to their upcoming event.
Gilliam several times wondered why he was doing this, this world was not 'his' world. It had become his world after he was somewhat taken from his own, but if this Alyssa was able to traverse worlds, was she able to send him back to his modern world?
Was this something he even wanted? He had considered the thought of going back several times but... Could Savia and Petal come with him? Would magic work or would he just become a random guy again?
He wanted to keep the magic, no doubt, same with Savia, and Petal. But did he want to stay in this world or did he want to return to the modern one? Parts of him couldn't decide but... If nothing else, this world is what gave him magic, Savia, and Petal. It was the world that he was currently living in, not knowing if he could even return to the modern world it was a problematic thing to even consider.
Though not that long, he had bonded with both Savia and Petal. To Angela, Kintas, Jial and Ghaos as well but to a slighter lesser degree due to logical reasons.
In the end, he realised that no matter what, he needed to stop this invasion regardless. If he was stuck in this world he didn't want it to become a warzone, and if he was able to go back; well, he needed to stop this regardless to be able to find out. He wanted to give Petal's people the possibility of a good life like she seemed to have. An island or some land would possibly be possible as a reward, so this could be a possibility.
On the morning of the eighth day, everyone gathered in the mess hall. The energy was strange, a mix of over-the-top eagerness, but also a strange silence throughout the whole room. After eating everyone handled a final preparation. Angela wrote a letter to her father just in case and had gotten herself an armour set. Petal had gotten some metal-enforced leather armour adjusted to her slightly different-than-human body proportions.
In the end, they were finally ready.
Savia had now been in Aestu, so she could take them there without Irila or Aeris to aid them. Which was a good thing as both of them had left a few days ago to spend time with someone else. The familiar gathering of energy and blinding light later, they were standing close to the Door-to-Door Transport company.
Gilliam opened the door and entered, it was roughly midday so they should be open.
"Hello, welcome to the- Oh, it's you! Welcome back" The young blonde receptionist greeted them, and seemed to remember them. Not surprisingly given the less-than-common people in Gilliam's group. Though she seemed less surprised as well, perhaps she was aware of them returning and was prepared for the demon this round.
"Yes, we'd like to speak with Alyssa if possible?" Gilliam had a questioning tone, not knowing if she was in or not
"Yes, she said you'd be coming back." Getting up from her desk she knocked on the door and popped her head into the room when Alyssa's voice replied.
"Mr Gibson and his group are here."
Leaving the door open she turned around. "She'll see you now."
As Gilliam nodded and moved for the door, the receptionist went back to her desk. Everyone entered to a surprisingly interested face, closing the door behind them she sat back in her chair.
"So, you finally managed to put together the ten crystals?" Alyssa commented on the massive task of creating ten large crystals.
"My Lord created those in a day, the rest of the time was used for preparations." Petal chimed in, almost sounding personally insulted.
Gilliam took a strange note of this, she didn't seem to have reacted like that to smaller comments before, it was almost like she wanted to put Gilliam on some pedestal.
"Ten of those in one day?" Alyssa was surprised, understandably so. Just considering Ghaos' reaction, considering he was a specialist, most people would react with surprise as well.
"Anyway, I assume the deal is still on?" Gilliam wanted to confirm before anything more happened. Although it was mainly a way to get back on the needed topic. He was not here for small talk.
"Yes, absolutely. Put the crystals in my desk and I'll get started." She seemed ready, and given that she looked towards a rather empty wall, it was not the first time she had made a portal in her office.
Gilliam did as told, taking out ten of the fist-sized Aether orbs and placing them on her desk, there was no proper room for them so they sort of ended up in a pile of high-explosive spheres.
Alyssa failed to hold back a look of surprise once all ten orbs were there. Given the expected cost of these, this was nothing short of a fortune.
Alyssa started focusing, and as she did a small haze of purple, pink, blue and yellow energetic smoke started gathering in an area in front of her. It grew in size as the seconds ticked, forming a roughly rounded doorway shape. She took one of the crystals in her hands, it disintegrated into the same coloured smoke almost instantly, the ongoing spell consumed the new smoke and added it to the swirling mess of colours in front of them.
This was done again, and again, and again until the last crystal was picked up. The swirling field of energy had grown denser and denser, to the point that even people without a magic sense could feel that something was going on there.
Once the last crystal had joined the dense, swirling energy field, Alyssa made a motion of her fists opening from on top of each other, in tandem with this an almost mechanical tearing sound came from the swirling energy as in the eye of the magical storm a clear area formed. As this clear area increased in size the group could see a rocky desert through it, like the magical doorway this was, it opened up into another world.
Alyssa looked fatigued beyond belief, she looked like she could pass out at any moment. The portal opened slowly to a bit larger than a grown man, gritting her teeth together she pushed out the words. "Now, go."
Realising that this was not an easy task, even when the energy was provided for you, Gilliam didn't want to risk it failing now. Parts of him wanted to stall for time, hoping that it failed so he didn't have to go through, but the other parts of him overshadowed this part and had him act. As soon as Alyssa's order was given, he stepped towards the portal and went through it without a second thought, Savia sitting on his head came along for the ride.
Petal and Alyssa followed in tow, the portal was only open for a few seconds before everyone had walked through, and a relieved grunt from Alyssa marked the end of her focus.
"Good luck!" She shouted through the still-open portal before the opening imploded on itself like a rock in a pond. A strong puff of energetic smoke was all that remained of the portal as it faded into nothing.
The group had a look around them. The desert heat, the lack of any humidity, the strange sunless and perpetually sandy air. They were absolutely in the correct place.
Angela looked uncomfortable, Savia just felt interested, and Petal looked like she was determined more than anything. Seeing her walking on the sand with her hooved legs had it all put more into context, it seemed that the larger surface area of the hoof made walking on it easier than for the rest of them.
Gilliam had a mix of feelings, he didn't want to be here more than he had to.
"Right... Let's go up before anything else." Casting the flight spell on himself, followed by the same casting on the others, they found themselves flying after only a few seconds.
Gilliam grabbed hold of Savia as he aimed upwards at full speed, they needed to get some height and get a proper eye on things before they could take the next step.
"Err... Gilliam... is that what I think it is?" Angela hesitantly asked as they flew upwards at max speed, pointing in the rough direction of the temple where he first woke up in this world. |
Gilliam was preoccupied with the flying itself, making sure that everyone was floating properly so he didn't see what Angela referred to until he followed her pointing.
As he saw into the distance he couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and a kind of self-fear. She was pointing towards a deep and massive, blackened crater. There was debris thrown out quite the distance from ground zero, and the temple where he once woke up chained was no more. There were a few of the locals going through the area but for the most part, the whole place was destroyed. At the distance they were he couldn't confirm if the cubical teleportation building was still there or not, the air was permanently dusty, after all. He could see relatively far but after a certain range, it all faded into the sand.
"Well... I think it might be." Gilliam replied to the comment about it being what she thought it was. It seems they opened the gate to the island they were at from this place.
He couldn't remember if Sirzan, Sizran... whatever the demon's name was, said that they opened up portals to other worlds from the fingers as a safety thing, or if that was something that Gilliam pieced together himself; in any case, this was a very good proof for the idea being good.
Imagine if this portal was in the heart of the... well... Heart. This could all be over already.
Though not seeing the teleportation building could be considered negative, since they had Savia, teleporting at least into the Hand was not a problem. Though that was something he wanted to wait with.
"So, I have something I want to find out." Gilliam stated to the group, having them fly in closer. "The Fractured Lands are made up of floating islands, with teleportation circles between them. However, there is air between them as well, if what Sirzan, or whatever it was, is correct. This means that we can fly between them, this is much safer than finding a teleportation circle and fighting into it.."
He briefly considered how much effort that would take, they would without a doubt die from exhaustion sooner rather than later.
"I will give Savia coordinates of the second island, so we can go there if it takes too long or if we're in danger, but if we can find out the distance here and if it's not too bad, it can make things much easier."
Angela and Petal nodded, it seems that the plan was smart enough that there weren't any questions or uncertainties, which was always good in one sense.
Gilliam also had to admit that he liked the determination in the eyes of his group. Angela had plenty of motivation in the sense of saving her world, following her prophecy but also as a self-mastering thing. In a way he wondered a bit about Petal's motivation or possible hesitation against her people... but given how she was treated he didn't think that would become a problem. Besides, the dream of a safe place for her people who aren't murdering hobos was a good one.
Gilliam used a few minutes to draw up the coordinate runes for Savia, using the same way of writing in the air that he uses to make spell circles was hardly an issue, though it took a few minutes as the coordinates in the Fractured lands appeared to be much longer and complex.
"Does this feel right?" Gilliam asked Savia after she had been looking at the runes for a short while.
"Savia sees... air? Building on the ground?" She seemed a bit confused, but it matched the location Gilliam had chosen.
Above the teleportation circles on the Hand, it was safe enough, all things considered. If nothing else it gave them options.
"Yes, perfect, that's good. We're going to start flying in the direction we think is correct, and... Well... If we're in danger, take us there." He smiled at his tiny companion, the tiny companion a lot of their safety relied on.
Something Gilliam didn't like to consider, was that the last time he was here someone was ordered to 'open a portal to the Heart'. Hinting that there could be a direct route there somehow.
When he spoke with Sirzan he was told to just channel magic into the teleportation circle and it'd work, which was true. But what if there was another way of doing that which could save them all kinds of travel?
The problem here was if this was not how it worked... They would reveal themselves and ruin the surprise. This was also the problem by just landing and demanding to duel their leader, sure it could work but what if it didn't? The risk was too great.
Flying towards the rough area he remember the teleportation circle being in, they passed over the carnage. The explosion had caused problems for the city between the temple and the teleportation booth, though the explosion itself didn't reach that far it seemed that the shockwave had done quite a lot. Their buildings were made of rocks and sandstone but didn't have too much structural strength. The tower where he took the orb was much stronger, so if nothing else they did have some way of making solid structures.
Getting over the area with the teleportation circle, it seemed that it was not only still there, but it was also heavily guarded. Nothing short of an army was down there. And since there were flying forces in addition to ground troops, the party had to fly even higher up. They went to the point of almost losing sight of the land itself in the sandy haze.
This still worked fine for them, they had a direction so they just had to hold it. Something he had not done yet as far as moving without landmarks went, it could end up with them moving in circles.
But this was also what this test was for. The fallback of teleportation was always an option, after all.
"Now, I don't know what we'll find out there, so..." Gilliam didn't know if the sand storms were going to become dangerous or what, so he cast a solid barrier around everyone except Savia; she was in Gilliam's bubble.
The girls took the protection barrier and the group started flying off in the direction they thought might be right. Getting up to max speed they all made sure to stay close and hope for the best.
Not long after leaving the landmass under them, they were in the void between, it was nothing but sand. As they entered this area the sandstorm became denser, they lost sight of the ground much faster than just height would cause. Taking out some rope from the ring Gilliam turned to the others.
"I think we should tie ourselves together, like mountain climbers. Just in case..."
He feared that a sudden gust could separate them and without any way of knowing right from left...
The others again nodded to his idea and did as told. Though Petal needed some aid in tying the rope around her waist, she was not the best with knots, it seemed.
Continuing in the direction they picked out, using the last glimpse of landmass as something to have behind them, they hoped for the best as they disappeared into the sandstorm.
It felt surprisingly easy to keep a steady course, however since there were no landmarks or anything else to base this on, they might be flying in circles for all they knew. This lasted what felt like hours. Since the information Gilliam had was that flying between landmasses should be possible, aiming and distance were an issue, and it would probably have to take more than a few hours to become a problem for skilled flyers.
The shield he cast before was, well, a normal barrier spell, but he was happy that it worked as intended. More than protection from attacks it was a broad umbrella against the sand, working like a hamster ball of sorts. As it was a barrier it would also keep them safe from an attack like normal, but it wasn't the main reason for it this round.
It didn't take long after they left the Finger before Gilliam decided to tie a string to Savia as well. She might be good at flying but the winds were strong, though they were in a bubble that should make this as safe as possible, she couldn't teleport to him if she didn't know where he was. So it was better safe than sorry.
Flying around even longer, Gilliam missed modern navigation more and more. Just something to keep time would be extremely nice, but the best would be a proper map with accompanying GPS. Sadly he had none of these and would have to just... fly 'thataway'.
This flight lasted for several more days, they didn't stop for more than a brief moment. Food was an on-the-go ordeal, Gilliam would take food and drink out of the ring and they would eat them from within their protective bubble. Toilet trips became a bit less intimate than they would normally be as you would do it on the end of a rope when flying in a sandstorm. There was no way around staying linked with the others due to the nature of no vision after only a short distance. So they didn't have any way to practically work around this.
If nothing else, hygiene was not an issue as Gilliam was smart enough to learn the cleaning spell Jial used, before leaving. Water was practically unlimited but the food was not, they had to ration as much as they could and just power on.
Small talk was the only thing they had to do for entertainment. Angela had an interesting life in her travels across Lisica, learning to master herself. Petal didn't have much to add, her whole life could be written down in one vague paragraph, it didn't help that nobody knew how old she was, and due to no proper measurement of time, it was hard to say. This had Gilliam feeling a bit weird, though based on what he had gathered from his first time in the Fractured Lands, and his own experience, she wouldn't be too young if anything.
Most of the stories used to pass time came from Angela and Gilliam. Gilliam had many stories that were surprisingly mundane to him but gave them a lot of interest and intrigue. Just the concept of electricity, and flipping a simple switch to turn on lights seemed expensive enough that only mages or nobles had that in Lisica.
Due to everything else, there was not exactly much time to be any form of intimacy during this flight, however, Petal did make a thing out of wanting to hold onto Gilliam during her resting time. Though it didn't go much further than that.
"Ok... This has gone on for too long..." Gilliam suddenly broke out. They had been flying, hopefully straight, for what felt like a week. He did find a tiny bit of amusement in the thought that he was in a seemingly magical world, trying to fly between floating islands to find a demon lord in the hopes of stopping the invasion of yet another magical world, but he was bored.
"I have no idea how long we have been flying but this is taking too long... I get that it's safe but we're going to run out of food unless we super luck out..."
"I agree." Angela nodded at the end of her rope, pulling at it to get closer. "We might get there, we might not. Though this was a good idea initially I doubt it's stable enough that we can do this."
She did seem a bit sad about it, but at the same time, she didn't seem like she was against doing something else.
Gilliam agreed with her. "I guess we'll just have to move on the lands instead, it's going to be less safe, but at least it's a more stable form of transport."
The group discussed this for a short moment. The short of it ended up as this being too impossible, without any form of navigation they might as well be flying in circles or just heading into nothing. They brought a lot of food but even with rationing, it was slowly emptying. It was only going to get worse if they kept on with this.
The best way was to use the static portals and somehow hide. If possible they could move across the outskirts of the landmass, flying that way could be possible. But when they came to the portal itself there wasn't much they could do but fight.
After teleporting to the Hand they could get to the portal at the end of it. Hopefully without getting discovered. However, from there on it would most likely not be that easy. Arriving would cause a commotion once they saw the lack of demons coming out.
Thinking back to when he teleported to the Hand the first time, he did arrive in one of the cubical buildings, but he was still attacked moments after landing. So much happened that he didn't remember if it was properly enclosed or not. Though once they teleport there that could easily be found out.
"Ok, we teleport high in the air, as soon as we arrive there, Savia will teleport us down past the ground, off the edge. That gives us somewhere to hide as we scout a bit. We'll make our way around the outer edge of the Hand until we get to the static portal to the next bit."
He felt somewhat proud of this, it was a simple but good plan.
"Or.." Angela seemed to ponder for a moment. "Once we get there, Savia just teleports us towards the other side of the Hand? Just teleport us as far as she can, doing this a few times to save time?"
"That's possible, but Aeris said that non-teleporters tend to get super sick after rapid teleportation. I don't want to be vomiting and feeling like shit if something happens."
He hated to shut down that idea, it was not bad in theory and would be the fastest. But should a fight break out, feeling sick and vomiting is not a good condition to be in.
Angela looked a bit deflated.
Petal added to the talk. "You two can hide, I can run to where the portal is and show it to Savia, and we can go there right away?" She sounded hesitant to even air this like she knew it was a bad idea.
"Well...." Gilliam started, seeming like he was going shoot it down but changing his mind mid-sentence. "I hate to say it but... it's not a bad idea... Savia can hide in your hair and if it goes bad you can just leave right away. You can go around the main settlement but... I know there are mages in the Hand. I don't know if they can sense her, or you."
Gilliam knew she was magically enhanced due to her levelling up, so to speak. But he didn't know how this registered with other demons. He wasn't afraid of most cases, but in the fringe case where someone might get a surprise attack on them. One of those ballista bolts would just tear them apart. Or a large-scale spell could take them out before they could teleport away. He wasn't an overly controlling person, but he didn't like the danger this put her in.
"It's a good idea but I think it's too dangerous."
"I agree." Angela chimed in. "What if they get you before you can react? We're not here together to go alone."
Having Angela agree to his point did put Gilliam a bit more at ease. He would have to make it up to her with some more autonomous freedom once all of this was over. But Angela also had a good point, splitting the party was never a good idea, after all.
"We need to find a way to do things together. I think around the perimeter might be the best, if we get sort of close, Savia can get us the final distance and we can get through it fast." Gilliam commented, somewhat similar but with an added detail to his original idea.
The group agreed on it this time, which made Gilliam feel a little cool, all things considered.
Picking his companion out of his hair, caring for the string around her waist she seemed to somewhat wake up during the movement.
With some stretching and yawning noises not unlike puppies, she sat up in his hands and looked at him questioningly.
"Can you take us to the place I showed you before?" Though he asked her, it was a more rhetorical question than a real one.
The tired harpy in his hand woke properly up with her normal eagerness. "Savia can teleport!"
"That's good. Now, before we go I need to explain something." Gilliam needed to stop her so she could be part of the plan, it could be bad if they went there and were spotted during explaining.
Using his light drawing he aided the explanation.
"Once you teleport us high in the air, you need to teleport us down past the edge, so the bad demons can't see us."
Pointing and adding drawings to emphasise where to go and what to do, she seemed to understand it easily enough.
"Savia teleport now?" She asked eagerly, seeming extremely ready to do something besides sleep.
"I suppose there is no time like the present?" Gilliam asked the group.
The two of them flying in closer and holding onto Gilliam's arms seemed to be their agreement.
"Yes, you can teleport now." Gilliam smiled back at his bonded ally.
A buildup of energy could be barely felt in her tiny body, then a blinding flash of light. Feeling the jumble of movement, they didn't feel any different shifts in the sand or air. Though this could be due to the barrier. However, once the blinding light left their eyes they expected a second movement, only to see that Savia was completely drained. She was breathing heavily, not able to sit upright and fell in Gilliam's hands.
Not waiting for anyone to see them, Gilliam flew straight up, forcing the two others to be yanked along with the rope. He flew high enough up that they could still see the land below them, but only barely, using distance and the sand as cover he channelled healing energy into her as he flew. |
The process of creating the Darkness crystal was not problematic, but even though it was going to be a small wound, Gilliam really disliked the anticipation before the pain.
Starting the process a small wound opened up on the top of his palm, it wasn't more than a small cut you might get from playing with a cat, but it was enough to draw a few droplets of blood's worth of red mist. It collected between his hands into a small flake no larger than a bead, or most letters on a standard computer keyboard. Stopping the process afterwards he caught the mini-crystal before it fell to the ground.
"Well, this became a very, very small one, proof of concept more than anything." He handed it to Nolis who had the massive eyes of a child walking into a candy factory.
Nolis received the crystal and immediately seemed to forget that Gilliam was in the room. He walked over and sat down at his desk before taking notes, inspecting the crystal, drawing, creating some magical lights and investigating it even more.
Gilliam gave him the time he needed, but the man became obsessed about this as he did a lot of weird tests and checks with it.
"Can... can I use this?" he asked Gilliam hesitantly.
Gilliam shrugged and nodded, to him this was nothing special but it appeared to be very special to Nolis.
Nolis' eyes lit up with a certain glee before he turned back to his research.
This process took a solid hour, Gilliam passed the time by continuing his own mini-research in his notebook, taking the ant out of the ring for testing reasons. The ant seemed completely fine and was eventually put back into the ring for further testing later.
Nolis was doing... things, to the crystal. He placed it in fancy special magic circles that Gilliam didn't get the time to properly read into before it was activated and disappeared. It seems that it made a reaction of sorts, rather than using the crystal or doing anything to it, a pen came to life and started writing and drawing things on some papers that were placed on the edge of the circle before it activated.
This went on for a short while before he cast the creation circle, it was ever so slightly modified to use an external power source. When activated the crystal disappeared and a small bird flew out through a puff of smoke. It flew around the room in panic before settling on a shelf.
"This... this is amazing." Nolis smiled widely. "The ability to make mana crystals is somewhat rare. Darkness mages are quite rare as well so... having one that can do both is quite out of the ordinary."
Nolis had finally decided to share with the class, so to speak, and explained his reasoning to Gilliam. "The ability to make the crystals ahead of time, the ability to create something without paying the cost then and there."
Gilliam nodded, this was the logic behind using any mana crystal, pre-paying for mana usage so you don't need to spend the energy then and there was really a powerful thing.
"But, if you can drain others, and crystallise their energy, you can literally create anything at any time without paying the cost at all."
He was calming down a little once he had explained the gist of it, the things he mentioned made a lot of sense.
At first Gilliam didn't see why this was cause to react as he did, he looked almost like he looked in the face of God when he saw the crystal. But the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Nolis was without a doubt better than Gilliam at this, but considering the extreme cost of combat-worthy summonings, without healing or aid you would likely not survive combat. However if you could use a few weeks, months or whatever to pre-prepare the gems this could remove the only downside of creation magic. And if you could make the crystals from enemies.... It was starting to make a lot of sense.
"If you reacted that much to that little pebble, what about this, then?" Gilliam wanted to trigger Nolis a little. The proof of concept and information behind it was already shown, but he wanted to see the reaction of a professional when he showed the large gem.
Taking the almost fist-sized blood crystal from the ring, he held it in his hand for a moment.
Nolis used a brief few seconds to properly realise what this was, but when he did his eyes widened to the point of them almost popping out of his skull. Looking like a starving dog near fresh food he had an almost desperate feeling to him.
Though, suddenly the expression faded and he returned to his normal self.
"I... apologise... I let my greed take the better of me there..." He looked away a bit embarrassed at this exhibition of, as he said, greed.
"No worries." Gilliam smiled as he put the crystal back in the ring, having Nolis' left eye almost twitch a little. "It was quite the pain to make it, but it was almost worth it seeing your reaction."
Gilliam's smile grew to a shit-eating and somewhat schadenfreude inspired level. "Your explanation and reaction did give me a lot of information. I suppose parts of me didn't see the value in this until now."
Nolis sat down on his chair." I kind of hate you, you know? Or rather, it's more of an envy-hate kind of thing. I have used so long to learn all this, and you just... get it... I'll be happy having you as a long-term ally when I graduate but... I do hate you a little."
There was a lot of honesty in that sentence. In his modern world life Gilliam had felt the same with several people, so he knew the idea behind it. And having been in that situation he couldn't really comment on Nolis' statement at all.
"Can the crystals be used for something nefarious against the owner of the life force?" Gilliam asked honestly. It was based on the user's life force, after all.
"I don't think so. Much like a mana crystal, when it's condensed into a crystal, all personal ties disappear and it becomes almost primally neutral. The energy in a crystal is just that, energy. There is no bond to the original caster. How come?"
Nolis explained it well, but he seemed to wonder why Gilliam wanted to know.
"Make the tattoo amazing, teach me how to use an external source to make the crystals, and I'll give you the one I just showed you."
To Gilliam the crystal did indeed have value, but since he could also heal, not considering the dome, each crystal just cost 'some pain'. And if he learned to use external sources, making more in the demon realm would not be an issue later. It felt like using this as the metaphorical carrot for Nolis, to get the absolute best result out of their trade, was absolutely worth it.
Nolis' eyes again widened. There was a motivation behind him that wasn't there before. This just furthered Gilliam's belief that it was a good trade.
"So, when do we start?" Gilliam asked, wondering if he needed to set some time off for this.
"Oh, don't you worry. We start now. Take off your shirt and lie down." Nolis commanded as he went through drawers, shelves and boxes, gathering tools and materials.
"But... There isn't a bed or anyt-" Gilliam's comment about a lacking place to lie down was instantly interrupted.
"Fuck that, get on the floor, we're doing this now!" Nolis' eagerness caught Gilliam off guard quite hard.
Gilliam couldn't really complain, this would make things easier for him to get this done today rather than later.
Taking off his vest and shirt, he used that as a slight barrier against the stone floor. It was still cold but it became manageable with some cloth between.
Nolis didn't take long to prepare, he had gathered books, papers, notes, tools and materials and was already starting by using his ink pen to draw on Gilliam's body, starting over the chest and in the palm.
Seeing the tools, especially the needles and tattooing equipment which kind of looked like a bunch of super thin sewing needles bundled together on the end of a 90-degree bend on a stick, as well as a mini-mallet of sorts, he briefly remembered how they did tattoos back in the day before electric machinery...
This was going to be painful..
It all started with Nolis drawing some blood, he poured this blood into a vial with some other substance, explaining that the ink needed to be made from the receiver's own blood, or healing magic could identify it as something external, and 'heal the tattoo'. Doing it this way meant that it was kind of like injecting your own blood back into you, it wouldn't register as anything negative and would not be destroyed that way.
When Nolis started the actual procedure, after he was done drawing on everything, Gilliam learned a strange new pain. It was deep enough to bleed slightly, but it also healed very fast, the pain was manageable but at the same time just painful enough to not be. It was honestly a very uncomfortable feeling. That was until he got over certain zones, the arm part was not that problematic, the chest was painful but when he got to the palm... that was legitimate torture. The palm is filled with an absurd amount of nerves, after all.
They had to take a lot of breaks between rounds when it came to his hands, though using a ghetto-anaesthetic method, Gilliam used water magic to create some ice, which he covered the areas of his hand that he was to tattoo, the cold would eventually numb the areas to make it... manageable... If nothing else, it helped a lot.
During tattooing, Nolis explained how to use the tattoo, how to make the zone larger or smaller, the mental aspect of the magic circle, basically. He also explained how the transferring of power works. There is a reason why the main circle is over the heart, and that's because the heart is the source of life energy. This is why some darkness mages harvest hearts for... reasons... The circle will use his body as a very temporary storing of the life energy 'above' his normal body, because of this the creation circle will absorb from this source before using his own. Not only will this stop wounds from opening, as long as you have a strong enough source to draw from, the source itself will get these wounds, but it can be used to invigorate you substantially as you are flooding your body with extra life. It won't heal wounds but it will give you something like an adrenaline kick.
All of this sounded like good info for Gilliam, even if he's out of mana he had something he could use.
"What happens if I use this one on someone as I heal them, or use it on someone in the healing dome?" Gilliam didn't have any sadistic or torture thoughts in mind, it was more a question to understand.
"Then they will most likely have wounds opening, then the healing closes them, for this to open new wounds and so on. It's a horrible feeling. However, if you use it at its maximum power, it will have your target almost explode from within as their blood is pulled out at the same time. I'm told this feels... well... not good, but I suppose it's faster?" He didn't sound like he had done the latter personally, but it did sound like he had also tried being healed as he used darkness magic.
Gilliam could confirm his opening and closing wound statement personally.
"Well, given the amount of them there are over there, a large zone at maximum power is most likely going to be the way I go. It will be a dual offensive spell as I use that to Summon something."
Nolis chuckled at the statement. Gilliam assumed it was to the murderous nature of his comment.
The darkness mage went on to explain how to 'feel' how much energy you needed to summon something. It was deceptively simple, rather than just casting the spell right away, think about it really hard but stop before the actual activation and rather 'ask' the circle. At the time you're about to activate it the circle is connected to your mind, due to the nature of the mental component, you can get a rough sense of how much energy it needs at that time. There was no preset answer or ways to explain what the different feelings meant, he would just have to get used to it. But it would at least be very easy to distinguish if a blood crystal or absorbed energy was enough, or if he needed to supplement it.
This should stop him from suiciding in the battlefield, if nothing else.
The procedure took several hours, modern tattoos take a long time by itself and to get all of this done in a single day he needed to be there for a while. Toilet and snack breaks were mixed into the various pain-breaks he already needed, the rest of the time was passed by sharing of information; almost all of which was from Nolis to Gilliam.
He seemed very talkative when there was someone sharing his interests.
"There, it's done!" Nolis said the magic words, metaphorically speaking, that Gilliam had been wanting to hear.
He had expected something like that since he could feel something different a short while ago, a kind of... reach... off sorts. When the magic circle was properly connected and 'working', he could feel that something was strange about it. It was a good kind of strange, kind of like if you imagine that you had a much longer reach than you normally had, that kind of feeling was just there permanently.
Sitting up he took a look at Nolis' work. The tattoo was almost the same skin tone as his skin was, sure everything was red and swollen now but the ink itself at least. It looked like a professional tattoo, so Nolis clearly knew what he was doing.
"Thank you, man. I'm very happy to be able to piggyback on your years of studies for things like this." Complimenting the darkness mage didn't seem to do anything.
"Yes, yes. I'm awesome, sure. Now. your side of the bargain." He didn't sound as desperate as before, but he really did want to get started on... whatever he planned with this.
Gilliam chuckled and gave a little nod as he had the ring manifest the large blood crystal from its storage, handing it to his friend.
Nolis received it with both hands and was in an almost trance-like amazement. Instantly ignoring Gilliam he went back to his desk and started some research-looking things.
At this point Nolis instantly went into his work-mode, he stopped responding to Gilliam and any questions were just replied with some auto-pilot agreeing noise.
Gilliam took this as a good time to just see himself out.
As he left Nolis' room, he started healing himself, focusing on his arm first as, if something were to happen, it would be the easiest to fix as it was mainly a line.
Nolis' statement about the ink not being healed away seemed correct, the swelling and redness faded almost instantly, but the weak slightly off-hue skin tone remained. It looked almost like a scar, it had the rough same skin tone but slightly paler. Now that the test worked out he moved to his shirt, unbuttoning it to take a look and make sure something weird didn't happen, and by the time he reached the door leading to the guard, the swelling and redness had faded, leaving only a slight scar-like tattoo there as well.
This was going perfectly, just like the tattoo on Nolis, it was clearly there, but hard to see if you didn't know about it or looked carefully enough.
Walking through the guard-room, leaving up the stairs as he healed his hand, everything was as good as it could be by the time he was up in the main hall. Leaving for the Healing Dome he found that the group was no longer there. There were a few students doing some training and practising in the field but the girls or Kintas were nowhere to be seen. That's right, he left suddenly and in a hurry so there wasn't any good time to plan where to go.
The first thing that came to mind when considering where to go was the mess hall, though the dome took care of you when in there, you were oddly hungry afterwards.
Passing by a lot of other students as he walked through the arches under the wings, he found himself entering the field-door for the mess hall, and as expected there they were. Angela and Petal were sitting at a table eating, Savia seemed to be there as well and was sitting on the table eating from her own tiny plate.
The room was full with other students, eating their own things, though both Angela and Petal were very easy to pick out from a crowd.
Before he had a chance to walk over to them, Savia seemed to notice him. And instead of taking flight and crash-landing in his face, she just manifested in front of him.
"Master!" She shouted with a happy expression. Though she didn't crash into him before, she used her now shorter range to do her best, though she was caught in the air before she made her goal.
"Hah, caught you this time." Gilliam exclaimed with a victorious tone.
Opening his hands and looking into them, there was a flustered harpy smiling back at him.
"Savia can teleport other people!" She explained the results of her training right away. "Angrylady also says that Savia has a big boundary!"
She sounded a little confused at her own latter statement, seems like she might not properly know what a boundary is.
GIlliam walked over to the other two at the table, letting Savia right herself and sit in his right hand palm instead of halfway upside down after being caught mid-flight.
"So, how did it go?" He asked the two, mainly to start the conversation more than anything.
"Kintas didn't go easy on us, almost like he was making up for your creature." Angela moped.
Petal didn't say anything but her content smile wasn't exactly present.
"Ah... Sorry?" He didn't sound like he meant it, and honestly it wasn't his fault even though it kind of, sort of was. Taking revenge on someone else is just petty, but it might also just have been him wanting to have some fun. That man really seemed to like fighting...
Angela looked at her hands as Gilliam replied, not seeming to really react to his apology. "Though, fighting someone that strong with my all has made me realise something. I think I understand what my father was telling me about fighting without restriction being the path to my enlightenment."
She really did seem to have realised something, but at the same time it seemed like she wasn't properly at her goal.
"What do you mean?" Gilliam asked, really wondering what all this meant. Enlightenment? Was this some martial arts cultivation thing?
"My father and some of his martial arts students have learned to use their inner energy. My father always managed to find out the way for each of his students to release it, but I was never able to. He told me that I needed to fight, giving my all. Though once I started getting stronger, giving my all became fatal, and I didn't want to kill. But I think I'm starting to understand what he meant; If I don't fight anyone stronger than me, I will never improve."
Petal broke into the conversation. "She'll be fighting Kintas a lot now." She smiled oddly satisfied with that statement.
"Oh, and you'll be joining me." Angela commanded Petal. "You might get stronger... passively... But I won't, I need to figure this out." She put a suggestive tone on the word 'passively', clearly indicating her point about wording it that way.
She also had a very goal-oriented energy about her, she seemed to have really found the answer to something she had been pondering about for quite some time, which was good.
"Well, I think I need to be making a lot of mana crystals for a while, so it seems we all have something to do." He smiled. He needed to have enough to be sure in the Fractured Lands. And though he could theoretically draw life force into gems, he wanted to have some to start out with, so he needed to make a few of those as well.
"OH!" Savia broke into the conversation. "Angrylady said that Master needed to go to her classroom. Speak to portallady!" Like a reminder calendar she did, in fact, remind Gilliam that they made an appointment. She looked super happy about reminding him like this, like she had found another calling in life.
"Well, in that case I'll eat something before we go." Not waiting for anyone to confirm or comment he went over to get some food.
If all went well with their meeting, the counter-invasion should start soon! |
"Savia is fine. Savia only tired." She explained through heavy breathing, it looked like she had sprinted a longer distance than she usually could. "Savia is fine. Teleport heavier. Teleported far." She explained through moments of breathing.
Gilliam stopped the stream of healing energy and changed to just channelling his mana into her, not too different from creating the mana crystals just instead of the same volume, speed and channelling point, it was calmer and aimed at her.
She seemed to slowly get better as this went on, supporting her statement about this being a straight-up overexertion of mana. Remembering when he was in a mana-drained state, Gilliam could feel her current exhaustion.
Stopping at an altitude where they could still sort of see the ground under them, but hopefully far enough that they wouldn't be discovered, Gilliam noticed two things. The first was that Savia was getting better the more energy she was given. The other was just how much energy she could absorb. She had a sizable Boundary as well, but he was somewhat surprised at her tiny self handling that amount of energy.
As Petal and Angela finally stabilised themselves and came in closer they looked confused. A few glances between Gilliam and Savia had them worried.
"What's going on?" Angela asked before Petal was able to say anything.
"Don't worry about it. The teleport just took more out of her than expected, she's getting better now." Gilliam explained as he stopped channelling into Savia once she was able to properly sit back up in his hand.
Savia looked at the worried faces and seemed to feel a bit worried herself. "Savia fine! Savia just use too much energy!" Her statement had the stressed tone of trying to calm down others, her palms up in front of her almost as if she was trying to avoid blame.
"Nobody's blaming you, Savia." Gilliam reassured his companion. Realistically it could be argued that she should have stopped or something, or at least informed them, but she might not have that experience yet. She did only learn how to properly teleport like a week ago or so.
"We were just a little surprised. And it's something we need to know for our plans in the future." He made sure to have as gentle a tone as possible, but looking at her expression he realised he failed.
Savia slumped down into Gilliam's hands, it was clear that Gilliam's statement hit something deep.
"Are you able to feel the mana you need, before teleporting, like the others?" Gilliam asked. At the same time realising that he knew surprisingly little about spatial magic. He wanted to, naturally, but he was too busy with other things that he didn't think too much about it.
"Savia can feel it. Savia just... underestimated it.." She seemed quite sad about it, but given her nature, Gilliam couldn't help but understand.
She wanted to be useful, she hadn't had that much to do, save companionship, since she bonded with him. And though he would love to spend more time with everyone, there had just been one thing after another since he came to the Academy. With him disappearing for 10 days, getting help from Aeris and her teacher to teleport, as well as many others. Not to mention the whole Garend ordeal.
Savia might have felt somewhat useless or like a burden, something backed up by the depressing feeling over their shared bond and her willingness to fight earlier.
"Then, in the future, if something feels this heavy, and if there is time, let me know instead, Ok?" Gilliam was smiling at his little friend. His tone was supportive more than anything, he did have an idea of how she was feeling. Most people had some form of inferiority complex if the situation presented itself, and he was not an exception to this. Though it had been less of it in Lisica given his abilities, he knew it very well in the modern world.
Savia nodded eagerly, seeming to have already forgotten her sad self from 5 seconds ago. This had Gilliam remember a popular story back in the modern world, that certain small creatures only had one emotion at a time as they were too small to have a mix of them at a time. He had also realised that a surprising amount of modern fantasy media were oddly close to being correct compared to how things worked in this world. If he ever got back to the modern world he wondered how he would re-adapt.
"It seems they haven't seen us." Angela stated, she was currently looking down and had been for a while now. "I think we can fly over to the other gate and take it from there?"
She didn't seem entirely convinced of her plan.
It was kind of amusing how long their plan lasted, everything seemed fine and good but after the very first step, it collapsed. There was a saying that no battle plan survives meeting the enemy, but this was just kind of dumb.
Gilliam wondered if it was a distance or coordinate thing that made teleportation hard in the Fractured Lands since the coordinate runes were longer than in Lisica.
"Savia, can you teleport us about 50 meters (~164ft) over that way? I just want to see if any teleportation is problematic here or if it was just the last one."
He made sure to tone his voice in a way that there was no pressure, making sure it was clear that this was a test. Should ease her mind at least a little.
He had been channelling mana into her for a few moments now, though he didn't know how much was normally needed for teleportation, at least it would let her feel the difference.
She nodded eagerly and waited for the others to come in close. They put their hands on Gilliam's shoulders and Savia did her thing.
The energy buildup was much faster than last time, and though the familiar white light blinded them for a moment, it laster shorter. Gilliam immediately checked on Savia as soon as he could see he was happy to find her completely fine.
This calmed him down considerably, as the plan to use her ability for teleporting was still on the table, it was just something odd about the last teleport. Perhaps it was a distance thing, they didn't know how far it was between landmasses, and there was a reason that flying between them was not possible. Perhaps each landmass is a free-floating remnant of a country in a large world, if so going from one to the next might be like going from the UK to Australia, cross-world at best.
"How do you feel?" Gilliam wanted to make sure, even though everything felt fine over their bond.
"Savia is fine!" She exclaimed, pumping one of her wings in the air like a satisfied fist.
He could almost feel the girls calm down a bit, especially Angela. Though they were taking a different path to the end of the island, at least they were out of view. When they found the portal they could just teleport down, slam up a barrier around the whole thing and portal away. This should minimize the danger to them as well.
Starting to fly away from this side of the island they could see a lot of interesting things below them. Mainly the city of sorts located on the Hand. The tower was still not properly repaired, but it seems they were working on it. Gilliam felt a bit sad about things as he knew not every single demon deserved the violence against them, Petal was a prime example of this. The rest of the city looked fine, a bit primitive by Gilliam's standard but fine besides that.
Savia was peering down from her post on top of Gilliam's head, the rest just looked down as they kept flying in the assumed direction of the static portals.
The flight took some time, and as he didn't know how fast they were going it was very hard to gauge time, speed and distance, but it felt like they had been flying for over an hour or something, and they were now reaching the end of the island. They had flown past plenty of flying creatures, all from imp-like demons to what could best be described as a hamster turned inside out with wings. Though it was very hard to identify anything from the distances they were at, it was at least what it looked like all things considered.
"So, how do we do this?" Angela asked Gilliam.
"I think the easiest is if Savia teleports us down, I set up a solid barrier around us and start channelling into the gate. We go through and take to the skies as fast as we can. We'll probably be attacked as soon as we come out on the other side, so..." He didn't finish his sentence, there was going to be a fight.
Though he could set up a barrier on the other side as well, he didn't know where they would be, if he'd capture anyone inside the barrier or... well, anything of the sort. So the best would be to rely on the personal ones they got and just go up when possible.
"So we go down, barrier, teleport, and just get airborne on the other side?" Angela seemed like she wanted to simplify everything.
"Pretty much, they got fliers as well but there are fewer of them, so it should increase our survivability by a lot." He looked into his hand, at the tattoo in his left palm. Though due to the hue of the ink it would just look like he stared at the hand itself. "I have something I can do to cause chaos and get some aid."
Angela lifted an eyebrow, she didn't seem to like the vague tone he was using. "Which is...?"
"Do you know about Nolis' tattoo?" Gilliam answered her question with a question of his own.
"Yes, of course I d-" Stopping herself mid-sentence she seemed to have realised what he was referring to. "He didn't..." She sounded extremely surprised at this.
"He did, I haven't tested it but I know how it works in theory. And if worst comes to worst, I have a few gems made." He was somewhat happy about her reaction.
Not knowing which of the Tattoos or generalised summoning circle was Nolis' Magnum Opus, based on how he explained things they both might be. And Gilliam was given both.
The mix of these two was nothing short of terrifying and amazing. He would have to give it a go as soon as there is a large group in front of them. Though, to make this easier he started thinking of the details already now. That way it's more defined in his mind when the time comes, just coming up with an idea on the fly was... dangerous.
Petal looked confused and curious about what they were talking about, to the point that she seemed like she was about to ask, but stopped herself at the last moment. Gilliam only barely noticed this, he was glad that she had become a little more her own but she still had a bit to go.
"Everyone ready, then? We go down, barrier, and protect ourselves if needed as I try to activate the gate. We pop through and do our best to get airborne."
Looking to the others he waited for either confirmation or questions.
They both nodded.
Looking at the little Savia in his hands. "Now, did you get all that? Could you teleport us down to that square building?" He pointed at the tiny building far down below them.
She looked to Gilliam with her small harpy hands clenched tight and fierce determination. "Savia can!"
"That's great!" Gilliam smiled.
Untying the little string tied around her waist he put her back in his hair, and the others removed their ropes. The ropes were put back in the ring as he spawned the broken blade in his right hand. "Savia, you should get properly dug in. I will most likely be moving around a lot."
Savia gave an agreeing noise as she properly dug herself into the spot between his ponytail and his head.
"Then, let's go:" Gilliam commanded after Angel and Petal had put their hands on his shoulders. Turning the flight upside down so Savia could properly see where they were going, she started building up energy.
Adrenaline started flowing in Gilliam, the flow of mana bot in his body and the coat accelerated in anticipation of what was coming.
A familiar flash of white light blinded them and as soon as Gilliam felt he could move he cast a large barrier around them. In a brief moment, before he could see anything, he could hear and feel the barrier being attacked. His eyes started working almost immediately after and he could take a glance around them. They were currently standing on the top of the building, the barrier Gilliam created had encapsulated it perfectly but it had also caught two imp-like demons inside. They were doing their best to attack the interlopers but both of them came to a short end as Angela and Petal stepped forwards.
A swift motion later had them both punch the imps with enough force to cave in their chest and crush everything within. First now, at this moment Gilliam realised that training with Kintas might have been the best choice. The man was insane in combat and trying to reach his level might have accidentally ranked them up a lot.
Not wasting more time Gilliam left the roof to the door to the building. The perfectly cubical shape had a large door on one side, much like the ones back at the Academy. Touching down on the ground in front of the door the main barrier was getting severely attacked at this point. Swords, claws, clubs, bites, tails, debris, you name it and they were doing their best.
Having connected this barrier to his mana reserves he could feel that it was incredibly taxing, but still a bit less than he expected. A good thing to be sure.
Grabbing the handles for the door showed them to be locked, he felt amused for the briefest of seconds as he considered demons using locks and keys, before he spawned the slender Aether blade and removed the whole lock construction, letting the doors be opened effortlessly afterwards.
Stepping in he took a quick look around, just to make sure there wasn't anyone or anything inside, and as soon as he was satisfied that there wasn't he started channelling mana into the contraption like last time.
Angela and Petal came down to the door as well, standing there instead of on the roof for the moment Gilliam needed to charge the engraved magical circles around the entirety of the room.
The process took a short minute, it helped that he wasn't attacked this time, although the harsh and steady drain from the barrier didn't help the focusing at all. The power of planning and the power of luck, letting the planning go as they wanted it, really showed its power at the moment.
Not long after he started, the static gate was charged up and ready to go.
"Now, come, in the centre." Gilliam commanded the others as he stepped into that point as well.
As soon as the whole group was gathered in the central circle, the activation pulse was sent at the same time that he cut the link to the surrounding barrier. He barely heard it pop as his vision went white again, trying to ready himself for what was to come.
Luck would have it that they got the valuable seconds for their eyesight to return to normal before anyone on the next island was able to react. There was not a lack of demons here, quite the opposite, they were much more varied in size and shape than in the Hand and Finger, but they seemed to not be as actively guarding the portal as the others were before. The area itself was oddly built out, with one and two-floor buildings made of stone or sandstone in the near distance, solid ground around the buildings and especially around the teleportation circle. A relatively well-maintained road between the gate and the rather large town. The most impressive part was what seemed like an oasis not far from them.
The valuable seconds let the group take to the air before they were attacked, however, it didn't last long. Only moments after leaving the ground their barriers were thoroughly tested. The incoming attacks were much more precise and proper than before, with no debris or random objects. All attacks were arrows, spears or thrown weapons.
Gilliam had to cast a second barrier on himself as his first was about to pop, due to the coat he could cast the barriers much faster than normal, allowing him to set up a second barrier around himself as soon as the first one broke. Angela and Petal seemed to react better and dodge, something Gilliam realised he should perhaps try to do as well...
Erratic flying pattern upwards helped preserve the remaining barrier strength and they found themselves high in the air in no time. Out of reach from the non-flyers.
This didn't stop the flyers from charging them, some of them were much faster than Gilliam's flight spell, having him realise that he might have to upgrade it, but also letting Angela and Petal do their thing.
The first demons to reach them were swiftly taken down. They looked like some more streamlined imps than the ones they fought before. A solid fist from Angela and claws from Petal had them falling to the ground bloodied and broken.
Some short following seconds had Gilliam wonder what the best next step was, just taking to the air could be a smart move but that could let them raise alarms or send more dangerous things after them.
His new experience and skill had him channelling an upgraded variant of the carpet bomb attack he used before, a massive multiplication of explosive arcane orbs. They were smaller than before, need a certain hardness to trigger their explosion, and were sent at greater speed. This not only increased the devastation once they hit the ground but also allowed them to penetrate the smaller fliers and made sure that one explosion would not always trigger all of the other ones. The downside was that this spell took several seconds to prepare. The girls handled this fine, as the faster flyers weren't the strongest, the stronger ones seemed to be much slower getting to them which in turn meant that anyone getting to Gilliam before he was done was quickly taken down with claw, fist, feet and hooves.
"Move!" Gilliam commanded the two once he was done with the creation and charging of the magic circle.
They didn't linger and flew out to the sides right away.
Gilliam activated the spell, and as planned, a massive number of golf-ball-sized glowing yellow orbs raced towards the demons on the ground. The smaller flying demons were quickly perforated without much resistance, the larger ones either followed a similar fate or were solid enough to trigger the explosions. This had them soon fall to the ground alongside their smaller brethren.
When the orbs finally reached the ground they either detonated straight on weaponry, solid building walls or harder body parts, tearing their owners apart. Most of them hit the ground and either did their damage directly from proximity or sent a shower of deadly stone debris as secondary fragmentation damage. Some landed in the sand and used more time to trigger, however as sand is not compressible it ended up as a mixture of an explosive shockwave and sand-blasting effect, only making matters worse.
The widespread damage took a lot of mana, but less than Gilliam expected. He smirked a little to himself at either his larger Boundary or simply increased skill to make this improvement. Though his smirk faded once he realised he had almost forgotten how much blood and gore there was in this kind of slaughter, he didn't thirst for death and destruction, but he couldn't help it given their reason for being here. Parts of him wanted to consider them, people like Petal, but when they were on the enemy side he couldn't think of them as anything but obstructions.
Choosing to put this aside now, as this is war, he took to the sky. Only sending off a swift Aether dart at a few stragglers at range, anything close was easily cut down or handled by the girls.
Before they managed to get to any proper elevation, however, a massive anger-filled roar from the perimeter of the town. Looking towards it they could see a familiar-looking humanoid shape, 3 metres (~10ft) tall, bulky and strong, partially fur-covered, with sharp teeth and horns. Had it not been for both of his hooves being present, Gilliam would think it was the gatekeeper from before. This one was strikingly similar but he had a few other different details, like no wings, a long and strong tail, and instead of a large sword he had what looked like a... well... wizard's staff with a purple glowing knob on the end.
Slamming the staff into the ground the purple energy expanded and seemed to do something to his fellow demons as it hit them, it entered their bodies and gave them glowing eyes in the same purple colour.
Pointing the staff towards the group it sent a man-sized angry-looking sphere of energy towards them. |
Aeris was thinking for a moment before shrugging.
"I don't know, I haven't tried. When I... went there... I was able to come back but I don't know if that's because of the gate or not."
It was clearly a touchy subject for her, which was understandable given the event she went through. To be honest it's even weird that she's able to be this fine near Petal, given that she was the one carrying her at the time.
It was also kind of interesting how Petal ended up as a prisoner of war and due to certain events was now Gilliam's companion.
"That's fine, I can ask your teacher tomorrow." He smiled, wanting to change the subject so he didn't pull on the wrong strings with the poor girl.
"For now, I think we'll head to bed." Gilliam smiled at the group. It was getting somewhat late and though the Dome had kept everyone relatively fresh and good on stamina, once they left it some of the exhaustion came back, stuff like muscle soreness was oddly present after leaving, even though the muscles should have been healed when inside.
In either case, there was a lot to do tomorrow as well, so no need to forgo sleep. And based on Petal's expression once heading to bed was mentioned, there were other plans involved there as well. Not that Gilliam minded, but he really wanted them to bond in other ways as well. He thought about it for a moment on the way back to his room after the group had split up for the night; he should take her travelling or something interesting with just the two of them. They might be training the coming time but it was important to get some calm moments as well.
Turning in for the night the morning bell rang soon enough, though he wasn't getting a full heart attack everytime like before, it was still startling enough that he hated it and wanted to seriously harm that bell.
The morning routine was the same as it had been every day so far, ending with breakfast being eaten and making plans for the day with Angela. Today was no different but was more focused on Savia and her teacher. Savia needed to get better, to the point that she could properly teleport people, once that was stable they needed to find out her limits and work on that. Good thing was that this could be done on the side of other things. Gilliam really wanted to be a part of it but it was better if it was handled by professionals like the academy's teacher and the prodigy that was Aeris.
After breakfast was done, and the plans for who would do what, the group split up accordingly. Angela and Petal would be fighting, preferably with Kintas or Ghaos, and Gilliam would go with Savia and Aeris to their teacher.
"I could teleport us there." Aeris smiled widely as she suggested teleporting to the teacher rather than walking.
Though Gilliam enjoyed efficiency this felt a bit over the top.
She continued with an explanation in the same sentence. "The more Savia teleports the better it will be for her, it helps her develop. It will also help you as teleportation, especially if you do it a lot, has a very unique drain on the body."
She held out both her hands, one towards Savia and the other towards Gilliam.
He realised that he didn't really know too much about the subject, but he did know that teleportation could make you feel weird, and if the expert said so then it had to have some merit to it.
Savia had already flown and landed in the hand offered to her, Gilliam gave a mana crystal to Angela for the Dome before he grabbed hold of Aeris' offered hand. A very short buildup of energy and blinding light later he found himself in a classroom. It was not as big as the others he saw more of before, comfortably only about five or six students could be in here with the teacher. In the chair behind the desk was a middle aged woman. She had shoulder long black hair, wore a black robe and was sporting a stern resting-bitchface-like expression. Her badge had the familiar white disc and only the yellow triangle colored in, marking her as an Aether mage.
"Ah, Aeris and Savia. I see you brought someone today." She sounded oddly nice and pleasant, not what you'd expect from her expression at all.
Savia chirped up right away. "Angrylady, this is Master!" She pointed excitedly at Gilliam who was doing his best to hide his sudden surprise at how she was referring to her teacher.
Luckily she just chuckled, Gilliam took this as she was fine with the reference.
"Are you here for training as well, will you just be observing today?" She seemed honestly wondering about this but at the same time didn't seem to have a problem with him being there, probably not the first time someone wanted this.
"No, not today. But I have some questions about teleportation for you, if you're fine with me asking." Gilliam wanted to make sure she was fine with answering things, not all teachers might like him butting into their teaching time, like he technically was at the moment.
"No problem, ask away." Her tone seemed pleasant and nice, her face told him otherwise.
It seemed this school had weird teachers all around...
"Can a teleporter go to other worlds if he has the coordinates for a place there?" Dropping the main question right away seemed like the best way to go.
"The short answer is no. Portals can, but teleporting cannot." She sat back in her chair, using her hands to emphasise further explanation.
"Teleporting needs what we call Line of Effect, this means that you need to be able to make a magical connection between two points. This magic can ignore most solid objects and even many kinds of magic, but not everything. This is why you can set up a specific barrier around something and block teleporting into it."
Using her hands she hinted of something crashing into her other hand like if it was a wall. "However, if there is something as simple as a pipe or tube through the protection, the magic can find a way to connect and teleportation works."
She put her finger between the fingers of her 'wall' to show it going through.
"We have tried going to other worlds before, we don't know if it's because of bad coordinates, the dome around Lisica or just that there is no Line of Effect between worlds, but it's not possible based on how we understand it now."
Gilliam was a bit let down at that, he really hoped that it could work.
"What about portals?" She did mention that it could. He didn't know much about teleportation and even less about portals.
"Portals just need a coordinate, where teleportation needs line of effect, portals just need a point. Teleportation is actually just very, very fast movement between two points, portals connect two locations together. Imagine if you magically cut a coin down the thin side and move the parts to different locations. Though weird this would now mean that the two sides of the same coin are in very different locations. In a sense this means that both sides of the coin, or portal, are technically connected at the same point." She tried aiding this explanation with her hands, putting them together and splitting the connection to emphasise the coin.
"It's less of stretching a tunnel between two points, as it is connecting the two points as one."
Gilliam had a dumb little epiphany moment. All the sci-fi media was correct about wormholes...
"So... it's like this..." Taking a page out of his notebook he did the standard wormhole explanation by folding the page and shoving a pen through it.
"It's bending the space to the point that two points are the same, then punching through it. It's not travelling but more like stepping through the bent space?"
He wanted to test the theory that much smarter people than himself had made up in his world.
Her eyes widened. "That... Is a very good explanation, I'm stealing that. But yes, that is exactly it. But mages who can use portals are very far between." She put a hard emphasis on the word 'very'.
"You wouldn't happen to know any portal mages... do you?" There was a hope in Gilliam's voice, if there was a portal mage available this would make everything not only safer, but potentially much more effective. Getting there with their own portal would not only make the trip safer, as they wouldn't step into a group of demons, but could also land them there secretly.
"I do, a student of mine. She figured out the weirdest way to take advantage of her portals... But yes, I'm sure she could aid. She became really proficient in the end so if anyone can do it, I'm sure she can." There was a sense of pride in her voice, she clearly took pleasure in teaching. Which was a very good thing in Gilliam's mind, it let him not only feel reassured in regards to Savia, but also that this portal student of hers might be able to do this.
"How do we get hold of her?" Gilliam wanted to speak to her as soon as possible. There was also the question about possible payment, he kept forgetting that he was actually pseudo rich already and not exactly having problems getting funding.
He also did have a vague memory of Alleyan saying that he wanted to help with anything he could.
"I believe she went home to Aestu to start a transport company, I believe she's doing quite well for herself." Irila commented.
Something that really made sense, if you could open portals to anywhere in the world, it would be an amazing thing for merchants and the flow of things. Travel the world once to get to know the major areas and you're set for life, have people schedule your time and you most likely have work forever.
Given that shipping probably still used ships, this would move travel time from... months? Gilliam had no idea of the scale of things but whatever time it took was now considered instantaneous, you don't get faster than zero time.
"You think she's likely to help? I mean, I think I should be able to pay her if needed." Gilliam mentally probed his ring to get a feel for the things in there. He still had this thousand gold if needed, but he could also make more mana crystals if needed.
"Worst case scenario, she'll help if she feels comfortable with the reasoning, and if the reward is good enough. I have seen her help for free if she believes in the cause but I'm not sure that'll happen with this. I suspect that this will use a tremendous amount of mana, so you will either have to supply her with yours, or have a solid stock of mana crystals." Nodding to herself, almost as if agreeing on the statement that she was checking with herself to be true.
"Well, all of that is fine." Gilliam started, he didn't like the idea of using his own mana for this as he felt he should be in top shape at the time they went through the gate. However, stocking up on a bunch of mana crystals is fine. "I'll just stock up on mana crystals. But, should we go now or...?"
Not really knowing if it was best to go right away, plan this and come back when ready, or go when everything is prepared and sort of surprise her. The latter had the potential of backfiring if she said no, but the former could at least let them know right away and plan accordingly.
"I think we should go talk to her as soon as possible-" Irila replied without getting up from her chair. "-it wouldn't be fun if you used days to prepare only to get a No, before having to plan again...We can go find her after today's classes are over. Going to her all too early or during her normal workday might not be the best."
Gilliam nodded in agreement. "I suppose I'll go get murdered by Kintas for a few hours, then." He didn't sound too happy about it, but at the same time it was the best combat training he could consider. It let him try out new things in combat as well as get very, very used to pain.
"Good luck with that." The teacher had a sarcastic smile on her lips. "We'll continue with teleportation."
Gilliam briefly wondered if he should just join them for teleportation training, if he could also learn to teleport that would make things even better. Parts of him wondered if Savia might feel that he's taking her value away, but wouldn't it be better to have more possibilities for teleportation when time came?
Considering this briefly he came to the conclusion that since Savia was making such speedy progress, perhaps he could try to use her as a combat transport as well, if so he wouldn't have to consider teleportation himself. So for now he needed more combat training. If they managed to get to the lord demon himself then that would be more important.
There were more layers to the considerations but Gilliam ended up realising that he was overthinking things, for now he needed to focus on the low hanging fruits, the easy actions to get the best results. If there was time later he could indulge in other things.
Ending the conversation with Irila, and telling Savia to come find him at the dome when they were done, he left the classroom for now. Since Petal and Angela planned to fight Kintas, it was easier to have them find him there than them deciding on another meeting spot, as you tended to lose track of time in the dome.
Walking through the hallway he felt stared at, every student he passed gave him weird glances, or did their best to not stare which in itself ended up looking noticeable, or smaller groups were speaking amongst themselves in hushed whispers after he passed them.
It felt oddly negative. On one side he really didn't care, let the kids do what they want, but on the other side this felt oddly depressing. He didn't really know how society worked in this world if they acted like this because they feared him, because they were star struck, perhaps something as weird as the 'everyone is equal' rules at the academy made all of this feel weird? Or perhaps it's just something as dumb as him being twice their age?
He really didn't know, and though he decided to not dwell about it, it didn't exactly feel right.
Changing his target he decided to head back to his room instead, there was something he wanted to do and test out, so today felt like a good time to do just that.
This was not a super hard, but rather very detail oriented and finicky process. Once he got to his room he wanted to fill another spell slot of the coat.
Taking out his notebook he started drawing the Summoning Spell, or Creation spell as it was actually called. It was tied to his mental image for the sake of creating, which meant it was stupidly versatile. He could look into expanding on it later but Nolis knew what he was doing, and since Gilliam could easily cut the link to whatever he had summoned with a thought, it was not too dangerous as long as he was smart with it.
Like the Star Lance, he made extra, double, triple and quadruple certain that the spell circle was correct. Since this spell connected to his lifeforce, and not just his mana, he... really didn't want it failing.
He didn't really know how much time passed, but eventually he was satisfied with the, frankly evil-looking spell circle in the air. Passing it into the spell pocket it disappeared and pinged itself as successful.
Not wanting to gamble on this working properly without testing it, he let it connect to him as he mentally imagined a normal butterfly that had a two minute lifespan. Activating the process had the spell circle barely blink itself in existence before opening a light cut on his arm, it was not more than a simple cut that would probably close itself in a minute. The familiar mist puffed out of the wound and disappeared instantly, much faster than when Nolis showed him before. And as the spell completed a simple butterfly with a blue wing pattern started flying around in the room. Since Gilliam had the mental image of a normal butterfly, it seemed to take his concept of normal and had it be incredibly harmless.
As expected, about two minutes later it disintegrated into particles of red mist and disappeared.
This was a resounding success!
Not wasting time, he decided to just put the rest of his things in the ring, mainly his notebook and writing utensils. Then make his way to the girls.
Exiting his room he took the shortest path, down the hallway, through the large hall and into the Light Field. The dome was active and there was fighting inside it. They had not really been on their own that long yet but Kintas seemed eager for some more engaged fighting, so odds were that they didn't have a problem persuading him.
Rather than going in and changing the power balance and getting owned by Kintas again and again, he decided to just observe for now. Though their fighting as a group needed a lot of refining, odds were that they would be fighting together as Gilliam would bombard everything he could see, if it turned out like that the girls needed this more than he did.
Though, as he got properly close he saw that his fears weren't needed, Angela and Petal fought very well together, much better than when Gilliam was involved. They had found a synergetic timing working where they changed between offence and defence between them. This let Angela handle focusing on the weapon which let Petal focus more on attacking, or the other way around. Though it didn't always work and Kintas seemed to generally have the upper hand, they got through to him more often than Gilliam expected.
He also released a few things. First, seeing them die felt wrong even though they were in the safety of the dome, but the more impressive thing was their damage output. Petal's claws had stronger cutting power than they should have, though not that long they managed to leave extremely deep gashes, or even cut limbs off... The few times they connected. When used right it seemed she could even block Kintas' sword at times. Angela didn't have the same cutting power but when she landed her punches or kicks, the sound of breaking bone could be heard outside of the dome, she had improved somehow.
Gilliam intended to use this time to generate more Mana crystals, but alongside the other students he was entranced by the fighting happening in the dome. Sure, it was not as flashy or explosive as if he had been part of it himself, but it was amazing to see how much they had improved. Kintas was still a monster and it was possible to see that he was still holding back, but he was holding back less than before.
After a while of watching he snapped out of his original trance, it was still interesting to see but he had enough focus to spare compared to before. Letting them fight he used that downtime to make more of the mana crystals.
He kept making them the same size as before, something that seemed to make students around him either terrified or amazed, ignoring them he continued doing his thing. Once a crystal was complete he just put it in the ring, and started on another one. For future versatility he made sure to make them of different elements.
Having done this a short while he realised that he could now make a fourth crystal before he felt like stopping. This kind of caught him off guard as his maximum before was three before stopping. Given the amount of mana in these gems it would seem that he had improved again! This brought him immense joy, to the point that he got a slight adrenal spike, causing some focus problems when making the next crystal.
In the downtime between making large crystals he made some small darts. They were about 10cm long (~4inch) and about 1cm thick (~0.4inch), though he didn't make proper fletching he added some very small fins on the non-pointy side, he took care to barely curve them slightly, these would be going incredibly fast but the fins should aid stabilisation through rotation. These were faster to make but based on the marble testing earlier they should be somewhat devastating when shot with Telekinesis.
If he took it slow he could just continue making these without the need to stop, meaning that his Core recharged his Boundary about the same speed.
Though he wanted more of everything he decided to take breaks in between, it would be better for him to make the larger ones for Aether, especially if the portal mage needed them. However he did manage to generate eight Aether Crystal darts in addition to the four different element spheres. He felt, surprisingly fine, all things considered.
After some time just staring it seems that Petal noticed Gilliam through the dome, she said something that stopped the fight and Gilliam was waved over.
Not minding being a part of this he happily entered the dome, Petal walked over to him and greeted him with a smile and tattered clothing. Having another proper look at the group they all had pretty bad clothing at the moment.
"Your companion here has gotten dangerous." Kintas commented shortly after Gilliam and Petal shared a smile. "No idea what you did but keep doing it." He smiled, complimenting her progress.
Angela seemed to take this as her queue and walked closer to him, whispering something to Kintas which had him smile incredibly wide and suggestively.
"Oh yes, absolutely keep doing what you're doing." He smiled, putting heavy emphasis on 'absolutely'.
Again, in the modern world Gilliam didn't have problems talking about the subject, but it was oddly uncomfortable sharing this kind of information now.
"Aaaanyway-" Gilliam forcefully changed the subject again. It was easier to just talk about something everyone wanted than to try and avoid this. "We have a meeting later today. We can play around until then, I suppose we have a few more hours before we need to consider leaving."
Petal and Angela nodded, Kintas didn't seem to care as long as he could fight.
Armed with a new thing to try out, this felt like a good time to play with creating something to not only surprise Kintas, but testing out on-the-fly summoning.
"Then, let's test a new trick with our friend here." Gilliam smiled in a slightly sadistic way. The man had killed him at least twenty times more than he had retaliated, perhaps it was time to even out the playing field.
Kintas smiled oddly satisfied with this and though he didn't take a stance, he seemed ready nonetheless. "Bring it, fucker." It was toned very much like a command rather than a request. Kintas was ready, and being in the dome is the perfect place to learn the limits of summoning magic safely.
"Understood." Gilliam didn't plan to start massively big, but he had an idea he wanted to test. |
Gilliam went into great detail, explaining his thoughts and lack thereof in a lot of cases. It started with the training and learning, as well as bonding with Savia. Putting her in his hair to free his hands he continued with the testing of magic and simply explaining who and what he was to the group that might not know him.
Then the first gate that had him terrified, that was the first he saw actual combat in his life. He managed to puzzle together the spell that broke the gate and sent the demons back or left them to be slaughtered, the portal cutting the foot of the Gatekeeper.
Then he went through the thing with Petal becoming his servant, he chose to not mention the possibility to just force-teach her V'idan and just mention that they agreed on the conclusion of his reputation. The original information they got from her about demon biology. He went into detail about all the other things, scaring the students to not mess with Petal. It went onto the training with Ghaos, the duel with Garend and perhaps not in the correct order, everything up until the second portal.
The second portal started out with simple explanations, as they were prepared he managed to destroy it before it opened but was stabbed. Adding a point that he wanted to know what happened to her once this was over he continued.
This moved to once he grabbed the dagger it felt like teleportation, similar to when Aeris teleports him. The explanation then continued into his awakening and introduction to the demon world, moving onto his escape and everything that followed. How he struggled to survive, needed food, and his whole path through his mental ordeals. The training with Ghaos had already gotten him over the fear of hurting people, that helped a lot. The explanation continued with Sirzan, though he decided to not detail the ring and sword too much for now. The information he got from Sirzan was some of the most interesting parts for the people in the room. All his combat, the potential hundreds of demons he killed, the description of them and how they fought, in the end the static gate, the following fight that had two dangerous mages and finally the orb. He had to mention the sword in this but he didn't detail it, leaving them to speculate.
The story ended with the mini gate within the Academy walls, finding out about Garend, Savia and Petal. Taking his revenge on Garend, managing to bring Savia out by feeding her Garend's arm and that kind of concluded the explanation.
People took lots of notes but now the room was dead silent.
They were re-reading their notes, making new notes, seeming to shuffle papers back and forth, some murmuring between a few of them until one of the well dressed men finally broke the silence.
"You... You cut the arm of a noble? A com* Mage such as yourself-" It was plain as day that he was about to define Gilliam a commoner and the outrage, but tried to save himself some face there. "Attacked a noble and cut off his arm... That you then fed to your demon slave...?"
He looked almost more outraged at that than the whole explanation of the Fractured Lands and its people.
"After everything I just explained, this is the part you react to... Yes, the little shit tortured my familiar and attacked my companion, so I took revenge. I meant to kill him so you can be happy that I was persuaded otherwise.-" As the same noble was about to comment, Gilliam cut him off before he could properly start. "-And yes, I am very aware that he will most likely get his very influential father and family to do their best to either take me out or ruin my reputation. But honestly, if you pompous fucks decide to bring that up before the actual demon invasion, I'm out, I'll just leave and I won't help anymore."
He put heavy, heavy pressure on the 'actual demon invasion' part of the explanation, forcing focus on what's important. Parts of him knew how nobles would often consider themselves before everything else but this was getting on his nerves.
Naturally it was a lie that he would leave and not help, he would absolutely leave but he would not stop fighting the demons. Though he felt he needed to put into perspective that currently at least, he was the most experienced and potentially powerful person they had against the demons. So some noble squabble was so far down on his list that it just annoyed him.
"Now, anyone else?" He forced word away from the man who wanted to speak about the nobles. Didn't stop him from wanting to talk more but after looking around the room he realised and stopped himself from asking anything else.
Following were more practical questions about the demons, their apperance, how the different ones fought, their world and other things Gilliam had noticed that he might not have realised that he noticed. This took the rest of the day with food and drink being brought in at some point. The discussions didn't need much steering after the initial trailing off, and a lot of information was shared, Gilliam doing his best to draw or explain things asked of him.
Ledels asked what Gilliam planned to do in this case, specifically mentioning that since he isn't tied to anyone he also didn't owe anyone anything.
Gilliam replied that he planned to fight the demons, for now he likes the academy and the people more than the few he dislikes; so he'll stay.
This calmed down a lot of people in the room, so it seemed that his threat hit harder than he expected.
In the end the meeting, or rather presentation was over. The current questions were answered and people were tired. The nobles of the group left before the others, teachers following after. Nobody really said anything but rather seemed deep in thought. When they all had left the remaining ones were Gilliam's group and Ledels, who got up from his chair and walked over to Gilliam.
"I do apologise for the nobles, they are egotistical but mean well in their own... weird way.-" His factual expression was forced calm, clearly trying to hide the tiny bit of disgust he had for them. "-You will have my full support, almost anything the Academy can help with, as long as it makes sense, we'll do our best."
This was a super good deal, not that Gilliam needed much more than knowledge and training, although there were two things.
"Can someone heal Savia and teach her V'idan?" When referencing his familiar he pointed at the little creature he had put into his hair during his presentation.
He investigated her a bit, she peeped out from a small nest she had made in his hair and smiled at Ledels.
"I don't think we can regenerate her feathers, not many healers have that skill. So might need to happen naturally if they regrow. The rest of her wounds seem fine.-"
Looking back to Gilliam he continued. "-Teaching her V'idan is not a problem as long as she's sentient and won't resist the process."
Gilliam smiled. "Good. I would like both done as soon as possible."
Ledels pondered for a second. "I can cast the spell, but I'm not as good at it as Muul is. I can only pass my knowledge of the language away, so she'll only be as good as I am. Muul has studied V'idan to a much higher degree than me."
This had Gilliam realise something, since Muul was the one who taught Petal, she should have an incredibly good grasp of the language. That was a bit amusing that she as an outsider would know the language better than most natives.
"I'm fine with that, I don't need her to have perfect knowledge, so nativer understanding is plenty."
Gilliam was a bit happy. On a cold and logical level; this would increase her usefulness a lot. But on a more emotional and real level; this was going to increase her life quality, being able to talk to people.
Lifting his hand up to the hairgoblin that she had become, she eagerly climbed into it before he lifted her back down and waited for her to pay attention to him. "Now, Savia. He will use some magic on you, don't resist it, ok?"
She simply smiled and nodded which prompted Gilliam to nod at Ledels.
The headmaster proceeded to generate the very, very complicated multi-tiered spell circle. Once completed he placed the oversized circle on her head which prompted it to flash and disappear. Much like with Petal there was no visual change and everything ended up with a confused little creature in his hands.
"It's going to take a moment." Ledels commented, which is also somewhat akin to what Muul mentioned for Petal.
The tiny relief that Gilliam had now, since everything else was taken care of, adding that time moves slower in the Fractured Lands, so any time they used to mobilise would give them more time to react, all these thoughts allowed Gilliam's fatigue to rush back over him.
Waking up to the sound of heavy, heavy rain, Gilliam felt better. Not just since he seemed to have gotten proper rest, but there was something oddly calming about the sound of rain. He was never really sure if it was because of the static noise effect that rain had or that it felt nostalgic to the UK. Not the most rainy place in the world, it was still pretty known for it.
Thinking about the day before, after the language spell was cast on Savia the remainder of the day passed in a blur, the walk back to the healing area and getting a checkup on Savia. He vaguely remembered them mentioning that they didn't exactly have much knowledge about just what she was, and nobody had exact skills in regrowing feathers. What they did have, however, was much more knowledge and skill than Gilliam had in generalised healing, allowing them to improve her general wellbeing. It was not to the point that her skin and scales were perfectly fine, but it was much closer than it was before.
He had so much to do in his future, he had without a doubt pissed off the demon domain something fierce. Not just did he kill some of them, he destroyed parts of one of their towers as well as consumed an important artefact. He did feel surprisingly satisfied by all of this but given how fight-happy the demons seemed they were most likely increasing efforts.
The need to train was ever present, he did well all things considering but he clearly needed more knowledge, even with his cheat-level of knowledge in magic, he couldn't create food. And he didn't even know the cleaning spell. Though he did get a decent look at the spell circle that Jial used on him after the event with Petal, it was too fast for him to get it properly. He also needed to get more used to the sword and find out the limits of the ring.
Considering that Petal and Savia could end up in the demon realm in the future, as well as other people for that matter, there was also the need to train other people.
On the thought of them he took a brief check in his room, Savia was sleeping in a nest she had made in his hair again, he strangely enough missed this before. And Petal was sleeping in his bed next to him. Smiling to himself as he looked at the ceiling he realised that he really didn't hate this.
The five days or something he spent in the Fractured Lands had absolutely changed him, the fear of harming people and doing what he felt was needed was absolutely removed. To the point that he didn't even wince at remembering that he fed a teens arm to a chained up demon, it just felt needed so it was fine.
He was turning into a 'I do what I want' kind of person with his own rules behind it... Or at least he hoped that he could keep it that way, he didn't like the idea of becoming as the roleplaying community liked to name 'chaotic stupid'. He remembered playing with those and that was... not god... So one of his highest fears at the moment was becoming one of those.
Though everything said, he did like being in the demon realm a bit, not the threat of death... that part was terrifying and he absolutely hated that part but the lack of fear when using magic. He didn't have to actually be afraid to use something big and just try out things. He didn't like the idea of killing even demons without reason but, if he did it was kind of OK. He wondered if he would ever end up thinking about humans that w*
"Master!!" a tiny voice broke him out of his weird mental place. Savia had realised that he was awake somehow, since she was still in his hair it was probably through their bond.
Stressing herself out of the ball of hair she had collected she climbed up from the top of his head to his face, a few flaps were needed to aid her climbing until she stood on his forehead.
She just stood there for a few seconds with a very, very satisfied smile before she tilted forward in a face-planting hug, she remained there until he lifted her off.
"Good morning, Savia." He smiled back at her. This is how it should be, waking up with those who are close to you. It would be just a tiny bit better if there was not the threat of an incoming invasion s*
The sudden sound of his door being stomped against woke the three of them properly up. They were quite startled as this came from nowhere. It was almost to the point that the three of them flew out of the bed as a reaction. Though that didn't happen Gilliam did realise that in that split second he had taken his sword out of the ring, though not activated it yet.
"What?!" Gilliam shouted out toward the door, his calm and pleasant morning completely destroyed.
"I heard you got a neat sword and some new combat skill. I wanna fight!" Kintas' voice was outside the door, he sounded very, very... Very interested. He could almost feel his adrenaline through the door.
"What... You boot my door to ask me to spar?" Gilliam was more confused than anything, this just felt... weird. He could have waited?
"Oh, no, I don't want a spar; I want to fight." There was an odd tone to his voice. No anger or any feeling for any revenge or really anything like that. He just wanted to fight.
Climbing out of the bed and shuffling over to the door, not considering that he was in his underwear at the moment and how the equally in her underwear Petal in his bed could be misunderstood, he opened the door to Kintas. Feeling safe to do so as he was part of the Academy faculty.
"I'm tired, you booted my door and.. You want to spar? Fight? What's the difference?"
Kintas looked at the sword in Gilliam's hand, he had seemingly forgotten to put it back in the ring. His look was that of an addict eyeing their next fix after abstaining for far too long.
"Ohyes, that looks good. I like the runes. From what I heard when you activate it, your skill manifests, I guess it's related to your magic skill?"
Gilliam couldn't remember having mentioned much more than in passing how the fight against the demons went, and he only briefly mentioned that he obtained a sword that could magically manifest a blade.
Kintas was a swordsman... right? Did Ledels of Jial realise something?
In his confused daze Gilliam sort of nodded in agreement to his assumptions. "I gues* I mean.. Who.. How did you know?"
The tone of his voice changed before the last question when he snapped out of his daze and wanted to know what was going on.
"Oh. I got a little info from Jial yesterday, I pieced the rest together." he smiled a bit proudly.
"But. You want to fight me? Right now? We can use the dome in the Light field, the one you and Ghaos used."
He was like an eager puppy wanting to go on a walk.
"No, yes... no.. what.. Hold on. What's the difference between a spar and a fight?" Though not the most pressing question in Gilliam's mind at the moment, there were many, but it was the one he asked a moment ago and he kind of needed to know.
"A spar has too many dumb rules and people fighting with holding back and trying to not hurt the other side too much. No. Fuck that, I want a proper fight. Like you and Ghaos had. You got a sword now and perhaps the only one that can take mine, I want to fight."
He kept repeating that, he looked scarily eager. And given how easily he whooped his ass last time there was something more to it this time.
".... What do you know that I don't understand yet..." Gilliam was hesitant, was this some kind of weird trap? Was he going to kill him and eat his heart or something weird?
"If anything, I might be one of the few that kind of understands your gift?" He sounded a bit uncertain, but at the same time the tone hinted that he did indeed know something, but it might be hard for him to put his finger on it.
Gilliam's eyes narrow, he understood his gift but that was mainly due to tropes and media back home. It at least helped a lot.
"Oh, and what exactly is my gift?" Gilliam wondered. Not that he didn't know but he wondered how someone claiming to get it understood it.
"Hmm... I'll tell you after we fight!" He had a shit eating grin but at the same time there was something in his eyes that confirmed the truth in his statement, that he wasn't lying.
"So... You want us to fight, as in actually aim to kill each other in the dome where Ghaos killed me like a thousand times, and after we've done that for a while you'll tell me your version of what my gift is?"
It was more a summary so they were on the same page before they decided on anything.
Kintas actually thought about this for a good solid few seconds before he answered.
"Yes, however you need to give it your proper effort, I won't accept it if you just go in there and fake die a few times. I want to fight properly!"
He was hellbent on this fight of his, almost like he was extremely pent up after teaching students for years, but now after the first gate incident he might have triggered something.
"But... What if I don't want to?" There was really not much for Gilliam to gain here. He could already somewhat fight and he was pretty good at magic, did he really need this fight?
It's not like he didn't know his own gifts.
"Oh, sure there is. Consider your improvement in fighting after training with Ghaos. Now we'll do the same with the sword-" Kintas interrupted Gilliam before he got the chance to react to this statement. "-And before you answer or say you won't earn anything from this. I know that lots of the last training was to remove the fear of pain but most importantly, affect your fear of hurting others. That's boring. What I can do is to tell you things about your sword."
The grin was back...
Gilliam didn't like it but... He did have some good ideas.. He was currently relying on the magic cheat bonus, and he had found out that though it's very good, it's not super amazing.
"And how can you tell things about my sword just by looking at it?" Gilliam realised this was a better question.
"Now, that is the important question, isn't it." His shit eating grin grew to a magnitude Gilliam didn't think possible.
"Get ready. Meet me in the dome right away, I'll explain to you why I know and share some fun details. When we fight I'll share more details as we go."
Not letting Gilliam respond, Kintas closed the door and just left.
Standing in front of a closed door barely not touching his face. Clearly in thought, weighing options and considering things he remained there for a solid few seconds before letting out a super drawn out sigh with a groaning undertone. muttering to himself in a defeated tone.
"Fuck you, Kintas...."
Turning around he faced Petal, who was still sitting in the bed looking at him confused.
"Get dressed, seems like this is going to be a painful day..."
She smiled and nodded, starting to put on the dress she got from Jial all that time ago.
Gilliam put the sword back in the ring and started getting dressed.
A day off was all he wanted, lie in bed and just chill, but he apparently had to go fight the swordmaster of the Academy today... |
Gilliam fell back into the bed, he was becoming exhausted before he had even woken up. Not a good start.
He groaned disapprovingly at the door. "Fine, I'll get ready and come down."
"Lord Silverhawk is in the Aether Field, Sir." She didn't sound super uncertain anymore, but it was easy to hear that she scampered off before Gilliam could really reply anything to her.
Gilliam couldn't hold anything against her, everyone probably knew how much he cared for the Shitstain that was Garend, and now his father was here, no doubt sounding commanding and angry, sending the first servant he found to go get his son's mutilator.
He would, however, hold this against the Lord Silverhawk, he could have come later in the day...
Taking a last good look over his more than just a companion in his bed before he got his ass up to his feet and started getting dressed. The morning routine was not skipped, Silverhawk would just have to wait, after all he had to be presentable before such an important man.
Gilliam could taste the sarcasm within his own head as he thought that sentence.
The group was ready in normal time, though Savia was a bit annoyed that they were going to delay breakfast for now. Gilliam thought of the apple slice he put in the ring yesterday, taking it out he happily noticed that there was no browning or hints of it having been a whole night since it was put in there. This suggested that there either was no air in there or that the ring had some preservative effects. The ant he created and put in there was also still fine, even though in his mind ants also needed air... right? They had to... somehow... He decided to leave the ant in there for now as he gave Savia the apple slice. She seemed fine with that for now and the group left his room after he put his coat on.
He was told that Silverhawk was in the Aether field, Gilliam assumed they recently teleported in, it seemed like the logical thing to do unless you wanted to spend quite some time with horses and carriages. It felt safer as well, bandits or that kind of people tended to like high value targets, right?
Mentally dwelling on what could happen as he walked down the hallway, he failed to notice Petal's content expression and improvements all around. Scarring or any skin damage she might have had before were now gone, she looked like her health improved and even her steps were lighter than before. He did notice that Savia was happily eating her apple slice, not just through the happy feeling through their shared bond but since she lived in his hair most of the time it was hard to avoid feeling it.
Being in his own mental bubble he found himself exiting the door into the Aether field sooner than he expected. Looking out into the field he could mostly see what he somewhat expected.
A large group of people, most of them knight-looking with metal armour and weapons. A man he assumed was the Lord Silverhawk himself as he was the only one in a super nice suit, blonde hair oiled backwards and a cane studded with some gem on the top.
As he got closer he could barely see that the man also had what looked like a bandoleer across his chest, under his suit jacket, with many tiny colored vials attached to it. Almost having suppressed the sight the one-armed little shit was also present, just seeing him was enough that Gilliam could feel a mix of fear and uncertainty from Savia. He was a bit amused at how neatly folded up the sleeve of his missing arm was, it was clear that he was given nice clothing but at the same time it wasn't exactly prepare for a one armed person.
Getting into normal conversation distance it seemed that the theatrics of politics kicked in right away with introductions. The man gave him a polite bow and behaved rather well.
"Good morning. My name is Lial Silverhawk-" As he bowed he seemed to notice that Garend didn't do the same, slapping his leg with his cane had Garend reluctantly follow in suit and bow as well. "-You can call me Lial if you wish."
The soldiers that stood behind him didn't move, Gilliam had no real knowledge about etiquette in this world so he just let all of this happen. However, Gilliam had no intent to return the politeness, he had no proper idea what Lial had planned but he wasn't really interested.
Petal looked at Gilliam uncertainly, seeming like she was planning to try to be courteous but since Gilliam didn't do anything but stare mildly annoyed in return, she seemed to just stand there and do nothing.
At this point Gilliam also noticed that there were a lot of students looking into the Field from their windows, many rooms had multiple students, curiosity was high.
"What do you want?" Gilliam asked bluntly. "I'm not one for politics or unnecessary politeness, be direct and let's get this over with."
Normally Gilliam would use passive politeness in his English language easily enough, adding thank-you's and please's as part of just speaking, but he didn't even feel like doing that at this point. He didn't know anything about Lial but if Garend takes from his father... This was going to be an annoying day.
"As you wish." Lial replied in a polite tone as he got properly up from his bow, Garend having already done so before they got to that point.
"I am here to make amends on behalf of my unruly son, I would prefer if our relationship would remain positive, but I would accept neutral before negativity."
Lial seemed honest and did go straight to the point as requested.
This caused Gilliam to raise an eyebrow, he expected the man to come out here, screaming and yelling about how his son was mutilated, demanding payment in some weird form to compensate him. Gilliam had mentally prepared a list of his own exploits and titles to throw back to deescalate the situation, weighing his importance in the invasion but... this... This was unexpected.
Something that was expected was Garend's reaction to this. The one armed boy turned towards his father with a confused and outraged expression. "But father, he-!"
The boy was interrupted by a look from his father that explained more than one thing to Gilliam. Garend had probably never known much parental love, which is probably why he acted like he did, throwing his status around like a badge of power. And to be honest it probably worked most of the time, he was probably used to getting whatever he wanted, and his posse from before backed this up.
Gilliam chuckled once, failing to hold that back. Wanting to instantly get attention away from the chuckle he took the word and moved the subject back to the matter at hand.
"I have to admit I'm a bit confused, I expected you to come here all angry like for doing this to your son." Not hiding that he was indeed responsible for this.
Lial looked back to Gilliam with a poker face like a professional, the scornful gaze he gave his son melding into an almost too neutral one. "From Garend's explanation of the event, he did something unspeakable towards Mr. Gibson, the fact that he kept his life was a gift. A gift I would not have given as freely had I been in your position."
The emotionless expression, probably beneficial for a merchant or politician, didn't waver in the slightest when he mentioned killing his own son. This just reaffirmed Gilliam's assumptions about why Garend turned out like he did. This was no excuse, not at all, but it still hinted at the reasoning behind it.
Garend looked back and forth between Lial and Gilliam, seeming to want to shout something, attack or... at least do something.
"Father, he attacked me, he cut my ar-" His loud explanation was halted by another gaze from Lial, this time followed up by barely moving his cane, almost hinting that he intended to fwack him with it.
All things considered, though Gilliam hated the little fuck, he couldn't help pittying the boy at least a little. Coming from a not-too-loving family himself, he at least had it leagues better than this boy had it.
Turning back to Gilliam, Lial had other thoughts in mind.
"To make the situation better, I am willing to extend the Silverhawk's favour to you. We do not only deal in the Silverhawks but we are prominent in the mercantile business, I'm sure we can come to an agr-" Though this was probably a very good deal for most people, Gilliam accidentally cut him off with a little laugh.
"I have the favour of Alleyan in Mazewares, I'm not going to pretend to know everything around here but do the Silverhawks beat that?" Gilliam's face was honest and questioning, like he actually didn't know.
In his mind he did feel that Mazewares was higher on the list, if nothing else just because of the coat given to him. If the price was even close to what the assumptions was, he was given a huge fortune in a single piece of clothing.
There was finally an expression on Lial's face, an expression of defeat. The explanation of Alleyan's favour apparently hit very hard.
"No." A simple but heavy answer.
"Good, then I think we're done here." Gilliam turned to leave, he didn't want to get into family business and there didn't seem to be anything interesting to gain from this either. Anything he could give, so could Yan. And Yan had been nothing but pleasant, even if you ignored the coat, so it was not hard to guess who Gilliam's favour was with.
"I challenge you!" Garend's voice was loud and strained. He clearly shouted it to make sure it was heard enough to not be ignored.
Gilliam assumed this was some official challenge thing that his father couldn't deny if accepted, it felt like the only logical reason to shout it.
Stopping in his tracks and turning around, Gilliam looked at him a bit confused. Having only taken a few steps they were still well within conversation distance. "You... do remember how that turned out last time, right?" He really wanted to de-escalate this before it went into another fight and either more wounds or death.
Garend smiled like he had a plan for this all along. "You won't be fighting me, I can call on a champion to fight for me!"
This confused Gilliam, he had heard a bit of things like this in certain media, but he didn't actually know the rules. Sort of looking towards Lial for some confirmation, the sigh and look of defeat on his face confirmed everything.
Turning back to Garend. "So... you are going to get someone else to fight and die for you..."
This just felt so... weak... Challenging someone but not taking part of the event yourself and rather picking some expert.
"Can I just not say no?" Gilliam asked the area, not expecting to get a good answer out of Garend at least Lial added something.
"You can, but it would look bad for your name, backing down is considered weak." He had some sympathy in his voice.
Turning to Garend, Lial spoke at him in hushed but harsh tones. "Call of the challenge, this is stupid, you don't want to possibly harm the Heptagon m-"
He was interrupted by Garend, who did not try to hush his voice in the slightest.
"Just because you're a coward doesn't mean I need to be one, he will pay for what he did!" The better-than-thou attitude reeked of the boy, wanting revenge more than understanding the situation.
"Fine, I'll accept your challenge, but only if you fight for yourself. I don't care about my reputation so if I look weak that's fine by me." Gilliam honestly couldn't care less about his reputation in that context. His reputation probably held closing three gates, surviving the demon realm and once it got out; being able to cast tactical spells on the fly, he was sure that the little hit he would take here wouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
This paused the whole discussion, Garend was fuming, his plans seemed to fall apart and he was left with someone he couldn't manipulate. He either had to ignore the whole situation, Gilliam didn't even know how this could affect him later on, or he could fight someone who has proven himself to be his better by far.
"I want to add that I have improved since last time." Though not a lie, Gilliam wanted to scare him into backing out. He hated the shit but he didn't want to kill him if he didn't have to.
Looking at his father, Garend commanded him. "Give me all the potions."
His father sighed and caved in, it at least seemed that he didn't want his son to die outright.
Once his father agreed to it, Garend turned back to Gilliam with renewed vigour. "Fine! I'll take you on myself!"
Not waiting a moment he walked up to his father and got almost all the potions on his bandoleer. Gilliam had no idea what they did but they had to be good for him to react like that. Garend started drinking them as he walked back towards Gilliam.
Gilliam picked Savia out of his hair and handed her to Petal, who gave them some distance after letting the little creature sit in her cupped hands.
Turning properly back to Garend he took the Broken Blade out of the ring.
"Since you are drinking the potions already, how much preparation is actually allowed before you enter these duels?" Gilliam had ideas on what to do, but he didn't want to be blamed for cheating, however since Garend was buffing himself somehow, there had to be some rules or something, right?
"Like that matters!" Garend didn't seem to want to wait or even give a ready signal, he had already manifested a spell circle that collapsed into a solid fist-sized rock that flew towards Gilliam.
This honestly caught Gilliam off guard, some arrogance and some expecting at least a droplet of honour from him had him lower his guard a little.
The rock slammed into Gilliam's chest, but the coat did as it should and took almost all of the force away from his body, the only force that remained was a light punch, not enough to actually affect him.
"Ah, fine." Gilliam muttered once the shock of the attack was over.
Parts of his mind wanted to use the Star Lance... but that would most likely take half of the Academy, as well as himself, along with the ride. In stead it was better with localised effects.
As he lifted his hand to aim at Garend, the boy ran sideways at surprising speeds, it seems that one of the potions had increased his speed substantially. This was backed up by another stone slamming into Gilliam's back, he didn't really get the time to react there either, however the coat handled it like a champion and it was hardly an issue.
However, with this in mind it meant that if Garend hit a good spot this could be over, Gilliam stopped underestimating him and decided to treat this seriously. A second later a powerful barrier formed around Gilliam, an unstructured spell took a lot of energy but it was hardly a problem at the moment. The next thing he needed to do was to get hold of the boy, since he was running around it was hard to hit him with aimed spells but there was a simpler method.
Channelling a tiny bit of water aligned energy into the Broken Blade changed the runes to a deeper blue colour, manifesting the blade had a long and slender ice blade take shape. Ignoring both the laughter and incoming stones shattering against his barrier he triggered the sword's second activation. The blade started spraying water around the area, like an industrial garden hose he started spreading the nearby area with super chilled water.
"What are you going to do, make me wet?" A taunting comment from Garend turned sour once he realised what was going on.
As the boy ran around on the supercooled water, like a bottle of water in the freezer could come out fluid and freeze once disturbed, so did the water freeze every time he stepped in it or interacted with it.
More and more ice was building on his body and limbs, especially on his legs. It only took seconds before there was enough ice around his legs that he couldn't run anymore. Panic kicked in much faster once this had him trip into the water and start freezing over. Only the water itself froze, it didn't creep further than that, but it was enough that the boy was helplessly frozen to the ground.
This allowed Gilliam to walk over calmly, his tests before showed that he could move in it for some reason, and not trigger the freezing. Which made it much, much more practical for the user. Squatting down next to the mostly frozen Garend, Gilliam couldn't even take joy in this, it was just pitiful. All of this could have been avoided if he didn't act like a dick.
"Now, I know we didn't agree on it, but was this a duel to the death, or not?"
The deadpan uncaring look from Gilliam seemed to freeze Garend's soul even more than the ice was already doing.
"No... Please don't... I... I yield!" The boy was surrendering yet again, last duel he yielded he was much more wounded, Gilliam almost regretted not finishing him there and then, given the revenge on Savia when he was gone.
"You know, yielding only works if your opponent accepts it." Gillaim didn't know what to do at this point. Should he just kill him to make sure this kind of shit didn't happen in the future? Or should he gamble on that the brat learned and understood.
If he let him go without anything, there would be no punishment for losing and no reason not to try again in the future, and a simple spanking won't work.
Casting a glance over to Lial, the man averted his gaze and looked into the ground, it seems that his wishes were not a factor. Gilliam didn't know the rules of duelling properly, but he had pieced together that it was up to him now.
"No, no. Please don't. Father, help me!" The boy pleaded in an almost commanding manner. Tears rolled down his face and froze as it touched the ice. This was probably his get out of jail free card, calling for daddy.
No, there was no reason not to kill him. He was already a problem and it would probably only get worse in the future, just look at now, he even started the duel early to get an edge. Gilliam didn't know if this was cheating or not but it was at least a dick move. He had done things to both Petal and Savia, and now he was doing shit to Gilliam again. As he got up from his seated position he swiftly brought the sword up in a rising motion, the ice blade not meeting much resistance and making short work of the slender neck of the boy. The pulse of blood froze as it hit the supercooled ice, travelling through the still warm blood and freezing the wound. Everything was severed and over.
Walking away from the scene, Gilliam dismissed the ice as well as the manifested blade before putting it back in the ring. Garend's corpse properly fell to the wet grass with a limp thud now that there was nothing supporting his body off of the ground.
Turning towards Lial, Gilliam couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. "I assume there are no hard feelings..." This was a confirmation more than anything. Though right after asking he realised just how insanely insensitive it was. He wished that he could take it back and rather ask later, but it was too late now.
Lial's poker face came back to play, clearly this was useful for more than just business. "It is... regrettable, but there are no hard feelings... I would, however, request that I can take his body back for burial." There was a hint of break in his voice, he was struggling, rightfully so given that his son just died before his eyes.
There seemed to be mixed reactions from the windows, some were horrified at this, others seemed honestly happy, but the majority were oddly indifferent.
Gilliam nodded and left the area, he had nothing more to do here. As he was heading towards the mess hall he started wondering about how he was handling this. He just killed a human, a child no less. However he didn't really feel it weighing as heavy as he expected. He thought it would affect him and have him second guessing himself, if it was right, if he could do something else... And so on.
But no, this just felt normal. Not that he would seek out to do it again but more.
Pondering it for a short moment he had a working theory, he was just getting used to killing in general, since he saw Petal as a person, by extent the other demons were people as well. And he had easily killed a hundred of those, and who knew how many went in the Star Lance he sent through the gate, so his mind must just have gotten accustomed to the act. It didn't really matter, and he was going to have to do it much, much more in the future.
As he passed through the main hall, the first bell rang twice, scaring him right out of his train of thought, he snapped back to reality real quick with a heightened pulse.
Walking that off they entered the mess hall and got their food, Savia needing less than normal due to the earlier apple slice, they waited here for the moment until Angela finally showed up through the other students that had woken to the waking bell. As she was getting her own food, Savia suddenly landed on the table.
"Master, Master. Savia will go to Aeris!" She had toned it in a way that it sounded both as a statement but also as a question for leave.
Gilliam chuckled and nodded, Savia replied with a huge satisfied smile before she disappeared from sight and manifested in front of Aeris with a tiny roar. This didn't seem to phase Aeris but she faked being startled.
It was good that she had a like minded friend.
"So, I heard a few things on the way here..." Angela started a conversation before she even sat down. "There is talk about you killing someone." She sat down as she eyed Gilliam with a judging look.
Gilliam nodded in agreement. "Garend challenged me to a duel. I won." He shrugged as he explained it and was oddly nonchalant about it.
Her judging eye faded into a more worried one. "And... How do you feel about this? Unless I'm wrong this was your first human, no? Most people tend to react on that..."
She sounded like she spoke from experience.
"Yeah, he was. But given how many demons I have killed. I can't not regard them as people given my relationship with Petal. So oddly enough this doesn't feel different." He sounded honest, at least in his own head. He had no idea if this was just him persuading himself as a coping mechanism, or how he actually thought. But for now it was good enough at least.
Angela seemed like she wanted to argue the point, but she thought about it and ended up stopping herself with a weird agreeing shrugging nod.
"Well... I suppose you have a point... in a weird way..." Angela didn't want to agree, but she agreed to the point if nothing else.
Petal didn't seem to mind either way, she just looked her happy self, not caring about the talk about slaughtering her people or killing humans. But given her history it made a lot of sense either way.
"Aaaanyway-" Forcefully changing subject without any subtlety, Angela took control over their talk. Gilliam thought it was a bit odd that they went away from the topic of killing this easily but didn't really mind the topic change.
"After we're done eating, we should go to the headmaster's office, he has some information about yesterday's meeting."
She seemed oddly eager and interested in this information.
"Oh? Anything you know already?" Gilliam didn't expect her to have any information yet but it beat sitting in silence.
"It seems you're getting your wish." She smiled looking oddly pumped. "Hope you're ready!"
Gilliam was taken back a bit, he mentioned several ideas and bits of information yesterday, all depending on other things. "Wait, ready for which part?" |
The purple sphere had a large cloud of swirling energy as it quickly covered the distance between them, leaving a trail of heavy purple smoke in its wake.
Not wanting to get hit by this, not even letting it hit the barrier just in case, the group flew to the sides.
The incoming sphere changed direction and had a homing component. It was still heading for Gilliam. Stretching out his hand and triggering the barrier pocket on his coat, he cast a large and flat barrier wall in its path, as far away from the group as he could.
Spell hit the barrier as intended and rather than explode as he somewhat expected, it poofed into a widespread thick smoke.
The demon mage didn't seem happy about this, strongly hinting that this was going to do things to them, more than just mess with visibility.
A sudden thought from Gilliam, something he wanted to check. He manifested an Air magic circle, the other runes were Wind, Sustain, and Cone in a square pattern. Channelling mana into, and activating it created a sustained cone of air in the direction he pointed the active spell circle. It wasn't strong enough to blow back the smoke at this distance, but increasing the power of the spell amended this. Though a lot of sand came along for the ride, Gilliam didn't care about that. The purple smog was pushed back towards the demons at surprising speed.
The demon mage seemed to react fast enough and do something, a shimmering purple barrier barely formed around him before his creation came back to them.
As the smoke kept blowing through the group of demons, it disappeared into the town or just dissipated once it got thin enough, the demon mage was still standing with his barrier. The demons around him seemed unconscious, still breathing but not moving.
"Sneaky." Gilliam commented. It made a lot of sense to try to knock them out, after all, they ate mages for power so it would be dumb to kill them if they could avoid it.
The demon mage kicked one of the unconscious demons in front of him, it took a second kick from the mage for the imp-like demon to wake up.
This also had Gilliam realise that he had a surprising lack of crowd control magic tested, he knew the concept from modern media but... how do you make someone fall asleep with magic. He could mess with the ground under them, attack limbs and physically restrain them or simply just murder everything in the area, but this kind of magic looked amazing as violence might not always be possible.
However, in this case, violence was not only possible but preferred. Parts of him wanted to go over and attack the demons with his sword, or teleport over and deliver an amazing attack through that movement, but... all of those ideas were dumb. He was a mage first and foremost, the close combat training was just in case he needed it.
There was a bit of distance between them, which was only in Gilliam's favour. He wanted to give as many demons as possible the option to lay down arms, so to speak, but he was in enemy territory and he couldn't take the time to give everyone the chance, that would only get him killed one way or another. Quickly forming a pentagon magic circle, filling the five rune slots with Water, Ice, Shatter, Fragmentation, and Explosion, he made an ice-fragmentation grenade. This spell was nested inside a targeting and launching circle to have it fly towards his target rather than him needing to throw it.
He chose ice as the demons are desert dwellers, they might be resistant to heat or something and though Aether works fine, Ice feels like it should do well.
Feeding the spell a bit more mana than he thought it might need he aimed at the demon mage before activating it. The magic circle didn't have a defined shape and defaulted to a rough lump of water that froze during the implosion of the magic circle, a split-second before the launching mechanism activated, the ice cracked and fractured with visible lines. The mass held together as it was launched at great speed towards the demon mage. He had seen this happen and had started moving towards a nearby building, seemingly seeking cover. The mass vaguely tried to follow the demon's movement but as it was not a homing spell it didn't have the needed manoeuvrability to do so. It did. However, activating the explosion component of the spell once it arrived at the targeted location, the thundering explosive force itself tore anyone and anything in the nearest vicinity apart as the fragmented ice chunks peppered and penetrated anything in range. The demon mage, not having entered the building yet, was hit with both. The shockwave slammed into him and lifted him off his feet as the sharp ice debris pierced and cut into his body. His body ended up simply flung through the very wall he was trying to hide behind.
The demons around him, unconscious or awake, fell to a similar fate.
The distance between the group and the spell removed a lot of the danger, the few pieces of debris and weakened shockwave that reached them simply peeled off on their barriers without harm.
"Be careful, I'm not sure if that killed him or not." Gilliam felt a bit paranoid, though he was somewhat certain that the demon mage was taken out of the fight, he felt that caution was not a bad idea regardless.
Angela and Petal took this moment to run ahead of Gilliam. They didn't have that much training in proper combat where the mage kept their distance as the melee-focused individuals closed it, but the transition felt natural enough.
The girls had a solid barrier active on them, meaning that even if they were to take a hit, that should aid considerably. Though that being said, he preferred that they didn't take any hits at all. He silently decided to continue with overwhelming force when possible.
The two arrived well before Gilliam's calm walk. They peered into the room for a second before Petal entered the hole left behind after the mage dived into it.
There was a solid squelching sound that could be heard even at Gilliam's distance, he had an idea what it might have been through it was visually confirmed once he came into view of the scene. Petal had made sure that the mage didn't wake up with her claws, the puncture wounds through his skull were the only guarantee he needed.
Gilliam took a look around at the carnage, this spell proved very effective; not only did the explosion itself cause significant damage, but the fragmented ice pierced or crushed even the stone walls. Though the ice shattered in doing so and though it was just as indiscriminate as a grenade, the results spoke for themselves.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of claws rending flesh, breaking bones and generally unpleasant noises. Petal was digging into the mage's chest, looking a mixture of interested and unphased.
"What... are you doing?" Gilliam asked with an unsure tone. He was not reacting as much to the gore itself but more wondering about what was going on.
"The generals and lords always fought about the hearts of their food, I thought I should eat his." She sounded almost eager to find out about this.
She also had a good point, given that her people gain power from eating people, and if the hearts was the highest on this list, then it could prove valuable to at least try.
And try she did. Breaking open the rib cage she found the now non-beating heart. Ripping it out of the demon's chest and eating it in only a few bites, the blood running down her face and body was... a surprisingly horrifying sight. Gilliam knew that he fed the arm of a young boy to her not that long ago, but for some reason, this was a lot worse. Perhaps due to the brutality of it all.
Once she was done she looked at her hands for a few seconds, opening and closing them. "I... think it's working." She looked happy. "I can feel something, a rush... This feels good.." Her tone of voice confirmed it all. Gilliam was just happy that it was in the tone of stating facts, and not some deranged laughter to it.
Given the power boost she normally gained from their shared nights, it made sense that eating a mage's heart could do something to her.
Angela harumphed jealously. "I still call it cheating." Having several times shared her distaste that she can power up this easily, this was just another confirmation.
Gilliam reacted a bit to Angela's lack of reaction, she just saw her friend tear a heart out of someone and eat it.
Petal walked over to her pale friend, gently grabbed her chin between two bloodied fingers and whispered something to her, which caused Angela's pale complexion to redden. "I... I don't think so."
Turning away from the two of them she took a few steps in what seemed to be any direction that didn't have her face them. "We should get moving."
Gilliam had some vague thoughts of what might have been said but decided to not add to it, they were still at the edge of the town, a town that was far from uninhabited. This was also about the time they got before the locals had decided if they would attack or flee, as both had seemingly happened.
A collection of larger and stronger-looking lizard-like men came running with various weapons, there were also the same imps as before. However the increased variety of demons on this landmass had a few eldrich abominations mixed in, some looked like tentacle monsters attached to mutated canines, and others looked more like humanoid potentially succubi-like creatures. The most dangerous sort looked more like the Gatekeeper from before, slightly smaller but still strong enough to power lift cars.
Already standing on a road of sorts, coming from the static gate stretching into the town, Gilliam didn't want to wait for anything coming close before doing something.
Manifesting the carpet bomb spell circle he changed the explosive trigger to be lighter. He wanted it to activate once it started hitting them, but resist auto-activating from the other shockwaves. Giving the spell the energy it required he triggered the main spell and its launching mechanism, again having the main circle take the form of a bunch of small orbs. They launched forward swiftly at a slight offset so not all of them were along the same sheet of spells, it should aid them in not auto-exploding.
As expected the spell worked incredibly well as an explosive shotgun as it did carpet bombing, the wall of small orbs connected with buildings, causing collateral damage but also creating deadly shrapnel and flying debris. The debris shredded anyone close by and the orbs that made direct contact made a larger explosion than expected for something that small. It didn't take out the entire attacking force, but the devastation it caused gave them extreme hesitation. Even the gatekeeper-looking demons, who seemed to survive direct hits from the smaller carpet bombing spells, were hesitating.
"Is the mage's staff still in one piece?" Gilliam asked nobody in particular.
Angela had walked over to Gilliam and Petal was coming out of the building. Petal stopped to take a quick look around. "Doesn't look like it." She explained as she bent down to pick it up from inside the building.
It looked completely mangled, the crystal or whatever the glowing end was, had been shattered.
Gilliam cursed himself a bit, he kind of wanted to take a look at that staff but, this was somewhat his fault.
As he was considering this it seemed like the remaining demons had again decided to attack the invaders. A bunch was fleeing from the carnage, it was not sure if they were just fleeing or planned to inform anyone about this, if not simply both.
And this round, he didn't want to end up in melee with them, last time was far too dangerous...
Having never stopped the flight spell, he simply took to the air. The others did the same as soon as he left the ground. This had the non-flying demons do their best to throw weapons and debris their way, some with surprising power. Most missed them, but some slammed into the barrier. Luckily not enough to damage it that much, but still enough to be incredibly dangerous. Parts of Gilliam were considering just levelling the place with the ground, but since they were currently airborne the shockwave would hit them harder than he'd like. And if they flew far enough away they wouldn't see the place anymore and... well, there were a lot of issues with this place.
Their goal had to be the next static portal, they didn't know where it was but it was a relatively easy thing to find out, just time-consuming. Fly towards the other side of the landmass and go back and forth til they find it. Based on the other portals so far it shouldn't be rocket science.
"I think we just need to leave, ignore them and go for the next portal." Gilliam stated. The rushed tone hinted that he was suggesting it to confirm their reactions.
The girls nodded, and to make the process easier Gilliam cast another carpet-bombing spell at their attackers.
There weren't many flyers around them, the bombardment of the ground forces kept them away simply due to the danger of being shot down. This worked to their benefit at the moment, not only to not having to fight flying enemies but to have a more clustered area to target. Though it didn't seem like they were entirely idiots, they had spread out on the ground so a simple spell couldn't just take them out, not that this mattered for the scatter spell.
Channelling it like before, but making sure that it would spread out across a larger area, Gilliam made sure to fill the spell circle with a little extra energy to make sure it hit hard but also to produce more of the orbs.
The first time he tried to manifest the spell he realised a moment of idiocy from his side, the spell failed instantly as he manifested the circle, as there were at least a bunch of different incoming objects that passed through it. Feeling a bit stupid he made sure to channel the second attempt within his barrier, and this time it worked out as planned.
The carpet of small orbs spread out in a conical shape towards the ground, having the same significant impact as last time. Not waiting for the results or the settling of the dust and sand, Gilliam started flying towards where he hoped the static portal was.
The girls followed as soon as he started flying.
They took to height first, moving up to the height of barely being able to see the ground beneath them, then they just followed Gilliam's aim, not that he knew where he was going but it seemed better than splitting up.
"Come in close, I'll refresh the barrier." He didn't know exactly how much was left in them, but he didn't want them to just pop due to negligence.
Petal came in first, and Angela shortly after, the process was the same for both of them. Leaving the existing barrier in place, after all, there was no need to remove it, and setting up a solid second barrier over it. He took care to use a bit extra mana in it this round to make sure that it lasted as long as possible.
"There, that should hopefully help."
"Thank you, my Lord." Petal smiled warmly at her master. It almost caught Gilliam off guard, given where they are and what they were doing it just felt a bit odd being this close to 'one of them'.
He quickly put those thoughts away before Angela's words of appreciation, which didn't feel as weird, luckily enough.
They continued.
The chaos they had caused seemed to have helped a lot in slowing down anyone chasing them. They might not have seen where they went through the mayhem, or just the sheer height making them very hard to spot. But they were able to move like this for quite some time, it again felt like hours but it was hard to say for sure. Some simple snacks and drinks on the way kept their energy up, but the mental aspect of this was sinking in. They had been here for... who knows how long. A few days? A week? More?
And since that time was double back in Lisica... They needed to hurry.
If they got some downtime, Gilliam made a mental note that he needed to upgrade the flying spell, even though it would most likely end up draining his reserves rather than allowing it to recharge, it could be very good for immediate escape or overland flight.
Having made sure to keep as much of buildings and signs of society below them, it made it easier when they got closer to the end. Following the flow of the buildings they easily found the fancier areas that hinted at the location of the static portals, and luck would have it that this was indeed the case.
However, even from their lofty position, there was a slight problem.
"So..." Gilliam started as he looked to his companions. "Which of the two buildings do you think it is?"
The girls looked at him and shook their heads.
Gilliam looked at them specifically to get some thought, Angela was the first to respond. "I have no idea, we could try... asking?" She shrugged with a slightly forced smile.
Moving his gaze to Petal she shrugged as well. "We were never told anything from the other lands. I only knew the Finger I was on."
Gilliam sighed deeply. "That makes things a bit worse... We came from the finger to the hand and... I have no idea where we are now... Arm? Shoulder? Wrist? Do you know the parts, at least?" Gilliam had hope in his voice as he continued questioning his demon companion.
"No. I know the names are based on body parts, but not what parts." She shook her head again to emphasize her response.
"Well... Fuck... I suppose we can either gamble for one, or do our best in asking around..." He hated both options. "Though... if it goes bad, I suppose Savia can take us back, even though it might be a bit hard."
He hated to put her in that kind of situation but to be honest about it, she was there as their transport, and her discomfort could be alleviated by channelling energy into her. It didn't hurt her, it just sucked, so it was absolutely an option.
"Savia can always bring us back if we go to the wrong one." He halfway expected negative expressions at him but rather than that, they seemed to just go in thought a bit.
"If it's based on body parts-" Angela started as she pointed at her own body. "-What is the first place that could have two connections? The fingers and hand go to the wrist, arm or whatever, but... If there are two here then this might be the arm? The next going to the shoulder or chest... or something?"
She didn't sound certain, but she made a bit of sense.
"Then... The question is... did we come from the left or right side?" Gilliam's angle was that if they came from the right, the left portal might go to the chest or something, if they came from the left, they might need to take the right portal.
"So... I suppose we're back at square one..." he added in a disappointed tone.
"We came from the Right side." Petal chimed in. "I lived on the Right Finger."
Her simple statement lifted their spirits a surprising amount. "Then, we take the right portal and hope it goes to some chest area that's closer to the heart."
Again Gilliam looked at their responses more than just commanding, he had no idea if this was even a good plan but, it sounded decent.
This also made Gilliam realise that they needed to have a close talk with someone on the other side of this next portal. They needed more local knowledge. Sirzan could have helped a lot, but he wasn't exactly easy to find.
"I also think we need to kidnap someone for some answers." He realised that he didn't feel that negative about things this time, parts of him wanted to just nuke this place and get it over with, and have already killed and bombed so many of the demons already, but most of him realised that he didn't see them as people. The worst part was that he didn't care.
They nodded, agreeing to his plan and aimed for the right portal. Given what they had seen before it would most likely be much heavier guarded than the other gates.
Flying over the portal they aimed straight down, aiming to do the same as last time, just locking it in a portal and taking their time. But on the way down Gilliam felt something odd, a strong buildup of energy from the ground. |
There were two possibilities in Gilliam's mind, either they would teleport down to the static gate and just raise a strong barrier to try to handle whatever was going on or wait to see what the buildup of energy was. The latter felt very, very dangerous.
It was something magic related, it came from the town more than the area of the portals, meaning it was not a portal activation, which felt like a good thing at the time.
"What is it?" Angela asked, apparently noticing Gilliam's hesitation.
"I feel a large buildup of energy from over there." He pointed in the vague direction of where he felt it. "It's building up slowly..."
He felt the hesitation in his own words, it felt straight-up idiotic to wait for something to happen. The best would be to go for the portal. If whatever was being channelled was large enough, odds were they would hesitate to damage the portals, at least that gamble was better than the alternative.
Gilliam reached out his hands towards his companions. "We god as planned."
They didn't seem to hesitate, parts of him felt a bit weird having that level of blind trust placed in him. He would have to make it up to them later.
They came in closer and grabbed his hand, Savia knew the plan already and teleported them down onto the roof of the cubical building. Like last time, as soon as he could move he set up a large barrier dome around the whole building. Though this time he put in a lot of extra energy, just to be safe. As soon as it formed there were impacts along its sides from locals not liking what was going on.
He couldn't feel the energy in the distance as well as before, probably because of the proximity of his barrier and the portal itself.
As his eyes started working again, he saw that the girls had already taken action, not sure if they could see sooner than him or just went by sound before they could see, but it was nice to see that it was working out.
Disappearing over the edge of the building there was soon sounds of fighting, though it quickly silenced after a few cracking and squelching sounds.
Making his way down, Gilliam went for the door to the portal, taking a look in the direction of the energy buildup before he jumped down. It was still building up, he thought, it was hard to say.
"The energy over there is still building up." Mentioning it to the others was halfway an attempt to get more input or for someone else to take charge of that situation. He didn't know what it was and he didn't want to get blindsided by something random.
The doors were opened and as there was nobody inside, Gilliam started channelling energy into it like before. His companions took up the defence in the door's opening.
"What is it?" Angela asked as her eyes tried to keep track of the mix of incoming projectiles and the various demons that were hammering on the magical wall.
"I have no idea, it's been building up for a while. I don't know if it's an attack or something else... It's just slowly building u-"
Gilliam was looking towards his companions as he replied, a steady stream of mana leaving his hand into the surrounding magic circle, he stopped his own words as he saw that all the demons hammering on the barrier was withdrawing. A few straggling imps and dumber-looking individuals seemed to remain but everyone else was running.
Catching a glimpse of a few demons in the distance not falling, but flinging themselves into a prone position with their hands over their heads told Gilliam what he needed to know.
"Get close to me!" Gilliam ordered the two to step in closer to him, he was pleased to see that there was not even a hint of delay.
As soon as they stepped in closer, Gilliam focused on the barrier pocket of his coat, activating the spell circle three times, manifesting three of them in the air in front of him.
In two of them he fed an arbitrary but very high amount of mana, the inner one he left connected to his mana reserves directly. Activating the circles they collapsed into energy and spread around the group.
Before they were able to properly form he felt the energy in the distance spike, having no idea what to expect he pushed the girls down on the floor as he dropped as well. The pulse of energy radiated towards them much faster than Gilliam's mana-sense could keep up with, it felt like a speeding bullet that just disappeared out of range. Gilliam felt a massive chunk of his mana reserves just disappearing in an instant, it felt like someone punched his mind with spiked brass knuckles. He didn't even notice the sound of an almost synthesizer-like vibrating and tearing sound as a field of energy passed through the portal building. The insides of the building briefly lit up like someone triggered a camera flash. The following second illuminated the room as the entire top of the structure was torn off and flung away as debris.
Seconds after, he got to his feet quickly followed by Angela and Petal.
Taking a second to look around it was a horrible sight. In the distance, he saw what looked like a lanky twisted Orc with four heavily veined arms and a long slender tail. The only thing that hinted at this not being an Orc was that his skin was scaled like a lizard, and he had a long tail. His eyes glowed with a weird energy, not unlike Petal's when they glow at their strongest. In a weird sense, he looked like a male variant of Petal's sub-species crossed by an orc, stretched out a bit more than it should be...
Between the two were only waist-high remnants of buildings. It was like someone had taken a super high-powered laser and just cut everything down, spreading the top halves of everything in a large area. Behind them, the only part of their building still taller than their waist was the little bit protected by Gilliam's inner barrier.
Now that he had a moment to process it all, it was clear that whatever attack the four-armed demon threw their way took a lot of time to channel, but was extremely devastating. It had eaten up three of Gilliam's normal barriers, and the only reason the inner one survived was the frightening amount of mana it pulled from his Boundary.
Parts of him were glad he didn't wait earlier, the speed that this moved at would probably make dodging impossible and... the barriers he had active at the time would just pop and most likely they would die. Not wanting to risk this happening again he had two options.
The first was to attack and take the mage out before they continued with the portal, and the second was to hope that they could activate the portal faster than the mage could attack again.
If channelling another attack took just as long, they could probably leave with the gate before the next spell could be activated. However, the problem was that like most other mages, he could most likely just cast weaker attacks and cast them faster, given his power that could be very dangerous. Since the attack of his cut through at least five buildings and three of his barriers, it was a terrifying thing to meet someone capable of powering through his defences like this.
Before he had decided what to do, the locals seemed to decide for him. The demons that had spread out and hid before the initial attack were now on the way back. There were more demons here looking a bit more like what one could imagine demons being, with more purple and blue hues of skin, more horns and a surprising amount of extra limbs in the forms of arms, tentacles or legs.
Gilliam wanted to Star Lance them, oh how he wanted to, but the size of the explosion was much larger than their distance at the moment and he didn't want to aim behind him and hope for the best.
In a single movement, Gilliam pointed his hand towards the four-armed demon and activated the Aether Dart pocket. Using his internal mana he activated a powered-up variant of the spell, the spell circle barely blinked into existence before it had already collapsed and started its supersonic journey towards its target.
A four-legged, almost tiger-looking demon happened to be in the way between Gilliam and his opponent, the Aether dart didn't seem to even react as it pierced through and tore out the backside of it. As the ground behind it was sprayed with gore and innards the four-armed demon had already slapped all his four hands together, forming a magical cone with a sharp end.
The Aether dart impacted with the slanted edge, and through it seemed to tear the whole side into shreds as it dragged itself along the barrier before disappearing through a building wall, the redirection was enough to save him. Spreading his hands wide enough that all four palms were facing Gilliam, the barrier faded and deep purple energy was gathered in his palms and spreading into a central location between them.
Not wanting to wait for that spell to activate, Gilliam sent out another Aether Dart from the pocket. The girls had started taking care of the incoming wave of close combatants, though they had a barrier that was still standing around Gilliam, they seemed to understand that it was best to not have this drained.
The next teal vaguely dart-shaped energy left Gilliam's hand.
It sped towards its target, specifically the central point of the magic the demon was channelling, if this worked in any way like the magic he was used to it should destabilise.
The demon spread out his hands as the spell came flying, and the Aether dart slammed into what looked like a solid purple barrier. After the light blue energy particles faded it seemed like there was a jellyfish-like head floating around the demon. A shield of sorts based on the interaction only a second ago.
If this worked like the moving barriers he was aware of from modern media, he had two options. Send in something explosive enough that it would ignore smaller shields, or get a different angle on things.
This did give him a thought on the need for delayed spell activations, but a live fight didn't seem like the time to do this. He needed whatever was fastest. Considering using Savia to teleport to a different angle and attacking him before he could react was also an option, but it was potentially dangerous.
During the moment of hesitation on Gilliam's part, two things happened. The first was that he heard Angela shouting for him to kill it, and the second was that the demon had decided to not stop his plans. He had different fields of energy in his four hands that he seemed to trigger, perhaps taking inspiration from Gilliam's last few attacks. They took vague conical shapes as they were launched towards the group at great speed. Gilliam managed to instinctively dodge, although he felt that the coat probably helped a lot. Angela seemed to react properly but the sound of Petal's voice in pain had his head snap towards her.
The attack had missed Angela and Gilliam, but it had pierced the barrier around Petal, completely ignored her armour and penetrated through the side of her stomach. She had fallen to one of her knees, still attacking anything within range she was bleeding badly.
Gilliam extended his hand towards the four-armed demon as he activated the Star Lance pocket. A large and complicated spell circle formed in the air, all lines and runes made up of an almost burning and flowing stream of angry fiery energy. He could barely hear Angela's objection as he started feeding the circle from his internal energy.
"Come in closer!" He ordered his party members as he walked closer to Petal, mainly focusing on the control circle of Aether; it got all the energy it wanted but he only gave the fire circle a fraction of the power it wanted. The demon seemed to realize the significance of this, or perhaps he felt the mana building up at a surprising speed, Gilliam didn't intend to ask him and proceeded with his plan.
This took a second, a second where the demon seemed a little frantic and had two of its arms shape the same cone from before, as the two others started gathering the same purple energy as before.
As Gilliam's magic circle was starting to give off a slightly uncomfortable heat, Gilliam activated the lesser Star Lance.
The aiming circle had locked in as the main circle collapsed into an angry, burning sun. The Aether circle collapsed around it as it all pulsed before it disappeared from Gilliam's presence. The blinding point of light was flying towards its target at a frightening speed. Gilliam used that short second to drag Petal with him as he stepped into the middle of the static gate. They were all within the barrier he was still maintaining as he expanded it to cover the entire teleportation circle.
At the same time, the lesser Star Lance impacted the Demon's defences.
There was a massive earthquake, a blindingly blinding light and a massive fireball extending at the same time as the shockwave from the explosion started tearing anything apart. The pressure wave slammed into Gilliam's barrier with enough force to take another sizeable chunk out of his Boundary, he didn't have that much left at this point but it was brought even lower as the fire waved over them.
It took a few solid seconds before the fire faded, a few seconds that were surprisingly terrifying as he felt the energy drain from his limited reserves. As the fire faded the only thing remaining in the rough area was debris and scorched sand.
"You..." Angela seemed like she wanted to add more to that statement but stopped herself. Gilliam took two fist-sized Aether crystals out of his ring and drained them.
Both gems shattered into a wave of bright teal particles that swarmed around Gilliam's body, they entered his body in a matter of a few seconds, and he felt incredibly invigorated as this process completed.
Leaving the barrier as it was, he started channelling energy into the teleportation circle. At the same time, he did his best to focus healing energy into Petal's wound. It was hard, enough that he didn't properly hear what Angela said in a less-than-happy tone. Though channelling into two targets at once was not super problematic, given the nature of the unfamiliar static gate and wanting to heal a wound, he had to properly focus to manage both.
Even though he had used the gems to refill his mana, he was feeling the mental pressure of using that much in that short time. But they needed to get out of there, and he refused to stop healing Petal. They needed to get to a point they could somewhat relax. The dust was moving in the wind, and there seemed to be nothing left of the four-armed demon. Only a crater of glassed sand and debris.
The few stragglers that decided to try their luck only met the barrier. Though this tested his focus even more as the barrier was still linked to his mana, it somewhat allowed Gilliam to channel energy into the teleportation circle.
Petal's wound closed up enough that the blood had stopped flowing and she could get up.
"Finally..." Gilliam let out a sigh of relief as the circle activated, they all gathered in the centre before he activated it.
The familiar flash of light again moved them elsewhere, the air was stuffy, heavy and stale like it had been closed in for quite some time. They didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, it was like there was nobody there.
The bright light faded, the remaining mana in the arrival circle dimming by the second allowing them to see enough to find the door.
Pushing the door opened it into the bright light of the never-setting sun. It had not been long since they just saw bright lights but in a brief second as their eyes grew more accustomed to the light again, they found themselves in a tropical forest. There were large-leafed plants, palm-like trees and the sound of animals in the distance.
".... The fuck..?" Gilliam exclaimed his surprise; until now there had only been the sandy desert. But... this was something else.
A simple glance towards Petal had her expression explain that she didn't have any idea about this either, though she was also surprised she also had a strange mix of wonder in her eyes.
"Let's get you properly healed first." Gilliam's mind came back down from wonder into what needed to be done.
Not waiting for her to agree or try to stop him, he continued healing her until only a light scar remained, his understanding of skin cells and scars didn't let him heal it perfectly.
"This is good, my Lord. I feel fine." She had to somewhat refocus him on the fact that she was now fine. And though this could be a nice moment it was all brought to ruin as Angela slapped Gilliam in the back of the head.
Given her strength this hurt a surprising amount, her hands were made of callouses so it wasn't like the soft and gentle hand of a healer. The slap had Savia fly out of his hair and take a hovering position not far from them.
"Mother fucking ow!" Gilliam shouted back in a slight overdramatization to further the point into a question.
"You deserved that! The hell were you thinking sending that massive thing off with us that close?" She was visibly upset, and though Gilliam was the cause, he couldn't exactly fault her.
"Well... I didn't..." He had to admit. Thinking through the scene as soon as it happened, as soon as he saw Petal hurt in battle he just snapped. The only thing on his mind was to erase the other demon from existence. "I did hold back a lot, though."
His excuse fell on deaf ears, but he did realize something through this.
He was extremely underprepared for this mission, at least mentally. He had spent that much time playing with the fancy sword, fighting and training with them... He had been thinking of the wrong thing; he was a mage, and he should fight like one.
Banking everything on his superior automatic skill within magic, he tried too hard to weigh up his weaknesses and forgot to further his strengths.
At the same time, he was trying his best to not attack or kill anyone, after all; "they might be friendly"...
That mindset would get you attacked first and... The four-armed demon-mage showed him that Gilliam was not the only powerhouse, and that was without considering the show of experience difference between the two.
This mental process went through as Angela was still yelling at him, Petal tried to calm her down but fell short.
They were here with a mission, what was all that steeling of the mind self-pep hero-talk he had a while back if he's not going to follow through? Fuck with being the hero, if anything the training with Kintas showed him that he was not here to fight, spar or have fun, he was here to win.
The only proper fight they needed was the one with the Lord at the end, as that needed to be recognized as per their culture. Everything else was just to win.
"Are you even listening to me?!" Angela shouted at him, getting his attention but only confirming that she knew he wasn't exactly there for her rant.
"No, but I think I got the gist. I have been naive, I have been thinking of this like some weird game, somewhere to flaunt me being the cool super mage. I was not properly mentally prepared for Petal to get hurt... in a war... in an invasion... How's that for moronic."
He didn't look like he was in panic or any form of woe-is-me mode. It was more like finally understanding something.
"I think it's going to be worse here, but I have realised that I stopped thinking properly like a mage a long time ago. I was focusing too much on the cool and fun things instead of considering proper tactics. Let's break here, we need to eat something and I need to test something."
Gilliam walked to the side of the gate building, and a quick cursory check around showed that seemed fine. Savia having been flying around calmly also hinted to it being relatively safe.
"What, stop, wait!" Angela seemed like she wanted to keep the talk going in the rant, but as he started walking and changing the subject she seemed to let it go.
The group sat down in the jungle behind the gate building as Gilliam took some food out of the ring, he also produced some cups that he magically filled with water. No need to dip into their reserves before it's needed.
"What are you going to test?" Petal asked in a much more careful tone than Angela had only a few seconds ago as she scooted in close enough to lean against Gilliam.
"I need to fight like a mage, but you fight in melee, I have some ideas to make this work for all of us." Without actually explaining his idea, he manifested a spell circle in the air, filling it with the runes of a familiar spell; Aether, Dart, Speed, Power and Target. The Aether Dart spell. But he removed the Target rune and added a Triangle sub-circle that he filled with Target, Avoid and Homing. |
Contemplating what other spells he should put into the spell-pockets, the mini sun he tested did come to mind. He didn't really know how much energy it needed, he felt fine afterwards but he hadn't gotten used to setting rough percentages on his available mana yet. Though shoving the pocket full of gems and seeing how it goes did feel like an appropriate way of handling it. But he wanted to test it at least once first, just to make sure.
Using a pocket for Aether Dart was not a dumb idea, but it was a simple spell that he could get used to in the normal way, should he use all the pockets for complicated stuff, or leave one for more simple spells? Creation spells were super complicated but 'summoning' something weird in mid battle did sound like a good way to do things, though since that needed blood instead of mana, how would that work?
He still had questions that he needed answers to, perhaps Jial could help, he seemed to be overly helpful and had a lot of knowledge on these topics. For now, he decided to shelf the thoughts until he got back, he wanted to see how the girls were handling things.
Since he went downhill a bit from the girls for his own testing, he decided to fly up instead of walking, it was more fun, after all.
Casting the flying spell was not different from before and he found himself lifting off the ground in a few seconds. He did consider if this was a good candidate for the spell pockets but since it lasted so long, or technically neverending as long as he was not out of mana or had to spend like all of it, there was no need to consider that.
He didn't get much more time to consider that before he passed the height of the little platou that made for the mountain's top. He briefly got to see Angela and Petal in a fistfight, both of them looked winded and worn out, he was just used to seeing them in the dome, which replenished stamina, so he didn't really know how it was going.
There was no sign of Aeris and Savia, so they were probably about somewhere.
Landing not far from the two he walked the last few steps, mainly to not accidentally get between something and getting punched. They would probably be fine but there was no reason to risk it.
"So, how's it going here?" He didn't really know how to start the conversation so why not just ask for an update!
"What happened with her?!" Angela complained as she pointed at Petal, who looked back in a strange confusing expression.
"I'm afraid you need to be more specific..." Gilliam was just as confused as Petal.
"She's faster and stronger than yesterday, the fuck did you do?" Angela still pointed at her but dropped her hand to emphasise her annoyance.
Gilliam was even more confused, he didn't do anything. "Isn't it good that she gets faster or stronger? I mean, you have been training for a while, perhaps it's th-" He was interrupted before he could complete his theory.
"No, overnight progress won't reach this much unless you do something weird. Did you cast some spells on her or something?" The blaming tone had calmed down a little bit, it was still there but it was now mixed with a more curious tone.
"No, I didn..t." Answering honestly he also hesitated when he realised something.
Earlier he found out that she being in the presence of the mana crystals acted like some form of adrenaline or caffeine rush, she was next to him for quite some time when he made all those mana crystals for Harroc. However she had been around him when making mana crystals before, and was not the major thing he came to consider.
Their last-night intimacy was more what he was considering. Her race got stronger and could gain abilities when eating others that had abilities or personal power, basically she could absorb power somehow. Now... this did explain a few things although it was a bit strange for him to consider. Since Savia seemed to perk up a bit overnight due to their bond there might also have been a lot of mana in that room, meaning that Petal might have gotten an extra dose of mana.
"AH! You did do something!" Angela reacted to his hesitation like she caught him red handed telling a lie.
Petal was still confused, she didn't seem to dislike getting stronger but the conversation had her a bit out of it.
"Well... technically... But I didn't expect this..." Gilliam was a bit hesitant on the subject.
Gilliam was not one to shy from talking about sexual stuff, however when it came to his own intimate life he preferred to keep it between himself and his partner. It just felt right back when he had a girlfriend earlier in his life and this was no different.
He had long since gotten over the thought of being publicly known to be together with a demon, though true he didn't see Petal as 'a demon', she was just Petal who happened to be a demon.
Though, all that in mind, it seemed that the conversation might have to drift into that area forcefully due to Angela's questioning. Having Gilliam believe that it might just as well be best to take control over it.
"Given that me and Petal became intimate for the first time last night, I think that might have something to do with it."
Bluntness was his way to handle it.
This caught Angela off guard, he guessed she got some ideas during breakfast about their evening, but it seems this part caught her off guard:
"Yeah, considering that her race can absorb energy and grow powerful from their food... I suppose it can stretch out to this as well?" Gilliam was also confused, his gaze changed towards Petal in a weird hope that she could answer this.
She returned the confused look and shook her head. "I don't know how this works either. I haven't heard of sex affecting any of my kind but as far as I know nobody has tried it outside of our own." She seemed oddly calm about this but given how loose their species were with boundaries it made sense that she didn't have a problem talking about things.
"That might be because we don't have our own mana, so we cannot pass it on. My Lord has a lot of mana?"
The end of her sentence strongly hinted that she was speculating, however it made a bit of sense put in this context.
If her people didn't have any innate mana, they couldn't pass it on to others, it needed to come from external sources. Since Gilliam was an external source, both physically and genetically, it could make sense that this was only possible that way.
Gilliam wanted to make a joke about her getting even stronger in the near future, but that was treading back into private territory again.
"Well... Fuck... Pun not intended but.." Angela's frustration faded into a defeated expression. As well as making a dumb pun accidentally.
"I kind of hoped it was something you could share with me, but that's not going to work." She seemed deep in thought for a moment but seemed to ignore whatever she was considering.
Gilliam sighed, he was both glad and disappointed that this was a Petal-only thing, mostly glad as he felt that it could delve into exploit territories, not something he wanted.
"Well, I think that we s-FUCK!" Trying to change the topic, his sentence was suddenly interrupted by Savia manifesting in the air in-front of him, flying badly and turning towards him after a split second, shouting "Master!" at him happily.
He didn't expect anyone to manifest around him at all, and in-front of him like this was even more startling.
"Savia? How?" Gilliam lifted out his hand to let the still wounded Savia land. "And you can fly again?" He was surprised at her suddenly popping up in front of him but he was honestly glad that she could fly again.
Angela seemed to be laughing at Gilliam's reactions.
Instead of landing normally Savia just stopped flapping while still in the air, she landed in his hand without any noticeable sound besides a little squeak.
"Master, master!" She seemed incredibly happy. "Savia can teleport!"
"Oh, that was you teleporting?" Gilliam put pressure on the word 'you' as he asked to confirm, she did appear just in front of him but he somewhat assumed this was Aeris' shenanigans.
"It seems that she can." Aeris' voice confirmed as she came walking over, Gilliam didn't notice her arriving. "She needs some training, though." She added as she got into proper conversation distance.
Savia was practically bouncing with her huge smile in Gilliam's hand during this conversation. Gilliam was a mixture of happy for her but also still confused.
"How... When...?" Though these weren't specifically asked of anyone, it was the only thing he could properly ask.
Aeris chuckled as she responded. "I have no idea when she got the gift, but we found out just now when you were training. This teleport was her first successful one." She seemed interested in this event, possibly from being a teleporter as well.
"I took her on a few teleports and gave her some tips, her first teleport was to you."
Gilliam looked back at the happy creature in his hands, who returned a bright smile. "That's amazing!" He let her sit in his left hand as he used a few fingers on his right hand to pet her. "I suppose we'll have to get you some training as well, then."
She just smiled even wider at the weird compliment, their shared bond was practically exploding with a mixture of happiness and pride.
There were two main reasons in his mind for doing that, first of all there was no good reason not to nurture any gifts like this, the second was a bit more logical and insulting; but she was now showing a reason to be a part of the upcoming war. He had his hesitations of bringing her into that without any way of protecting herself or doing anything to enhance their capabilities, and as he knew very well that she wanted to come with this gave him a slight dilemma.
The fact that she has this gift changed all of this, he was still hesitant but now she could become an asset in a fight.
Parts of him really hated himself for thinking like this, putting value on anyone like that, but the logical side of him kind of had to; you don't bring a non-combatant into a war without a good reason.
"I can train her." Aeris said from the side. "I'm already better than my teachers." Smiling proudly, Gilliam couldn't help but believe her at face value. She had teleported him a few times and it had always been perfect as far as he knew. And based on her efforts in the first gate event, she could clearly handle a stressful situation.
"Are you sure? I don't know if I can pay you or anything." For a moment he had forgotten that he had a sizable pile of money stored in his ring, as well as how easily he could make more money with his mana crystal creation if he needed it.
"Don't worry about it, it'll be fun having another teleporter to spend time with." She seemed honest about this. Which was good but it made Gilliam wonder how she was doing. He had only seen her spend time with Nolis, that isn't mentally present at times, he also hadn't seen Nolis much around. Given her young age and that he didn't know much about her he didn't really know her situation.
Turning his focus to Savia in his hand, he lifted her up towards his face. "What do you say, you want to learn teleporting from Aeris?" He spoke in a tone strongly suggesting that he knew this was a yes, much like most other rhetorical questions.
"Savia will learn teleporting!" She sounded happy but there was an odd feeling across their shared bond, there was a sense of relief and pride mixed together.
He had some ideas on what this might be but he decided to not bring it up.
Looking back at Aeris, he did wonder how he could repay her. Monetary payments might not be that important to her, given her ability and how that can be used to easily earn money, and what kind of an asset she could become to merchants alone, she would probably do well once she graduates. Manually putting this down as owing her a huge favour would be enough for now.
The rest of the day went to further testing. Angela and Petal sparred some more, Gilliam hadn't seen them fight much before so he didn't have too much of a benchmark to track Petal's improvements. But based on Angela's earlier outburst they were apparently enough to cause some reaction. He didn't dare be a part of that fight without the safety of the Dome, his fighting style was harder to hold back, especially since he was still working on that.
Aeris and Savia started teleporting around, according to Aeris' explanation, it helped a lot to get used to being teleported to sort of get a feel for things. There were also safety concepts that only another teleporter could properly do when training to increase the safety net, so to speak. This meant that if Aeris was with Savia alone through a teleport, it would be safer than if anyone else came along. She explained it as an instinctive feel that was hard to actually explain in detail. Aeris seemed to know what she was doing so he let her do her thing.
Gilliam read up on his coat a bit more and did some more testing. Mainly in swapping the stored magic circle, this was easily enough done by putting in a new one, overwriting the old one on its own. The manual also explained that there was no limit to the complexity of the magic circle put in, the only warning is that the coat doesn't confirm if the spell circle will work or not. The most wondrous thing is that if a multi-circle creation is part of the same spell, it can remember those as well as they are technically just different levels of the same circle.
Gilliam realised he needed more knowledge on these things... It was a strange feeling being able to use it all to a weird instinctive level yet, not properly understanding them.
In the end he decided to put the mega fireball into the coat, it was his newest creation and though he hoped he never had to use it, parts of him really, really wanted to. It took quite some time to draw it again and to make sure it was done properly, if he had to use it later it would be catastrophic if it failed.
So he double and even triple checked every single line with his notes, though during this he realised that the spell was not named.
The brief moment it was in mid air it looked like a spear with the pointed glowing head and long tail, but it was clearly a sun as it was being created. Considering names that made it sound neat in his head as it would make it easier to remember when he needs to cast it.
Star Lance.
That was the name that popped in his mind when he thought about it a bit more, the core of the spell was basically a star, a sun, and he had read in the modern world that one of the differences between a lance and spear was that a lance was a one-use kind of thing.
It ended up as one of those weird things that just clicked in his mind, it just made sense... to him. And his inner 14 year old loved it, so...
The next thing was that he didn't really know how much mana 'was'. He could make the mana gems and he had figured out that he could make several ones of the fist sized crystals before his boundary was empty. Based on how fine he felt after casting the improved Star Lance, rather than doing it with unstructured magic, a few of those fist sized ones would probably be enough. Right?
Focusing on the Aether Dart pocket he could feel that there was plenty of energy left, he couldn't tell how many casts but there was no danger of running out for at least a few casts.
He mentally planned some further testing later where he cast the Sun Lance but then use the gems to recharge himself, to see if there was still any missing mana in his pool.
It was a crude but simple test.
With this in mind he tried to put a fist-sized mana crystal into the Star Lance pocket, but as he did so it didn't go in right, it felt... weird.. Wrong.. The pocket didn't stop him from doing it but the process was not correct.
Considering this for a moment it made a lot of sense, the spell used Fire as the dominant spell, the only usage of Aether was the support circles. In that case it made a lot of sense. He had fuelled up the support magic but not the main spell, he needed to make some elemental focused mana crystals!
He wanted to fill the other two pockets with spells, but he wanted at least one of them to be a summoning spell. Though those took a lot of pre-planning and he wanted to test them before he put one in there, this also needed its own fuel, and he had not tried to make any Darkness aligned crystals yet.
He had plenty of time to make the Fire gem whenever he wanted, and it shouldn't be too problematic based on the gems he made for Harroc, some of them were elementally aligned, but he didn't test any Darkness crystals.
Since the others were doing their own thing he could test a few more things.
First, he needed to know what it felt like if the pocket didn't have enough power to the spell, this was easily tested by taking out the crystal for the Aether dart and putting in a tiny fragment, something he knew didn't have enough juice.
Trying to cast the spell he realised that as soon as he focused on the pocket, or rather the spell in it, there was an odd connection made to him, he could refuse it easily but it wasn't there the last time. The spell seemed to seek out and connect to him for fuel.
This was incredibly lucky that there was a way to make sure you have enough power in the pocket. Swapping the gems back out the same connection was not there when he focused on the spell again.
Test successful!
Now he just needed to give the other spell what it needed. He started with what he knew and used the following moment to create a few fist-sized crystals imbued with the fire element. This took a few moments as the gems hold quite a lot of energy, not enough to deplete him but enough for him to feel it after a few.
After the first one was completed he put it in the Star Lance pocket, leaving one of the Aether ones in there for now to test. Focusing on the pocket had the same connection as before requesting access, so it was not enough:
Gilliam sighed as he started focusing on the next Fire crystal.
The second Fire crystal took a bit more time, he had used a lot of energy and he was not fully recharged yet, so the strain was a bit harder until he was finally done. Luckily it was not enough to put him into mana starvation mode but he was starting to feel a bit worse for wear.
However, mentally he perked up after he put the second sphere in the Sun Lance pocket and focused on it, the connection attempt was not present!
Feeling invigorated, mentally and not mana wise, he took out the Aether crystal and tried again, as expected the connection attempt returned. Putting in one of the smaller marble sized aether crystals seemed to satisfy the pocket, and now with two fist-sized Fire gems and one marble-sized Aether crystal in-pocket, it seemed like it was ready to go at a moment's notice!
A satisfied, if not sadistically excited smile formed on Gilliam's face, this was going to be fun, he was looking forward to the first excuse to let this one go!
Though it would need one hell of an excuse to be used, he felt a bit trigger happy to say the least. Ideas, both good and bad, formed in his head for any reason to cast his new tactical spell.
Though his mana pool was not at its current best, it was enough to start testing smaller things; Darkness magic.
Since Darkness magic used life essence, blood and whatever you wanted to name it, he didn't need to have too much mana available, just enough to heal himself.
It was time to try to make a Darkness mana crystal! |
Gilliam walked closer and the more he looked at her the more he found that... she wasn't a young girl.. Was she?
She had slightly pointed ears, rather tan looking skin, shoulder long dark brown hair and hazel eyes. There was just something odd about her, she was clearly no child but.. Oh.. wait! She must be a halfling! He had read about them in how they resembled human children due to their size and proportions but it was easy to see it properly as you got closer.
This was the first time he had seen one, so he was a bit taken back, but tried his best to hide it.
"She's with me." Gilliam confirmed referring to Petal as he pointed at his own neck, trying to explain it without saying it. The mark on her forehead as well as her collar should reaffirm this a bit.
The halfling seemed to calm down at least a tiny bit, but was still very on-edge.
"We're here for the language spell thing?" Gilliam didn't remember what it was actually called, but he knew what it did. He also wanted to try to normalise the situation with Petal in the room
She hesitantly checked a book on her desk and looked at him questioningly. "Gilliam Gibson?"
He nodded, causing her to continue. "It says here you're to learn V'idan. But we're speaking that now..."
Gilliam nodded. "Yes, it's not for me, but for her." pointing at Petal he started to realise something.
If this language casting thing was to plant something in her brain... What if the person doing this wanted to just mess with her since he was a demon?
Perhaps it was smarter for him to take charge of the situation and behave properly to make sure that they don't, and he hated to even think this sentence but, 'mess with his property'.
The halfling eyed her with uncertain eyes.
Gilliam steeled his mind. "I would prefer that someone who won't do something weird to her handles it. I can't say I would like to later find out that something weird was done to her."
He said this without any smiles, humorous tones or anything of the like. He was polite but professionally straightforward.
Oddly, or luckily enough, this seemed to calm the receptionist down a bit, perhaps just acknowledging Petal as his slave helped in her mind?
"Right, I'll find someone." Her voice didn't sound like she was entirely convinced, but it sounded better. She jumped off her little chair and went into a neighbouring room, they could overhear her talking to someone but not exactly what was being said.
As she was in there Gilliam thought a bit about things, now that Petal was going to learn the local language she would be able to understand and reply to the racism and all the other things... He might need to have a talk about certain things about expected behaviour. Though he might not be perfect in this world, at least he can teach her how to act according to how he would act. Which in his mind is plenty fine enough.
"Now that you will learn the language-" Gilliam decided to just start now, they were waiting at the moment anyway so might as well use the downtime."-You will without a doubt hear a lot of.. Well.. shit, regarding you. People are racist and to be honest, not against you specifically but they kind of have good reasons to with the whole invasion and things..."
He really didn't know how to dance around the subject, so blunt honesty became the way to go.
"I'm saying this now as I just want to make sure that y-" his explanation was interrupted by Petal's oddly serene smile.
"Don't worry. I don't plan to lash out at anyone or do anything that could harm your name."
Though her words sounded very obedient and on the train of thought in making sure his name is not sullied, her expression told a different story. This might also be something from her old life where your own life is literally on the line if you say the wrong thing... She might be extremely used to it by now.
Gilliam felt more and more sad for her, he had really never met someone who had such a horrible life before... Sure, the homeless on the street do indeed have it bad, but at least they won't literally get eaten for being in the wrong place or for the fun of it...
About to continue the talk Gilliam was interrupted as the halfling opened the door and stepped out, walking back to her desk she started talking as she walked.
"You can go in there, first door to the left. He can help you."
Gilliam just nodded and started moving. It was only a few steps so it didn't exactly take long, rounding the corner they entered to an office. It was simply furnished with a desk in the center not far from the back wall, some bookcases filled with various books and a few extra chairs for visitors. Behind the desk sat an Orc, a large, muscly green man, he had a ring in his left tusk and long black hair fastened in a ponytail of sorts. He was pretty much the stereotypical Orc from stories and books at home.
"Come in." His voice was deep, rough and very action-hero-gravly. He didn't even react when Petal came in, something Gilliam appreciated more than he'd expect.
They properly entered and closed the door behind themselves, the Orc gestured for the chairs. "My name is Muul, Ms Goldbranch, the young halfling in the room out there, explained the situation."
Apparently the halfling was named Goldbranch, Gilliam did his best to not chuckle a bit as the naming logic followed what he expected. Though as did this Muul, it was interesting to be honest.
Another very odd thing was that, though he had a rough voice, this Orc was incredibly polite and smooth in how he spoke, it was a strange mental image clash for Gilliam.
"I will admit that I have my reservations about aiding a Demon, but I can't exactly say no when she's a contracted slave with our own Heptagon Mage. That and I'd never hear the end of it from Jial."
Though it should not come as a surprise, Muul knew Jial. They were both teachers, something that his white badge with a yellow and pale blue triangle badge confirmed, for some odd reason Gilliam just didn't consider that... well.. All teachers are colleagues. It is super obvious but...
"I'm glad to hear it-" Gilliam replied as he sat down, Petal followed after Gilliam was properly seated. "-now, how is this going to work? I only know the little bit that the pamphlet explained." He was interested more than anything, instantly learning a language is unique to say the least.
"I will cast the spell on her, as long as she doesn't resist she will learn V'idan to the mastery level that I have, it won't affect how she thinks or speaks except that she can do it in V'idan as well."
His explanation was not exactly complicated, and was almost as if he just confirmed that the pamphlet was correct, there weren't any extra details or anything like that.
"It only takes a few seconds. It's a very common side effect of a headache for a few minutes after as the brain adjusts, but it's nothing dangerous. I have done this many, many times before."
That made a bit of sense, though a language can be considered just information, it would make sense that this could be just implanted. In theory you don't need training in the same way that you might need a physical or magical skill... But then again, with this logic, could Gilliam just give knowledge about any language? He would have to look into this later.
"Well, in that case, let's get started." Gilliam smiled. He was not happy about putting Petal through any discomfort but all things considered a slight headache as the cost for an entire language, it was easily worth it.
"Very well." Muul got out of his chair and started making an oddly complex magic circle; it had several sub-circles within certain nodes and became oddly multi-layered.
Gilliam turned to Petal who frankly looked a bit worried, she knew why they were here but now there was a spell being aimed at her, so it was somewhat understandable.
"Don't resist, it's the language learning spell." Gilliam tried to comfort her with facts. It seemed to help perhaps a tiny bit, but she was clearly fighting some flight response.
She did manage to stay physically calm, but it was not hard to see that she would prefer to be elsewhere.
Muul didn't seem to react to it, he had probably seen this many times before, if he was one of the language teachers that did this on a... daily basis?. He had probably seen this a lot of times before. As Petal did her best to keep calm and hopefully not resist too much, Muul focused and channelled energy into his magic circle.
Once it looked about ready he placed it on her head, the spell circle flashed and disappeared, the whole process from the spell circle started existing until it was complete only took about ten seconds.
Muul must have a lot of skill with this. Just remembering that complicated magic circle sounded like a hassle to Gilliam. Petal showed some discomfort only seconds after the spell was done, seems like this might be the thing he spoke about.
"There, it's done. I recommend she takes it easy the rest of the day, just letting her mind process this. She should be able to understand me immediately but it might be an hour or so before she's able to speak V'idan. It is an unfamiliar thing after all."
Muul just smiled, he was done with his job and all things considered they were done. This was so much faster than learning a language could ever be at home. A good mage and ten seconds later, poof, you know a language! Gilliam didn't properly know the value of money yet so he didn't really know how much this cost, but it would be worth a lot back home.
After thanking Muul for the job Gilliam contemplated having Savia learn the language as well but as this was a cost he decided to look into it later, in stead they left and went back to touring the place.
Taking it easy as suggested Petal did confirm that she could read signs, understand the things said around her... none of which was positive, but she didn't seem to mind. Based on how she reacted to things, what she had explained before and just some piecing thing together it really did seem like she was going to have it better as his companion, even as a slave, than she ever had in her own world. If nothing else, food here was easy to get and she was getting it! That alone seemed to weigh up for everything else.
Gilliam had her carry his bag and other smaller menial tasks of the sort, if he was to take Jial's suggestion smaller things like that could perhaps have things less bad for her. He didn't enjoy the thought of it but he did enjoy the thoughts of her living calmer.
The touring was eventually over, more meals had been eaten, both Petal and Savia were quite happy about the latter part. Petal seemed to be rather good at remembering things no matter how illogical they seemed to her at the start. The concept of privacy was not something she was used to, so it was a bit hard to properly explain to her why people preferred being alone on the toilet or in showers. In her society the concept of privacy is practically nonexistent, they prefer to wear clothes but the closest you got to toilet privacy was behind a rock, but then it was more for the distance to it more than anything.
Likewise with intimate life, they didn't consider intimacy the same way as humans and were more carnal about it. In short they were incredibly barbaric, adding their social structure to this, it didn't sound like a good place to be in Gilliam's head.
It did explain a lot of things about the lack of privacy concepts, but she would have to adapt as people here didn't share her view on things.
Other things they touched on was the Demonic biology, all organs were the same in theory, some might be stronger than others and given their natural self-healing hinted to them being at least pseudo magical to some degree. Petal couldn't use any magic and even with guidance she couldn't manifest any form of mana control. Though given that they could gain power from eating people it did hint that there was something more to it.
If nothing else, Petal didn't have any neat abilities save the racial ones. So she could heal faster than what was normal for Gilliam, and if she eats sentient creatures this would do to her as any other demon.
This latter part was not something Gilliam was super keen on trying out, it didn't work with only parts of the creature in the form of cooked meat, so normal food would never trigger this.
During all of this Savia either slept in Gilliam's hair, flew around chasing insects or just took some odd leisure flights harassing the local wildlife that was small enough to not eat her. She did come back with some beetle thing she was super proud of having captured, hearing the little crunch as she ate it was.. Weird..
The sun was slowly starting to set, the light had grown a little darker. Evening was on them and today had been incredibly relaxing. Just walking about, talking and giving some light tutoring on things. They spoke about oddly random things, mostly as Petal wanted to get used to using V'idan, having a language planted in your mind was an odd thing to say the least, to Gilliam it was all the same but he was happy to oblige.
Currently passing through the Earth Field, aiming towards the Air Field through one of the arches in the 4th wing, they were talking about what Petal thinks her life-goal will be in her new life.
Moving to intercept them were a group of students, not thinking more about it Gilliam just changed the angle of where they were walking to go around them, no need to cause any problems. Though problems followed them as it seemed that the group changed their own angle to meet them nonetheless.
Oh no... a group of students going towards not only the new student that has already gotten a reputation, but who has the demon servant... It was a bit cliché but it made sense nonetheless.
It didn't take long for them to meet up, though Gilliam did wonder if they should just turn around and perhaps walk faster or even run, that would just cause things to be weirder.
"Stop right there!" the apparent leader of the group, a young blonde and rather handsome boy shouted. He looked 14 or 15 years old, was dressed in the same attire as everyone else but wore a very nice gold necklace. His wavy hair was very glossy and very well cared for.
Getting in range Gilliam saw that his badge had a silver plate and only had the south triangle colored in a sandy brown colour. This explained him as a 2nd year earth mage.
His posse were a mix of two 2nd year students and three 1st year, making it six in total with the talking boy counted.
"You and that filth should just leave this place." He sounded adamant and though a little understandable Gilliam absolutely did not like that Petal was referred to as such.
"No." Gilliam replied bluntly, he normally tries to be polite but he has no consideration to spare for self entitled shits.
The school had a non-status policy, meaning that a high noble is considered the same as a beggar somehow able to pay for the tuition, this meant that even though Gilliam had absolutely no social power in this world, they were equals in that matter. The only thing this student had over him was that he was a 2nd year, and Gilliam himself was a fresh 1st year.
The bluntness of Gilliam's reply seemed to trigger the young boy, he did look like some uptight little brat, sadly stereotypes weren't always just made up.
"Y-You dare?!" he stuttered as he replied but still managed to make this sound like Gilliam should basically grovel for being in the boy's presence.
"Yes, please just leave us alone, I wanted to have a calm night, but thi-" Gilliam tried to just diffuse the whole thing through talking, but he was interrupted by the young boy.
The boy flipped his blonde wavy hair out of his eyes with practised flair. "I Garend Silverhawk, challenge you to a duel!" he shouted as he pointed at Gilliam. His tone of voice sounded incredibly sure of himself.
One of the other people in the group stepped forward and whispered to Garend, Gilliam could overhear that he was uncertain because "He is a heptagon mage."
Garend pushed him back, angrily replying "That doesn't matter, he's a shitty new first year!".
The other kid continued with "He fought the battlemage in the dome, and won a few times."
Garend scoffed "The teacher just went easy on him, why would he go full out against a student." This just didn't make sense to him.
"Why are you doing this? Is this some weird power thing?" Gilliam asked, breaking up their internal scuffle. He thought it might just be the demon thing or that his reputation is too good for being a new first year so an ego thing.
"Wh- What.. What this is about?!" he sounded insulted and baffled that Gilliam would even ask. There were a lot of noble noises, the coughs, the stuttering and the sheer anger.
"You parade that filth around like you own the place, it should have been executed and made an example of."
Before Garend could continue his possibly prepared speech Gilliam decided to break in and just stop it right there. "Look, if you lost someone in the attack I'm sorry for your loss. But it was not her fault, she was not part of the attack so just leave us alone."
Though this was not entirely true, Gilliam strongly doubted Garend would stay silent long enough to have the proper context and situation explained.
Garend laughed quite mockingly. " 'Not her fault'. It's one of them, it's at fault. Now, will you accept my challenge or are you leaving, like a coward?"
His tone was incredibly condescending, and based on how the kids behind him reacted when the option of just leaving was presented, it was hinted that this would have been the worse outcome.
Gilliam had no idea what the rules for these things were, was this allowed? What would happen if he lost? If he left? Asking him or his posse would most likely just make things worse somehow. If he just left him being branded a coward might just have more targeting him and could even make his earlier threat completely moot.
On the other hand, what was the worst that could happen? He wasn't exactly close with the faculty but he did have some contacts he could bring in, Jial seemed like the person to properly analyse both sides if need be... Though having ties to him might have Jial disqualified for any intervention?
In the end Gilliam realised that he didn't care. There was an attack coming in... all from whenever to a couple of days or something, telling the kids this would either cause panic or just having him not believed, so he decided to not consider this.
Sighing deep he decided to just fess up, Garend's ego would most likely have the rules explained if he angled it properly.
"Well, I'm not really from any proper place you know of, so I don't know the rules for this. Mind eucating me?"
Just looking at the boy's smile filled with an inflated ego hinted that Gilliam got this right on the head.
"Oh, you don't even know the rules-" he started laughing, which had the others laughing a solid second later. "You accept the duel and we fight, we decide the condition of your defeat. When I do win I get the agreed prize. Since this becomes a mage's agreement it's final and binding, so no backing out."
"Fine, whatever. Let's just get this over with. What is the victory condition, and what is it that you want?" Gilliam figured out that he needed to just continue the strong arm plan. If he backed out here it would ruin the earlier outburst in protecting himself and Petal, so.... Might as well get used to this.
Garend smirked, he looked like he had won already. "When you are knocked out or give up, I have won. And when I do win, I want it to be taken care of properly." Again he referred to Petal as an 'it', mentally triggering Gilliam a bit more.
"And what do I get if I win?" Gilliam commented, calmly. All things considered he felt rather sure about himself. Though he didn't properly know what the second years were capable of he did have an idea what the head Battlemage of the school could do. He had also seen some testing spells cast by the other students of all years. Sure, the testing spells would not be properly considered as their best, but reactions from all teachers hinted that he should be fine.
On the other hand, if this kid is as big mouthed as he is, he might be naturally gifted and this might end up quite problematic. Gilliam decided to not underestimate his opponent. Getting into a habit of doing that could suddenly become lethal.
Garend laughed again, much harder this time, turning to his companions.
"This peasant thinks he can win." He held his sides like he was about to fall over.
Turning back towards Gilliam. "What do you want? Money? Status? A proper slave?"
"Money sounds good." Gilliam replied without consideration. Though status was something he wanted in the longer run he wanted to earn that properly, and a proper slave was out of the question for several reasons.
At the same time he was a bit uncertain, what if this kid was actually that much better than him? Garend might have years of duelist and training experience because he's probably a noble. He most likely had training and Gilliam didn't.
Well, he did, but it was only a few hours in the dome with Ghaos. If he failed here then Petal would basically be... well.. In a bad situation.
As dumb as it was in his arrogance he accepted the duel before they had discussed the win and loss facts, he regretted this a bit at this point. Though at the same time this increased his motivation a lot. He couldn't afford to lose.
"How far can we go in the duel?" Gilliam decided to get the ground rules and facts before he planned the negative sides.
"Oh, I don't plan to kill you~" Garend gloated. "But as we all know accidents happen". He looked very happy about himself again, seeming to relish the thought that he had caught Gilliam in the trap that is his duel.
"Oh, so no reason to fear some damage, that's nice to know." Gilliam was a bit calmer now, this meant that he didn't have to hold back. Of course he was going to... When he fought Ghaos the dome was what kept him alive but the few times Gilliam properly hit Ghaos, he would have straight up died. And he was a trained battlemage.
None of the kids here had any healing magic, based on their badges, so he would have to be a bit careful.
"Good, good. So... How do we do this?" Gilliam wondered as he took Savia out of his hair and handed her to Petal.
Since she knew the language now she seemed to know what was going on, leaving the nearing area she made some distance between them. The kids around Garend had done the same.
Garend pulled a rod out of his inner coat pocket, it looked like a sceptre of sorts, very gilded and with a nicely cut gem on top. From what Gilliam gathered this was a Foci, meaning that casting should be a little easier for the lad.
He also took a coin from his pocket. "I'll fling this coin in the air, when it lands we start!" He looked eager.
The other boys that were around him had started gathering a crowd already, shouting 'duel!' around and shouting Garend's name as well. Based on the little murmuring he could overhear, this was apparently not the first time Garend had done things like these.
"Are you ready?" Garend asked with a large smirk. "I don't want you to cry about this when it's done, that you didn't get enough time to prepare."
"No, I'm good, let's just get this over with." Gilliam's smile and polite face faded. It was not his honour on the line, he couldn't care less about that, if he could just fake a loss and leave that would be perfectly fine with him.
No, this was about Petal. She was innocent in this and this brat wanted to have her killed, just for what she is. This was an unacceptable process of thought.
Gilliam folded up his shirt arms, he was going to win this. He hated going against a kid, Gilliam was about twice his age and this felt very wrong, but this was a very special scenario.
When he mentioned that he was ready there was another scoffing chuckle before Garend placed the coin on his thumb which was under his index finger. A few seconds later he lifted his hand up a bit and with a swift movement the coin flew into the air with a satisfying pling.
Flying several metres (1meter ~3ft) in the air the coin only used a few seconds to come back down, plinking against the ground.
Immediately the young boy started creating a magic circle, it was deep brown in colour, had a square shape in the middle and some runes that started coming into play.
Gilliam didn't intend to let him finish, as soon as the coin flew into the air he focused on the mana in his body, having found out in the training against Ghaos that this sped him up a bit he decided to use it properly here as well. Pointing his open palm towards the young boy, aiming at the circle and the mage behind it he did a simple one rune circle. Since a magic circle was just to aid with certain aspects of casting, and unstructured magic did all of that in the mind at the cost of more mana, why not just mix them?
The rune read Target, he just wanted help aiming, forming a sphere of Aether energy was hardly a problem, it didn't even take a second before a yellow glowing sphere of energy had formed in his hand.
Thrusting the sphere through the magic circle had it contract and be absorbed into the ball, in the same split second a thrusting force was added behind the sphere sending it at blinding speed through Garend's magic circle and into his chest.
Garend's magic circle faded instantly, and the force behind the energy ball sent him rolling backwards a good solid 5 metres (~16.5ft). There was sound of breaking bone both at the moment the sphere impacted the young boy but also a few times during the ragdolling across the ground.
Gilliam walked towards the young boy, he seemed conscious so that was fine. There was complete silence in the crowd that had formed around them. The broken boy was crying, whimpering and rightfully so, he was in horrible shape and to be honest; Gilliam would do the same had he been in his situation.
Noticing Gilliam getting closer he panicked more and more, tried to crawl away but the pain stopped him. This meant that Gilliam was with him in only a few seconds, having the poor boy cower and plead.
Crouching down next to him, Gilliam had already decided that he needed to have him loudly announce his defeat, to deter any future ambiguity for some ego saving.
"Soo... Should we continue?" He decided to sound a bit insane on purpose, this was a scare tactic after all.
"No... n.. No.. no... Please.. Stop.." He had some problems speaking through the crying,
Speaking a little bit louder than he needed to, clearly for the sake of making everyone hear it. "Do you yield?"
There was no doubt that the kid was not capable of fighting anymore, but he needed this to be a clear and doubtless victory.
"I... Y.. I .. I yield!" Garend shouted through the pain, he seemed to realise the danger he was in if this fight was to continue.
The crowd cheered, his posse was speechless, and Gilliam decided to throw him a bone.
He didn't properly know all things that were wrong with him but he didn't want the kid to die from this. Gilliam started healing the young boy as best he could, since healing magic was based on knowledge the focus was on the things he could see. Weirdly bent limbs were broken, bleeding wounds were... bleeding wounds... He didn't have super biology knowledge but he knew how to handle those two specific concepts at least.
Garend yelled out "I yielded, please no!" out as soon as a hand charged with energy was closing in on him, no doubt in panic. But he calmed down considerably as the warm pleasantness of healing magic washed across his broken limbs and wounds.
Though the pain, the confusion on his face was almost stronger as he asked in disbelief.
"W... why...?"
"You might be a racist cunt, but I'm not going to let you die just because of that." Gilliam was focusing so there were no smiles or polite tones, he knew how to handle some healing but he was far from good at it.
Luckily some trained healers took over. Getting up from doing this he first now properly realised that there were some cheers going on, Petal had walked back as well but had chosen to walk around the crowd. She still got some considerable distance from the ones that noticed her, but the focus was on Gilliam. |
The red orb had been gathering energy for longer than the other ones were doing, it was also higher off the ground, or at least it seemed like it from this distance. Since it was clearly visible it seemed that the orb itself was also larger. As it was not far from the crater that Gilliam made it was somewhat hard to judge it properly.
Angela was pacing back and forth, muttering a bit to herself. Petal had gotten up and was standing very close to Gilliam, looking generally worried. Savia was back in his hair-nest.
Gilliam himself was still standing there, smiling to himself like he was about to dump a bucket of unmentionables onto someone he hated.
"I might have an idea." He stated out to nobody in particular.
This snapped Angela out of her pacing and had Petal look to him instead of the growing orb in the distance.
"What do you mean? You're going to destroy the orb again?" She seemed a bit more relaxed after stating that question. Which made sense, what was better than to just destroy the anchor point in this world.
"No, when it opens I'm going to nuke it." Gilliam was looking forward to giving something back to the demons that treated him like they did. In a sense he kind of already returned the favour with the almost war-like level of deaths that happened. But none of that really mattered at the time.
He had found a use case for his current mega-spell.
"Nuke?" Angela was confused for a moment but seemed to connect the dots. "You mean that huge fireball? That's i-" She stopped herself from completing the sentence and thought about it for a few seconds instead.
"If you're accurate enough, that could work... If there is an invasion force on the other side of the portal, and the damage you'll do on their side...."
She seemed to like this idea more and more. "The red orb is higher up than the others, if this means that the portal will be bigger there might be a larger force on the other side. They might be angry with you." She smiled a bit now that the situation felt more like it was under control.
"You might be able to do some damage to their forces."
Gilliam sighed a bit, his smile fading. "There were so many of them, just the size difference from the Finger to the Hand landmass, there are bound to be millions of them. Though, this should close the gate as I doubt the mages who keep the gate open can handle it."
His grin partly returned, he was oddly looking forward to this.
It didn't take long before Aeris started dropping people, shortly after their talk stopped she came into existence for a brief moment, landing Jial and Ghaos before she disappeared again.
Both of them seemed to react to the presence of the red orb immediately, it wasn't exactly suffocating but it was like a powerful magical beacon.
"Are you going to destroy the orb?" Jial asked Gilliam as he walked up to stand next to him.
"No, I plan on sending a massive explosion through the gate as soon as it opens. You see the crater over there, behind the orb?" Gilliam pointed at the massive crater in the distance. "That used to be more islands until like an hour ago."
He chose to not add anything more than this, both Jial and Ghaos was at the school when he gave Unstructured magic a test a while ago, given that his knowledge and experience have had dramatic improvements since then, it seemed that it was enough to explain.
"Should we be worried?" Ghaos' voice had a slight hint of a chuckle as he stepped up to the other side of Gilliam, eyeing the same view as the others.
"Yes, you should." Angela broke into the conversation. "The fire almost reached to here, the shockwave knocked us over and, had there not been mostly water around us I'm sure it would be worse."
She almost shouted it in angry disbelief, even though she had experienced it herself that hour ago.
Gilliam pondered a second, not turning to anyone he took out a fist sized, and marble sized mana crystal. Referring to the fist-sized one first he explained. "It uses about two of these for power, and one of these to stabilise it."
He held them in his hand for a moment more to let them react before putting them back in his ring. He didn't know how much this rang with Jial, but since Ghaos was some weird mana crystal specialist due to how his magic worked, and based on his almost terrified expression, it seemed that it rang well there.
"I'm terrified of your potential..." Ghaos muttered to Gilliam as the crystals were put away. Gilliam could understand why, given how easy he could make the massive crystals and the extent of his Boundary, which had expanded since he started the training a while ago, it made sense that he surpassed the norm quite some time ago.
Gilliam also took a bit of pride in that statement, everyone likes compliments and Gilliam was no exception. No matter how odd they might be phrased.
Aeris landed again with a group of soldiers this time, they all wore armour in the style of Ghaos' people. This time she was looking tired, like she had just completed a full-body workout.
"I just realised another, less destructive idea." Gilliam suddenly stated to get their attention. "If the gate works like I think it does, if we make a strong barrier a hairs width away from the portal itself, won't that just disintegrate them before they can enter?"
He absolutely got the idea from that Sci-fi series in the modern world, with the parasitic aliens and the portal network around the galaxy.
Jial seemed to ponder this for a moment before nodding. "It's possible. It would affect the manifestation of the travellers." He thought for a few seconds on the topic. "But it would need quite some energy to power that for any proper time. In case they keep trying for a while."
"I currently have seven of the large crystals, and I can make two or three of them in a sitting, at least a few times a day." This was true, it would be taxing for him but with enough food and drink it was absolutely possible.
This also had Ghaos lift an eyebrow for a moment.
Jial seemed like he wanted to react to react but stopped himself as the red orb was beginning to do things. They couldn't hear much from this long distance but they could see the shockwave of energy extending from the sphere, tearing up ground, wood and unlucky birds nearby. It stopped moving and imploded, pulling all the debris it just destroyed into itself into a large explosion of energy. Though this time the debris remained within the explosion of red and purple light as it formed a large arch. Given how well they could see it at this distance it was clear that it was larger.
Gilliam activated the Star Lance pocket, his hand stretched out towards the portal so far away, he wanted to send the spell into it as soon as the portal opened, so it didn't hit someone on the way and activate on this side.
As soon as his hand was stretched out the spell had activated, the large and complex spell circle burst into existence with an almost hissing pulse, it was glowing an angry fiery colour but still kept its lines clear and thin. Casting a glance over to Jial, Gilliam could see that he had lost his stoic expression, in its palace was surprised with his mouth agape.
Gilliam couldn't help but take pride in that reaction.
Given the amount of energy the spell needed it took a few seconds to charge up, however due to the wondrous creation that was the coat, it only needed those few seconds. The radiant heat from the magic circle grew in strength alongside the charging. This was amazing, the time he needed to cast smaller things now covered this large artillery scale magic. The two spell circles were charged, glowing and ready to go.
Both Ghaos and Jial wanted to say something but they held their tongue as the little aiming circle of the spell locked onto the target Gilliam had mentally chosen. As soon as the standing puddle of energy had formed, Gilliam gave the final push of the circle. The circle collapsed much faster than last time. The outer support circle collapsed alongside it and both of them reached critical mass at the same time, pulsing into a small sun in front of Gilliam. Leaves and other debris in the air instantly caught fire once it got close enough and once the aiming circle was properly locked on and blinked once, everything activated its final stage. The sun shot forwards at amazing speed, the very air popped and crackled as it made its way towards the standing portal.
Gilliam widened his stance, putting one foot far behind himself and standing sideways towards the portal, placing one hand on Savia, he was preparing himself.
Ghaos saw what Gilliam was doing and mimicked it instantly, Angela steeled herself and Jial was just looking at the sun in awe.
Everything went flawlessly, the sun passed through the portal energy, and though it took a whole second for anything to happen there was an incredibly strong flickering of the portal energy before a massive shockwave followed by a wall of fire bellowing out through the portal. It was enough to tear up the ground and fauna even more than it already was. Everything stopped as the portal deactivated as soon as the fire came through, stopping its movement after not even a second. The red sphere deactivated and shattered, the rock, dirt and wood that made up the arch were sent flying everywhere having returned to debris.
As the shockwave that reached them was only enough to gently slap them a little, nobody was knocked over and his exaggerated stance was, luckily, wasted.
All in all, it was surprisingly anticlimactic. Somewhat amazing and cool, absolutely but since the explosion was on the other side of the portal and just a tiny fraction made it through before the whole thing, and the casters, were torn to bits it just felt a bit lacklustre.
Gilliam was enjoying the mental image of the reaction on the other side.
Jial muttered something, Gilliam wanted to ask what he said but he was stopped by a slap on the shoulder by Ghaos' strong hand.
"I think you're going to have to explain that one to us." It was not phrased like a request.
"Oh, it's simple. I signed a contract with Alleyan of the Mazewares company, he gave me this amazing coat that can hold spell circles and mana crystals for instant activation, in turn he got to use my name for advertisement, there's more to it but that's the short of it."
Gilliam smiled, condensing it all into a simple explanation.
"No.. not th-" Ghaos was interrupted as Gilliam was turned to face Jial by Jial having grabbed his shoulder. "Explain that spell. Now."
Jial's stoic expression had returned, it almost looked angry as he demanded to know about it.
"Oh, no problem. In short I'm stacking a ton of power-based runes on top of a sphere rune, this is accompanied by several energy storage runes to form the sun, a secondary aether spell circle handles keeping its stability and aiming. As it connects hard enough the stability fails as the aether circle breaks and it releases the collected energy." Again Gilliam explained it all too casually, but abstracted down it really was all there was to it.
Jial let his arm slide off Gilliam's shoulder and fall limply to his side. "You don't say..."
"What, is there something wrong about it?" Gilliam was wondering a bit, he knew for a fact that this was a good spell, a bit unrefined, perhaps, but it worked amazingly. Considering the explosion the other side must have had, if they weren't angry before they would be now.
"No, absolutely not but..." Ghaos was a bit lost of words, it seemed that he had a point but he just didn't know how to formulate it.
"It's fucking insane." Angela chimed in, having Ghaos point in her direction with a resounding agreement. "Yes, that. I don't think you properly realise what you did."
This had Gilliam pause a bit, arrogance and ego aside this seemed like a bigger deal than he thought. He knew this was not something that just some random mage could replicate but...
"What do you mean? I know it's a bit more than what most mages can do but is it really that weird?"
He knew it was weird, it was a product of his cheat-level power and knowledge, but parts of him hadn't really properly considered just where the scale stopped.
"This was a ritual-level spell, meaning you normally need at least two or three mages, and that's not even considering that it uses two-" Ghaos put heavy pressure on the word 'two'. "-of those massive mana crystals of yours. You are clearly underestimating the power you are just throwing about."
Ghaos had a serious tone on that last part, it was not just envy or some surprise thing.
"I specialise in mana crystals, and the largest crystal I can create is a bit over half of that size. That will take my entire Boundary in a sitting and I could probably not do that more than twice in one day."
Gilliam started pondering, a bit over half of the gems he usually stops at is about a third of what he theoretically could do. Since he can make about three before his Boundary is out.
Rough maths put Gilliam's boundary on six times that of Ghaos, and he was a powerful battlemage that was handling the security at the Academy. He might be focusing on his physical combat but he didn't seem like a slouch when it came to magic either. The important bit to consider was that he was a mana crystal specialist.
All of this was also without considering his Mana core or the purity of the gem he could make...
"Ah... I see..." Gilliam was brought back down to earth, metaphorically, he started seeing the difference in things. Something he was somewhat aware of but he had gotten used to his own level that he never really considered the reality of things.
On the other hand this really boosted the view of his own powers, he couldn't pretend to not be happy about what he was, once all of this was done he was considering milking it at least a little.
There were some murmurs between the group of soldiers as well, not loud enough that Gilliam could make out what was being said, but enough that he could feel the discomfort.
This could also explain why he wasn't approached more than he already was at the academy. Logically speaking everyone would try to get on his good side, become part of his Circle or just... Some form of positive social tie. Getting good with someone of that status would only be good in the future, but there had been an incredible lack of that so far.
Gilliam thought it was because of how the Academy rules put everyone on the same social standing, but why wouldn't people try anyway? Another thing he considered was fear, he was powerful and he had used power to threaten people before, not to mention the Garend thing, but that was after he returned from the Fractured Lands, people would have tried to get good with him before that happened. Especially after he closed the first Gate.
This felt a bit odd to him, he was an outsider and man without a noble name to him, but he assumed that his title would have people ignore that fact.
Though, all that being considered, he did like not having people attacking him from anywhere with attempts of joining his Circle or whatever. There were a few that tried during the public Circle joining day but besides that.
This was too much to consider at the moment, Gilliam wanted to rest, he needed to make more fire gems as well as consider a lot of things. The larger gate that just opened now hinted that they had an invasion ready. It was only a few days since he came back, and though time flowed differently in the Fractured Lands it still didn't take that long. Not knowing how much of that time went to damage control and cleanup of the tower and how much went to gathering troops, it was hard to say how long it would take this time.
Considering that everyone seemed super ready to fight when he entered the Hand the last time, he gathered that it wouldn't be that long.
Gilliam pondered another thing, why did the gate open here? Was there another one at the academy? There couldn't be, in that case Gilliam would be requested to return instead of the people coming here into the middle of nowhere.
"I think we should go back. I'm sure we have something else to talk about." Forcing a topic change it was time to head back.
Poor Aeris needed a moment before bringing people back, Savia offered to help but Aeris declined that strongly. It seemed that the little harpy was not ready for passengers just yet.
Once Aeris had rested enough she brought everyone in a larger group and brought them back at the same time, the teleport this time took a bit longer in the form of energy buildup, but it worked as it should and after the short light-blindness passed they were in the middle of the Aether field at the academy.
The guards went their own way, seeming to have things to do. Since Gilliam, Petal and Angela were brought along by Jial and Ghaos for another report, and Savia was not needed for that, she went with Aeris to see the teleportation teacher.
Gilliam and co were led up the central staircase into the headmaster's office. Being told to report here and now, instead of waiting for a larger assembly of pompous assholes like last time was oddly refreshing.
This time the report didn't take long, Gilliam explained his side of things without going too hard into details about the coat, his testing, Savia or anything that didn't directly have anything to do with the Gate. No need to over share.
Jial and Ghaos added some thoughts on the tactical-level spell Gilliam used; the Star Lance was apparently liked by the headmaster as well. The fact that the gate was larger as well as having formed where they were, instead of around the school again, hinted that Gilliam was somewhat involved in this.
The headmaster had done some investigation since last regarding the Gate and its apperance, it seemed that the gates opened up near strong magical signatures. The academy was one such area due to the collection of mages and the magical defences surrounding it. Due to said defences might also be why it opened outside of the academy and not inside of it.
There had been gates opening up elsewhere in the world after the second gate was shut down before it opened, though with what they had learned it was relatively easy to destroy them as long as there were enough mages around. The danger would be when a gate fully opened somewhere and the demons managed to get a foothold.
"Then we need to somehow stop them from coming here in the first place." Gilliam chimed in. It was... a simple answer with a complicated execution. "Not every demon has the gifts or knowledge needed to open the gates, if we take them out, or kill the demon lord somehow, won't that work?"
Looking around the room he saw different expressions, though most of them had a hint of uncertainty and disbelief.
"I mean... I don't know these things too well but when the next gate opens, can't we just teleport in, teleport up and find out where to go from there?"
Again he said it like it was nothing, this was dangerous and had a high, a very high risk of no return.
"Though true." Jial replied. "It would most likely be a one-way mission. And there is no way to confirm if it worked or not until it's possibly too late." He didn't seem happy with the thought of the mission succeeding, but the world still living in uncertainty.
"Could we make an item that allows for cross-dimension teleportation, and then send someone back with information once it's over? Alternatively, having some magic item that sends constant updates so you know if people died? I... ironically enough don't know enough about magic to know if this works or not... but could that be a thing?"
Gilliam realised that though he was considered the prime of power and knowledge simply from knowing the runes and being the Heptagon Mage... He oddly enough had very, very little actual knowledge about things. A nice example was that he still didn't know how to cast the cleaning magic spell that felt like a common thing.
The people around him thought about this for a moment, but the one that broke the silence was actually Petal.
"I... Might have something..." She was hesitant, perhaps based on the order about harming him, he didn't really know if this extended to reputation or stuff like that.
Though it seems that nobody reacted, though she wasn't looked at positively she was given the nod to continue by Ledels. "If you kill the Lord, you become the new Lord if you can defend the position. If the Lord dies in battle he is replaced but if he is challenged the winner takes over. The hierarchy is very power based, so if you are strong enough..."
She seemed incredibly uncomfortable, but she shared good info that kind of already made sense, but seemed that nobody had considered.
"So... if we can get to him and officially challenge him... and win, that could be the end of it all?" Gilliam was a bit unsure about how simple it was, it wasn't that far from his originally blurted out idea about killing him but... This also made sense culturally.
Ghaos chuckled. "So, we just need to find someone who's willing to get into a world of enemies, get themselves to the center one of floating islands without a map or anything to guide, challenge some demon lord and win... no biggie!"
"I mean..." Gilliam decided to ignore the sarcasm for now. "Combining the ideas... If a teleporter comes along this could work. From the explanations I got from Sirzan, there is a space between the landmasses, you can absolutely fly between them, it's just that nobody there has enough mana to try properly. With teleportation and flying I think it could work somehow.... It's going to be risky and draining, though..."
He decided to not mention that he could fly a theoretical infinite amount of time, as his passive recharging rate was more than the draining when flying. He didn't know how it worked when passed on to others but he apparently had a stupid mana pool, stocking up on mana gems to absorb like mana potions would extend this quite a lot.
And considering all of this, the best would most likely be to have a small group go and do this. But that group would have to not only be very skilled, but be aware of the no-return risk. Besides, once they do win and get control and all that... Then what? Tell them to behave? Slap them on the wrist and have them not do this anymore?
"What do we do once we do win?" Gilliam decided to involve this into the planning. "Tell them to send us home and not do this anymore?"
This silenced the room again.
After a few moments Ledels broke the silence. "Well, this needs to be discussed by people better at this than me. I'll take this further up in the chain, I would prefer it if you keep being around the Academy for the time being..." The request was absolutely self centred, but it also made a bit of sense. He was the best person to have around for the gates.
Gilliam just nodded for now, agreeing mostly for Petal's sake. She was tolerated at the Academy, though he wanted to travel the world a bit this could cause several problems. This ended the meeting as Ledels left the room with them, he headed down the stairs quickly, passing them on the way. Jial and Ghaos went off to do their own thing which left Gilliam and company without any direction.
"So... Now what?" Gilliam asked the group as they were nearing the ground floor.
"I... I need to go train to keep up with your shenanigans." Angela pointed blamingly at Petal, but with a suggestive smile, forcing Gilliam to chuckle.
Angela left them without really letting them respond, and all things considered, Gilliam had some planning and things to do on his own, but first he needed to eat.
After being done eating Gilliam placed a cut apple piece in the ring's storage as a test of food spoiling.
The rest of the day was not too interesting.
Aeris and Savia were gone for most of it, Petal simply wanted to stay close to Gilliam and used any excuse for body contact. Gilliam didn't dislike it but it made the focus he needed on the mana crystals once he got back to his room a bit harder.
Savia eventually popped up in his room from nowhere, startling both Gilliam and Petal, forcing him to lose focus enough to break the magic circle he was working on at the moment.
Focus changed to her for a while where she went through the things she had learned and what she was able to do. And in the end; night creeped in and though it finally became bedtime, Petal had other ideas.
Gilliam abruptly woke to the sound of knocking on his door, it startled him almost as much as the bloody school bell, mainly due to it being unexpected.
He mumbled through his sleep and managed to mutter out a "Yes?"
An unknown female voice replied outside. "Mr. Gibson... Sir... You are requested outside."
She sounded hesitant and scared.
Sitting up in the bed he was still not exactly mentally present. "By who?"
"Lord Silverhawk and his company, Sir..." Again she sounded very hesitant and uncertain.
Gilliam's not yet awake mind tried to process the name, but all he could imagine was a bird made of silver... How would it even fly if it's that heavy?
"Who?"
The woman outside sounded even more hesitant, almost like she didn't even want to reply, but in the end answered. "S... Sir... It's the father of student Garend Silverhawk." |
Gilliam was mentally ready to give the Darkness crystal a go. He expected it to open wounds and draw blood, as that was how the spells seemed to work, at least the summoning ones.
Having sat down and mentally prepared he put his hands into the channelling position and gave it a go, his first goal was to make a tiny fragment, just in case this didn't go as expected.
Exactly as expected a small cut, no larger than a centimetre (~0.4inch) opened up on the inside of his left palm, it looked like a clean cut almost as if made with a blade. The expected red mist started flowing from the wound into the center of the focus and condensing into a blood-red crystal. Gilliam stopped after a very short moment as he wanted to test before he properly made anything. A quick burst of healing energy had the wound close without a hint of scarring.
He now held a tiny blood-like crystal, it had some streaks in it of black and other hues when looked very closely, but for all simple explanations it simply looked like blood in crystalline form.
To test that it worked, Gilliam made the simplest of magic circles, a spell to create an ant. Just a standard ant. The reason for no control or 'I am the master' logic to it was that.. It was an ant, he could step on it and get it over with.
The main difference to the magic circle was that he added a remote energy source circle to the input that went to a secondary circle which had the fragment gem in it.
It was all in all, the simplest of things one could make, given the complexity of summoning, or rather Creation magic and external power sources.
Activating the black magic circle made it pulse once as it drew the energy from the mana crystal before it collapsed into itself, spawning an ant in mid-air. It fell to the ground and started looking around and acted much like Gilliam assumed ants would in this situation.
The gem had disappeared as expected and all in all, this was a successful test!
A quick thought about what to do with the ant gave him another idea, since they were rather permanent until either killed or dismissed, he wanted to use this to test the storage ring a little. Picking up the ant, an ordeal that was not incredibly simple due to ants being annoying, he put it into the ring for now.
Mentally connecting to the ring clearly had it confirm that the ant was indeed there, though he couldn't confirm if it was alive or not. Since summoned creatures poofed away when they died he assumed it was still alive, but that remained to be seen.
Now, a second test, if he was able to keep a healing spell going at the same time as he was condensing a crystal.
This felt like a complex event, as his healing was unstructured, and the crystallisation of mana was also an unstructured concept, it was like having two going at the same time. As his introductory class showed; having more unstructured things going at the same time, even something as simple as a light source, becomes exponentially harder.
However, he needed to get this tested, so rather than thinking about it too much he simply gave it a go.
He started focusing on healing, having a steady, but weak, general healing spell going. Once that was stable he tried to focus on condensing a Darkness mana crystal again. A small wound opened as expected but as soon as it did, it was closed. Then another small wound opened before it was closed. This happened over and over and over again.
Each time a small wound opened a puff of red mist was condensed into the crystal, so though it worked the same as far as the end result was considered, it was incredibly distracting. Before it only felt like a slight cut but then it was just bleeding, this was like being cut over and over again.
In the end, after only a few seconds of this his focus failed and both spells stopped. He had made another fragment-sized crystal but it was much harder to control due to the repeated stabbing, so to speak.
Then, how did Nolis mean this was going to work? Should he heal himself after he is done casting or channelling?
Or perhaps it was different, he was focusing on wound healing, since this basically consumed your blood and life essence, was that what he was supposed to heal?
In the latter case, if he was to try this he would need larger wounds, or a larger channelling to notice a difference. Something as small as the fragment wouldn't consume enough that he could even feel the missing blood.
Since it seemed that a fist sized gem was about a litre (~33.8 fluid ounces) or so, though he was a bit unsure he thought it was something he could lose without much problems. Sure, he would probably be dizzy and a bit weak for a while, but if he was not able to fix that it'll fix itself in time with some food, drink and rest.
Refocusing his mind he gave this a go, the mental image seemed to me important here as when he started channelling, rather than a small wound in his hand, three deep gashes formed on his lower arms. The opening of the wounds hurt enough that he failed concentrating on the channelling, ending the attempt before it properly started.
"God fucking damn it!" he let out as the whole thing failed. The exclamation was both for the failing of the channelling itself but also from the sheer pain of the cuts, it felt like someone had taken a knife and cut along his lower arms, three times, hard and deep.
There was a lot of blood dripping, he didn't want to heal it and start over.
"What's going on?" Angela asked about his sudden outburst.
"Don't worry about it, it's not as bad as it looks, I need to test something." Gilliam didn't stop to consider this more, he wanted to test this properly before he lost too much blood.
Restarting the channelling from start, this time it didn't open up new wounds and rather started consuming from the existing ones. As the wounds were already open, though hurting a lot, it was easier to focus through an existing pain than a sudden new one.
At least this gave some validity to blood mages in media cutting themselves before casting spells, the initial shock and pain could be controlled before you needed to focus.
The focusing was much easier now, though there was a sustained pain of having open wounds like this, the fear of bleeding out was luckily not even on his mind due to having healing magic. It did wonders for him to relax about the steady stream of blood that was being misted and then condensed into a crystal. This in turn let him focus on focusing rather than worrying.
He knew from donating blood in the modern world that he would get dizzy well before it started getting properly dangerous, and losing half a litre (~17 fl ounce) of blood was something one could handle as it was the rough amount they took during donations.
Deciding to not go as far as originally planned, instead of a fist-sized he'd go halfway, making a half-fist sized. Losing that amount of blood was something he had done before, and he functioned well enough the rest of that day.
The blood that had seeped into his clothing or onto the ground was not used as part of the channelling, perhaps that's due to him not knowing how to use it properly? He would have to look into that later.
Angela seemed to be a bit worried, as was Petal who probably had never seen this scene before. Gilliam ignored both of them and continued to focus on the crystallisation now that it had started working.
After a short while he stopped, he had a decently sized crystal, about 10cm (~4inch) in diameter, it was larger than he intended and closer to a fist sized than half of one. Immediately healing himself once the gem fell into his lap he closed the wounds easily enough. Though closed with healing magic these wounds left very light scars. Gilliam pondered if this was why Nolis looked covered in scars like he was.
He took a few moments to calm down once the healing was done, Angela and Petal looked a bit more at ease now that it made more sense what he was doing and since he was no longer bleeding.
In his lap was a deep blood-red crystal, it had a vaguely round shape like the other ones he made, the main difference was that where the others looked more like glass or just crystals this one looked like blood that had taken a solid form.
He felt a bit weak after all of that, thirsty and hungry. Gilliam finally realised that they had been there for a while without any sustenance so it might be high time to return. This also had him realise that it would be good if he just had a lot of food and water in the ring, for cases like these and if he randomly found himself in the Fractured Lands again.
There was always something new to learn, new things to consider.
Another thing that came to mind, since focusing on healing at the same time as fuelling darkness magic was a problem with the opening of new wounds due to healing, he might need to find a way to supercharge the way his body makes new blood instead. Just closing the wound isn't enough when you suffer the after effects of blood loss. So weirdly enough, to get the most out of darkness magic, he needed to get better at healing. He didn't properly know how the body generated blood so it wasn't something he could affect that well.
One way to work around this could be to just use downtime and create a lot of the blood crystals, or learn to use external blood from his enemies... Both could work.
"Are you ok, My Lord?" Petal's voice broke him out of his train of thought.
He didn't consider it until her worried voice hinted at it, but he might have looked weird sitting there, bloodied, with a blood crystal in his hands contemplating.
Chuckling as he properly got to his feet, in the same movement he put the crystal into the ring and somewhat turned towards Petal.
"I'm fine, though I guess it might look bad." Taking a proper look there seemed to be a bit of blood on the ground and his clothing. Luckily it was just spread out more than a large volume.
As soon as he got properly to his feet he felt the dizziness creep in, widening his stance a bit fixed the problems, but it seemed that getting up suddenly after losing the amount of blood he used for this was apparently a bad combination.
Petal took a step closer as a reaction, seeming to aim to catch him before he fell, but stopped herself as he managed to rebalance himself.
"Ok.... It seems I'm not as fine as I thought. I'm only a bit dizzy, this will fix itself in time..."
He looked a bit pleading to Angela. "You wouldn't happen to know how to speed up blood generation, do you?"
Angela smiled in a schadenfreude way. "Not in a way I can teach you, my healing only works for me, and I don't think about it."
She seemed to take some joy in Gilliam's self-applied misfortune.
Gilliam had realised that there was a lot of envy to his magical prowess, something he absolutely understood. He would be envious towards someone with this if he weren't this someone. And since his current problem was not really dangerous, it will just take a bit of time to fix itself, it was a good moment to take enjoyment out of it.
"Damn it..." Gilliam muttered to himself.
He knew he was not in any danger, but it still didn't feel right.
"I suppose I'll just relax until Aeris comes back. I feel for some food." Gilliam smiled as he walked over to a tree and sat down, resting against the trunk.
He had used a lot of mana already, the Star Lance, though not consuming all of his mana it still ate up a considerable amount of it. And since using and recharging mana seemed to affect his hunger as well, he was in a very low energy state when considering all of this.
Gilliam assumed that Angela and Petal would continue training, but Petal instead sat down next to Gilliam, slowly leaning closer to him as the seconds went.
He couldn't do anything but smile, she was apparently still a bit weird with these things but, he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy it.
Angela chuckled a bit to herself. "I'll meditate as we wait, come get be when she returns."
She didn't wait for a response and simply left them to it as she disappeared behind a boulder.
Not long after, Petals slowly leaned into contact with him, her head leaning against his shoulder. It was a bit odd having the solidity of her horns rest against his shoulder, it did have a strange 'her' feeling about it but it was unique to him.
They sat like this and rested for a while.
Gilliam woke to the feeling of something slapping him in the face, the sudden startling almost had him slap Savia into oblivion, luckily he realised it was her before he scraped her off his face and slammed her in the ground.
She looked super happy, not seeming affected by the sudden harm she could have received.
Letting out a relieved sigh he couldn't really be mad at her, well... he could but it wasn't really the place. Taking her properly off his face he placed her in his open hand.
"Don't do that when I sleep.. You startled me, I could have hit you."
It seemed that the emotions over their shared bond and his accidentally more reprimanding tone than expected had her happiness sour a little.
Gilliam noticed and decided to change the subject. "So, how did it go?" He sounded happier and curious at this point.
"Savia can teleport people!" She shouted happily and proudly. All hints of her happiness potentially fading had completely gone.
Aeris walked in closer, coming from wherever she had been hiding, she added a bit more to the explanation.
"It seems she's a natural, it only took a bit of explaining and a few tests for her to be able to teleport with people, she took me all over the island." She sounded a bit proud as well, which made sense; she was Savia's teacher.
Gilliam eyed the smiling microharpy in his hand, her smile was practically glowing.
Aeris walked closer and squatted down, talking at Savia.
"Savia, can you show your master and teleport to that big tree?" She smiled at her as she pointed at a tree in the near distance.
Savia shook her head rapidly in agreement and before anyone could react she blinked away.
Aeris looked at Gilliam with a serious expression, speaking faster than normal with an oddly warning tone.
"Savia doesn't know it yet, but she is able to offensively teleport, she can teleport people against their will. Not all teleporters can do that as it can become a dangerous weapon. I can do it and because of it I'm kind of on a list."
She inhaled to add something more but before she could start the next sentence Savia popped into existence near Gilliam.
"Savia can teleport!!" She shouted it happily again, but with renewed energy now that she had proven it.
Gilliam realised that he had to speak a bit more to Aeris about but currently there was a happy creature in front of him, she landed in his hand once he extended it and sat there with her super happy smile.
"That's great!" He complimented her ability, even considering that he knew from before that she could teleport.
"She should be able to teleport anywhere that she has been before, the more she knows the place the better. I think it might be best to test her a bit more before she starts teleporting groups over larger ranges."
Aeris was good at explaining and it was weird for Gilliam to listen to her speak, she was 10 years old but her way of being felt like a fellow adult.
"When we get back I can bring her to my teacher, she can probably teach her better than me."
Gilliam thought that Aeris was going to teach her, though it made a lot of sense to have an actual teacher handle this.
Gilliam nodded, he was very fine with training and testing before using her ability, though he didn't know for a fact what could happen, it was still the thought of how the media had portrayed failed teleporting... If Aeris had some weird bonus ability that made this safe for her, then he had nothing against her handling it!
Though, all of this had him wonder about something. Gilliam started his question with a wondering expression.
"If she has been teleporting around for a bit, how's her mana doing?"
Looking at Savia he sort of asked Aeris, as if she would know Savia's Boundary. Since she hadn't cast any spells until she started teleporting now he was a bit confused about how this worked.
Aeris smiled as she replied, seeming to enjoy being the one that knows the answers. "Personal teleportation doesn't use that much energy for a specialist, so she's probably one. Group teleports are a bit worse, that takes time to get used to. Teleportation uses two energy sources, your mana but also your physical endurance. For people who aren't used to teleporting, after a few rounds they tend to get very worn out, tired and perhaps even nauseous. This happens to the teleporter and the passengers."
She clearly spoke from experience, but based on just what Gilliam had seen her do earlier, she's quite used to it.
Looking back at the happy Savia in his hand he did wonder where her limits were, this would need to be figured out but perhaps it was a better idea to let Aeris' teacher handle that.
He also wondered if this would be covered under his Heptagon Mage scholarship that the headmaster mentioned. If not he was beginning to make some money on the side, so that remained to be seen.
"Well, I would love if she could get the proper training for this." Gilliam smiled as he gave Savia's head a little pat with his finger. Something she seemed to highly enjoy.
As he was about to start another question about the teleporting, there was a familiar uncomfortable feeling again. The gathering of mana to the level where it almost felt like heat in the distance. They could all feel it this time, it made sense for Gilliam, Angela and Aeris but this round it also seemed that Petal reacted.
They all looked in the same direction to see a familiar red orb forming in the distance, not far from the new crater that Gilliam created only moments ago.
Angela took immediate control and turned to Aeris.
"Go to the academy, inform them right away, bring anyone that can help."
Aeris nodded in response and instantly disappeared from sight.
The rest of the crew had worried expressions on their faces, except Gilliam who had an almost sadistic expression grow.
"I might have an idea." His smile grew a little more at his statement. |
xxx ONE xxx
The Devil Himself
Being poor, ugly, and weak isn't fun. School is just another term for hell. Instead of learning and getting proper education for my future, I get lessons on how to stop bleeding from being harassed all day and how to hold back tears in public.
There hasn't been a day where I don't wish the world would just come crashing down.
"Little Yoel, you better not look at me that way when I talk to you. Your glare is rude and annoying. It's gross, honestly!" Pier - my most persistent bully - aggressively pokes my forehead repeatedly.
"Maybe I should just pluck your eyes out. How bout' that?" My head gets slammed on the dirty floor as Pier releases his grasp on my hair. As my ears were ringing from the pain, their laugh played right after as if my life was some sort of sitcom.
"Hah... I'm bored already," scoffed Pier as he threw his cigarette on my hand. The ashes falling off burns my hand slightly. He arrogantly continues, "Oh yeah, don't forget to give me your money later. We're gonna go karaoke-ing this week! If you forget, I'll leak all those nude photos of you with your head shoved in the toilet."
Sick fuck, blackmailing me like that! He and his cronies just continue laughing at my beaten-up ass and leaves me laying helpless.
Give you money? The money my mom worked her damn mind off to give me?! You can try coughing that money out of me, but you'll never get it!
With all the strength I had left, I stood up and made my way to the back of the school. I'm skipping today. I don't want to see that piece of trash's ass, but I don't want to go home and let my mom see my bruised face. I guess I have nowhere to go but the nearby park. The residents around might scold me, or call security, but who cares at this point? I have other pressing matters.
I sat on top of the green and worn-out monkey bars like I always do. I love sitting there as my short feet don't usually let me see the view from this high up. I feel like I'm invincible, even just for a moment.
I take a deep breath as I lean back with my arms supporting me. I look at the sky as memories come flashing by. All the bullying, all the pain... "When will this hell end...?" I whisper to myself.
I'm going to turn 18 in a couple of months. By then, I'll have to find what I'm good at and land a job somewhere. With the financial condition I'm in, it's unlikely I'll be able to get to college. Student loans will just be a burden for my mom - not that I want to go to college anyway, the bullying will likely get worse there.
If only some kind of meteorite could just drop on Earth and send us back to the dinosaur ages, I wouldn't have to deal with this terrible life. As I imagined the end of the world, I saw a light flashing rapidly from the sky akin to lightning. It was such a bright light that the grey clouds it passed were glowing like lamps.
Before I knew it, it had reached me. A shock of electricity ran through my whole body. I was electrocuted.
My whole body was jittering and quacking as what felt like 300 million volts struck my entire body. My mouth started foaming as I fell off the monkey bars into the sand underneath. My body felt weak. Everywhere was painful. Somehow, it felt like I had been crushed in a massive hydraulic press.
Holy shit... Am I dying...? From lighting struck in the middle of the day...?!?
"No, you're not!" a voice in my head replied. As freaked out as I was at the fact there was a voice in my head, I couldn't make a significant reaction as my entire body was practically paralyzed. Have I lost it?!? I'm hearing things!!!
"No, no, NO! You idiot, these voices are REAL!!!" again, the voice in my head spoke to me, yelling in a panicked and hurried tone. "Move it you numbskull! He's going to get me at this point!!!" it continued.
"I can't move! I had just been struck by lighting! I might be dead already!!!" I yelled back to the voices in my mind. It seems like it can hear my thoughts.
"That wasn't lighting, that was ME! And yes I can hear you thinking! Now hurry up, I don't want to get caught!!!" it's words became erratic and increasingly more worried. I try to do as it says, but it was futile. My body won't budge. The pain searing from the top of my head to my tippy toes only lets me stay in this half-conscious half-dead state.
"FINE, HAVE IT YOUR WAY!!! I'M BORROWING YOUR BODY THEN!!!!" it shouted.
Huh?! What does that mean?!? I knew soon enough what it meant, as my body started to move out of my will. Suddenly, it felt like my control over my body had been passed to it. I am now only an observer in my own mind.
I can see my body nimbly standing up and running away with speed. I was moving like an athlete you'd see on TV. "HOW THE FUCK— WASN'T I PARALYZED JUST A MOMENT AGO?!?" I shrieked in my mind. It doesn't answer my question and instead speeds up the pace. At this point, my body was running so quickly that I thought I was riding a racing car.
This is not humanly possible! This has got to be some sick dream...
"Dream, dream, dream. Face reality, kid!! You weren't struck by lighting with however many volts! You were struck by MY soul! If it were lighting, blood would be pouring out of your ears and eyes!!"
After running through the entire neighborhood in a flash, my body jumps into a garbage bin and buries my body in it.
"WHAT THE HELL?!?" I yell in disbelief. Is this a new type of harassment?! Controlling someone's body and fooling with them?!?
"Shut it. We have to hide!" it retorts at me.
"Striking me with lightning, taking my body, then dumping me in garbage, who the fuck are you?!? You're not fucking human!!!" I demanded. This situation is so bizarre, I need explanations!
After looking around outside, my body opens the garbage bin lid and jumps out. "Oh yuck, what's this weird juice?" it says as it looks at my hand dipped in what looks like barf.
"ARGH!!! GROSS!!!" I shout at it in anger. "That's my fucking hand!!!"
"Wow, you're real whiny mortal. Relax, I'm the only one smelling this thing. If I take over your body, you can't feel anything nor smell anything. You haven't been feeling the pain from before, right? You can't smell or feel this weird juice, right?"
Well... It's true, but... "Urgh... It doesn't matter if I can or not! It's still MY body!!! Clean my hand RIGHT NOW!!!!"
It suddenly bursts into laughter, "BWAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Oh, mortals are a riot!" It slaps the barf off my hand. "You poor things are so materialistic! You're also pretty brave despite talking back to the Devil himself! You know in Hell, we don't wear any clothes. We don't keep our hygiene since we don't need to! Being a little dirty won't kill, I know that for sure!" It continues to laugh again.
"What?! Hell?!?" I couldn't believe what it just said.
"Hm... I'm in the mortal realm now. I guess I'm being rude right now. Let me introduce myself." Using my body, it bows down to the trash bin, "my name is Lucifer. I am the devil as you may know. I will be residing in your body from now on. Pleased to meet you, mortal!"
As pissed as I was when he bowed to the trash bin as if that was me, I was more shocked and in disbelief at his ridiculous introduction. Lucifer?! After everything that's been going on, I would believe if I really had been possessed by the Devil himself!
"You scared, mortal? Hold on, you haven't introduced yourself to me! How rude! Bwahahaha!" Lucifer smirks as he continued to laugh.
"You—! Urgh... What is even going on...?! This is too much... I wanna just flatline right here right now..." I cried out as honestly as one could possibly get.
"Hey, hey! Don't get all suicidal now! How bout' this? You want me to give you full control again?"
Hearing that sentence sprung me back to my senses. "YES! GIVE IT!!" I immediately respond with enthusiasm.
"Bwahaha! You sure?!" he retorts. Without another word, I could feel my feet touching the ground. My skin could feel the light breeze of air passing through my body. I could feel the oxygen entering my nose as I took a deep breath. "Finally, my body—"
I bend down and fall onto my knees as I threw up all over the ground. Pain alike the one I felt when I was struck continued to sear throughout my body. My head is dizzy and I feel nauseous. Being covered in the terrible smell of garbage doesn't make it any better. I feel like shit...!!!
Suddenly I recalled what had happened before! I forgot that once I gain control, I'll feel EVERYTHING! The devil continues to ridicule me with his bwahahaha's.
"You want me to take control back, mortal? Can't handle it?! You don't look so hot!! Bwahahahaaa!!!"
It was too late as I start to lose consciousness. I feel so sick... I'm so tired and in pain... I just, want to rest...
xxx TO BE CONTINUED xxx |
The Kobold covered his sparkly eyes with his sun-goggles as he excitedly waited for Gilliam's answer.
It only took him a few minutes to make one, a bit more effort and a little more time than an irregularly shaped crystal in the same size category, but it was not really problematic. Easier than one of the fist-sized gems due to sheer size and stability of the channelled stream of energy needed.
"Hmm... I suppose that depends on the price." Gilliam smiled. Though he originally didn't intend to use this event to make money, since he didn't even know how much money is worth yet, but since he had already broken that thought with the advertisement contracts he had signed he might as well.
Though, the value of things could be slightly gauged based on the little guy's response.
Harroc thought hard for a few long seconds. "For that crystal I'll pay 20 gold, it should be around market price, I can't say for sure without my tools but it feels about right. Now, for the rest..."
He brought his notepad back and started listing a range of sizes, from only a few millimetres (1mm ~ 0.039 inch) up to some bar or cylinder shaped ones of a specific length and thickness. Harroc explained that he would pay what he thought was market price for the gem and purity and he would add a bonus at the end for the extra work.
Gilliam enjoyed this kind of transaction more than some of the others, the others were contractually bound, details and a lot of weird things. This guy just wanted to buy the gems and the problem was solved. From what Gilliam had read and heard about the crystals, there is a market for them due to how easy they are to use for non mages and mages alike, all from using them as bombs to fuelling magical items and gear, for some extremely skilled engravers one could engrave a spell circle directly onto the crystal itself, making it a throwable spell. Though this required a steady hand more than most people had so the more common method was to make the circles on paper and just put the gem to the paper when time came.
The weather was nice, and though the day had dragged on, Gilliam decided to just make his orders right away instead of postponing. The non-orb shaped ones were surprisingly hard, he needed a few attempts to get them working properly, the failures he just put in storage for now. In the end he had made everything that Harroc needed, which had the little kobold nothing short of ecstatic.
"Thank you, this has saved me a lot of money and time. I'll be sure to come back if I need more in the future." He smiled extremely happily.
They did the math which put the gems at the upper 900 somewhere, rounding up to a flat thousand seemed fair in Harroc's eyes, Gilliam had no experience to say anything in either way so he took the payment as his client put everything in his small shoulder bag. The fact that it all fit in there hinted that it was a holding space much like his ring.
Mimicking the concept, Gilliam put the money in the ring and after several more words of thanks Harroc climbed down the chair and scampered off in the direction of the Aether field.
Throughout the whole day, Savia had just been sleeping in his hair, though she did briefly come down for food before returning. There was an oddly content feeling over their shared bond, though this did again remind Gilliam that he needed to spend more time with her.
As this was the last serious person in the queue, Gilliam finally got up and left his desk, Petal following him. First now that Gilliam was no longer focused on the line of people and the contracts, he noticed that Petal seemed oddly uneasy, like she was almost shaking even though she seemed to act fine.
Considering a few things it made a bit of sense, she reacted similarly to an adrenaline kick when she was in the presence of the large mana crystals when he tested it before, and he had spent the last hour making more of them... She was probably hyped up on mana..
"Are... How are you doing?" He asked her a bit worried that she might be uncomfortable.
"I am... Fine.." her words were a bit hesitant. Gilliam wondered if she was hiding something, though remembering that the slave brand forced her to always be honest with him, meant that she was indeed fine. Whatever had her hesitate would not be related to this question.
Parts of Gilliam wanted to pry, find out what had made her act odd, to confirm if it was just the magical adrenaline kick or if there was something else. The other part of him wanted her to be as much 'her own' as she could, he really wanted her to be as free as possible. This was a conflicting feeling.
"However... I have a request..." The hesitation grew stronger. "I would like to return to your room." She didn't seem in pain, but perhaps this ordeal was taking a toll on her mentally?
He knew that when he was on an adrenaline kick over a longer period of time, he usually felt physically drained. He would consider himself 'fine' and just tired. Perhaps that's what she's feeling?
"Of course." He replied without thinking as he followed her towards his room.
The torrent of people had thinned out considerably, which made a lot of sense given that most had probably gotten their contracts or left due to lack of interest.
Though Gilliam was more focused on Petal, he was fine with her doing her own thing but he wanted to see her to the room at least, they didn't have anything specific planned until tomorrow so this wasn't really a problem.
Getting to the room was not an issue, after entering he took Savia out of his hair and put her on some cloth that he had put on the table, so she had her own little bed. Turning to Petal afterwards he saw that she had a feverish expression.
"Are you sure you're doing fine?" He asked, though her answer surprised him a bit.
She walked over to him, clawed hands reached around him in a close hug and gave him a long and surprisingly deep kiss.
Gilliam was frozen, not in fear or by force, but through surprise. When she stopped he got a moment in to talk, though still being surprised. "Ok... I honestly didn't see that coming, I think I should have but... Are you sure about this, I don't mind but...?"
Parts of him absolutely didn't mind, and her behaviour started making more and more sense when he considered the talks that stopped between her and Angela, there were a lot of hints he just didn't put them together.
Other parts of him was somewhat against this, due to the whole slave thing, however she was under a command to be honest about everything meaning that if she's doing this it's something she wants.
She didn't reply, but rather continued.
*GONG, GONG*
That blasted bell woke them up again, he would like to turn down the volume roughly 70% but... Here they are.
Though, that being said, waking up this day was more pleasant than others, the last third of yesterday was different, in several ways. Gilliam had never expected to end up with a demon but here they are. He didn't mind, just not something he foresaw.
Petal and Savia woke up like everyone else in the academy at this moment, though things were a bit different. Or rather Petal felt.. different.
She was metaphorically glowing, her eyes were the only thing actually glowing but there was an air about her. She also seemed quite content with herself.
He wanted to comment on things but he found it strangely hard to do so.
Getting out of bed, going through the morning routine was a bit different and more intimate than normal, a positive change but different. The oddest of things was that Savia's healing progress had improved substantially. Much more over this night than the other days, his theory was that the shared bonds they had somehow amplified the healing, which could make sense. Gilliam didn't actually understand how the soul bond worked but if they at least somewhat shared emotion she might have been getting her share of positivity.
Gilliam couldn't consider anything else than this being very interesting, on top of everything else.
Getting to the mess hall as normal, they got their food and sat down. Savia was much more active today, climbing down to the table on her own instead of being lifted down by Gilliam, this raised his already good mood higher.
"Good morning, Savia-" she was awake during the clothing and getting out of bed, but she wasn't mentally present at the time. "-You look much better today." He smiled at his little companion.
"Savia feel better! Savia hungry!" She ordered in her chirpy happy voice. Her feathers were coming along and if this speed continued she should be back and flying in not long.
Gilliam shared his food with her as normal and it didn't take long for Angela to come in, get her own food and sit down. She used a few seconds to look across the table before sharing a look and expression with Petal, this had Angela only smile an incredibly wide and oddly satisfied smile as she started eating, moving her gaze between the two of them.
This turned the atmosphere super awkward. Though it did confirm a lot of things Gilliam earlier considered, mainly what their talks was about, he guessed that Angela was a sort of wingman or at least answered things. Which in turn hinted that Petal might have had these thoughts and feelings for a while now...
He felt dumb, though in one way he felt that he should have seen some of the signs, other thoughts validated him not getting it was it was somewhat hidden.
"Anyway, so, what's our plan for today?" Gilliam broke the silence with a topic to talk about. He was normally not one to shy away from the topic, with his old girlfriend before they broke up or now but... For some odd reason this felt way more embarrassing.
Angela chuckled before replying. "Well, I suppose today we continue training. You had some magic you wanted tested, we'll continue sparring and I still want to see your magic."
"You saw some of it when I killed you before." As soon as the words left his mouth Gilliam felt a bit unwell that he could casually say this to a friend... The Dome was really messing with his concept of things... Though he supposed this was the point of using it, getting used to things so you don't hesitate during the real thing.
"Yes, yes. But the bigger things, I heard you shook the academy when I was gone, I want to see that." She seemed eager and excited about this idea.
Gilliam didn't really consider it for a while, at least not directly. Though it made a lot of sense that she'd know about it, it put the academy in a state of high activity so... Perhaps he should let someone know about it.
"Well, I also have a few other things that I want to test, I got a neat coat yesterday, I need to find out the limits of my ring and check a few things with the sword that Kintas pointed out. I think it might be best to not be around people when I do this..."
Given the damage the mega fireball did last time, and if he planned to make it into a structured spell to increase its effect... Being far away from everyone might be a good idea.
"Perhaps we can borrow Aeris for a day, have her take us somewhere more remote?"
This was a question about the idea more so than asking for permission.
"That's probably fine, she has more or less mastered her art so she doesn't really need to go to the academy anymore. A lot of people ask her for transport aid, we can ask her." Angela replied as she looked towards the table where Aeris and a very wounded Nolis sat.
The wounded Nolis caught him a bit off guard, nobody seemed to react, nobody seemed to want to heal him or.. Anything. He just sat there, wounds no longer bleeding but clearly present on his body. Aeris sat and talked with him happily like nothing was going on.
"Hold on... You can see his wounds, right? It's just not me?"
The lack of reactions had Gilliam doubt his own mind for a moment, was he seeing things?
"Oh, don't worry about it, it's more normal to see him wounded than not." Angela replied.
The more Gilliam considered it, the more it sort of made sense... With how Darkness magic worked and the cost of using it, and the potential danger of something summoned if it didn't agree to being a servant.
"Well, might as well get two birds." Not completing the saying he took the last bite of his breakfast as he got up from his chair, walking over to the duo.
Petal followed, as did Angela though she brought her plate of food with her.
Coming over to Nolis and Aeris he couldn't help but find a weird amused thought when looking at the wounded Nolis, who looked like he had been running through a farming shed filled with blades, now sitting there with his zombie smile and eating on full autopilot.
"Sooo...-" Gilliam started to break into the one-sided conversation Aeris was having. "-I could heal him up... or should I just leave it?"
He didn't know if this was part of some training, since nobody did anything to help him, even with such a large collection of healing mages in one location.
"Please do." Aeris smiled, seemingly not shy at the request.
Gilliam nodded and went in to heal his short-term teacher in Darkness magic. He was not a super skilled healing-mage but all his wounds were superficial and somewhat healed already so all he had to do was to focus on those, closing them in only a few seconds.
"He's gonna have to clean himself..." Gilliam worded the statement as an insulting joke, but in reality he hadn't learned the cleaning spells yet. From when Jial used it to clean Petal before, it shouldn't be hard; he just hadn't gotten around to it.
Aeris smiled. "I'd make him thank you, but I don't think he's quite here yet."
There was an odd pain in that smile, but she somewhat snapped out of it as her smile turned more honest.
"Well-" Gilliam changed the subject a bit to the topic that brought him over. "I'm wondering if you have some time to spare today. I would like to try out some spells but... As we remember from the mountain I... I wonder if you know of somewhere much further away where I don't have to consider that kind of thing."
He scratched the side of his head in a strange embarrassed expression as he realised he was asking if she knew of a good nuke-testing site...
"Oh, that's no problem-" She smiled at him, seeming legitimately interested. "-I know of a bunch of islands that are uninhabited, some are just barren rockscapes, you can probably destroy those without considering anything."
She thought for a good solid few seconds, seeming to be processing some ideas. "There is a large island that is basically just mountains, it's larger than the area around here." She seemed really on board with this.
"You're sure you won't get in trouble for leaving school like that?" Gilliam had to double check even though Angela confirmed it only minutes ago.
"Yeah, I don't learn anything new anyway." She sounded like most fed up students that want any excuse to leave.
"Well... I'm not going to complain as long as you're fine with it." He didn't want to get her in trouble but she is the perfect person to help him with the location issue.
Getting up from her chair she walked over to Nolis, grabbed hold of both sides of his face and shook it violently. It was enough to snap him out of whatever zombie daze he lived in.
"I'm going for a trip with Gilliam."
She spoke faster than normal, perhaps she wanted to get the whole sentence in the few seconds of clarity Nolis had?
His eyes glazed over a second later as he lazily raised a thumbs up for a solid second before he used that hand to pick up more food.
Nolis was a mystery in the morning...
Almost skipping back over to Gilliam's group she seemed happy to be part of this. "Are we ready to go?"
"Oh, that soon? Yes, I mean... I think so?" He was taken off guard at her being ready in not even a minute. Looking at Petal and Angela to confirm that they were ready, both nodded so that seemed like all the confirmation needed.
"Yeah, I suppose we are."
Aeris held out her hands expectantly, everyone placed a hand in hers.
This teleport was different than before, before there was just a flash of light but this time there was a solid few seconds of building energy, a sort of fuzzy feeling in the air which lifted around them before it all collapsed in on itself. As the energy collapsed the familiar bright light came over them, this lasted for a few seconds which felt normal, but the weird part was how it felt different. If the teleports before were like being suddenly shaken once, this was like landing from jumping off a chair.
Absolutely not a problem, it just 'felt' like it had a bit more punch to it.
When the bright light faded from inside their eyes the group could finally take a look around them. They were on top of a large grey mountain, several hundred metres (100m ~328 ft), around them were several smaller islands with plenty of water between them, some had jungle-like plants on them and some were just rocks.
The temperature was calm and nice, their elevated location had a little wind present but all in all this felt like a really good vacation spot.
The young girl had brought them to an archipelago surrounding a large mountain, which was perfect!
"This is amazing." Gilliam stated without really thinking, something that had the girl puff her chest in a reaction to the off-hand compliment. "This is perfect, far away from everything, plenty of targets far away from us. This is going to be interesting"
He walked around the top of the mountain they were on, checking out the lay of the area.
It seemed that the tall mountain they were on was on one side of the archipelago that made up this aren. All the islands made up a large oval'ish area with the massive mountain being on one of the pinched sides. Really it was perfect for his goal.
"I suppose the best start is to just go for it, or do you girls want to do something else before I start?" He turned to the girls, visibly excited. He really wanted to know where his limit was at this point. He also had a lot of testing planned for the coat, the sword, the ring and just to see how much he could do with the mana gems.
This was going to be a good day regardless!
"I want to see what you can do, so go ahead." Angela stated.
Only after stating this did she see Aeris get visibly uncertain, sporting a forced smile and doing her best to keep calm.
"... A... Aeris.. Are you ok?" Angela asked once she noticed this, mainly for her own uncertainty due to the timing.
"Yes... no problem... But... Can everyone stand close to each other when he does this? Just in case we need to leave." She sounded like she was preparing to flee a monster.
"It's not going to be that ba-" Gilliam wanted to reassure them but the glance from the little girl stopped him. "Ok... Fine... I don't know how bad it's going to be, the last time it was unstructured so...."
This raised an eyebrow on Angela.
"Well, I have been thinking about this, but I haven't really planned it, please give me a few minutes" Gilliam smiled as he turned towards the smaller islands off the edge.
This was a spell he had been considering for quite some time, but he hadn't actually planned the runes, circle or exactly how it was going to work.
He intended to use most of his mana in it, thinking back to Jial's explanation of how the circle worked he might need to strengthen the lines with some protection runes, he hadn't needed to do this before so testing was needed there.
Though, if a line could move so much energy, routing the energy properly or just widening the line sounded plausible, right?
Thoughts like these went through his head as he expanded on the spell circle he had formed in the air. He had chosen the Fire rune for the main circle, he had several mana storage spots in the construction that could hold energy, since it was going to store a massive amount it needed its own local storage within the spell, information from Jial earlier suggested that it could collapse without it.
Adding many power increasing runes, a few control runes and special descriptor runes that helped hold the shape and size of the created fireball, he didn't want to end up having to compress it like before, this time he'll just define the size and shape to strengthen this.
This took quite some time of him musing, planning, testing and taking notes in his book. In the end he had a massive magic circle the size of a man, it had several smaller circles encompassing the main circle as well as others within certain nodes of the main circle, there were also two levels of simpler circles that surrounded the main circle as well, these were based on Aether and were rather simple, focusing on aiding the fireball keep its shape when the thing is released, as well as propelling it forward to a pre-aimed area, so control and aiming.
Once this magnificently complex magic circle was created, he took a gander at his companions; Petal didn't seem to have any special expression, if anything she seemed rather content, Aeris seemed a bit confused, seeming to have problems reading it. Angela on the other hand seemed strangely terrified.
"Are you... going to cast that spell?" She sounded like that shouldn't be possible.
Gilliam turned back to the circle, he knew that extra runes added extra power requirements but would aid in the end result. For example if you added two power runes you would need to pay more energy to activate them, but the empowered result would be worth it.
"Well, yes. I believe it should be possible, although I think it'll eat most, if not all of my mana."
He said this somewhat calmly, it was an experiment and it was all good, after all.
He turned back to see Angela's face in the same grimace as before, as she took a few choice steps closer to Aeris.
Shrugging, Gilliam turned back to the magic circle in the air, made a few choice small edits before updating his notes, then started to charge the circle. |
xxx TWO xxx
Stuck with You? Sounds Like Hell!
I woke up with a cold breeze passing through between my bare thighs. The smell of trash and barf is sickening. I feel so filthy. I look around as I— hold on. My bare thighs...?!? The pants from my school uniform cover my ankles! Unless I stripped I wouldn't be able to feel the wind at all!
I look down to see myself nude. Stripped away from my uniform. Not a single article of clothing. Suns out guns out, except the sun had already set and the gun is a sword.
"WHAT THE FUUUUUCKKK!!!!!!!" I yelled aloud.
Trying to cover up, I grabbed the nearest item around and put it in front of my family jewel. A bag of trash was what I got. I look around to realize I'm just at another garbage bin!
"What happened to me?! What happened when I was out cold?! Where are my clothes?!?"
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!" A familiar voice suddenly burst out laughing.
After hearing that annoying laugh, it all came back to me. I recall everything that had happened before. This was all his doing, wasn't it?!
First I was struck by lightning and now this supposed king of Hell's soul has possessed me. I passed out and now I awoke here.
"What did you do?!?" in a panic, I screamed while looking around. I knew Lucifer had no physical form, yet I continued to look for him so I could jab him in the balls.
"Now, now. Settle down, mortal. I was just having a stroll around town. I wanna know what the mortal realm is all about. Though after spending a bit of time, this place isn't so far off from Hell, id say."
"It's similar?!" Hearing that makes a lot of things make sense. My entire life has been so difficult and painful - it was basically Hell, and now I learn it's comparable to actual Hell!
"The people here are so godly unkind! Rude is written everywhere! Everyone I've met so far has been nothing but douches!" he sulked.
I give a deep sigh, "I know that feeling all too well. Humans are pieces of crap."
"Absolutely, just like dead sinners! Listen to this! Your clothes were soaked in some weird juice. It was dragging me down. So I threw them away and took a stroll," he explained with absolutely no malicious intent.
Shocked and aggrieved by his explanation, I immediately cried, "you... YOU DID WHAT—!!!" Just as I was about to shout the nastiest things at him, he cut me off to continue telling his infuriating story.
"Then as I was walking around, this big fat metal box that's called a 'kyar' or something almost slammed on me! The scumbag riding it got mad at ME for being in the way instead! The people in his car were pissed as well! I'd expect the mortal realm to at least be nicer than hell, but it was just the same!"
"No... that's your fault, dumbass— WAIT, EVERYONE SAW ME BUCK NAKED?!?"
"Mm, yeah. I guess so. Anyways," he continues and shrugs it off as if nothing important had happened, "then I ran off from there. Everyone in the street kept looking at me weirdly and some even screamed! I knew you were ugly, but I didn't think you were THAT hideous."
Seriously, if this annoying guy wasn't just in my head and had a body, I would already be beating his face till he could be compared with a goblin.
"While running around for a bit, I stumbled on the stupidly hard floor and fell onto these bunches. They picked a fight with me and I fought them all, 1 v 8. They didn't stand a chance to begin with! Then I saw another one of these 'biens' you call and slept."
I look down at my body once again to notice many bruises that weren't caused by my bullies this morning. "You're reckless!!! This is my body, not yours!!! Stop treating it so terribly!!!"
Obviously, he wouldn't listen and continued rambling, "it was tough since your body is so weak, but I managed to bite one of their ears off. They were just buncha' pussies, ended up running away while yelling for help! Bwahahaha!!"
I couldn't come up with a retort after that one. I take back what I said. If he had a body, my already unattractive face would be in shambles... I should probably keep my temper in check, in case he ever gets too mad at me.
"Oh, no I won't," he responds to my thinking. Drats, forgot he could hear my every thought process. "Exactly, so there's nothing to hide! I won't harm you, since I'm stuck in your body." Lucifer explained.
"Ah, thank God... That's reassuring—" I paused as my heart felt like it dropped to the gutters. The realization slowly starts to sink in as I finally registered what he said. "STUCK??? YOU'RE STUCK IN MY BODY?!?!"
"Hey, don't act like you're the only one suffering. I have to deal with a mortal's body that's this weak! It feels uncomfortable!"
"THANKS FOR THE FUCKING HONESTY!!!!" I yelled as I slammed the garbage bag I was using to cover up on the ground. I climb down from the bin and rummage through the trash like a raccoon, looking for something to wear. I can't walk around like this. It's a miracle the cops hadn't shown up to arrest me by now.
"Bwahahhahaa!!! You look so pathetic mortal!" he pities. As I rummaged through the trash, he continues to explain, "as I said before, I'm stuck in your body like a cookie in a sealed jar. There's no gettin' out of it with brute force. I don't know the solution to get out yet.
"As you may realize, I can feel all the damage your body takes when I take control. I may be immortal, but you ain't. So if your body gets beaten to death, you die too, while I won't.
"If your body dies, then your soul will be taken by the grim reaper to the afterlife - although in this case, it might be different. My soul, however, won't die, but I'll be captured instead. I'm tryna' avoid that fate." I silently listen without responding.
Maybe he noticed my gloom, but he continued with a more relaxed tone. "Well, it's not aaaall bad. There's a perk to this!" A perk?
"Me being stuck in your body gives you faster healing abilities! As long as my soul is still in your body, you will heal exponentially faster than a mere mortal. That'll make dying lots harder!" Well, I guess that's something. At least the wounds from my bullies will fade faster.
After a couple of minutes of looking, I found a sock covered in white sticky stuff, a woman's underwear with a bunch of holes in it, a shirt covered with cockroaches, and a decent trench coat that looks good enough to wear. The last option was frankly the only option. Although wearing a trench coat with nothing underneath is a perverted move, I have no choice. It's not like I'll be flashing anyone anyways.
"I can't physically do it, but I'm clapping right now! Well done mortal, you got yourself somethin' to cover up that skinny body of yours!" he mocks.
Without responding to his insulting praise, I took a deep, heavy breath and sighed. I'm so tired and fed up with all of this. I just want to go home and sleep now, but I still have something to do.
"Hey Lucifer, you better remember the garbage bin we were at earlier! I need to retrieve my uniform back! That uniform was one of the most expensive things I own in my wardrobe. I can't just lose it."
"Huh? Oh, hmmm... Well, I do remember what the scenery around the place was. Der'was a buildin' with a striking roof design," he explained.
After thinking it through, I decided to let Lucifer take me there. "Oi Lucifer, take over my body as you did before and get there! Easy enough for you, right?"
He hesitated before doing his comically evil laugh, "bwahahaha!! You sure, mortal?! You trust me with that?!" I could hear his excitement and amusement at my request.
I give a slight nod indicating a yes. Without any more time wasted, a similar sensation came over my body like before. I lost control of all my senses - all that was left was my sense to see and hear. Everything else felt nonexistent - like I didn't have a physical form. I'm just a mind floating in the air.
In a blink of an eye, my body moved without my consent. The reckless and uncouth Lucifer is now in control.
"Alright, alright! It feels good to take control!" He punches my fist into my other hand. I don't exactly know how to describe it, but it felt like Lucifer had left a wide grin on my face. "I'm gonna take a shortcut!" Lucifer exclaimed as he turned to face the wall.
"Shortcut? This is a one-way road. There is no—" before I knew it, my body had already jumped from the lid of the garbage bin into the bricked wall behind it. There were no ladders around, yet he was able to climb the seemingly flat wall. All he grasped on were the littlest surface left by the imperfect placement of the bricks.
Without much time, my body had already climbed to the top of the building and started running towards other rooftops. "Are we seriously going to parkour?!?"
xxx TO BE CONTINUED xxx |
xxx FOUR xxx
Hidden Wounds Still Hurt
I peer over a window of a nearby flower shop to read the clock, curious to know what time it is.
I've been out for so long, I wouldn't be surprised if it's late in the morning. The darkness that shrouds the shop slowly starts to brighten up, my eyes drift to the clock's whiskers that strike 2 AM. "Oh lord..." I whispered to myself.
"You got a curfew or somethin'? Are you some little boy or something?" Lucifer jokes.
"Don't be ridiculous. Who wouldn't be worried if their kid doesn't come home til 2?" I pause before sneering back at him, "not that the Devil himself could understand 'mortal' feelings."
"Pshhh!" he scoffs without saying another word, unable to reflect my words.
My feet naturally stop in front of a gate of a familiar home, a small and old 1 story house with a flat roof. I was finally home. I've lived here since I could open my eyes for the first time.
Seeing my home put my heart at a bit of ease. But the challenge isn't over yet, as my eyes wander to the peak of the gates towering over me. It stretches surrounding my house without a gap for me to easily sneak in.
"Bwahahaha!! You just can't catch a break!!" he laughs. "Better start climbing, mortal! It's cold out here!" He mentions as the frigid breeze blowing through my wet uniform only helps to drain my energy.
The gates are made up of walls a little taller than I am with a spiky fence on top of it. Although with the condition of my body climbing this gate would be painstakingly painful, I swallowed my spit and decided to climb anyways as there were no other options. I toss my shoes and socks over the gate then prepare myself to climb over.
I jumped and grabbed onto the edge of the concrete wall as my right foot pushes against the wall to raise my body. The sting in my hands and soles are so painful drool started dribbling out of my mouth without me realizing it.
My efforts weren't futile as my quivering elbows managed to reach the top of the wall. I raise my right foot while my left pushes against the wall. I guess my wounds started to bleed again as my left foot slipped and almost made me start over. I grit my teeth, holding the pain.
"Bwahahaha!! You're struggling so much at something so trivial!" he mocks again.
"Shut the fuck up! I'm stronger than you think, asshole!!!"
My worries increase as the white wall of my gate is probably stained with red smears. I'll have to clean that next morning.
After two painstakingly long minutes passes, I managed to get over the gate. Thankfully I made it over before the motorcycle that passed by could catch me climbing the walls of my own gate suspiciously. My body was freezing and shaking - on the brink of tumbling over, but I'm just a step away from home.
I grab my shoes off the ground and walk towards the front door. I peek through the small window next to the door to make sure the coast is clear from my mom.
"It's sooo late! You sure your mom's awake?"
"The last time I went home this late was when my bullies locked me in a public bathroom. I had to climb over the small gap between the stall walls to get out. That fucking nightmare made me go home at 1 AM. When I got home, the door was unlocked and mom was still awake looking tired and paler than ever."
I slowly turn the doorknob while peeking inside the dark hallway. I kept the door ajar as I put my shoes down on the shoe rack. Before I could close it, someone beat me to it while turning the lights on. My mom was standing right behind me with a worn-out expression.
"Yoel?! Where were you this whole time?!?" my mom shouted with a weary tone, "do you have any idea how late it is?! It's 2 in the goddamn morning!!! I was just a second away from calling the cops!!!"
Before I could make up excuses to get out of trouble, she notices my wounds. Panic and fear starts setting in her face as she yelled, "YOEL!!! YOUR HANDS... AND FEET...!! AND WHY ARE YOU SOAKED?!? WHAT HAPPENED?!?" She gripped my shoulders and took a good look at my freezing face.
She hurriedly grabbed me to the bathroom and turned on the shower, drenching me in warm water. "Wait here! I'll call the ambulance!"
The ambulance?! That's just going to complicate things! I forced myself to stand up and reached for her hand. Her hand gripped her phone as the screen was ready to dial the ambulance. "Mom! I'm fine! You don't need to call an ambulance! It's just— shallow cuts! They'll definitely heal in a day or two! The ambulance costs money anyways, it's not worth it!"
"But...! But...!!!" mom tries to argue back as tears started dripping down her exhausted face. After a long and exhausting day at work, I made her cry again. Even Lucifer couldn't muster up his usual snarky remarks.
"Mom, I'm fine! Really!" I clenched my hand as the injuries keep on stinging. "I can handle this, it's just a scratch!" my shaking voice said as a forced smile struggled to stay on my face. Seeing my mom's sorrowful expression triggers me to tear up as well although I prevail.
"Just a scratch?!?" she yelled before whisking her tears away and presses her palms to her eyes, trying her best to keep her composure. She must have five hundred things she wants to say to me, but her weeping clogged her throat and made it difficult to speak.
"Just go to bed, mom. Or wait outside if you still can't calm down. I'll treat my injuries myself." Mom has enough on her plate. She doesn't need to worry about me getting beaten up or injured.
Her hesitance eventuates into abiding by my request. She gives a nod of approval before coming back to leave me clean clothes and sit at the dining table to wait for me.
As she locks the bathroom door, I let out a loud tired sigh. My legs give up and my ass slams into the floor, leaving me sitting on the wet tiled floor. "I wish this day would just end already," I mumbled.
I spend the next half an hour or so disinfecting my scrape wounds and getting rid of the trash scent lingering on my body. "This is all seriously your fault, Lucifer!!!" I whine. He just laughs it off and makes fun of me more.
In retrospect, it was probably the best shower I've ever had though.
xxx
I got out of the bathroom with my head covered in my damp blue towel, wearing a white oversized shirt, comfortable black shorts, and the highlight of my outfit; the creamy white plasters covering my palms and soles.
Mom who was looking at work-related papers turned right toward the sound of the creaking bathroom door. Conflicted feelings were bleeding through her expression as her eyes wandered to my masked injuries but instead offered me dinner. "Are you hungry? Want something to eat? We still have some leftover chicken from yesterday."
My grumbling stomach wanted to gobble up anything that was on the fridge, but my drowsiness convinced me to turn her down. I expected her to give me a lecture about coming home late with fresh wounds, but she let me off to bed with a pained smile. "Let's talk about it tomorrow. I already called your school notifying your absence. You should spend tomorrow resting."
With a gheavy heart I nod and walk to the room right behind the dining room. It's a small room that was intended as a closet, but I developed it into my own bedroom. Inside, a single bed fits cozily between the tight walls.
My drowsiness catches up and sucks my energy out as if I had been tranquilized. I surrender to the fatigue and willingly plunge into bed. "Ah... This is the best, it feels so... nice..." I wiggled around the tight space into a more comfortable position.
Of course amid my comfort, someone had to ruin it all. "You seem to be greatly enjoying yourself, mortal. Let me lick a taste of that comfort, too!" Lucifer barged.
"HAAAAH?!?!" I gasped, extremely unwilling to let him take control. "NO! DON'T WANNA!!! I WANNA REST!!!"
Lucifer huffed, "jeez, no need to get so pissed!" He continues, "this selfish behavior is what I'd expect from Hell, not from you mortal! You know how much I've helped you?! We only met and I'm already this nice to you!"
"That's because you have no other choice! You're fucking stuck in my body! Plus, everything would've been better without your cursed existence in my body!!" I argued.
"Hm?!" Lucifer was stunned by my sentence. "You're... You're bullying me right now!!!" he pretends to cry, leaving me bewildered. "You're telling me to kill myself right now!! You're so evil!!!" said the Devil himself. What a riot.
"You're gonna weep your ass over it? Well you're not getting it! I'm going to bed." I slid under my blankets and shut my eyes close. I don't want to deal with his shenanigans any longer.
Not satisfied, he forces his way into taking over my body. The comforts of my bed suddenly dissapeared as my sense of touch went numb. "Ahhh~~~! So soft, this IS delightful~~~!" he snuggles deeper into my soft blanket.
"HEY!! THAT'S MY BED, YOU DEMON!!!" I hurled as I try to take back control. I don't know how he does it, but I just can't find a way to take over my own body.
Lucifer continued to taunt me, "well then, goodnight mortal! Sleep well in your imaginary bed!"
This is insufferable, I can't even rest properly! "LUCIFEEEEERRR!!!!" I screamed using up all my imaginary lung capacity.
I ended up sleeping soundly afterward anyways.
xxx TO BE CONTINUED xxx |
Okay, I've thought things through and I don't think I can continue The Devil Inside Me (at least in this version.)
I'll just say it - I'm THINKING AND WILL TRY on redoing this series.
(HARD EMPHASIS ON THE THINKING AND WILL TRY)
School is so taxing for my physical and mental energy. After getting home from school, I get so tired and unmotivated that the only thing I could do is lay down in bed while scrolling through Instagram reels, looking at terrible fucking memes. (I know, it's depressing)
Any other time I have free time, I fill it up by drawing, reading manga, watching anime, playing games, yiddi yadda wah wahh
After more than a month, I realized this story was more important to me than I initially planned it to be and I want to take it more seriously. Before, I would just write whatever is in my mind and freeball it. But I guess I grew attached haha...
This is not my first attempt at writing a web novel. I've tried desperately to make my previous stories work, but in the end, it was the same problem - my perfectionism got in the way and I was never satisfied with any of the things I've written.
Maybe it's because I take too long to write a story until my writing style starts changing beyond repair.
Maybe it's because to get inspiration, I started reading more novels and felt like my own story was immensely lacking, ultimately having the increasing urge to scrap my projects altogether. (because some sort of "embarrassment")
Whatever it is, when I look back at the start of my stories, I just feel like it's... horrible!!! Even if I tried to make the next parts better, no one will read it because the beginning sucks wet farts!!!!!!
Yeah, I'm thinking of making this better.
I want to delete this novels existence right here right now, but that's a terrible habit I still keep since I was a kid... If I ever delete this, then that means I've failed again.
So yeah, that's that. I know I don't have any followers and no one gives a fuck about this series, but I'm still gonna keep trying. I might remake this story. If not, I'll probably make a new one.
Thanks for reading.
By yours truly,
Vallentine |
xxx FIVE xx
x
The Devil Is Still Fearsome
Yoel's heavy eyelids slowly opened as he regained consciousness. His body starts to wiggle around, stretching his stiff body. After rolling and faceplanting into the bed, Yoel crouches and sits on his knees. He extends his arms wide open and lets out a loud yawn.
He looks around his room and pauses for a second.
"Oh shit, I forgot to give the mortal control back," Lucifer said aloud.
I guess our little Yoel is still sleeping soundly inside his own mind. Your awesome narrator will now be explaining the story from 3rd person's POV. (Sorry for the inconvenient change)
Although Lucifer never intended to sleep with Yoels body, he doesn't regret doing so. It was the best rest he's ever had. He crawls out of Yoels tiny room and meets Yoels mom sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast.
Remembering last night's commotion, Lucifer halts, considering crawling back into Yoel's room.
"Yoel, why are you awake? It's still 6 AM. Go back to bed."
"Oh damn! I forgot that I only need 3-4 hours of sleep to function properly! Mortal's not 'spose to wake up this early!" he thought.
Under Lucifer's command, Yoel's eyes bounce from wall to wall, searching for an excuse. Luckily, Yoel's grumbling saves Lucifer.
"Ah, I forgot!" Yoel's mom stood up from her seat, "let me prepare you breakfast! You haven't eaten all night." She grabbed a bowl from the cupboards and filled it to the brim with rice.
She puts it on the table with chopsticks as that is the cutlery they are used to eating with. Confused, Lucifer stands in front of Yoel's bedroom doorway with a blank expression.
"What's wrong...? Are you feeling unwell?!" Yoel's mom expected the worse.
"Ah, this is my cue to sit down and eat," he thought. Lucifer helped himself to a seat and stares at the bowl of steaming rice in front of him.
She points at the plate of chicken in the middle of the table, "you can have all the chicken. I've eaten enough. I'll cook us something for tonight."
Lucifer gives a slight nod before chowing down the rice and chicken with his bare hands. "I don't get what those sticks are for, so I'll just eat with my hands," he thought.
Although odd, Yoel's mom just brushed his behavior as a teen boy doing teen boy things. She continues to eat her bowl.
Amid Lucifer's meal, Yoel's mom decided it was time to talk about last night. She puts her chopsticks down and looked at her son with dour eyes. Noticing the sudden shift of mood, Lucifer slows down his munching.
"Yoel... I know it's been hard for you ever since your dad left..." Lucifer couldn't help but choke on the curveball that has just been thrown. "I know I haven't been the greatest mother... I've been so busy with work I don't even know what's been happening to you lately... Did something bad happen last night?"
"Well, what happened was me," is what Lucifer would say if he wasn't posing as someone's son. Lucifer instead stayed silent without responding.
"You went home covered in trash and all injured... I was so scared that you might've run into deep trouble! I thought something terrible happened..."
It may be surprising, but the Devil does have a conscience. He knows sitting quietly will likely escalate the situation and making half-assed answers will only complicate matters. With a heavy heart, he gives the most thought-out answer he could give.
"I was climbing... an aichmes tree. The spikes were the reason I was injured," he said with forced confidence.
Yoel's mom tilted her head in confusion, "ek... mes...?"
Her bewildered reaction slowly turned the cogs in Lucifer's head as he realized the mortal realm doesn't have aichmes trees, a tree that grows spikes all over its bark.
"So you were climbing a tree and got injured...? Why were you climbing a tree...?" she continued to pry.
"W-well... a wild Cerberus was... chasing me."
"...Is that a breed of dog...?"
"Aha! Yes!" Lucifer pointed to the ceiling with a thrilled expression.
As a mother should, she was able to detect his 'sons' lies. She wasn't content with the answer Lucifer gave.
The conversation was put to a halt as her phone rang. Upon reading the recipient caller, she stood up and walked away. Lucifer took that opportunity to keep eating his food while listening to the faint phone conversation.
She comes running back after finishing her call and rushes to the sofa, putting her phone and some paperwork on the coffee table into a bag.
"We'll continue this conversation after I get home from work. Stay hydrated and don't skip your meals! Take a nap if you can, it helps recovery! See you later hun!"
Lucifer waves to her as she hastily wears her shoes and slams the door.
He looks back at his bowl of rice and licks it clean. "These white beans sure are tasty! I've never tasted anything like this before!" he thought. He drops the bowl to the table and gets off his seat.
Curious about the layout of Yoel's humble abode, he walks around to give himself a self-tour. At the entrance is a short hallway with a shoe rack and a coat hanger. At the end of the hallway is a drawer with random knick-knacks on top of it.
Next to it is a wooden archway that leads to the living room-kitchen amalgamation. A worn-out three-seated sofa takes up the majority of the space as well as the short coffee table in front of it. The coffee table was messy and full of work-related paperwork. The window above the sofa casts a weak light from the rising sun which dimly lights the dark room.
Right next to the sofa is an old fridge covered with magnet decorations. A striking decor was the picture of baby Yoel playing in the sand. Other than that, the corner was filled with counters, wooden cupboards on the wall, a sink with cleaning liquids and a sponge, and lastly a gas stove. The counters had cooking electronics like a rice cooker as well as bottles and jars of spices. She must cook a lot, evident from the greasy and oily tiled floor.
On the opposite side of the dining table is the bathroom door. The bathroom is a bit bigger than Yoel's room and square-shaped. Every side of the wall except the ceiling is covered in baby blue tiles. Inside was a toilet, a washing machine with detergent bottles on the side, and a sole shower head. The corners of the bathroom are splattered with dark greens and browns caused by molding.
Other than Yoel's repurposed bedroom, Yoel's mom didn't have her own bedroom. Lucifer deduced she sleeps on the sofa.
Lucifer was impressed at the interior of a mortal's home. "In hell, houses were just boxes to take shelter from the scortching winds and freezing ice rains. A sack to sleep on and a pot to store meat was all I needed to sustain myself."
In a search for excitement, Lucifer runs out of the front door barefoot. The cool morning breeze lightly shuffles Yoel's hair. The soft light from the dark purple sky and the chirping of birds give a tranquil feeling.
Lucifer takes a deep breath - inhaling all the dust and leaves floating around - and exhales with his eyes closed. "Ahhh~~~!! The mortal realm is so cool~! Hell is always so hot and gross!" he mumbles aloud.
He opens his eyes to see a boy with a bowl cut and a familiar outfit passing by. The boy was wearing the same school uniform Yoel had.
His curiosity led him to climb the gates of his house and followed the boy from behind, unknowingly acting incredibly suspicious.
The boy quickly caught wind of this and was terrified at Lucifer's intentions. It was dark outside with the only light source emitting from the street lamps. The roads were silent with not a single person other than the man following him in sight.
The boy sped up his pace to get Lucifer off his tail, but he continued to follow and match his speed.
Just when all hope seemed lost, a foot went flying in Lucifer's direction. With his keen instincts, Lucifer blocks the unexpected attack with Yoel's arm.
Seeing a chance to escape, the boy breaks into a sprint and runs away. "HEY! WAIT--" Lucifer tried to chase after him, but his assailant blocks the way.
"You're not going after him, punk," she said coolly with piercing eyes, glaring into Lucifer's soul.
To his surprise, his assailant was a girl with long black pigtails wearing the same uniform. She was slightly shorter than Yoel but has the aura of a gigantic grizzly bear.
Lucifer looks down at Yoel's arm to see a dent caused by her foot. "How fierce, but you're just a kid at the end of the day!" he launches his fist toward her face.
Her small hand blocks his flying fist while the other grabs Lucifer's shoulder and kicks the back of his leg, breaking his balance. Within a second, Lucifer was slammed to the concrete ground. She fixes her legs on his waist and pins his hands to the ground, immobilizing him.
"Get over yourself. Your injuries don't make you look tough, punk," she provoked.
Although Lucifer seems to be cornered, don't let it distract you from the fact that he is still the Devil himself. Lucifer's original body had muscles that had muscles of their own!
With Lucifer's hidden might, he grips the ground with Yoel's toes and slowly rose from the ground. The ground beneath him was cracking from the sheer strength and pressure Lucifer put out.
The absurdity of the situation shook the girl's guard down as she falls into her back. Seeing her shocked face made Lucifer break a massive demonic grin on Yoel's face before laughing like a maniac.
"Get over myself, you say?! HOW ABOUT YOU KNOW YOUR PLACE!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!"
As the realization of how deranged and dangerous Lucifer was starts to set in the girl's mind, she attempted to flee. Alas, her ankles were already at the mercy of Lucifer's gorilla grip. She couldn't escape from his grasp as he picked her up with ease - just as if she was a piece of cloth.
Without any hesitance or holding back, he slams her hanging body to the wall beside him. Luckily, she was able to protect her skull beforehand, but the impact still left her debilitated on the ground. She was too weak to keep on fighting.
Lucifer bent down to continue mocking and laughing at her face until he saw blood pouring under his feet.
"Did-- did she attack me without me realizing?!" was Lucifer's first thought before bowing his head down to check his stomach. What he saw wasn't a stab wound or any sort of fresh injury on his stomach, it was on his feet.
He sat down and raised his feet to find Yoel's wounds have reopened as well as new additional fresh cuts. The reopened wound didn't bleed too much as it was in the process of completely healing, but the fresh cuts were a different case.
He pauses for a second, realizing it was caused by the amount of strength he used on Yoel's weak mortal body.
"...am I breaking this body?" an alarming thought flew across his mind.
If Lucifer were to push Yoel's body to its limit, he would be hospitalized; meaning he wouldn't be able to roam free. Worst-case scenario, if whatever chasing after him comes across him in such a defeated state, he would be at a massive disadvantage.
"And If mortal dies then the grim reaper will come to pick his soul up. The reaper will surely snitch on me and give away my location to that damned puppet!!!"
Deciding it wasn't worth picking on pigtails any further, he stood up and head toward Yoel's home. "You're lucky, kid. I'm giving you a second chance," Lucifer said cockily.
Although in a terrible state, the girl still stuck her tongue out and cursed him with her middle finger.
The fight ends without a true winner as Lucifer went back home to clean his wounds.
xxx TO BE CONTINUED xxx |
xxx THREE xxx
Trust and Compliance Leads to Teamwork
Without any uncertainty, my body started running full speed into the roof of the building next door. My legs jumped and landed perfectly on the clay rooftop of a white building. Although the roof surface was wavy and crinkled, Lucifer was able to keep my body in a steady balance. It felt like watching those crazy parkour videos.
As someone who's never jumped around the rooftops of buildings like a lunatic, my anxiety was all-time high as Lucifer dragged my body around without a worry in the world.
"LUCIFEEERR!!!" I shrieked in fear. I couldn't stand to watch myself!
Once again, he jumped into another rooftop and landed perfectly with my own two feet. Without wasting time, he immediately continued running. "This is fun, eh mortal?" Lucifer says as he does a flip mid-air jump. "In Hell, buildings all have flat rooftops, so it's pretty easy to just jump around! This is a bit harder with all the crinkly-looking roofs, but it's no different from volcano climbing!"
"Volcan—!?!" Although bewildered by his response, my anxiety overtook the confusion I felt. "I don't care if you're a damn parkour expert or something!! STOP FUCKING CLIMBING OTHER PEOPLE'S ROOFS!!!" I begged him to stop, but it should be clear as day that his hobby is disregarding other people's words.
After arriving at the tenth or so building, we arrived at a large gap to the next building. An alleyway was sandwiched between the two buildings. The gap was wider than the previous ones we passed through. As the voice of reason, there's no way I'm letting Lucifer jump past that.
"THERE'S NO GODAMN WAY YOU'RE JUMPING THAT FAR!!! YOU WON'T MAKE IT!!!" I cried.
With a stupid grin, he boasted, "no need to worry, your Lucifer here is quite the skilled devil! Watch this mortal!"
Under Lucifer's command, my legs jumped high into the sky, exceeding my physical capabilities. From that height, I could faintly see the buildings that stretch into the horizon. The clear sky only helped the moon shine brighter. It felt majestic - as if I was soaring through the sky.
Both my feet and my hands landed on the triangle-shaped rooftop next door. Unlike the previous times, I actually almost didn't make it!
Without a pause to calm my nerves down, he comes running again to the next roof. "See mortal? As long as I'm in control, nothin' bad will happen to you!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!" he lets out the most content laugh I've ever heard.
Bastard...!! What a crazy lunatic!!!
xxx
We finally reach the alleyway of the garbage bin we were at earlier. To jump down safely, Lucifer canon balls into the garbage bin. Does he love trash that much?
"Noot noot! The highway cart has arrived at your destination! Please draw blood as payment!" Lucifer mimics what might be akin to a train conductor.
"Highway cart? Blood for payment?! What the hell are you spouting?!" I asked in confusion.
"What? You don't have any highway carts here? Like a cart with wheels some demon drives?" he described. Must be some sort of transportation in Hell.
Realizing I got distracted by Lucifer's shenanigans, I bounce back to reality. I'm looking for my uniform!
"Wait! Where's my uniform? Look around!" Lucifer helps my view by turning my head to the left and right. In the corner of my vision, I see a swarm of rats wiggling on top of something. Although it's dark and hard to see, the orange-tinted street lamp shone a piece of my checkered pants - the motif of my school's uniform. "THERE! THERE'S MY UNIFORM!!!" I yelled right away.
Lucifer climbs my body out of the bin and runs towards the rats, scaring them off. They scatter in every direction and seemingly disappear into thin air, revealing my dirty and crumpled-up uniform. My shirt, pants, belt, socks, shoes, and underwear were all there. I sigh in relief.
"Hey Lucifer, I'll take it from here. Give me control back, I don't know how to do it!" I demanded.
Lucifer hesitated before loosening up the grip of my hands and raises my feet, revealing many scrape wounds from the clasp of my hand and my soles.
"I might've been too rough using your body. I forgot it wasn't my own. Your hands and feet are kinda, not doing well. You sure you wanna take over? Can you even handle this? It's gonna hurt like a bitch!" I could feel a smirk creeping in.
My rage starts boiling once more. For a second, I forgot just how INFURIATING he is. "Recklessly using my body...! I'm going to break at this point! Can't you feel the pain when you're in control?!? Why didn't you do anything about it!!!"
"Well excuuuuseee me, mortal! I'm used to the pain, so a little scratch like this feels like nothin'! I'm not as weak as you mortals."
Is he bragging or something?! It's pissing me off!
"Well then grab my clothes for me! We're going home now," I said solemnly, tired of getting mad. "Walk to the road in front of us. Just head straight until I say otherwise."
Lucifer huffs, "getting comfortable, mortal? You're ordering me around like a dog! Should I call you master or something? Bwahahaha!"
Ignoring him, I remark, "it's about time you call me by my actual name than just 'mortal'. Calling me fucking mortal all the time sounds like you're looking down at me! My name's Yoel for fucks sake!"
"Yoel? Yoooeeel...? But I'm already used to callin' you mortal, though," he teases.
"If you're calling me mortal, then I'm calling you devil," I attempted to retaliate. "Oh, turn to the left."
Lucifer does as I say and turns to the road on the left. "You know what, I ain't bothered by that! Call me devil more, mortal! Bwahahahahaa!!"
"Ugh, then I'll fucking—wait, turn right!" As he did before, he obediently does as I say. The Devil is listening to me? A mere human? I couldn't help but laugh at this absurd situation.
"Huh? Of course, I'm taking orders from you, I wanna sleep in a nice bed too! Am I that funny to you?" Lucifer tried to reason. I still giggled at his behavior anyways. "Why you laughin' mortal?!"
Before I answered Lucifer, I ordered him again, "walk through that alleyway. It's a shortcut to a park close to my home." Again, without a fail, he does as he is told and skids his way through the tight alleyway. I snort like a pig at his compliance.
"You call me a crazy lunatic, then start laughing like a pig outta' nowhere! Freaky kid!" he irked.
I forced myself from laughing and continued showing the way, "anyways, just walk straight, we should probably see the park where you struck me." Lucifer moves my body to the dimly lighted park. There's no one around. Actually, there hasn't been anyone around since the garbage bin. At least I don't have to suffer from the embarrassment of being seen anymore.
"There's a faucet over there in the far right corner. Use it to clean my wounds and then drench my clothes." I instructed. He complies and starts cleaning the wound on my hands.
After running around rooftops and walking to the park, I can finally slow down and take a breather. It's been a long day. I look down at my vision seeing Lucifer continue to wipe the blood off my feet.
"Haa... You know Lucifer, I've always been bullied and treated like shit since I could remember. I'm always at the bottom of the food chain, trying to survive alone. But now that I have the Devil here doing my work for me, I feel like I'm on top of the world."
"Wow, I feel so appreciated," he says in a robotic tone. He starts rubbing my uniform in the water to get rid of some of the trash. Thankfully, it seems like those rats didn't get to eat my uniform yet.
Lucifer stands up from his bent position and asks, "alright, what's the next task, mortal? Where's your humble abode?"
"Now you change from the trench coat and wear it," I commanded.
He was hesitant but asked, "Wear it...? You mean these wet clothes of yours?!"
"If it wasn't obvious enough, yes I'm telling you to wear my wet clothes," I clarify.
He takes a glance at my uniform and groans, "you're making me wear thiiiisss?! It's all soaked!! It'll be so uncomfortable, so cold and heavy!!!"
"I'm not going home wearing a trench coat from the trash! What would my mom even think seeing me naked underneath this coat with my uniform all trashed! At least if I was soaked wet, it would be easier to explain!" I reasoned.
"I don't wanna! You take over!" he sulks like a bratty child. Instantly, I was able to feel the cold breeze passing through my wet hands and feet.
"AH!! It's so damn cold!!! And my fucking wounds, it stings!!!" I yelp in pain.
"See how uncomfortable it is? I was sheltering you from the harsh and cruel world, yet you wouldn't even be grateful!" he keeps brooding.
"Don't act as if you're my old man!" I said as I hold back the pain. I grab all my clothes off the ground and wore them one by one. I took off the trench coat and threw it into the trash can behind the faucet. It's going to be freezing, but I soaked my head in the water to clean myself a bit.
"GYAAAAHH!!!" I yap aloud from the cold.
Without wearing my shoes, I walked through the hard and rough concrete sidewalk to get home. It hurts like a bitch, but I held my cries back. If I wore my shoes, then the blood will stain and ruin them. My uniform is in shambles enough, I can't ruin my shoes too.
I wonder if moms still awake.
xxx TO BE CONTINUED xxx |
Life passes by like an obnoxious streetwalker, bumping into you and yelling unwanted slurs about your physical features. Two days have wasted away since. Now I'm ascending to school. Up some remote mountain in the middle of nowhere, currently being driven by my butler.
"You should look outside, Lucius."
I don't. Every single frame that hillbilly academy is within view, a portion of my soul withers away. With my intellect, I've already managed to gather information about the place online in advance. And insofar, I am moderately unimpressed.
"Don't look so glum, Lucius". Guillaume bellows from the driver's seat. "You'll get to make friends!"
"I already have friends."
"Middle-aged businessmen who want your money don't count, Lucius." Morgana says, eyeing me.
Unlike Lucius Mortius (yours truly), our friendly Morgana Wittford is doing quite well. Seated across the SUV, hand holding a glass of sparkling water, a tinge of evil in her eyes all the while. It's truly something. When it comes to responsibility, I have no doubt that she's at least partially to blame for this whole 'school' thing. For all intents and purposes, it might've even been her who sowed such an irritating thought in the first place.
I struggle in place. What I feel is Vardosian Steel cuffed around my hands and some off-brand super-tape wrapped around my body. At this stage in life, I'm pretty much a prisoner.
No hope, no nothing. Just the calm passage of time until my eventual release.
I look up at Morgana.
Referencing her previous statement, I attempt to speak as derisively as possible. "Do you? (Implying if she does count as a friend). "Traitor."
She shrugs. "Sorry for wanting to go to school, Lucius. I know it's an awful thing. Women getting an education and all."
I lose it.
"We already have an education! GUILLAUME WAS HOME-SCHOOLING US; HE'S SMART!"
"Pipe down, boy. I appreciate the compliment, but you should save your energy for school."
Arguing is pointless. I sink into my chair and sigh instead, resting my gaze on the hands of my Rolek watch. The only consolation I have is that I got to bring three pieces of luggage. If worse comes to shove, I'll have drones I can airstrike unsuspecting students with.
With my anger vented, the rest of the ride passes by relatively quickly. The GORGSON SUV halts, and the doors open automatically, revealing the outside. Morgana slowly frees me from the tape, her terrifyingly long knife repeatedly passing inches away from my eyes and ears.
Finally free, I lean out and step onto something hard.
White marble. Beneath my feet, or rather, the flooring of the outdoor carpark, is made of marble.
Idly, I ponder over how much it costs before receiving a pat on the back.
"Look up, Lucius!"
I do just that. Gazing upwards (my sunglasses protecting me from permanent retinal damage), I manage to see. Here before me is the main building of the school. Two stories tall and approximately 320,000 square feet in total. More than that, the whole thing is also made of marble, though its pristine charm is somewhat muddled by what looks like blends of random paint splashed onto it.
I start counting the seconds to unending torment when a figure waltzes through the main entrance. Instinctively, I brush my hair back, smile, and stand straight as possible. Adjusting my eyes to the incoming figure, it occurs to me they're none other than Rainee Althaiez.
He's a tall thirty-ish-looking man dressed in a white shirt, black tie and blue jeans. His hair is a standard swept-back black and adorned with a few hair clips, but other than that, his overall impression is relatively standard. Amidst all my frustration, though, even the sight of Rainee is more than enough to quell it.
The reason being that
this
man is special.
More than just a headmaster of an academy, Rainee Althaiez also happens to be something else.
Something beyond normal humans, elves or dwarves.
Something beyond even money (maybe).
He's a figure so influential that governments think twice before provoking his wrath.
In other words, Rainee Althaiez is the most powerful mage on the continent.
'The Walking Nuke', some people call him. Whether that's accurate to his ability remains to be seen. Though maybe it's best left ambiguous in the case. I'd rather not suffer from magically induced radiation, all things considered.
I move out a few paces, my right hand extended firmly.
"Mr. Althaiez, thank you for having me here. It's an honour to meet you in person."
Rainee looks down curiously, possibly wondering if I'm even worth the effort.
"Not a fan of handshakes?" I throw out, nodding in affirmation.
"No, I'm good!" He shakes his head passionately. "Good as in, I am good with anything you know, handshakes, bows, kisses, whatever." Rainee coughs into his left hand. "I'm, uh, very
multicultural
."
"Having an open mind is key to success."
"Uh-huh."
We've exchanged quite the bit of substantial dialogue at this point, and it comes to me that Rainee still hasn't made the effort to shake my hand. I look into his eyes for some kind of indication as to what I should do and not only see him look elsewhere but also frantically dart from side to side.
This is something.
Uncertain, I throw out another affirming nod, hoping my good looks and charisma will mitigate the tension.
"Well."
Withdrawing my hand to my waist, I decide to move things forward.
"So—".
I stop my sentence midway.
Huh.
Something's holding onto my hand. Or rather, someone.
I thought our awkward exchange of half-assed hand gestures had come to an end, but it seems not. Halfway through bringing back my hand, I was literally pulled back in. That's right, our 'Walking Nuke' here chose to grab onto it at the last second, now leaving him looking like he's going to drag me off somewhere by my hand.
"Ahem."
I make my best attempt to hide my discomfort. Try as I might, though, a fraction of a shiver courses through my body, making my right toe wiggle.
Truth be told, I'm starting to feel a bit uneased. All of this makes little sense. Why would Rainee refuse my handshake only to take it just when I withdrew? There's no way a man this powerful happens to have the social skill of a rotten hazelnut. So what is it? Is this a declaration of some sort? Does there exist a subliminal message I've yet to understand?
I run my eyes along his body in some vague attempt at discerning information. No use. I'm left dangling like a fish on a hook.
When I walked in here, I knew I was dealing with the strongest mage on the continent, but this, this is on another level. There's no way he isn't trying to tell me something. The man didn't reach his power and status through ineptitude, so there must be some kind of meaning guiding his motive.
"Uh!"
He haphazardly returns my gaze and coughs. Then, without warning, pulls my hand back to him and shakes it.
"Sorry, I hope you aren't angry or anything."
Though I begin to grow increasingly suspicious that Rainee might actually be socially inept, I also remind myself that patience is a virtue and that angering him would bring me next to nothing.
"It's all good," I reassure.
Out of the corner of my eye, I drift my attention to Morgana and Guillaume. From a cursory glance, I can tell that they're savouring the situation quite a bit. The latter doubly so. Maybe more than that, given that he has his arms crossed and a broad grin on his face. Knowing him, he probably finds this whole situation more than amusing. Call it old-school humour.
"So, do the rest of us get dead fish for handshakes?" Guillaume interjects, laughing, "Can't believe it." He shakes his head twice. "So, this is the Althaiez heir of our time, eh?"
"Yes". Rainee sighs, "Though rest assured, social uh skills aside, my proficiency in magic and schooling more than compensates."
"Compensates?" Guillaume laughs again, though noticeably louder and heavier. "Perhaps the next time you seek to impress a lass, you'll pull out a schooling and magic certificate to
compensate
for your lack of charisma."
Damn. I'd say I'm scared of the consequences of Guillaume's words, but I'm beginning to find amusement in it too.
"Anyways, let's proceed onward. I want to get a good look at this school for myself!"
Guillaume casually struts forward, having taken the lead at a moment's notice. Without retaliation, the rest of us follow, stepping up the marble stairs into the main building. Somehow, despite being the headmaster, Rainee resigns to being a mere chaperone, soon guiding us through the halls. |
"You should consider skin care, Lucius."
I nod.
"I've told you about it a few times before, remember?"
I nod again.
"How it helps you look younger, brightens up your skin, and makes you better looking in general."
I give her another nod, swerving with slowed intensity.
"Do you enjoy being an asshole?"
That statement arouses my interest. In a bid to answer, I lower my sunglasses and take in her expression. That's Morgana. Standing just a metre away, a clipboard in hand. Short auburn hair, pointy ears, and a half-smile half-I'm going to kill you if you don't answer face that I'm more than used to.
"No, Morgana, unlike some people, inflicting pain does not bring any modicum of pleasure to me."
"Unlike some people, you also seem to lack the ability to respond with a simple yes or no".
"Point taken."
I settle down the latest FULGER 3 Pro tablet in my hand and proceed to get up from my Rantasia Deluxe 3000 chair. Then, I stare outside, picking up a cool glass of elderberry lemonade from my glass table (of which brand I'm unaware). By combining my high-rise skyscraper and massive window stretching from one end to the other, I can study my city with a premier view. Remarkable. A scenery too distinct to be anywhere else but here. Tall skyscrapers, billboards the size of giants, advertising capitalistic goods, and a street so packed with people you'd think there was some festival going on.
That's Alpha-One. The number one city on the continent. Population of 23.4 million and the residential area of all the reigning billionaires. Perfect.
"You still haven't answered me about skincare."
She has an expression that's cooler than before, tempered by time. But still, frustrated, and knowing her, would persist until I gave a good reaction.
"Well, you see, Morgana, while I have nothing against skincare and do understand its applications, I don't particularly find myself attracted to the concept and doubt my ability to include it into my daily regimen. In addition, I'm already quite handsome enough and have you by my side, who takes care of any makeup, both physical and magical. Whatmore, given my half-elf lineage, age is a prospect I'm more or less unafraid of and very well see a near future of me still looking quite dapper."
My rant ends, and my point comes to a close. This is the time for celebration. This is when I stand quite smug and when Morgana nods, walks away, and takes my finished lemonade with her. Or, in other words, complete and utter victory.
Speech has always been my strong suit.
I glance at my right wrist and check my ROLEK watch. 13:34. Time for training. My heartbeat raises by a single BPM as I walk to a door on the outer perimeter of my room, prepared. I stop, however, when a shadow is overcast, evidently visible through the muddled glass of the door before me.
"Master Lucius."
The door slides to the right, propelled by mechanical force. Here, my butler/tutor/mentor/parental figure stands. Great guy. 2.1 metres tall and thick as a tree stump. Short fire-red hair and beard to match, like one of those old-time heroes from stories.
"Yes, Guillaume?"
I meet his green eyes, and he meets mine. We engage in a staredown. Neither of us moves. Then all of a sudden, he lurches forward, arms open. When I realise what will happen, it's already too late.
"Lucius!" Guillaume exclaims, holding me in the air like a ragdoll.
"AeGRgHRHJ". The sound of impending death escapes my lungs. I struggle like a limp fish in his grasp. Two-point five seconds. That's the amount of time I have before suffocation.
Argh.
Guillaume smiles and nods. In acknowledgement, he settles my feet on the floor and pats me on the shoulder. Roughly, I inhale four separate breaths and grasp at my waist, simultaneously exaggerating for painstaking effect and simultaneously genuine.
"Oh, Lucius, it can't be that bad," says Morgana, her head peeking from behind my large hunk of a butler.
"It really is," I tell her. "Anyways". I continue, bringing myself against the wall. "What's the occasion? Strangling a minor is hardly your pastime Guillaume."
After chuckling for a good second, he winks.
"You're going to school."
I watch him from an upward angle, looking directly into his nostrils.
Once a second passes, the weight of his words hit me.
This is when I enter into denial.
"Ah".
Laugh. I want to laugh. My current emotional state wants to produce laughter in response but is unable to, knowing fully well that Guillaume is serious. Despite that, though, I still make the effort to ask, accepting the sub-zero possibility I might be wrong.
"You are serious, right?"
He stares at me, nods, and without hesitation, chuckles again.
I don't want to give up yet, though. The prospect of interacting with hormonal idiots on a day-to-day basis compels me to form a good counterargument. Teenagers are moronic. Everyone knows that.
"Guillaume". I declare, shrugging my shoulders and pushing up my glasses. "Certainly, you would understand why such a course of action would be idiotic. Statistically speaking, I'm already more intelligent than 99.9% of people. My knowledge of the arts, sciences and language also extends far beyond what a high school can offer, notwithstanding higher education. And I have a company to run. A business worth trillions in revenue. Do you see the problem?"
My eyes do not waver. No reaction. Not even a wink or a lift of a brow. Same old smile as usual. This is how it is with older people. They always place value on having lived longer over actual raw intelligence. Shame. People like Guillaume are why governments fail.
"Give up, Lucius," Morgana whispers, an evil look in her eyes. "Forfeit. Or continue. Keep talking, knowing your words have the same value as shit."
"Some faeces like guano serve as an expensive fertilizer."
"The only thing you're fertilizing is your own suffering."
What misfortune. Life really does suck sometimes. If I end up going to school, I can only imagine how awful it'll be. Imagine sharing a room with someone, a toilet, or a wardrobe. What if my usual shower of thirteen minutes has to be cut it down to six because my roommate is an illiterate smelly monkey? What if. And what if the food is awful? And what if this, what if that, what if whatever. The uncertainty of all those what-ifs is what bothers me.
"And when do I start?"
"Two days."
Oh. Two days. The gears in my brain begin running, and I begin to process a series of maths to rationalize when it'll be. By the end of 1.3 seconds, my calculations are complete.
Sixty hours. 3600 minutes. 21600 Seconds.
"I refuse."
Turning around, I walk away, grabbing my tablet.
"Oh, and by the way, make sure the car is ready for my meeting with Alstron's CEO in-"
Pain. A blunt force. I am cut mid-sentence as a fist meets my jaw, throwing me across the room onto my Aodalia MAIDEN HOME sofa. Ow. I pull my face backwards out of a pillow and watch my now menace of a butler.
"At the age of fifteen, hunters of Vardos are expected to skin and bring back a monster or demon the size of a deer."
His monologue goes on.
"It's expected that three in ten die and another six lose a limb".
I wipe my cheek. At my lip is blood, and at the point of impact, the tender familiarity of a bruise. Bracing myself for a long-winded monologue, I inhale a deep brath.
"Lucius, I will allow you to stay in Alpha-One under one condition."
Guillaume raises an index finger and smiles down at me, an eager Morgana walking to his side.
"If you beat the both of us in combat."
So, an impossibility.
"That's stupid. In the first place, I'm never going to be assaulted out of the blue by people as strong as you, so it's not applicable to real life."
"Well, you just were, weren't you?" Morgana retorts, a resounding crunch resonating across the room as her foot crushes my pristine FULGER 3 Pro tablet.
"You do know that it was a unique model?" I sigh. Aside from the 200,000 laine price tag and it being the first ever produced, it was also signed by my three favourite movie stars.
Continuing my rant, I grab a golden Mont-Blanche fountain pen from my back pocket. My fingers tingle as magical energy flows into the object. In a split-second, the tip has become sharper than the finest needle, while the frame stronger than airplane-grade steel.
With a simple wrist flick, the pen flies across the room until it surgically plunges into its target; Morgana's outstretched hand. Making quick work of the flesh and bone, the makeshift arrow comes out the other end before lodging itself in the wall with a satisfying thud.
"Heh".
Yet as I prepare to launch another volley of makeshift missiles, I suddenly find myself rapidly accelerating upwards along with the sofa.
Something is before me. There's a figure ducked down, hands beyond sight. Eyes on the figure, the once quickened blur becomes a clear individual.
I see. It seems I made a small oversight. That is underestimating Guillaume's speed.
Indeed, it seems my giant butler was not only able to launch me and a sofa multiple meters into the air but also to cross the room in less than a half-second.
Jumping ship, I abandon the flying sofa, hoping to soften my fall by taking a plush cushion with me.
I crash back to earth, narrowly dodging my Xpew designer glass table.
Yet as I attempt to stand, I find myself unable to move. Pain searing through my left hand, I note that it has been transpierced by a thin yellow needle. Morgana's doing. I rush to pull the needle out with my right hand.
Then pain. All of a sudden, there's a boot on my right hand and the crunch of bones soon after.
"A hand for a hand."
I ignore her. Preparing a spell, I channel the mana in my body and lift my remaining left hand.
Too late. Another area of my body is afflicted with pain. This time, it's my chest.
"Argh."
Feeling the air leave my lungs, I instinctively cradle my body as a shield. There, standing above me, is my supposedly loyal butler and my supposedly loyal assistant alongside him.
"GET HIM, GUILLAUME!"
The next minute is a bombardment of senses. The two repeatedly take turns kicking me from both sides, assaulting me from front to back. Meanwhile, more then enthusiastic groans and yells pierce the air, leading me to wonder how I ever enjoyed eating dinner with them.
"THAT'S FOR NOT USING SKINCARE!"
"CONSIDER THIS AN EXTENSION OF YOUR EDUCATION!"
Appeal to logos. Money runs the world... If I can just get them to come to their senses...
"You do know that I pay your salari-" I am cut off as a boot bashes my jaw.
"GUILLAUME HAS A TRUST FUND, YOU NARCISSIST!"
I relent, shutting my mouth as I wait for the storm of kicks and insults to pass. Although I thought it crazy at first, I gradually succumbed to the idea that I was indeed being mauled by my butler and assistant and eventually gave up on thinking. |
Over the course of the last fifty minutes, Rainee gave us a tour of the main school building. The place amounted to around 30,000 square metres and was composed of the usual facilities. Libraries, lecture halls, and cafeteria included. As a modern academy, the place is also kept relatively up-to-date. Access to certain perimeters is available solely through keycards ascribed to students, and a wide variety of digital screens adorn walls when necessary. All in all, not bad. Certainly, not as technologically advanced as Alpha One, but sufficient for a backwater mountain.
Before I knew it, we found ourselves walking through a long corridor, bumping into a few stray students here and there. There, I caught wind of a few noticeable glances towards my direction. No doubt revelling in my presence and glamour.
"Oh".
After another minute of walking, we stop. I take the opportunity to look around, watching a signboard to our left titled 'Room 04'.
"All right, um, we're going to stop here". Rainee says.
"Alright!" Guillaume yells, patting Morgana and me on the back. "Me and Althaiez here are going to catch up while you two youngsters enjoy yourselves, alright?"
Tragic. And so I must bid my dear butler farewell.
"Will do, Guillaume; I'll try my best to make the most out of it."
"Your tone is unconvincing, Lucius."
No comment. Refusing to respond to Morgana's remark, I promptly push the door to my left open. I run my eyes around the place. The sight is that of a classroom. Large enough to amass a hundred students or so with chairs arranged in a circular formation. More than anything, the place resembles facilities made for higher education. Like a university lecture hall. Multiple levels of seats and desks and a ceiling of five metres tall included. I don't reckon normal high schools have such large classrooms. Though I suppose, on the other hand, the place is only fitting for one of my calibre.
Oh, and there are a few other students here. That, too.
In fact, one of them is looking in my direction. Pretty intently, might I add. On closer introspection,
it
appears to be some kind of elf. With long blonde hair down to their shoulders, a feminine face, and some kind of leather armour. Peculiar. From the way he sits with both feet on the desk, I can tell he's a delinquent. Better not associate with him. Don't know what type of disease you'll get from these people.
Walking around, I settle on an empty outer seat in the first row. In the meantime, Morgana almost explicitly sits at the polar end of the room and finds herself a place alone.
Whatever.
I look at my phone and check the stock market. Noticing a familiar green number, a smile creeps on my face. Good, Mortius corporation's share prices have risen by 1250 laines today, which means my net worth is now...
"ARGH!"
WHAT THE FUCK!
Processing the situation, I rub the side of my head with one hand and hold out my arm with another. Something just hit me. That is to say, a very fast shape appeared in my vision for an instant, struck me in the side of my head, and has left me currently wailing in agony.
Dammit all.
Glancing at the floor, I see a shapely black object. Naturally, I bend over and pick it up. Which, upon doing so, makes me understand it's a pencil. And that someone in this room threw it at me as an attack.
Frantically, I dart my head from side to side, looking for who did it. There are three possible assailants. That delinquent elf, some dude with unkempt black hair, and a girl currently looking in my direction.
"OI, WHICH ONE OF YOU THREW THIS PENCIL AT ME?" I yell loud enough to surround the whole hall. "I'M CALLING THE POLICE. DO YOU NOT KNOW THIS IS ASSAULT?!"
The elf boy's eyes widen in surprise. "It was her," he states, casually pointing at the girl across.
She smiles at me and points to the elf. "It was him, actually".
He shakes his head vigorously. "Nuh-uh, that's a lie!"
"Unlike you forest dwellers, we Crilandese do not lie."
"I saw you do it!"
At the same time, the boy with dishevelled black hair looks around.
"Is everything alright?"
The girl, wide-eyed, rests her chin on her hand. "Yes". She replies almost gleefully. "Everything is quite fine. Our local knife-eared forest dweller decided to assault someone, but besides that, all is well."
Monotone, the boy mumbles a quick, "I see." Then, turning back to face his desk, promptly exits the conversation.
In other words, nothing has changed. The students here are far from cooperative, and no doubt one of them is full of colloquial garbage. It's like trying to negotiate with monkeys.
"Fine," I say, rubbing the side of my head.
If they won't help, then I'll figure this by myself.
I inhale a deep breath.
Logically, with the angle that the pencil struck me, the attack must've come from the right. However, the only students located from that angle are Morgana, the delinquent elf, and the dishevelled boy, thereby discounting the other girl.
Now, to tally off the remaining students.
It's unlikely to be the dishevelled boy due to his impassive tone and the fact that no one accused him.
It's unlikely to be Morgana because she's not dumb enough to do something like this.
Therefore, chances are, it's the dumbass delinquent elf who did this. An point bolstered further by his leather armour, thereby hinting at some degree of physicality and hence the ability to throw a pencil with increased accuracy.
Now the question is what I do with this information. And besides holding a lasting grudge, probably nothing. I'm not that vengeful. I spent all this time wanting to know who did it just to feel better about myself. That and placing some warranted distrust and distance between the delinquent and me for future reference.
I tuck the pencil in my pocket and sigh. Staring wearily at my desk, I wait for the time to pass, only to suddenly hear a door slam.
"Good morning, students!"
Glancing at the same door I entered through; I catch sight of a person—a man. Perhaps around 183cm in height. They appear to be wearing a purple jacket, white waistcoat, patterned black trousers and cravat. And on another note, they also happen to have some sort of outdated bowl cut. With bangs running to their eyebrows and some sort of quaint hair accessory adorned with it.
I scratch my chin in amusement. Admittedly, my knowledge of fashion outside Alpha-One is rudimentary at best. Still, it is a tad hard for me to imagine that man's clothing as being customary. However, it may just be a culture shock. So, withholding further judgement, I turn my attention to the man's movements.
Doing his job, the man (or assumed to be teacher) descends into the room. In doing so, he throws several pieces of paper in all directions, landing in a perfect pile on each student's desk. I pause and take the stack of papers. Reading the front, I notice the words 'examination' and proceed to count the number of pages. Twenty in total.
"Remember, no cheating!"
Upon distributing the papers, the same teacher ascends the room and, without pause, kicks the same door open and leaves. I groan half-heartedly at the display. Not in assumed frustration at the exam to come, but rather the idea that everything here might just be a lunatic. |
xxx ONE xxx
A Dog Woofs to Not Be Harmed
"I can't believe that damned prick would use my body to do whatever he wants! Talking to my mom about climbing a dumb fucking tree and whatnot - it was a pain to try to fix the explanation he gave her!"
I grumbled in my mind as the milk bottle in my hand got crushed and imprinted with my fingers. "What did he even do while I was out cold?! He didn't piss anyone off, did he?!"
"Mortal. I'm right here. Stop talking as if I can't hear you," Lucifer denotes.
"That son of a bitch shit-eating demon! That violent fiend with rocks for brains! That annoying red goblin looking ass!"
"I DON'T LOOK LIKE A RED GOBLIN!!! THAT'S SLANDER!!!!" Lucifer wailed as I succeeded to push his buttons.
My soles still hurt all thanks to the great demon king, but the wounds on my hands have already completely healed.
"That's all thanks to MY powers! See, I'm not just a mere troublemaker or a useless freeloader! I contribute too!"
"So you admit you're a troublemaker and a useless freeloader?" I snicker before rolling my eyes. "The amount of trouble you cause outweighs your measly 'contribution'," I give air quotes. I could hear Lucifer click his tongue at me.
I dunk the crushed-up bottle of milk into a nearby trash can on the side of the street. I flap my hands to get the drop of milk off my hand.
Lucifer interrupts me with his nagging. "That's a waste! You could've just licked the milk off your hands!" Lucifer advised.
"Gross" I irked.
"Hey, I've never drunk anything that good before in my life! Wastin' somethin' so good like that in front of my eyes is unacceptable!!" I recall he took over for a second just to get a taste.
"Never? Really?" I ponder for a second. "Aren't you the king of Hell or something? Aren't you used to luxury?"
Lucifer takes a second to respond before laughing his ass off. "BWAHAHAHA!! THAT'S BAFFLING!" His vexatious loud laugh rings in my head. "Is that how mortals view me?! Listen here, mortal! Let me give you a personal lesson from the Devil himself! As the king of Hell, I suffer more than anyone else. I don't live in a fancy castle made out of fancy rocks. I don't eat the highest quality meat. I just live like any other sinner, sufferin' the same fate. The only difference is I'm just hated more by God, I guess."
"Huh? How interesting," I say in a deadpan tone. I do think it's intriguing, though.
My curiosity about the Hell that Lucifer is accustomed to is itching to pry for more information, but my train of thought stops as I reach the front gates of my school, Plum Highschool. The name derives from the town's stupid name, Plum Town.
it's an old and cheap school filled with problem kids or just poor students in general. It has a bad reputation for its poor quality. There are so few students enrolling here that my grade has only one class. I'm pretty sure this school is going to get shut down by next year. Though I wouldn't miss it as every day is just endless torture and pain. I can't even recall what I learned from the last material.
"Wait, where are we? What is this place?" Lucifer wondered.
"What? Never heard of school?" I snicker. "Is that why you're so goddamn dumb?"
"'Skyul'?! I've never heard such a thing!"
"It's a place where kids study to learn about how the world works. At least that's what it was initially made for," I explained. "Do you not have schools in Hell?"
"Of course not! Why would sinners need to study after they're dead?" Lucifer whined. Huh, makes sense.
I walk up the stairs to the second floor where my classroom is. The entire 11th grade only has 23 students. "Out of all the 23 students going to class every week, I am friends with none of them."
"What? Even I, the devil, have pals," he flexes. I couldn't help but get pissed at that sentence.
"It's all thanks to my bullies that always make sure I stoop as low as a turd on the side of the road. The other kids would just watch me get beaten up, doing nothing to help."
I could feel Lucifer's confusion. "What? Isn't this place to study or whatever? Why does this sound like a gladiator battle?"
"That's why I said it was INITIALLY ATTENDED to teach kids," I huff. "Other than myself, there's another kid who's also a victim. He's usually called Dane although it isn't his real name. He's a total coward, wouldn't even resist if anyone wanted to shove rusty nails down his throat. I thought maybe I could befriend him since losers have to stick together, but he wouldn't even consider my existence for fucks sake."
I arrive at my class and walk to my designated seat; the seat in the last row. I expected to arrive at school with nothing, but the space of my desk was already filled with the bag I previously left behind intentionally.
But it wasn't in the condition I left it in - it was a mess.
The bright yellow color was tarnished by the dirty shoe prints all over it. Inside are all my belongings messily put in. My notebooks that were already doodled by were ruined even further with the reek of sewage water soaking up on my notes. Everything I wrote was muddled and illegible. My pencils were all cut short and my pens had no more ink in them. My old and cheap outdated phone seemed to be in fine condition, but I just know they've been tampered with.
Without warning, an arm suddenly weighted onto my shoulders. I took a deep sigh as I recognize whose arm it belonged to.
"Hey, little Yoel. Where were you yesterday? I missed you so much!" Pier closes the gap between our faces, "we gave your bag a little makeover while you were gone~ Hope you like it." He shoves my back before backing away.
The whole class ignores us while Pier's underlings take turns laughing at me while slamming my desk.
"Yo mortal, I don't know what their deal is, but they're startin' to piss me off! Want me to help throw some hands for you?"
I take a glance at my bullies to see them ready to gang up on me. They outnumber me. "No, not now. I don't want to make a scene at school. If we're gonna kick their asses we'll do it later off school grounds," I lecture.
One of Pier's cronies grabs the collar of my uniform and raised me off my seat. "What was that glare all about, you son of a bitch?" They get so aggravated over the littlest of things.
"Settle down kids," our homeroom teacher came in at the right time. "I've just had about the worst nights of my life, so you all better behave or else."
Our homeroom teacher is a pretty big and intimidating guy, so Pier and his minions were forced to comply and take their seats. He looks around and notices a seat empty. A student is late, but he decides to brush it off without absenting the class.
"What?! You're just gonna leave 'em like that?!" Lucifer protested.
"I told your ass already! If we're gonna give them a beating, we'll give it to them later. Now is the time for me to study."
Before Lucifer could ask further what Yoel meant, he witnessed the teacher in front start babbling strings of incoherent paragraphs that strains his limited brain.
"Is... is this the 'study' you speak of?!" He wails and cries, "NOOOO!!! I CAN'T DO THIS MORTAL!!! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!!!! LET ME OUTTT!!!!!"
xxx
The bell echoes across the entire school, signaling all students that their 20-minute break has started. Lucifer's fried brain is finally saved, even if for just a moment.
The teacher walks out the door, leaving the classroom unsupervised. In a matter of seconds, the groggy atmosphere in the classroom flipped upside down into a bustling, hectic mess. Some were taking out their packed lunches, rearranging their seats closer to their friends, leaving the class, talking loudly without concern for others, and so forth.
"It's FINALLY OVER!!! Now let's go home, mortal!" Lucifer scabbed.
"You know there is still about 5 more hours worth of classes. We're barely done with the day." Lucifer groans and whines once again.
I stood up from my seat and walked to the exit door with wary eyes concerning my oppressors. Without me noticing, Pier the scum was already in front of me with his usual repulsive smugness plastered on his face. He leans over the door frame to block the exit. His friends corner me from behind like some street thugs.
"What the hell do you want now, asshole?" I growl. He walks over and rests his arm on my shoulder. I immediately shove it off while glaring at him.
Suddenly, one of his goons puts their arms over my armpits and raised me from the floor, leading me to get beaten up. Our size difference was evident from our 2-inch difference.
I struggled to get off as one of them tried to punch me. Before I could get beaten, I elbowed him in the face which let me escape from his arms and dodge the attack.
I immediately rush over to the exit when suddenly a punch from outside came flying to my face. It knocked me back into the classroom. I cower on the floor with a bloody nose.
Elian, Pier's right-hand man and the one who punched me, walks in while rubbing his fist. He's the second strongest after Pier. "Hey, Pier! Sorry for being late. I see you were busy with Joel."
They do their usual ritualistic handshake before Pier pats Elian's shoulder. "I thought you were skipping today," Pier asks.
"That was the initial plan." He takes a glance at the wall before reaching his hand over and grabbing a skinny boy with familiar oversized thick glasses. "Also, look at what I found while walking up here. Your dog was trying to escape." Elian throws him to the floor where I'm at. "You should tighten his leash."
"Oh, Dane? Well, I was planning to only fuck Yoel up since he was gone yesterday, but I guess the more the merrier, right boys?" Pier riles up his goons. They all surround me and Dane in a circle, closing any opening for me to escape.
Suddenly, Lucifer buts in. "Hey mortal, let me take over. I can beat them all up in a second!" Lucifer says with a pissed-off tone. "Seriously, that guy with the blue hair punches so slow. It's so obvious his weak spot is his legs!"
I hesitate to give Lucifer an answer. I look over at Elian as he said that, trying to analyze him. I guess Lucifer is skilled as I don't understand a single thing he said about him.
As much of a ruckus as it would make if I let Lucifer out, I don't want to get beaten up any longer. I know he could do the job. Should I risk him biting off one of Pier's ears or should I stay put?
Before I could make my decision, Dane got into a pleading pose and started woofing like a dog.
Everyone started laughing at him with one of them even kicking his sides. "Want a treat, doggy?" "Woof louder, idiot!" "This stupid dog is better off being put down!"
A smirk of amusement stretches across Elian's face. "Looks like he's really sticking with the dog act you taught him, Pier. What about Joel? He looks just like a dog. I think he'd do well as one."
My forehead starts to fold at his sentiment. The other goons just mindlessly agree to the idea, cheering like idiots. You already have a 'dog', why would you want another?!
"Che, if I were to be your 'dog', then I'd have to stoop as low as you gunk fuckers," I growl.
Everyone who was cheering before slowly quiet down as their fangs began to show. Not only them, but even Dane is giving me the stink eye, telling me to stop aggravating them. Unfortunately for you, I don't bow down to people just because they're stronger, nor do I listen to some coward's pleas.
Before anyone could spout insults and act physically, Pier shuts them up and walks towards me. He raises me by gripping my jaws and tosses me to my feet. As I balanced myself, I immediately initiated to punch him in the face, but the hair that I haven't properly groomed obstructed my view, leaving me in a blind spot. With power stronger than Elian, he pounds my stomach as I fell back to the floor.
Although saliva was pouring out of my mouth constantly, I couldn't afford to just lay there. I attempted to stand up to no avail as Pier crushed my left hand. The sudden pain made me jerk backwards. No matter how much I attacked his foot with my right hand, it wouldn't budge off.
While I whimper in pain, he takes the arrogant liberty of lighting a cigarette from his pocket.
"That's it, I'm taking control!" Lucifer yelled. Suddenly I felt an uncomfortable burst in my body. I suspected it was Lucifer trying to take over control, so I tried my hardest to suppress it.
"STOP IT!!" I accidentally panicked aloud. Everyone takes a glance over me, surprised by what I blurted out before laughing at me.
"You want me to stop, little Yoel?" Pier bends down and blows the smoke to my face. "Why don't you try to beg like good boy Dane over there? Beg until you piss and shit yourself, then maybe I'll consider it."
Once again, the uncomfortable burst came again, this time with more power and force. My body cringes from the odd sensation. "LUCIFER!!!" I shouted. I made sure it was just in my mind this time.
"What is it that you're scared of, mortal?! You know just how annoying this smug kid is!!! This will benefit you anyways!!!" He keeps pushing to take over control.
The pain made me let my guard down for a second and instantaneously, all feeling in my body disappeared.
It felt like the bleeding on my nose and bruising on my body escaped my body. I could feel a grin make its way on my face.
Lucifer had taken over my body.
xxx TO BE CONTINUED xxx |
Sixty-seven minutes have passed since the start of the exam. Since then, I've managed to complete all of the questions with the expected efficiency. All in all, it proved to be quite easy. Subjects like math and the sciences were my forte, and I managed to complete even the hardest questions. Anything else was also done to a good degree, with me falling perhaps just slightly short of perfection in history and geography.
Though, to be honest, it's nothing to really be proud about. It turns out that the questions here are catered to a low uni-level at best. And as someone who completed a master's degree in math, I find it to be very droll.
Curious as to what's happening, I turn to watch Morgana. Evidently, she's also finished. Looking in my direction, we exchange a bout of stares before she eventually sighs. There are around two minutes left before the end, so so I decide to spend it pondering over my circumstances.
Eventually, the time comes. The door to the hall, kicked open once again, presents the same teacher from before. Saying nothing, he descends the stairs, heading in my general direction.
He takes my paper, winks, and proceeds to seize the others.
By the end, all of the tests have been collected, and the teacher, waiting at the door, beckons us with an open hand. Gathering in a semi-circle, all of us students look at one another.
"How was it?" Morgana asks, sending a welcome glance to each student.
"Can't say." Dismissively replies the black hair boy.
Moving on, our gaze settles on the blonde elf, next in our clockwise chain of command.
Scratching the back of his head, he smiles. "Well, I thought it was pretty hard! I'm not used to fighting with numbers or letters or a combination of the two.."
Aren't elves supposed to be smart?
Urgh.
I don't even bother to expunge the energy needed to process that statement.
"What about you?" Asks Morgana, eyes on the girl opposing her.
A short pause.
The attention befalls the Crilandese girl from earlier. Faced with her head on, I catch a glimpse of a few extra details. Now that I'm closer and perhaps slightly less frustrated, I must say that she makes quite the impression.
A weird one.
It's as if she just came from the hospital.
There are a number of eccentricities on her face.
B&B, as I post-hastely title it.
Burns and bandages.
On her left cheek are irregularly placed burn spots, like withered skin. And diagonally crossing the right side of her face are black bandages covering even her eye. While enveloping her left arm are similarly grey bandages.
As I notice these features, I sigh, understanding what a shame it'd be if my face was tarnished like this.
That proves to be a mistake.
The scarred Crilandese girl matches my gaze, taking one step forward.
She catches wind of my observation, smirking.
"Leering, boy?" The girl says, suggesting she caught wind of my observation. "Behold my charms as much as you like". She pauses dramatically, flourishing her left arm. "I'm aware beautiful women such as myself are ill-found in your continent."
I smile, then shrug in reply.
"I'd hardly say it's your beauty I'm fixated on. Moreso, what covers it."
She laughs boisterously, touching her left eyebrow with her right hand. "Clothes make the character, don't they? You should judge my magnificence as a whole, attire and superficiality notwithstanding."
"So how'd you do?" Interjects Morgana, no doubt vexed.
"As the next Empress of Criland, I would say that I did well befitting my position."
Morgana wears a thin smile. "Hm, that's weird. I wasn't aware Criland still had a monarchy for government."
The girl shrugs in turn, leaning into Morgana. "I would've thought that's common knowledge. Though I suppose it can't be helped. Knowledge is a cruel thing to little girls like yourself."
"Not everyone can be as wise as you, empress. Us peasantry have our fair share of problems already, like studying, making friends, and trying not to be an asshole."
The elf in the green tunic scratches his chin and looks on contemplatively outside the window, as if about to interject.
"I'm hungry." He would go on to say, breaking the tension between the two girls.
"Hungry for knowledge?!" yells the teacher, finally stepping into our semi-circle.
"Thinking about food just makes me hungrier..." replies the elf, confused.
At this point, I finally decide to intervene. While watching Morgana be sufficiently tormented by a lunatic is enjoyable, I must say that every second spent in the company of maniacs is a second where my IQ decreases.
I direct my gaze to the teacher. "May we please continue?"
"May we?" He eccentrically replies.
I INHALE. "Yes. Yes, we may."
Mercy is upon me. The teacher, in place of trying to be witty, actually walks to the door. After a series of nonsensical discussions, we, at long last, manage to make progress.
Peace at long last.
I strut onwards, following in our teacher's wake. Marching in earnest, we make our way to the teacher's office, where he drops off the papers, before heading to our next destination. Stepping outside, our teacher leads us atop an asphalt road, taking us to what I assume to be one of the many facilities of this academy. Along the way, I half-consider the prospect of conversation but quickly conclude that it'd be too much of a pain in the arse.
Among us, no one seems willing to speak anyway. Call it intuition, but I think the nightmare that was our previous exchange of words discouraged any further attempts at conversation.
I pass the time watching nearby trees and the occasional student which crosses our path.
The silence shatters, however, when a voice erupts to my left.
"So, what's next, pretty boy?"
The Crilandese girl had spoken up. Feels good to be acknowledged in this hell hole. A smile encroaches on my face as I prepare an answer.
"The physical test, of course!
Our teacher had replied, assigning himself the 'pretty boy' role.
The elf throws a hand up. "A physical test?! As in, a test using our legs and arms?!"
"May-be! You'll have to see for yourself when we get there."
"Will we duel each other?!"
His momentary glee is matched by the teacher, who turns to walk backwards, winks, and struts straight ahead. Well. If that's any sign of what comes ahead, then I really do think it might be a physical examination.
Not that that's an issue.
Go ahead, I say.
Let me demonstrate my capabilities in front of the rest of these idiots.
Speaking of which... |
"Here we are!"
We arrive at our destination. According to what I see, our next testing facility appears to be a large semi-circle field, perhaps 800 metres around. One of those facilities made for track and field, essentially.
A few gadgets are also visible, routinely spread in the middle of the field, most likely used to test other measurable qualities of strength.
"So, shall we begin?" says the teacher, enunciating each word.
I take that as an incentive to go to the white starting line nearby. Beginning our respective preparations, I enter into a 4-point stance, preparing to push off both legs for maximum force production. Morgana does the same, no doubt wishing to optimize efficiency. But the black-haired boy and Crilandese girl choose otherwise. Looking rather leisurely, the former stands, hands still in pockets, and the latter smirks, arms crossed all the while.
That leaves the elf. Who, from what I can tell, looks ready to ask our teacher a question.
He raises an arm. "Teach!"
Our teacher responds with a smile. "Yes?"
"Are we allowed to use magic for our tests?"
At his query, our teacher nods and hands out two thumbs up.
"So long as the magic is limited to physical enhancement, then yes!"
"Alright!" the elf exclaims, bouncing up and down.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. That elf's been carrying a sword with him the whole time, after all, so the chances of him being a close-range fighter weren't nil.
Still.
Body Reinforcement magic, huh?
It's a rare field of study to pursue, all things considered. Shame that's out of my expertise. Though, at least I have the opportunity to witness it in person.
My eyes fall on the blonde elf, watching his hands and body.
Closing his eyes, he begins with a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. As he slowly opens them, a smile creeps onto his face, and his lips move in motion.
"The race starts now! First one to finish gets extra points!"
All of a sudden, our teacher announces the race. Rather than establish a time like a sensible person, he chooses instead the path least tread, that of abrupt and sudden declaration.
Great.
While looking at the others, I realise that they've already begun to run.
What an unfortunate series of events.
Assessing the speeds of the top two runners, I understand it's futile to compete.
Instead, being the avid learner I am, I choose the watch the elf, understanding that there's more to be gained from observation. Ultimately, whatever benefit to gain from a juvenile run is second to greater magical understanding.
Knowledge is power, as they say.
I wait, watching the elf from the corner of my eye.
Seemingly about to recite an incantation, he smirks.
"Canticum Errum".
I see it now. Webs of white, glowing like LEDs appear beneath the elf boy's skin, covering all visible areas. Hands, legs, neck, and any and all space revealed above clothing shine.
Peculiar.
His veins are now bulging too. More vascular than before. As if trying to claw their way out of his body and escape to god knows where.
"Alrighty!"
Wrapping things up, the elf enters into the same crouching position.
"Still excited, aren't you?" laughs the teacher. This seems to be of amusement to him.
"Huh?" mumbles a befuddled elf. "Of course I am!"
How quaint. Judging from his confidence, it seems that he may hold some value in physical activity. Those who lack in certain areas must make up for it in others, after all.
Looking at the elf, I come up with a suggestion. "Shall we race?" I haphazardly propose. "You can't catch up to the others anyway, so why not settle it between the both of us?"
He tilts his head as if stunned. "Can't catch up?"
Once again, the elf is confused, as if finding my statement to be lacking.
Ignoring his perplexity, I continue. "On the count of three. Three, two, one..."
With the declaration of one, we sprint. Running atop the field, I channel all my stamina into my body and make sure to inhale through my mouth. While I have some concerns over if I could surpass our elf here, vague confidence in victory still pushes me regardless.
Hah...
If my current estimation is correct, I should be running at 7.5m/s, meaning that I should be able to do a lap in 98 seconds.
I'm not the most physical person out there, but the prospect of competition gets my blood boiling. So much so that up until this point, I haven't even looked at the elf once.
As I run, my attention tears between myself and the environment around me.
I can't help it. I need someone to compare myself against for good measure.
In the end, my curiosity wins, and for a split second, I'm able to witness the elf running.
What I see astounds me.
Though we started off at the same point, the elf's now no more than a figure in the distance.
At this point, he's already crossed a quarter of the track. No, more than that.
He's at 225 metres already. And if the time so far is 11 seconds, then that would mean our elf is running at a consistent speed of 20 m/s.
It's... Impressive. He might be a barbaric idiot, but he's a fast one. And speaking of barbarism, while I didn't want to believe it at first, it occurs to me that the elf is actually running on all fours.
As in how a quadrupled creature would. Using all four limbs to spur him onward, hands rubbing against the floor...
Why...
Is there really a reason as to why he would do such a thing?
Was he raised in a jungle, or better yet, was he raised by animals?
Pondering over the reasoning, I continue my run, now slightly demotivated. |
(The next day at school, Bai was then bruised across his face as he was then bullied for being weaker than the other students by rank but limps towards his next class. Meanwhile, Negan was nearby at Bai's school, at a drinking pub then takes three whiffs of the air.)
"Negan: OO... Something smells gooooddd today!"
(As the bartender noticed Negan along with the rest of the customers, silence entered the air as the boss of the pub confronts Negan.)
"Liao Hansen (Pub Owner | Power: Glass Curse): Look here Negan, I told you before that you're banned from ever returning!"
"Negan: Heyy.. Cut your number one customer some slack here, that poor guy started the fight first before I even swung at him!"
"Liao: And because of that "swing", he's now dead. How do you feel about that?"
"Negan: Feel like he owed me some money for repairing my sweet baby."
(Negan then kisses his bat once as Liao was then annoyed.)
"Liao: Does everyone in this bar believe Negan should be given one last chance?"
(As a young, German man is the only one who raised his hand, he'd finish an entire 2 liter soda bottle and throws the bottle in the trash.)
"???: All should be allowed a second chance, should they not? Tis' like my father once said "A second chance can be given, but the final chance is a promise."
(As he turns around to face everyone else, he's revealed to be wearing strong yet thin armor while has a glistening stare at everyone.)
"Reinhard Leonhart
(German Student | Power: Armor Blessing, War Curse)
Negan Zhihao, allow me to introduce myself. I am Reinhard Leonhart, I welcome you back to the pub. I don't know about everyone else however."
"Liao: ...Alright. I'm willing to let it slide... But one more fight in this pub and you're gone for good, understood?"
"Negan: Yeah yeah whatever. I'll take an ice cold one."
(As Negan and Reinhard got to know each other, time has passed in Jingyi Grand Academy as official Mercenaries was arriving at the academy which almost everyone in the academy was amazed to see.)
"Student: Look! That's the High-Class Mercenary, Citadel!"
(Citadel was seen wearing a silver colored crown while wearing a long skirt, see-through glasses, a Mercenary t-shirt and is accompanied by two familiars of the five elements.)
"Citadel
(High-Class Mercenary | Power: Creation Blessing, Countdown Curse)
: Hehe! Hello everyone!"
"Student #2: Its the Arachnid Mercenary, Light Spider!"
(As everyone witnessed Light Spider in her humanoid form, she waved and smiles at the students as she was cheered for.)
"Light Spider
(Middle-High Class Mercenary | Power: Light Blessing, Spider Curse)
: A blessing to meet all of you on such a wonderful day!"
(As more Mercenaries were being introduced left and right, the big three among the High Class Mercenary ranks then bows to everyone on the gymnasium stage as all the students present were introduced to the big three of Jingyi Grand Academy as well.)
"Sun Xinyi: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the top three Mercenaries among the Mercenary Association, Gao Xuegang, the
Serpent Mercenary
, Ju Rong, the
Phoenix Mercenary
and Chen Liang, the
Magician Mercenary!
"
(As everyone was cheering for the three, Sun then introduces the top three students of Jingyi Grand Academy as well.)
"And now, representing the Big 3 of Jingyi Grand Academy, Wen Zexi, Xuan Hua and Fen Xinya!"
(As the top three from both the school and the association meets, the six then shakes hands with the others to greet themselves as Chen wishes to speak for Sun.)
"Chen Liang (
#1 High-Class Mercenary | Power: Magic Blessing, ??? Curse
): Thank you, Dean Xinyi. As you all know, the three of us represents Hong Kong's Mercenary Association and recently, there has been a huge decrease of Mercenaries. Most have quit, most have died on the line of duty and most has even retired. With the acceptance of Ms. Xinyi here, we've agreed to collaborate with this academy and recruit willing students who wishes to become Mercenaries."
(The five on the stage then prepares a power scaler with Citadel being the one to scale the students. Meanwhile in the audience as Chen Liang explains everything, Bai then notices Tian behind him after bumping into him on purpose.)
"Tian: Hey! Did I miss anything?"
"Bai: Nothing really.. They're doing power scaling for your future Mercenary rank."
"Tian: Hey, we should try it!"
"Bai: Uh... I don't know.."
"Tian: Come on! It'll be fun for us, we'll be Mercenaries together!"
"Bai: Well... Alright."
(As over one hundred students is scaled in between the Low and High-Class ranks, Bai and Tian were among the last batches of students as fifteen lucky students were considered S-tiered High-Class Mercenaries as Tian was now up to power scale himself. The scaler then completes its calculations on Tian as the results were then spoken aloud.)
"Scaler: Tian Hanying: Power:
Stone Blessing, No Curse.
Is a potential A-Tier Middle-Class Mercenary!"
(As two of the big three Mercenaries were impressed along with several other students, Tian was smiling as he was embarrassed at his potential being revealed to the academy. As Bai was then up next, silence fills the gymnasium as murmuring was heard on Bai beginning to attempt.)
"Student #3: You think he could actually be strong?"
"Student #4: No way, he's tier D and at the lowest rank possible!"
"Student #5: Right?! Like he should just give up and go home, such a weakling doesn't have potential anyway..."
(As more students began to trash talk Bai behind his back, he'd step on the power scaler as Gao suddenly notices something extremely wrong as the scaler then buzzes loudly and then openly reveals Bai's potential.)
"Scaler: Bai Zhen: Power: ...
Justice Blessing, [REDACTED] Curse.
Is a potential S-tier Elite-Class Mercenary!"
(As the students along with Tian was all in shock at the reveal of Bai's blessing, curse and potential as a Mercenary, Ju quickly acts and examines the calculation which was all one hundred percent accurate. As Ju revealed to the students it was accurate, Sun then now knows where to rank Bai as one more student walks towards the power scaler and the students were interested in the new transfer student as the scaler then buzzes loudly then announces the analyzed results.)
"Tian (Thinking): Bai is an S-tier..?! Congrats man...!!"
"Scaler: Reinhard Leonhart, Power:
Armor Blessing, War Curse.
Is a potential S-tier Elite Class Mercenary!"
(As all on stage along with the audience clapped for Reinhard, he then bows to the others but pauses for a quick speech.)
"Reinhard: I've heard a lot of chatter from those who underestimate one's power. Even at the lowest rank, who says one is weak if they can still fight? Who says one is weak if they do not care about the rankings? As long as one is able to lift a weapon and battle, they cannot be called weak! Thank you."
(Gao claps for Reinhard's quick speech along with the rest of the five on stage.)
"Chen: As we conclude the power scaling, we individually will be drafting thirty students as the big three of Jingyi Academy will officially be Mercenary Captains. You will receive an email on your smartphones of your official captain and division you will represent. If there are any questions, you may speak now."
(One suspicious student then raises his hand as everyone has their attention on him.)
"???: Yes... Say for instance if there was a situation where every student's life was on the line during the line of duty, would there be an support line for the dying student?"
"Chen: ...? There.. would be, but why ask a question like so?"
"???: Oh.. just curious.."
(As several of the high-ranked students noticed something ominous in the air, Reinhard quickly tackles the student into the wall at high speeds after trying to murder everyone in the gymnasium in one go.)
"Reinhard: THIS IS A GHOUL! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
(As the six was on stage and overhears Reinhard, they'd quickly act and issue an emergency evacuation as the Ghoul after revealing itself to be ticking loudly as Reinhard then punches the Ghoul outside the gymnasium and out into the school grounds as the Ghoul the explodes the barrier created by the Mercenary Association's big 3 as more Ghouls storms into Jingyi Academy and begins attacking every student in sight as a party of fifteen Ghouls stands atop a nearby building, watching the school under siege by a raid of violent and powerful Ghouls.)
"???: Is this where that Zhen child is attending school?"
"Rac
(Ghoul Clan Leader | Power: ??? Curse, ??? Curse)
: From the files we've picked up on this kid, he's the one who carries the Justice Blessing. We kill him for good, the Divinity Clan won't be able to extinguish us."
"???: Big bro..~"
"Rac: Hm?"
(Rac then notices his little brother eating a severed lung from another Ghoul.)
"Omgut
(Rac's Younger Brother | Cannibal Curse)
: So when am I able to eat him?"
"Rac: We're not going to be killing Zhen yet. We plan to scare him into knowing why he should've died in the truck collision."
"Omgut: Aww.."
(Inside the ongoing slaughter of Ghouls and lower ranked students, two non-blessing students were running for their lives as one was then tackled by a Ghoul after storming through a window as he was screaming for his life as his friend was in shock and fear of watching his own friend be picked apart and eaten bit by bit. As the student continues to run, he'd fall down a flight of stairs after looking back then crawls down the rest of the stair flight with a broken leg. As a Ghoul then storms on all fours towards the injured student, he'd prepare to die as a bullet was fired by Bai which strikes the Ghoul and kills it immediately after a lucky headshot.)
"Bai: Hey! You okay?!"
(Bai quickly goes to help the injured student as he screams in sadness for what happened to his friend as Bai comforted him.)
"Teng Lan
(Non-Blessing Student)
: ...NO..! WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN...?!"
"Bai: ....I don't know, I'm gonna get to the bottom of this... Can you stand..?"
(Teng tries to stand as he falls to one knee then Bai assists him as he combats any incoming Ghouls. After fighting off several Ghouls and making it to the outside, Bai quickly notices a swarm of Mercenary teams and paramedics on the scene as Bai assists Teng to a nearby paramedic who began patching him up.)
"Teng: T-Thank you..."
"Bai: Don't mention it.."
"Negan: BAI!"
(As Bai hears a familiar voice, Negan quickly approaches him as he sees the entire academy thrown into complete chaos.)
"Bai: Negan!"
"Negan: The hell is going on in there?!"
"Bai: Its Ghouls, its a raid left and right and it started in the gymnasium, now they're all over school grounds!"
"Negan: ...Where's Jia and Tian?"
"Bai: I don't know... I haven't seen any of the Disciplinary Committee or Tian..."
"Negan: Stay here and whatever you do, don't leave the Mercenary's sight!"
(Negan then storms towards the shattered doors of the academy as he swings his bat with a pissed off expression.)
"Bai: Negan... be safe in there..."
(Meanwhile inside the school, Cheng and Jia was seen fighting together as Jia was relying on Cheng's future blessing when to strike.)
"Cheng: Three Ghouls coming from your third eye!"
"Jia: Got it!"
(Jia quickly blasts with her wind up into the ceiling as the same three Ghouls were then blasted out of the building and splatters onto the concrete floors as they were pinned down by outside Mercenaries.)
"Alright, who's next?!"
"Cheng: Four more Ghouls, two duos storming both sides!"
(Jia then charges enough wind power to rip the heads off of the incoming Ghouls as their decapitated bodies falls directly to the floor. As they then descend to the next floor, they'd hear sounds of gunfire as Peng was firing relentlessly at incoming Ghouls who are welding swords, spears, arrows and their own set of guns.)
"Peng: Alright then... Lets have some
gun
fun."
(After an echoing whack, a Ghoul's body flies over the pack of armed Ghouls and Peng as it then splatters onto the wall and reveals an indented baseball bat bruise. As they all turned around, a pissed off Negan slowly walks towards the Ghouls with his barbed wire bat drenched in blood.)
"Negan: These damn Mercenaries fail to do their damn job... Guess I have to do it myself...!"
"Peng: Sir, look out!"
(As a hungry Ghoul was ready to strike Negan, Negan swing his bat once which cracks the entire skull of the defeated Ghoul then stomps on its neck, pulls out a gun of his own and empties and entire clip and reloads the gun.)
"Negan: Sorry about that... Who's ready to die next...?"
(As two unlucky Ghouls storms towards Negan, he'd bite down on his bat for a moment, dodges an incoming sword and grabs an arrow from a fired crossbow, stabs it into the eye of the sword-welding Ghoul, delivers an echoing uppercut with his bat as the Ghoul was then impaled by a piece of the ceiling into the neck which terrifies the rest of the remaining Ghouls. Negan than delivers a devilish smirk as he then swing hard enough to explode the bottom half of the hanging Ghoul and was then soaked in the Ghoul's blood as he then pulls his gun to scare off the remaining as they all quickly jump out the windows or escaped to a lower lever.)
"Damn, nobody wanted any Ghoul candy?"
"Peng (Thinking): ...W-WHO... WHO IS THIS GUY...?! HE BOLDLY KILLED ONE GHOUL AND SCARED THE OTHERS OFF...?! (Aloud): Um.. s-sir...! T-Thank you, dearly..."
"Negan: Don't mention it. I'm trying to find the rest of the Disciplinary Com-"
"Jia: Yuhan!!"
(As Jia and Cheng quickly arrives to regroup with Yuhan.)
"Peng: You guys are okay?"
"Jia: Yeah... we're looking for the others... We can't find Bai, Zexi or Xiuying anywhere..."
"Negan: Bai is currently outside, I told him to find you guys and his friend Tian."
"Tian: HELLLPPPPP!!!"
(As they all heard Tian's cry, they'd run to the doors of the science lab to see Tian being dragged into forcibly strong vortex as more than ten students were being sucked inside as Tian was then losing his grip, is then pulled toward the vortex as Jia then controls a powerful wind barrier to stop Tian from going through the vortex.)
"Jia: Get Tian, quick!!"
"???: Not so fast."
(After hearing an echoing voice, Tian's neck was then gripped and squeezed by the Ghoul's clan leader, Rac.)
"Tian: W-WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Rac: Just a messenger, for now. And you must be former Commander Zhihao."
(Negan suddenly focuses his attention on Rac as he began to question him.)
"Negan: And who the fuck are you?"
"Rac: As I said... just a messenger. Send this as a message to the Mercenary Association: "All Mercenaries will fall for longed discrimination against us Ghouls and Spirit users. Along with the discriminations, what we've done today is to send a message to the one named, Bai Zhen.-"
(Everyone then delivers a worried glare as Negan was the only one still serious.)
"-Understand who I am. I am Rac and the clan that has assaulted you today is Rejects of The Undead. We'll be taking several students hostage, but we're willing to negotiate..."
"Negan: As if I'm buying your bullshit!"
"Rac: You should watch that mouth of yours Negan or the kid dies."
"Tian: W-WHAT?!"
"Rac: Now. We'll let the students go... But we have two conditions you can decide which to follow. Condition number one: Confirm and disband all of China's Mercenary Associations. Condition number two: Keep the Mercenary Association alive... but kill Bai Zhen."
(As Negan and the others heard the conditions, Negan began to get pissed off and walk towards the ongoing vortex as he forces his legs to anchor into the ground.)
"Jia: W-WHAT...? K-KILL BAI ZHEN?!"
"Rac: The brat should not have survived that truck collision. So now, deliver my message towards the Mercenaries. We will give you a week to make a final decision. That is when I will return with higher rated Ghouls."
(As the wind barrier forcefully explodes, the vortex began to activate at full power once again as Tian was then dragged in at will which triggers Negan to run towards the vortex and stop Rac. After grabbing a piece of his cloth from the closing vortex, Negan was pushed back and stops himself from being pushed further. Meanwhile, all the alive Ghouls currently began to retreat back to their hideout as Bai along with the others noticing it as well. As everyone then regroups outside, Mercenaries began to put the fires out at the school as Negan then walks outside with almost all of the Disciplinary Committee as Bai regroups with them and most Mercenaries was disgusted to see Negan's face as the association's big three regroups to see him. As Gao sees him, she quickly goes to hug Negan as Chen and Ju were not pleased to see him.)
"Negan: At least
some
people is happy to see me."
"Ju: I have no desire to be proud to see my "terrorist teacher"."
"Negan: Again with this shit?"
"Gao: I'm still proud to see you as always, commander..."
"Negan: I'm not your commander anymore Gao, you're a grown woman now.. Just call me Negan, alright?"
"Chen: Why was someone like you considered a commander in the first place?"
"Bai: What's... going on..?"
(As Negan then turns around to see Bai he then sighs and reveals a hidden truth.)
"Negan: Alright kid, listen. Years ago, I was part of the Mercenary Association. But the association's Big 3 that stands before you right now... are my former students."
(As Jingyi Academy students along with Bai witnesses a shocking truth, Bai then was speechless as Negan then walks off to go home.)
"Come on kid, I'm tired of today already..."
(As Bai then follows Negan, Jia and the others was then worried about all that has happened today, along with their two missing friends and the message Rac has delivered.)
"Jia: ...Everyone."
(As all eyes were on Jia, she then begins to explain everything that has transpired inside the school, including the message that Rac has passed on towards the Mercenary Association.)
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(As Bai rigorously puts himself through difficult amounts of training under Negan's supervision, Bai begins becoming more and more technical with grappling takedowns, melee counterattacks and mid to long range attacking. After one month of improvement, Bai was now able to summon his gifted weapons.)
"Negan: Alright kid, whatever you need to show me, make this quick because my show's on."
"Bai: Don't worry, it'll be quick!"
(Bai then summons two white orbs out of thin air which he grips both and reveals their forms which one is a pearly white revolver with six chambers and a pearly white semi-automatic pistol as Negan clapped for his availability to summon his weapons.)
"Negan: Well.. This is new. We done here?"
"Bai: Yup, I'm actually gonna go hunt a Ghoul, I was hoping you'd come with me."
"Negan: Ghoul hunting at this moment? Uh... Ermm... Give me about... two hours and we'll go kiddo, this show's pretty good and I can't miss it."
"Bai: I promise I'll be okay!"
"Negan: Hmm... Fine, but I'll be coming to find you if you're not back in... an hour and a half from now. I just worry for your safety, kid."
"Bai: Thanks Negan!"
(As Bai then sheathes his Blessing weapons and walks outside the public, he'd then notice official mercenaries guarding and patrolling major parts of Hong Kong in the center of the city until three mercenaries was then rushing past the entire busy crowd through the streets and atop the buildings to stop a Ghoul. As Bai then walks into an alley, he'd over hear a conversation going on between two shady individuals as one was disguised as a businessman and one was a Ghoul with two sharp end tails as he listened in and did not make a sound.)
"Ghoul: Look come on, you really don't have any more of those serums?"
"???: Even if I did, I'm not selling anymore to you."
"Ghoul: Why not?!?!?"
"???: You don't understand what kind of dangers this can do to Ghouls, Blessing Users and Spirits too. After all, you're powerful enough to clear half of the Mercenary Defense Force. So why keep asking me for more?"
"Ghoul: Because its not enough... I need to have that one mercenary's head... The one who chopped off my third tail and took it with him! I beg of you to give me more of this serum!"
(The businessman sighed as he smoked a cigarette and lies on the wall.)
"???: You really don't know who the mercenary you named is, don't you?"
"Ghoul: Fine, who the hell was that mercenary?!"
"???: The one who cut your tail off was Mercenary Yazhu of the Blood Ruby Faction."
"Ghoul: ...No way... The creator of wars..?!"
"???: You're thinking of Ares and he's the God of War. Mercenary Yazhu is the top rated High-Class Ghoul Hunter. He never takes a single moment to rest if a Ghoul is in the vicinity and even in the three way war ten years ago, he was a sole survivor for his squadron."
"Ghoul: There's no way he's that deadly..."
"???: Go tell that to the sixteen hundred graves he dug."
"Ghoul: Okay fine, fine fair... I'll just pay you for the serum..!"
"???: ....Ugh... you're so damn stubborn. Fine, you can get one more. But if you collapse and explode from overdosing on this strength serum, its your fault."
"Ghoul: Whatever, whatever. How much is it?"
(As Bai then rushes out of the alley quickly, the businessman then noticed him by his shadow as he then wraps up the deal with the power-hungry Ghoul and begins to following Bai across the way home as Bai knew ever since he left the alley, he's been stalked by the businessman.)
"Bai: Okay, why are you following me?"
"???: You listened to a conversation that you never should've listened too. You're just a child."
"Bai: I'm not a child!"
"???: Even so, why involve your ears into a topic that did not mention you? Now that you know of the conversation, by order of the Hell Clan, I cannot let you live for another second."
(As Bai was beginning to run again, the businessman then appears in front of Bai as a scythe was spinning behind his back after being summoned then aimed down at Bai.)
"Bai: I can't die yet, I'm too damn young!"
"???: Too bad, should've kept you nose out of other people's business."
(Meanwhile, Negan begins swinging his barbed wire bat while whistling to a catchy tune as he searches for Bai after half an hour goes by.)
"Negan: If I was that kid, where would I be?"
(As Negan noticed footprints towards the main city as gunshots was heard in the distance which triggers Negan to run towards it. Meanwhile, Bai begins shooting at the scythe-swinging attacker as he was flexible and agile to dodge and slash through any incoming bullet as Bai continues to rely on his guns as the scythe was then swung to release a large wind slash which revealed Bai's guns to be severed as he continued to run for his life. After he runs past a corner, the attacker follows Bai only to be smacked in the face and spun in mid-air by Negan's barbed wire bat after taking two more steps closer to the destination.)
"Bai: NEGAN!"
"Negan: I told you I'd come find you if half an hour pass, do you not ever get in trouble?"
"Bai: I overheard one conversation and this guy's gonna kill me!"
"Negan: Is he now? Stay here."
(As the attacker then stands up and snaps his repositioned head back into place, he then began bleeding at the nose and mouth for the effects from the hit was still there.)
"???: What is your name..?"
"Negan: My name? My name is "Mr. I'm-Gonna-Beat-The-Everloving-Fucking-Shit-Out-Of-You."
"Yei Huang (Hell Clan Associate): Heheh... Confident for a human being I see. Then allow me to introduce myself, I am Yei Huang, an associate."
"Negan: Listen, I can give a rat's ass about who you associate with. All I know is, this kid is under my care and anyone who hurts him, answers to me."
"Yei: Okay, now you're becoming arrogant."
(As Yei then swings the scythe again and launches another slashing wave, Negan then leapfrogs above the slash which cuts through several housings behind the three as Negan then stands right where he is, awaiting another attack as Yei appears behind Negan for a close-range slash which was dodged by Negan's reflexes as Yei then suffers a powerful swing from the barbed wire bat which forces the scythe to ring violently and crack a bit which surprises Yei entirely and forces him to put his weapon away.)
"(Thinking): No way... That much force from a single swing...?! This isn't no human, this guy is hiding something... But what the hell is it...?"
"Negan: Throwing in the towel, pussy?"
"Yei: The Hell Clan will not forget your acts today, the child and the bat. I will find you two again with the clan and see you both terminated swiftly!"
(As Yei then generates a portal with his Curse mana, he'd disappear in front of the two as Negan kissed his bat and walks away with it on his shoulder.)
"Negan: Come on kid. We're heading home."
(As Bai looks back for one second, he'd then begin to ponder how strong Negan truly is as he then walks home with him.)
"I'm in the mood for some cheeseburgers, you like cheeseburgers kid?"
"Bai: I'm more of a hamburger guy."
(Negan jokingly vomits as he laughed at his response.)
"Negan: You're probably eating those nasty ass industrial burgers, leave it to a chef to cook you a true tasty and fresh cheeseburger!"
"Bai: You're very confident knowing I don't know you that closely, Negan..."
"Negan: In this world, you gotta have confidence or you got to stay out the way. Its how things go in China anyway."
(As Bai then thinks about what Negan said, the two then walks home while the sun was setting across the horizon.)
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In the morning, where some birds are flying in the sky, but they are too big to be called birds. it was a city... No, it was a country. It looked kind of old. where every building was built with rocks and there were also big and majestic buildings that look like the noble houses of that city. But the real house....no a palace was in the center of the city. Which looked majestic from the look. It was the house of our MC.
In one of the rooms in that palace. A young man reading the diary. After a few minutes. He closed the book and stared at the ceiling of the room. He kind of looks like he wants to do something.
"Ha ha ha ha ha"
he laughed like a maniac. He wants to stop it by covering his face. But it's useless, if anyone sees him laughing like this, they will think that he was a psycho. He covered his eyes wanting to control them.
"hehe hehe"
" F#ck this whole story" He suddenly got up from his bed.
"Ha, it was more than that I ever thought what would have happened in his life. But it was quite interesting' He thought while covering his mouth with his hand. After he calmed down.
"Ha My persona was still hanging with me even after being regressed" he let out a sign.
This was his other persona. Which made him a maniac in his past life. After he acquired this personality. Whenever he felt excitement. He will laugh like a psycho, and he will also think like a psycho. In the past, he usually did not smile too much when he was. but he was forced to smile for only one reason he wants to make friends. But the more he smiled he will look like a devil. it also got on his bully's nerves. So, they bully him so much that he forgot to smile at his past.
Ha But do you what happened to them who bullied him because he smiled? Hehe, they all were beaten to death by Edward after he acquired his other persona. He likes this persona more than his. After he started to leave peacefully with his new friends. His persona will only come while reading novels. Because he only gets excited by reading novels.
After reading this diary, he finally found out what had happened to the body's previous owner. In this diary he mentioned dragons. This means this world would be filled with dragons that could be tamed. In this diary, the previous owner of the body was the second son of a great blue dragon master and the king of the Magus kingdom.
Suddenly he stared at the drawer and walked towards it. There was another book which has the symbol dragon.
He picked that book.
"So, it was the book he mentioned in that diary"
Without making any noise Edward opened that book and started reading. That book was the history of the dragon land.
"Ha, Finally I Finished" He closed that book.
It's already morning.
That book was the history of the dragon land.
This kingdom was present in the dragon land, there were 7 rulers and three government-ruled cities. Let's say 7 kingdoms. The one who our MC has transferred was one of the 7 kingdoms' Magus kingdom ruled by Martin Elander our MC was the second son of Martin Elander His name was also Edward Elander. His family name was Elander. which was given by the first blue dragon tamers his Ancestor. In this world, every noble and royal family will get their dragon from a young age. In his family......no in this whole dragon land every kingdom royal and noble family all want to tame a dragon. To do that you have to get a dragon's core. We can make the gem using dragon core.
In this dragon land, there are 7 kingdoms has different kinds of colored dragons.
Let's start with the 1st kingdom they have a golden dragon that represents the holy power, and They are the rulers of the dragon land. In the 2nd kingdom, they have a violet dragon which represents the poison most dangerous kingdom. 3rd kingdom has the green dragon representing nature and the forest's power. 4th kingdom has a fire dragon. In the 5th kingdom, they have an earth dragon. 6th kingdom has water-type dragons; the last kingdom has a blue dragon representing the soul and the blue flame type. There are also many dragons on the outside there are ice types, wind types, etc.
But these 7 dragons are the ones tamed by the creators of those 7 kingdoms. So, if you are a prince, who wants to become a king. At first, you will have to be strong, and you have to get the dragon that represents your kingdom. If you are born into a royal or noble family, you must choose your dragon egg at the age of 3. When you enter the age of 3 you will have to choose your gem and you will get your dragon which resembles the gem.
Let's see, if you have chosen an earth dragon gem. You will get the earth dragon egg and you just have to eat that gem. After eating the gem, you have to make a contract with the dragon. This Is how they will get their soul mate dragons.
But Edward Elander was born with a good body. But when he came to the age of 3. he chooses the dragon gem which represents his father's dragon blue flame dragon gem. After he took that gem, he grabbed another gem which was the black dragon gem eat it accidentally while no one saw him take the other gem. Suddenly He felt pain in his body. He screamed suddenly everyone in that room all have thought that the gem is affecting the second prince. The doctor said to his mother that the gem was the problem, so he said that to save the second prince he has to cripple him.
He also has a brother the first son of his family. his name was Alan Elander he also has a blue dragon which represents the blue flame. But not that dark in color. he was also standing beside his mother while grabbing her hand.
"Do you want him to live or die?" the doctor asked while looking at his mother.
"I want him to live," His mother said with tears in her eyes.
"Queen Lina, if you want him to live. He will live the rest of his life as a cripple" The doctor said with a sad face. The doctor was Queen Lina's uncle.
"I don't care just let him live. I will take care of him"
Edwards's father was also standing beside his mother. He asked
"Is there any other way to cure him"
"No, my king. there is no other way. the gem was the problem of his pain. If we let the gem stay, he will die soon so......"
Without wasting any time, the doctor put his hand in his chest and started to circulate the mana in his hand and saved him by destroying his gem. But no one knows about his other gem because he swallowed it while no one saw him. They thought that the blue gem was the one that caused this impact.
The doctor destroyed his blue gem. He doesn't know about the black gem. Everyone felt Relieved not only his mother but everyone because the second hair of the thrown was a cripple. After a few years, Edward wants to have a dragon. because his cousins all have dragons. So, he asked his father to give his dragon to him. But his father refused to give. but he did not turn back. So, his father gave him the egg which was prepared when he took the dragon gem. He took the dragon egg. why no one bullied him at that time? because His father said everyone who bullies his second son will be expelled from the family so everyone shut up about his second son's crippled thing.
He was happy like a sweet child who got his first dragon. But at that time, he did not know that he was a cripple. Until he got to the age of 10. his father told him about his body condition. He could not take it to his heart. Then he suddenly thought that's why his dragon was taken away after he reached the age of 10 just a month before his father told him. He was scared that he will be bullied. because in his family his cousins who were also crippled are being bullied by everyone not only their cousins but even by their family. So, he shut himself in his room for over 1 year. His only entertainment was reading books.
After two years his father came to his room and told him about the ceremony of the country. His face shows, how much he is worried about it. It was a ceremony which will be held every fifteen years it will happen in the dragon's tree. Dragon tree was the oldest tree in the dragon land....no in the entire world. Where every dragon will stay in the dragon tree and it was the ancient tree. Every powerful noble family and the royal family will participate in that ceremony.
In that ceremony everyone will choose their second dragon.....no the dragon will choose their owner. It was the ceremony held for many years. So, every royal and noble family will have to attend that ceremony to get their second dragon and that place was the turning point for Edward. In this part was that even the regressed Edward got confused.
"Edward"
Suddenly Edward stopped thinking and started examining his surroundings. He thought that he heard something but there was nothing in this room.
"Hey Edward, are you listening"
Suddenly he heard another sound.
"Who are you?"
"I am the god who took you inside this world"
"What?"
Edward was confused. did he was summoned by a god? Then for which purpose and why did he come so late he would have come earlier when he just regressed.
"Don't think too much about it. I will tell you everything in detail. now I don't have time I have many works to do I will stay here for only one hour so whatever questions you want to ask" the unknown god said.
Edward still cannot understand what was happening. From this scene. He can guarantee that he never read this kind of novel. It's not that he never read about the gods in the novel. but it was that no god will be late. He would have appeared when I got regressed something is not right about it.
And there is no figure of the god. He can only hear the sound of the unknown god. After a deep thought. Edward said
"Are you the only god in this world?" he asked while smiling.
"No...." the god said.
"Ha, OK let's come to the business. Why you regressed me"
He asked as if he did not get any excited. But he screamed in his mind while thanking God countless times.
The god suddenly stopped on his track and spoke
". ......are you not happy about being regressed in this world"
"Yeah. I am happy about it. But why do you have to transmigrate me into this world without any reason" He asked the god with a suspicious tone.
"You are sharp. I think we regressed a correct soul"
"Just come down to the business. You helped me and I will help you. That it I don't want to develop a relationship with an unknown god."
"Hump...you got some tongue. I summoned you because you have to kill the heroes in this world."
"What a...."
(What with this fucking god. Is it God or a demon)
"But heroes are the ones who will save the world. Why do you want me to kill them? Is it that are you a god or some other demon in this world" He asked without changing his expression
"Oh, you know about heroes thank God. I don't have to explain it to you.
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(As the meeting was called to an end, Bai was also officially given access to the Mercenary Association along for expert training with several different top ranked Mercenaries as Jiia and Negan were catching up while several Mercenary teams were scouting for Ghouls or their hangouts as the final seconds before a potential war was counting. As three more days has gone by, the hideout of the clan Rejects of The Undead has been found as Jiia then makes the following announcement that the raid will begin on Saturday at dawn. Meanwhile, Bai and Negan were preparing to battle along with the other Mercenaries.)
"Negan: Hey, Bai. Feeling alright kid?"
"Bai: Well... I don't know."
"Negan: Hey. It's alright, you got me now kiddo."
"Bai: ...Y-Yeah..."
(A knock was heard on the door as Gao walked in Negan's old office with a smile on her face.)
"Gao: Welcome back master!"
"Negan: Hey there, young one."
"Gao: I know this is a temporary alliance, but do you attend to teach me more someday?"
"Negan: Someday, Gao. But not today. Also, I want you to meet, Bai."
(Gao takes a look at Bai and remembers him at Jingyi Academy.)
"Gao: I remember him! You're holding up alright?"
"Bai: Here and there to be honest.."
"Gao: I heard about your parents... I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Zhen.."
"Bai: You can call me Bai, it's okay..."
(Gao then pats his head as she then gives a smile at him.)
"Gao: Oh, master! I actually have something for you!"
(As Negan notices a gifted box, Negan opens it and with a crooked smile, grins at Gao for what she has given him as she innocently smiles at him.)
"Negan: Thank you dear..."
(As Jiia was leaning on the door, she then clears her throat and walks in.)
"Jiia: It seems you two are pretty close."
"Gao: Oh very! Master Negan has been my master for years after all!"
"Jiia: He may be your master, but he's my old apprentice."
(Gao's face began to strain with an irritated vein.)
"Gao: Is that s-so?! Well Ms. Yueja, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I know much more about Negan than you do..."
"Jiia: You can put the money where the mouth is or go back to the ocean little serpent."
(Jiia and Gao then pressed their breasts together while staring each other down as rivals.)
"Ahem... Anyway, Negan. We can begin the operation early if you're ready."
(Negan then equips his gears, sheathes his bat and swings his shotgun with a quick cock and load as he's ready to fight.)
"Negan: Bai's coming with me, the bastards want this kid, they'll have to take my new son from my cold, murderous hands."
(Negan then walks out the door as the party follows Negan. Outside the Mercenary Headquarters on the rooftop was Negan's helicopter ride to the enemy's hideout.)
"Gao: M-Master! May I accompany you?"
(Negan thinks about it as Bai is in need of a protector.)
"Negan: You can come, only if you promise to keep an eye on Bai."
"Gao: I WON'T FAIL YOU!"
(As Gao gleefully smiles, Jiia was a little jealous but did not care as she then salutes to the departing helicopter.)
"Jiia: Bring that disgusting clan down."
(As the helicopter begins traveling across all of Hong Kong, as they'd then notice an eerie fog covering an entire forest which means they've arrived at the clan's hideout.)
"Negan: I'll make this perfectly clear. When I go in there, stay outside at all times."
(As they both nodded, the three then jumps out the helicopter as Negan rockets his way towards Rejects of the Undead's hideout to begin the one man wrecking as Gao transforms herself into a water serpent and safely lands her and Bai on the ground as they sat and watched.)
"Ghoul: H-HEY! Who are you-"
(Negan then shoves the shotgun into the Ghoul's mouth and pulls the trigger without hesitation as he fires three more shots to call out to the rest of the ghouls.)
"Negan:
RAC!
YOU AND YOUR DUMBASS CREW MADE THE WRONG DECISION TO COME AFTER US! EITHER BRING YOUR ASS OUT HERE AND WE CAN SETTLE THIS MAN TO GHOUL OR I'LL COME IN THERE AND SLAUGHTER EVERY LAST BASTARD UNTIL THE CHILDREN ARE SAFE!"
(As the yelling then echoes through the forest, bushes and trees began to rustle as six powerful Ghouls all teams up against Negan who began dodging every incoming melee attack while fighting back without taking damage and watching from the distance was Rac with his little brother who was wiping blood off of his mouth.)
"Rac: Hm..."
(Negan smirks menacingly, swings his shotgun upward at one of the six Ghoul's mouth's, shoots its kneecap inside out while stomping on its shattered knee then begins pulling the trigger seven times into its skull as the body then falls lifelessly, forcing the other five to halt.)
"Negan: Now... Who's the next brave bunny..?"
(As all five then begins to pile on Negan to quickly eat him, Negan begins laughing as he then pulls a cord to one of his gears which releases a powerful field of lighting to shock the Ghouls as he then sheathes his shotgun, grips one of the five stunned Ghouls and throws its neck down toward its knee as the Ghoul's head then dislocates off of the broken neck by sheer force as the remaining four were all brutally slaughtered with Negan's bat as he laughs manically.)
"(Singsong) OH... RAC!!! BRING YOUR PUNY ASS.. OUT HERE NOW!"
(As Negan was then sitting on six of the Ghoul's corpses, he'd count to ten as he then prepares to go inside himself. After counting to ten, Negan then storms into the hideout as Gao and Bai remained outside and watched as Negan ruthlessly slaughters every Ghoul inside with explosions blasting left and right, war cries along with screaming, slashing and sounds of crushing bones.)
"Gao: Master's really pissed this time.."
"Bai: I didn't expect Negan to act this way..."
"Gao: He didn't tell you?"
"Bai: Tell me what?"
"Gao: ...Hmm... Long ago, Negan had a nickname before he was removed of his role as commander. Ghouls feared him for years... To tell the truth, if the day comes where I have to fight my own master... I'd let him take my own life if he had no other choice."
"Bai: ...?"
"Gao: Let me just say, my master... your guardian was known to all as the Commander of Death, the Ghoul Reaper and even was called the Phantom King. Negan... is above Ghouls, humans, Spirits and even Blessing users."
"Bai: He's that strong...?"
"Gao: Yes... On top of the fact he was with the Marines at one point, he was the top Marine for four years straight, never lets one enemy out of his sight."
(Negan then slams his bat against a wall which opens to an open field where Jingyi Grand students are tied down and in shock to see Negan to save them.)
"If he were to go against all Mercenary Associations, we'd crumble in a flash."
(Negan then pauses and looks up to see SS+ Category Ghouls staring down Negan as Rac was ready to fight him with extra backup supporting him. Negan then smirks as he was ready for a bloodbath to occur.)
"Bai: So.. What made you want to learn under Negan?"
"Gao: ...Don't laugh okay...? I may have... had a huge crush on Negan as a kid and now that I'm in the association, I've longed to learn under him."
"Bai: I.. kind of noticed it earlier."
"Gao: Huh?! Whenn!??!"
"Bai: Well, you blush whenever he's around and your heart pounds a lot."
(Gao was suddenly embarrassed as Bai then laughed while meanwhile, Negan continues to fight off Rac and the stronger Ghouls without breaking a sweat while manipulating shadows and darkness to fight for him at the same time.)
"Negan: If this is the best you can do, I feel so fucking ashamed."
(As Negan then flash-steps behind Rac three times before manipulating another shadow to snap Rac shadow's neck which was towards another Ghoul instead for a scare. Negan then swings his bat in mid-air which the darkness engulfs one of the nine and swallows it into absolute nothingness as Negan slams his shotgun on the ground and reveals a sword hidden in the middle of the shotgun barrels as he then slice and dice through the rest of the Ghouls for they were no match against Negan to begin with as Rac began to no longer hold back and reveals his powerful curses. Negan was then blasted across the field towards the holding cells where the children are as Rac's curses were revealed along with his Ghoulish appearance as his dark red blood begins leaking from his mouth as his first curse was activated.)
"Rac (
Power: Murder Curse, Blood Curse
): I'm going to enjoy slaughtering you...!"
(As the Ghouls began piecing themselves back together, Negan laughed as he was having fun while more blood and seeable organs and intestines were all scattering around the field because of Negan who is purposely slaughtering every Ghoul in his path as Negan began taking slashes and direct attacks while at the same time was smiling at the fact he's being hurt for it motivates him to strike even harder. Rac then dashes towards the occupied Negan with six blood spears as they all pierce through Negan's legs, arms and chest as he hoped for an instant kill. After moments of silence, the blood spears then dissolves into a puddle as Negan begins standing once again while his phantom aura begins reversing his injuries as if they never existed.)
"Negan: Hehe..."
"Rac: I-Impossi-"
(After one flick of a finger, the entire hideout was coated in darkness and was then struck down by a massive beam from a dark cloud as it was one of Negan's hidden attacks and begins to terrify the captive students. Suddenly, the entire ground begins rumbling as the beam begins humming loudly as Bai and Gao hears and begins to witness the entire incoming attack.)
"Bai: What's going on?!"
"Gao: Oh no..!"
(Gao then quickly turns herself into a sea serpent and carries Bai into the skies to avoid the fatal collision of one of Negan's powerful attacks.)
"Bai: Lady Gao, what is this?!"
"Gao: This is one of Master's powerful attacks, anyone caught in the crossfire is said to be disintegrated faster than milliseconds..."
"Bai: WHAT?! MY CLASSMATES ARE-"
"Gao: I have faith in my master, he won't go so far..."
(As Negan then lowers his finger, he then whispers his incoming attack.)
"Negan:
SOLAR. ECLIPSE.
"
(As silence was cut from reality, the blast begins becoming brighter and brighter as the massive beam explodes down on the hideout and from a massive range, destroys the entire wildlife of Hong Kong's forest along with annihilating nearby beaches, out-of-city civilians and anything else affected by the attack from the massive range. As the light then vanishes, Gao and Bai then looks back to notice the MASSIVE crater created by Negan himself as they then fly down to see the children are still safe but in absolute shock in fear on experiencing near death as Negan stares down Rac who was somehow still alive after surviving the massive attack and is missing the entire bottom half of his body along with his left arm as he looks up at the menacing Negan.)
"Rac (Dying): ...W-What... a-are... y-yo-you...?"
"Negan: Just a human, what else?"
"Rac: ....L-Li..ar..."
(Rac then lies on the rubble of destruction and debris, deceased as his curses then deactivates and vanishes from his body.)
"Negan: So that's what happens when you kill a curse user."
(Suddenly, helicopters began arriving at the scene of the strike as two news helicopters arrives along with three Mercenary Association helicopters to notice Negan standing in the massive crater with the deceased Rac underneath him. The three Mercenary helicopters then begins to land and free the children of Jingyi Academy as Jiia was smoking a cigarette and walks towards Negan and sits on the rubble to see Rac's deceased body.)
"Jiia: How long ago was it since Solar Eclipse was used? Three, two years ago?"
"Negan: Three years ago overseas."
"Jiia: It seems you like making statements for yourself."
"Negan: That's right. Well, mission's done. See you."
(As Negan was leaving, Jiia stops him for one last offer.)
"Jiia: Negan. Do you at least have any interest in returning as a commander once again?"
"Negan: ..."
(Negan then looks at Gao and Bai who was explaining what they saw to the other Mercenaries then looks at Jiia.)
"Say if I didn't become accept the offer, would Bai be allowed into the Mercenary Association buildings?"
"Jiia: Under me and the Big 3's protection, yes."
"Negan: I'll think about it for the time being."
"Jiia: Okay..."
(As Negan then leaves after declining the offer, he then pauses for a moment.)
"Negan: You don't think this is over, don't you?"
"Jiia: You can read me like a book... Yeah. You've destroyed the Ghouls today, but we won't know if this clan was part of an organization."
"Negan: Leave it to my disciple, she'll sniff out Ghouls quicker than any bloodhound."
"Jiia: Always on top of it, heh."
(Meanwhile in an underground hideout with over tens of thousands of Ghouls socializing, arguing and even battling among themselves as three Ghouls sits atop a scaled thrones.)
"Omgut: Master, my brother did not survive."
"???: No worries, young one. He wasn't among the fifteen strongest anyway. That Negan fellow and Bai... The Commander Of Death and the Justice Blessing, quite a fearsome duo if working together truly. But now, we can begin the next phase... collect Rac's body."
"Omgut: Okay."
(As Omgut then leaves to collect his brother's body, the leading Ghoul then sits tight and awaits Omgut's return to recreate Rac into a stronger Ghoul for next time.)
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"MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE."
A young boy who was 15 years old, screamed happily while seeing his appearance in the mirror. He was in a state of extreme joy which caused his face to look like a maniac that will soon start to kill every around like crazy. After a small moment, his expression changed and his face look cold about something which caused his handsome appearance to look like a demon. who was about to tear everything.
And as you all know he was transferred from earth to this unknown world. Now I think he was thinking about what happened on the earth. So let us see who was he in his past life.
On earth, he was an average-looking handsome boy. If we are going to see his past life. let's start from scratch. Every tragedy he faced on earth started because of a girl he met In his school at age 12. before that, he was a class topper. No one can beat him in studies and every teacher will think that he was a genius. Because he was good at everything he was a silent child. At that time, a girl was transferred from the other school. To tell you correctly she was a beautiful girl. That at a first sight he fell in love with her on the first day. She was a new student and his new neighbor because her family moved their house near his home. Which was a good opportunity for him to make his moves with her.
They became good friends because they are neighbors. After a few months of a relationship, their feelings for each other started to improve. Which made him think about her always. Let's say that made him forget about his studies. Finally, he fell in love with her and made a promise to her that he will never think about any other woman. After he said that he was about to continue his love story. but His marks in the final year started to decrease, and he failed all the subjects in his final exam. which caused His Mother and Father to get worried. Because a hard-working boy who will only get in first place from a young age suddenly his mark dropped to the bottom.
Because of that, His father came to his school and made an argument with his teacher whom he doesn't like. she always picks at him. He don't know what was the reason. This was also one of the reasons why He failed in all his subjects. His father was mad because of no proper response from teachers and his school. so he transferred him to another school. he also doesn't like that school. that transfer was the second mistake he made in his life. Because he was afraid of small fish and ended up in a sea filled with sharks.
The transferred school was the most dangerous school he had ever seen at that time. because of his stubbornness. he was being bullied by his friends whom he started speaking with them at first. That incident made him afraid of them. After 3 years of studying in that school, he earned an average mark and transferred to another school. Which was even bigger than this school. That whole school was shit.. they all were sex freaks which made him go wild on himself. he got on the last bench and those bastards who look innocent in front of him and his teacher were all sex freaks. they all are the masturbation gang in the whole class whenever a teacher comes into the class they will be like good boys when the teacher starts to take the lesson they will start to take their DI#k and you know what will happen.
This made his mind go blind about the school type. They even tried to strip him in the bathroom but because of his luck, He escaped while putting another as bait. Thanks to the bait, he escaped that day. After playing many tricks to escape from them and finished the years. He persuaded his dad to change his school and he got into another school transfer. But this school is also kinda bullies school but not like those sex freaks.
That whole school was filled with bullies. At first, they did not touch him. because he was a newly transferred student. But after they know about his character. He got beatings from everyone they started with friendly and ended up becoming bullies. But they started to trigger another persona in his body who was hiding deep inside him. He has a perfect and healthy body, unlike any other student who gets bullied with a weak body.
Why he was accepting their beatings because of only one reason. he wants to live a peaceful life. But ended up getting beaten and started to hate himself. After he finished his exam and got a 1 month holiday. That 1 month was the most beautiful time in his life. Because He got addicted to comics, manga, and novels this was the greatest thing He got in his life. This was the end of his day getting bullied and becoming a bully himself.
If you ask me how did he do it was because the novel which he read for the first time was a tragic MC Who will become a monster and kill his bullies. This made his other persona take over his body and that's the end of being bullied in his life and started becoming a bully.
After school started the gang head Moran was the one who picked a fight with him. Moran did not even put his hand on him. But Edward our MC got up from his bench and started to hit the gang head's face. This made Moran's balance miss and without wasting any time. Edward started punching Moran's ass-like face. He tried to defend but Edward become a complete monster at that site. He was in a fierce state no one had stopped him because they were seeing it as a one-sided beating. They thought Edward was dead at first but after seeing everything and realizing that Edward was not the one who was dead their team leader Moran was the one who was dead. After Moran has fainted Edward got up while smiling. In front of everyone, he was standing like a sudden demon who had awakened from his great slumber. the one who will be afraid was not him but the whole class. His eye is full of happiness and After he becomes the school's no.1 bully he ended up transferring to another school.
At that other school, he made good friends and had a peaceful life that he thought about every day. Now He was about to finish the last day of his examination. He did great in the examination. He knows that he will at least take the 5th spot in the school ranking. That's what he thought but because of his overjoy, he asked his brothers to accompany him on his journey to hell. His brothers also agreed with him. He and his brothers all died at the hand of the bus driver.
Now he was in the beautiful world. After he woke up from his sleep he screamed and grabbed his heart while breathing heavily. After he checked his surroundings and found that he was in a comfortable bed and his dress also look different. After he thought about what happened found that he was dead. He knows that he has died.
Other than that his surrounding had a pure air filling this room giving him a different sensation and after he touched his body he started to think that his body look kinda small.
[Please don't tell me. I was in some kind of dream world]
He thought and tried to move his body. He slowly stand up from his bed and slowly walked towards the big mirror. which was in the corner of the room. While walking somehow his height had decreased. While walking his face was full of smiles and happiness. Because he always dreamed about being the one who transferred to another world.
After seeing his face. to tell the truth he was more handsome than the real Edward.
"Is it real?"
He pinched himself in his cheeks.
"Aah it hurts"
"So it was real. oh yeah, f**k it, baby"
He screamed about his dream coming into reality. But after that, he started to think deeply about why did he transfer to this unknown world with a different body. While thinking he became sad about his death. He also doesn't know about his brothers who were with him in that accident.
"I think they are alive"
After a few minutes of thinking about his death. He started examining his surrounding which was cleaned nicely. Under the mirror, there was a drawer.
"I don't know why it is half opened. I think I have to open it"
He slowly moved towards the drawer and opened it. There was 2 book that look like a diary. He took one of the diaries and opened it. After he started to read it he found out this diary was the first diary written by the real owner of this body. The real owner of this body started for some unknown reason why he started writing the diary.
'I think this diary will help me understand this body's previous owner.'
He moved towards the window and opened it. It was dark outside. I think that's why no one has entered the room. Suddenly he thought then how his room was bright from the start after he awake. He turned around to look at the sealing of the room. He thought that
'There will be no bulb in this world then how could....'
On the sealing of the room. There was a round-shaped ball which was hanging on the sealing which was emitting light.
'I think it was some kind of magic artifact' He thought in his heart.
He moved towards his bed and sat in it comfortably. After making him comfortable in his bed. He opened the diary and started to read it.
'I think I will have to read everything' He though
"Let's start the true journey of my new life."
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(As it was a quiet and busy night in Hong Kong, many civilians were returning to their homes for another day has come to a close as crashing, thudding punches and shattering glass was heard down an alleyway which forces some nearby civilians to walk quickly away and avoid the alley. Inside the alley to the back of a bar was a teenage male kid being beaten, degraded and cut by a sharp knife trio he traveled alongside with.)
"Attacker #1: Get the fuck out of here you pussy ass kid!"
(As the defenseless child was speechless and was bleeding to death, the trio then shanks the child several times with the same bloody knife as he was coughing out blood and begging quietly for help until he was kicked in his exposed side which he held tightly for that was his liver being kicked. The trio then carries the motionless body by the end of the alleyway and notices an incoming truck as they then counted to three and throws the child out into the street as an "elderly" individual noticed the flying body collide with the truck as the truck then crashes into a pole after a streak of blood trails underneath the tires of the crashed truck as the elderly individual then notices the trio celebrating over the fact they've nearly killed a teenage child.)
"??? (Conscience): What is this...? Why can't I.. feel nothing...? I can't... hear nothing... Is this.. what it's like to die...? It's.. dark.. Very quiet... I can't control any of my limbs..."
"??? (Voice): Poor kid... May he rest in peace."
(As a small ringing then fades into silence, the child's conscience was then walking around a small platform as he then hears an angelic voice call to him.)
"Angel: How does it feel to die little one? Do you remember your name?"
"??? (Conscience): I... I don't know.. I don't know my name.. and I know that dying is.. painful and scary."
"Angel: I know it hurts, but will you hold on a little longer?"
"???: Huh...?"
"Angel: I would like to transfer something to you as your body fights to stay alive."
"???: What are you transferring me...?"
"Angel: In the world you're in right now, there lies a system... A system of combat-experts, powerful antagonists and heroic protagonists. Within the system, all of the humans in today's world is given a Blessing, a Ghoul or a Spirit. You dear boy will survive, but will suffer a severe side effect of your near-death."
"???: What's that...?"
"Angel: You will live, but won't have a heart or certain memories. The Blessing will be your only key to remaining alive. Without it, you will truly pass on in mere moments."
"???: So what's my blessing...?"
"Angel: Your blessing will come to you.. when the time is needed."
(As the Angel was then vanishing under a crackling ray of light, the conscience then quickly halted the Angel for a quick question.)
"???: Wait..! Why can't I have my certain memories back..?!"
"Angel: The Blessing I have gifted you comes with a severe consequence of memory erasure and removal of an important organ in your human body."
(As the light grows larger, the Angel's presence has vanished as the boy's conscience then was engulfed by the light and was placed back into his body as he was regaining consciousness as the doctors confirmed the patient was missing his heart but was then scared out of his mind at the fact the teenage child has risen up with its injuries healed but its entire body covered from head to toe in deep scars, burn marks, cut wounds and more.)
"??? (Thinking): What's... my name...?"
(The teenage child then looks at the terrified doctor who then corners himself against the wall.)
"Hey... Do you know.. what my name is..?"
"Terrified Doctor: AAHHHHHH!!!!!!"
(The doctor then shrieks of horror then passes out as he then drops his clipboard which had the teen's paperwork which he picks up and reads his name aloud.)
"Bai Zhen: ...Bai... Zhen... My name is.. "Bai.. Zhen..? What the hell happened to me...?"
(As Bai then looks in the mirror, he then was horrified at his body's damage but was confused on how he should be dead but he's walking around as if he's alive.)
"No... I should've died...! I don't know what happened to me... BUT ITS NOT RIGHT..!"
(Bai then quickly notices a scalpel and tries to cut his own body but fails as the scalpel then snaps right in half as Bai begins to panic and use sharper tools to cut through his body. As noises were heard throughout the hospital, several nurses then notices the active heartless body of Bai which begins to scare them all as well which then triggers Bai to jump out the hospital window in hopes the fall would destroy his body. After colliding with the ground, Bai's body was still as strong as a rock for no damage was done during the fall. Bai then screams out of agony and rushes to his house in no time while wearing a hospital apron. After returning home, Bai slams and locks his door shut as he then begins pulling knife after knife after knife in hopes any could slash through his indestructible body but was pointless as one last snap was heard from his final cooking knife and Bai sits on the ground in complete despair and sobs as he don't know what happened to him which turned him into some kind of monster.)
"What the fuck is going on...?!"
(As he looked around at the scattered metal, he then rushes upstairs and enters the wrong room which was his big sister's who was pissed off at him barging in without knocking and catches her in her bath towel which has her irate.)
"Xue Zhen: WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
"Bai: I'M SORRY, WRONG ROOM!"
(He'd then slam the door back as Bai then rushes into his room and slams his own door as he then rushed to call a close friend of his. The phone would then pick up after four rings.)
"???: H-Hello...?"
"Bai: TIAN!!!"
(Bai quickly explains everything going on over the phone as his friend Tian then spits out a piece of fried chicken after hearing what Bai said.)
"Tian Hanying: WAIT... YOU WAS THE ONE IN THAT TRUCK COLLISION...?!"
"Bai: W-What truck collision...? Wait a minute Tian, how long was I even in the hospital or at least considered dead..?"
"Tian: You was hospitalized for a year straight... Its the year 2009 now..."
"Bai: WHAT?!"
(Xue then throws a book at her wall towards Bai's room as she yelled through her wall.)
"Xue: SHUT THE FUCK UP, BAI! I'M TRYING TO STUDY!"
"Tian (Phone): Dude don't panic, listen. Come by to the shop tomorrow, I'll be able to help you."
"Bai: Okay Tian, thank you..."
(As the call ended, Bai then calms down and looks at his scars and sighs as he lays in his bed and looks at the wall to Xue's room and wonders why she hates him as he could not remember but then looks at his room as he begins to close his eyes and sleep.)
"(Thinking): Why can't I... remember these memories...?"
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(As Hong Kong's Mercenary Association were in a panic with Jingyi Grand Academy's students being kidnapped, executives and other mercenary leaders were speaking in an emergency summons meeting as two days of seven passes.)
"Cai Lingxyi (Wuhan M.A Leader | Power: ??? Blessing): What sense is there to kill another student if we don't know the enemy are liars?!"
"Wan Hangyun (Shanghai M.A Leader | Blessingless): Its a risk to take! Let's track the boy down and do what the enemies say!"
(As they continued to argue, a female wearing glasses sitting at the end of the table was Hong Kong's Mercenary Association leader as she then snaps her fingers which forces all heads at the table to slam themselves on the table as everyone then complained about the pain. The association leader then sits up from her seat and stares at the window.)
"???: For over 100 years, the Mercenary Association has been created to maintain peace, justice and order. This marks the 20th time any Mercenary Association would have to deal with kidnappings."
(As everyone at the table was silent, she then speaks again.)
"One week.. That's how long we were given to make a decision, yes? No students will die, no disbanding will be made and the Mercenary Association of Hong Kong will not tolerate this act of terrorism towards innocent children and their educations."
"Cai: Then what do you suppose we do..?"
(As she turn turns around and removes her see-through glasses, as her hair began flowing upward with unremarkable traces of power which scares the executives for a moment.)
Jiia Yueja (Hong Kong M.A Leader | Power: Banshee Blessing, Manipulation Curse): I have a plan so do not worry my comrades. Someone, deliver me my phone. If this "Rac" character wishes to play with cursed Ghouls, we'll play this game... Except checkmate is not where the game ends..."
(Meanwhile, Negan was sitting in the living room alone as Xue and Bai checked on him as he was pondering to himself.)
"Bai: He hasn't left the room since we got back... Did something happen that badly with the association that it affected him.?"
"Xue: ...I don't really know. But I'm worried for the sexy guy..."
"Bai: ...Wait. I thought you hated me, why are you speaking nicely to me?"
"Xue: Shut the fuck up. I hate you, but for.. Negan... I'm willing... to... try.. a-and... be nicer..."
"Bai: Yeah right."
"Xue: What's that suppose to mean huh?"
(Xue then shoves Bai as he shoves her back.)
"Think you're hot shit little bro?"
(Bai and Xue then starts fighting as Negan lets the fight handle itself, Bai then defends himself and purposely knees his own sister into the stomach then punches her against the wall as Bai then draws one of his Blessing guns and points it at her head.)
"Bai: I should fucking kill you right now.."
"Xue: Do it.. You coward piece of shit..! You're nothing but a PUSSY! Why the fuck aren't you a miscarriage...? If you want me gone, you should've done it already!!!"
(Bai then freezes up as Negan slaps both Xue and Bai to the floor as he was irate at the both of them then cracked his fingers one by one.)
"Negan: I don't beat children, nor do I beat family... But if I have to make you understand why I'm watching the both of you, I'll gladly reinstate myself."
(They both were silent.)
"Now. Bai, you know fucking better than to ever pull a gun on your family member and Xue, all he did was ask you a question and you didn't have to be a Karen about it."
"Xue: I..."
"Negan: Apologize. Now."
"Both: Sorry."
(Negan's phone was suddenly ringing as he then answers it after walking away.)
"Xue: ...Fuck you."
"Bai: Back at you."
(As they stared heatedly at each other, they'd then scoff and turn away as they separated.)
"Negan: ...I see."
"Bai: Negan? What's wrong?"
(Negan then hangs up as the call ended.)
"Negan: Come with me. The Mercenaries are calling us in."
"Bai: Huh?!"
(As Bai and Negan sets off for the Mercenary Association, they'd arrive an hour later as Mercenaries around the association began to murmur and talk about Negan as most were curious on Bai walking with him. After arriving on the top floor, Negan and Bai are introduced to Jiia Yueja who was wearing her glasses again.)
"Jiia: Zhihao."
"Negan: Let's make this quick."
(Negan flips over a chair and sits comfortably as he kicks his feet on the table and Bai sits next to the comfortable Negan.)
"Bai: So.. You're Ms. Yueja?"
"Jiia: Correct, I am the Hong Kong's Mercenary Association leader. I'm quite familiar with you, Mr. Zhen. Your mother and father were excellent Mercenaries."
"Bai: Huh?!"
"Jiia: You do not know? Hm..."
(Jiia then turns around to tell Bai a hidden secret as she then fixes her glasses to tell Bai the truth on what happened to his parents.)
"Mr. Zhen, your parents died on the line of duty."
"Bai: ...What...?"
(As Negan was just as surprised as Bai, he began to feel bad for the kid even more.)
"How...?"
"Jiia: ...I'm sorry, that's classified information."
"Negan: Classified my ass, the kid deserves to know how his parents died. Classified or not, he's already in hot water! So might as well fucking tell him!"
"Jiia: ...They was killed by the Triple Ghoul..."
"Bai: Triple Ghoul..?"
"Jiia: A Ghoul who welds a Blessing, Curse and a Spirit."
"Bai: ...How long ago was this...?"
"Jiia: Six months ago, during your coma."
(Bai began to feel unstable as he was smiling uncontrollably but tears were falling down his face out of pure agony.)
"Negan: Kid..."
"Jiia: I give you my condolences..."
(Negan then pats Bai's back as he felt the need of a hug.)
"Negan: So why were we called here?"
"Jiia: I'm perfectly sure you're aware of the clan raid that attacked Jingyi Grand?"
"Negan: Of course."
"Jiia: That saves the explanation."
(Jiia then removes her glasses as her hair began flowing once again.)
"Negan, the ghouls this "Rac" individual plans to bring back with them is strong enough to wipe out all of China's Mercenary Associations. That is why, it was a heavy decision. But I've decided to call in you... Commander Zhihao."
"Negan: ...And?"
"Jiia: I will take accountability and responsibility for what happens, but we need your strength to save the children and win this game of theirs."
"Negan: ...I'll do it under two conditions."
"Jiia: Name them."
(Negan then stands up to name his conditions as Bai was curious as well.)
"Negan: Number one, when we get to the lair of these Ghouls, I want the authorization to slaughter every last one myself while the Mercenaries focus on the kids. Two, access into all Mercenary Association buildings in Hong Kong."
"Jiia: Both conditions will be met."
"Negan: Oh and one more thing.."
(Negan lifts his arm towards Jia with pliers.)
"Get this fucking device out of my arm."
(Jiia then smiles as she then grabs the pliers and begins to remove Negan's nullifying device.)
"Jiia: Sure, old friend."
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(As a new week sets in, Bai then begins to pack books, papers and anything else needed before walking out the door. Suddenly, a tired and yawning Negan walks in Bai's room and was curious on what he was doing so early at 5:00 AM in the morning.)
"Negan: Hey.. What you doing up so early kid...?"
"Bai: Sorry, I didn't tell you. I'm actually a high school student at a nearby academy so I have to leave to meetup with the counsel."
"Negan: ..."
"Bai: Uh.. Negan?"
"Negan: Sorry.. I'm a little too tired... Let me recap.. So you go to school, you have to leave early.. to meet with your counsel...?"
"Bai: Yup!"
"Negan: Alright.. If anyone bothers you, don't be afraid to call me now..."
"Bai: I'll keep that in mind..!"
(As Bai then leaves without his sister, he'd then arrive at his school, Jingyi Grand Academy, the school of next generational mercenaries and arrives at his club's room to see a sleeping child whom was wearing a pirate hate and was holding his sleeping familiar as Bai then pats his head to wake him up.)
"Hey, time to wake up."
(The child then groans as he then looks up to see Bai in front of him then opens his eyes a bit.)
"Lian Zexi
(Tier C | Rank 334 | Power: Sleep Blessing)
: Oh.. Mr. Zhen, good morning..."
"Bai: Overslept again huh?"
"Lian: Hmph... I can't control it you know..."
"Bai: Heh... What's with the pirate hat?"
"Lian: Huh..? Oh...! I uhhh... I don't know..."
(Lian was then dumbfounded by his own sleepwalking as Bai then chuckles and keeps him company until the rest of the club members has arrived. As the sun begins rising higher over the horizon, Bai then hears more footsteps coming down the hall as the door then slides open as an energized girl with a ponytail, custom-made eyepatch and wearing her fantasy and revealing school attire enters the room while introducing herself.)
"Cheng Wei
(Tier B | Rank 229 | Power: Future Blessing)
: Rejoice, my dear comrades! For I, Cheng Wei, of the Wei Dynasty has arrived into the headquarters of operations!"
"Bai: Good morning Wei."
"Cheng: Ah! Good morning fair Sir Zhen, are thou recovering well after his coma?"
"Bai: News sure does travel fast I see... Well, I'm alright now, I'm just lucky I escaped such a fate."
"Lian: Ahh.. Morning Wei..."
"Cheng: Sir Zhen, shall I trouble you to fetch me a piece of writing cloth from the headquarter's cabinet?"
"Bai: You mean paper right...?"
"Cheng: Of course!"
(As Bai then goes to the cabinet, he'd then open the door to be pounced on by another girl the same age and height as Bai but is trying to kiss him on the lips as Bai was pushing her back.)
"Bai: AHHH! NOT AGAIN!! XIUYING, SNAP OUT OF IT!!"
"Qiu Xiuying
(Tier B | Rank 200 | Power: Love Blessing)
: I CAN'T HELP IT BAI, I WAS SO WORRIED FOR YOU WHEN YOU WAS IN A COMA AND NOW YOU'RE BACK, I MISSED YOU SO MUCHHH!!!"
"Bai: SOMEONE HELP ME!"
(After five minutes goes by, Qiu was looking innocent with a smile on her face as Bai was covered with lipstick all over his face as he felt violated. During the debacle, Cheng got her sheet of paper and was drawing a piece of her own art as Lian was continuing to sleep. The club door opens to a tall male wearing glasses, wearing two self-made gauntlet and has a scar across both his eyes as he's still able to open them.)
"Peng Yuhan
(Tier D | Rank: 473 | Power: Gun Curse)
: Good morning everyone."
(As everyone, including Lian looked up to see Peng, Cheng then hid her face as she was blushing secretly while Bai welcomes Peng normally.)
"Bai: Good morning Yuhan, did you sleep well?"
"Peng: Ahh... A bit of a sore back, I could've slept better though."
"Bai: Better than nothing, am I right?"
"Peng: Good morning, Wei."
"Cheng: A-AHHH! Umm.. G-Good m-morrow t-to y-yo..-you... S-Sir Yuhan...!"
(As the door opened once more, one final female appeared as she has long flowing silver hair, crystal pink eyes, wearing properly dressed school attire and has a spiked wristband on her wrist as she then greets herself to everyone in the room.)
"Jia Yi
(Tier S | Rank 10 | Power: ??? Curse, ??? Blessing)
: It seems like everyone is here."
"Bai: Good morning Yi."
"Everyone Else: Good morning!"
"Jia: Good morning to you all as well. Since everyone is here and present, lets begin the Disciplinary Committee meeting."
(She then clears her throat after organizing the documents needed.)
"As we know, Jingyi Grand Academy has been standing for 99 years and tomorrow is the official 100th anniversary of this school. The Student Counsel has entrusted us as the Disciplinary Committee to ensure safety and security in and around the school grounds, any questions?"
"Cheng: My follow commander, if the time comes of trespassing intrusions, does thou have the right to deliver a taste of excessive justice to the evildoers?"
"Jia: If the prosecutors continue to resist any attempt in stopping, I will grant you excessive force to pin them down."
(Bai then writes down what he's told to do, Peng then asks a question.)
"Peng: One question. If I remember correctly, the school Dean recently confirmed the upcoming arrival of Hong Kong's Mercenary Association. Is this true?"
"Jia: According to the Dean and the Student Counsel, they will arrive later on tomorrow to begin scouting for future talent. Regarding the lack of Mercenaries, there is a new program that was started by the Mercenary Association for any and all willing high school students willing to put their lives on the line against Ghouls."
(Bai suddenly was startled at the word as Jia then quickly noticed.)
"Is something the matter Zhen?"
"Bai: Uh... n-no no... I'm okay.."
"Jia: ...Ahem... Anyway, we won't be expecting them until later on tomorrow after classes are concluded. If there are no more questions, meeting is adjourned."
(As everyone was dismissed, the committee then waits in their separate classrooms as school was beginning to start until Bai was then approached by three higher rank students in the same class as him.)
"Hao Yazhu
(Tier A | Rank 83 | Power: Hypnosis Curse)
: Well well, look who we got here? Its Mr. 500! He finally woke up after getting his ass handed to by Ghouls!"
(As the three laughed at Bai, he remained silent as he kept his cool and drinks his juice until it was snatched by the 2nd bully.)
"Han Yating
(Tier A: | Rank 66 | Power: Dragon Blessing)
: Aww, want your juice you no powered cripple? Here you go!"
(Bai's drink was then dumped on him as his chair was the pulled back for him to fall down as the class then begs the three to stop but ignores them. Bai then wipes himself off and picks his chair back up but was pushed down again by the third bully now.)
"Xiao Ming
(Tier A | Rank 91 | Power: Energy Blessing)
: Why the hell did the Dean allow a cripple like your weak ass, get up and fight back if you can!"
"Bai: Wasting my time.. on nobodies like you three isn't on my schedule."
"Han: The fuck did you say brat?!"
(After an echoing punch to the face, Bai was sent to the opposite side of the classroom as students began to huddle to the sides in panic to avoid being hit while Bai was repositioning himself to get back up.)
"Hao: Aww, getting back up now? Who said you could get up?!"
(Hao then hypnotizes Bai into hitting himself as Han and Xiao laughed at Bai's defenseless state but he continues to endure everything happening to him. Suddenly, the door slams open as Jia blasts a concentrated blast of wind at the three and blasts them into the wall as she storms towards the three bullies and stares them down with her pink eyes darker than usual.)
"Jia Yi
(Tier S | Rank 10 | Blessing: ??? Curse, Wind Blessing)
: This bullying will end now, you animals are attacking a powerless student in the broad daylight during class hours?! Do you three have no shame or were all three of your parents brother and sister that used to fight a lot?"
(As the class ooo'ed, the three was silent as they then said nothing and stood up.)
"That's what I thought, now get back to your classes. You three are already marked late."
(As the three left, Bai then recollects himself as he wiped his own blood off his face and sighed at the distress he believes he caused for the class as Jia then walks to him to help him out.)
"Bai: I'm sorry everyone.."
"Jia: Zhen, there is nothing for you to apologize for. Those three attacked first, you are a victim."
"Bai: But class didn't even start yet and I could've done something.."
"Jia: Forget class, you're coming with me Zhen."
(As Jia then accompanies Bai to the infirmary, the teacher then walks into the class worried for Bai again as he was then bullied once again. Meanwhile at the infirmary, Bai was patched up in no time as the seductive school nurse was then worried for Bai as well.)
"Su Geng
(Jingyi Grand Staff | Power: Heal Blessing, Seduction Curse)
: Oh my word... Mr. Zhen, how did this happen to you...?!"
"Bai: Another beating. I had to endure it."
"Su: Oh no..! No! No! No! This will not do, Ms. Yi, I ask of you to please keep an eye on this poor boy, he doesn't deserve to be bullied if he's this sweet!"
"Jia: Don't worry, Ms. Geng. I plan to look after Zhen for a long time anyway!"
"Su: Ohhh! Thank you so much!"
"Bai: Okay... A little embarrassing now.."
"Jia: I'm going to return to class, I want you to focus on resting for now Bai."
"Bai: Well, okay. Because even if I do go back, my teacher wouldn't approve of a halfway recovery. So I'm stuck here either way..."
(As Jia then smiles and leaves, hours goes by as Bai was healed up in record time as Jia went by the infirmary again to pick up Bai.)
"Jia: Feeling better?"
"Bai: A lot, yeah. Thanks again, Ms. Geng!"
"Su: No problem, be safe out there kids!"
(As Jia and Bai then walked home together, they'd run into the same three bullies from before as they had unfinished business with Bai especially.)
"Hao: Where you think you two going...?"
"Jia: That is none of your business."
"Xiao: Oh I'm sorry sweetheart but it is... You see, we're just about to help your little friend here with a safe walk home, we thought five people are better than two, right...?"
"Jia: I'll believe your bullshit when I'm tied down to a bed against my will. Come on Bai."
(As they tried to walk off, Xiao then summons an energy barrier around the five of them so there were no means of escape as Jia and Bai were then annoyed.)
"I'm not playing with either of you, take this barrier down. Now."
"Hao: And what if we don't?"
(Han suddenly sneaks behind the two with a katana as Bai was then slashed right through his flesh and feels the pain as he then falls and coughs out blood as Jia was then irate with fury at Bai falling after being attacked.)
"Jia: BAI..! TAKE THIS BARRIER DOWN... NOW!!!"
(Jia's wind begins to increase due to her anger as the three holds their ground while Bai then lies on the ground speechless with a sword plunged in his back and meets the same girl again as before inside his own conscience while time suddenly freezes for everyone but the two.)
"Bai (Conscience): Its you again...!"
"???: Yeah. Its me, welcome."
"Bai: Wait, where even am I...?"
"???: Your mind, dummy. Where else?"
"Bai: Well is there a way back?"
"???: Well that's rude. You're almost unconscious and you end up here, without remembering that you don't have a heart?"
(Bai then notices the hole on his chest as she told the truth.)
"Bai: WHERE IS MY HEART?!"
"???: Heck if I know, that Angel saved you and warned you of the consequences, I didn't. I just did her a favor and gave you the abilities you were due to receive."
"Bai: Okay look, I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself... I am Bai Zhen."
"Xu (Bai's Guardian): ....Xu."
"Bai: I actually have a question. Why is it that I suck with my blessing..?"
"Xu: That is because you're not aiming with focus and you have not had any proper training. But, I will do you a favor and get you out of this situation right now."
"Bai: How exactly will you do that?"
"Xu: Simple, hold still."
(As Xu then walks towards Bai, she'd then lean in and kiss him on the lips which quickly sends Bai back to reality and forces his eyes to open as time resumes. The controlled Bai then rips the sword out his back and surprised Jia in the process as she then cools down her wind.)
"Xiao: HUH?! STILL WON'T GO DOWN HUH?! DO IT AGAIN!"
(Before Han could slash Bai right in his back, Han runs into a gun in the back of his head by a Bai clone which the trigger was then pulled and revealed Han's true form as he squirmed and dies on the floor as its revealed he's a Ghoul. Bai then awakens with both of his guns, loaded and ready and with the swift change of eye color and curse markings, Xu takes control and fires one entire clip at both Xiao and Hao who was hit by the energy compressed shots. The barrier then goes directly down as Xu then pulls the trigger on both of their heads and gives Bai back control of his body as Jia caught him in time before he could fall down.)
"Bai: Ow... Y-Yi...?"
"Jia: Hey... How did...- Did you survive that...?"
"Bai: I... I don't know..."
"???: Are you two okay...?"
(As Jia and Bai turns around, the Dean of Jingyi Grand Academy approached the two with worry on her face. Back at the school, Bai and Jia were both interrogated by the Dean for she can come to a clearer understanding instead of an assumption.)
"Sun Xinyi
(Jingyi Grand Academy Dean | Power: Authority Blessing)
: So if I have this correctly, those three students that were attending this industry for the last four years were Ghouls? And you Ms. Yi, accompanied Mr. Zhen on the way home but was ambushed by the same three Ghouls?"
"Jia: Yes, this is all the correct information I can say on my end."
"Sun: ...This is.. interesting. Mr. Zhen, are you positive you're feeling okay? You did take a sword to the back. I still would say head to the nearby hospital to have your wound patched.)
"Bai: I'm... I'm okay, I promise I will be okay..."
"Sun: Hm.. Alright. We'll put out a notice to the school tomorrow morning, in the meantime, you two are free to go and thank you for telling me everything."
(As the two then leaves the office, Bai and Jia then catches a train on the way home.)
"Jia: Zhen."
"Bai: Huh?"
"Jia: Something is bugging me. You not only took a sword to the back, it was plunged into your heart. How are you still alive...?"
"Bai: ....(Thinking): HOW DOES SHE KNOW THAT...?! (Aloud): How exactly.. did you know where the sword plunged me..?"
"Jia: Every leader of a school should be able to calculate, examine, analyze and research the human body with every organ, height, weight, pulse and so on."
"Bai: How do you even have time for that...?!?!"
"Jia: That doesn't matter, how are you alive is the question that needs an answer, Zhen!"
"Bai: You wouldn't understand..."
"Jia: Understand what? My closest thing to a friend is somehow alive still? I need an answer."
"Bai: Even if I told you, you wouldn't get it...!"
"Jia: At least let me try!"
(As the train now arrives at its next stop, Bai quickly runs off the train away from Jia as he continued to run home. After he arrives home, Bai then notices a humming Negan on the porch, eating a rib-eye well done steak as he noticed a tired out Bai running home.)
"Negan: Welcome back kiddo! There's some steak on the stove if you're hungry."
"Bai: T-Thanks... Listen.. if s-someone.. comes over..-"
"Jia: Zhen!"
(Bai immediately turns around and runs in the house as Negan questions the worried Jia.)
"Negan: Are you Bai's friend he mentioned?"
"Jia: I am. He invited me to his place after school for a private chat."
"Negan: Oh did he now...? My apologies, go on in."
"Jia: Thank you sir."
(As Jia then goes inside, Bai then locks himself in his room and looks around twice only to see Jia inside his room through the wind blasting through his window as a distraction. Jia then pushes Bai onto his bed and hold his arms down for she needed an answer immediately.)
"I will let you go if you answer my question!"
"Bai: I DON'T KNOW!!!"
(As silence then enters the room, Jia lets go of Bai as she then sits down in his chair and looks at him with more worry.)
"Jia: What do you mean "you don't know?"
"Bai: Look... Its hard to say, but... I'm.. somewhat alive... and somewhat not."
(As Jia was confused, Bai then takes off his shirt and reveals his torso in tears with cuts, scars, wounds and many more injuries which has Jia in shock and reaches to touch them.)
"Jia: ...Zhen... What the fuck happened to you...?!"
"Bai: I went through hell... I was in a coma for a whole year of course...-"
"Jia: How..."
"Bai: I was... beaten in an alley... and... thrown into a truck.."
"Jia: .... So what does this... have to do with.. you being a Ghoul or not...?"
(Bai then sighs as he then tries to cover as much as he could, including the fact his heart is gone and he's technically a walking corpse carrying a Blessing.)
"Jia: ...So.. That's what happened. Zhen, please forgive me... I didn't mean to go this far."
"Bai: It's fine."
(Bai then puts back on his shirt after as Bai then goes to open the door by Jia then pulls his shirt to stop him.)
"... Uh... J-Jia...?"
"Jia: To be honest... Can we talk, with the door closed still...?"
"Bai: Uh.. Sure.. What's bothering you?"
"Jia: Nothing except... I'm glad you're still alive..."
"Bai: ...?"
"Jia: We might've been enemies since middle school but the truth is, you piss me off so much I've started falling for you."
"Bai: ...Uhh... I don't think-"
(Jia then forcefully drags Bai to his bed again then sits on top of him as he was confused on what was happening.)
"UHH.. Y-Y-Y-YI...??! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING...?!"
(Jia then leans in to kiss Bai as silence fills the room as Bai's head was clouded with thoughts on what's going on.)
"Bai (Thinking): Okay.. She's clearly delusional right?! She's the head of the Disciplinary Committee, she couldn't feel this way...!"
(Jia then separates the kiss but shows an entire new side of her. As she slowly inches to remover her school uniform, the door was being knocked on by Negan.)
"Negan: Hey, Bai! Do you want this final steak? Your sister ate three of them and damn she can eat some good meat!"
(As Jia then snaps back to reality, she quickly takes off embarrassed after opening the door and Negan noticing after seeing the door slam.)
"Geez kid, did you release the yolk inside her or something?"
"Bai: OH COME ON NEGAN, NOT RIGHT NOW!"
"Negan: I'm just saying kid, she stormed out of here quick."
(As Negan walked away, Bai then sits up confused at what just happened then feels his own lips for a moment as a small packet was thrown at Bai which he caught.)
"Bai: What is this?"
"Negan: Better safe than sorry!"
"Bai: NEGANNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!"
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(The next day at a nearby quiet snack shop, Tian and Bai was talking to each other for Bai was explained everything that's happened during his coma.)
"Tian: Okay so, here's what's been going on. After you went into your coma, there's been a major increase on rouge killers and heroes. The Prime Minister even put out a restricted curfew that all civilians must be indoors by 7PM every night!"
"Bai: Why so early...?"
"Tian: Several areas of Hong Kong lacks a defense squad even police too, I heard that most of China's Frontal Division is losing High-Class Mercenaries."
"Bai: I don't know how that's even possible..."
"Tian: The rise of rouge killers and antagonists is crazy high! It makes sense why most High-Classes are leaving so quickly."
"Bai: Well... How bad is this area?"
"Tian: Is your memory that bad, man? You know what, don't answer. You just left the hospital. The area we're in now is protected by the Armored Division, there are twenty six patrolling High-Class mercenaries in this area right now. So we'll be fine!!!!"
"Bai: I hope you're right. Wait, how do you even know this stuff?"
"Tian: I just scroll around social media for rumors and leaked conspiracies, its pretty clever that most of the leaked information here isn't even taken down yet."
"Tian's Father: Tian! Break's over, come back to work please!"
"Tian: Coming! I gotta go man, if you want to order anything, let me know!"
(As he then returns to work, a bell on the door was heard after the front door was opened, Tian then looks the other way to notice two High-Class mercenaries enter the shop as one was a female with ice blue hair, a medium-breasted chestplate and an enchanting face as the other was a stern-faced male with a grown brown beard, a sheathed sword and a powerful presence.)
"Fang Dai (High-Class Mercenary): Excuse me, are you the owner of this establishment?"
"Tian's Father: Yes. Can I help you with anything?"
"Fang Dai: We're of the 6th Frontal Division and the two of us were ordered platoon here in your business as official guardians. Our expenses will be paid through by the director, herself."
"Tian's Father: In that case, please stay as long as you wish. Uh.. TIAN! Head upstairs and prepare the guest rooms, please."
"Tian: Got it!"
(The male mercenary then notices Bai as he then sensed a disturbed aura coming from him.)
"???: Hey, you there. You got a moment?"
(As Bai realized he was being talked to, he normally nodded without saying a word as the male mercenary sits down across from him.)
"Qian Gang (High-Class Mercenary): You don't look to good, you okay?"
"Bai: Oh..! N-No I'm just a little nervous and all..."
"Qian: I'm a friendly guy, I promise I won't bite!"
"Bai: Well.. Okay.. You wanted to talk with me about something..?"
"Qian: That's right. There's a High-Class Ghoul running around these parts recently and weirdly enough, you look exactly like the wanted ghoul."
"Bai: Wait... A Ghoul..?"
"Qian: Mhm. I just need you to prove to me that you're not a Ghoul."
"Bai: What can a Ghoul even do?"
"Qian: Ghouls can camouflage their body, mind control others, has a cannibalistic appetite for humans especially and can sniff their prey like a lion in the jungle."
"Bai: I can assure you... I'm not a ghoul..."
"Qian: How exactly?"
(Bai then proves it the only way how by lifting up his shirt a tiny bit which catches Qian off guard to see horrifying cuts and scars on his body.)
"Bai: I was in a coma for a year straight, my friend can vouch for me."
"Qian: Alright that proves it..."
(The door then kicks open as everyone in the shack is then introduced to a leather jacket wearing, dark glasses wearing, barbed wire bat swinging individual who did not give a single shit about interrupting the peaceful flow inside the shack.)
"???: Heheh... Let's make this real simple sweetheart, I want the usual and I want it in three or your other leg is coming the fuck off."
"Tian's Father: S-Sure... TIAN, PREPARE FOR THE USUAL!"
(As Tian quickly runs down to help his father prepare and cook the usual in three minutes, Qian then was watching and staring him down as if he wanted to kill him.)
"???: If you're gonna stare at me over there, make a move twinkle toes. And sorry... I don't like men who walks around with a ripoff ten dollar Jian at an off-brand Family Dollar. But you wish I liked you, don't you?"
"Qian: As if, who the hell even are you?"
"???: My mouth doesn't speak pussy, I'm not a cat mind reader."
"Qian: ... Don't try to provoke me!"
"Fang Dai: Would you two cut it out? Nothing is resolved by fighting."
"???: Remind me again, why I should listen to you?"
"Fang Dai: Your mouth really is irritating. Do understand I'm asking you politely."
(As the individual's food was then brought towards him, he'd take a bite of his ordered Spaghetti Bolognese and throws it at Quin which the customers quickly got down to avoid a future fight.)
"???: You call that Spaghetti Bolognese? Pal.. I'm taking my money back and also, take a cooking class. You fucked up my appetite."
"Tian's Father: B-BUT, Y-YOU'D ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE FOOD..! You even told me it was delicious four weeks ago!"
"???: Did I? Guess you can't understand sarcasm, makes sense considering an old bastard like you can't tell the different between salt and sugar."
(Suddenly, he was then in shock that he put sugar into his food before as Tian's father then collapsed to his knees in disgrace of himself.)
"???: Seems like my work here is done."
"Quin: No you don't...!"
(Quin then throws the plate on the ground as he was ready to draw his sword until Fang Dai quickly halted him.)
"Fang Dai: Gang, it is against the organization's regulation to draw your weapon towards a civilian... Attacking a civilian is a serious offense. Especially... towards
him
."
"Quin: ....TCH..! DAMN IT!"
"???: That's right. Listen to ole' sweet cheeks over there. Actually.. A bit flat like a board but has an attractive face."
(Fang Dai was suddenly blushing out of embarrassment as she then was about to attack the disrespectful male but held herself back as she remembered what she just said.)
"???: Hehe... Now, where was I?"
(In an instant, Tian's father then collapses after the top of the counter was hit by the barbed wire bat with full force and leaves a large hole in the counter as Tian quickly accompanied his collapsed and terrified father and begged the individual to leave as he then takes his money back along with the tip jar then leaves the shack.)
"Bai: Tian... Who was that?"
"Fang Dai: ...That was Negan Zhihao."
"Bai: ....?"
"Quin: China's most dangerous. He'll go anywhere and cause havoc for the sake of his own free will. Not even an High-Class Mercenary has the gall to step to him. He's a human but his own personality begs to differ."
"Bai: How is he that dangerous if he's not even powerful?"
"Tian: He'll do whatever he want and no one would even fight him for it."
"Bai: Hm... Well, thanks again Tian.. I'm gonna go."
(As Bai then leaves the shack with a little chill up his spine, he'd then notice a strange-haired girl in the crowd staring him down but then vanishes from pure sight as he was then walking home. After Bai's walk home, he'd then notice his sister returning from her workout as well as she purposely ignored Bai and jogged to the house. Bai suddenly notices a speeding vehicle zooming towards the house and purposely drives onto the sidewalk and fails at running Bai over as he quickly moves out the way.)
"THE HELL..?!"
(The van suddenly begins to back up as Bai begins running the opposite direction away from the van which continues to follow him down four streets until he was then trapped in a dead end with the three same individuals who attacked Bai before appears out of the van and walks towards the cornered Bai as all he found in the back alley was a dagger and uses it for defense.)
"Bai: Its you three...? How the hell did you find me...?!"
"???: Oh no no... How are YOU still alive is the true question... We gave you all those bruises, those cuts and even made sure you couldn't move.. On top of that, threw you in front of that goddamn truck..! It appears.. we'll have to make sure you're truly dead..."
(As Bai then goes from nervous to scared, he then charges towards the three first to attack but was then impaled by a massive tendril through his chest where his heart was expected to be but then remembers he does not have a heart but feels the pain of the tendril blasting through him.)
"Bai: AAAAGHHHH!!!!"
(Bai was then blasted to the wall as the three attackers revealed themselves to be Ghouls with terrifyingly strong tendrils which are strong enough to drill through bedrock, claws and cursed abilities as they then pounce towards the downed Bai and maliciously attacks him again while ripping off his limbs to eat him bit by bit while Bai continues to scream in agony while he watches his own death happen to him again. Suddenly, time was then paused for Bai as he could only move his eyes to notice the same girl as before stand over him after approaching him.)
"???: Ouch. Hurts don't it? I know you're gonna ask if you're actually cursed or blessed. So let's just say... You're a mix of both. A
Blessing
and a
Curse
. I'm done watching you get hurt, here's the power you received the first time you flatlined."
(As the mysterious female then taps Bai's forehead once and walks away, time unfreezes as the three ghouls sensed an unfamiliar presence as they halted with eating Bai and notices Bai's limbs regenerating from the sockets to the tips of the nails. As Bai then stands up and lifts both of his arms, two white orbs appear in his hands but the four was suddenly interrupted by the same barbed bat-holding Negan Zhihao who whistled at what was happening.)
"Negan: What we got here? Some four-way? Three Ghouls and one human?"
"Bai: MISTER..! GET OUT OF HERE!"
(The Ghouls then pounces towards Negan as he then stands exactly where he was, swings his barbed wire bat once and shatters an incoming tendril with one full-powered swing as Negan then grips one of the Ghouls by the neck and snaps its neck with almost no effort.)
"Negan: Look pal, I get that girls would pounce all over me, but men is where I cross the line."
(The two remaining Ghouls then halts to see one of their own kind be killed so easily as Negan then disrespectfully sits on the deceased Ghoul body as he awaited the other two to attack him.)
"If you two have the gall to step to me, make it quick and I'll make a fine TV tray out of those tendrils there. What's wrong? You two were having fun chowing down on boy meat, now you don't want a taste of a man? Damn, no wonder. You two are fucking sickos you know that?"
(The two Ghouls then backs off for they were quickly offended as Negan was not finished.)
"They got names around here for sick bastards like you. People like you are called p*dophiles. Sex offenders. Child sexual exploiters. I know a few stray dogs that loves to eat people like you then take a fat shit later on, maybe I'll cut you two up as well with your friend and feed you three to them. I'll give them a very delicious Thanksgiving dinner and they'll pick anything clean."
(As the Ghouls runs off quickly as they were terrified of Negan now, he'd then walk towards Bai who was then nervous and pats his shoulder.)
"Where do you live kid? I'm taking you home."
(After Negan accompanies Bai in walking him home, Bai arrived back at his house as Negan invites himself in and gets comfy inside the house.)
"Negan: Not a bad spot, rich family?"
"Bai: Uhh... A little.."
"Negan: No wonder. Heh. I'm feeling peckish, you peckish kid?"
"Bai: Yeah, I didn't eat after that debacle..."
(As Negan then gets up, he'd walk toward the kitchen after taking off his jacket and hangs his bat then puts on a cooking apron and cooks for Bai. Suddenly, Xue would slam her door open as if she smelt something burning and quickly blames Bai as if he was cooking something bad.)
"Xue: BAI! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU COOKING DOWN THERE?! YOU ACTUALLY WANNA BURN THE HOUSE DOWN WITH YOUR SHITTY COOKING?!?"
"Bai: I'M NOT EVEN COOKING, SHUT IT XUE!"
(Xue then storms downstairs as she then shoves Bai out of the way to confront who was cooking in their kitchen.)
"Xue: OKAY BASTARD, YOU NEED TO-"
(As Xue got a closer look, she was then frozen at Negan's face as she was then lovestruck instantly at a man her type.)
"Negan: Need to what?"
"Xue: Need... TO KEEP UP THE GREAT COOKING! Sorry for my barging...!"
(As Xue quickly leaves, she flips off Bai once and storms back upstairs as if nothing happened. As time went by, Negan finishes and prepared his own specialty which was Spaghetti Bolognese as Bai suddenly remembered the restaurant incident.)
"Negan: Here you go kid, eat up good!
(As Negan began to eat, Bai then takes a bite out of worry but was suddenly in shock on how delicious it was then begins to swallow down his food as if he hasn't eaten anything before.)
"Seems like my cooking was that good huh?"
"Bai: Very...! But wait... Why exactly are you here? Not to be rude, I appreciated the meal a lot!"
"Negan: Well after seeing what happened in the alley, I've came to the decision to watch over you until you actually get strong to fight bastards like them."
"Bai: I'm just a kid...! I can't possibly be worth your time to protect..."
"Negan: Don't say that. A kid's life is fresh, something that can only happen once. Its too soon to let a child die when they have not reached that one tip at the peak of the pyramid during their lifespan. Its very upsetting."
"Bai: ...You seem more knowledgeable than I do, what were those things that attacked me...?"
(Negan then sets his fork down and clears his throat to tell Bai everything he knows.)
"Negan: I don't involve myself with public affairs, but those things were called Ghouls. If I remember the information, Ghouls are creatures with the ability to shapeshift, create tendrils and has some weird, creepy-ass abilities."
"Bai: Oh.. Are they like bad guys?"
"Negan: Yes. Ghouls are bad guys of course. That's why China need to make sure they wipe these bitches off the face of the goddamn planet!"
"Bai: Um..."
"Negan: Got a little heated there but I'm alright. After seeing those three assault you, it made me pissed off quickly."
"Bai: Well, I'll be alright now... I just have to become stronger."
"Negan: That's why I'm staying here from now on. I will be your father figure, your trainer and your guardian. Until you're able to fight."
"Bai: Thank you mister...-"
"Negan: Negan's fine and you're Bai, pleased to meet you kid."
(As they shook hands and Negan goes to the kitchen and cleans their plates, Bai could still feel the pains of what happened in the dead end between him and the three Ghouls as he then was confident to begin training more.)
"Bai: I won't let that happen to me again..."
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(After two weeks has gone by, a sunny Tuesday emerges as Bai was jogging outside with the Disciplinary Committee on their evening jog.)
"Bai: Ahh....!! My legs are killing me..!"
"Peng: Pick up the pace, Zhen! You don't wanna be left behind!"
"Bai: I'm coming...!"
(As Bai meets up with the rest of the party, Jia then pauses to instruct them on what to do next.)
"Jia: Alright, now that our jog is done, we're gonna take a little break then do some combat practice with our blessings."
"All: Okay!"
(As they all separated, Bai begins to train alone until the others were ready.)
"Bai: Okay... Justice Blessing, go..!"
(He then waits for his blessing to summon as nothing happens.)
"Umm... Oh!"
(Bai then stands where he is and focuses into his conscience to grab his Blessing which he then succeeds as two white orbs were forming out of his palms and revealed his two guns.)
"Alright! I did it!"
"???: Seems like you got the hang of it now, huh?"
"Bai: Huh?! Who said that?!"
"???: How can you forget me already?"
(Bai then looks around as he sees Xu in a tree with six of her tails swaying through the fresh air and her purple gazing eyes staring down at her client.)
"Bai: How long have you been up there?!"
"Xu: I just got here."
(Xu then swiftly jumps down and lands on her feet as she then examines Bai's first form of his Justice Blessing.)
"You have a long way to go before you can unleash the blessing's final form."
"Bai: Final form?"
"Xu: Mhm. The Justice Blessing was created by five different Angels in the Heavens and the combination of those five, granted the Justice Blessing. But..."
"Bai: But what?"
"Xu: Your blessing is something Ghouls and Spirit users would die to get their hands on.. And there is an awful lot of clans and different kinds of Ghouls you'll need to avoid now that they're aware of the Justice Blessing."
"Bai: Is there more to its origin?"
"Xu: There is... But that's for another time, your friends are coming."
(As Bai then turns around and notices, Xu then vanishes out of thin air as if she wasn't there the entire time. As moments pass, Jia then partners herself with Cheng, Lian partners with Qiu and Peng partners with Bai.)
"Jia: During this training, we all have one hour for an exhibition duel, no need to hold back for this area repairs itself overnight."
"Peng: Hear that Bai, no need to hold anything back!"
"Bai: Got it!"
(As the timer then starts, Jia begins attacking Cheng with forceful wind as Cheng begins avoiding Jia's attacks with her blessing activated as Lian then yawns as his pillow and blanket begins moving on their own to fight Qiu as she then tightens her hair tie and prepares to charge and blow a kiss towards Lian as a massive heart begins growing behind her which begins to scale her charging process.)
"Lian: ...! Pillow, act.. as shield!"
(As the command was given, the pillow reenforces itself into a memory foam pillow as Qiu then blows the incoming heart kiss towards Lian as the pillow takes the strike and absorbs the damage after seconds of impact.)
"Qiu: Oh my Lian, I didn't know your blessing was this useful!"
"Lian: C-Come on..! I just..."
(Lian then yawns as he commanded his blanket to turn into a physical humanoid figure to fight as Qiu takes on both Lian's commanding pillow and blanket figure. Meanwhile, Bai and Peng begins fighting gun to gun, Gun Curse verses the Justice Blessing.)
"Peng: I like your weapons so far Bai, but no holding back!!"
(Peng's two handguns then shifts into automatic machine guns as Bai began running and dodging to avoid the rapid fire while firing back with compressed energy from his guardian Xu. Peng then closes in the distance with Bai as the machine gun fire became faster and stronger as Bai was then pushed into a corner with Peng then releasing three miniguns from both of his arms as one minigun grows right out of Peng's chest.)
"Bai: Oh shit...!"
"Peng: This is my Gun Curse, Bai! Hope you survive!"
(As the miniguns begin to hum and spin, Bai then stands his ground as he then takes every single incoming bullet with his entire body becoming corroded in bullet holes along with the force of the bullets breaking, bruising and shattering certain bones in Bai's body. As the miniguns then halts their fire, Peng then notices in the debris that Bai was still standing as if he did not take any damage from the massive fire which surprised him into seeing his smile.)
"Bai: That stung, a lot... But I got a better trick up my sleeve!"
(As Bai and Peng continued to battle, Cheng was beginning to become exhausted from dodging and taking too much damage from Jia's wind.)
"Cheng: I mustn't lie, Madam Yi, your wind power is extraordinary beyond mine caliber..."
"Jia: You can still do your best Cheng, I have faith in you!"
(Cheng smiles as she then begins to awaken a hidden Spirit, along with growing dark wings on her back as Jia noticed with a smile of joy.)
"Cheng: It appears my evolution in power has increased... No longer shall I be bested by you! For I am Cheng Wei, the Seer Of All Things Forbidden, the Queen Of Sight alongside my trustworthy familiar, we will achieve victory!"
"Jia: I'm glad to hear your confidence!"
(As Jia and Cheng now begins fighting more rougher, Qiu and Lian continues fighting harder but mostly smarter as explosions and craters were all across the park. Meanwhile above the chaos, a mysterious drone was watching the entire thing and flies back to an airplane which is soon to arrive at Hong Kong's airport.)
"???: Hm... Bai Zhen, I'm not to familiar with the kid or his family. But these rumors are too interesting for me to not research myself."
(The mysterious, gentlemanly male then swirls a cup of red wine and takes a sip as he continued to watch out the window.)
"I wonder.. What are you, Mr. Zhen..."
(Back down at the fields, everyone continued to fight relentlessly with more unlocking feats of power left and right. As the timer then rings, everyone halts their combat training as they were concluding for today.)
"Qiu: Wow Zexi, who knew your Blessing was this strong?"
"Lian: It's uh... Not that impressive, you and your love is stronger however..."
"Qiu: Wel, LOVE conquers all! And speaking of love..."
(As Bai was talking with Peng, Qiu then grips his shoulders and pulls him in for a forceful kiss on the lips as Bai was complaining and Jia was a little jealous but ignored it.)
"Bai: COME ON XIUYING, STOP THAT...!"
"Qiu: I love you, Bai!~"
"Bai: Ugghhhh...!"
"Jia: Good job everyone! We'll stop here for today, everyone go get some rest and we'll meet in the committee room tomorrow morning before classes."
"All: Okay!"
(As everyone then leaves to return home, Bai was walking home by himself while having a chat with Xu on their conversation from earlier.)
"Bai: Alright Xu, we're done. Tell me exactly what you meant by there's more to the Justice Blessing's origin?"
"Xu (Voice): As I said, it's for another time. I really cannot explain it to you until you master your blessing into its second form."
"Bai: Alright, then how exactly do I do that?"
"Xu (Voice): The quickest way is experimentation which.. is a very bad idea."
"Bai: And why is that a bad idea?"
"Xu (Voice); Again, that's for another time."
"Bai: OH COME ON!"
"Xu (Voice): Listen, the Angel who saved you gave me these orders. I have to abide by her rules in order for the balance of order to remain stable and not break."
(Bai then sighs as he then remains quiet and continues to walk home.)
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(As Bai awakens in a dream, he'd notice Xu sleeping upside down in a tree as if she were a bat while wrapped in her six tails for comfort. Bai then knocks on the tree and catches Xu who then awakens and shifts into her physical form.)
"Xu: Hm..? Bai, is something wrong..?"
"Bai (Conscience): I just can't sleep after being curious. What more is there to the Justice Blessing?"
(Xu sighs and dresses herself up as she was still tired then walks with Bai's conscience to see the hidden details of his blessing.)
"Xu: Well Bai, there is a lot I can tell you about your blessing. But you need to understand the dangers of knowing this too and why your blessing must be protected at all costs."
"Bai: Okay."
(As Bai then understood, Xu summons a thin platform to carry them both into the endless fabric of Bai's ongoing dream.)
"Xu: The Justice Blessing starts off as two handguns right now, but in the future as you fight more and more, your blessing will evolve and reach bigger heights. However, your blessing will involve into five varieties of weapons. The two handguns are your starting weapons, next is the
Nichirin Blades
, then comes the
Tremoring Conqueror Claymore
, your fourth variation is a curse on top of a blessing. The
Panther Curse
and your blessing's fourth form is the
Claw Gauntlets
then finally, the fifth variation is the
Mallet Of War.
(Bai then stares at the variations in awe as Xu then closes the curtains on all five forms.)
"Bai: So where did these blessings come from?"
"Xu: The Justice Blessing was created by five different blessing users and one curse welder. However... Before the completion of the blessing, Ghouls and Spirit users found all five and slaughtered them to take the blessing for themselves and then split it in a way the Fifteen Ghouls would become unstoppable."
"Bai: Fifteen Ghouls?"
"Xu: Yes. Three years ago, a meteor collided onto Earth in the east of the United Kingdom. From what I remember, the meteorite exploded on Earth and released a massive swarm of hungry Ghouls which conquered the entire country. Which is why every March 18th is known as the Bloody Eclipse Incident.
"Bai: Eclipse?"
"Xu: Ah... United Kingdom was completely all Ghouls, no human left. But then... on the 4th day of the Ghouls invasion, we met...
Him.
"
"Bai: ...?"
"Xu: A massive light from the skies was shining down on the entire country and in just mere seconds... The United Kingdom was incinerated, no trace of it was left. Except, fifteen Ghouls remained and escaped. And now, there are countless Ghouls in hiding three years later and because of those fifteen, they are the reason Mercenaries are more active nowadays. But with the major decrease of Mercenary power, Ghouls are soon to begin their main operation...
Find and kill you, then extract the Justice Blessing from you, Bai.
"
"Bai: ... I see."
"Xu: And the dangers of you knowing this means you now understand why the Angel gifted you this blessing when you were going to die. You Bai are the Arcane's Chosen One and your goal is to get stronger and defeat all Fifteen Ghouls.. or as they call themselves, The Genocide Pact."
"Bai: ...I'll get stronger."
"Xu: Hm?"
"Bai: As I think about it, I was a scaredy-cat... Always was but now after knowing this, I will get stronger.. and I will defeat all Ghouls."
"Xu: Glad you understand Bai, anything else you wish to ask?"
"Bai: Well.. Do you know how I can get my heart back?"
"Xu: You'd have to-"
(As Bai's alarm was going off outside his dream, Bai's body began to wake up as Bai's conscience sighs as their time was up.)
"Bai: We'll talk later..."
"Xu: Good morning, Bai and yeah, we'll talk later."
(As Bai then awakens, he'd yawn and stops his alarm, prepares for the day and receives a phone call from his principal. Bai then answers quickly after making himself more awake.)
"Bai (Phone): Hello?"
"Sun Xinyi (Phone): Mr. Zhen, good morning to you. Is this a bad time?"
"Bai (Phone): No no.. What's up?"
"Sun (Phone): I was just given a visit by Ms. Jiia of the Mercenary Association, you've been accepted as an official Mercenary Minor."
"Bai (Phone): R-Really?! YES!"
(Sun smiles over the phone for Bai as he was celebrating.)
"Bai (Phone): So what in the meantime?"
"Sun (Phone): You'll actually be considered academy royalty knowing that you are now a Mercenary but it kind of means expect some "royal" treatment."
"Bai (Phone): Oh.. Well, if I'm a Mercenary now, I'm glad. I just want to be rid of these Ghouls as quickly as possible."
(Sun smiled again with a chuckle.)
"Sun (Phone): That's what I'd like to hear, the academy reopens in a week on Monday so take this time to devote to training, okay?"
"Bai (Phone): Thanks headmaster, a lot and I will."
(As they both then said goodbye, the call ended as Bai then gets up with a new pair of clothes as Negan was out currently shopping while chatting with Reinhard, Jingyi Grand Academy's new student whom was joining Negan and Xue, Bai's sister was at the gym exercising. Meanwhile in the main hideout of the Ghouls, Omgut returns with Rac's remains of his body.)
"Omgut: I have returned."
"???: Excellent."
(As the one Ghoul then stands, Rac's body was replenished of its limbs as Rac then begins to awaken on the cold floor as he was in the presence of the Fifteen Ghouls.)
"Rac: ...W-Wait...! I.. failed..?"
"???: Yes. You have. It is not your fault, we've underestimated the protection of the one who carries the Justice Blessing."
"Rac: I will go back and kill them both again..."
"???: No need, you were no match for Commander Negan nor were those double S category Ghouls. Jiq, inform the scientists in the lab to have the next batch more durable."
"Jiq (
Ghoul | Power: Binding Curse | 10th Of The 15 Ghouls
): Yes."
(As Jiq then walks off to do so, Rac was then curious on the next phase.)
"Rac: So what is our next plan then...?"
"???: I will set you an appointment with one of the scientists, they will inject you with a blessing to counter the Justice Blessing."
"Omgut: If I may interject, what's the reason for hunting this Bai Zhen?"
"???: There is a story behind why Bai must be killed or extract his blessing from him. But I will inform you and say, one who holds the Justice Blessing is considered the Gods chosen one."
"Omgut: Really?"
"???: Yes. There are many Ghouls who'd want the Justice Blessing for themselves.. But I wouldn't be so hasty going to go after the Justice Blessing that easily."
"Omgut: Did you ever think about an undercover strategy?"
"???: ...Elaborate."
"Omgut: What if one of our Ghouls infiltrates into the life of Bai and collects everything he can? If we succeed, we can strategize a plan in order to extract the blessing or kill him."
(As the leader then smirks and chuckles which slowly builds into a laugh, Omgut was then a little worried as the leader began to speak again.)
"???: Your plan sounds very interesting, we'll give it a try and see what happens then..."
"Omgut: Thank you, master."
(As Omgut was then dismissed, the leader then smirks as he thought of the right candidate for this undercover operation.)
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(As alarms continued to go off, meanwhile at the scene of the destruction, a hydra tailed Ghoul with dragonkin eyes and a strong physique was staring at the running civilians in the distance as the Ghoul then smirked as one clap from its hands creates a traveling shockwave towards their bodies and causes the civilians to pop as if they were balloons along with their organs.)
"???: Such fragile weaklings... This world is mine for the tak-"
(In a sheer instant, the Ghoul was then punched directly into an evacuated home which trembles the area after the powerful impact. The Ghoul then bursts out of the house and is angered now as it then notices Reinhard Leonhart, standing boldly unprotected as he let his hair flow in the wind while staring down the enemy.)
"Reinhard: As a student in school, I will remain diligent to my education... But as a Minor Mercenary, I will not allow the forces of evil to continue its rampage in the absence of higher classed Mercenaries! Hear me Ghoul and know my name, I am Reinhard Leonhart, the protector of mien home and protector of this city! Your evildoing stops here!"
"???: Hahahaha!!! Is this all they sent me?! A Minor Mercenary, YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN DEFEAT ME WITH SUCH A WEAK POWER LEVEL?! I'LL SHOW YOU TRUE POWER!"
(As the Ghoul then inhales a large portion of oxygen and converts it into a powerful exploding ball full of evil energy, a stronger explosion was then created as the cocky Ghoul then laughs as he expected the fight to be easier than expected.)
"???: Just as I expected... Another human scum tossed to me by cheap Mercenary trash... Huh?"
(As the debris clears, Reinhard was completely unscathed as his entire arm blocked the entire attack after layering five shields underneath the arm. The Ghoul then scoffs and prepares to take the fight seriously.)
"???: It seems like you're willing to die the hard way huh?"
"Reinhard: Ending my life is a task easier said than done, let us see you back it up!"
(Before the announcement was made, meanwhile at Jingyi Grand Academy, Jia noticed Bai wasn't in the Disciplinary Committee room as she was wondering where he could be.)
"Jia: Hey, do you guys know where Zhen is?"
"Peng: I have not seen him come to think of it."
"Cheng: Ah, my blessed friends! I spy with my crow eye, the location of friend Zhen! Follow me comrades!"
(As everyone follows Cheng quickly, Bai was cornered against ten A Tier students who formed a school clan and fights him in a ten on one advantage as he continues to restrain himself from violating school rules and pulling out his blessings.)
"Attacker: Such a weak-ass kid, why did the dean even allow you to come here, Mr. 500?"
"Bai: ..."
"Female Attacker: You answer us when we talk to you, trash!"
(Bai was then kicked in the face with a roundhouse as he had no intention to fight back but falls in his own pool of blood as he was laughed at for being weak by the ten. As a foot stomps on the ground and the snap of the fingers creates a strong yet disorienting shockwave, the ten then turns their attention to nine members of the Student Counsel consisting of all of Jingyi Grand's Tier S ranked students including the academy's Big 3, Wen Zexi, Xuan Hua and Fen Xinya.)
"Xuan Hua: (
Tier S | Rank 3 | Power: Disorientation Curse, Feline Blessing
): Every last one of you are in trouble... and don't think escaping is possible."
(In an instant, a fast moving streak of light ties down the ten A tier students and regroups with the Student Counsel.)
"Wen Zexi (
Tier S | Rank 2 | Power: Speed Blessing, Depletion Curse
): That should keep them from trying to escape!"
(As footsteps were clacking on the blacktop ground, Fen Xinya was staring down the ten with a pissed off glare as she noticed a defeated Bai bleeding out as the Disciplinary Committee arrived but was too late for the Student Counsel handled the issue.)
"Fen Xinya: (Tier S | Rank 1|
Power: ??? Blessing, ??? Blessing, ??? Spirit User
): Take Mr. Zhen to the infirmary and have these ten temporarily suspended."
"Student Counsel: Right!"
(As they were given the command, the Student Counsel leaves with Bai and the restricted ten A tiers as Xinya gave a small glare of disgust towards Jia as she did the same without saying a word to each other. Cheng and the rest of the Disciplinary Committee noticed Jia's mood swing quickly. As time flies by, all classes were cancelled as alarms were going off in Hong Kong as the SS-Rated Ghoul was in the vicinity as Jia noticed the alarms, she noticed an open window and a knocked over chair as Reinhard left the class in a hurry. As the Disciplinary Committee and the Big 3 of the Student Counsel joined the Dean's office, Sun Xinyi begins to explain the situation.)
"Sun: As you all know, a Category SS Ghoul has entered Hong Kong and three students has left to fight the Ghoul. As of this moment, you all have the permission to use your blessings and abilities outside campus grounds until the enemy is defeated or when higher ranked Mercenaries arrive. Any questions?"
"Lian: J-Just one... *yawn* What's the.. name of this G-Ghoul..?"
"Sun: That's what we're finding out. The Ghoul at the moment has no name but once its defeated, we will have it detained and analyzed."
(As they all understood, we return to now as Reinhard and the SS Category Ghoul was fighting at a fast pace but at the same time were delivering echoing and thundering strong blows to one another. The two then clasp in a test of strength as the ground beneath them began cracking.)
"???: You're not bad, for a mere kid!"
"Reinhard: Mere kid? Hahaha! I have leagues and leagues of power that you cannot comprehend to! You underestimate me because of my appearance... but how can you underestimate a foe, thousands of times stronger than you?!"
(As Reinhard than layers himself in seven layers of armor and delivers a powerful punch, the force was powerful enough to launch the Ghoul through the entire evacuation area into the skies as news helicopters were circling the scene of the fight. Suddenly, the Ghoul then laughs as the fight was more serious now and rockets back down to Reinhard, smashing through one of his first three layers of armor after enhancing his strength then was punched back once again after being given a cut on the side of his face.)
"Deadfall: HAHAHAHA!!! I like you kid... Reinhard was it? I am Deadfall, one of the fifteen Ghouls from three years ago, I can finally see no longer hold back against someone like you! I was BORED LOOKING FOR COMPETITION!!!"
"Reinhard: Then let us fight to our heart's content!"
(Suddenly before Deadfall could power up, Jia blasts Deadfall across the field then was attacked by Zexi at lightspeed then was blasted into the skies for an ariel combo until was axe-handle slammed back down as Deadfall then lands on his feet as the Student Counsel and the Disciplinary Committee arrived in time.)
"Deadfall: So... It seems you've called in some reinforcements?!"
"Reinhard: I only arrived here alone, calling for backup is not a manly idea for a one on one."
"Deadfall: Tch... At least you're honest, human... But the rest of you, you made a grave mistake.."
"Jia: Remember the training everyone!"
"Cheng, Peng, Lian & Qiu: RIGHT!"
"Deadfall: It seems you've all made a fatal miscalculation... Ghouls that are SS and above.. Can summon Ghouls from a 50 mile radius!"
(Deadfall then roars at the very top of his lungs with a hollowing screech as over three hundred rouge Ghouls from all corners of the 50 mile radius ring were coming to the center of the fight.)
"Reinhard: I will handle you myself, Deadfall!"
"Peng: INCOMING!"
(Before three Ghouls could slash down the sleepy Lian, Xuan releases a powerful disorienting wave towards the Ghouls while using her unleashed cheetah form.)
"Xuan: Are you already?"
"Lian: I'm fine... *Yawn* Sleep.. Blessing.. go..!"
(As Lian was floating on his blanket, his pillow once again becomes an active fighting tank and shield as incoming Ghouls were attacking the students while Reinhard battles Deadfall. During the fighting, Mercenaries were responding to the calls as the Big 3 of Hong Kong's Association were the ones to arrive quicker than expected and battle alongside the students of Jingyi Grand Academy while Jiia and the Exchange Mercenaries along with Negan were watching the fight to see what's going on.)
"Jiia: The Big 3 arrived before you guys-"
"Negan: We're not going."
"Jiia: Huh?"
"Negan: They didn't leave yet and I think this will be over quicker than expected."
"Jiia: Hm..."
(Meanwhile, Fen and Jia continued to battle out of hatred for one another as everyone else was concentrated on the Ghoul.)
"Fen: You're a failure of a leader, Yi."
"Jia: Don't call me by my last or first name, you're nothing but a backstabbing bastard!"
"Fen: Bastard?! You dare address your superior that way, bitch?"
"Jia: WHO THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"
(Jia releases a tornado out of rage which spins at fast speeds to turn the nearby Ghouls into mincemeat as Fen slashes a Ghoul behind her with a quick slash from her katana as she shoved Jia purposely.)
"Fen: I'm your superior! That's who I am you cheap piece of shit!"
"Jia: TCH!"
(Jia then blasts Fen with a strong wind cannon as Xinya then walks on air after stopping herself which revealed one of her hidden blessings.)
"Fen Xinya (
Tier S | Rank 1 | Power: Airwalk Blessing, ??? Blessing, ??? Spirit
): Tch, you forget the skies are mine, you damn slut."
(As Jia then scoffs, the two then began to fight each other as Reinhard and the Big 3 is close to finishing their fight with Deadfall.)
"Deadfall (Pained): It appears.. we've underestimated you... The Big 3 has never fought.. t-together... But you.. Reinhard, I.. will remember you... On the day of the f-final battle, we shall fight to the death...!"
(As Deadfall screeches in a Ghoulish language, the remaining Ghouls retreated and before Deadfall could escape, he'd notice an opening slash on his chest which lightens his entire body and in a mere second, a massive blinding light of sun obliterates Deadfall into ashes which stopped all the fighting, including Jia and Fen as a man in an all black suit carried his sheathed katana and stares down everyone without a second thought or a care in the world.)
"???: This is Jingyi Grand Academy's best and Hong Kong's Big 3? Tch, quite a shame."
"Gao: W-Who are you?!"
"???: Introductions aren't necessary. You'll know my name, when fate says its time to know."
(As the mysterious individual vanished after scanning the area, everyone then notices Jia and Fen still fighting each other aggressively as they both was bleeding in the process until the Disciplinary Committee and the Student Counsel separates the two from each other. Meanwhile at the main hideout base of the Ghouls, Deadfall returns after by sheer chance escaping the strong attack and kneels to the three Ghoul leaders sitting on their thrones out of respect.)
"Deadfall: Leaders, I have failed you. I could not infiltrate the academy..."
"???: ...Heh... Hehehe.... HAHAHAHAHA!!!! COULD NOT INFILTRATE?! You've done more than I even ordered you to! We have more than data on half of those Mercenaries..! You have done marvelous work, I dismiss you."
"Deadfall: ...Y-Yes leader."
(As Deadfall then leaves after being praised, the three then discussed their next plan of attack as one Ghoul with a punk styled attire and greenish streaked hair spoke up first.)
"Nylisa (
Category X Rated Ghoul | Power: Absorption Curse, Quake Spirit User
): What's our next plan of action for these Mercenary pissants?"
(The second Ghoul with the skin of a snake and the features of a chameleon wearing an all dark robe was then the second to speak.)
"Valence (
Category X Rated Ghoul | Power: Shape Curse, Energy/Technology Spirit User
): Hmm... Maybe we could use the knowledge we've learned and attack Mercenaries one by one then strike at the association."
"???: No need... Alert the Ghouls, we begin.. our most strategic phase yet."
(As the Ghoul then removed his mask, his face revealed half of his exposed flesh as a menacingly dark aura surrounded the Ghoul who'd reveal tendrils made of titanium steel and a hauntingly evil smirk on his face.)
"Triple Ghoul (
Category X Rated Ghoul | Power: ??? Blessing, ??? Curse, ??? Spirit
): I plan to return us to three years ago, where Ghouls has taken over the United Kingdom.. We of the fifteen will repopulate our murderous kind and annihilate every Mercenary in our path."
(As the Triple Ghoul then laughs manically, all fourteen Ghouls in his presence bows to him for he is the supreme Ghoul among the others.)
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There was a rumor going around the town about a cursed pen. According to the rumor, anyone who wrote with the pen would see all of their negative thoughts and wishes come true. And any positive thoughts or wishes would be twisted into negative events.
People whispered about the pen in hushed tones, afraid to speak of it too loudly. Some even claimed that the pen had been cursed by a vengeful spirit, seeking to bring misery and despair to those who used it.
Despite the warnings, there were always those who were curious enough to seek out the pen. They wanted to see if the rumor was true, or if it was just a silly superstition.
One such person was a young man named James. He was skeptical of the rumor, and he didn't believe that the pen could really be cursed. So he set out to find it, determined to prove everyone wrong.
James searched the town high and low, asking around and poking his nose into places where he wasn't welcome. Eventually, he managed to track down the pen. It was being sold by a strange old man who claimed to have found it in an abandoned house.
James bought the pen, eager to test it out. He wrote down a few negative thoughts, just to see what would happen. To his surprise, those thoughts started coming true almost immediately.
He wrote about his boss being fired, and the next day, his boss was let go. He wrote about his girlfriend breaking up with him, and that evening, she ended their relationship.
James couldn't believe it. The pen was cursed, just as everyone had said. He had to get rid of it before it brought anymore misery into his life.
He tossed the pen into the trash, hoping that it would never be found again. But he couldn't shake the feeling that the pen was still out there, waiting to bring more negativity and despair into the world.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0074] |
(While Bai was out training, Negan currently is shopping for more food at the nearby grocery store while awaiting the moment he is called in by Jiia at the Mercenary Association. Negan then picks out fresh quality porkchops along with some vegetables, spices and some cooking ingredients for tonight's dinner.)
"Negan: I wonder, does the kids like porkchops? Hmm... Eh, if they don't, I'll whip up something else for them."
(Negan buys the porkchops and everything else he got as he then notices a female Mercenary entering the store during her day off. She then notices Negan quickly and walks towards him.)
"???: Hey... You're Commander Negan, aren't you?"
"Negan: Don't tell me... Auerbach?"
"Silke Auerbach (
German Exchange Mercenary | Power: Radiation Blessing
): Haha! Your memory never gets old, no?"
"Negan: Not even for a moment, what brings you to China?"
"Silke: Simple! I joined the Exchange Mercenary Program! I am now one of Hong Kong's Mercenaries for the next three months!"
"Negan: That's quite a surprise to me, I never heard of an exchange program."
"Silke: Pretty sure Commander Jiia emailed you, no?"
"Negan: I'll check it later."
(As the two the leaves the grocery store, they continue to chat.)
"Silke: So you've done some shopping, seems like a lot of food one one individual."
"Negan: Long story short, I'm babysitting two grownups who act like kids."
"Silke: Haha!! Babysitter Negan, on duty!"
"Negan: You're just a childish as the old days, huh?"
(Silke laughed with a blush as she was joyful as ever. Negan was then hit with a chilling reminder of her dark past and believed she could be faking a smile.)
"How's your sister in Munich?"
"Silke: She's... still doing better! Just.. still sick."
"Negan: I see. I do pray for her health."
(As three vans drifts in the street where Negan and Silke are, the doors slam open as flamethrowers were then fired at the two as one of the commanding attackers ceased their fire as the flame begins dissolving on a black shadowy shield protected by the two and the attackers suddenly noticed the changed attitude on Silke's face.)
"Silke: You pitiful apes plan to ruin my reunion with an old friend of mines?"
"Assailant: Your "friend" there is responsible for interfering in business he never should've heard! So he must die!"
"Negan: Die? Ha. As if it was easy. I'm a killable human yes, but name me one person who ever had the guts to kill me without a second to hesitate?"
(They all were then silent at the disrespectful fact Negan has thrown.)
"Negan: You douchebags genuinely believe one of you can put me down right here? I won't fight with action, I'll use my words instead. Whoever you guys are commanded under clearly must be a fan of the 1800's. I need your leader to understand, we're not in that era anymore and its completely fucked up that you people decided to target a kid."
(They all were suddenly confused.)
"Negan: Oh? Confused are we? Bai Zhen, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you ugly bastards are the Hell Clan that promised "to kill me and Bai." Too bad so sad you cringe Comic-Con virgin bastards won't touch me even in about fifty years by the time I'm on my deathbed."
"Assailant #2: ENOUGH, I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF! NEGAN ZHIHAO!"
(As Negan was then charged at, Silke's anger became far too unstable as she turned her anger into radiation and roasts the charging enemy into smoldered charcoal as the rest of the Hell Clan assailants were then a little terrified.)
"Silke: I'll get rid of them.."
"Negan: No. You sit back gorgeous, I'll give you a show."
(Silke then smiles as if her angered face suddenly vanished. As Negan walked towards the three vans, he'd let himself be circled as he then sheaths his bat and begins fighting bare handed with martial art and bone-crushing techniques as Silke was blushing at Negan's close combat as she was suddenly remembered of his Marine days.)
-Silke's Memory, 8 years ago-
(Silke scoffed at her wounds as she was in a corner and was ready to be killed by an invading party. Suddenly, all six armed solders were killed silently yet brutally as Negan walked to the injured Silke and held his hand out but slaps it away knowing they were enemies.)
"Silke: Reason why you're saving me...?"
"Negan: Is it a crime?"
"Silke: ...Tch. You'll turn me in if you save me."
"Negan: If I was going to turn you in, I would've let them kill you."
(Silke then jumped at Negan's truthful yet harsh words then took his hand for a moment before getting up.)
"Silke: Not a joke...? Right...?"
"Negan: Not a joke, there's your team's medical tent northwest from here, keep walking until you hit the smoldering tree branches."
"Silke: Why are you even helping an enemy..?"
"Negan: ...You're too young to die, for a sixteen year old."
"Silke: ..."
"Negan: Plus, no one's gonna tell me what to fucking do, I'll break any law I want because laws is nothing but a government's tool to further crime rates."
(Silke then blushed in inspiration at Negan as she then returns to reality and watched him finish the remaining clan members.)
-Now-
"Negan: Earth to Silke, you okay?"
"Silke (Lovestruck): Yes...~"
"Negan: Thought you passed on by watching me. Anyway, I can invite you for dinner if you wish to come over.-"
"Silke: PLEASE!"
(Silke quickly perked herself up as the two ignored the gruesome and bloody scene which will be left for the Mercenary Association to clean up. Meanwhile, Xu and Bai was training inside a hidden domain which disconnects from the outside world. Bai was tired and exhausted as he finally unlocked the Nichirin blades but Xu was swinging one of the blades as she mastered the use of the weapon.)
"Xu: Come on Bai, that's 2,950-0. I'm not letting you go until you land one slash with your blessing weapon."
"Bai: It feels like we've been here for days..."
"Xu: This domain we're in actually disconnects itself from time and reality. To tell the truth, you're chronologically old the second you step into this domain. In short, there are no logical restrictions inside this realm so you're practically immortal like me here. Explains why every time I slice and dice you, you regenerate like so."
"Bai: So wait, is regeneration one of my abilities?"
"Xu: It is. I can gift you it once you hit me."
"Bai: Okay, timeout!"
"Xu: Huh?"
"Bai: How long have you been wanting to toy with me?"
"Xu: Toy with you? Bai, you're the one who promised to get stronger. Toying with you is one of the common ways to motivate the protagonist."
"Bai: ...Well, I won't fight that logic."
"Xu: Plus, I believe getting stronger is the primary goal for you. Ghouls are about to strike again and they plan to do an infiltration operation."
"Bai: Huh?! When?!"
"Xu: I don't know, but it's all I can say at the moment. Alright, break's over, lets continue!"
(As Bai and Xu continued training, Silke and Negan was currently having dinner at Bai's house as no one else returned home still.)
"Silke: Whoa.. This is a really nice house...!"
"Negan: The two brats I'm watching had a wealthy mother and father, but they passed a long time ago."
"Silke: I... I'm sorry to hear that..."
"Negan: Yeah, it was upsetting."
"Silke: Was it Ghouls..?"
"Negan: Right on the money too, it was Ghouls."
"Silke: I see... Negan. I despise Ghouls."
"Negan: I know you do, Silke."
"Silke: No... Like, very much. About my sister's health... I lied."
"Negan: Huh?"
"Silke: She... Mein sister was turned into a Ghoul."
"Negan: ...She what..?"
"Silke: I was weak, I couldn't save her in time."
"Negan: ...Your parents...?"
"Silke: She slaughtered my dad, my mother is in a deep coma.."
"Negan: ..."
(Silke began to whimper silently as tears fell down her face.)
"Silke: Negan... From one friend to another, please... I beg of you to put my sister out of her misery.."
"Negan: ..."
(As another week goes by, Bai then returned to classes as his school reopened as Negan then storms to Jiia's office's with a pissed off expression as she expected Negan to arrive.)
"Jiia: Negan."
"Negan: Shut it. I have to talk to you, is it possible to convert a Ghoul back into a human?"
"Jiia: Easier said than done, scientists in China has worked ever since three years ago to try and find a cure for Ghoul infected humans. Still nothing."
"Negan: Tch, humans are just as damn useless as Mercenaries."
"Jiia: I'm sorry you're irritated, okay? I already have my hands full."
"Negan: What do you mean?"
"Jiia: We have four new exchanged Mercenaries from overseas, they are returning soon. And just understand Negan, they are Elite Classed Mercenaries."
"Negan: Is that so...? Whatever, call me when they're here. I'm getting a drink."
"Jiia: Actually, they've been dispatched to eliminate a Ghoul hideout, only Lower A Category Ghouls. Nothing to worry about."
"Negan: Hm... What's the location-"
(The doors suddenly open as the four then returned quicker than expected.)
"???: Yo! Lady Yueja, we're back!"
"Jiia: Ah, excellent work everyone. Negan, these are the four new exchanges."
(Negan turns around to see one female teen-sized Mercenary and three adult-sized male Mercenaries as Negan wasn't the least bit stunned by either. Negan was then approached by the cocky Japanese exchange Mercenary, Kyoi Iena then scoffs at Negan as she expected more from him by his looks.)
"Kyoi Iena (
Japan Exchange Mercenary | Power: Psychic Blessing | E.C Mercenary
): So. This is Negan Zhihao? Hmph, he looks nothing of what I heard from three years ago, the nerve of you to be in the presence of the strong."
(As Negan didn't bother to show a reaction, a kendo stick swinging, low haircut Jayson was already irritated at Kyoi's attitude.)
"Jayson Kennedy (
U.S Exchange Mercenary | Power: Strength Blessing | E.C Mercenary
): Give it a damn rest already, you say that to everyone you consider weaker than you!"
"Kyoi: YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY ME DILDOHEAD?!"
"Jayson: THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
"Kyoi: YOU HEARD ME-"
(As the two continues to argue, the Korean exchange Mercenary, Tan Ye-Jun apologizes to Negan for the commotion.)
"Tan Ye-Jun (
Korean Exchange Mercenary | Power: Muscle Blessing | E.C Mercenary
): Please excuse these two, they've been at each other's throats all day."
"Negan: I can tell... So those two are Kennedy and Iena, you must be Ye-Jun and... who's that?"
(Negan then points to a headphone wearing adult who radiates a dangerous source of power but is listening to music.)
"Tan Ye-Jun: That is Cailean Gallach, the Scottish Exchange Mercenary. He's not much of a talker but he's pretty strong... Apparently, he doesn't have a Blessing or a Curse, theory holds he's a Spirit user."
"Negan: Is that so...?"
"Jiia: Ahem...! Now that we're all acquainted, we have-"
(Alarms were going off as a Category SS Ghoul was in a nearby area. As Negan and the four Mercenaries hears the announcement, areas were shutdown as an erupting earthquake awakens the ground and destroys a large portion of a residential area in the southwest areas of Hong Kong.)
"P.A System:
WARNING! A Category SS Ghoul has been located, destruction percentage to Hong Kong: 4% - High Class and higher Mercenaries are to be dispatched, please evacuate immediately!
"
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Dear Sir Elrik Valtennos (INFORMATION KEPT BY THE CONSENT OF THE SUBJECT),
I have to tell you about the most terrifying experience of my life. I am the keeper of the clocktower in the old castle on the hill, and I have always been fascinated by the stories of the Phantom that is said to dwell within its walls.
I had always wanted to see the Phantom for myself, but I knew that it was a dangerous and foolhardy pursuit. Despite the warnings of my colleagues, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had to see the Phantom for myself. I had to know if the stories were true.
And last night, I finally encountered the Phantom. It was a ghostly being with glowing eyes and a cloak of shadows. It appeared and disappeared at will, and I could feel its cold, clammy breath on my skin.
The Phantom seemed to be taunting me, leading me deeper and deeper into the clocktower. I knew that I was in danger, but I couldn't bring myself to turn back. I was under its hypnotic gaze, and I was powerless to resist.
As the night wore on, the Phantom revealed its true power to me. It was able to manipulate time itself, making the hours stretch on endlessly. I could feel myself aging, and I knew that I was running out of time.
I tried to fight back, but the Phantom was too powerful. Kind of like its tentacles seemed to reach out from the shadows, wrapping around me and pulling me closer. I could feel its icy touch on my skin, and I knew that I was doomed.
I am convinced that the Phantom is going to kill me. I can feel its presence all around me, and I know that it is only a matter of time before it strikes.
But even as I despair, I refuse to give up. I will fight to the very end, even if it means sacrificing myself to defeat the Phantom.
I don't know if I will make it out of here alive, but I had to write this letter to warn you about the Phantom. If you ever encounter it, turn back. Don't let it lure you in like it did to me.
I am sorry if I have caused you any worry or concern, but I had to tell you the truth about the Phantom. Please be careful.
I don't know if this letter will ever reach you, but I had to try. I need to let someone know about the Phantom, in case I don't make it out of here alive.
I am sorry for everything, and I wish that I could have done more. But I hope that my warning will help to prevent anyone else from experiencing what I have experienced.
Sincerely,
[Keeper of the Clocktower]
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0024] |
In a world filled with darkness and danger, there are those who brave the shadows in search of truth. These are the keepers of tales, the ones who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the mysteries of the night.
For centuries, they have sought out the stories that others fear to tell. They have traveled to the farthest reaches of the earth, braving the unknown and the unimaginable in pursuit of the truth.
And now, for the first time, their stories are being brought together in one place. The Dark Collection of the Keepers of Tales is a testament to the bravery and curiosity of these intrepid travelers, and a warning to all who dare to venture into the unknown.
Beware, for within these pages you will find creatures of darkness and terror, ancient deities that rule over entire worlds, and demonic entities that dwell in the shadows. These are the stories of the many keepers of tales, and they are not for the faint of heart.
Enter at your own risk, for the darkness may consume you. But if you are brave enough to face it, the rewards will be great, for within these stories lie the secrets of the universe and the power to confront our deepest fears. |
It was a dark and stormy night, and the Traveling Merchant was making his way down Alley Road, a winding path through the dense forest. He had been on the road for days, and he was looking forward to finally reaching his destination.
But as he rode through the forest, disaster struck. A bolt of lightning struck a tree, and it fell across the road, blocking his way. The Traveling Merchant tried to turn his horses around, but it was too late. They were spooked by the storm, and they bolted, throwing him to the ground.
The Traveling Merchant was bruised and battered, but he was still alive. He tried to stand up, but his legs wouldn't support him. He collapsed to the ground, feeling helpless and alone.
As he lay there, he heard a strange noise. It sounded like laughter, but it was unlike any laughter he had ever heard before. It was high-pitched and ethereal, and it seemed to be coming from all around him.
The Traveling Merchant tried to crawl away, but his strength was gone. He was trapped, unable to move or defend himself.
And then, he saw it. A figure emerged from the shadows, and as it approached, the Traveling Merchant realized with horror that it was a headless fairy.
The headless fairy was a legend in these parts, a demon that was said to roam the forest at night, luring travelers to their doom. It shone bright with an otherworldly light, and it seemed to have a mind of its own.
The Traveling Merchant tried to scream, but no sound came out. He was paralyzed with fear, unable to do anything but watch as the headless fairy approached.
It stood over him, its headless body glowing with an unearthly light. The Traveling Merchant could feel its presence, and he knew that he was in grave danger.
And then, the headless fairy reached out and touched him. The Traveling Merchant felt a searing pain, and he blacked out.
When he woke up, he was alone. The headless fairy was gone, and the Traveling Merchant was left to wonder what had happened to him.
He tried to stand up, but his legs were still too weak. He was lost in the forest, with no way to get help.
As the night went on, the Traveling Merchant began to feel a strange sensation. It was as if something was inside him, something that was taking control.
He tried to fight it, but it was too strong. He was powerless to stop it, and he knew that he was doomed.
The Traveling Merchant realized then that the headless fairy had possessed him, and that he would never be able to escape its grasp. He was doomed to wander the forest forever, a victim of the demon's evil magic.
As the days passed, the Traveling Merchant became more and more like the headless fairy. He began to glow with an otherworldly light, and he started to lure travelers to their doom just like the demon had done to him.
He became known as the Headless Fairy of Alley Road, a legend that was whispered about in fear by those who knew of its existence.
And so, the Traveling Merchant was doomed to roam the forest forever, a victim of the headless fairy's curse. He would never know peace, and he would never be able to escape the demon's grasp. He was doomed to be the Headless Fairy of Alley Road, a terrifying and malevolent spirit that would haunt the forest for all eternity. Preying on those who pass the forests of Alley Road.
[Retrieved Account From Tale Keeper #0008] |
I had always been fascinated by the stories of the Maw Demon. It was a terrifying creature that dwelled in the depths of the earth and fed on the fear of its victims. I had always wanted to see one for myself, but I knew that it was a dangerous and foolhardy pursuit.
Despite the warnings of my friends and family, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had to see the Maw Demon for myself. I had to know if the stories were true.
So I set out on a journey to find the creature. It wasn't easy, as the Maw Demon was said to dwell in the most remote and dangerous parts of the world. But I was determined, and I refused to give up.
After weeks of searching, I finally found what I was looking for. I came upon a deep, dark hole in the ground, and I knew that this was the entrance to the Maw Demon's lair.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I really wanted to go through with this. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to descend into the hole.
The descent was treacherous, and I had to use all of my strength and skill to navigate the narrow, twisting tunnels. But I finally emerged into a vast, dark chamber.
And there, in the center of the chamber, was the Maw Demon.
It was even more terrifying than I had imagined. Its massive, razor-sharp mouth was filled with rows upon rows of jagged teeth, and its eyes burned with an otherworldly light.
I stood there, frozen with fear, as the Maw Demon approached me. I could feel its cold, clammy breath on my skin, and I knew that I was about to die.
But instead of attacking me, the Maw Demon stopped and stared at me with its hypnotic gaze. I could feel it entering my mind, twisting and manipulating my thoughts.
I fought against it with all of my might, but I knew that I was no match for the Maw Demon's power. It was only a matter of time before it consumed me.
But then, something strange happened. The Maw Demon stopped its attack and recoiled in surprise. I could feel its confusion and fear, and I knew that something was wrong.
I took the opportunity to strike, driving my sword into the Maw Demon's chest. It let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream and vanished back into the depths from which it came.
I stood there, panting and covered in sweat, as the realization of what had just happened washed over me. I had faced the Maw Demon and survived.
I knew that I had been lucky, and that I had to leave the Maw Demon's lair before it returned. So I gathered my things and made my way back to the surface.
As I emerged into the sunlight, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. I had faced my worst fear and come out on top.
I knew that I would never forget the Maw Demon, but I also knew that I was ready to face whatever challenges the world might throw my way. I was no longer afraid.
[Retrieved Account From Tale Keeper #0054] |
I woke up to find that I was no longer in my bed. I was lying on the cold, hard floor of a dark, dank room that I had never seen before. I tried to get up, but my arms and legs were bound by heavy chains.
As I struggled to free myself, I heard a faint rustling sound coming from the corner of the room. My heart raced as I realized that something was in the room with me.
A shadowy figure emerged from the darkness, its form shifting and changing with every step. It was the Night Terror, a creature that fed on the fears of those it encountered.
The Night Terror approached me slowly, its laughter echoing in my ears. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I was frozen with fear as the creature reached out to touch me.
But instead of consuming me, the Night Terror merely chuckled and whispered in my ear. "Your fear is delicious," it said. "But I have much bigger plans for you. You will be my entertainment for all eternity."
I begged and pleaded for mercy, but the Night Terror merely laughed and vanished back into the shadows.
I was left alone in the dark, bound and terrified. I knew that I would never escape the clutches of the Night Terror, and I would be its prisoner for all time.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The Night Terror visited me every night, taunting me with my worst fears and feeding on my terror.
I lost track of time, and I began to wonder if I would ever see the light of day again. But I refused to give up hope. I knew that there had to be a way out of this nightmare.
One night, when the Night Terror was particularly vicious, I managed to summon all of my strength and break free of my chains. I ran for the door, not knowing where it would lead, but desperate to escape the darkness.
I burst out of the room and into the night, my heart racing. I knew that the Night Terror would be hot on my heels, but I didn't care. I had to get away.
I ran through the streets, my feet pounding the pavement, until I finally collapsed in exhaustion. I looked up to see the sun rising over the horizon, and I knew that I had finally escaped the clutches of the Night Terror.
I was free. But even as I rejoiced in my freedom, I knew that the Night Terror would always be lurking in the shadows, waiting to prey on my fears once again. The end.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0023] |
The abandoned hospital was a place of mystery and fear. No one dared to go near it, for it was said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy.
Those who had ventured inside had reported strange noises and screams, as if someone was in great pain. And yet, no one had ever seen the boy. He was a figment of the imagination, a mere legend.
But that didn't stop the curious from trying to find him. They came from far and wide, drawn by the promise of the unknown. They wanted to see the ghost, to prove that it was real.
One such person was a young woman. She was determined to find the boy, no matter what. She had always been fascinated by the supernatural, and this was the perfect opportunity to test her theories.
So, she gathered her courage and set out for the abandoned hospital. She arrived in the early morning, when the air was still cold and the sky was just starting to lighten.
As she approached the hospital, she could feel a sense of unease growing inside her. She had heard the stories, and she knew what was supposed to happen.
But she was determined to see this through. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The hospital was dark and musty, with cobwebs covering the walls and floors. The air was heavy with the smell of decay, and she could feel her heart racing.
She made her way through the corridors, calling out for the boy. She listened for any sign of movement, but there was none. The hospital was silent, except for the sound of her own footsteps.
As she explored the hospital, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She kept turning around, expecting to see someone there. But every time, there was nothing.
Finally, she came to a room at the end of the corridor. It was a small, windowless room with a single bed. And lying on the bed was the boy.
She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The boy was real, and he was lying there, staring at her with his wide, empty eyes.
She wanted to run, but she couldn't move. She was trapped, caught in the boy's gaze.
Suddenly, the boy sat up and reached out his hand. She gasped and took a step back.
But the boy didn't move. He just stared at her, his hand outstretched.
She didn't know what to do. She was terrified, but she couldn't leave the boy alone.
So, she slowly reached out and took his hand. And as she did, the boy's face changed.
The empty eyes filled with life, and a smile spread across his face. He squeezed her hand, and she felt a warmth spread through her body.
She smiled back at the boy, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. And then, he was gone. And then, she was gone too.
[Retrieved Account From Tale Keeper #0028] |
The villagers whispered stories of a demon and a unicorn girl who roamed the forest at night, preying on unsuspecting travelers. No one knew where they came from, or why they were doing this. All anyone knew was that if you saw them, you were as good as dead.
It was said that the unicorn girl was born with a horn, a genetic anomaly that made the villagers shun her. Her parents, unable to bear the shame of having a freak for a daughter, abandoned her in the forest to die.
But death did not come for the unicorn girl. Instead, a demon found her, drawn to her horn and her otherworldly beauty. The demon took the unicorn girl under its wing, using her as a pawn to torment and kill those who crossed their path.
As the unicorn girl grew, she became more powerful, her horn glowing with an otherworldly energy. She and the demon roamed the forest, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.
No one knew how to stop them, or even how to find them. They seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving only whispers and stories behind.
But one night, a brave lucky traveler stumbled upon the demon and the unicorn girl, watching as they feasted on the remains of their latest victim. The traveler knew they couldn't defeat the powerful duo on their own, so they fled, spreading the tale of the demon and the unicorn girl to anyone who would listen.
No one knew what became of them, but all feared the night after hearing the tale, for it was said that they still roamed the forest, waiting to claim their next victim.
[Received From Tale Keeper #0105] |
I always loved going to my grandmother's house for the holidays. She lived in a small, cozy cottage in the countryside, and she always made me feel welcome. She would spoil me with gifts and treats, and we would spend hours talking and playing games.
One year, when I went to visit her, I noticed that she had bought a new clock. It was a beautiful, ornate piece with a gleaming wooden case and a brass pendulum. She told me that she had found it at a flea market, and that it had been made by a famous clockmaker.
At first, the clock seemed to work just fine. It would chime on the hour, and give a louder bell when it hit 12 or 6. But at night, I noticed that it would also ring its bell at 3 am, quite loudly. I would wake up from the sound, and rub my eyes, wondering what could be the matter.
My grandmother seemed to be sleeping soundly, however. She would snore softly in her bed, completely oblivious to the racket. I would lay there for a few minutes, listening to the clock as it ticked away, and then I would drift back to sleep.
A few weeks later, I went back to visit my grandmother again. This time, she was a bit sick. She had a cold, and she was coughing and sneezing a lot. I wasn't too worried, however. My grandmother was a tough old bird, and she had always recovered quickly from her ailments.
That night, when I went to bed, I made sure to set my alarm just before 3 am. I wanted to see if the clock would ring again, and I wanted to know if my grandmother was aware of it.
Sure enough, when the clock struck 3, it began to ring its bell very loudly. I woke up from the sound, feeling disoriented and confused. My grandmother was still sleeping, however. She didn't seem to be bothered by the noise at all.
I lay there for a few minutes, listening to the clock as it ticked away, and then I fell back asleep. When I woke up in the morning, my grandmother was still in bed. She wouldn't wake up, no matter how hard I tried to rouse her.
After some investigations, I was accused of my grandmother's murder. The authorities said that I had killed her in her sleep, and that I had stolen her possessions. They took me away in handcuffs, and I was thrown into jail.
The clock, the house, and everything that my grandmother owned was sold. I never saw any of it again.
To this day, I don't know what happened to the clock. It could be anywhere by now, collecting dust in some forgotten attic. Or it could be out there somewhere, still ticking away, probably connected to the death of my grandmother in some way.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0205] |
It was a dark and stormy night, and I was making my way home from the village when I heard the sound of crying. It was a faint, mournful sound, and it seemed to be coming from the stream that ran alongside the road.
I hesitated for a moment, not sure if I should investigate. But something about the sound tugged at my heartstrings, and I knew that I had to do something. So I made my way to the stream, trying to follow the sound of the crying.
As I approached the water, I saw a ghostly figure kneeling beside the stream. It was a woman with long, flowing hair and a white dress. She was crying so hard that she didn't seem to notice me.
I wanted to help her, but something about the way she was crying made me hesitate. It was like she was in so much pain that she couldn't even see me. I didn't want to disturb her, but I also didn't want to leave her alone in her sorrow.
As I stood there, trying to decide what to do, I noticed that the water in the stream was starting to rise. It was a strange, unnatural phenomenon, and I knew that it was somehow connected to the crying woman.
I realized that I had to get out of there. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that I didn't want to be around when the water reached its peak. So I turned and ran, leaving the crying woman behind.
As I fled, I heard a voice calling out to me. It was the voice of the crying woman, and it was filled with desperation. "Please, help me," she begged. "I'm so alone, and I don't know what to do."
I wanted to go back and help her, but I knew that it was too risky. I had no idea what was causing the water to rise, or what the woman was capable of. I didn't want to take any chances.
So I kept running, not stopping until I reached the safety of my home. I locked the door behind me and sat down to catch my breath.
I couldn't shake the image of the crying woman from my mind. She had looked so pitiful and alone, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. Was she a ghost, or was she something more sinister? And what was causing the water to rise like that?
I knew that I had to find out more, but I also knew that I couldn't do it alone. I needed someone to help me, someone who knew more about the supernatural than I did.
The next morning, I set out to find help. I searched the village for anyone who might know more about the crying woman, as I had come to think of her. I asked around, hoping that someone would have some information that could help me.
After a few days of searching, I finally found someone who was willing to help. It was an old man who lived on the edge of the village, and he had a reputation for knowing about these things.
I went to see him, and he listened patiently as I told him about the woman and the strange events that had transpired. When I was finished, he nodded thoughtfully.
"I've heard of this creature before," he said. "They call her the Streamside Weeper because she's always crying beside a stream, and anyone who tries to help her ends up getting killed. She looks so real, and those who approach her don't realize it until it's too late."
I listened in horror as the old man told me more about the Streamside Weeper. It seemed that she was a deadly creature, one that should be avoided at all costs.
"But there might be a way to defeat her," the old man said. "I have a recipe for a special potion that can banish her back to the realm from which she came. It's risky, but it might be worth a try."
I listened as the old man told me how to make the potion, and I knew that I had to try it. I couldn't let the Weeper continue to haunt the streamside, causing misery and death to all who approached her.
So I set out to gather the ingredients for the potion, determined to put an end to the Streamside Weeper's reign of terror once and for all. It wasn't easy, but I eventually managed to find everything that I needed.
With the potion in hand, I made my way back to the streamside, determined to put an end to the Streamside Weeper's reign of terror once and for all.
I approached the stream cautiously, my heart racing with fear. I knew that the Streamside Weeper was somewhere nearby, and I didn't want to be caught off guard.
As I neared the water, I saw the ghostly figure of the Streamside Weeper kneeling beside the stream, just as I had seen her before. She was still crying, and I could see the pain and sorrow in her eyes.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should try to talk to her. But then I remembered the old man's warning, and I knew that I had to be careful.
I crept closer, holding the potion out in front of me. When I was close enough, I threw the potion at the Streamside Weeper, hoping that it would work.
To my relief, the potion struck the Streamside Weeper and she let out a shriek of pain. The water in the stream started to recede, and I knew that I had succeeded.
The Streamside Weeper vanished, disappearing back into the realm from which she came. The stream returned to normal, and the danger was gone.
I let out a sigh of relief, grateful that the Streamside Weeper was no more. I knew that I had done the right thing, and that I had saved countless lives in the process.
I made my way back home, feeling proud of what I had accomplished. And from that day on, the streamside was safe once more. Or so I thought.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0012]
Note: "This account was discovered during the search for the bodies of a village that had been flooded." |
Hazelnut Park was a place of beauty and mystery. Nestled in the heart of the city, it was a place where people came to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
But there was one spot in the park that was avoided by all who knew of its reputation. It was a simple wooden bench, tucked away in a quiet corner. But it was no ordinary bench.
It was known as the lover's bench, and it was said to be cursed.
The legend went that the bench was built on top of a grave, in a corner of the park that used to be a cemetery for a pagan village. And those who sat on the bench, it was said, would suffer the same fate as the person buried beneath it.
No one knew who the person was, or what had happened to them. But the legend persisted, and no one dared to test it.
Until one day, a young couple decided to take their chances.
They were in love, and they didn't believe in curses. So they sat down on the lover's bench, determined to prove the legend wrong.
At first, everything seemed fine. They laughed and talked, enjoying each other's company.
But as the minutes ticked by, things started to change. The air grew colder, and a sense of unease settled over them.
The couple tried to ignore it, but they couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. They looked around, but there was no one there.
Suddenly, the bench began to shake. The couple grabbed onto each other, terrified. They tried to stand up, but they were frozen in place.
As the shaking grew more violent, they knew they were in trouble. They tried to scream for help, but no sound came out.
And then, it was over. The bench stopped shaking, and the couple was released from its hold.
They stumbled to their feet, gasping for air. They looked at each other, and in that moment, they knew that their love was gone.
They broke up that day, and were never seen again.
The legend of the lover's bench lived on, a warning to all who dared to test its power. And no one ever sat on the bench again.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0058] |
I was a detective, and I had seen my fair share of strange cases. But nothing could have prepared me for the mystery of the Gatekeeper of Castle Valley.
Castle Valley was a beautiful place, a valley filled with seven grand castles that were said to be home to some of the most powerful and wealthy people in the land. It was a place of magic and wonder, but it was also a place of darkness and danger.
The rumors had started a few months ago. People had begun to vanish, and their bodies were turning up on the streets of the nearby town. The victims all had one thing in common: they had all been to Castle Valley.
At first, the authorities had dismissed the rumors as baseless. They had assumed that the victims had simply died of natural causes, or that they had been killed by thieves or bandits.
But as the bodies continued to pile up, it became clear that something more sinister was at work. People were starting to believe that Castle Valley was haunted, and that the ghosts of the valley were responsible for the deaths.
I was skeptical at first. I had always been a man of reason, and I didn't believe in ghosts or supernatural forces. But as I looked into the case, I started to realize that there might be more to the rumors than I had thought.
I began to investigate, and I soon discovered that there was a strange gate at the entrance to Castle Valley. It was said that the gate was guarded by a ghostly figure, a being that was known as the Gatekeeper.
The Gatekeeper was said to be a malevolent spirit, a creature that was feared by all who knew of its existence. It was said that anyone who stopped by the gate would be doomed, and that they would be found dead the next morning.
I was skeptical, but I couldn't ignore the mounting evidence. I decided to visit Castle Valley, and to see the gate for myself.
I arrived at the valley late at night, and as I approached the gate, I saw something strange. The gate seemed to materialize out of nowhere, as if it had been there all along, waiting for me.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should turn back. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped through the gate.
As I entered the valley, I saw the ghostly figure of the Gatekeeper. It was a terrifying sight, a being that seemed to be made of smoke and shadow. It stood at the gate, watching me with empty eyes.
I tried to run, but I was frozen with fear. I could feel the malevolent presence of the Gatekeeper, and I knew that I was doomed.
And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the Gatekeeper vanished. I was alone in the valley, and I knew that I would never be the same again.
I left Castle Valley that night, and I never looked back. I never spoke of what I had seen, and I never returned to the valley.
But I always knew that the Gatekeeper was out there, waiting for its next victim. And I knew that the mystery of Castle Valley would never be solved, because the gate would always be there, waiting for someone else to pass through.
[Retrieved Account From Tale Keeper #0062] |
I love books. I always have. There's something magical about the way the words on the page come together to tell a story, to transport you to another world.
But there's one book that I wish I had never read. It's a book by the faceless writer, a mysterious figure who has written many books but has no identity. No one knows who the faceless writer is, or even what they look like.
The books by the faceless writer are always positive, uplifting stories that are easy to read. They're the kind of books that make you feel good about yourself and the world around you.
But that's what makes them so dangerous.
You see, the faceless writer uses their books to gather the souls and faces of those who read them. It's a subtle process, one that you might not even notice. But as you turn each page, you're giving a little bit of yourself away.
And when you finish the book, you're left with an emptiness that you can't explain. You feel hollow and empty, as if something is missing.
That's because it is. Your soul and your face are gone, taken by the faceless writer.
I should have known better. I should have stayed away from the books by the faceless writer. But I was drawn in by the positive messages, and I couldn't resist.
Now, I'm left with nothing. No soul, no face. Just an empty shell, wandering the world in search of something to fill the void.
I've tried to warn others about the faceless writer, but no one will listen. They think I'm crazy, or that I'm just trying to scare them.
But I know the truth. I've seen the faceless writer, and I know what they're capable of.
And that's why I can't stop reading their books. I'm addicted, and I can't break free.
I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. I'm running out of time, and the faceless writer is always watching.
Why won't you read stories by the faceless writer? |
For some people, the faces in the dark were a mystery to those who saw them. They appeared at night, in the corners of people's eyes, and they were always watching.
No one knew where they came from, or what they wanted. They were just there, always present, always watching.
For some, the faces were a source of fear. They couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, even when they were alone. They lived in constant terror, never knowing when the faces would appear.
Others saw the faces as a sign of something greater. They believed that the faces were a message from the beyond, a warning of things to come. They tried to decipher the faces, to understand what they meant.
But no one could agree on what the faces meant. Some saw them as a sign of danger, while others saw them as a sign of hope.
The only thing that everyone agreed on was that the faces were there, always watching, always present.
And then, one day, something changed. The faces started to move.
At first, it was just a flicker, a subtle shift in the darkness. But as the days went on, the faces became more active. They seemed to be reaching out, as if they were trying to communicate.
People were terrified. They didn't know what the faces wanted, or why they were moving. They just knew that they had to get away.
But the faces followed them, always there in the corners of their eyes. They were never far away, always watching, always waiting.
As the faces moved closer and closer, people realized that they were not human faces at all. They were demonic, with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth.
People tried to run, but the faces were too fast. They seemed to be everywhere at once, blocking every escape route.
The screams of the victims filled the air as the faces closed in, their sharp teeth glinting in the darkness.
Some managed to escape, but many were not so lucky. The faces dragged them into the shadows, where they were never seen again.
[Retrieved Account From Tale Keeper #0008] |
Have you ever had a dream that felt so real, you couldn't tell the difference between it and reality? I used to have those kinds of dreams all the time. I would wake up feeling rested and refreshed, like I had just spent the night in some other world.
But then, one night, something changed. I had a dream that was unlike any other. It was a nightmare, but it didn't feel like one. It was more like a fairy tale, with bright colors and happy endings.
As I lay there in bed, drifting off to sleep, I felt a strange sensation in my ear. It was like a tickle, or a gentle breeze. I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just my imagination.
But then, I saw a spider crawling out of my ear. It was a small, normal-looking spider, with eight black legs and a shiny exoskeleton. It didn't seem dangerous, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
I tried to brush the spider away, but it was too late. It had already climbed into my head, and I could feel it moving around inside my brain.
At first, I was terrified. I thought I was going crazy, or that I was having some kind of seizure. But then, the spider started to spin a web in my mind. It was a beautiful, intricate web, with shimmering strands of gold and silver.
As the spider worked, I felt my fear melting away. I felt my body relaxing, and my mind drifting off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I don't know how long I slept, but when I woke up, I felt refreshed and renewed. I had no idea what had happened, but I knew that I had had the best night's sleep of my life.
But as the days went by, I started to notice something strange. My dreams were becoming more and more vivid, more and more surreal. I would wake up feeling like I had been to another world, and I would spend hours trying to make sense of what had happened.
And then, one day, I realized the truth. The spider was still inside my head, eating my brain and giving me these wonderful dreams. I tried to get rid of it, but it was too late. I was already trapped in its web, and I would never wake up again.
So if you ever have a dream that feels too real, be careful. You never know what kind of spider might be lurking in the shadows, waiting to weave its way into your mind.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0017] |
Dear [The Keeper Of The Tales] (INFORMATION REDACTED),
I don't know how to explain it, but I've always had the worst luck. It's like there's a ghost that's always behind my head, following me wherever I go and causing me nothing but misery and despair.
I've tried everything to shake this curse, but nothing seems to work. I've tried changing my routine, moving to different places, and even seeking help from mystics and spiritualists, but nothing seems to help. The bad luck just keeps following me, no matter what I do.
I've lost count of all the mishaps and accidents I've had. I've been struck by lightning, bitten by venomous snakes, and even survived a plane crash. And those are just the big things. The small stuff is even worse. I can't even buy a lottery ticket without something going wrong.
I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it's true. I've even tried to find out what's causing all this bad luck, but all I've come up with is that there must be some kind of supernatural force at work. Maybe it's a ghost, or a demon, or a curse. Whatever it is, it's ruining my life.
I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm trapped in this cycle of misery, and there's no way out. Every time I try to turn my life around, something goes wrong. It's like the universe is conspiring against me.
I've even thought about ending it all, just to escape this endless cycle of bad luck. But then I think about my family, and I know that I can't do that to them. They've already suffered enough because of my cursed existence.
I just wish that I could find some way to break this curse, or at least figure out what's causing it. Maybe if I could understand what's going on, I could find a way to fix it.
But for now, I'm stuck. I'm stuck in this cycle of misery, with no end in sight. I just have to keep going, and hope that someday, somehow, things will get better.
I know this letter probably won't do any good, but I had to write it. I had to let someone know about the ghost that's always behind my head. Maybe if I can get the word out, someone will be able to help me.
Please, if you have any idea how to help me, let me know. I'm desperate.
Sincerely, [Unfortunate Man](INFORMATION REDACTED)
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0024] |
The forest was a dangerous place, especially for those who were lost. The young girl had been wandering for hours, her senses heightened as she tried to find her way back home. She had been picking berries when she had gotten turned around, and now she was lost.
As the sun began to set, the girl became increasingly worried. She knew she had to find shelter before nightfall, but she had no idea where she was. She had heard stories of the Wandering Elf, a demonic entity with red eyes that roamed the forest, luring lost travelers away from the path and into the darkness.
Just as the girl was about to give up hope, she saw a glimmer of green in the distance. She hesitated at first, but her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to investigate. As she got closer, she saw that it was an elf, with skin as green as the leaves on the trees.
The elf seemed to sense the girl's presence and turned to look at her. Its red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and the girl felt a sense of dread wash over her. She knew she had to run, but her legs seemed to be rooted to the spot.
The elf reached out a hand, beckoning the girl to follow. The girl knew she should resist, but something about the elf's gaze was hypnotic. She found herself walking towards the elf, her feet moving of their own accord.
The girl followed the elf deeper and deeper into the forest, her sense of direction completely lost. She knew she should turn back, but the elf's presence was like a drug, drawing her in and making her forget her fear.
As the night grew darker, the girl realized she was lost forever. She would wander the forest alongside the Wandering Elf, her fate tied to that of the demonic entity. The mystery was never solved. Some say they're still out there, luring in the lost and trapping them in the darkness forever.
[Received From Tale Keeper #0029] |
I've always been a lumberjack, and I've spent most of my life in the forest. I know every inch of it, every tree and every rock. I know the animals that live there, and I know how to stay safe.
Or so I thought.
It was a cold winter day, and I was out chopping wood. The air was crisp and clean, and the sound of my axe ringing through the trees was music to my ears. I was lost in thought, not paying attention to anything else.
And then, I heard it. Fast footsteps, coming closer and closer. I turned around, but I saw nothing. Just trees and shadows.
I tried to tell myself it was just my imagination, but the sound kept getting louder and louder. It was like a stampede, coming right for me.
I started to run, but it was too late. I could feel them closing in, surrounding me. I could see their twisted, demonic faces leering at me, their sharp teeth bared.
They were the forest imps, fast and agile demons that prey upon those who dare to enter the dense forests. They live in groups, like a pack of wolves, and they love nothing more than to hunt and eat humans.
I was terrified, but I knew I had to do something. I fell to my knees and started to pray, hoping that some higher power would save me from these monsters.
And then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone. The forest was quiet again, and I was alone.
I don't know how I managed to survive, but I know I'll never go back to that forest again. The forest imps are still out there, waiting for their next victim. And I don't want to be it.
I tried to tell people about what had happened to me, but no one believed me. They thought I was crazy, or just making up stories. But I knew the truth. I had seen the forest imps with my own eyes, and I knew they were real.
I couldn't shake the feeling that they were still out there, watching me. Every time I went into a forest, sometimes even far away, I could still feel their presence. I could hear their footsteps, just out of sight. They're following me, and probably won't stop chasing me until I'm dead.
With this, I don't know whether I'll live. As a lumberjack, who couldn't even step into a forest, is like a seamster who doesn't have thread and needles. Either way, I'm dead.
Don't go into forests. The forest imps are waiting for you too.
[Received From Tale Keeper #0354] |
The film's depiction of what happen to the reincarnation of Eve caught the attention of the Vatican.
I stare at this sentence for a while. The empty sounds of this cool Wednesday night perfectly capture my feelings of this sentence. Soon, minutes pass as I watch the words on the computer screen, not feeling anything behind them. I hold the delete key, erasing the lifeless words from existence. I need something with more of a punch. My hands flinch before typing a new sentence.
The Vatican caught wind of the blasphemous movie and began the coordinated protest to stop the film from screening.
My hands run through my hair, digging up any grains of creativity. This is the bane of my night. I am struggling to finish the last article of my online magazine, Dreadstiary. It's a horror zine that I run with my best friend Ben and this article, The 7 Lost Horror Movies, was the star of this issue. My hands push against the desk. I spin away from the stressful situation at my computer. The sight of my messy room rotates around me. The clothes near my bed balled in small mounds, the movies stacked on the drawer next to my couch, my movie shelf sloppily put together since it's messing said movies next to my couch. Tilting my head up brings my sight to a cluster of movie posters above my bed. I put my feet down to slow my desperate spin until I stop in front of 2 posters.
I stare at the 2 movie posters, letting my brain reboot at the sight of beautiful artwork of some of my favorite horror movies. A horrified woman whose silhouette forms a dog's mouth, styled in a haunting oil painting to form the poster for The Howls of a Daughter by Gigori Monti. The poster next to it looked more contemporary in comparison. A view of the Earth from space loomed behind the warping of blue, green, and red that came together to create a nude woman. This made up Cosmic Blood by Aiden Perry, my favorite horror movie of all time.
Staring at both posters, I notice how soothing my heartbeat became. I spin around in my chair before heading back to my computer to finish the article. Suddenly, a Sunii notification pops up on my screen. The screen shows an incoming video call from Ben. I dig around my desk moving Blu-ray cases and notes, trying to find my webcam, so I can accept his call. A few seconds of searching, I notice it peaking out behind a pile of Asian Zombie movies. Setting it up, I accept the call. Ben's face pops on my screen. The monitor light shines bright, illuminating his dark face and curly hair that flows behind his back. He turns his room light on after noticing I answer the call.
"You took some time answering! Almost began to worry."
Sarcasm drips from Ben as his room came into view. A clutter of monster limbs from our previous adventure fills the background. Creature hands mixed in with dirty clothes mimicking a creature last grasps of life surrounds him. The morbid sight didn't really catch my eye, unlike of The husk of a massive ant head hung behind his own.
"Staring at the new trophy, huh!"
He bends back on his chair, so the husk is in full view. His webcam focuses on it to sharping the details of the ant head. The size of it is as large as a football. There's a visible large crack between feelers of the ant's head and a missing mandible. Guess that's how Ben was able to take it down.
"That ant gave me quite the problem, but I was able to take care of it. Anyway, how is the article coming along?"
"I'm still struggling on the 7 Lost movies article. I finished writing about Curse of the Skull Servant, and now I'm on the Last Rites of Eve, and it's not clicking."
"Max, you need to chill out for a bit. I read the draft of it, and it was fine."
"It can't be just fine. It needs to be perfect! We're starting to lose the boost in downloads we got a few months back."
Ben brings his full attention to me.
"Hmm, that does sound bad." Ben spins around a bit before centering again. "Sounds like we should bring out the big guns. I've been scouting out some huge monster rats in up in North Anthame. A quick field report page wouldn't hurt."
He shares his screen showing a map of Northern Anthame. Various locations were circled, including the Gregor power plant. Each circled location has a good chunk of notes next to it. I quickly scan them to check if the content would be enough for an article. Including the map, it would definitely be a good read, but it's missing something.
"Not bad, do you have a picture of the rat?"
"Nope. It's better to not make sudden moments like taking a picture."
If he has no pictures of the rat, then it wouldn't that good of a field report. The dots start to connect in my head. Then again, it should have been obvious when he mentions the big guns.
"Ah now I see. We're going to use your favorite gun right."
"Don't say it like that."
"Right...still going to need a description of it if I'm going to ask Hannah for a drawing."
Hannah is our best friend with killer art skills. Some comments on the Dreadstiary website say the only download to see if we got a new monster art from Hannah. I quickly pull out my wallet to check my funds for the rest of the week. More than enough to get Hannah to draw a piece for us by Friday.
"Got that covered. Plus an extra secret weapon that might make it our best issue yet."
Hearing the words extra secret weapon made piqued my interest. I thought the rat report would have been his secret weapon.
"What do you mean extra secret weapon."
"Let's put a pin with that for now. Don't want to get your hopes up. Just focus on the 7 films and the Rat art as our sure things."
With that, he ends the call. Suspicious for sure, but I'll have to trust his for now. We've been through too much together. Ben is my closest friend. We have been looking for monsters for almost 10 years now after our dads took us to the movies for a horror movie marathon. Our dads laughed at our excitement about the creature of the film when mines brought up a legend of the central fountain imp. Hearing about a monster here in our town, we darted away on an adventure that would solidify our friendship. I cut my reminiscing short to upload my drafts to a cloud folder. Some sleep will help the ideas solidify in my head. Taking my phone off the dock, I dive on to my bed and tried to get some Zs.
The next morning, I slosh through the heavy downpour on my way to school. It is a struggle to walk through as I barely got any sleep last night. After laying down on my bed, I couldn't fall asleep, so I decided to put on a horror movie to help me fall asleep. It took a couple of low budget demonic 70s, but I did end up catching some sleep, but I guess. My thoughts cut off as I slip on the concrete, going head first into a nearby tree. Scrambling to get myself upright, I fix my hoodie and start rubbing my face to numb the throbbing pain. I need a pick me up.
I start sliding along the concrete, carefully drifting along the slick surface until I stop at the halfway point on my journey, The Sigil Saloon, a popular milk bar that opened last year. Strolling into the place to see only an old man in a suit reading the newspaper. Next to him on the table was a large mug filled with a chocolate shake with a healthy head of whipped cream. Guess people never grow out of wanting some sugar in the morning. The saloon has light purple walls, with black paint that looks spatter on. I make my way around the small tables to reach the mahogany bar where the cashier, a guy in his early 20s wearing a hoodie with chains etch into it, was standing.
"Can I get a strong Cinnamon Coffee Milkshake. Medium."
"That'll be $7.50 or .75 YXUL if you want to liberate yourself from fiat."
The cashier points to a tablet with a qr code ready with the price of .75 YXUL on it. I fight against the awkward atmosphere to pull out the exact change from my wallet, placing it on the Bar.
"Your lost. Sick Pumpkin Patch shirt, by the way!"
The cashier broken into a smile as he admires the artwork of the shirt. Standing with a bloody knife was the main killer, Joshua, his head elongated and eyes blood-red as he wears a ghoulish smile. His signature outfit is torn to shreds as his body hunches over his spine protruding from the brown corduroy jacket. With his arms bent back, he holds a large harvesting knife as he is surrounded by an assortment of different size pumpkins. Each pumpkin contains crudely carved signs of black magic, which leak blood from each individual marking. It is a masterful shirt design.
"Thanks. This was pretty hard to get."
"I could imagine!"
The cashier turns around to grab my order from his coworker, a younger guy wearing a green shirt and pants, who began working on my order. The guy gestures his phone to the cashier amidst the roaring of the blender. The cashier holds the phone steady, then jumps up in excitement. They share an intimate hug with each other, only letting go when the blender signals that my shake is done.
"You're a master degen, bro!"
The cashier takes my shake, which was poured into a glass mug, then turns his attention back to me. Placing my order on the counter before trying to spark up a conversation with me.
"Did you heard that the next Pumpkin Patch movie is going to be in Space?"
My phone vibrates, showing a new Sunii message from Ben. I take my order and make my way to a table near the Saloon entrance. A small circular table that was next to a small window that gave a good view of the outside.
"The Pumpkin Patch in space movie has been in development hell since the 90s. It's never going to get made."
"Never say never, Bro!"
I take a sip of my shake. The strong blending of both cinnamon and their own coffee blend perks me up. I continue to drink my shake as I open the Sunii app to see what Ben has sent me.
Ben:
Okay, my extra secret weapon was legit!
I got a link to the one and only.
Curse of the Skull Servant!
I nearly spit out my shake. I force the shake down while pounding my chest to make sure I don't choke.
"Ha, the coffee too strong for you?"
The cashier voices his concern, seeing me try not to die from my shock. Waving the glass mug up, I take a good swig of my shake to signal that I'm alright. There's no way he was able to get that!
Who conned you with
that?
Ben:
No con.
It's legit.
I watched it last night.
No way! Now I get why it's the extra secret weapon. A review of that would be huge for the next issue. Especially with the article on the Lost 7 horror movies. Together, both articles would be huge for the issue.
Where did you steal it from?
Ben:
Not stolen.
It was a reward!
Is this how you view me?
I helped out some kids dealing with a monster slime last week and the older brother gave me the link.
How are there still monster slime running around?
Thought Hannah killed the queen last year.
Ben:
Still mad about that!
This one was different.
A slime/ant hybrid.
You should have seen the amount of green ooze there!
Ruined my Arcade of the Living Dead shirt.
Anyway, bet you want to do the review for it?
Of course! Send the link.
Finishing my shake, I look out the window to enjoy the scenery. The heavy rain grays the surrounding shops, turning them into a scene golden age horror movie set. Bright lights from the shop accent the businessmen and teens rushing to get to their destinations like the mob trying to catch Frankenstein's Monster. A picture perfect gloomy day for South Anthame.
Suddenly, a girl walks into frame. Her pale skin pops out against the gray backdrop. She had on a black and white shirt with a black skirt and leggings. She is holding on to a bright pink umbrella that clashes with the cold demeanor she exudes.
"Wow, She out pretty early."
I hastily get up from my seat and rush towards the bar to make another order.
"Let me get a Malt Mint Shake to go. Extra Malt and can you make it quick?"
"Maybe I could if you don't use fiat!"
The cashier sings the words while gesturing to the tablet again. I almost considered it until I hear a mixture of laughter and the blender going off.
"Relax, I'm just joshing you! It's almost done right, Marc."
"Right. Right. It'll be a little thick, tho."
Marc the coworker pours the shake in to a plastic cup, handing it off to the cashier. I retrieve the shake and change, then make my way to the door. Before I exit the saloon, I open Sunii to send a message to Ben.
Make sure you send the description of the Monster Rat too, along with the link! |
Saturday:
I walk into my bedroom, carrying a couple of ice-cold beers from the fridge and some snacks. Finally, it's time to watch the movie, and I'm ecstatic. It was a real challenge to resist the urge to watch it before today!
I open my laptop to start a video call with Duncan, who I see is the only one online right now. My laptop rang for a couple of seconds before Duncan picks up. His messy room comes into view. Empty cans of energy drinks cover the floor under his bed, as a dirty mountain of clothes rest behind him. The only clean thing in sight is the posters showing his main in Myth Vertex. A man truly dedicated to his craft.
"Hey Max!" Duncan flashes a bright smile while he holds up a half empty beer bottle. A subtle message I understand well. Cracking open a fresh can of Succubus Blood, I down the whole can to signal I got his message.
"Phew, thank god! I thought I would be the only one pregaming." He downs the rest of his beer and cracks open a new one. I enjoy drinking with Duncan. It's a great chance to unwind, especially when I get to watch horror movies. I'm always business with Ben, and I don't tend to get drunk with Hannah. Cracking open a fresh can, I chug it to keep up with him.
"Your dad okay with you taking from his stash?"
A loud roar erupted from Duncan as he laughs at my question.
"This is my own beer that I bought! As long as it doesn't interfere with scrims with the team, my old man is fine with me buying and drinking my own stuff. In fact, he's out with my little brother right now getting some food, so I have no interference and can drink and watch the movie in peace!"
We both down an extra beer and continue our conversation
"You think you can make it on the main team before graduation?"
"Of course I can! I know I can fill in on the team as main AR but" He cracks open another beer. This time with no joy with it as it felt like he was washing something down. As the whistle of an empty bottle rang, as Duncan looks way from the camera.
"If only they just give me a shot."
Duncan just stares off camera, tapping the empty beer bottle. The slow melancholic taping echoing as he raises the bottle up to eye level. A long sigh follows the chime of glass knocking against each other as Duncan replaces the empty bottle with a new one. Duncan turns back to the camera and shoots a dim smile.
"Enough about that, How's Dreadstiary coming along."
Oh, no.
"Rough. There was a big bump in downloads a couple of months back and the numbers a dipping back to pre boost numbers."
I down a fresh beer to keep myself from just dumping my frustrations. This atmosphere isn't one I expected to happen today. Need something besides beer to lighten then mood. The almost as if on cue a bleep sound cut through the heavy wave of emotions to show that Mia enters the call.
"Hey Max! Duncan."
It is surprising to see Mia, not because she cut Duncan expressing himself. On the other hand, it's because the always fashionable Mia was in an old rundown tracksuit.
"Hey Mia. What's going on?"
"I finished editing a blog post about me picking up new books."
She stretches a bit off camera and pulled out 2 books, both are volumes of a series called A Lament of Naves and Bosoms. Duncan shakes his head in surprise before exclaiming.
"You went out in the hand-me-downs? Has the world froze over?"
"No!" Mia returns the books off camera before continuing her explanation. "I just like to wear this tracksuit when I watch something scary."
Mia tugs on the jacket sleeves a bit as she talks, but that was an odd statement from her.
"But you didn't wear that when we watched horror movies together."
A smile washes over Duncan's face as he holds his tongue. He knocks back another beer while waiting for Mia's response.
"Um well... That's..."
Her eyes dart away from the camera as she thinks of a response. This was a fairly weird change from the normally bold Mia. Wait, when I give it a little more thought, there was a time when she was like this.
"That doesn't matter!"
Mia's words broke my chain of thought. She tugs at the zipper of her tracksuit jacket playfully as she changes the subject to something new.
"I'm wearing a cute camisole under this if you want to see."
The playful words ring through my fuzzy head. Sure, Mia was attractive, but I feel like I drank one too many beers to make a clear judgment. I move my eyes toward Duncan for a sign of what to do. He nods his head slightly and points the top of is beer bottle towards me. The ball was in my court. I try to jumble a clear answer to give Mia.
"Sure, why not."
I don't know if my words were a genuine answer or the beer did the talking, but Mia seemingly accepts it. She unzips her tracksuit jacket, unleashing her black lace camisole as her breast jump out of the newly gained freedom. You forget how big Mia's breast are, but in this state they were mesmerizing. Before I knew it, I finished my beer and was cracking open a new one. Duncan acts like he isn't paying attention, but I could tell he is as we both swig from our beer. It's almost as we were keeping a gentlemen agreement to not overreact to the sight before us.
Mia proud composure breaks as it seems, which is another out of character moment for her. Mia looks straight into the camera and begins to ask me something.
"Hey Max... Would you... "
Duncan leans in to the camera as if he knows what she is going to ask me, but she is interrupted by Kat and Hannah joining the call.
"Hey!" They both greet us as Duncan flies back in shock. He makes frantic movements to save his beer from spilling on his laptop.
"Hey babe! Kat."
"Don't tell me you almost spilled beer on your laptop?"
"Babe, you know this is a piece of junk anyway! Can't run without being plugged into the charger."
Duncan recomposes himself and Mia follows suit. I just chug the can of beer I have opened. The chilling fluid cleans the awkwardness I was feeling just a moment ago. You know, after 5 of these Succubus' Blood isn't really that bad!
"Max, calm down. Don't you need a clear head to write a review of this?"
Kat's words stop me from opening a sixth can of beer. Well, it almost did. I try to muffle the sound of it opening so the laptop mic doesn't pick it up.
Hannah stares at me, her eyes darting from me and I assume Duncan. I can tell she's growing suspicious of what we were doing before the call. I quickly pull up the movie on my laptop.
"Kat it's okay. All the salty snacks is going to clear..."
"
My god! Who would pin a Woman up like this?"
Panic scatters through my back. I forgot to set the movie back to the beginning! I move fast to bring it to the beginning, but I can Hannah recognizing my fluster state.
"I KNEW IT! You couldn't wait until today to watch it!"
"Um...well... I didn't get that far into it. I'm still in the first act!"
Hannah bellows as disappointment shows itself on Kat's and Mia's face. Man, I really should have done this before today. But I guess it escaped my mind.
"Well," I try to ignore the situation and get everyone ready to watch the movie. "On the count of 3?"
Everyone moves to make sure we are all sync up when we hit play.
"One, Two... Three!"
"That was... surprisingly good!"
Kat spoke first as the credits rolls.
"I agree. It had just the right amount of nudity in it."
"Shut up Duncan."
Hannah tells Duncan off as it looks like she is doing something else off-screen.
"Max, that was fun. Thanks for the invite."
The words leave Mia with none the luster in her voice as usual. I wonder if she's okay. I make a mental note to ask her after the call, as the bags of salty popcorn have cleared the fog in my head.
"That was fun, but it's time to sleep. Bye Guys!"
Kat leaves the call first, then Duncan, Mia and finally Hannah. I close my laptop and make my way to my computer chair to type out the review. My phone buzzes multiple time as I dock it in the workstation dongle I have next to my keyboard. Turning the monitor on as the notifications pop on the screen as I move to open the Dreadstiary issue. Four Sunii messages from Mia and two from Hannah. I open the one from Hannah first since it was the least amount.
Hannah sent a mock-up sketch of the evil priestess of the film looming over an altar. Three goat skulls surrounded her as the blood of the alter flowed down forming into the Father Leo and Maria stand below looking shocked at a discovery.
Hannah:
Extra gift on the house.
Wow! That's how you know She likes the movie, if she made a mock-up poster without me even asking. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, I accept her offer and start to type out my review.
Mia let go of an immense breath she has been holding in.
He'll definitely answer, right?
She perks herself up as she begins to undress to head into the shower. Looking in the mirror, she stares in disgust at the sight before her. Mia enters a boxing stance. Two quick jabs fly from her as she lifts her hand up as if she delivered a knockout to her opponent. She makes her way into the shower, turning it on. The hot water washes away her doubts as she embraces the warmth.
He'll absolutely respond! It wouldn't take that long for him to write a review.
Words of encouragements fills her thoughts as she cleans herself. Sometime passes until a loud buzz fills the empty space as Mia turns off the shower.
A response!
She opens her shower curtain ready to run to her phone, but in her way was a large figure. Its jagged silhouette loomed over her. It stands there, not making a sound or any move. Suddenly the cracking sound echos as its arm twitch. Adrenaline fills her body, drowning out the crippling fear that froze her. Mia jumps out the shower and dives through the creature's leg. Her damp skin helps her gain a large distance away from it. She readies herself as she pushes against the wall. The speed propels her forward towards her PC. Mia grabs her phone while making her way towards the door of her room. She tries to unlock her phone when a heavy force pins her to the floor, inches away from her door. A pool of warmth covers her as she stares at her phone, prop up against the door.
Max
Wow, you look great!
Sure. I'll be down for a double feature at the Nabromeki!
Just make sure this time you bring your tracksuit.
A smile slowly creeps on to Mia's face. The words,
Wow, you look great!
, become blurry. It starts to fade away as she tries to move her hand to tell Max she's in danger. Her hand stops halfway towards the phone. Pain spreads like wildfire as she feels her body freezing slowly. With no strength left, the darkness takes over her eyes. The only sounds in the room are her pc running and the rough creaking of the monster's arm. Completely in the dark, she lets go a small whimper.
"Help." |
The Reaper's Raven was a creature of legend, a dark and sinister bird that was said to be a sign of death. It was said that when the raven appeared, it was a sign that your time was running out.
No one knew where the raven came from, or why it chose to appear. Some said that it was a messenger from the other side, a harbinger of doom sent to collect the souls of the living. Others said that it was a demon, sent to claim the lives of the wicked.
Whatever its origins, one thing was certain: the appearance of the Reaper's Raven was a cause for fear and dread.
It was said that the raven would appear only to those who were on the verge of death. It would circle overhead, its black wings beating against the air as it watched and waited.
And when the time came, the raven would strike.
It would dive down from the sky, its sharp beak and talons glinting in the light. It would attack without mercy, tearing its victim apart and devouring their flesh.
Some tried to fight back, but it was no use. The raven was too fast, too powerful. It was an unstoppable force of nature, a predator at the top of the food chain.
And when its prey was vanquished, the raven would fly away, its job complete.
But the fear of the Reaper's Raven lived on, passed down from generation to generation. People whispered about it, and avoided the places where it was rumored to dwell.
Some even claimed that the raven could be summoned, if one knew the right incantation or sacrifice. They said that if you summoned the raven, it would appear and grant your wish, no matter how dark or twisted it might be.
But such claims were met with skepticism, and most people avoided the raven at all costs. They knew that to cross the Reaper's Raven was to invite death, and they had no desire to tempt fate.
And so, the Raven remained a shadowy figure, a creature of myth and legend that was feared by all who knew of its power. It was a reminder of the ever-present threat of death, and a warning to all who dared to tempt it.
[Retrieved From Tale Keeper #0079] |
Have you ever looked down a well?
It's a strange feeling, isn't it? The way the water seems to go on forever, disappearing into the depths of the earth. It's like a portal to another world, a world that is hidden from view.
But be careful, my friend. For if you look down a well for too long, you may see something that you were not meant to see. Something that will haunt you forever.
I know, because it happened to me.
It was a dark and stormy night, and I was out walking in the countryside. I was lost, and I had no idea where I was. I was trying to find my way back to civilization, but I seemed to be going in circles.
And then, I saw it. A well, standing alone in the middle of a field. It was an old, crumbling structure, with a rickety wooden cover and a rope tied to a bucket. It looked like it hadn't been used in years.
I was thirsty, and I decided to take a drink from the well. I leaned over the edge and peered into the water, trying to see how deep it was.
And then, I saw it. A face, staring back at me from the depths of the well. It was a demon, a creature with glowing eyes and a twisted, evil smile.
I tried to pull back, but it was too late. The demon reached out and grabbed me, pulling me down into the darkness.
I fell and fell, into the depths of the well. I could feel the demon's claws digging into my flesh, and I knew that I would never see the light of day again.
I screamed and screamed, but no one could hear me. I was trapped in the well, with the demon.
I don't remember much after that. The fall must have knocked me unconscious, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the darkness of the well.
The demon was gone, but I was still trapped. I tried to climb out, but the walls were too slippery and I couldn't get a foothold.
I was stuck, with no way out.
I don't know how long I was in that well. Days, weeks, maybe even months. I lost track of time, and I began to lose hope.
But then, one day, I heard something. It was a faint sound, barely perceptible at first. But as I listened, it grew louder and louder. It was the sound of footsteps, coming closer and closer.
I knew then that I was saved. Someone had found me, and they were coming to rescue me from the well.
I screamed and shouted, hoping that they would hear me. And then, the wooden cover of the well was lifted, and the light of day flooded in.
I looked up and saw a figure standing above me, silhouetted against the sky. It was a man, a farmer by the look of him. He had heard my cries and had come to rescue me. But he never looked down the well. He just somehow knew that I was there.
The man left, I lost hope, but after moments had passed, villagers had dropped a rope and I was able to climb out.
I climbed out of the well, and I was finally free.
But I never forgot the demon, or the horrors I experienced. I knew that I would never be able to look down a well again, without thinking of the demons that lurked within.
Now, will you ever look down a well?
[Retrieved Account From Tale Keeper #0037] |
I catch up to her just as she stops at the crosswalk waiting for her turn to cross. I crouch down to get under her umbrella. In one swift motion, I pull the umbrella out of her hand and then place the shake in the palm before it clench to make a fist. She inspects the shake, swirling it in around in small circles. She stares at me with her harsh gray eyes.
"What no straw?"
I pull said straw out of my pocket and her cheeks sink in as she struggles to pull the shake. Guess Marc wasn't kidding when he said it was thick. The problem only lasts a few seconds, as a third of the shake vanishes in an instant. After a few smacks, she turns to me with a blunt expression on her face.
"You got the order wrong"
The light changes and she begins to walk. I scramble to match her pace so the umbrella covers both of us. She drinks some more of the shake before she continues her lecture.
"You have to go 3:1 when it comes to Malt Mint to get the right flavor. You've got to say to the cashier, 'Let me get an Extra Malt mint shake with another scoop of malt.'"
"I just think your taste buds are messed up"
She lightly jabs me in the ribs. I topple over in pain. While it looks like all she did a light jab, the force behind it was that of a serious punch. Hannah helps me back on my feet, holding the umbrella while I fix my hoodie. We continue our walk, only making it pass 2 blocks before I notice Hannah wasn't drinking the shake anymore. She stares at it before turning her head to look at me.
"So, What do you want?"
I freeze for a second, but try to recover fast enough before Hannah notices.
"Don't act surprise! You are trying to butter me up for something. Why else would you get me my favorite drink randomly".
She picks up on my plan fast. It's not best to ask right now with her while she is flared up. I should try to diffuse the flames a bit before asking her for some art. What did I say last time in a scenario like this?
"Because we're best friends..."
She side eyes me as I keep my cool, waiting for the signal to spring the question. The side eye continues even when I had to pull on her shirt to stop her from almost walking into traffic. It takes a total of 3 blocks until I see her eyes soften a bit. Better take my chance.
"But since you brought it up,"
The harshness floods back in her eyes as she picks up the pace. I end up just putting the umbrella in front of me since she didn't have any extra protection against the rain, unlike me. Dang that worked last time but can't falter now!
"Look, I just need a picture of a rat drawn by Friday. No need to rush. I'll pay in advance!"
The passerby students start to laugh at my yelling to make sure my voice could be heard through the rain. Hannah starts to slow down. She shoots a look to the students, ceasing their laughter as they quickly run to get away from us.
"I kinda want to relax this week, Max. So I'll have to d..."
She stops moving mid-sentence. The abruptness spooks me a bit. So I check to see if she is okay, but I see her just stare at me. Following her eyes, I see her gaze fixate on my shirt. She stands there for a bit, drinking away until the sounds of the empty cup mix with the symphony of rain fall and cars passing by. This was an eerie situation, but it makes sense since this is her favorite horror movie after all.
"I'll do it if you give me your shirt."
"Huh? No, I like this shirt."
"Then no deal."
She tosses the empty cup in a trash can and resumes the trek towards school. Crap! Her asking for my shirt catches me off guard. I thought she would just complement or shit on the rendition of Monster Joshua. This shirt was almost a hassle to get since you had to go on the site early enough too....
"Wait! Didn't I give you the link to get this shirt before it came out?"
Hannah mimics my short freeze step from moments ago.
"I was... working on something that I missed it."
We walk in silence for a bit. It is just a stupid shirt. It doesn't hold the same value as getting the perfect issue out. On the other hand, I don't have another shirt that represents this movie in my wardrobe. Would like to have all Pumpkin Patch films represented. But I could just find a replacement shirt after all.
"Well, this issue is important. Give me sometime to think on it."
My phone vibrates in my pocket. Just in time, Ben sends the description of the monster rat along with the link for the movie. Unfortunately, the link is a magnet link. It's a shame, as I was looking forward to watching the movie during class.
Thanks! The issue will probably go up during the weekend.
Ben:
That means Hannah said yes!
Tell her I said
What's up.
Oh, going to be MIA for a bit.
I'm going to bring down that mutant rat!
Mount his head over my bed as a trophy.
Your mom would kill you if you did that.
And Go to school, man!
We have to graduate during the same year!
Ben:
Eh, my school has a good summer program.
No big.
I forward the description to Hannah. Her nose scrunches up as her eyes dance, taking in the description.
"Ugh, where is this thing?"
"North Anthame."
"God!"
We reach our destination of boring old South Anthame High. I move ahead to hold the glass door open as Hannah closes her umbrella. She put her foot forward before stopping. On the tips of her toes, she gets close to my ear as she could to ask me.
"We're going to take it down this weekend?"
I open the door wider to slip pass Hannah, wanting to get out of the rain. I spin around to face her while trying to not bump in to someone as I continue my walk to home room.
"Nah. Ben is already on the hunt for it. He says, Sup
,
by the way. I got a better idea for the weekend!"
Lunchtime rolls around, and I make my way to the cafeteria. The wild sea of hungry teens scrambling for food and seat fill my sight as I open the door. I make my way to a shallow part of the sea. Brushing past the harsh waves of boys playing keep away with freshmen lunches, I arrive to a clear enough area to scope out for my friends. A pained scream erupts from the other side of the sea. Turning my head, I watch as the sea splits to revile Hannah. She makes her way to a round table just a bit to my left, where 3 people are already sitting.
Hannah sits next to a guy with light-brown hair. He has a broad build, wearing a navy blue varsity jacket. On the back of the jacket, a silver hair man wearing a ruffle shirt and a large trench coat. His red eyes pull your gaze towards it, almost like a hypnotic trance. The character is Luca Ard from the First-person Shooter game, Myth Vertex. This is Duncan, Hannah's boyfriend. They have been dating for around six months now, after a haunting getaway to Coeus Cove, Anthame's only beach. Ben is still recovering from the news.
Next to Hannah is a girl with long raven hair. Wearing a low cut shirt dress that emphasizes her large chest, She is juggling eating a sandwich and reading something on her phone. It seems to be something Hannah is familiar with as she pinch-zooms to point something out to her. This is Mia, the youngest of the group. After an encounter with the Queen Slime, She has been a part of our circle ever since.
Across from Mia is a girl staring out the window. Her short golden hair and honey skin shimmers against the dull light from the window. She looks lost in the rolling storm clouds. This is Kat. Kat is just awesome. The brains of our group who Hannah and I befriended back in Freshman Year. A ghoul and spooky library, nothing about that day impacted me more than how she looked. She notices me approaching the table.
"Max!"
Kat pushes me as I sit down. Mia puts down her phone hastily. She slips a shining smile as she finishes her sandwich. I look towards Duncan to see him staring at me. He nods his head. Checking the thinning sea to see if there was enough coverage to shield us. I nod back. Duncan throws his arm around me as open my backpack, fixing my books and laptop for extra space. In a small huddle, Duncan pulls out a rectangle box from his bag. Not waiting to admire it, I shove it into my bag, struggling to not damage the contents of the box. With an almost silent zip, we break our huddle after a successful transfer was complete.
"Thanks Duncan! Remind me next week to tell you about a fps game. Have to give it the clean sweep as it might be haunted, but gotta finish the latest issue of Dreadstiary this weekend."
"Is it modern?"
"90s"
"Elite! Retro might be a fun breather from the extras scrims matches I have next weekend."
"Speaking of the weekend. Would you guys be to do something on Saturday?"
Mia's green eyes starts to shimmer as she leans forward, pressing her chest on the cafeteria table. She begins to say something, but Kat holds out her hand in front of her. A soft smile appears on Kat's face. She leans forward, getting pretty close to me. I feel the sweat pool in my hands as my body stiffens up. Then, in a playful tone, Kat says.
"Only if you tell us what Duncan just gave you."
I took some time to compose myself. Kat's smile sent my heart racing and I need to find the right thing to say so....
"It's beer."
The faint words were struggling to come out of Hannah's mouth as she was chewing on her sandwich. Duncan passes her a bottle of water, which she swigs down. Crap, Duncan must have told her. Well depending on what she knows, this situation could get pretty embarrassing.
"A limited edition run of Succubus' Blood featuring Max's favorite horror hostess..."
"Countess Velvet!?"
Mia chimes in with Hannah's teasing. Of course, Hannah knew everything.
"She's so cute! Especially with that outfit of hers.... Makes sense, you would want to get that beer."
Mia face turns into a pout as Kat and Hannah exchange a look with each other. I hope they're not continuing the teasing with their eyes. Kat points her finger at me like a teacher scolding a student.
"Max, you know better. You should have waited until after school!"
"Chill, Kat. The bozo sea makes great coverage for our transaction. Right Max?"
A loud clap rings in my ears as Duncan slaps my back. Crackling laughter escapes from Hannah, much clearing now than her initial teasing.
"So Now that you know. Would you guys be down to watch a movie Saturday? We can video chat it if it sways your choice."
"I rather go hunt those Monster Rats."
Kat springs to life, hearing Hannah's complaint. Her amber eyes bloom as she looks at my direction. I made a cutting motion with my hands to signal that it was already being taken care of to Kat. She sulks back down as she deflates for some reason. Mia takes this opportunity to ask me a question.
"Who's the film by, Max? Aiden Perry?"
"Great guess Mia! It is!"
I hop up, raising both of my hands for a high five, which Mia does gleefully. She jumps to reach my hands, as I forgot to lower them to accommodate for her height. Low whispers of praise reach my ears from behind me.
"Who is that again?"
And just like my joy fades with Kat's words. I fight back the tears swelling in my eyes to give a quick explanation.
"Aiden Perry is a famous horror director from the late 80s-early 90s
era of horror movies. You would have heard his most popular movie before. Cosmic Blood."
Kat nods her head.
"I have! How sleazy is the movie? Don't want to spend my weekend hearing Duncan howl over the excessive nudity."
Hannah quickly moves to slap Duncan as Kat's words bring a wide grin to his face. However, in a smooth motion, he manages to block the slap. He then leans over me to get closer to Kat.
"Nothing wrong with excessive Nudity in horror. Like that movie Sleazy Strippers in Ghoul Mall. That was a 10/10 classic!"
"Wrong, Duncan."
Mia imitates Kat's serious tone and posture from her earlier lecturing. Then a bright smile flashes on her face.
"The sequel was better! Sleazy Strippers in Blood Manor."
"How could I forget! Like when the main thot with massive bolt-ons had to run through the blood rain topless in order to kill the demon!"
"Then out of nowhere, a goat headed statue charges at the girl with a stone axe."
There was a small amount of pride welling up inside me as Mia and Duncan went back and forth talking about the horror movie. Both made by Aiden Perry, by the way. Out of nowhere, a horrible chill races up my spine, replacing the small built up pride that I have accumulated. Mia and Duncan feel the chill as well, cutting their gushing over the movie short.
The chill is echoing out as more conversations around us die down. A short continuous rapt of fingers slowing build up as we look on to see Hannah. The severe stare of hers weighing down on all of us, except for Kat. A small snicker comes out of her mouth as she takes a picture of the scene.
"Oh, what to do. Looks like Max has corrupted two more people. Oh, what ever should I do."
The emotionless words escape from Hannah. The cold words form a tight grip on my spine. Different words, sentences, ideas all race in my mind trying to defuse this situation. Instead of furthering this conversation, I go back to pitching the movie weekend. That's when the perfect blade for this moment comes appears.
"If it sweetens the thought, I have never seen the movie before."
My word slice through the chilling wave as I hear a loud wave of students sigh in relief.
"Bullshit, of course you've seen the movie"
"Nope, not this one, Scout's Honor."
I make a cross over my heart, which makes Hannah snort.
"Oh please. That won't last long. Your will is weak to new movies."
"It won't falter. I'll treat it like fighting a monster."
I mimic a memory of Ben slashing down a monster. My erratic arm flailing causes Hannah to burst out laughing, as if the display triggers the same memory for her. Even during laughing, Hannah's face is serious, no sense of a smile.
""" We're down"""
Duncan, Mia, and Kat cut into my imaginary swordplay with a unanimous agreement. Mia leans forward with a huge smile on her face.
"After all, it's rare to watch a horror movie with Max that he's never seen before!" |
The rain didn't let up after school as Hannah and I are walking to her house. Rainfall fills the awkward silence as we share an umbrella. Hannah was quiet the whole journey. It was fine at first, but after passing the murmuring of our schoolmates, the silence became deafening. Man, I really messed up. We approach Hannah's house, A gothic house was wearing a fresh coat of black paint, when a large shriek radiated from it. Hannah gave me a quick look. Her eyebrow rising as she whispers the words:
Monster Attack?
I shrug my shoulders. Handing the umbrella back to Hannah, I frisk the ground for a rock for a fast weapon while Hannah rushes to the door. She readies the closed umbrella like a javelin. She holds her hand on the knob until she sees a sizable rock in my hand. With a quick click, the door swings violently as Hannah readies the umbrella. I trail behind her, ready to hurl the rock at the first sign of a monster. Hannah stops as she set the umbrella next to the door.
"
TCH
. False alarm."
There in the living room, a large TV was showing a woman being viciously attack by a group of people. The camera pans to a young man whaling her name as his arms, strung up to two trees, were ablaze from the wire holding him up. He fell to his knees while a woman sultry approaches him. The camera focus on a symbol on the man's back. Three squares overlapping each other with a tear in the center. The woman's scarlet eyes shone while her face remains as stone as she brings her hand to his rib cage. In one elegant motion, she rips it out of the man. Greenish blood gushes from the man's chest as his shrieks of pain and sorrow ripples out from the TV, making Hannah, I and the girl watching the movie play out on the sofa in front of us jump.
I crept up on the girl, making sure the sloshing of my wet shoes were silent as possible. Getting within ear shot of her, I let out as causal as possible.
"You reached Cosmic Blood 3? Such a classic scene."
The girl spins around fast, making her long blonde and black hair hit me in the face. The girl in a school uniform wore a glowing smile that didn't suit her face. This is Hannah's younger sister Samantha, who looks like she could be Hannah's twin but shorter.
"Max!!"
She yells as she latches on to me with a tight hug.
"You want to watch the rest with me. I don't mind restart."
As if she was a ghost, Hannah appears behind me and pulls my ear with an astounding force. She proceeds to drag me away from her sister, heading toward the nearby staircase.
"Sorry Kid, your boyfriend is too busy today. And turn the damn TV down! We don't need the neighborhood thinking the house is under attack."
My shoes slip around as I try to steady myself up the stairs to no avail. The fast and repetitive squeaking caught Hannah's attention. She lets go of my ear, giving me a chance to steady myself while she goes on ahead of me. I look back to see Sam. Her glowing smile vanished, and her eyes matched the sky outside. She sunk back into the couch to resume the film.
Hannah throws me a towel to dry myself before I hop into my usual spot in the beanbag chair near her bed. I do a quick job drying myself, then rest the towel on the beanbag, so I could crash into heavenly bliss. I open my bag to take out my laptop. Seeing the case of Succubus Blood there, I tear open the box to free 2 cans. What better way to sweeten an apology than with a can of beer.
"I am sorry."
"Nah, you don't need to apologize. I'm sorry. I did get pretty mad earlier."
The rainfall brings miracles, it seems. Hannah takes off her damp shirt, flinging it across the room to her door. She rummages through a clothes stack next to her computer. From it, she pulls out a blue shirt that she throws on before slumping in a chair in front of her computer. Her eyes fixate on the multiple art works on her walls. Different creatures from both movies I've shown her and adventures we went on.
"I feel bad. Didn't know you didn't want Duncan watching that stuff."
I let out a sharp whistle, a quick heads up letting her know I'm tossing a beer at her. She catches it smoothly and sets it on her lap as sits there for a bit before spinning around to face me.
"It's not that... Look, it's nice that you're bonding with my boyfriend, but I don't want him falling to your corruption. Need at least some freedom from all the horror and sleaze."
"Doubt you're going to be free from the sleaze."
Her lip curls a bit to reveal a small smile as she flings a dirty shirt at my face. I lob the shirt over my head, so it lands on her bed, before continuing.
"Although, it is enjoyable to have a movie buddy to watch the sleazy horror flicks with. Can't with Ben since he rather hunts monsters. And you're not an option anymore."
Two more shirts connect with my face, prompting me to sink further in to the bean bag chair.
"Oh Now I'm not a sleaze option!"
The small smile from bloom in full as Hannah starts to reach for another shirt to throw at me. The miracles continue, it seems. I hold my hands up as a guard to prevent a further barrage of dirty laundry.
"I get it. I get it! I'll let you have my shirt to make it up to you."
Her eyes widen in surprise. She stays still for a bit before she cracks open the beer. I follow suit, making sure none of the erupting foam lands on the beanbag. We both raise the cans up in a silent agreement before taking a big swig of it. Hannah stops short to recoil in disgust.
"Ugh! This taste likes piss!"
I took a much longer swig and let the beer slosh around my mouth to get a better feel of the flavor. The cool liquid carries a harsh chocolate flavor that almost made my teeth ace. As I swallowed, the taste mellowed out with a berry after-taste.
"It's not that bad, but it's too heavy on the chocolate for my taste."
Hannah scoffs at my review. She lean back into the clothes pile to fetch her drawing tablet and starts working on the rat sketch. Following her lead, I take out my laptop to finish the current issue. I see Ben already sent me the new pages, so I begin to format the layout of the issue. The field report should go before my lost movie article, then the review of Skull Servant would be the ending of the zine. After that was done, it was back to writing the rest of the article. We work in silence, with only the sounds of us sipping away at beer chiming in once every few seconds. Suddenly, two soft hums disrupt the productive atmosphere. Hannah then starts to speak.
"If you're looking for a new movie buddy, instead of Duncan, try out Kat."
I thought we were done with the topic. That could...
"Or maybe Mia"
Hannah adds another suggestion, breaking up my train of thought. Kat would be an obvious no-brainer, but I don't have enough elevated horror movies to watch with her. While I did enjoy watching the double feature with Mia, it would probably butt in with her maintaining her blog. Still, it seems suspicious for Hannah to bring them up now.
"I volunteer to be your new movie buddy"
Hannah and I turn to find the source of the new voice. It was Sam who was sitting next to the bean bag chair. She sits with a smile on her face as she waits for my reply. How long has she been there? Hannah ignores her to resume working, but I take this chance to ask her a question.
"So Sam, you figured out what gift you want from Darius' shop for your birthday?"
Hannah looks at me, her expression one of bewilderment.
"April didn't even start yet!"
"Yes, but I'll place the order over the weekend, so Darius can have it ready by then. A man his age works on a selective schedule."
"I want that!"
Sam interrupts our conversation, gesturing towards a ring next to the computer monitor. The silver ring has multiple black gems that form multiple upside-down triangles, making the shape of a circle. In the center of the circle is a star the connects to multiple lines that bisect the triangles. I'm taken aback by her choice.
"Really? You want gorilla strength like your sister?"
An empty beer can slug me upside my head. I turn to see Hannah flipping me off. The ring was a gift Ben gave Hannah in his many attempts to woo her. It's a magical item that enhances a person's strength. I was skeptically about it until Hannah punched a dude who tried to grope her unconscious with one blow. Seeing the dude asleep in a pool of his own vomit made Ben and I regular customers at Darius' shop.
"Yes!"
"HMM. I'll get something similar to that then!"
"You baby her too much!"
Hannah scoffs as an email notification pops up on my laptop showing a message from her.
"Here's a rough mock up of the rat. Sign off on it, and I'll have it done for Saturday."
"Lifesaver once again, thanks! And I'll take that as my cue to leave."
I leap up to hug her, but she holds her hand out to stop me. After handing over 25 dollars, half of the usual payment, I begin to put my laptop away. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sam move something behind her back. Turning to look at her, She put her finger up as her eyes lock on to Hannah starting up a new sketch. I do a quick check in my bag. There's a can of Succubus Blood missing from the pack. I lean down next to Sam and whisper a small piece of advice.
"Lilith's Ambrosia is a way better beer than that. I always drink it to calm my nerves."
Sam nods her head as she uses the blind spot I created to hide the beer in her uniform shirt. I wait until she's finished to say goodbye to Hannah. She looks back at me as slides the ring on her middle finger and forms a fist to make the light reflect off to hit my eyes. In an instant, a strong chill travels up my spine. The chill grips my shoulder as if it's someone desperate to get my attention. A soft voice tinge with panic brush past my ears, only saying one word.
Max!
My head shoots around to see what said my name. There's nothing but the empty hallway that's behind me. No signs of any movement at all.
"Are you okay, Max?"
Hannah and Sam both look at me with concern. Hannah stretches to see if there was anything behind me. She sees nothing, then brings her attention back to me. I notice her lean forward, as if waiting for the signal that it's something related to a monster. I wave my hand at both of, trying to wipe the concern off their faces.
"It's nothing, I just thought I heard someone say my name."
"Oh, that was me. I was saying goodbye."
Sam sheepish word relaxed Hannah as she resumes drawing. I wave goodbye to Sam and I head out the room. I wait until I'm back in the rain to process what Sam said. The sounds of the light drizzle helps when I replay the scene in my head.
"That wasn't Sam's voice, but it was familiar."
After arriving home and eating dinner, I stare at my laptop as it rests on my bed. My palms become slick while my eyes focus on the laptop.
I mean, is it so wrong to check out the movie beforehand? Do you want to show your friends a shitty film?
The thoughts cloud my head as I try to find something to lure my attention away from the device. Movie posters and scatter Blu rays, my room is full of things that made the thoughts become louder. Louder and Louder until there was only one thing I could do.
"Oh, what the hell!"
I dive onto my bed to get the laptop on asap. The torrent download is going to take 20 minutes. Enough time for me to take a quick shower, then fall asleep to the magnificent art of Adien Perry.
The movie starts with the Main Character, Father Leo, an exiled priest working at a bar in Central America. He is approached by a woman asking him to return to the states to save a small town from being scarfed to the devil. This plot is a lot more fast-paced than I am used to for an Aiden Perry film. The 2 characters reach the town to see a naked woman pinned to a giant wooden X, when a small, light touch ripples across my back. I pause the movie and turn around.
Hmm, nothing there. Odd.
I look back at the laptop screen. The touching intensives growing stronger and stronger up my back. It comes to my chest with a firm grip, not letting go. I lift my pillow to see my evil repellent still there. Its feathers are still white, signaling that nothing supernatural attacking the bed right now.
"What is going on?"
"
After all, it's rare to watch a horror movie with Max that he's never seen before!"
Mia's words play in my head.
"Oh, Maybe it's guilt I'm feeling."
I let out a sigh of relief. I'm still on edge as to what happened at Hannah's today. The laptop screen dims as it falls asleep, waiting for my touch to wake up. I take this as a sign to stop watching the film and do the same. Quickly sending the magnet link to the gang, I let sleep take me as the firm grip on my chest weaken which each second my eyes are shut until it let go, finally allowing me to drift away to sleep. Still I wonder, guilt doesn't work like this. Something strange is going on. |
Monday:
I take out my phone during homeroom and login to Dreadstiary to check on the downloads for the latest issue. Thankfully, the numbers have been steadily rising ever since yesterday, and it hasn't slowed down yet! A sigh of relief escapes as I pat myself on the back for a job well done. I take a screenshot of the numbers to send to Ben when suddenly, a balding man shambles his way into the classroom. He wipes his head clean of sweat as he straightens his back, giving a more commanding presence than he had moments before. He pulls on his suit jacket before taking a large breath.
"Listen up. Listen up."
His voice booms throughout the classroom, bringing the other student's attention to him. I set my phone on my lap when all asudden it starts vibrating like crazy. Lifting it a bit, I see multiple Sunii notifications showing on the screen. I silence my phone, deciding to wait until the teacher finish up here before checking what's going on.
"I regret to inform you all that over the weekend a student of ours passed away. Her name was Mia Viloa."
The air sucks right out of me when he says her name. The thumping of my heart drowns out the reaction of my classmates. It couldn't be true. There's no way it could be. I look down at my phone while wondering if that what the Sunii messages were about. My heart beat grew thunderous as I couldn't hear what that man was saying. He is raising and lowering his hands as if he's trying to fan flames away. I shook my head to focus on what the man was going to say next.
"And before any of you ask. No, this isn't an April Fools' Day prank. We'll meet in the auditorium in 2 hours for a moment of silence, so you all can pay respects. That is all."
The man shambles his way out the classroom just like he entered. Before the man even reaches the door, I rip my phone off my lap to check the messages. As I suspect, it's all from the guys discussing the news.
Hannah:
The fuck is this about Mia being dead?
Duncan:
Don't know, but it has to be an April fools' prank, right?
Kat:
Ms Lang specifically mentioned it wasn't.
Besides, I just finished checking out her blog, look.
A picture of a webpage that had a picture of a twilight horizon edited to give off a deep shade of purple as a header. There are multiples stars that sprinkle down the sides of the webpage that guides your eyes to a photo of Mia in the center. She was wearing a blouse decorated in foxgloves, and her face wore a serious expression like a statue. Next to her are 2 volumes of Lament of Navies and Bosoms that rested cover side up on the bookshelf. Under the photo was a post date of March 30th.
Last post was Saturday.
Duncan:
Still, it has to be some kind of prank, there's no way like some crazed stalker got her got yesterday or something. Got to be a joke!
This goes on for sometime as I catch up on the rest of the messages, but I didn't bother replying. Something isn't adding up, like Mia wouldn't pull a prank like this. Could Mia be a victim of some craze stalker? Don't think a person like that would be around in South Anthame. Then it obviously has to be monster related, right? Only plausible answer, but I need details on how Mia's body was found. If she was killed yesterday, it might be rude to prod around for information like that. I exit the chat and see the message I sent Mia. Clicking on it brings up an image of Mia followed by her message:
Mia:
Um Hey!
I was wondering if you would want to go to the Nabromeki theater on Wednesday!
There's a double feature on rare Indonesian Horror films for $7, so it would be great for the next issue of Dreadstiary.
If you don't want to go, that's fine! Look, I took a great pic from earlier!
The picture is atop down selfie of her with the tracksuit jacket open and camisole fully visible. The blue light of the computer monitor turns the soft smile she wore into something much more somber. I hear a creak as I found myself gripping my phone too tight. If a monster did kill Mia, I would do everything I can to catch it. I slide my phone into my pocket and begin the long 2-hour wait until I can get some clues.
The sound of sobbing fills the auditorium as the ceremony comes to a close. Kat's muffled cries echo deeply as she cries on Hannah's chest. The sound of shoes on the floor cuts through the somber symphony as students begin to leave and head back to class. Duncan taps my shoulder and makes a stubble motion with his head to the front of the auditorium. We wade through the mass of students until we reach the front of the auditorium. There was a woman wearing all black staring up at the ceiling. The woman was a spitting image of Mia, but with much shorter hair. She rotates a ring on her finger as she mutters something I couldn't make out due to all the noise. As we got closer, her hollow green eyes move to us. She puts on a quick, forced smile and approaches Duncan.
"Hey Mrs. Viloa."
"Oh, hello Duncan."
She quickly wraps her arms around Duncan's waist in a hug. She then turns to me, instead of embracing me, she takes hold of my hands and looks at me with a genuine smile.
"Max, I'm so sorry. I'm sure Mia would have love to go on your date Wednesday."
I pull my hands free and give her a hug. From the corner of my eye, I see Duncan mouth the words
date
as he nods his head in approval. I take advantage of the moment to gather the courage to inquire about Mia's body. I release her, placing my hands softly on her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, I look directly into her eyes and ask.
"I don't mean to be rude, but how did you find Mia's body?"
She pushes my hands away and steps back from me. I notice her right-hand move and prepare myself for a hit. It's understandable, the pain of loss is still fresh. So, I shut my eyes and wait for the slap.
"Why would..."
Time goes by, and no strike comes. I foolishly open my eyes, only to see Mrs. Viloa paused in the middle of her slap. Her hand gradually returns to her side. She mutters to herself, processing her thoughts before saying something I could comprehend.
"Mia did mention you were a monster hunter before."
She quickly steps closer to me. She looks up and gazes into my eyes. I can see a small sparkle starting to grow in her eyes.
"Do you think a monster killed my daughter?"
I attempt to step back to create some distance from her actions, but Duncan grabs my shoulder, preventing me from moving. He looks at me with a look similar to Mia's mom's, filled with growing hope.
"Do you?"
"Well, it's just a hunch. You know an unexplainable event happens, tends to be monster related. Just speaking from experience."
Duncan gives her a thumbs up. Mia's mom nods, takes a couple of steps back, composes herself before telling us the information.
"Mia was found in her room laid face down --"
She pauses to catch herself. After wiping the accumulating her tears away, she continues on.
"In a pool of dried blood, completely unclothed. There was a large stab wound in the middle of her back. The police said there were no signs of forced entry at her windows. No extra footprints. No signs of ..."
Duncan and I both hug her as tears stream down her face. We stood there in an embrace until we hear her sobs stop.
"Does that help?"
"Yes. Yes it does."
Duncan and I both give her one final hug together before returning to Hannah and Kat. The auditorium is now almost empty, compared to earlier, with only a few groups lingering and not wanting to rush back to class. Taking advantage of the extra space, we decide not to rush back to the girls and instead take a leisurely stroll, giving us more time to process the new information. After a while, Duncan nudges me. A sly grin appears on his face.
"So, a date huh?"
Right, I should have expected him to bring that up.
"Just a double feature at the Nabromeki for rare horror films for $7. It was her idea."
"OOO. Economic!"
He keeps nudging me, which begins to lift the mood a bit, but it doesn't last long when we come across a group of 5 guys.
"Can't believe we lost a god tier rack today."
The guy who speaks is standing a bit ahead of the group of guys. He has slicked back black hair, and he collapses dramatically into a chair next to him. He puts his hand on his forehead, as if he's experiencing a sudden bout of fatigue. The group of guys laughs at his actions. Another guy with deep auburn hair styled in a man bun walks up to him and playfully smacks him on the head.
"Life is life, get over it already"
"How can I get over it? Her chest was the only thing that got me through this shit rag of a school!"
The group of guys laughs while pulling the slicked-back haired guy off of the chair. Their actions made my blood boil. Before I could say anything, I notice that Duncan had already stepped in. One of the guys, this one with blonde quiff hair and a face full of freckles, notices Duncan. He jumps in surprise, which makes the entire group aware of Duncan's presence. I move closer to see Duncan giving them an intense glare and muttering something in a low grow.
"Have some respect for the dead."
Seems like Hannah is rubbing off on him. I tap him on the shoulder, breaking his glare,and gesture towards the girls. I make my way towards them, with Duncan quickly beating me to them. I can see a look of interest on Hannah's face. She must have seen the whole thing, but without missing a beat, Duncan flashes a charming smile, attempting to diffuse any question she was about to ask.
"Well, I could go for a milkshake! Coming Hannah?"
It's my turn to look at him in confusion, since the school isn't over yet.
"Going to the Saloon now?"
Duncan puts his arm around me, while still flashing his smile.
"Beats staying here and moping around! And Behenii's not the saloon. I also want to get a burger and some fries."
Ah, I get it. He needs to go cool off. Makes sense to ditch for the rest of the day. The mood is kinda weird now, but I could just watch movies during class as a pick me up. Kat tugs on Hannah's skirt as she gets up to leave with Duncan.
"Hey if you see a teacher ask if it's okay to leave early and tell me. I agree with Duncan. I rather sulk at home than in here."
"No prob."
Hannah gives Kat a goodbye hug before walking towards the exit.
"We're stopping by the saloon first, so I can get a shake there."
"Elite!"
And they were off, leaving me alone with Kat. Kat sits up right as she fixes herself. She uses the sleeves of the oversize jacket she wore to dry her eyes before she flashes me a frail smile. Ok, Ok, she looks like she could use some comforting. I wipe my hands on the sides of my pants as they started to become sweaty. All I have to do is embrace her and show her I'm here for her. Okay, let's --
"Um hey Max?"
Kat and I turn our heads to see the freckle faced boy from earlier.
"If I'm interrupting something, I can come back later."
Before I could say something, Kat's phone buzzes. She looks at it and quickly starts gathering her things.
"No it's fine. I was just heading out. So you can chat with Max."
After she gets her things, she moves close to my ear and in a soft whisper.
"Hannah says it's okay to leave, so I'm going home. Chat with the guy, you never know he could be a fan! It would be a great pick me up!"
She gives me a quick hug, then she heads to the exit. Well, this day just got worse. I try to hide my annoyance when I turn to face the freckle boy. He stands there with a shy smile as he eagerly held his hand out in front of me.
"Sorry about Nelson! He was being a real jagoff. I'm a big fan of Dreadstiary! Just wanted to say I love the newest issue."
Wow, Kat was right. I shake his hand while feeling my face burn with embarrassment. I'm lost on what to do in a situation like this. Not really use to dealing with fans, especially since I use a pen name when writing articles...wait a minute.
"How did you know I make Dreadstiary, um?"
He lets go of my hand and dives it his pocket to take out his phone. He begins scrolling through some site that happens to look familiar.
"Oh, The name is Bart and, well, I found out from Mia's blog."
Bart shows me a post that has a picture of me looking intensely at my movie collection. I didn't realize she took a photo of me then. Scrolling down a little bit brings up another picture, this time of me focused on watching the movie and Mia smiling behind me. There's a caption that goes along with the two photos.
Today was a fun day!
My friend Max invited me over to watch horrors films. I don't know much about horror films, but I gladly took his invitation as you see he runs a zine to where he writes reviews for horror films he watches. I don't get to help him out often with the crazier articles in the zine so I do what I can if he asks. You see he is one of the people who help me feel welcome in Anthame when I was very depressed. So,I would love it if you guys check out his Zine! To see the films we watched, wait for the newest issue of Dreadstiary!
The post ends with a link to the website for the zine. So that's where the boost in downloads came from. I just stand there looking at Bart's phone. No words would come to me at the moment. Some time pass and Bart turns his phone around to look at the screen. His eyes almost pop out of his head at what he sees.
"Shit, I'm going to be late for class."
Bart shoves his phone in his pocket then runs off. He turns back to look at me to yell something.
"Sorry again! Hope you can find the other 6 movies! See you around."
Now I'm all alone in the auditorium. The deafening silence doesn't help with the wave of emotions I'm feeling now. My vision becomes blur, but a sharp pain travels up my leg that helps to clear my vision. I look at the exit where all my friends left and wonder if I should leave too. After a bit more time passes I limp my way up the stairs to head to class, trying my best to not cry along the way.
Bart sits down in the back of the classroom and takes out his laptop. As he starts to flip it open, he is stopped by his friend with auburn hair. He shakes Bart while pointing to the student in front of him.
"Bart! Look at this man. He's SICK!"
He points to Nelson, who is staring at his phone. Bart leans closer to see on the phone is a photo of Mia in a pirate wench outfit. Nelson zooms in on her chest that is being held up and accentuated by a corset. He hugs his phone and proceeds to fake cry, curling up on his desk. Bart moves his friend's hand off of him, getting annoyed with their comedy routine.
"Woods, you just gotta show him another hottie, and he'll get over it."
He leans in and gives a smug smile to Woods.
"How about showing him a picture of your sis?"
Woods covers his mouth while giving an exaggerated gasp and sulks back into his chair, saying.
"Too far. Too Far."
Bart laughs and opens his laptop. His laughter is cut short as he sees his laptop screen is on the login page.
Didn't I have my laptop off?
He wonders as he begins to type in his password. He stops himself before hitting enter when another thought pops int his head.
If it was on, there's a chance I was watching porn last night.
Bart holds down on the power button, deciding to be safe and have it just start up fresh. He looks up from his screen to see Ms. Lang scolding Nelson on his behavior. He chuckles to himself as he tries to turn on his laptop, but mysteriously it's already on and on the login screen again. Bart once again holds down the power and close the laptop.
Woods notice Bart closing his laptop. He leans back, double-checking to see if Ms. Lang notices him.
"You good?"
Bart brushes off his friend's concern.
"Yeah just my laptop is acting up."
Woods begins to laugh.
"Looks like all the clown-wolf fetish porn finally gave you a virus."
Before Bart could respond, a voice from the front of the class interrupts him.
"Gentlemen, enough talk about fetishes and focus on work, please."
The class erupts in a roar of laughter at Ms Lang's remarks. Bart and Woods sink into their seats, faces flush with embarrassment. Bart flings open his laptop and his embarrassment switches to unease as the laptop is on and once again on the login screen.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He decides to muscle through and proceeds to type in his password, not wanting to get embarrassed twice in one class. Halfway into typing his password, his screen begins to glitch out. His heart sinks as he desperately tries to finish typing in his password.
His typing becomes frantic. So much so that he draws Woods' attention again. Bart gives up at the sight of his screen full of noise and tearing, that it was impossible to make out the home screen anymore. His heart beat howls in his ears as he decides to cut his loses and just ask Ms. Lang to borrow a computer. As he moves towards the power button, he is stopped midway by a sharp pain in his throat. Bart moves his eyes back towards the screen to see a brown object protruding from the now black screen. The object resembles a tree branch that is braided together with multiple other branches. Bart begins to feel blood pools in his mouth as he tries to make a sound to alert someone.
Woods stares at Bart in bewilderment as he is frantically coughing at his computer screen.
"Bart, you need some water?"
Bart's eyes lock onto Woods'. The fear and desperation in his eyes sent a chill down Woods' spine. Woods notices something that resembles blood coming from Bart's mouth. Woods moves to get the attention of Ms. Lang when Bart flies out of his seat. His body moves in a frenzied manner as he claws at his neck. The class stares at Bart suspended in the air, moving like a wild animal. Suddenly he stops, and his arms go limp as he just stays floating in the air.
"Bart?"
The words whimper out of Nelson's mouth as he just stares at his friend in the air. Bart jerks forward and violently crashes onto his laptop. The class jumps at the sound of the body's impact against the desk. No makes a sound nor move until Ms. Lang approaches Bart. As soon as her eyes lay on Bart's body, she let out a huge gasp. |
"Listen well Rodderick, I'm sure you are aware of this, but magic is the power to exert your will on the world and change it as you see fit.", Edeus, now standing behind Rodderick started giving him his very first lesson.
Rodderick's heart was going crazy, he was nervous about failing Edeus' expectations, but the excitement of learning about magic was much stronger.
"We mages do this by controlling different aspects of the world. For example, controlling wind to lift yourself off the ground or the earth to build a house."
Rodderick nodded, with a smile on his face, but then stopped and looked at Edeus confused.
"How did you make fire then? Are there tiny fire balls everywhere you make bigger with magic?"
Edeus chuckled, "No, but not a bad guess given the information you had. You are missing a fundamental part of magic, which is how mages transform the elements of the world into another that fits their purpose, but that's more advanced magic, don't bother with it for now. There's a reason we are starting with wind, the air is all around us".
Edeus gestured, extending his arms. "Air is normally the most accessible elements for mages, and later on, the most common base of every spell, it's an important element to master", Edeus retracted his arms and pointed to Athena with his staff.
"But that doesn't mean it will be easy to control, different mages have different relationships with certain elements. Some have an easier time moving water, others the earth, but given the nature of our world, it's fundamental that you are good at using wind, Athena here is a wind mage herself"
"Demons can use magic?", Rodderick was surprised, demons came in many forms, but most of them were physically bigger and stronger than humans, if they could use magic too, wasn't that unfair?
"Yes they can, some are even born natural masters too, you won't find a single harpy who isn't a wind mage", Edeus tone grew serious. "Humans are at a natural and biological disadvantage. This is why it's important to master the elements ourselves."
Rodderick gulped and looked at Athena, she was looking down on him, smiling, it was hard for him to see if she was doing it because of the praise Edeus gave her species or because she enjoyed the reality in which she was naturally stronger. If he had to guess, it was definitely the second.
His sense of security weakened, for a familiar, she didn't look very obedient.
"Okay, I'm ready" Rodderick affirmed, trying to convince himself.
"No need, I can already tell, you are nothing special", Athena interrupted the young boy.
"What? But I didn't do anything!", Rodderick refuted, how could she tell if he had no talent before trying to even cast a spell?.
"There's no need, the wind doesn't avoid you, but it's not interested in you either, you are just another dull person it will blow past"
Rodderick was confused at the cryptic words the harpy used, but when he looked at Edeus taking her words seriously, he grew worried.
The old wizard brushed his long white beard. "Well, you can't expect to find talent so easily", he wasn't disappointed, it was very much the answer he expected from the beginning.
"You can go now. Keep scouting for enemies, we can't let them find Adrian before us".
The harpy waved her powerful wings and jumped into the air, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
"Who's Adrian?", Rodderick asked waving the cloud of dust away.
"The reason we are here", Edeus hesitated for a second before answering, then the wizard once again started walking. "Let's go, we should use all the sunlight we have, we will check Dorhem town next".
They were currently leaving Eldham, the town where Roderick lived his whole life.
Dorhem was the neighbor town, it was one or two days away, but Rodderick had never stepped in it.
He didn't know much about it, however he sometimes overheard the merchants who came to peddle their goods and would often bring news and rumors.
"Edeus, can I become a mage if I work hard enough?", Rodderick asked while following behind the wizard.
He felt disappointed about the earlier test, he wanted to impress Edeus and thank him for taking him by working hard to become a wizard like him, but his hopes were immediately crushed. Still, he wouldn't let it stop him, if he had no talent for using wind, he would just have to work twice as hard.
"Don't worry, just because the wind doesn't like you it doesn't mean the other elements won't."
"It doesn't like me? Is the air alive?", Edeus and even Athena kept talking about the air as if it had a will on its own, but the air didn't speak. It confused Rodderick to no end.
"You could say that", Edeus stopped and turned to Rodderick.
"Listen well boy, the world is full of life, not only humans or demons, not even only animals, there's many forces that create the foundation of the planet we live in, air is just one of those", he buried his staff on the ground and vines and flowers spurted from the earth, kindly enveloping the staff.
"If the earth likes you, it will move at your tune without you needing to drag it around, if it trusts you, it will lose its form and take a new one when you ask it without resisting. Does that make sense to you?"
Rodderick pondered hard, he pictured an invisible person made of wind and another one made of mud, one hugging the other, forming a ball that made the planet.
"I think? How can I make the wind like me? Do I give him a gift?"
Edeus chuckled, gently removing his staff from the vines that enveloped it.
"That's right kid, you got the right idea, however, the elements care not for material things, but how you live your life. The wind takes a liking to playful beings, people who are free of shackles and live their life based on whims, you will see that those kind of people are often good at mastering the wind element."
"In the demon side you can find species and cultures accepted by an element, take harpies for example, nomads who live in the sky and hunt when they get hungry, do you see why the wind is fond of them?"
Rodderick nodded with a smile on his face, he could hardly believe it, but he was really learning about magic, it was a dream come to life.
"Also, hardheaded idiots who are temperamental and disregard their own safety are usually talented with fire magic", Edeus said nodding on the direction of Ember who was walking in circles with her hands on the back of her head.
"Are you one of those? You made those incredibly hot fireballs"
Ember fell to the ground laughing while lifting her legs on the ground.
"No! I'm just an incredibly talented wizard! Listen, these are just guidelines, they aren't always true!", Edeus lost his cool before checking himself and going back to his reserved attitude.
"Ehem. Anyways, let's go, we need to reach Dorhem before night falls. We can camp in a few hours to eat something and we can dine in the town after we arrive.", Edeus turned around and walked off, leading the group.
Rodderick followed, with a big smile on his face. He wasn't able to achieve anything today, but for some reason, he was truly happy. |
The old wizard walked through the rubble, his long white beard brushed against the broken pieces of stone and wood. The town around him was in ruins, with numerous buildings collapsed and destroyed. The explosion had been so powerful that it had taken down half the buildings in sight in an instant.
The wizard scanned the area, searching for any sign of life. As he turned a corner, he saw something stir under a pile of debris. Cautiously he approached but after a sudden stop, he left a relieved sigh escape his lips.
His magic lifted the heavy stones and timbers with ease.
Under them, he uncovered a young looking boy of 8 or 10 years of age, covered in dust and dirt. The wizard gently lifted the child into his arms and whispered a spell of healing. The child's wounds began to close, and their breathing grew easier.
He looked around at the devastation and shook his head. Many others must be trapped under the rocks like this child, but he could not stay and help them all.
He placed the child on the ground and began walking towards more moving rubble when he felt a small hand grab on his robes.
The wizard tried to pull away from the child, his mind focused on his mission. But the small child clung to his robe, tears streaming down their dirt-streaked face.
"Please don't leave me," the boy whispered, his voice shaking with fear.
A small child like this would be fatigued after having healing magic cast on them, his legs were fine, but he was too tired to walk, and was afraid of being left alone in the rubble.
The wizard's heart softened at the child's plea. He knelt down beside the child and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Where are your parents?" the wizard asked, looking down at the child by his side.
The child's face fell. "I don't have any," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The wizard's heart went out to the child. He had seen too many young lives lost or forever changed by tragedy.
These last 12 years were filled with horrors that even the centuries old war shied away from.
The wizard casted a magical ward around the child, enveloping them in a warm, protective glow. "There," he said. "That should keep you safe until I get back."
The child looked up at the wizard with wide, trusting eyes. "Thank you," he said, finally displaying a smile.
The wizard gave the child a reassuring smile of his own and then set off into the rubble, his magic at the ready.
As he searched through the wreckage, the wizard's senses were on high alert.
He didn't have to look for long before he found the monster half-buried under a rock, its body twisted and broken. The wizard let out a triumphant cry. The creature was humanoid but had very distinct features.
Its arms were covered in shiny green scales, horns grew from its head and sharp teeth adorned its mouth. At each of his sides the monster wings laid broken, twitching in a futile attempt to escape the rubble.
As he stood over the defeated monster, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
Despite its injuries, the monster's eyes were still full of hatred. As the wizard approached, it let out a low growl and bared its teeth, determined to fight to the end.
"You damned hypocrite", The monster looked up at the wizard and spoke with a weak voice full of rage.
"Goodbye", The wizard summoned his power and casted a spell, blowing the monster's head clean off its shoulders.
As the dust settled, the wizard stood there, covered in sweat and let out a long sigh of relief. It was finally over.
As the old wizard turned to make his way back, he found that a group of spectators had gathered around looking at him and the monster's body, their eyes fixed on him with a mixture of fear and awe.
He saw that many of them were wounded, their bodies covered in cuts and bruises. Others were frantically searching the rubble, calling out for their loved ones.
"Edeus!" He turned to see a young woman landing next to him, a bright smile on her face.
"I finally caught up with you!" she exclaimed, her tone cheerful and unfitting of the atmosphere.
"Are you all right?"
The woman waved off his concern. "I'm fine," she said. "But I'm more worried about you. Are you okay? You are too old for this kind of things, a little swipe could cut you in half kihihihi". The woman laughed with an annoying cackle.
"I'm fine", Edeus dusted off his robes paying the derision no mind.
From the corner of his eyes he spied the small boy looking at the pair in awe. He was standing on his feet already which surprised Edeus.
The young boy stood before the old wizard, his eyes filled with determination and a hint of desperation. "Please, sir," he begged. "Take me with you. I want to learn magic and become a great wizard like you." The boy raised his fist in excitement.
The old wizard sighed and shook his head. "No way, you are still just a child.", Edeus turned around and started walking away but the young boy would not be deterred. He grabbed onto the wizard's robes and looked up at him with a fierce determination. "It's dangerous everywhere," he said, gesturing towards the destroyed town behind him. "My home is gone. I have nowhere else to go."
The old wizard looked at the boy with a mixture of sadness and understanding. Guilt filling his heart.
The woman tilted her head looking at the situation with a teasing smile. Edeus quickly gave her an angry look deterring any idea in her mind of making any troublesome statement.
The girl only cackled to herself.
Witches were completely insane, not a single one was spared with common sense, one had to constantly make sure they didn't stir any trouble when traveling with them.
Edeus brushed his long white beard thinking to himself. "What is your name, boy?", he asked.
"R-Rodderick, sir!", the young boy answered with a mix of nerves and excitement.
"How about this, I will give you a magical test, if you pass, you can join us.", Edeus kept stroking his beard while looking at the child.
"Here", Edeus waved his staff and a wisp of fire appeared, floating on the air. "Turn it off".
The magical flame heated everything around in an instant, it was a powerful fire spell that even proper mages would have trouble dealing with, it was Edeus way to make the chiod realise he wasn't ready.
Rodderick with no hesitation reached at the flame with both his hands trying to contain it between.
"What?!" Edeus quickly dispelled the flame, afraid of melting the child's hands away. "Are you stupid child?! Don't you know how dangerous magic fire is?!"
However, Rodderick answered with a huge smile, "There, it's gone"
Edeus was speechless, the witch kept cackling and the kid kept smiling.
The old wizard sighed exhausted. "Alright, boy, we don't have all day, let's go". Edeus turned around and walked away.
"Yeah!" The child smiled and trotted behind. |
Rodderick was sitting with Ember's body, looking at the forest. Unlike last time, he could not hear the ongoing battle.
He sighed. Last fight was incredibly quick, everything could be decided in a matter of seconds, he didn't know how much he had actually waited, but it felt eternal..
"Wahh!", suddenly, Ember's body started clapping, which made Rodderick jump in freight.
Is that a celebration? Rodderick's face transformed to one full of joy.
"Yeaaaaaaaah! Hahahaha!", he couldn't help but jump and run in circles out of sheer relief.
"Cough, anyways, just as expected of sir Edeus", he sat down as if it wasn't a big deal. If he was going to learn from Edeus, maybe he should start imitating his cool reserved attitude.
After a few minutes of waiting, Edeus appeared flying over the forest hugging Ember's head with one arm and landed next to Rodderick.
"Hey Ricky, I'm back!", the witch greeted him like she just went out for a walk. Used to the witch's bizarre attitude, he was no longer bothered by her eccentricities, instead he just felt happy to reunite with his friend.
...
The trio was back inside the earth hut. Ember was holding her own head in place while Edeus muttered a healing spell.
"There you go, try not to lose your head again", the old wizard let go of her and took his staff in his hands.
"You got it, boss. Ember's head and leg we back to normal. She stood up, kicked with her leg a few times and moved her neck to get rid of any discomfort.
"Healing magic is amazing, can you heal anything as long as someone is alive?", Rodderick was amazed at the resilience of the witch and the capacity for restoration of healing magic and asked in a curious tone.
"What makes you think death could stop me?", Edeus chuckled. "There's magic that can bring the dead back to life too, under certain conditions of course. For example, if a demon devours a human they can't be brought back to life".
"Why is that?", Rodderick asked confused, it was a very specific condition.
"Because the real reason demons devour humans is to eat their souls, it is the core of our very existence, without it, there's no life."
"I see...", Rodderick sighed. When he heard Edeus talk about bringing back the dead he felt excited for a second, if he became a powerful wizard like him perhaps he could bring his parents back to life, however, his hopes were quickly crushed.
Edeus understood Rodderick's sadness, he wished to cheer him up, perhaps by talking about how he was able to cast magic, but his duty didn't allow it, he still had to find the prince.
"Alright Rodderick, I will now tell you why Ember and I came here", Edeus had casted a protective spell on the earth hut before restoring Ember back to health, now that he knew the snake augur was back in action, he had to take every protection against scrying magic as he could. Because of this, he no longer had to be secretive with the child.
Rodderick nodded, interested, at first he thought they were simply patrolling near the front lines, however, that didn't seem to be the case.
"We are looking for a little brat that decided to run away from home. He goes by the name of Adrian Aeron, but you may know him by his title instead, the third prince of the Aeron kingdom."
"A prince?!", Rodderick jumped on his seat, he only heard of royalty in stories. Meeting these two mages had truly turned his life into a fantastical adventure.
"That's right, listen well. Everyone in the royal family has shinning red hair, keep this in mind when looking for him".
"Leave it to me!"
"Good, let's go then.", Edeus ruffled Rodderick's hair with a smile on his face.
"To Dorhem!"
...
In the north of Dorhem, there was a fortress occupied by the demon army. In the nearby lands, troops had risen a camp with numerous tents of varying sizes.
A humanoid demon was looking down on at camp from his room in the fortress. His name was Abeon, a talented commander with over 500 demons under his command.
In the room with him were his two trusted friends.
Mytha, like him, had a very humanoid appearance one could only differentiate them from humans by the color of their skin and other small features.
Abeon had dark blue skin and a small pair of wings sprouting from his head.
Mytha had green skin and a long thin tail like that of a lizard which she used to balance her self and as a weapon.
They both belonged to the Yoma kind, which most demons were part of.
The power of Yoma varied greatly depending on the amount of magical reserves they were born with. Most were unremarkable and formed the foundations of the demon army as foot soldiers. Some, on the other extreme were mages so powerful that defied comprehension.
Blain, the third demon in the room was an Abyssal.
Abyssal were descendants of a previous demon lord, and as one would expect, they were exceedingly powerful from birth, they had a terrifying ability which allowed them to regenerate from any damage. Their body was a combination of powerful muscles, bones and fur.
Blain's face resembled the skull of a cow with red flaming dots inside the eye-sockets, his collar was adorned by black fur and so were his shoulder and legs.
"Have you guys heard? There's a little prince on stroll around these parts", Abeon looked back at his friends who were playing a card game on the floor to combat the boredom.
"Yup, everyone was trying to get a piece of him, but finding him sounds like a drag", Blain inspected the cards which looked comically small in his hands planning his next move.
"Well I have good news for you, guess who I just saw inside Dorhem?", Abeon moved away from the window and a small crow landed at his side.
"No way! For real? Gahahaha! Let's go! Let's go eat him right now!", Blain excitedly threw his cards away.
Mytha who saw her card game come to end, threw her own cards and looked at Blain.
"Don't be an idiot, it has to be a trap, why would the royal prince come to the front lines? Glareon only saw the prince go out of Whilmcaster, but he didn't see why. They could be trying to lure us out while secretly escorted by powerful enemies.", she rested her head on her hand while lying on the floor.
"My familiars inspected most of the city, he is indeed escorted by a soldier, however, it's only one, it doesn't seem to be part of an operation.", Abeon scratched the head of the crow next to him, thanking him for it's hard work.
"Who's the escort?", Mytha asked cautiously.
"No idea, never seen him before, if they haven't fought in the front lines they are probably not very strong, this is the prefect chance to climb up the ranks"
Mytha closed her eyes for a second pondering.
"Alright, I'm in. What about you, Blain?", she opened her eyes and looked at the big demon.
"Do you even have to ask?", the abyssal stood up more than 2 meters in height and started warming up.
"Let's hunt the little prince", Blain muttered, his mouth was salivating in anticipation. |
A month has passed since. I know I'm mostly to blame for delaying all of my work, but man this entire month has been brutal, not even including shooting our film after I'm done with classes.
"CUT! That's a wrap everyone!" The director yelled out.
"WOOOO!"
Everyone in the room yelled out, with massive claps resonating throughout the entire room. After four months of grueling shooting, we're finally done with the production stage of this project.
"It's doneeeeee!" I stretch out from my chair.
Even though my body feels fine, my mind is hanging on a thread of collapsing. I honestly want to get back home and get some rest.
"Now that everything is over, let's all go for a drink!" The president enthusiastically yelled out.
As usual, there's a massive roar that resounded throughout the entire room, with everyone going up to their circles talking about how glad they are that the shooting is finished. I look to my left, where Nakamura is sitting next to the lighting equipment whilst downing a massive gallon of water bottle with his black shirt completely soaked in sweat.
"Is he going to be okay?"
Even though we've been working together for around a month, I haven't had a chance to have a talk with him.
"More like I haven't made an attempt to talk to him..."
"Hideakii. You're going to come right?" Takahashi said, somehow standing in front of me right now.
"Obviously I'll come!" I said enthusiastically.
"Everyone's waiting outside, so let's go."
"Actually, I need to pack up my stuff first. Is that okay?" I asked.
"Sure. If you take too long, we'll leave you, okay? Sugiura already ordered a taxi for us." Takahashi said as he uses his thumb to towards the door of this room.
"..."
I look to my left with Nakamura there still cleaning up our lightings and cameras. He awkwardly moves the light out of the set, almost tripping on the messy cables on the floor.
"...You guys should go on ahead. I need to submit my essay after I'm done cleaning up." I replied.
"If you say so man." Takahashi shrugs.
"By the way, where's the president at?" I asked.
"Last I saw him, he was in the backroom cleaning up our supplies." Takahashi replied.
"I see... Alright, I'll see you in a few hours." I said while bringing my right hand up.
"See you later man." Takahashi gave a slight wave, and jogged out of the room.
I gave a slight wave as well. Once he's out of the room, I stood up whilst doing some stretches, and head towards where Nakamura is seated.
"Yo. You need some help?" I asked
Nakamura's body shook for a second when I called out to him. He slowly looks up to me and asks,
"H-Help with what?" He asks timidly.
"I got nothing to do, so I thought I'll help out in packing up all the lighting supplies." I replied courteously.
"...D-Didn't you make plans with your friends?" Nakamura asks, avoiding my gaze.
"We're just going to pub meetup at a later time. Aren't you coming?"
"A-As much as I don't want to, I don't think I can get away from coming..."
As Nakamura said that, he looks over to our supply room with the president carrying all of the cameras and all of the other set equipment into the storage room.
"I get you." I replied.
"I'm really not in the mood to drink..." Nakamura listlessly replied.
"Sameee..."
"Why? I thought you already had plans with your friends." Nakamura asks.
"Ahh right. I did have something like that." I replied.
"Shouldn't you go meet up with them?"
"...We should clean up these lightings first. I'm honestly surprised you even want to move all of these on your own." I said as I slowly stand up.
I'm genuinely surprised though. Obviously, there's a few that's already moved into the storage room, but there's around four soft boxes, and two umbrellas at the back.
"Huff...!"
I lift one of the soft box lighting up, only for the top's heaviness making me lose my balance.
"Shoot!"
As I struggle along, Nakamura then comes in from my left side to support the weight of the lighting, making it a lot more balanced to hold onto.
"...Y-You okay?" Nakamura asks me.
"Y-Yeah... That was close..." I said as I look up at the light.
I severely underestimated on how heavy this thing would be. I'm honestly impressed that Nakamura can carry a good amount of these lightings, not considering some of the camera equipments. This makes me appreciate physical workers, and makes me realize that I really need to workout.
"Haah... haah..."
"Hey... A-Are you actually okay?" Nakamura gave me a concerned look.
"Y-Yeah... I'm okay... Come on, help me out here..." I said as I put more strength holding onto the pole of the light.
"Sure..."
Nakamura then tighten his grip on the top pole, while I hold down the bottom side of the pole. Both of us then awkwardly lifts the lighting, and starts walking towards the storage room.
"Why do you want to help out anyway? I can do all of this without your help..." Nakamura asks.
"I just... want to help out is all...." I said with a smile.
"...Is that really it?"
"..." I broke my gaze from him and look towards the floor.
"...Had a fight with your friends?" Nakamura asks.
"No... I just, don't want to see them right now..."
"A-Aren't you seeing them in a few hours?"
"...Can I ask you a question?"
"W-What is it...?"
"...About what you said last week. That you're scared of what the president thinks of the real you..."
"W-What about it?" Nakamura asks.
"...What is the real us?"
"...D-Don't ask me those questions. Even I don't know anything about it." Nakamura replied in a mutter.
"...Right. Haha... Sorry for the random question... Let's get this to the storage roo—"
"Personally, I think it's about being comfortable with yourself..." Nakamura answers.
"..."
"I'm sure I'm completely wrong with that, so don't take it too seriously..." Nakamura says as he scratches his right cheek.
"Comfortable..."
"...Let's bring this to the storage room first." Nakamura cuts in.
"A-Ah... right... sorry about that." I said as I feebly positioned myself to bring myself up.
I feel like I just found the right piece that fits in this massive puzzle. Have I always felt comfortable with the things I do? Whenever I'm with my group of friends, it always feels as if I'm watching a show about a group of friends having fun, rather than being apart of that said group. Have I ever felt comfortable hanging out with them?
---
Once we moved the lighting into the storage room, we head back to where the rest of the lightings were, when we're greeted with a massive body that is standing right in front of us.
"Tomio? What are you still doing here? I thought you already went with your friends." The president asks while leaning down towards me.
"I told them that they can go on first, since I needed to submit my essay. I also saw that Nakamura is struggling, so I thought I might as well help him out. Haha..."
"It's not like I needed it..." Nakamura muttered
I know that I'm not helping out much, but please don't say those kinds of things. My chest actually hurts a lot from those words.
"That so? After you're done, you should come with me instead." The president says.
"Okay... Thanks man." I replied.
Is that really the response I want to give him? Hanging out with everyone in a pub will be a lot of fun, and I can also hang out with my group of friends there. But at the same time, I also don't really want to go either.
Unsure as to why, I look to my right, where Nakamura is standing next to me, with his face hidden with his relatively long hair, and his shoulders slouching forward. He then puts his hands inside of his jeans pocket, and slowly walk towards the president.
"..."
I'm not sure what's driving me to do this, but I start power walking towards the presidents' back, overtaking Nakamura in the process.
"...Hey, president." I said, pressing in my voice.
"Huh? What's up Tomio?" The president replied with his head turned towards me.
"...Nakamura and I are going to skip out for tonight... Is that okay...?"
"...Huhh? Why did you change your mind? Did something bad happened? Are you feeling sick? Why now of all times?" The president berates me with multiple different questions that I can't even keep up.
"Ahh no, it's just... We're super tired, and we just want to skip out." I said with my body stiffer than a rock, with my face absolutely drenched in sweat.
The president stays quiet for a while, scratching his head in the process. Then, he lets out an overly exaggerated sigh, and says,
"I see... That's too bad... Have you told your friends about it?"
"Ah, right... I told them that I'd be coming... Can you tell them that I'll be skipping this one out prez?"
"Not only are you not coming, but you're even asking me to relay a message for you? Aaah~, you're pretty cruel, aren't you?" The president replied exaggeratedly.
"Sorry..."
"H-Hey, I was just joking. I'll tell them about it, no worries."
"Thanks."
"Still though, this is the first time I've heard you make an initiative for yourself." The president says with a smile on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"How should I say this... It always feels like you're just following along with the things I say, so I always thought that you secretly hated me for it..."
"..."
Shoot. I got nothing to say to that. Is the president secretly a perceptive person?
"Also, you've never said my name once..." The president curtly says.
"...!"
"Hey... The fact that you're staying quiet is hurting me even more you know..." The president says in a sulk.
Sounds of footsteps comes from my back, with it followed by an empowering voice,
"I-It's true that at least I find you annoying..."
"...That so. I'm sorry Nakamura..." The president says in a low voice.
"But! I don't hate you as a person... If anything, I look up to you as a leader..."
Nakamura's back is straight, and looking at president directly in his eyes. His right hand is shaking a bit, but he clenches them, which stops his hand from trembling.
"...There really isn't anything for me to say here, so I guess I'll just believe you guys, hahaha..." The president replied whilst scratching his head.
"..."
"..."
"...You two get some rest. I don't want to be late, so I'll be going now." The president says with a soft smile on his face.
"Alright. You take care too pres." I replied.
"Yeah! See you guys next week!" The president loudly proclaimed.
"God, is there a way to suppress his voice?" Nakamura says in a mutter, followed up with a sigh.
"I wonder how Kazuto can have so much energy hanging out with the president..."
---
We were walking along in a neighborhood in silence, with the sun slowly taking away the sea of orange that lays before us. As we continue to walk, we stumbled a nearby vending machine, so we took a break from walking to get something to drink.
"Nakamura, what do you want?"
"I'll take chocolate milk. Any brand is fine."
As I press the buttons for a canned chocolate milk and a bottle green tea, a massive plonk sound resounded the relatively quiet and dark neighborhood. With the only thing lighting its environment are a bunch of lamp poles that just barely gave light.
"Hey man, what was that about?" Nakamura asks, breaking the silence.
"About what?" I asked again.
"Do you really need to play dumb?" Nakamura curtly asks.
"Sorry..."
"...So?"
"I'm... not so sure to be honest." I replied.
"Huhhh?" Nakamura gave an exasperated reply.
"All that I know is that, I felt glad that I said that to him... As if a weight was taken off of my shoulders..." I said as I spin around my half drunken bottle in my hands.
"...I get what you mean though. It feels pretty good to finally say what I thought of him this entire time..." Nakamura replied as he finished his can of milk in one go.
"I'm still surprised you can say that to him..." I said with an exasperated sigh.
"It's not like you denied him either when he asked you about it." Nakamura replied looking at me with his eyes narrowed.
"T-That's... Uhh..." I downed what remains that exists in my bottle in one go, drenching in my throat with jasmine like sweets.
"Still, I'm really glad that I didn't have to go to an izakaya with them. I'm honestly not a fan alcohol. Nakamura says as he stretches his arms out.
"Sameee... By the way, what time will your class ends on Monday?"
"Mine will end at one pm. What about it?"
"O-Ohh, I was thinking maybe we could hang out once in a while outside of club activities, you know."
"S-Sure... that sounds like fun." Nakamura mutters.
"Alright. See you on Monday man." I said as I finished my drink, and threw away the bottle at the bin next to the vending machine.
"Ah... yeah..." Nakamura replied.
As I said that, I start walking towards the opposite way where we initially came from, and head towards my house.
---
"..."
Hideaki's back gradually fades into darkness, whilst I stood still next to the vending machine. Still waving slightly at his back that is gradually going out of sight.
"...Guess I'll go home."
I threw my can into the vending machine, and I finally start walking towards a nearby train station.
"I wonder if I've grown a bit from today..."
The End |
"What happened?, Edeus landed next to Rodderick.
"Edeus!", Rodderick jumped in happiness at the appearance of the old wizard, He looked back at the body of Ember, thinking on how to explain what just happened.
"Well, you can tell me the details later.", Edeus looked at Ember's hand pointing towards the forest. He followed the finger with his eyes and saw the nearby forest.
"Edeus, is miss Ember still alive?"
"Yes, don't worry about her, witches are immortal, she will be fine if we recover her head."
"Wow...", Rodderick looked back at the body of the witch, her neck still bleeding from her wound. Was immortality also a product of magic?. "Edeus, are you immortal too?".
"Ha!, no. No self respecting wi-", Edeus closed his eyes and started ranting, however, as if remembering something, he suddenly stopped making a sour face.
"Ehem... no, I am not immortal, it involves going through a process of splitting your soul. It makes your mind a little... strange"
"That explains so much", Rodderick thought. Ember was by far, the strangest person he had ever met. It seemed she wasn't completely right in the head.
"Anyways, Rodderick, stay here with Ember, I will deal with the demons".
"Please, let me go with you! I was able to use magic, I can help!", Rodderick pleaded, unlike the last time he parted ways with Edeus, Rodderick was worried, he didn't want Edeus to lose his head too. He wanted to be there to support him.
"Really?", Edeus looked impressed, but then he closed his eyes and shacked his head.
"No, sorry, you will only get in my way. But when I'm back, I want to hear everything on how you used magic", Edeus turned back, walking towards the forest.
He stopped and turned his head looking at Rodderick. "Don't worry kid, there's a reason they sent me out here to babysit Ember, I happen to be amazing", he smiled full of confidence, and then he jumped into the air, flying over the forest.
Rodderick, sat once again with Ember's body, he was worried, but somehow, Edeus' smile filled him with a sense of security.
....
Xion was a demon born in a small insect tribe. There were many kind of insect demons with many different characteristics. Xion's tribe had a powerful exoskeleton covering his body, a trait present in many demons of the insect kind making his tribe nothing remarkable. However, despite not having been granted with a powerful body like many other demons, Xion was a talented fighter.
Most demons were sent to war forcefully as it was mandated by the warmonger demon lord, however, Xion enjoyed fighting and willingly stepped on the front lines.
Fighting and devouring the humans he defeated was a good enough life for him, however, in the front lines he became to realize how truly weak he was, he met many incredible demons and for the first time he was born, he felt the difference between being born with talent, and being born for war.
There were vast differences in strength and ability among demons. Some were born with extraordinary physical attributes and magical reserves, while others, like Xion, were born with small biological advantages that wasn't rare for powerful demon races to take for granted. Determined not to accept his weakness, Xion devoted himself to training with the sword, eventually becoming an expert swordsman.
But despite his hard work and dedication, he still fell short of true power, leaving him feeling disillusioned and unfulfilled.
Fighting mages always brought these bitter memories back, he didn't have any talent with elemental magic either, perhaps if he did, he could have achieved more.
"Kahahhahaha!"
Xion walked through the forest while holding Ember's head from her long hair, he was spinning it in circles like a kid would swing a yoyo.
He started this after the witch kept cackling annoyingly. However, no amount of pain or discomfort he inflicted on her would make her stop.
Xion finally made it out of the forest. The sun was still high on the sky making his eyes readjust after moving through the shadows of the tall trees. Once they recovered, he saw the image of an old man with a long white beard in a mage attire waiting for him.
"Hi Edeeeeus~", The witch greeted the old man cheerfully.
"Edeus?", Xion looked at the man, he had never seen him before, but he had heard his name before. Edeus was a well known wizard that could stand toe to toe with the demon generals. Which unfortunately for him, meant he did not stand a chance.
"You must be the one who has been taking down my men", Xion let the witch's head go, which pulled by the momentum of the spin, flew in an arc and landed in the middle of the two men. He abandoned the idea of taking her with him, he needed to run away and getting rid of the death weight increased his chances.
"I did swat some bugs on my way here, a little drake too", Edeus advanced towards Xion, staff in hand. A wizard should never decrease the distance between them and a swordsman, Edeus knew this very well, he simply was confident that doing so would not put him at disadvantaged. The act would make any close ranged fighter happy, however, it filled Xion with dread.
"Tell me, why are you men here, are you hunting for someone in particular?", Edeus asked while getting closer to the demon.
Without answering, Xion lowered his stance and unsheathed his sword, his legs growing incredibly muscular.
In an instant, he threw himself towards the mage and slashed at his neck, however, as he was on the air a rock wall was risen to shield Edeus.
Xion slashed at the rock however, an instant before he connected, the rock transformed into steel, his sword could only cut so deep before it was stopped by the steel wall.
Spikes extended from each side of the wall, forming a metal cage around the demon.
"Damn!", Xion jumped backwards, he had to abandon his sword or he would be trapped in the cage. The cage closed in front of him, as he jumped back once again to separate himself form Edeus. However, a hand grabbed his shoulder stopping him mid air.
"What kind of swordsman leaves his sword behind?", Edeus was there stroking his long white beard.
In desperation, Xion focus his strength on his right arm, making it grow in size and threw a punch at Edeus' face. However, his fist connected with barely any speed.
"It's over, Edeus let go of Xion's hand who dropped on his knees".
"What did you do to me?", Xion looked at his left arm, it was back to its normal size, no, it was even smaller, his hand looked weak and fragile, resembling a twig.
But it wasn't just his arm, his entire body was losing strength and decaying at an impossible rate.
"Just a little curse", Edeus raised a throne of earth from the ground and sit down, resting his chin on his hand.
"I will remove it if you answer my questions. Why are you here?"
Xion, afraid of breaking his arms supporting his body's weight, simply lay on the ground.
"Fine, you beat me", Xion had no hope of surviving the encounter, however, out of respect for the powerful wizard, he was willing to answer his questions.
"We knew a young prince would leave the royal capital, not sure where the information came from, if I had to assume, from Glareon the hermit. We didn't know exactly when or to where he would go, so many teams were sent to many different cities, my team just happened to be here."
"Glareon? The augur?", Edeus examined the demon, trying to grasp if he was saying the truth, he didn't seem to be lying, but if he wasn't, that would be quite problematic.
He sighed and abandoned his throne.
"Well, thank you for the info, goodbye."
Xion closed his eyes, expecting to be finished off, however, the curse on his body was lifted, and he started to regain his strength.
He sat down shocked looking at his body.
"You aren't going to finish me off?", letting him go would be an incredibly foolish decision, if he made it back to inform that the prince was in this zone, all the other units would come here to look for him.
"I didn't said that.", Edeus picked up Ember's head which simply smiled at him and walked away from the demon.
"Athena, he's all yours".
Xion stood up, the mage wasn't willing to kill him himself and was courteous enough to give him back his strength, if that was the case, then he would rather die fighting than simply await for death.
He looked around, but didn't see anyone. Whoever Athena was, their were still far away. He used this opportunity to rush towards his sword, however, before he could reach it, his body was split vertically in half.
Athena who was flying high on the sky retracted the wing she just used to cast the wind spell and looked down on the battlefield.
"Just trash. If they had sent someone stronger maybe they could have saved me from the old fart. How disappointed", she uttered some words in a bad mood and flew away waving her wings. |
As afternoon came, the trio started sharing a meal inside a mud hut Edeus raised with magic. The old wizard put his bowl down and got on his feet.
"Agogher one?" Ember asked, mouth full of grub.
"Ugh, close your mouth, witch. But yes, there's two this time, stay here, I will be right back"
"Good luck, Edeus", Rodderick gave the mage a farewell with a smile while finishing his own meal.
He saw what the old wizard was capable of and didn't think he was in any real danger, if it was that serious, he would have asked Ember for help.
Edeus stepped on an invisible platform and used it to push himself up, losing the ground under him he started flying towards the sky.
"What?! He flies?!" Rodderick dropped his bowl in shock.
"Yeah? You saw him lift those rocks off you right, it's not very different", Ember answered nonchalantly.
"Can you fly too?"
"Yup", Ember took another big bite.
"Then why are we walking to Dorhem instead of flying there?", Rodderick tilted his head, confused.
"We are trying to lay low, that's why we have Athena scouting from the sky", Ember finished her meal placing her bowl on the table and burping in satisfaction.
"Teach me how to fly!", Rodderick stood up excitedly, he wanted Edeus to teach him, but they have been too busy traveling to have any practical lessons. But as they had to wait for Edeus to come back, it was the perfect time to finally practice some magic.
"No way, you have no talent with wind magic, you would die in a matter of seconds, kihihi", Ember cackled to herself.
Rodderick sat down and sighed in disappointment. "What element could I be good at? Is there anything that fits my personality?".
"Wind does, no home, leaving on a journey on a whim, easily excitable, you are pretty much the definition of a free spirit, it's why Edeus tried wind first"
"Wait, isn't that bad?! Doesn't that mean I'm not good with any element?", Rodderick panicked, his dream of being a mage grew ever so distant.
"You won't know until you try them all, here." Ember rummaged on her bag and took out a fistful of mud.
"...why did you have mud in your bag?"
"Don't worry about that, here, try flattening this ball of mud without touching it.", She molded the mud until it made a smooth spherical ball and placed it on the table.
"Without touching it?", Rodderick stared at the ball of mud, focusing his thoughts on flattening it, but no matter what it didn't budge at all.
"Try putting your thoughts into words. You know how wizards chant incantations to cast some spells? It's not only a way for them to visualize how they want their magic to materialize, but also a way to communicate the elements their will. You can also gesture, for example, pushing with your arms when you want something to move", Ember was doing her best to instruct the young apprentice, but none of her suggestions resulted in any change. No matter how hard he tried, Rodderick couldn't change the ball of mud.
"I guess I'm not good with earth either..." Rodderick sighed, disappointed. He looked up to see Ember expecting her to cackle annoyingly or give some words of encouragement, but instead he found her looking to a wall, towards nothing in particular.
"Ember?", Rodderick asked confused, the witch usually acted strangely, but this was the first time he saw her wearing a serious expression.
"Shhh" She brought a finger to her mouth, silencing Rodderick. "Ricky, hide under the table, we have a visitor".
He felt a heavy weight forming in his stomach, raising to his chest, he suddenly grew concerned. Did the demons defeat Edeus? He couldn't imagine anything stronger than the mage who could easily raise a house out of nothing.
He quickly made his way under the table while Ember picked up her staff and made a small hole on the earth wall in front of her to peek outside.
"Well fuck, sorry Ricky, stay there until Edeus comes back", Ember waved her staff and the earth under Rodderick gave under him, engulfing him in a hole.
Everything suddenly turned dark, he couldn't see anything, but he could still hear what was going out outside accompanied by the sound of his heart beating faster than ever before.
....
"If you don't have an invitation, I will have to ask you to leave, kihihi", Ember got out of the hut staff in hand and addressed the demon walking towards her.
It was a tall man of almost two meters in height, his body was naturally armored by an exoskeleton of shiny black color covering everything from his feet to his lower jaw. His build was muscular, but his armor made him look agile.
On his back rested a long sword which he slowly took out of his sheet as he approached the witch.
"Just my luck, not only I have to fight a mage, but its a nasty witch too", the man was relaxed, there was no trace of fear or doubt as he approached his enemy.
"Kihihihi, what's wrong? You can't appreciate a well condimented meal?", Ember raised her staff aiming it towards the man.
"You look important, how about you answer some questions before I fry you like the bug you are?".
"Nah, I'm on a hurry", The man lowered his stand, crouching on the ground. His legs grew on size displaying an inhuman level of musculature. He jumped towards Ember at a speed that even her trained eyes have a hard time following.
"Fire laser!" At the end of Ember's staff appeared a flaming sphere spinning rapidly, it quickly exploded forward, the man disappeared from sight behind the laser but Ember didn't feel her attack connect, without relaxing, she manipulated the earth under her to raise a platform to distance herself from the swordsman.
Appearing under her, the man who slid under the laser slashed at the platform, cutting it in half, he then redirected his blade slashing from below, upwards towards Ember.
"-Hngh!", his blade connected, slashing her leg vertically. She quickly pushed her staff forward and created an explosion of wind, pushing the man backwards, using the momentum to raise herself to the sky.
Ember reflexively looked at her leg, she didn't need to check, she knew how badly that slash damaged her but she couldn't help satisfying her morbid curiosity.
Her leg was open, split almost in half, blood pouring from it endlessly. It was completely unusable, if she landed on the ground her movement would be greatly limited, it would be the end in the fight against the expert swordsman.
"Kihihi, just my luck, Edeus deals with the trash and I have to face the strong one" Undeterred, the witch cackled to herself, reading her staff at the swordsman once more.
The demon, who was pushed backwards, stopped the momentum by firmly planting his foot on the ground. He looked up at the witch who was now flying high on the sky.
"Come down now, you know you cant stay up there forever, let's not make this take longer than we have to", the man pointed his fingers to the ground, talking to the witch like she was a misbehaving child who climbed a tree.
"I will have to pass", Ember raised her staff towards the sky, creating another flaming sphere, this time massive in size.
"Flaming spirits, forge a sphere of burning light, pursue my enemy with all your might, let no obstacle stand in your fiery flight! KAHAHAHAHAHA!", Cackling maniacally, Ember pulled her staff pointing towards the demon, dragging the massive fire ball with it. As it fell, the fireball split into 12 different spheres which turned into flaming tigers that were shot towards the swordsman, each taking a different path.
The swordsman took a deep breath, crouching down once again, focusing his energy which made his legs once again grow in size. He closed his eyes and firmly gripped his sword which started to shake with might.
As the spirits drew closer, his eyes opened and jumped, shooting himself between the flames avoiding the spirits.
He felt the scorching hot temperature raising at an incredible speed as the flaming beasts flew around trying to catch him.
Not giving up, the spirits circled around pursuing behind the swordsman.
But the swordsman was faster. He readied himself and jumped towards Ember with incredible speed.
"Die already you bastard!", Ember swung her staff, creating a flaming wall separating herself from the jumping swordsman, however, without caring for how hot the wall's flames raged, the swordsman went through, reaching Ember in under a second.
"Shit!", Ember raised her staff to defend against the incoming slash, but the wood wasn't able to stop the sword's steel.
Cutting cleanly through the staff, the sword advanced unimpeded, Ember's neck quickly followed. The witch could barely follow the sword with her eyes, but she knew at that moment, that she was defeated.
Ember's head flew off leaving a trail of blood behind. In a similar way, her body losing all control, started falling backwards.
The head, pushed by the swordsman attack fell first, hitting the ground with a loud thump, followed by the body. Finally, the swordsman himself landed on his feet.
Looking around for more enemies, he swings his sword with might to get the blood off his sword, then slides the blade back into the sheath.
As he scanned the battlefield, he noticed the small mud hut the witch came from and started walking towards it. |
Despite the quite exciting day young Rodderick had yesterday, he was able to fall asleep quite easily. Opening his eyes he looked at the other bed in the room, however, he found it to be empty, Edeus was nowhere to be seen.
His heart shrank at the thought of being left behind by the wizard, with traces of tears forming in his eyes, he jumped out of his bed and ran after him, perhaps, if he was fast enough he could catch up to him, and if he did, this time he would not lower his guard.
Evading the people on the hallway and running down the stars Rodderick ran with all his strength.
"Yo, Ricky, morning!", Rodderick suddenly stopped and turned his head left, finding the familiar witch munching on a golden loaf a bread. "You are still here?"
"Yes?", the girl raised an eyebrow confused at the boy's attitude, but it didn't distract her for long as she continued munching on the bread.
Rodderick took a sit looking around. Many people were having breakfast like Ember, he recognized some of the faces from last night, many of them still displaying hostility towards the young girl who seemed none the wiser. She displayed the rare talent of being able to mind her own business despite the judgmental glares and muttered insults.
"Miss Ember, where is Edeus?", Rodderick asked with renewed hope.
"He's out swatting a fly that his familiar found".
"Familiar?", the boy asked tilting his head, he heard the term before, if the stories had any veracity to them, that meant Edeus had some kind of animal companion, however he hadn't seen any signs of it yesterday.
"You know, a talking pet, like a cow getting milked yelling for help. 'Moooo! Not my milk! My children need it! MOOOOO!!!', kahahahaha!", The witch laughed at her own impression of a cow in distress while raising her glass of milk in the air.
Rodderick surprised, awkwardly looked at the people around, who were annoyed at the woman's attitude. He involuntarily lowered his head in apology at them.
While doing so, he saw the doors to the inn open, behind the familiar image of the Edeus appeared with staff in hand. Rodderick face instantly turned into a smile.
"Awake already, kid?", the wizard sat down next to the boy resting his staff on the side of the table. "Are you...looking for something?", Edeus asked to the kid who was looking around for something.
"Sir, where's your familiar?, what kind of animal is it? Is it magical? Can it fly? Can it cast spells too?!", The child once again fired a barrage of questions excitedly.
"One question at the time, please, you really have a bad habit of asking too much at once", the wizard stopped the child, however, he didn't dislike his attitude, he was once like him, a curious child hungry to learn the secrets of magic.
"How about I show it to you after we have breakfast?".
Rodderick's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of seeing the magical creature.
As they went through their meal that the innkeeper brought them, Rodderick's excitement grew. He couldn't stop bouncing on his toes and asking Edeus questions about his familiar. "Is it a dragon?" he asked. " Or maybe a magical creature that only appears to those who are worthy?"
Edeus chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. "You'll just have to wait and see," he said. "But I promise, you won't be disappointed."
Rodderick had finished his breakfast long ago, he quickly ate up so he could go out and see Edeus' familiar earlier, however, he didn't take into account the slow eating habits of the old mage nor the insatiable hunger of the witch. But finally, after a long wait, Edeus took a final sip from his cup and left it on the table. "Alright kid, let's go".
"Yeah!", Rodderick stood up excitedly and followed after Edeus.
As Edeus, Ember, and Rodderick left the inn and made their way out, Rodderick saw a carriage pulled by a pair of horses, loaded with rocks and rubble, some dyed with a tint of blood. It was a reminder that the destruction he saw yesterday was very much real.
Looking back, he saw more people, some were working looking for people still buried under the earth, some treating the wounded, some simply giving up to grief and crying next to their loved ones who would not move, not matter how much they moved them.
Rodderick's heart ached at the sight of all the destruction and suffering. He couldn't understand why Edeus and Ember were just walking by and not doing anything to help.
"Edeus", he said, tugging on the old wizard's sleeve.
"We have to help them. You have magic. You can fix all this."
Edeus sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rodderick", he said. "But we can't just go around using our magic to solve every problem we see. Sometimes, we have to let people deal with things on their own. There's more important matters that require our attention."
Rodderick looked at Edeus with confusion and disappointment. But despite this, he trusted in Edeus's wisdom. He knew that the old wizard had his reasons for not helping, after all, he was the great hero that saved his life, he just hoped that one day he would understand them.
The group kept waling and walking. They walked along the winding roads, past fields and farms, until they reached a grassy field.
Rodderick looked around in wonder, taking in the sights and sounds of the countryside. He had never been outside of the town before, and he was amazed by the beauty of the natural world.
Edeus and Ember led the way, walking across the field towards a small copse of trees in the distance. Rodderick followed eagerly, his curiosity piqued.
As they reached the trees, Edeus stopped and turned to Rodderick. "Alright, my boy," he said with a smile. "Are you ready to meet my familiar?" Edeus extended his arms dramatically. He acted reserved, but he very much enjoyed taking a teaching role.
Rodderick nodded eagerly, his heart racing with excitement. He couldn't wait to see what kind of magical creature Edeus had as a familiar.
Rodderick waited for some kind of signal or spell but Edeus just stood in place.
"Um, sir.. Where's the familiar?".
"Such impatience", Edeus chuckled. Then Rodderick's face was covered by shadows.
As he looked up to see what was blocking the sun he saw a massive pair of wings, so big that you could fit two adults from wing to wing. Connected to them was a slender woman with dark skin and silver hair. She looked almost human, if it wasn't for her wings and sharp talons.
She forcefully landed next to Edeus.
The boy gasped in surprise at the realization.
"A harpy!", he yelled nervously, as he took a few steps back to distance himself from the demon.
The harpy was a fearsome monster, with the body of a woman and the wings of a bird, known for its cunning and cruelty. He heard tales of harpies attacking nearby towns, stealing their cattle or children, dropping heavy objects on people, killing them for amusement, or how they would slit people's stomach open with their sharp claws and take out their guts.
He couldn't understand why Edeus would have such a dangerous as a familiar. Humans were at war with demons, why would one become his familiar?
"Hahaha, that's right boy, it's a harpy, but fear not, it's binded by magic, she can't do anything to hurt you, no matter what, isn't that so, Athena?", Edeus said while poking the harpy with his staff.
The harpy, clearly annoyed put up with the wizard's antics and simply responded in a grumpy tone. "What do you want? Did you call me here just to show off?"
Perhaps Edeus wasn't the silent cool wizard he thought him to be, he seemed to have a more twisted personality that Rodderick first imagined.
Ember joined in the harassment, poking the harpy with her own staff. Which only made the creature angrier.
"Actually, Athena, I have a job for you. This is Rodderick, he wishes to learn magic, I want you to read his affinity with the wind", Edeus said putting his staff down.
"This shrimp?", Athena raised an eyebrow, she looked at Roderick with curiosity.
Edeus turned to Rodderick "Kid, listen well, I like you, you are a brat, but you have heart. But none of those things matters. The most important thing for a wizard is magical talent. If you have none, you will never become one."
Roderick gulped, the fears he felt this morning when he thought he was left behind suddenly came back, he believed Edeus would train him, but if he failed this test, then he may really be abandoned.
"Test me!", with newfound determination, Rodderick took a step forward towards the dangerous creature that was looking down on him.
"Very well", The harpy grinned, "Let's see what you got". |
As the sun sets on the horizon, the trio walked together away from the ruins.
Rodderick kept admiring his two new companions who were filled with an air of mystery.
Edeus was the iconic image of an old wise wizard that showed up in the books he read. The girl at his side with an over sized pointy hat was a common sight in stories too, it made Rodderick felt that he suddenly jumped into a book filled with many adventures, making his heart jump with excitement.
She had long black hair and a youthful and energetic face, was she Edeus daughter or apprentice?
"Are you going to leave the corpse behind? Draconian body parts are pretty useful", the woman asked looking at Edeus.
"I don't brew potions nor do I need the money, I'm leaving it to the townsfolk, they can use the money to reconstruct their homes", Edeus turned to Rodderick. "I think we should spend the night in the town, know of a inn around here?"
Rodderick nodded eagerly, excited at the prospect of being useful to the powerful wizard.
"Yes, I know of an inn just down the road," Rodderick said, pointing in the direction. "It's called the Golden Goose"
As they approached the Golden Goose inn, Rodderick couldn't contain his excitement. He had seen the inn from the outside many times, but he had never had the money to come in as a guest. He eagerly pushed open the door and stepped inside, taking in the sights and sounds of the inn.
The main room was filled with many tables with people having dinner, talking loudly and laughing heartily. A bar stood at the back of the room, stocked with all sorts of drink and snacks.
Rodderick's eyes widened as he took it all in.
As he was about to run around he felt a hand pulling him back from his collar. "Come on, let's see if we can get a room," Edeus said, leading Rodderick towards the bar.
"W-Welcome to the Golden Goose", the innkeeper, a stout man with short brown hair and a bushy beard received the trio with a shaky voice.
As Edeus and Rodderick approached the innkeeper, the old wizard asked for two rooms for the night. The innkeeper quoted a price of 10 silver coins, to which Edeus responded by putting a gold coin on the table and telling the innkeeper to keep the change.
The innkeeper's eyes widened at the sight of the gold coin, and he quickly thanked Edeus and led them to two cozy rooms upstairs. "You can leave your things here sir, if there's any problem with the rooms or other guests, please, let me know at once. Food will be ready soon downstairs"
Edeus nodded and opened the door with the key provided by the innkeeper.
Rodderick couldn't believe his luck as he jumped and flopped down onto the soft bed.
"Alright kid, let's eat" Edeus left his long wooden staff rest against the wall and opened the door once again to let Rodderick through.
As they walked down the stairs they quickly found their companion waving exaggeratedly at them, an unnecessary gesture, given how easy she was to find in the crowd thanks to her massive hat.
"So Rodderick, ever had a good meal? You know, being an orphan and all" As Rodderick sat down at the table with Edeus.
The innkeeper approached them with three bowls in hand. "I made sure to give yours some extra meat, sir", he said with a smile while setting the bowls down in front of them.
Rodderick's eyes lit up at the sight of the food, and he eagerly reached for a bowl. Inside, he found a hearty stew, filled with chunks of meat and vegetables. It smelled delicious, and he couldn't wait to dig in.
As they enjoyed their dinner and chatted, the woman gave Rodderick a piece of meat from her own bowl.
"It this too kid, you need it to grow healthy".
"Oh thanks you miss..." He stopped. He suddenly realized that he didn't even know her name. He had been so caught up in the excitement of their journey and the prospect of learning magic, that he had completely forgotten to ask.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Rodderick cleared his throat and awkwardly asked the witch her name. She looked at him with a curious expression, and for a moment, Rodderick thought she might be annoyed by the question.
But then, to his surprise, the witch burst out laughing. "That's right, that's right", the witch cackled. Name's Ember, remember it kid, I will slay the Demon Lord and use her skull as a teapot! one day, the greatest witch to ever live!" She continued to cackle.
A spoon fell on the floor as the inn went quiet, and all eyes turned to the witch.
Exasperated, Edeus brings a hand to cover his eyes.
"What happened?", Rodderick asks looking around confused at the sudden shift of atmosphere.
"This is why you don't dine with witches, listen here Rodderick, my first lesson. If a witch ever invites you to a tea party, excuse yourself"
"Kihihi, they are a bunch of cowards, that's what happened", Ember rested her back on her chair.
A tall man at a nearby table slammed his fist on the wooden surface and stood up, his face contorted with anger.
"You think it's funny?" he spat out. "Do you have any idea how many people have died mentioning her name?"
"It's hilarious!" Ember yelled raising her arms without backing down. "It's funny, the fact that you think you will be spared by being a good little sheep. She's not your friend, eventually she will get rid of you even if you lay down and wag your tail like a dog" The witch cackled as the man's face grew angrier.
"It doesn't mean you can come here and invite problems! Get out of here! Go say her name when you are in the middle of nowhere if you have that much of a death wish!"
"Enough" Edeus gave Ember an angry look himself which finally made the witch shut up.
Ember shrugged and devoured her stew in one go with loud gulping noises.
The tall man scowled and sat back down, still muttering to himself.
Rodderick watched the exchange with wide eyes, feeling a little uneasy, he didn't understand what was happening.
The innkeeper, who had been listening nervously to their conversation, quickly cleared his throat and suggested that they finish their meal in their rooms. Edeus nodded in agreement with a sigh, and the three of them gathered their things and retired to their rooms for the night.
...
As they lay on the bed, Edeus slowly closed his tired eyes, however, Rodderick bombarded the old wizard with question after question. "How do you cast spells?" he asked. "What kind of magic can you do? How do you control it?"
"Slow down, boy". "Magic is a powerful and complex thing, and it takes time to learn and master. But don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know, but for now, sleep"
Rodderick nodded eagerly, soaking up every word that Edeus said. He knew that he had a lot to learn, but he was determined to become the best apprentice he could be.
Finally, as the moon rose high in the sky, Edeus closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, leaving Rodderick to dream of all the magic and adventures that lay ahead. |
Rodderick was sitting down inside the hole. It was completely dark, he couldn't even see his knees as he was hugging them with his arms even though they should be right in front of his eyes.
He could hear Ember fighting outside, however, everything suddenly went quiet.
He waited. Waited. He kept waiting.
Something was wrong, why hasn't Ember come back for him? Did she lose?
Tears started forming on his eyes, they have only spent one day together, but Rodderick had great affection for both Ember and Edeus, he wanted to spend his life learning the secrets of magic from both of them.
"Ember?" He asked quietly, unsure if his voice would even carry past the earth.
He wanted to know if the witch was okay, but he was afraid, if Ember lost, that meant the demon was out there, he was scared of being heard. Demons are man eating monsters, if one were to find him, he would be eaten on sight.
Rodderick started sobbing, embracing his knees harder. He was angry, if he had showed some talent with wind or earth, then maybe he would have learned a spell, maybe he could have helped Ember fight, but no, he was weak, powerless.
His mind took him through his memories, to the time when he was raised in an orphanage together with many other children.
Both his parents were soldiers, a common occurrence given how the town he was born in was so close to the front lines. Many people were conscripted in the army and sent to fight for the kingdom.
One day, a soldier simply came to his house stating that both his parent had died and that he would be translated to the orphanage.
The event broke Rodderick's heart, their bodies never made it back giving him hope that maybe they were able to escape, that one day they would come and take him from the orphanage and that all of them together would come back to their home, but his parents never returned.
The reality is that as demons devour humans, its not uncommon for bodies to never come back from the front.
Wars against the demons have lasted centuries, but the last 12 years have changed it's course dramatically. Humans who were already on the defensive were being pushed back at a dramatic pace. This affected the life of every person who didn't live in Whilmcaster, the capital of the kingdom which stood tall and proud, protecting by it's giant walls and magical barriers. It's inhabitants enjoying a relative peace.
On the outside however, especially affected were towns like Eldham, which were now only days away from the front lines.
War had become part of the daily life of every person, including the children, who would often play with wooden swords, having mock battles and going through light forms of military training.
However, just like with magic, Roderick didn't display any talent with the sword, frustrated, he grew distant of the other children.
The orphanage, was full of children like Rodderick. Some, filled with a thirst for vengeance. Some wanted to become soldiers to go out and find their parents, deluded by the hope of finding them alive. Some wanted to join their family on the front lines. For others war was just the only path they had left.
Despite the somewhat familiar backgrounds, Rodderick didn't get along with any of the children. Raised by soldiers, he believed he should fight and defend his town, but after his parents death he felt fighting was meaningless.
They were losing the war and there was nothing he could do to help, he felt powerless.
Once again he was drowning in the same negative feelings. He didn't want to be useless any longer, if Ember was still alive and he could help her escape, even if he could only distract the demon for a second, he would be satisfied.
He stood up in the dark hole and pushed the earth over his head with his hands. But he was too weak, the earth was magically formed and wouldn't easily budge at the push of a child.
"Move!" Rodderick pushed with all his might to no avail. But he wasn't willing to give up, "Move, move move!", Rodderick kept pushing, screaming with all his might, he no longer cared about the demon hearing him, all he cared for was getting out of the hole and helping his friends.
"MOVE!"
BOOM.
With a loud explosion the earth over him was sent flying away, freeing Rodderick from his hole. He stood there in shock. The projectile he sent flying made a hole through the mud table that Edeus had raised.
It was magic. Rodderick magically moved the earth.
"It worked...", he looked at his hands, blinking a few times trying to process what just happened. "I actually used magic". Rodderick shook his head to compose himself, it wasn't the time for this.
He lifted himself out of the hole and crawled under the table making his way towards the door.
The door was open, but there was no one inside. He had heard Ember close the door when she got out, meaning that someone had opened the door after the fight.
Rodderick nervously swallowed, the possibility of the demon having been right on top of him terrified him. He shook his head to recover and cautiously stepped outside.
Outside was the body of Ember, lying flatly on a pool of blood.
"No!" Rodderick ran towards the body of the witch.
"Ember!" He hid his face on her chest, tears streaming on his face. It was too late, the fight was over before he could do anything.
Suddenly, the corpse's hand grabbed onto one of his arms, which made Rodderick scream in horror.
"W-What?!" Rodderick shook his arm wildly to shake off the corpse but it wouldn't work, for a dead body it had an incredible grip strength.
He dragged himself backwards in desperation, but then the dead hand simply let go of him.
He kept dragging himself to a safe distance and then looked back. The body was sitting in place with no head. Blood kept pouring from her neck in a gruesome sight.
He had heard stories of the undead before, corpses brought back to life by magic who much like demons, would devour anything on sight, however, he felt that wasn't what he was seeing.
Ember's body raised her arms and shacked her hands towards Rodderick, as if greeting him.
"Ember? Is that you? Are you....alive?", it felt wrong asking her, however, the body was moving, it had to be a proof of something still living in there.
The body didn't answer, it simply kept waving, then it stopped and tried standing up, however, her right leg was horribly damaged and it fell to the ground.
As if giving up, the body just pointed towards the nearby woods with it's right hand.
"Huh?", Rodderick followed where she pointed with his sight. There was a trail of blood that disappeared inside the forest. Was that the path the demon took? Did she want him to follow it?
The body then raised her other hand and pointed towards the mud hut.
"Oh! I get it, you think I'm Edeus.", she was pointing towards the forest for Edeus to go hunt the demon and towards the hut to rescue the buried Rodderick.
"I guess you can't hear without your head...", Rodderick wasn't sure how to communicate with the witch, so he simply rubbed her back.
She jumped as if surprised, and then gave Rodderick a big hug.
"Ewww!", the hug brought Rodderick's face closer to the gaping hole in Ember's neck. It was a sight that made him want to vomit, one that he sadly would never forget.
After the hug the witch simply remained there, sitting, still pointing towards the forest".
Rodderick sat there with her, unsure on what to do. |
*
Bzzt* *Bzzt* Bzzt*
"Mm..."
I slowly wake up with my mind feeling sluggish, and eyes heavier than a lead.
"What is that sound..."
I let out a big yawn feeling my cheeks being stretched out. I groggily grabbed my phone that's sitting next to my pillow, and read out the contents of its message.
"Yo Tomio! Me and some of the other club members are going to go to a nearby shopping mall to shop for some new costumes. You're coming right?"
"Hey Tomio, say something will you?"
"Oiiiii Tomiooooooooo"
"Reply to this text in three seconds, or your phone will explode."
"It's over three seconds now. Your phone will explode now."
"Heyheyhey."
"..."
Despite the already long messages this guy's sent me, there's still more underway as it keeps saying that "The Club President is Typing..." on top of the text box. Then, my phone vibrates with a new message that appears on my screen,
"I can see the read receipt. I know you're awake!" He said with a smirk emoji next to it.
"Woow, you're a smart one, aren't you?" I muttered to myself.
I want to vent out my frustration to him, but I think it's kind of pointless to do so. So I halfheartedly typed out,
"Yes yes, I'm up. What's up?"
"Me and some of the other club members are going to go out to buy some new camera lenses, and I thought might as well invite some people to see if they want to hang out as well."
Why did he type it out in such a long paragraph? My fingers hover over my phone screen, ready to reject his invitation. But before I could even type it out, a new message appeared,
"You should come with us! It's not like you have any other things to do, right?" The club president says with a thinking emoji next to it.
Every single time I get a reminder why I absolutely despise the use of emojis in text messaging. It feels like I can see them making that face in my head, and that pisses me off for some reason. I get why emojis were invented, but man I can't help but be annoyed when I see someone use them.
"Actually, I have something to do today. Sorry, but I'll have to skip this one." I typed out with a pensive emoji next to it.
"Is that so? That's too bad." The club president says with a frown emoji next to it.
Then he continued,
"Well, there's always a next time, so it'll be fine!" He typed out with a smiley emoji next to it.
"I'm really sorry man." I typed out with a crying emoji next to it.
"Haah..."
My arms lost its energy, and it flops down onto my bed. Talking to the president felt as if I just did a full blown arm workout for an hour, even though I've been talking to him for around ten minutes.
I lazily got out of my bed and head towards my fridge, only to be greeted with nothing but beers, some chocolates, and some left over curry from... how long was it again? I take out the curry, and smell its fragrance.
"...Can I still eat this?"
I doubt it's still edible, so I threw it inside of the trash can that is close to being full. I should really throw this out.
"It's a weekend, so might as well clean out the place a bit."
Even though I don't eat in my house that much, I'm surprised that there's still a good amount of dishes that needs to be washed. Looking through my entire room, the entire place is quite messy, with bags and notes all over the table.
I plug my phone to my speaker, play some songs from my playlist that consists of nothing but game musics and some popular musics in the mix, and get to cleaning.
---
*Grumble*
"It's okay stomach, we're almost there." I muttered to myself.
It took me around two hours to clean my entire house. By the time I'm done, it was already noon, so I decided to leave my house and look for some place to eat. Though I say that, I'll just go to a nearby McMaccy since I can't think of anything to eat for lunch.
"I swear I'll eat some proper food for dinner. Please don't hate me stomach..." I said as I hug my pitiful stomach that has to deal with my horrible decisions.
"...Tomio?" Then, a rough and obnoxiously loud voice assaults my ears. The kind of voice that I didn't want to hear at least for today.
"Hello... Prez..." I replied dryly.
There's also two people behind the president. I think one of them was the one that gets ordered around a lot was called Nakamura. I think. Not sure about the other one though. Both of them are carrying tote bags, which seems pretty heavy.
"What are you doing here?! I thought you have something to do." The president blurt out.
Okay, I need to calm down and just be my usual self. It's okay. You got this, me.
"I actually just finished delivering a birthday present for my middle school friend! I actually feel really hungry right now, so that's why I decided to come here before heading home!" I said enthusiastically.
"I see I see! Well, me and everyone else are pretty much done with our shopping, so we're planning to end our day with some lunch." The president replied.
"I'm really sorry for declining your invitation!" I said while slightly bowing.
'Why do I have to meet him now of all times?! I bet he's going to invite me to eat together with his goons.'
"Ahh, you really don't have to worry about it. Instead, let's have lunch together to make up for it!" The president said in a glee.
'I KNEW IT! I want to reject him, but I also really need food in my stomach, so I can't really leave this situation, can I?!'
"Let's do that let's do that! I didn't have breakfast, so I'm actually super hungry right now! Of course, you'll be paying right?" I said enthusiastically.
"Please don't say that as a joke. My money is in a pinch right now after buying all of these camera lenses." The president says as he lowers his shoulders in dejection.
"Umm, I'm sorry but, can we at least get inside first? My arms are dying from holding all these cameras." One of the president's goons yelled out from the back.
"Ahh right right, my bad." As the club president says, all of us head into McMaccy together.
---
"Even though we have a budget, I can't believe our president wants to blow all of our money on a bunch of expensive cameras. Can you believe it Hideaki?" One of the president's goons' ranted.
Why am I referring to his helpers as goons again?
"That sounds like a pain. I'm glad I didn't come along." I replied in sympathy.
"At least we get to see some nice cameras here and there, right?" The president replied.
"...My feet and my shoulders hurt from carrying them." Nakamura suddenly mutters.
"I'm really sorry Nakamura! I can't help but flail my arms around whenever I carry something." The president says while clasping his hands together.
"Ah! No, I mean... I'm sorry..." Nakamura said, lowering his head.
"Nono, don't apologize to someone like him, cause I totally agree with you." One of the member said.
"I know what I did was mean, but you didn't have to be that blunt Furukawa..." The president says while pouting.
"Furukawa? Are you Furukawa's... I mean Kazue's little brother?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's Furukawa Kazuto. This dumb president was the president of our theatre club back in middle school. For some reason, he keeps using me as his errand's boy though..." Kazuto says as he crosses his arms.
"It's because we haven't hanged out in a while man! Is there anything wrong with hanging out with one of your friends'?" The president interjects whilst shoulder hugging him with his left arm.
"I don't remember our relationship extending further than a member and a president though..." Kazuto said as he gave the president a side glance.
"Come on maaaan... Don't be mean like that..." The president says as he brings his left arm closer to him.
"You guys seems like good friends." I said while looking at their banters.
"Huhhhh?! Please don't say that as a joke..." Kazuto replied.
They've been looking for those cameras since this morning, right? How the heck does the president still have that much energy left in him? Is there some sort of secret energy stock inside of his body or something? I swear I can never match his pace whenever he's around. For some reason, looking at him flounder this much is making me lose my appetite. I honestly just want to go back home.
I haven't even considered the fact that my body feels as if there's tons of people looking at me, so I look around to realize that almost everyone here are looking straight at our table. As if answering my worries, one of the waitress timidly walks over to our table,
"E-Excuse me sir. I'm really sorry about this, but can you please keep your voice down?" The waitress said.
"Ah, I'm really sorry about that. I'll try and keep it down." The president says, whilst lowering his head slightly.
The waitress then bows and heads back to her counter, the tray in her right arm trembling slightly.
"I-I think I'll head outside for a bit... I need some fresh air..." I said whilst pointing towards the door.
"Alright. I'll let you know when our food comes." The president replied.
"Y-Yeah... Thanks..."
As I said that, I head out of the restaurant with my legs feeling like noodles that are trying to keep itself standing.
"Haaaa... Hooo..."
I sat down at a nearby bench, letting the afternoon air into my lungs. I cover my face with both of my hands, and let out a massive sigh whilst groaning all at once.
"Hgghhaaaaauuuuuu!"
I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! I want to die! Why did I agree to come to begin with? I can just leave now, can I? What kind of excuse should I make in order to leave though? I can't think of any proper one that doesn't sound like an excuse.
"Hngaaaaaaaaah!" I scratch my head violently.
"Haaaaaaaahhh..." Then, a loud sigh came from my right.
The person that's standing there is non other than Nakamura, with his face flushed red.
"Can I sit down?" Nakamura asks, his face looking annoyed.
"S-Sure..." I instinctively blurted out.
Nakamura stomps his feet, and let his body fall down on the bench.
"Haaaah... Christ he's loud..." Nakamura muttered.
I've never seen Nakamura like this before. I thought he was the type that lets people do whatever they want to him, and he'll oblige without any kind of resistance. I never knew someone like Nakamura could make a face that looks as if he's about ready to fling a nearby trash can to a nearby wall.
"...Ah." Nakamura yelped out as he took a side glance.
"..."
Holy crap, it felt as if his gaze just stopped my body from operating properly. Is this what Nakamura is actually like?
"...Sorry." Nakamura mutters as he looks towards the ground.
"D-Don't worry about it... I can understand how you feel..." I said as I tighten my clenched hands.
"...By the way, why aren't you going out with your friends? It's the weekends, isn't it?" Nakamura asks timidly.
"Ahh... They didn't make any plans for today..." I replied.
"I see..."
"...What about you? Why did you agree to come with the president?"
"...I'm not really good at declining invites, so I'm an easy option for him to pick." Nakamura said while hanging his head.
"..."
"Ahh. For the record, it's not like I hate the president for dragging me around, okay? It's just... I don't know." Nakamura said while clenching his hands.
"You don't know...?" I blurted out.
"...I'm not sure either. Maybe I'm scared on what he thinks of me if I reject him." Nakamura said in a low voice.
"It's not like he'll curse you to burn in an everlasting flame just because you rejected him, you know?" I replied.
"W-Why is it so gruesomely specific?" Nakamura's face contorts in discomfort.
"S-Sorry... Force of habit..."
Even though I've already vowed to never say those kinds of things when I started Uni. I did a good job too at not saying it. So, why now?
"D-Don't worry about it. It's just... it feels as if he'll start hating me if he ever knows the real me..." Nakamura says.
"Real you..." I muttered.
Then, multiple buzzes came from my phone, with three pop-up notification that came from the president himself that says,
"Your food is here. Nakamura's too. Come come."
"Hey Nakamura, our food has arrived. Want to go back in there?" I told Nakamura.
"...Sure, let's go." Nakamura replied.
Both of us stands up from the bench, and both of us head back into the restaurant.
---
The clock is now pointing towards two past thirty minutes. We finished the food relatively quickly, but the entire thing became a lot longer than it should since the president kept dragging us to his pace. I was barely keeping up with his conversations, Kazuto kept getting annoyed as the only thing the president really talks about is his time during middle school, whilst Nakamura interjects once in a while with a "yes" or a "is that so..."
The president and everyone went back to campus to put all of the new equipment in the club room. At first, the president invited me to come hang out at the campus, but I rejected his offer with the excuse that I have personal errands that I need to attend. Not that I have one since I've finished most of them this morning. Luckily, the president was understanding enough to let me go, so we went our separate ways after that.
"I want to die..."
I somehow managed to arrive at my apartment safely, despite how dead my body feel, and how my mind is still being swallowed in an endless quick sand. I sluggishly head to my bed, and drop my entire body on it. I thought of taking a quick bath, but I don't think I need to right? The weather was quite chilly in the fall season, and I don't think I broke a sweat this entire day.
"At least my brain was sweating from all of that talking..."
'It's just... it feels as if he'll start hating me if he ever knows the real me.'
I wonder why I can't get that thought out of my head... I know Nakamura was just overthinking the situation. But...
"What are my actual feelings..."
His words feels as if there's that randomly clicked. It's like understanding the basics of a math formula, but confused as to why the answer came out wrong when you put it to the test.
"It's like knowing something without knowing anything..."
My brain finally using up its final juice, my eyes slowly shuts itself down, with my brain slowly melting into goo with the warm bed enveloping my existence. |
Is there any hope for something that was forsaken
Could it live again. the answer is No.
but in Rare cases trash gets recycled.
I remember, it was a very ordinary sunny day, Kids running around, People working,
Even tho it was a very poor town, People seemed happy and satisfied.
Even tho iam just 14 years old I had to Work in a farm with my dad, Beacuse my family could barely afford bread.
While i was away for work, Suddenly the sky turned into a very depressing Color, The oxygen in the Air turned had a very disgusting taste, but i didnt think much of it, But suddenly i heard screaming in the village, we rushed to see what was going on, the village was under attack |
"I'm sorry Anna! We can no longer meet again!"
"Why Paul?! Was it me?! Did I do something wrong?!"
"No... I'm the problem... I'm sorry!"
"Paul! Where are you going?!"
"CUT!" The director yelled out as he brings his right hand up.
"Haah... haah..."
I head towards a nearby chair and sat down whilst trying to catch my breath. Then, one of the club members; Yui, comes up to me with a water bottle.
"Thanks for your hard work, Hideaki." She says as she hands me a water bottle.
"Thanks for the hard work." I said as I down my water bottle in one go.
I'm genuinely surprised we had to do twenty-four takes for that one scene alone. Pretty much just a display on how mediocre my acting abilities are.
"Everyone, gather up in five!" The club leader shouts out. He's also the same person that is directing our project.
The sun is quickly setting down, painting the concrete floor and its surroundings in orange, as all of the camera and lighting crew starts packing up their utilities.
"Hey Nakamura, can you grab our tripods?" One of the camera men shouts out.
"A-Alright, I'll get it for you." Nakamura said as he timidly grabs the tripod that was used to record my final scene.
The club president then shouts out to everyone to gather up for a quick briefing. The briefing was only talking about what we'll be doing for next week, where it'll be shot, and what time we'll meet up.
"Once again, thank you everyone for your hard work!" The club president bows.
"Thanks for your hard work!" Everyone said in unison as all of us bows down.
"To celebrate the end of our second act, let's go for a drink!" The club president enthusiastically proclaimed.
"LET'S GOOOO!" Most of the crew members shouts out.
Obviously, some of the members told the president that they have to skip out for today, so it's not as if everyone in the group is going to an Izakaya. Right as I thought of it, the club president that has a relatively wide build with his long hair tied in a bun comes up to me, and wraps his left arm around my shoulder.
"...!"
"Of course, you'll be coming right, Tomio?" The president asks in a chipper tone.
"Obviously!" I said enthusiastically.
"That's my Tomio! Alright everyone! You guys can all go ahead and wait for me at the gates."
"Okaay!" Everyone in the group member exclaimed, as all of them starts walking towards the gate talking to each other enthusiastically.
"..." I put my right hand on my left shoulder...
'I don't even remember your name, and you're calling me by my first...'
I slightly clench my right hand on my left shoulder.
"Watanabe, Tanaka, Nakamura, can you guys help me bring take those lightings back?" The club president asks.
"Sure." All three of them exclaimed.
Each four of them starts helping each other out, while I pack my bags and joined along my group of friends; Takahashi, Sugiura, Furukawa, and...
'What's his name again?'
"You're amazing Hideaki! It's hard to believe that you're still new to this with that performance!" Furukawa exclaimed in sheer glee.
"T-Thank you, but I think you're giving me too much credit... Hahaha..." I said whilst my eyes goes back and forth from looking at her and the floor.
"Sure, it's pretty good, but for an amateur level that is," Takahashi said, suddenly barging in on our conversation.
"When compared to you at least," I replied.
"That's right Haruki! You really don't have to be that mean you know. Hideaki has only been doing this for three months. If anything, you should praise him." The girl that is clinging onto Takahashi's right arm, Sugiura interjects.
"Then go ahead and praise him yourself," Takahashi replied while sulking.
"You know my praises won't mean anything to Hideaki, right? The only thing I do is making sure that the properties are available." Sugiura blankly explained.
"That's not true Sugiura. It's rare to get praises, so of course I'd be happy whoever gives them." I replied, bringing up my tone of voice.
"Don't you even try to give him praises Kana." Takahashi interjects.
"But you just said that I should praise him instead!" Sugiura replied.
"Shut it! I take back everything I said." Takahashi said while he pulls the arm that Sugiura is holding closer to him.
"Hmmm? You're pretty cute when you're jealous Haruki." Sugiura said with a smug.
"Shut up..." Takahashi said while his face slightly turns red.
Then the person that has been munching on gums, and keeping both of his hands inside of his pocket says,
"At least Hideaki is improving a lot faster than you. If you keep flirting like this, he'll eventually catch up to you, you know?" The guy next to Sugiura said with a blank expression on his face.
"What'd you say Akio?!" Takahashi said as he smacked his head.
'Oh right. It's Higuchi Akio...'
I thought to myself.
"Harukii~! Smack my head instead!" Sugiura exclaimed.
"Kana, don't let your masochism run wild now. We're still in public." Furukawa says as she looks at the quarrel.
'...Should I even be here?'
All of these people are nice and considerate, but I wonder what this feeling is about. It's true that I was technically the one that barged into their circle, but why do they feel so much more further away, even though they're clearly right in front of me?
'Still can't believe that I'm still having a hard time remembering names.'
"Thank you for waiting!"
"Uaaah!" I yelled out.
An arm is wrapped around my shoulder before I realized it, and my back feels super heavy. I want him to get off of me, but I also don't want to make him mad over something like this.
'I wish I can just say what's in my mind!'
I yelled out in my head.
"Is everyone here? If so, let's go!" The club president yelled out at a size of a megaphone's volume.
"Ow!" I yelped, with my right ear ringing.
In the end, the club president forcibly dragged me along the way towards the Izakaya.
---
""Cheers!""
Everyone in the room hit their glass of beer in unison, producing a sound that resonates throughout the room with a cling.
"Go on, eat eat!" The club president yelled out.
An arrangement of luscious cuisines spreads throughout the table. It's pretty surprising how the club president is willing to pay for the entire meal.
'I really don't want to be here...'
I bring up my glass of beer into my mouth, only to be assaulted with a sharp feeling of bitterness, leaving a bad aftertaste in my mouth.
'How can people even drink this?'
I washed down that after taste by eating on the tonkotsu, tamagoyaki, and rice with some miso soup. I look to my right, where Furukawa and her friends are talking about their entire life in University, the kinds of works that they have to do, and how stressful the club is for them. Even though Higuchi and Takahashi shrugs it off as not that big of a deal.
'To be fair, they've been doing it for a while. It's pretty much second nature to them...'
"Oiii, Hideakiii."
"Ahh, what's up?" I said in a high pitch tone.
"You've been pretty quiet for a while. Are you okay?" Furukawa asked frowning.
"What are you talking about? I'm doing better than ever!" As I said that, I grabbed my glass of beer that I've barely touched and downed half of its glass in one go.
"Baahh~! So good!" I yelled out.
"WOOOO, that's Tomio for you!" The club president interjects.
'Please don't throw it out body!'
Something is rising towards my mouth, but I consciously forced myself to not let it out. Although the one saving grace is that my stomach seems to be accepting it. For some reason, everyone starts to ramp up their enthusiasm, and the entire place starts bustling louder than ever.
"Hey Nakamura, can you call over the waiter here?" The club president yells out.
"O-Okay!"
Nakamura calls out to the waitress, and some of the students starts ordering new glasses.
"Hey Hideaki, want a refill?" One of the club members asks,
"Oh no worries, I'll get a refill when I feel like it." I said enthusiastically.
"If you say so man. Cheers everyone!" He says, as he brings up his glass of beer towards the middle of the table.
"...Cheers!"
Cling
---
"Haaaah..."
I threw myself on my bed, my body feeling as if it's going to implode if I even move an inch.
"God dang it... I need the bathroom again..."
Suddenly, my phone that's in my pocket starts vibrating. I dig through my pocket, to find that there's two messages that came from my mom that was sent two hours ago, and the recent notification was from a VidShare video of a cover song from a virtual creator. I overlooked that notification, and opened my mom's text messages.
"Is everything okay hon? Are you eating properly? Are you taking care of yourself properly?" And the other one says,
"Also, are you going to visit us this winter break?" The message ends there.
"I'm doing okay mom. You don't need to worry." I replied to her text message.
"Also, I should be able to visit until finals are over, which should be around the third week of December." I typed, following up my first text.
The message then has a "read" sign pop up next to two of my texts. Then a minute later, my mom replied to the first text that I typed out,
"Are you really okay? I know it's only text messages, but I don't really get the feeling that you're alright."
"..."
Am I really okay, huh... Honestly speaking, I'm not sure either. I think I'm more surprised at the fact that my mom can even detect something like that.
"I really am. You worry too much, you know?" I replied.
"Is that so?" My mom replied.
"Yeah, everything is okay." I said with a smiley emoji next to it.
"I'll just have to trust you then. You should sleep. It's late you know." Mom replied.
I look at the time on my phone that shows that it's 12:30am right now.
"Okay. Good night mom."
"Good night dear." My mom replied.
"Wow... How long was I out there?" I muttered to myself.
As if on cue, I started yawning the moment I looked at the time. Tomorrow's a Saturday, so I think sleeping without needing to shower should be fine. I'm also too tired and bloated to change out of my clothes, so might as well sleep like this. It's not like there's anyone out there that's going to judge what I do.
I'm really living an adult life huh? I didn't even realize on how much time would be lost by being like this. I should at least be grateful over the fact that weekends won't be as busy as any other week. Still though,
"God, I wish I could at least finish it..."
Before my eyes falls into the deep abyss, the last thing I saw was a poster that's hanging above my computer with a hand drawn girl in a mage-like outfit posing with a staff that's aiming towards the sky. |
Keno stood at the window, staring out at the desolate cityscape that stretched out before him. His heart was heavy with grief as he thought of his mother, taken from him far too soon.
He remembered the day the soldiers had come to their home, bursting through the door with guns drawn. His mother had tried to fight back, but she was no match for the well-trained soldiers of the Index corporation. They had dragged her away, leaving Keno alone and helpless.
He knew why they had taken her. It was because of the debt she had incurred, the debt that all citizens of this dystopian society owed to Index. The corporation controlled everything, from the food they ate to the air they breathed. And if you couldn't pay for your basic human rights, you were punished.
Keno's mother had been unable to afford the fees for her pod, the artificial womb that had given birth to him. And so, she had been deemed a criminal and punished accordingly.
As he thought of his mother's suffering, Keno's anger and determination grew. He vowed to do whatever it took to bring down the tyrannical Index corporation.
In the distance loudspeakers blared to life, the voice of the Index representative echoing through the streets of New Valhalla.
"Citizens of New Valhalla," he began, "you are lucky to live in this great city, under the protection and guidance of the Index corporation. We are the ones who keep you safe, who provide for your every need. Without us, where would you be?
"Think of all the advancements we have brought to society. The pods that allow you to bring new life into the world. The advanced medical technologies that keep you healthy and strong. The clean air and water that sustain you. All of these things, and more, are made possible by Index.
"So let us be grateful for what we have, and let us work together to build an even brighter future. Remember, together we are strong. Together, we are unstoppable. Long live Index!"
As the speech came to an end, Keno couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. How could they spout such propaganda, pretending that they were doing good for humanity? He knew the truth, knew the darkness that lay beneath the surface of their seemingly benevolent actions.
But he also knew that he couldn't let his anger show. He had to bide his time, wait for the right moment to strike. He would do whatever it took to bring down the corrupt Index corporation and avenge his mother |
Chapter 21
The Preparations
Warbler was able to use the Bird Flock technique and he reported to King Bobby.
" Great to see, Warbler " said King Bobby.
" Thanks " said Warbler.
" Warbler, we have set up these viewing parties for the fight " said King Bobby. " You are going to be in the castle with Allie "
" Understood " said Warbler.
" Good " said King Bobby.
" Anyways I have to meet up with Queen Starling, so see you later "
" Yes, see you later " said Warbler.
King Bobby was with Queen Starling.
" I am glad that you are the queen in Bird's Isle " said King Bobby. " People just don't love being ruled by a king, they love seeing a queen there too "
" That is so true " said Queen Starling.
" Bird's Isle needs us more than ever after what has happened " said King Bobby.
" Warbler knows what we have done " said Queen Starling. " He has more money in his pocket now "
" I have made his sex life better than anyone ever did outside of Blackburnian " said King Bobby. " Bird's Isle will never forget this "
" Bird's Isle wanted him to get with Allie, the country loves seeing that "
" For Bird's Isle " they both said.
Meanwhile Crayon and his friends were talking.
" Bakers will help us " said Artby.
" How so ? " asked Crayon.
" We need to show bakeries around Bird's Isle about the type of customer I am " said Artby.
What type of customer are you to them ? " asked Colourea.
" A great customer, the type of customer that keeps bakers welcome " said Artby. " We must keep all bakers welcome here "
" Why all bakers ? " asked Colouruke.
" Keeping a baker more welcome makes the bread tastier and keeps them appreciated " said Artby.
" Well, we could go to other bakeries " said Challenger.
" They need me as a customer, I will tell them about the dreams about them baking bread " said Artby.
" Hopefully the bakers will not be creeped out " said Dove.
" Bakers will not find me a creep, I trust in bakers " said Artby.
" I do have faith "
They had their supper which they enjoyed. Crayon then kissed Colourea and they all went to bed.
Morning came and King Bobby then told his warriors to be on the lookout for Crayon and his friends.
They enjoyed their breakfast, King Bobby sent Allie and Warbler to continue their training.
" You have gotten so strong, Warbler " said Allie.
" You too " said Warbler. " Maybe one day I will be able to use the Bird Implosion.
" You will " said Allie. " I feel so special being around you "
" Thanks " said Warbler.
" It means a lot "
Warbler then used his Sky Implosion which hit with tons of power.
King Bobby sent out another statement.
Our warriors are looking for Crayon and his friends now, they will succeed. Queen Starling is great, people of Bird's Isle love being ruled by a queen not just a king like me. When I love the queen, I always think of how the people of Bird's Isle as well not just the queen. I will be giving Warbler more money, he needs more of it. Challenger never did anything like that for him, he has failed him. Warbler knows how much Bird's Isle loves and cares about him. He is so kind, we recognize how kind he is. We will start the fight between us and Crayon's group as soon as possible. This fight is one we will win, you can see it happening before your eyes.
Thank you for your understanding,
King Bobby Blackbird
King Bobby sent the statement.
Crayon and his friends got up.
" Now, let's get ready " said Challenger.
" Sounds good to me, I cannot wait for these different bakers " said Artby. " I cannot wait to see them and make them feel welcome "
They got ready and then headed to a different bakery.
Artby then started to thank every baker and started talking about dreaming them baking bread.
" Uh, thanks " said the baker.
" I will never stop dreaming about a baker baking bread, very inspiring " said Artby. " Customers know to keep bakers more welcome and appreciated "
" Uh, yeah " said Crayon.
" Crayon is very appreciated by the bread he puts in his mouth " said Artby.
His mouth ? " asked Colourea. " I love Crayon but I have never heard about that ever "
" Bakers have helped his mouth close better " said Artby.
" My mouth " said Crayon confused.
" Apparently " said Colouruke who was confused as well.
" Crayon has the taste buds for this " said Artby.
" He has unique taste buds "
" Taste buds ? " asked Grackle. " I am very stunned by all of this "
" Crayon's taste buds ? " asked Colouruke.
" Bakers have helped him enjoy taste more, it has done wonders there " said Artby.
They got their bread and left.
" Colouruke, have you noticed anything with Crayon's taste buds " said Artby.
" No, Artby " said Colouruke.
" Nothing out of the ordinary " said Crayon.
" I haven't noticed anything " said Colourea.
" Same here " said Grackle.
" I have noticed how they can taste " said Artby.
" This can help with fighting "
Meanwhile warriors were searching for Crayon and his friends and they eventually saw them after they ate their breakfast and went outside.
" You seven must come to the castle " said a warrior.
" The castle ? " asked Dove.
" What is going on there " said Grackle.
" The king has something planned " said the second warrior.
" Now, you must come with us " said the third warrior.
" We will go " said Challenger.
" I am curious what the king has in store "
Crayon and his friends were outside of the castle and then they were greeted by Warbler and Allie.
" So you are the group that Warbler has mentioned " said Allie.
" Yes " said Colouruke.
" The king will be here with the queen soon " said Warbler.
" Warbler, how have things been ? " asked Grackle.
" I have been training a lot " said Warbler.
" He is with me, I love Warbler " said Allie.
Warbler means a lot to me, the king has given him more money "
" Money ? " asked Challenger. " So he plans to buy his friendship ? "
" No, he just cares about Warbler " said Allie. " Warbler has been able to treat me out great "
" That is true " said a warrior.
" Warbler knows that this castle is great for him " said Allie. " Warbler knows that he will always be welcome "
" There are viewing parties for the coming up event " said Warbler. " The king and queen have set this up "
" So we are just to entertain him ? " asked Artby.
" You will see soon " said Allie.
The king and queen arrived.
" So Challenger, we meet again " said King Bobby.
" We will show you this giant arena " said Queen Starling.
" Warbler and Allie, go to the castle " said King Bobby. " There is something special for all of you "
" Yes, King Bobby " they both said.
Warbler and Allie headed into the castle.
" There is so much for us to eat and drink " said Warbler.
" True " said Allie.
" King Bobby is super strong, Challenger has no chance at all "
Crayon and his friends arrived at the arena that King Bobby and Queen Starling were at.
" This place is gigantic " said Colourea.
" It sure is " said King Bobby. " Our advisors are all gone now so you know that Warbler and Allie will be working with us "
" I have wanted to help the sex life of Warbler and we do not need your interference anymore " said Queen Starling.
" His sex life means a lot, thanks to what we have done we have changed him sexually " said King Bobby.
" Warbler is better off "
" Not to mention his love life as well "
" Think of what I have done "
" Warbler was with us in Colourland " said Colouruke.
" That is true " said Colourea.
" He was for a bit but he knows us for longer, he does not want to be lonely sexually " said King Bobby.
" We took action "
" I have done so much for Warbler "
" If he needed someone so much, we could have talked to him about it " said Challenger.
" Bakers know something " said Artby.
" About sex ? " asked Dove.
" They can use baking to help " said Artby.
" Baking can always help "
" Allie is perfect for him " said King Bobby. " She does not want him having friends who oppose the war "
" It is not acceptable "
" He must have this special time with Allie "
" Allie wants this "
" We gave you a chance to fight in the war which you refused and another to leave him alone " said Queen Starling.
" You did not succeed in doing that "
" But Warbler enjoyed talking to us, so why would Allie not want us hanging out with him ? " asked Dove.
" It is not good for his sex life, we take Warbler's sex life very seriously " said King Bobby. " We talked about that several times "
" We know what is good for Bird's Isle "
" Good for Bird's Isle? " asked Colourea. " You think the people care what you or Warbler are doing sexually ? "
" Yes, people in Bird's Isle love knowing how what I am doing said King Bobby. The queen is happy "
" Not to mention Warbler "
" It is so important "
" Warbler's sex life is so important to me as a king "
" As a king ? " asked Crayon.
" Yes, I am showing what a great king I am " said King Bobby.
" I am one of the best kings ever "
" Yes, very true " said Queen Starling.
" King Bobby is great "
" Bird's Isle knows how great a king I am" said King Bobby.
" Ask people here, they know it "
" They will all tell you about how great a king I can be "
" What " said Challenger.
" He is not wrong " said Queen Starling.
" Since you are not willing to understand then you must fall " said King Bobby.
" We are ready " said Dove.
" We are doing this for Warbler, we will not fail " said Queen Starling.
" Bread will save us, it has helped Crayon's taste buds " said Artby.
" His taste buds have changed "
" He was able to enjoy his meals that were made for him here so I don't think so " said Queen Starling.
" Bread does a lot, bakers love seeing Warbler in the bakeries " said Artby.
" Warbler and Allie will see your demise " said King Bobby.
" We have great viewing parties "
" Warbler will be eating great and drinking to your end " said Queen Starling.
" That's my queen " said King Bobby. " We will fight all seven of you at once "
" We are ready " said Crayon.
" Prepare to be taken down " said Queen Starling.
Meanwhile in Colourland, Colour King had taken rule.
" Now it is time for me to take over " said Colour King.
" We will start making some new laws " said Colour Dictator.
" We are going to cut down on music criticizing the king " said Colour King.
" Musicians must respect Colourland "
" They must understand "
" I will not have any band disrespect me ever "
" Music must respect me "
" Bands that have no respect for us are never welcome " said Colour Dictator.
" We will arrest promoters that put them on, we will block all music videos of songs against me " said Colour King.
" We have made it illegal to say " Fuck Colour King " said Colour Dictator.
" We have also blocked all websites critical of me in Colourland for Colourlandish viewing " said Colour King.
" Good, we cannot have these websites here " said Colour Dictator.
" They are so insulting "
" True, I cannot be insulted this way, it is so terrible " said Colour King.
" People in Colourland will not enjoy seeing those sites "
" Yes, they hate it " said Colour Dictator.
New laws in Colourland:
Music criticizing Colour King cannot be played and videos will be blocked. Promoters who are caught allowing it will be arrested. Musicians who refuse will be arrested as well. Musical instruments will be taken away from musicians who fail to obey this law.
Saying Fuck Colour King, Colour King is shit is not allowed in public. Calling Colour King an asshole, prick or a jerk is not either.
Websites that are critical of Colour King only and have no other purposes cannot be viewed in Colourland.
Websites claiming that Colourland is racist cannot be viewed as well in Colourland. Calling Colour King a racist in public is not allowed.
Protests against Colour King or anyone involved with the Colourlandish government are forbidden.
Burning Colourlandish flags or doing anything that is disrespectful to them is not allowed.
Saying " Fuck Colourland " is not allowed and will lead to arrests.
Executions will be open to the public if we feel it is a good idea.
Disrespect of any warriors or the armed forces will result in being arrested.
Refusal to support wars that Colourland is involved in is prohibited. |
"I don't quite follow sir, you're telling me to turn into this Akuma. I have no idea what you can mean by that." Aera replied, not sure how to go about this Akuma thing.
Octavian grins, thinking,
'I'll just have to beat it out of you just like Ipes.'
With a quick jab, he lands right on him, as Aera mumbles, "But why..."
Grabbing Octavian by his collar, Emilena gets in his face, exclaiming, "What in the name of Libertas are you doing!? I'm certain you know the repercussions of the action you just took, right?"
Not losing his cool, his grin grows wider, "I know fair well what I'm doing. But you can't make the judgment without breaking a couple of rules, can you? I do remember teaching you that much, Gewerger."
He would continue, saying, "You better than anyone that this mortal poses a threat to the balance. Leaving him to be would be criminal and could lead to the loss of more lives, and you know that. If I didn't get here, you would've let him go, wouldn't you? I know all twelve of you right and know each of you has your own sense of justice, and yours happens to be the most ineffective."
Loosening her grip, almost as if admitting to his point, he continues, saying, "Stand back, I can feel the demonic aura leaking out of his body. If you couldn't handle the low-class demon, you wouldn't be able to handle that."
She nods, taking a couple of steps, but she wonders, '
I wonder what your fate will be when we locked eyes for the first time, this outcome never came to mind. What I would do to change your fate, nameless mortal.'
Pulling his head back a slight chuckle comes from Aera, alerting Octavian, thinking, 'Oh, this is her! So, this is what it was like to fight a demon from the Libertas era? It's no wonder she's the mighty lord she is today.'
Not hesitating, the possessed body of Aera jumps right at him, expecting more of a reaction from her master, but he doesn't lose his composure at all.
'How is master not furious? His student just died, and yet he remains the same. How can a deity fight and yet be so relaxed when in battle? It makes me angry to think about it, but maybe my anger has blinded me. I see it now this is what separates me from him and those two. This is what true power is.'
"I'm grateful for what you did. I don't know your reasons, but no matter the era, there's always something in my way, and you're that something!"
Laughing, he replies, "You've grown weaker since then. Demons are powerful, but tell me, what is a demon to a God?"
Quickly he delivers a punch, hitting the possessed Aera, despite not making contact with the legendary demon. Akuma coughs out blood, thinking, 'God!? That shouldn't be possible, he surely isn't those five. Yet, he claims to be a God?'
Commenting, Octavian says, "I'll show off a bit, since my student is watching. She seems a bit unmotivated lately, so let's give her something to look forward to!"
Moving at light speed, he knees him in the gut, but Akuma would counter this by hardening her flesh, absorbing the strength of the punch.
'He's a quick one. I need to match that.'
Landing on the ground, she's quick to say, "Back in my hay day, Gods were much more divine. Do you think you can fool me with such a lie? I was there when they dominated the realms!"
Once again, she charges at him, imitating Octavian's air bomb punch, she releases one of her own at him. Catching him in her range, Emilena thinks, 'T-This is amazing.'
"That will teach you now then I'll take care of this woman. Just like I was going to do before-" Akuma said, but stopped in her tracks as the dust clears up, revealing Octavian standing there without a scratch.
"I can't believe it not even an SSS+ can pose a challenge to him! If he's this powerful, why is it that he doesn't take care of missions like this? He clearly has the powers for it, but yet does nothing.'
"117, 118, 119..."
"What? He's counting, but why?" Akuma said, but then she realizes as she was frozen in place, thinking, 'He's been counting the seconds I've been out. So, this is my limit to being outside? Why is it? Isn't this the descendant of my other side's protege?'
'Her limit outside his body is only 120 seconds, it seems. The limitations are unknown, but could be due to the mortal's body not being able to handle her power. It could also be due to her being technically dead, a portion of her soul is already in Hell.'
Falling to the ground, exhausted, regaining control, Aera thinks, "Why am I so tired? For a moment, it felt like a blackout..."
Approaching him Octavian calls out to his pupil, "Stand Emiliana, and bring the mortal. We can't leave him here the others must decide what to do with him."
She does as ordered, grabbing ahold of him, but before anything could go further, she taps his forehead, ensuring she knocked out both the souls inside him.
"I'm sorry for this if it weren't for my weakness, you wouldn't be in this situation. If only I were stronger..."
"Do not worry for him at worse he'll be executed."
"At worse? What could be worse than dying?"
Opening a portal, he enters, stopping to say, "Being sealed away in a world of nothing, or something worse."
Gulping at the mention of that, Emiliana says, "I rather die than go through that myself."
"Agreed, come along now, it's time for us to return to our world. You could use a checkup and some rest."
"We're heading to the Land of Gods?"
"Of course, where else? It's where we belong, not here." |
Chapter 23
The Fight Against Royalty, Part Two
Meanwhile Colour King was adding a few new laws.
Now, we will ban sex between prisoners and prison staff, we will be extending the sentence of any who fail, we need to punish prisoners" said Colour King. " Any prison guard who is having sex with the prisoners is not someone that is willing to punish "
We will put guards in solitary "
" How long, Colour King ? " asked Colour Dictator.
" 7 years " said Colour King. " Any prisoner that has a sentence with over 25 years will be executed "
" Good, we do not need that in Colourland " said Colour Dictator.
" Yes, a disgrace to Colourland " said Colour King.
" I am not going to stand for it "
" Glad to see " said Colour Dictator.
" This is great "
" It is awesome to have a leader that is not Challenger "
" I am very happy to be back " said Colour King.
" Colourlandish people are thrilled "
Meanwhile King Bobby started to talk.
" Now, you know what will happen " said King Bobby.
" Warbler will love it " said Queen Starling.
" Will he ? " asked Challenger.
" He will, his destiny is to have bad friends like you disappear " said King Bobby. " I've given him money unlike you which is why I am doing this "
" So, it is just about money " said Crayon.
" Money makes him happier, that's what we need for him " said King Bobby.
" Warbler should have money "
" You cannot oppose this "
" Him having money is too important to be interfered with "
" His life in the castle has been better " said Queen Starling.
" Crayon has not been good for him "
" Crayon is not who he needs "
" It has been great, unlike the life that Challenger gave to him " said King Bobby.
" Crayon is never needed "
" Well, Warbler still wants to be friends with us" said Crayon.
" Crayon is right, Warbler wants to hang out with him " said Challenger.
" His destiny is to have more money and you be gone forever " said Queen Starling.
" Warbler's got more money which is what is good for Bird's Isle " said King Bobby. " Anyways, we should continue the battle "
" Yes, we should " said Challenger.
King Bobby then used his Bird Implosion while Challenger used his Thunderstorm Implosion, the attacks hit and they both took damage. Queen Starling then rushed for Crayon with the Ultimate Bird Blast and hit him down.
Queen Starling and King Bobby used their Ultimate Bird Flocks while Crayon used the Sky Implosion and Challenger used the Sun Implosion. The implosions were stronger, but they all took damage.
Crayon got up but was punched by King Bobby.
" Hahahaha " said King Bobby.
" Now, your end will be soon "
" I will get what I want, what Warbler wants and what Bird's Isle wants "
" I will keep fighting " said Crayon.
" I will take you down " said King Bobby.
King Bobby then rushed Crayon with his Bird Implosion while Queen Starling kicked him.
Crayon was slightly struggling. King Bobby then used his Ultimate Bird Bomb while Challenger used the Ultimate Thunderstorm Blast. The attacks collided with each other.
Queen Starling used the Bird Implosion directly on Crayon while he used the Sky Implosion. Challenger then started to use his Thunderstorm Implosion on Queen Starling while King Bobby punched Crayon.
Crayon was getting near the end.
" Crayon, Warbler will not miss you " said King Bobby.
" It is not over " said Crayon.
" I have more fighting left "
" It is " said Queen Starling.
" You will be finished off "
" Warbler will get what he needs here " said King Bobby.
" He cannot have friends who are not good for him "
" Warbler has said that he wants to hang out with our group " said Crayon.
" You will not keep him away "
" He is not " said Queen Starling.
" Warbler is a guy who does not want to hurt your feelings " said King Bobby.
" He is a complex man "
" He has so much kindness within him "
" He is so kind "
" Crayon is truly going against the wishes of Warbler " said Queen Starling.
" Time for us to continue this fight " said Crayon.
" Yes, we will take this fight and win it " said King Bobby.
Crayon then used his last bit of energy to use his Sky Implosion while Challenger used his Thunderstorm Implosion. The attacks created the Disaster Implosion, King Bobby used the Bird Implosion while Queen Starling used the Ultimate Bird Bomb. The attacks collided and a giant explosion happened which made everyone take major damage.
Crayon was defeated, Queen Starling was slightly struggling.
" Challenger, you are the last one left now " said King Bobby.
" Your end is near "
" The king is great " said Queen Starling.
" The queen is great " said King Bobby. " I know how much that Queen Starling has done for the women of Bird's Isle being ruled by a queen "
" Challenger never seemed to understand " said Queen Starling.
" It is a shame that he didn't " said King Bobby.
" Bird's Isle loves Queen Starling "
" Understand ? " asked Challenger.
" He did not respect the queen's wishes and when you do that you have insulted women in Bird's Isle " said King Bobby. " That is not something that is good for the country "
" Bird's Isle will never support that "
" You think all women support the queen ? " asked Challenger.
" Yes " said King Bobby. " I know they all do and they are not happy with you Challenger "
" Women love the queen "
" Well, I really don't know if all of them do, but let's continue fighting " said Challenger.
" They love Queen Starling, they demand Queen Starling " said King Bobby.
" They love me " said Queen Starling.
Challenger then used his Ultimate Thunderstorm Bomb while King Bobby used his Ultimate Bird Bomb to counter. Challenger got up and then he kicked Queen Starling.
Queen Starling got up and she used the Ultimate Bird Blast while Challenger used the Ultimate Thunderstorm Blast. The attacks collided with each other and they both took damage. Queen Starling was seriously struggling.
" How could this be " said King Bobby.
" It is " said Challenger.
" Well, you are stronger than Crayon I will give you that " said King Bobby.
" It is not enough "
" We will be able to make sure that Challenger is out of the way permanently haha " said Queen Starling.
" Yes, he will lose " said King Bobby.
King Bobby then rushed for Challenger, they both punched each other down to the ground.
Queen Starling charged her Bird Implosion and she hit Challenger but Challenger then used the Thunderstorm Implosion and hit her directly.
Queen Starling was almost near the end, Challenger was slightly struggling. Challenger then started to use the Sun Implosion and he hit both of them directly which defeated Queen Starling.
" The queen is gone " said King Bobby stunned.
" Bird's Isle must have a queen, women in Bird's Isle will never forget "
" You are stronger than I expected "
" Well you two challenged us " said Challenger.
" The queen is so important, they need the queen " said King Bobby. " They must have a queen always, without a queen they will be very hurt "
" Hurt ? " asked Challenger.
" Queen Starling means so much " said King Bobby.
" Women in Bird's Isle need the queen so much "
" I have said that they need to be ruled by a queen "
" Now, we will continue this fight "
" Yes, we will do so " said Challenger.
Meanwhile Warbler and Allie were stunned.
" King Bobby is strong " said Allie.
" He is " said Warbler.
" The queen lost which shocked me " said Allie.
" Challenger is strong but he will be taken down "
" The king is so strong "
They enjoyed some food and drink.
Colour King and Colour Dictator were talking again.
" Now we will create another new law " said Colour King.
" I will forbid Numerians from having sex with prisoners "
" Numerians who do not obey this law will be arrested and put in jail for 10 years "
" What about Colourlandish people ? " asked Colour Dictator.
" It will be illegal as well, we will give them five years " said Colour King.
" We will also forbid prisoners from having sex with each other and their sentences will be extended one year, the year will be in solitary "
" All murderers will be executed "
" These laws are great " said Colour Dictator.
" Yes " said Colour King.
" We will execute all Numerians who rape any Colourlandish person "
" Numerians who sexually assault Colourlandish people will face 20 years "
" Good to me " said Colour Dictator.
" Colourlandish people deserve the best always "
" Yes, they sure do " said Colour King.
" Colourlandish people are having it great now "
" I know they missed me "
" Yes, you are great " said Colour Dictator.
The fight continued. King Bobby then used his Ultimate Bird Flock while Challenger used the Ultimate Thunderstorm Bomb. The attacks collided with each other and they both took damage.
Well even if the queen is gone, if I can end you forever I will be fine " said King Bobby.
" Despite all the news about you sleeping with the queen and how women need a queen ? " asked Challenger.
" Right now in Colourland, something is happening " said King Bobby.
" What is that ? " asked Challenger.
" Well you will see for yourself if you are alive at the end but that probably won't happen " said King Bobby. " Anyways we shall continue "
" I will make sure you are finished "
King Bobby then grabbed Challenger while Challenger grabbed him at the same time. There was a struggle and King Bobby then shoved him.
King Bobby then started charging for the Bird Implosion, Challenger started to use the Sun Implosion and both of them took severe damage.
King Bobby was struggling while Challenger was looking very weak.
" Challenger, you have been my strongest opponent ever but it is not enough " said King Bobby. " You will now face the end of seeing your friends "
" They are knocked out right now but I will kill them or arrest them forever "
" I will keep fighting " said Challenger.
Now, I will finish you " said King Bobby.
" I am about to save Warbler "
" Warbler will be free from these friends, I cannot wait "
" Warbler's life is very improved this way, this is good for Bird's Isle also "
" Bird's Isle loves the man so much "
" Bird's Isle knows how great a person he is "
King Bobby then used his Bird Implosion while Challenger used his Thunderstorm Implosion and the attacks collided with each other and both of them appeared to be knocked out but King Bobby got up.
" Hahahahaha " said King Bobby. " Now it will be the end of Challenger "
" I saved Warbler, I fucking saved him "
" He now will love his life more than ever thanks to me "
King Bobby then grabbed Artby, and then threw him down. He then went for Challenger.
" This is a moment that I have been waiting for " said King Bobby. " Allie will be thrilled, more time with Warbler for her "
Challenger then got up and he kicked King Bobby down. Challenger and King Bobby were aiming for each other with punches and eventually Challenger landed one and knocked down King Bobby.
" Nooooooo " said King Bobby.
" Warbler has not been saved "
" Warbler must be saved "
After a while, King Bobby did not get up and was defeated.
Challenger then got the six of them out of the area.
Warbler was shocked and so was Allie.
" What is going to happen now " said Allie.
" I am not sure " said Warbler.
" This means that the war cannot happen " said Allie.
" It seems that way " said Warbler.
Allie and Warbler then kissed and they headed out of the castle where they saw Challenger.
" Challenger " said Warbler.
" The fight is over " said Challenger.
" I am not sure what to do now " said Allie. " The king wanted you gone "
" He did but now he is defeated " said Warbler. " So that means the possibility of the war is not likely "
" Well, I am going to get Crayon and his friends to the hospital " said Challenger.
They then all headed to the hospital. |
Cackling, the demon mocks, saying, "A human of all things is challenging me? How far have you singularities fallen to rely on a human to protect you!"
Grabbing Aera by his collar, he says, "You should've never shown yourself, fool! Now, I'll make an example out of you!"
"No, don't it! He's just a bystander, stop it!" Emiliana pleads, trying to get up, but it's futile.
"Stop it? How about you come and do something about it!?" He chuckled as he throws him at the wall, knocking the breath out of him and continuing to approach him.
'Dammit, this is the worse possible outcome. If he dies, I won't hear the end of it, and the consequences for letting a human die are severe...'
Once again, she tries to stand, but the weight of her armor pulls her down gritting her teeth, she thinks, 'This is why I hate wearing this crap. All it does is slow me down if I wasn't wearing this, I would've been able to beat him by now!'
Reaching Aera, he says, "Do you mortals not think? Like, what is it with your kind trying to be heroic, you people are nothing! Hold on, I just thought of something. How is it that you can even me, right now?"
Aera stands there not being able to talk, just thinking,
'Him too? He said the same thing as her, what is it with these WEIRDOS!? I should be asking the questions here, how is it people like this even EXIST!?'
"It shouldn't be possible, I mean humans have regressed since then. You people used to be the pinnacle of fighters, figuring ways to match us malevolent beings."
'Again, he said the same thing as her. Is there some truth to what she told me back there
"I will reward your efforts by telling you my name. I am Ipes, and I admit that I desire to grow power and breach into the world of the Gods, to kill them, all of course." Ipes said continuing, "Who was it that decided to do this and think they could get away with it? The world tree was the biggest wrong done to us! Do these Gods think they can decide for us? I reject that!"
Stuck in his rant, Ipes fails to realize the demonic energy leaking from Aera as parts of his body become surrounded by this dark energy chuckling, Aera says, "Your goals are pathetic. To think a demon would meddle with his Gods is a disgrace to demons itself."
Stepping back, starttled Ipes, says, "Y-You, your appearance it's changed!"
Looking at himself, Aera replies, "Right, I didn't notice that, or did I?"In an instant, a wing sprouts from nowhere as he stares him down, making Ipes panic, thinking,
'I know this power it's the one I've been searching! The power of the four Primordials! The strongest demons to have ever lived!'
'But how is it the power in the hands of a human, could he be? He must be the descendant of the previous user of Akuma, the mortal Aera. It's been about forty generations, but the power of a demon has always been dorminant, huh? It makes sense, after all, the more vessels use our power, it rewrites their genetic code.'
However, Aera grins, saying, "You seem to be lost in thought there, let me give you a hand."
In mere seconds Aera slices his throat with his claws, cackling in laughter. Ipes thinks, "My throat? Why? What is it with him? Just now, he couldn't lay a finger on me, and now he can fight like this?"
"It's been so long, so long! Since I've been free, Ipes was it? I must thank you for bringing me back from the depths of hell now I can make use of this opportunity and rule the Nine Worlds!"
At the sight of this Emilena thinks,
'What am I witnessing? The power before me exceeds anything I've ever encountered. This is the power of an SSS+! How is it that a primordial still exist in this time? They were wiped out, ages ago!'
'This is Akuma you can tell by how sadistic she is in battle. It was said, Akuma died a thousand years ago, along with her vessel. Leaving the living worlds for good. Somehow, she's returned, but this isn't the same Akuma.'
'Somehow, she's reverted to a mindless demon who just knows destruction. This shouldn't surprise me because Akuma cheated death once before.'
Ripping her armor off, she stands, declaring, "This is no longer a matter of settling grudges but protecting the balance of the universe as a whole. To think I would have to dirty my hands by killing a mortal."
Pinning down Ipes, Aera's grin just grows wider as he rips him limb for limb, as Ipes screams in pain, now with his throat regenerated. As soon as he's about to regenerate he tears off his limb, saying, "Demons like you always were an annoyance to deal with the only way to deal with your type is to not give you a chance to use your regeneration!"
Pleading for him to stop, he says, "Stop! I can give you something, something you'll like I know who you are."
"You give me something? You're not even capable of giving me a fight what makes you think you can give me something?"
"I can give you knowledge of what's happened the last hundred years, Akuma. I can -"
Stomping his head, killing him off, he says, "What a joke, demons have gotten weaker too? Back in my day, the weakest demon could've given me more of a thrill than you could."
Summoning her weapon, standing before the massacre, Emiliana says, "Under the Singurality regulations, you're no longer human. I am in the right to execute you, to preserve the balance."
Turning to her, he says, "You will do -"
'He stopped? What is it now?'
'Tch, I'm losing control of this body, don't tell me he's regaining conscious!?'
Not letting her guard again, she grabs her blade, thinking, '
I won't be taken down like that again. If you don't learn from your mistakes, you're destined to repeat them.'
Suddenly, the demonic features around Aera's body disappear, startling her as she says, "Now what!? Don't tell me he's going to transform into something much more powerful I might have to call up the second."
Quite the contrary, as tears flow down Aera's face, calling out to her, "I'm glad you're okay, miss!"
"WHAT!? I won't be fooled, by that smile, you're going to try harder than that!"
"What do you mean? It's me, the guy who was with you at the elevator, don't you remember?"
"Demons have always been great at manipulation, tell me. Which are you? Akuma or the mortal?"
"Aku, who? I'm me, who else can I be?"
Hesitant to believe him, she thinks,
'I feel like he's being sincere, but I -
"
"Emiliana! What a surprise, you're still alive! It seems like the great lord panicked for no reason!"
"Master, Octavian! What are you doing?"
"Master? Now what is she saying -" Aera said, as suddenly someone from behind pats his shoulder, as he sees a man from the corner of his eye.
Laughing, he replies, "To protect you, of course, we don't need to be down another Singularity. I was summoned because an SSS+ appeared, but I see nothing."
"That's because the SSS+ being is standing right next to you, I don't know what he did, but he reverted to a human."
"This human, you're lying right? Let me take a look." Octavian said, patting Aera around, continuing, "You're right, I can feel the power within him, but he managed, to somehow control it, even killing that S-Rank."
"I killed what? I did no such thing, I would never."
'So he has no recollection of what happened, that's not good. He's just a ticking time bomb waiting to wreak havoc.'
Switching his expression, Octavian asked, "Tell me can you do it again?"
"Do what?"
"Turn into Akuma again."
"Are you insane!? That thing destroyed an S-Rank with no problem, master!"
"Don't worry, I am the strongest, after all. I taught all twelve of you, or did you forget? Emiliana?" |
Chapter 20
King Bobby, Not Your Ordinary King
King Bobby was with Queen Starling, Warbler and Allie.
" Now, you know what this means " said King Bobby.
" That us, the king and queen must fight " said Queen Starling.
" Challenger is strong " said Warbler. " Even my brother Blackburnian lost to him "
" Warbler, I love you " said Allie. " The king will avenge him "
" But, you are talking about the two strongest people in the universe " said King Bobby. " Challenger will be begging for mercy which he has not shown me he deserves "
" I hope that people in Bird's Isle refrain from showing him sympathy "
" After what he tried to do, we are going to fight to eliminate him forever " said Queen Starling.
" I wonder if Colour King has returned " said King Bobby.
" We should call back in Colourland "
" Good idea " said Queen Starling.
After that, King Bobby called and he heard a man named Colour Dictator on the other end.
" This is Colour Dictator " said Colour Dictator.
" So, the mighty Colour Dictator has returned, have you seen Colour King ? " asked King Bobby.
" He has returned from his disappearance but he will need a few days " said Colour Dictator.
" Well, he's back so this is great " said King Bobby.
" We are going to stop Challenger "
" Challenger is a disgrace to the meaning of Colourland " said Colour Dictator.
" Colour King will be the new leader soon, luckily Challenger is not here in Colourland now "
" Colour King will be great for Colourland just like me for Bird's Isle " said King Bobby.
" Anyways, I have to go but it was great to see that you do not like Challenger " said Colour Dictator.
" Yes, I do not like the man " said King Bobby.
" See you later "
Time passed and then everyone went to bed.
Morning came and then everyone had their breakfast. They enjoyed eating and then the king put out a statement.
I love the queen which is something Bird's Isle wants right now . They want to be ruled by a king, Bird's Isle needs King Bobby more than ever now just like Queen Starling is needed. We will still continue to take Warbler's sex life seriously, we are doing this for Blackburnian. Blackburnian has thanked me for what I do, Bird's Isle is thrilled about it. Warbler's love life is being taken seriously as well, I care about the man so much.
Right now we need to eliminate Challenger, he has gotten in the way between Warbler and Allie. We miss Diana a lot as well, we will arrest anyone that influences Warbler to not be with Allie, it is very disrespectful. We encourage people to not hang out with Crayon and his friends, they are not a good example for Bird's Isle. They have mistreated Warbler and we do not need that to happen to other people. Warbler matters so much, Crayon and his friends have been a disaster. Not hanging out with them is truly great for Bird's Isle.
Thank you for your understanding,
King Bobby Blackbird
King Bobby sent out the statement.
Time passed, Warbler continued training and being with Allie.
Time continued to pass and eventually Crayon and his friends were able to check out of the hospital and they headed back to the hotel.
After that, they went to a bakery.
" Feels great to be a customer again " said Artby.
" Bakers need me right now "
" Just like I need them "
" Well you do buy a lot of bread " said Grackle.
" I will keep being a great customer, great customers inspire bakers to keep baking " said Artby.
" I like to inspire "
" Inspire ? " asked Dove.
By appreciating them, bakers need to be truly appreciated " said Artby. " By having these dreams about them baking, they know they are more appreciated "
" Maybe they will dream about me being a customer " said Artby.
" It is nice to dream "
" Well, I'm not so sure about that " said Colouruke. " It would depend on the baker but I would think probably not "
" I don't think a lot of bakers would dream about the customer unless it was sexual " said Crayon.
" Who knows though " said Colourea.
" My dreams are not in that way, I just dream for the baker " said Artby.
" I keep the bakers appreciated, loved and remembered "
" I just love them so much "
" We should head inside " said Dove.
" Yeah, let's go " said Crayon.
They went inside the bakery where Artby thanked every baker.
Artby then started talking to a baker.
" Have you ever dreamed about a customer ? " asked Artby.
" No " said the baker. " Why ? "
" Just wondering, I have dreamed about bakers baking " said Artby. " These dreams are to keep bakers appreciated "
" Appreciated ? " asked the baker.
" Yes " said Artby.
They got their bread and left. They went back and ate their breakfast. After that Crayon kissed Colourea.
They then headed to train after that.
Crayon then started charging for his Sky Implosion while Grackle and Dove used their Wind Implosions, Artby, Challenger and Colourea used their Light Implosions. Colouruke used his Sea Implosion. The attacks hit with lots of power.
Challenger used his Thunderstorm Implosion which had more power. He then used his Ultimate Thunderstorm Blast and his Ultimate Thunderstorm Bomb.
" Glad to see our attacks be this strong " said Challenger.
" Bakers have helped us " said Artby. " I feel stronger thanks to their baking "
Crayon used his Ultimate Sky Blast while Grackle and Dove used their Ultimate Wind Blasts. Colouruke used his Ultimate Sea Blast.
Challenger was showing off his Tenfold Thunderstorm Strike and it had tons of power.
" Wow " said Colouruke.
" Glad to be able to use this new technique " said Challenger.
" Bakers love this power " said Artby.
Colourea and Artby then used their Ultimate Light Blasts. After that, Crayon used his Times Seven Sky Strike.
Grackle and Dove used their Times Six Wind Strikes while Colourea and Artby used their Times Six Light Strikes.
After all of that, they finished their training for the day.
Meanwhile King Bobby was with Warbler.
" Warbler, Challenger must be stopped " said King Bobby.
" I saw the statement, what do you want me and Allie to do ? " asked Warbler.
" You two will stay here, while the queen and me end Challenger " said King Bobby.
" We will decide a time for this fight "
" We want you to watch us end him "
" Do not worry, we have special meals set up for you "
" Meals ? " asked Warbler. " What do you have in mind ? "
" We will tell you the meal when we make the decision " said King Bobby.
King Bobby released another statement.
I have challenged Challenger to this ultimate battle. He has threatened to destroy the sex life of Warbler, I will not allow it to be destroyed. I know how important it is to everyone. His love life also matters a lot, I will make sure nothing happens as well. His friends will fight as well, the queen will be fighting with me. I have continued showing love to the queen. It is good for Bird's Isle for people to know that, the people respect that type of thing. We will let everyone know when the battle will be, everyone in Bird's Isle will witness it for themselves. We will have meals made for people as well, warriors will get to eat, drink and watch the fight.
Crayon and his friends will be no more, they will lose the fight. I encourage everyone to be able to watch the fight. It is a fight that you will love watching. Warbler is counting on me and the queen to do what is necessary, he is such a great guy. The kindness within him is always shown, I do not forget.
Thank you for your understanding,
King Bobby Blackbird
The statement was sent out.
Crayon and his friends heard the statements.
" We have threatened to destroy the sex life of Warbler ? " asked Crayon confused.
" Apparently so " said Colouruke.
" I don't understand " said Dove.
" We must be ready for this ultimate battle " said Challenger.
" That is for sure, he seems very sure of himself " said Colourea.
" He does " said Crayon.
" King Bobby must be stopped " said Grackle.
" We just need to stop him and the queen "
" He has no advisors left " said Dove.
" We have gotten so much stronger " said Challenger.
" That is true, hopefully we will be able to use some new techniques " said Crayon.
" We should " said Colourea.
" Yeah, that would be awesome " said Artby.
" I know that the bakers would like that "
Meanwhile Warbler was with Allie.
" Warbler, you are amazing " said Allie.
" Thanks " said Warbler.
" I will always think this as long as you support Bird's Isle " said Allie. " The king says it is good for Bird's Isle when we are together "
" Uh, thanks " said Warbler.
" Glad you are thankful " said Allie.
" It means a lot "
Allie kissed Warbler.
Queen Starling was with King Bobby.
" This battle will happen when we find them, we have this great arena set up " said King Bobby.
" Our warriors said have a lot of honour " said Queen Starling.
" I love the honour they have "
" Our warriors have a lot of honour, they will be there to support the king and queen " said King Bobby.
" They know of what we have done "
" Bird's Isle is so great "
" We have meals planned, a lot "
" Great to see " said Queen Starling.
" There will be drinks served also " said King Bobby.
" When we win, there will be a huge celebration "
" Warbler and Allie will be here as well "
" They are perfect for each other, Challenger never cared about Warbler this way " said Queen Starling.
" That is true, I have made Warbler have more money than he would ever have with Crayon and his friends " said King Bobby.
" Warbler's money means a lot "
" I do have a lot of money "
" Yes " said Queen Starling.
" I will make sure that I will continue to have a lot of money " said King Bobby.
Meanwhile in Colourland, Colour King had recovered.
" Glad to be back " said Colour King.
" Your reign of Colourlandish glory will happen again " said Colour Dictator. " The rest of us are here to make sure it happens "
" I must contact King Bobby at once " said Colour King. " He must hear this wonderful news "
" I am so much better than Challenger for Colourland "
" This is what Colourland needs " said Colour Dictator.
Colour King contacted King Bobby.
" I have returned " said Colour King.
" Brilliant " said King Bobby.
" Colourland needs Colour King "
" You will stop Challenger, I just know it " said Colour King.
" We are the two leaders that both our countries need, the people of Bird's Isle love being ruled by me and the people of Colourland have tons of respect for you " said King Bobby.
" Challenger has not treated Warbler in the right way "
" Challenger is a weak leader, he is not a good representation of Colourland " said Colour King. " Under my rule, we invaded places and executed people against us "
" Challenger has not allowed Warbler to fight Numerians which is not his business since he is not from Bird's Isle "
" Warbler is not a bad man "
" Colourlandish people want to forget him when they can " said King Bobby. " Everywhere will be showing the fight and it will be broadcast all over Bird's Isle, there will be food and drink at the castle "
" There is a great celebration going to happen "
" Challenger is in Bird's Isle so I can now take over as the new leader " said Colour King. " Hahahaha "
" Colourland will be back to the way that it used to be " said King Bobby.
" Yes, Colourland is so great " said Colour King.
" I love Colourland "
" Challenger does not love Colourland as much as me "
" I have gotten that sense " said King Bobby.
" Yes, he has not been good " said Colour King.
" I must go now "
" See you later, we will talk again for sure " said King Bobby.
After that, Crayon and his friends ate their supper which they enjoyed.
" Bakers will save us " said Artby. " As a customer, I will always fight for them "
" As a customer ? " asked Colouruke.
" I will attempt to be the best customer for bakers ever " said Artby. " Bakers deserve great appreciation keeping them to feel welcome "
" Feel welcome ? asked Grackle.
" I keep bakers welcome, bread keeps me welcome as well " said Artby.
" How does bread keep someone welcome ? " asked Crayon.
" The flour makes me more welcoming " said Artby. " Bakers want people to be good people so they add a special flour that makes us better people, Crayon "
" What else does this flour do ? " asked Challenger.
" It makes us braver, sexier, stronger at fights " said Artby. " It depends on the bread for sure "
" Challenger, has bread helped you out ? "
" Well the bread tastes great but I don't see much of a connection " said Challenger.
" We should all dream about bakers baking bread tonight " said Artby.
" Well if you want to dream about that, that's fine but I don't think that we are all going to do that " said Dove.
Crayon was kissing Colourea again and then headed to the bed together.
Meanwhile Artby was talking to Colouruke.
" Colouruke " said Artby.
" Yes, Artby " said Colouruke.
" Colouruke have you noticed how happy Crayon and Colourea are " said Artby.
" Yes, I have " said Colouruke.
" Bread has helped " said Artby.
" Bread makes us kiss better "
" What ? " asked Colouruke.
I will tell the bakers about it tomorrow " said Artby. " They deserve to be thanked for it "
" Well, I'm not sure what the bakers will think but it is up to you " said Colouruke.
Everyone went to bed.
King Bobby got up and then him, Queen Starling, Warbler and Allie had their breakfast which they enjoyed.
" Warbler, we need to keep training " said Queen Starling. " We need you stronger "
" Understood " said Warbler.
" Warbler amazes me " said Allie.
" We will always care about him " said Queen Starling.
" I will not forget to do so "
Warbler went for his daily training. Crayon and his friends got up and they went to the bakery.
Artby thanked every baker and he then thanked them for helping all of them kiss better according to him.
" Uh, what " said the baker.
" Bread has made us better at kissing " said Artby.
" I have no words " said Grackle.
" Same here " said Dove.
" Grackle, I understand " said Artby. " Flour has helped the kissing a lot "
" Uh, thanks " said the baker confused.
They got their bread and left, then they headed back to eat their breakfast and they enjoyed it.
After that, Crayon and his friends started to train.
Challenger now was able to use the Sun Implosion and he showed the attack and it hit with tons of power.
" Woah " said Crayon.
" We will need this against the royalty " said Colourea.
Crayon then used his Sky Implosion while Colourea and Artby used their Light Implosions. Challenger then used his Ultimate Sun Bomb.
" Challenger has gotten a lot better " said Colouruke.
" We will need all the power we can " said Dove.
" For sure " said Colourea.
Dove and Grackle used their Wind Implosions while Colouruke used the Sea Implosion and Challenger used the Ultimate Sun Blast.
After that, Challenger used the Tenfold Sun Strike while Crayon used the Ultimate Sky Blast and Colouruke used the Ultimate Sea Blast.
Colouruke then practiced his Ultimate Sea Blast and his Ultimate Sea Bomb, Crayon then used his Ultimate Sky Bomb and his Times Seven Sky Strike.
After that, Grackle and Dove used their Ultimate Wind Blasts, their Ultimate Wind Bombs and their Times Six Wind Strikes.
" Great training " said Challenger.
" Hopefully I can use that Sun Implosion " said Crayon.
" You will one day, Crayon " said Challenger. " Anyways we have to be ready for the royalty "
King Bobby sent out a statement.
I have given Warbler money, he needs to feel that he is welcome in the castle. Right now, we need Crayon and his friends to be found. We have sent people to look for them, they must go to the battle arena that we have set out.
We have set viewing parties all over Bird's Isle for this special event, Challenger will be taken down. The two strongest fighters in Bird's Isle will have no problem doing this, Warbler is always in our thoughts, he deserves better. He is truly a great guy. Always remember that about him.
Thank you for your understanding,
King Bobby Blackbird
King Bobby sent out the statement.
Crayon and his friends learned about the statement.
" We must be on the lookout " said Challenger.
" We will " said Colouruke.
" We will win if we give our all " said Colourea.
" For sure, but it will be very challenging " said Crayon.
" I have faith " said Grackle.
" Same here " said Dove.
" I will give it everything " |
Final Chapter
Back To Colourland
Colour King officially took over Colourland as the new leader with his group.
Now, officially I am the new leader " said Colour King.
" Colourland deserves this " said Colour Queen.
" Challenger was terrible " said Colour Dictator.
" I cannot stand him " said Colourclever. " He had no respect for our country "
" He hated Colourland "
" That is not acceptable "
" Yeah, Colour King is so much better " said Colour Dictator.
" I am glad to be back " said Colour Administrator.
" Colourland needed order and now we have it " said Colour Dictator.
" That is for sure " said Colour Administrator.
" Yes, I have brought great order to Colourland " said Colour King.
" The Colourlandish people love order "
" Colourland is so great now "
Colour King banned all drugs and he then said that any Numerian using meth would be executed.
He also said that Colourlandish who use it would get 20 years. Other dangerous drugs he said would be 15 years for non Numerians and 20 for Numerians.
Colour King said that any Numerian who sexually assaults would get 25 years. Colour King said that he would give others 18 years. Colour King then said he would ban Numerians from heckling at comedy events and they would get two years.
They were happy to see the laws.
Crayon and his friends were at the hospital resting and recovering, time was passing.
Crayon and his friends woke up.
" Glad to be back " said Colouruke.
" I sure am " said Artby. " The fact that King Bobby is defeated shows that Challenger is out of this world "
" The bakers saved us as well "
" Bakers wouldn't allow me to be dead due to the type of customer I am "
" Bakers have saved me "
" Type of customer ? " asked Colourea.
" My purchases are purchases that the bakers want so I cannot die " said Artby.
" The bakers do love Artby, but bakers preventing him from dying ? " asked Grackle.
" It is hard to say " said Dove.
" I am happy that we are all okay " said Challenger. " We should return to Colourland since that the king is gone "
" We will stay to keep an eye on things " said Dove and Grackle.
" We will miss you " they all said.
" We will keep in contact " said Challenger.
" For sure " said Colourea.
" Bye " said Dove.
" Bye " said the others.
They headed out the door where they saw Warbler and Allie.
" Now, what I am going to do ? " asked Allie.
" It is hard to say " said Warbler. " I was in Colourland before but Grackle and Dove are here so it is a tough decision "
" With the king gone, if you go I will also go " said Allie.
" Warbler, we understand if you want to stay but we would love it if you came back to Colourland " said Challenger.
" I will return to Colourland " said Warbler.
" I will come too, since that the king is gone " said Allie. " It will be awkward at first but hopefully all will be good "
" It should be good " said Colouruke.
" We will enjoy it " said Colourea.
They then left the hospital, Artby headed to a bakery to say his goodbyes and get bread.
" We will be heading back to Colourland, we will miss your baking " said Artby. " I will continue to thank bakers, love bakers and to always keep bakers welcome "
They got their bread and left.
They went back to the hotel and ate before they checked out and left with their belongings.
They then got their tickets and they headed to the airport.
Grackle and Dove said their goodbyes while Allie apologized for what happened with the king and they accepted them and they understood.
Grackle and Dove headed back to their old place.
" I enjoyed Bird's Isle but I am ready to head back " said Colouruke.
" Yeah, it will be nice to be back " said Colourea.
" Same here " said Crayon.
" I will be heading back to my own place there " said Challenger.
" We will continue training " said Colourea.
" Yes, we will for sure " said Crayon.
I will continue being the customer I am and eating tons of bread " said Artby. " The bakers miss me a lot and my mouth misses their baking "
" I am looking forward to what awaits us " said Warbler.
" Me too " said Allie.
" Same here " said Colouruke.
The seven of them eventually arrived in Colourland.
They then saw a man who then described himself as Electro.
" Hello " said Electro.
" Hello, Electro " said Challenger.
" I just want you to know something " said Electro.
" What is happening? " asked Crayon.
" Well there is this new leader " said Electro.
" Colour King is back " said Colouruke stunned.
" His new laws are about to come into place " said Electro. " You will hear about it soon "
" New laws ? " asked Colourea. " I wonder what he has in store for the country "
" Well he says that he will make a public appearance " said Electro.
" I have to get going "
" Colour King's back " said Crayon.
" That is really terrible "
" We have to be careful " said Colouruke.
" He isn't particularly fond of Challenger "
" He probably doesn't like us that much more " said Warbler. " He probably doesn't know me that well "
" I wonder if he likes baking ? " asked Artby.
" Baking ? " asked Colouruke.
" Yeah " said Artby.
" Baking can change a lot "
" Baking really is wonderful that way "
" Regardless if he does or not, we have to be ready " said Challenger.
" Colour King is one who will make sure nobody disagrees with him "
" Yeah, that is true " said Crayon.
" Colour King is not one who will let anyone cross him "
Colour King then made his first appearance to the Colourlandish public.
" I am now the new leader of Colourland " said Colour King. " Under my leadership, the problems that happened with Challenger will not happen again "
" I executed more people than he did, I invaded more places than he did "
" These people I executed deserved to die "
" Now, Colourlandish people will see a leader that loves Colourland which is what the country needs "
" We are Colourlandish, we must always remember that "
" Colourland is a great place "
" I am so Colourlandish "
" I am extremely Colourlandish "
" I love Colourland "
" Challenger did not love it as much as I did "
" He has a lot to learn "
" I am bringing order to Colourland "
Colour King's message was broadcast all over the country.
Challenger headed to his place and he waved goodbye.
" I think I am going to find a place with Allie " said Warbler.
" Before you were with us, you had a place didn't you ? " asked Colouruke.
" I did " said Warbler.
" Well, that sounds like a good idea " said Colourea.
" It sure does " said Artby. " We will keep in contact "
" Yeah, we will do so " said Warbler.
" Good " said Allie.
" I understand what I have done was not right "
" Glad that we are all now on the same side " said Crayon.
" Yeah, it is great " said Artby.
" Bakers would love that "
Warbler was able to get a place for him and Allie to be at.
Crayon and his friends were talking.
" Well that Colour King really is something else " said Crayon.
" We are going to have to be very careful " said Colourea.
" Maybe the bakers will know something about him " said Artby. " Bakers can be very wise "
" Wise ? " asked Colouruke.
" Bakers are very wise people, Colouruke " said Artby. " They have helped Crayon with his taste buds "
" To be fair I think that Crayon could taste well regardless of bakers " said Colourea.
" Yeah " said Colouruke.
Night passed and they went to bed. |
Chapter 22
The Fight Against Royalty, Part One
The fight began, King Bobby then started charging up his Ultimate Bird Bomb while Grackle and Dove used their Ultimate Wind Bombs but the king's attack was way too strong.
Queen Starling then rushed for Colouruke and kicked him. After that, King Bobby then charged his Ultimate Bird Flock and he hit down Dove directly with the attack.
King Bobby then grabbed Dove, Queen Starling kept firing blasts to prevent the others from being able to get through. They were able to jump and dodge most of them but then King Bobby blasted Dove with his Ultimate Bird Blast creating severe blast.
" Dove " they screamed.
" You can go on as much as you like " said King Bobby. " Dove has went to close to Warbler, I just care about Warbler too much "
" What proof do you have ? " asked Colouruke.
" Colouruke, Blackburnian confirmed it " said Queen Starling.
" I have shown that I care about Warbler, ending Dove proves just that " said King Bobby. " I would trust the brother of Warbler over Colouruke anyday "
" Colouruke has let Warbler down "
" Warbler wants to hang out with Colouruke " said Artby.
" No, Colouruke has not been good for Warbler " said King Bobby.
" It is unfortunate " said Queen Starling.
" Colouruke is loved in the bakery " said Artby.
" Bakers enjoy having him there "
" It doesn't matter " said King Bobby.
" Bakers do not decide what we think about Colouruke "
" We have our opinion on him and we are sticking to it "
" Let's continue the fight " said Crayon.
Crayon then fired up his Light Implosion while Colouruke used his Sea Implosion and they aimed for King Bobby. Queen Starling used the Ultimate Bird Bomb while King Bobby used the Tenfold Bird Strike.
The attacks hit and they all took damage. Dove then was punched by King Bobby. King Bobby and Queen Starling surrounded Dove again. Queen Starling kicked her in the air while King Bobby then punched her down to the ground.
Dove was starting to slightly struggle but she was able to get up and then used the Wind Implosion while Grackle used his own which combined into the Sky Implosion and the attack hit King Bobby.
King Bobby then used his Ultimate Bird Blast directly against Grackle. Then King Bobby then punched Artby.
Artby got up and he started to charge for his Light Implosion and he aimed for Queen Starling but King Bobby used the Bird Implosion.
" Now face the Bird Implosion, one of the most dangerous techniques in history " said King Bobby.
" You will all be hurt beyond belief "
" Hahaha, this power is so strong "
The attack hit Artby directly head on but Artby's attack damaged the king.
" I have done so much as a customer " said Artby.
" Bakers cannot have me die, they will have the bread bought less "
" Bakeries need me a lot, I will keep fighting on "
" I cannot give up on them "
" You will be crushed " said Queen Starling.
" It matters not "
Artby then got up and he then started to use the Ultimate Light Blast while Colourea used her own. King Bobby and Queen Starling launched their Ultimate Bird Bombs which combined to create an insane attack called the Ultimate Bird's Isle Bomb.
The bomb went off and everyone was damaged a lot but the king and queen took a lot of damage.
Dove was seriously struggling.
" I am not going to give up " said Dove.
" I will give it my all "
" Glad to see " said Grackle.
Dove charged for the Wind Implosion while Crayon used his Sky Implosion, the attacks combined into a stronger Sky Implosion and it went for King Bobby but Queen Starling then used the Bird Implosion which had slightly more power. Dove looked to be defeated, King Bobby took damage.
" One down " said Queen Starling.
" Bird's Isle loves being ruled by a queen, women think very highly of Queen Starling " said King Bobby.
" They do not think highly of you Challenger "
" Oh, really ? " asked Challenger.
" They do not, they are not impressed with what you have failed to do " said King Bobby. " They prefer to be ruled by a great queen instead "
" But how does that help women in Bird's Isle ? " asked Colourea.
" I have done a lot " said Queen Starling.
" They love the queen " said King Bobby.
" They understand what she has done "
" They love me " said Queen Starling. " They love being ruled by a queen not a guy like Challenger "
" Yes, very true " said King Bobby.
" I am happy to have Queen Starling.
" Well, we should continue fighting " said Colouruke.
" Yes, we will do so " said Queen Starling.
Grackle then went for Queen Starling but the king tripped him into Artby's hand and Artby caught him but the queen then kicked them.
Queen Starling then charged for the Bird Implosion while King Bobby used the Ultimate Bird Flock. The attack then hit with tons of power and hit directly on Grackle.
Grackle was starting to slightly struggle.
" I have a lot more " said Grackle. " I wonder how Warbler feels "
" He knows who cares about him " said Queen Starling. " Allie loves him so much "
" This must be hard for Warbler " said Grackle.
" It isn't " said King Bobby. " He knows a woman like Allie loves him, takes care of him and craves him "
" Allie knows how to love him, just like Warbler knows how to love Allie "
" Warbler is a great guy "
" Even then, I wonder how he thinks about us fighting to almost death " said Grackle.
Allie is getting him through it all " said King Bobby.
" He doesn't need you as a friend "
" Don't be so sure about that " said Challenger.
" I am right, Grackle is wrong " said King Bobby. " I have the best interests for Warbler, Grackle is not able to understand "
" Able to understand ? " asked Colouruke.
" I think he does " said Colourea.
" He is not able to understand " said Queen Starling.
" We will resume this battle "
Grackle then charged up his Wind Implosion while Colourea used the Light Implosion. The attacks combined together and they aimed for Queen Starling who used her Bird Implosion to counter the attack.
King Bobby grabbed Grackle.
" Take this " he yelled. He threw him down to the ground.
" Grackle, I will have to end it all " said King Bobby.
" You have ruined what Warbler needs for him "
" Warbler has considered me a friend " said Grackle.
" Grackle, we don't believe that " said King Bobby.
" Grackle, Warbler is better off like this " said Queen Starling.
" For Bird's Isle " yelled King Bobby.
" Grackle has failed Warbler, I have done so much for Warbler "
" Yes, we have improved his life " said Queen Starling.
" Warbler has more money " said King Bobby.
" That is what Allie wants "
" Let's continue this fight " said Crayon.
" Yes, we will continue and take all of you down " said King Bobby.
King Bobby then charged the Bird Implosion while Queen Starling then used the Ultimate Bird Blast. Challenger used the Thunderstorm Implosion while Colouruke used the Ultimate Sea Blast. The attacks collided, but the attacks from the royalty were stronger.
Colouruke then got up but he was slightly struggling while Grackle was barely able to move.
Colouruke then used his Sea Implosion while Artby used the Ultimate Light Bomb. King Bobby used his Bird Implosion to counter. The attacks collided with each other.
Colouruke was seriously struggling while Artby was slightly struggling.
" Bakers know that I am doing a lot for them " said Artby.
" Hahahaha " said King Bobby. " They are making good money off you "
" I want to show bakers about the type of customer I am, Warbler knows it " said Artby.
" Warbler knows a lot about my purchases "
" I buy bread "
" You think he cares about your purchases ? " asked Queen Starling.
" Yes " said Artby.
" Baking does so much for his mouth "
" Warbler's mouth is helped by baking "
He cares about having more money, being with Allie and getting stronger " said King Bobby. " I will keep giving him money, he needs more money or he will not be as happy as we want him "
" His mouth is not relevant to us "
" While that is a nice thing to do for him, he can make more purchases at the bakeries " said Artby.
" With the money he has, he would be buying jewellery for Allie not going to bakeries " said King Bobby.
" The castle has great meals "
" We do so much there "
" Warbler will go to them, bakers want it " said Artby.
" Warbler is not you, Artby " said Queen Starling.
" We have Warbler's best interests here '
" Bakeries love us going there " said Artby.
" Bakeries do so much "
" It matters not what they want " said King Bobby.
" We are the strongest two in Bird's Isle and you are not strong enough to win "
" Crayon's tongue has gotten better thanks to bakers, his tongue will help " said Artby.
" Crayon's tongue is so helpful "
" His tongue ? " asked Queen Starling. " Well, we are going to win this battle regardless of his tongue "
" What the fuck " said Crayon.
" You have got a great tongue, thanks to bakers " said Artby.
" Crayon's tongue is special "
" I don't seem to understand " said Colouruke.
" Crayon has a tongue that has changed from baking " said Artby.
" There is nothing to understand " said Queen Starling.
" Well Colouruke we can finally agree on something " said King Bobby.
" Artby is not saying things that are true here "
" Crayon's tongue changes nothing here "
" His tongue has nothing to do with this fight or any of us "
" Colouruke, the flour has made his tongue such a great tongue " said Artby. " His tongue's great "
" You are just lying or you think that I am a moron " said King Bobby.
" You cannot believe what you are claiming "
" I am so lost " said Crayon.
" Same here " said Colourea.
" Crayon's tongue has not changed this fight " said Queen Starling.
" It's okay, Crayon's tongue is helping " said Artby.
" Baking has changed his tongue "
" Bakers are good people for helping him like that "
" His tongue means nothing here " said King Bobby.
" Enough about his tongue "
" Time to keep fighting " said Crayon.
" Yes, let's do so " said Queen Starling.
The fight continued, Artby then used his Light Implosion on King Bobby while Queen Starling then used her Ultimate Bird Blast and hit down Grackle which defeated him.
Artby and Colouruke then both kicked King Bobby but King Bobby got up and he used his Bird Implosion and he directly hit both of them.
Colouruke was seriously struggling while Artby was struggling.
" I will not give up, I will use my last bit of energy " said Colouruke.
" We can never give up on bakers " said Artby. " Bakers cannot be quit on "
" They do a lot "
Artby then used his Ultimate Light Bomb while Colouruke used his Sea Implosion. The attacks then hit down Queen Starling but King Bobby used his Tenfold Bird Strike and hit them down which defeated Colouruke while Artby was getting near the end.
" You are all going to fall " said King Bobby.
" This is the destiny for Warbler "
" Warbler's destiny is to have more money and for you all to not see him again "
" He is destined to have money ? " asked Colourea.
" Warbler loves baking " said Artby.
" Bakers like having him around "
" Warbler sure is, Allie loves him that way " said Queen Starling.
" Allie knows what is best for him "
" Allie is a great girlfriend " said King Bobby.
" She knows how to love him "
" The queen understands why Warbler needs more in his pocket "
" Warbler's destiny has been decided "
" Well if you are so sure about it, then let us see " said Challenger.
" Challenger, he needs money not people who do not support the interests of Bird's Isle " said King Bobby.
" Bird's Isle needs what I am doing for Warbler "
" You have let Warbler down "
" I will not accept this "
King Bobby then rushed for Artby with his Ultimate Bird Bomb while Artby then used his Light Implosion. The attacks collided and Artby was defeated which left them with three.
Challenger then used the Sun Implosion and directly hit Queen Starling. King Bobby got up and punched Colourea. Colourea then got up and she kicked Queen Starling.
Queen Starling got up and then used her Bird Implosion while Challenger used the Thunderstorm Implosion while Crayon used his Sky Implosion. The attacks collided with insane power and everyone took damage.
Crayon then got up and he then used the Light Implosion while Challenger used the Sun Implosion. A blast with insane light energy then knocked both of them down but they got up.
" I have to admit that was not terrible " said King Bobby.
" In a war, that would be great for Bird's Isle "
" You could end up killing enemies "
" It is great to kill an enemy, Bird's Isle loves that "
" Great for Bird's Isle or great for the king ? " asked Challenger.
" Great for Bird's Isle of course, I am starting to know why Colour King is needed " said King Bobby.
" He understood the power of war " said Queen Starling.
" War does a lot "
" War can do a lot of bad if a bad war is started " said Challenger. " War with Numeria is not a good war for anyone "
" War's great for us, Challenger " said King Bobby.
" This war is so great "
" Numerians must be invaded, any secret Numerian support going on ? "
" No " said Crayon. " This is not about that "
" My wars are great " said King Bobby.
" What they do is wonderful, Bird's Isle needs this war "
" Lord Grackle has talked about these resources "
" You will be taken down Challenger " said Queen Starling.
" Challenger has not been good for Colourland "
" No, he has not " said King Bobby.
Colourea then used her Light Implosion while King Bobby then rushed Colourea with his Ultimate Bird Bomb. The attacks collided, King Bobby then got up and he punched Colourea.
" Colourea " said Crayon.
" You will not make it through this " said King Bobby.
" That is true " said Queen Starling.
" Colourea has let Warbler down "
King Bobby then rushed for Colourea while Crayon rushed to defend with his Ultimate Sky Blast which knocked him down but Queen Starling punched him.
Queen Starling then kicked Colourea to the ground and she was struggling but got up and she then used the Light Implosion while King Bobby then used the Bird Implosion which did massive damage.
" I will not give up fighting " said Colourea.
" You really should " said King Bobby. " It is better for Warbler that way "
" It isn't " said Challenger.
Warbler is having the time of his life right now " said King Bobby.
" He knows what I have done "
Meanwhile Warbler and Allie were talking.
" This food is great " said Allie.
" I wonder how much longer this will go on " said Warbler.
" Warbler, the royalty of Bird's Isle will win soon " said Allie. " They care about you just like me "
" This fight is so intense " said Warbler.
Colourea got up and she then used her Light Implosion while Queen Starling then used her Ultimate Bird Blast.
" Say goodnight, Colourea " said Queen Starling.
" Hahahaha " said King Bobby. " This is just what Warbler will enjoy seeing "
" He doesn't, this is tough for him " said Crayon.
" Yes, Warbler does not want to piss off anyone " said Challenger.
" Crayon, you are wrong and I am right " said King Bobby. " Warbler is closer to his destiny with less bad friends around him "
" Warbler is a nice guy " said Crayon.
" Yes, he is one " said Queen Starling.
" He does not want to hurt your feelings but he must be in the castle " said King Bobby.
" Allie loves having him around "
" Let's continue this fight " said Crayon.
The attacks collided, Crayon rushed to help but King Bobby tripped him.
" I won't let you be the hero " said King Bobby. " Less bad friends for Warbler, his destiny is coming closer to fruition "
" Haha, this is so great for Warbler "
" Yes, Warbler is better off this way " said Queen Starling.
" Warbler has said that he wants to be in the castle " said King Bobby.
" Warbler cannot be influenced poorly at all " said Queen Starling.
" Yes, Warbler cannot have these friends influence him like that " said King Bobby.
" Allie loves him "
" Allie thinks so much about Warbler "
" Warbler deserves so much " said Queen Starling.
Colourea was defeated. |
Later, in the middle of the night.
Without a sound, Golden Star suddenly opens his eyes. Snuggled up against his deep-sleeping tiger protector, the feral kid observes the temple's walls surrounding him. While he initially encounters difficulty discerning his home's reliefs, it doesn't take long for the little Seuna Saming's tapetum lucidum¹ to awaken and reveal what the night hides from the ordinary person.
Golden Star slowly lifts himself from Khamot's flank, letting the slightly chilled night air blow over his human skin. Taking a few steps away from the tigress, the young savage sees the grassy ground and the pond where Khamot and he often come to bathe and escape the daytime heat. This window on the night world doesn't surprise him that much: while he had never ventured out of the den alone during the night, Khamot had already accompanied him to teach him the art of hunting the animals living according to the moon.
The tiger child glanced at his sleeping, unsuspecting mother. No sound he makes alerts the tigress' keen hearing. Golden Star has learned many lessons, and feline discretion is one of them.
"...Tigers can do whatever they want... So what shouldn't they see ?" Golden Star thinks.
As a result of this curiosity, Golden Star takes his first steps out of the temple without Khamot's protective presence. He takes these first steps in the night breeze, leaving the ruined temple's courtyard and reaching the pond he affectionates so much.
Golden Star lowers his head as he finally reaches the pond bank and takes a few sips of fresh water. He sees a Malayan tapir² and a marbled cat, who, one far from the other, are also drinking on the opposite bank. While the marbled cat leaves immediately at the arrival of the tiger child, the tapir raises its head towards Golden Star and sniffs in its direction for a few seconds before leaving in its turn. After finishing his drink, the young man looks up at the sky. What he sees makes his eyes widen.
Stars decorate the navy blue sky above the tiger-tailed boy and the nature that saw him grow up. Although each one's glow seems insignificant when set apart, these cosmic objects' sheer number is enough to enlighten their magnificence. A sublime nebula streaks across the sky, crossing and sublimating the stars. As for the full moon, it is enthroned where the sun presided a few hours ago and blesses the jungle with its soft, soothing glow, and its beams bombard Golden Star as if to reward his audacity to have gone out alone.
This spectacle amazes the feral child, who had never paid attention to it during his hunting lessons. The oniric view is all the more pleasing as it allows Golden Star to see and identify his territory as if he were in broad daylight. His eyes shine, enlightened by stars like the ones he admires. He then looks down to see the horizon, recognizing the entrance to the jungle, the same area whose smell he will never forget.
"That smell... It must come from a big meal!" The young wildling spouts in the jungle's royal language.
Leaping with vigor, Golden Star makes his way back to the jungle that had seen him miss his kill when the sun was still shining upon it.
Walking through the dense woods, Golden Star lets his ears flutter to hear a symphony resounding: that of the tropical nightlife. Several skillfully mixed scores intertwine, partitions from which the musicians do not always hide. Thus, looking in all directions, Golden Star sees in turn some of the musicians of this natural orchestra. A binturong³ slowly but surely roaming the trees; Indian muntjacs⁴ feasting on berries and leaves; tokay geckos emitting their characteristic croak; an Asian rock python crawling on the ground, plowed with its undulations; a few nightjars⁵ singing under the stars; and mongooses trotting through the bushes. Golden Star perfectly sees these animals' fur, scales, and feathers through his feline vision, while regular humans would only see the bright reflection of their eyes.
Oblivious to the nocturnal jungle animals, the young and wild prince makes his way through the thickening woods. With every step he takes, the animals he sees become scarcer and scarcer and flee from the direction he is going.
With every meter he walks, Golden Star smells more and more of the strange and ominous odor he has come to investigate. A smell that intensifies as the symphony of the night jungle fades with distance. While the scent of carrion would repel any other human being, this is by no means the case for Golden Star, for whom this smell is, above all, synonymous with an easy meal.
Not losing sight of the trail that motivates his disobedience to Khamot, Golden Star stops in front of the edge of the dark domain where no animal is to be found. Thanks to his tapetum lucidum, Golden Star can see better what he couldn't discern earlier: even denser vegetation and a path which, although apparently uneven, seems quite practicable by any animal, even slightly agile in its movements.
Looking to the right and then to the left, Golden Star rushes into the gloomy chasm. So much for the other carnivores: the meal hidden in the darkness will be his!
Golden Star slowly advances in this place where the brightness, even for him, is reduced step by step. It is not only the sun; the moon also seems to have abandoned and denied this corner of Thailand. And these celestial bodies are not the only ones.
While his first steps in the dark territory were linked under the respective signs of prudence and curiosity, a new sensation gradually takes hold of the feral child. A feeling of apprehension that becomes stronger and stronger as he consequently moves away from the entrance.
Golden Star, who thought he could rely on something other than the corpses' scent, realizes that it is the only beacon he has left to follow. Seeing becomes harder and harder in the darkness, even for the child's tiger eyes. As for his ears, they perceive nothing but the slight whistling of the wind that makes the leaves and the wild kid's spine shiver. But apart from these faint, ominous sounds, nothing reaches Golden Star. He thinks, or rather he hopes, that he can at least hear the howling of monkeys or even the croaking of amphibians. But there is nothing, not even the hum of an insect.
This area is not inhabited by animals that only reveal themselves at night. It is not settled by discreet arthropods either.
This den of darkness is presumably empty of any life other than plant life - any resident life, at least. Golden Star is all alone with that weird meaty odor, with this grim climate that would urge any other creature to flee this grove abandoned even by the most undesirable critters Mother Nature has bred.
This atmosphere, this cursed air that makes him feel like he's being watched, Golden Star feels their weight penetrating through the pores of his skin. The scent still doesn't leave his nostrils but takes on a whole new consistency in the tiger child's mind. It doesn't take more than this macabre atmosphere to give him an idea of why the carnivorous guests invited by the scent don't walk past the-
Crack.
Golden Star stifles a scream.
A noise breaks the silence he was just starting to get used to, making him jump abruptly. He frantically looks to the sides before looking down at his paws, or rather his hands. He stepped on something that he can guess the shape of.
"A... bone?" He mutters.
The brown-haired boy's eyes widen. Bone means meat; that smell didn't fool him!
Golden Star then resumes his exploration with a more hurried step. The light is beginning to return to these strange woods; a few hundred meters away, Golden Star sees the moon's rays pierce the thick vegetation and illuminate what seems to be a mass of bizarre nature. The scent is getting stronger and stronger, so much so that Golden Star doesn't smell anything else.
Nothing. Not even the two rubies pointed at him from the tree branches.
Golden Star is getting closer and closer, determined to get his hands on a protein treasure.
Snap. Crack.
More bones. Golden Star has never seen them shaped like this; he doesn't know who they might belong to. As he moves on, the bones pile up.
Squelch. Squelch.
He steps into something somewhat slimy. He brings his hand to his mouth, smeared with a substance so dark he can't tell what it is. He then licks it off, unable to make out the scent. His eyes grow three sizes as a shiver runs through his body.
The ferrous taste of blood, much closer to his own than that of other beasts... It gives Golden Star a horrible feeling.
The feral child slows down as he gets a better look at the mass emitting the cadaverous scent. There, the little man freezes, staring only at the mass, ignoring the blood that stains the ground and all the surrounding vegetation.
It's a mass of human corpses, savagely killed and partially devoured in the middle of the many skeletons littering the floor of this demonic lair, corpses that not even flies or cockroaches would have wanted to touch. Khamot's words and orders slowly come back to Golden Star's mind as he contemplates the massacre of his fellow creatures that the moon shows without concession... As if to punish him for his curiosity.
"Never go near those who ate man's flesh. They are the most dangerous beings in the jungle."
Golden Star didn't understand, he didn't measure the reality of this ban until now. This taboo that his mother had taught him takes shape before his eyes.
He understands better why the animals fled the entrance to this cursed place, why no beast resided in the darkness, and why Khamot had been aggressive in the first place.
It was all due to the humans' forbidden flesh and its specific smell.
Curiosity disappeared from Golden Star's mind. He has seen far too much. He is in the land of a demon.
The child steps back, shaking like a leaf. Only one thought haunts him: to flee. To return to Khamot.
Splat.
Golden Star suddenly turns around. With horror, he sees a fallen forearm on the ground, bathed in a dark, slimy expanse. Drops are beading from above.
Grrrr...
Golden Star slowly lifts his head after hearing that feline growl. A growl he doesn't understand.
His golden gaze sweeps the Tropical Hell from bottom to top. He suddenly stops because of what he sees just above a solid branch.
Two round rubies glowing in the dark with sharp, smudged fangs below.
RoOoOoOaAaAaAaAaAaRrRrRrRrR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The scarlet-eyed ebony beast leaps from its perch towards its prey, mouth wide open and all claws out.
________________________________________
¹
Tapetum lucidum :
a reflecting layer present in the eyes of several animal species, including felines, that grants them a good night vision.
²
Malayan tapir :
a large Southeast Asian herbivore characterized by its short trunk and its black and white coat.
³
Binturong :
an Asian, tree-dwelling viverrid looking like a mix between a cat and a bear.
⁴
Indian muntjac :
a small and mainly nocturnal Southeast Asian deer.
⁵
Nightjars :
nocturnal birds characterized by their long wings, short legs and very short beak. |
Waiting for the roar was unnecessary: the mere sight of those hellish eyes urged Golden Star to run away in the opposite direction after screaming in terror. Hence, the monster missed him by a little margin and brutally landed on the ground. But in his race, the tiger boy catches his paws in a pile of bones and falls. On the ground, he turns his head towards his attacker, widening his eyes at the sight of its appearance.
The beast, the one that human rumors call Rakshasa, reveals its silhouette under the moonlight. It looks very much like a tiger, but differs from it by its smoother and rounder outline as well as its thinner and more slender physiology. This attack from the trees, this overall appearance, this perfect union with the darkness; all those are the characteristics of only one predator.
The sole carnivore in the jungle inferior to the tiger but superior to all the others.
Golden Star stands up and leaps into the first bush he can see, without waiting for the man-eating black panther to turn its attention back to him. The feral child crawls backward in the darkness, guided only by the sound of the swirling leaves, by the sensations of his skin, but also by the demonic feline's roars and aggressive growling as it mows the leaves with its sharp claws.
Knock.
That's it; the little Seua Saming can't go back. His back has hit something of which he recognizes the texture : tree bark, just like the kind he's used to scratch his back against. The tiger child raises his head, discerning the shape of the branches, and lowers it at once; Rakshasa's incandescent eyes glare at him as the panther curls its lips, revealing its nightmarish fangs once again monstrously and bizarrely.
Are the smell of blood and rotting flesh making Golden Star hallucinate? Or is this monstrous beast just... smiling?
As the leopard snarls and pulls itself further into the thicket, Golden Star turns and pounces. Digging his claws into the tree trunk, he climbs it with the speed and skill of a monkey.
Rakshasa stops a few centimeters from the trunk. With its body's lower half entangled in the thick bush, it raises its head towards its fleeing prey, one it won't be able to follow the trajectory. Looking up, the panther growls hatefully before disappearing back into the foliage.
Golden Star, guided by the moon's light, trots to the end of a branch and leaps to the next tree, progressing towards its trunk. He then leaps to another orthogonal branch, leading to another tree. While land running is not his strong point at his current age, agility definitely is. The only sounds he hears are those of rustling leaves and the occasional cracking branch. No growling, no visible red light.
While he sees the branches that can lead him to the canopy, or at least what he can glimpse thanks to the moonlight - returning in the darkness is out of the question -, he's overwhelmed by a single desire: to flee, to return to his mother who will be able to protect him.
A whole tree path stands before him, conjuring up his skill. A few more leaps, a crazy race to the top of the trees and-
RrOoOoOoOaAaAaAaAaAr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The branch in front of Golden Star disappears in favor of a black mass illuminated by two scarlet globes. Having caught up with its prey with a relentless climb, Rakshasa clutches the end of the feral child's perch. As Golden Star howls out of pure terror, his pupils narrowed to the extreme, the leopard pulls itself up before flinging its jaws towards its meal.
Slit.
The black panther's sharp fangs scratch the Seua Saming's torso, as the latter has abruptly retreated until toppling backward into the tree's hollow trunk.
Golden Star digs his claws into the wood, slowing his fall before it even begins. Clinging to the opposite wall of the cavity, he turns his head towards it. In no time, Rakshasa's red eyes and black fur almost obstruct his view.
Golden Star slams himself against the wall, gnashing his fangs because of his torso injury, but avoiding a few claw swipes from the snarling black panther. Crouched against the wood, the golden-eyed child looks through the entrance: Rakshasa has withdrawn its paw after its unsuccessful attempts, and the feral child can clearly see its scarlet, glowing eyes. But Golden Star hears the wood creaking; the leopard forces its way in. In a few moments, it will be there.
Golden Star looks around. Further down, there is another cavity to escape; further up, where the moonbeams pass through, there is a tangle of thinner cavities but wide enough for a child to pass through. Golden Star starts to climb towards these exits, pulling himself up with his claws and arms.
He soon reaches the top of this dead tree, and this wooden prison's bars are within reach. Golden Star is about to grab them to go through when he suddenly stops.
The noise of the cracking wood has stopped. There is no grumbling. Golden Star doesn't climb anymore; he looks down briefly; the cavity he entered is completely clear. Rakshasa has disappeared ag-
Crack.
Golden Star, suddenly plunged into complete darkness, looks up. This time, only two red stars far too close and deadly blades gleam in the darkness obstructing the lunar rays.
"EEEEEYAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" Golden Star screams
,
terrified
.
Rakshasa shatters the wood with a violent claw swipe. Golden Star, plastering himself again against the wall he's climbing, narrowly avoids the attack while screaming. Feeling the point of the murderous claws graze him and stir up cold air on his furless skin; the young humanoid is taken by a shiver running through all his spine. Without even waiting for a second assault from the leopard, he lets himself slide against the wood while clinging to its claws.
The wild child, pupils narrowed and tears in his eyes, raises his gaze to the sky. The mass of darkness has disappeared, revealing a large cavity in the middle of the wooden bars. Golden Star's heart drums until it takes over all his hearing. He doesn't even hear the sound of his claws tearing the dead wood, he doesn't even hear himself leaping through the cavity he had spotted below, landing on the branch that extends it. He only faintly hears this branch, more fragile than the one above him, cracking under his steps. Only one thought preoccupies him: to flee.
Nothing else enters his mind, neither his or-
RoOoAaAaRrR!!!!!!!!!
Golden Star raises his head: Rakshasa dives into him. The feline child hurls himself at the end of the branch so he can bounce back, but the leopard lands hard at half its length.
CRASH.
The branch breaks under the leopard's sheer strength. Golden Star falls, and Rakshasa too.
The tiger kid hits the ground hard, his eyes closed and his body rolling. He stumbles against something, stopping him in his roll. Sore and groaning, the young boy half-opens his eyes. His vision is blurred at first, and he can only make out a dark mass highlighted by the moon's rays. As his eyelids spread, his surroundings become clearer and clearer.
The savage widens his eyes when his vision becomes clear again and he suddenly steps back, screaming.
This dark mass is one of the unfinished meals of Rakshasa. A full-grown Seua Saming, savagely lacerated and devoured, safe for his feline fangs and one of his tiger ears. The mere sight of a slain, fanged creature is enough to make Golden Star's heart skip a beat, even if he doesn't recognize his own kin.
As the child backs away, he hears a growl that tells him to stop in his tracks. He slowly turns his head, stunned by terror.
Rakshasa dangerously approaches, but it takes its time. As it enters the moonlit perimeter, the man-eating leopard licks its lips. Golden Star tries to escape, but fear, fatigue, and pain prevent him from moving. He can only watch, powerless, his executioner taking shape and consistency under his eyes. The moon allows him to discern the soiled fur, the musculature, and the body of the black panther, this panther which had only appeared to him as a red-eyed silhouette until then.
The demonic beast rolls its lips up, revealing again its fangs as sharp as blades, tinged with the blood of many humans and the little hemoglobin he drew from Golden Star. The latter crouches down, burying his face in his arms. Trembling like a leaf, he doesn't dare to meow anymore. Tears bead on his face, just as the blood of his fellow creatures flows along his ebony tormentor's fangs and chin.
With all claws out, the beast slightly bends down, ready to pounce on its prey. Here's one more meal to add to its mountain of-
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!
A roar resounds and tears the shadows, breaking the domain's macabre silence. It is a roar that Golden Star knows way too well. The tiger child slowly raises his head, and what he sees surprises him.
Rakshasa shivers. For the first time in its life spent tracking down, killing, and devouring countless humans and Seua Saming alike, the black panther is shaking. Something has vibrated through it, down to its bones.
The leopard turns its head. Two azure gems glow in the shadows. But Rakshasa barely has time to distinguish them clearly when Khamot drags him to the ground the next instant with a mighty leap. |
It was just another ordinary day for me. The usual working and hating every minute of it. I can't help but dislike my position in society. I wonder how others live their lives, probably better than mine. One with troubles, but not headaches, I think.
Humanity, always finding ways to do something more simple. They say strong men create easy times, but don't easy times create weak men? It's a contradicting saying, but we roll with it.
I know it comes rich from a kid complaining about his position. I have it all. Luxury, wealth, and everything a kid can dream. It's just I never asked for this being the only heir to this is what makes me hate this the most.
If you already hate me for what I just said, my name is Aera. Just so you can attach a name to this "spoiled" brat. Currently, fourteen years of age, working from four to eleven for a tech company. Nothing too serious, or I'm just lying.
I am the CEO of the greatest tech company ever in the 29th century. As you would expect, I barely have time for anything but managing this company.
It's been like this most of my life father always brought me in to the point I was called to court for failing to attend class. So, he did the most logical thing any father in the 29th century would switch me to homeschooling, even then, I still struggle to keep up with my studies.
Getting up from his seat, Aera says, "Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow, I can continue, I still got geometry to do."
Walking out of his office, he would to the elevator, thinking about what he should have for dinner tonight, thinking, "I should get myself an assistant, someone that can take the load off me. Oh yeah, today is the day, huh? I've been busy, I failed to notice."
"The anniversary of father's death, five years ago," Aera said thinking he was in private as he looks, at the statue of his father, near the elevator.
Soon the elevator will open, and a figure from the shadows, appears walking to the elevator. It was a girl, but she was in civilian clothes. Not questioning it, he goes inside with her.
She looks at him before clicking the button to the first floor, and he thinks,
'First floor? What could she be doing down there?'
The two stood there in awkward silence as the elevator played. Humming to it, feeling the music, even beginning to snap his fingers, catching the attention of the girl.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean it like that -" Aera apologized, as suddenly a loud explosion is heard, catching the two off guard.
Speaking her first words, as Aera panics thinking the elevator broke down, she says, "Just another day of work, except this one, is a bit strong."
'Strong? What is she talking about?'
Turning to him, she would say, "Listen, human, I noticed something weird about you. For some coincidence, you can see me, which surprises me. All I can say, for your safety, don't take a step out of this elevator, do I make myself clear?"
'See her? What is she talking about? All this work, maybe I am losing it.'
At a snap of her fingers, she suddenly changes clothing, stunning Aera, as she says again, "Do not step outside, this is not something your kind can handle, especially a human of your generation. I know I shouldn't tell you this, but I will make sure you stay here. Out there, is an S-Rank world breacher, and for no reason should you interfere, or I won't hear the end of it, by them."
'She said a lot just now. What is she even saying, though?'
In seconds, they reach the first floor, and the first thing heard are cackles of laughter, following up with more explosions.
Stepping out, she turns to him, "Go back up, and don't come down until everything is safe, got it?"
"Yeah, that sounds simple, huh? But how will I know from up there!?"
"Figure it out, and stay out of my way."
Walking to the chaos, she summons her weapon, reaching the one wreaking havoc, saying, "S-Rank criminal, a demon, and responsible for the following crimes."
"Illegal entrance of worlds, destruction of the foreign world, and the worse of all murdering a fellow Singularity."
"I am Emilena Gewerger, third of the twelve singularities. It's been so long since I was summoned, for such tasks congratulations, on doing so. Now, I will take care of what the Ninth failed to do."
Showing himself, he laughs, saying, "I enjoyed that encounter of ours, tasting that energy of his was marvelous. I have to admit he stood no chance against me."
Gripping onto her blade, she comments, "I know that is why I am here now."
"Oh? Would you like to know what kind of person this warrior was?"
Looking down, she replies, "You wouldn't know."
"I wouldn't? Is that what you think? I know him better than you ever will, you see everybody shows who they truly are in their last minutes." The demon said, continuing, "The warrior was nothing but a coward who begged for mercy from the enemy. Although, I was ripping him apart, limb for limb."
Not wanting to hear more of this, she dashes at him, decapitating him half, saying, "No more! I won't hear one more word out of you!"
He cackles in laughter as his torso floats mid-air, grinning as he regenerates his lower half instantly. At the speed of light, he's seen right behind her, catching her off-guard, as he delivers a powerful kick to her neck, the force so powerful she crashes into three cars on the lower floor.
"I'm in your head, aren't I? If you want, I can keep describing that night to you, I remember everything. Every scream, every cry, and every breath he took!" The demon said, continuing, "Oh, by the way, when you attacked me, I noticed something, tears flowing down your face. Tell me did you know this person?"
Forming a blade from his demonic energy, as he approaches her, "This is the end you never stood a chance."
Not being able to say a word, she turns to him, not willing to show her back to him, as she cries, thinking, "D-Damn, I thought I could do it, but I failed. Now, the others will have to put themselves at risk because of me."
"Crying again? Those tears won't you spare you, not even from the gruesome you got coming!" He exclaimed, but suddenly his traps, as suddenly, someone stands between her, shielding her.
Scared to the bone, shaking, Aera says, "You won't do anything to her, I won't let you!" |
Proudly standing amidst a blue sky sprinkled with a few clouds, the sun enlightens Thailand's green treasure: its lush and wild jungle, a Garden of Eden enchanting the spectators coming from here or elsewhere. And they have enough to feast their eyes on, even when elephants and tigers are not yet deigning to show their majesty.
Mischievous gibbons and graceful sambars¹ catch one's gaze with their leaps and bounds when packs of dholes² aren't waging turf wars. Ignoring these canids' bloodthirsty whims, imposing herds of gaurs³ cross open pastures under the birds' songs and the siamangs'⁴ howls.
While the jungle's large animals strut under the king of the stars' light, the shadows it casts are the scene of another play. Far from the bellowings, the yappings, and the songs, a particular yet familiar melody resounds in the woods.
The twigs and branches cracking. The leaves swishing. Gravel being dug up, and dirt being plowed. These sounds are all part of a score performed by a palm civet crossing the wooded area as fast as its legs can carry it. However, its frantic, well-tuned race isn't the one the jungle hears best.
Several meters behind, the same wild score played with more clumsiness but also with greater noise. And for a good reason: a quite strange predator is hunting the civet.
Emerging from the bushes and chasing the viverrid, a child bearing a tiger's tail and ears is bouncing on all four. No matter how clumsy and strange it could appear, this run is his attempt to make up for his failed ambush.
"Come back!!!!" The feral child shouts in the beasts' language.
Despite the gap growing meter after meter in the viverrid's favor, the tiger-child dressed in a simple loincloth doesn't give up and continues to bounce with a hare's vigor. Each leap is fueled by his immense determination to savor a more consistent and less chocolatey dish than the kopi luwak⁵ of which only his prey has the secret.
Moving deeper into the tropical forest, gradually blending into the vegetation's massive shadows, the palm civet suddenly caught a whiff of a scent emanating from what appeared to be a dense, leafy chasm. A fragrance that makes its little muscles flutter and its fur bristle. Has the civet found the scent of its lair, where its pursuer couldn't find it?
The civet fully understands what this olfactory signature implies: anything but going home. Otherwise, the masked mammal would not have suddenly changed direction and climbed the first tree to disappear among the tropical foliage of this part of the jungle.
The tanned-skinned and brown-haired feral child slowly comes to a halt as his eyes gradually light up with a golden glow under the leaves' shades. He would have gladly pursued his prey into the trees if the scent emanating from the mysterious penumbra had not frozen him in place with its powerful tenor.
And this is the only thing that the man-cub discerns with clarity.
Everything beyond that edge between the natural shadows and the jungle's blackest darkness does not even take on a clear consistency in the eyes of the tiger child. No birds are singing, and no monkeys are howling. Even the sun's holy gleam, direct or residual, seems to have abandoned and denied this strange kingdom. The feral child only discerns the beginnings of the entrance, but also and above all, this vitiated and pestilential odor which makes the delight of scavengers and a particular caste of predators.
This scent, sinister in many aspects, nevertheless has a unique characteristic that distinguishes it from all the meats the tiger-tailed child has tasted during his life among wild animals. That specificity urges him to stay where he stands or even to move away. What he smells isn't fundamentally unknown to him, but the fumes of death don't help his fragile sense of smell to identify what he believes to know.
Overwhelmed by the strange, cadaverous scent, the golden-eyed child puts a hand on his nose. But he doesn't move further, as he's torn between two impulses: hesitancy due to what he cannot see, but also a strong curiosity. The conflict between these two impulses, one urging him to renounce and the other pushing him to walk further, only manages to immobilize the feral kid.
And this inertia stirs the grimiest appetite the jungle could shelter.
Added to the sight of his skin devoid of any feline fur, the child's indecision arouses the ravenousness of a pair of eyes staring at him from thickets in the sinister domain of shadows. Although the brave little trespasser doesn't spot them, these eyes are well and truly there, waiting for the perfect opportunity to leap on the defenseless boy. The odor of decomposed flesh is so strong that the curious little man does not discern the one coming from the shadow glaring at him.
As invisible and hidden as it may be, this shadow nevertheless signals its presence by making the leaves rustle with its simple step. A stirring of the bushes, that's what triggers the wildling's ears. He's suddenly paralyzed on the spot.
The invisible creature made too much noise, a mistake usually critical for a hunter.
But how important is it when facing a prey as still as a rock?
Just one leap... Just one move... And-
"Golden Star!!!!" A strong voice howls, one that's well-known by the child.
The tiger-tailed boy turns around as an imposing, azure-eyed silhouette frantically approaches him. By merely seeing the beast, the child starts to leap... Towards her. What the so-called Golden Star has interpreted as a familiar voice is, in reality, and to many other animals' ears, the roar of an Indochinese tigress calling her cub.
"Mother!! I-" The little boy starts
.
However, he is interrupted by Khamot's – thus the humans who met her glowing gaze in the darkness called her – insisting eye as she examines him from every angle.
The tigress then rubs her muzzle against her son's face, who emits a sort of affectionate, muffled purr at the warm touch of his adoptive mother. Seeing that her child is safe and sound in this dense area of the jungle comforts Khamot more than usual.
"You're fine... What a relief!" Khamot sighs reassured.
After some coaxing, the tigress lifts her head from her adopted child's. She then stares at the darkness' edge. Golden Star also looks towards the entrance of the dark domain he discovered.
"Mother... What is it?" The man-cub asks with a sense of innocence.
Sniffing the air, Khamot slightly rolls her lips up as she recognizes the sinister scent emanating from the chasm. Squinting her azure eyes, the fierce tigress ferociously growls. But her snarls and warnings resound in the silence.
The creature watching her son had returned to the deepest darkness as soon as Khamot had shown herself.
Not understanding his mother's sudden aggressiveness, Golden Star snuggles up to her paw and reaches up, gently grabbing her fur.
"M... Mother?" The child asks with a faint and scared meowing sound.
"Let's go home. Immediately." Khamot orders with a firm growl.
Tired from his hunt, Golden Star climbs over his mother's body and finally lies down on her back. Without further delay, the tigress heads back to where she came from, to the sunny edge of the tropical woods.
********************************************************************************
Khamot's hideout, twilight.
Huddled against his mother tiger's flank, Golden Star looks for a long time at the high ceiling of the lair where he rests, a lair much more immense than an ordinary tiger den; and for a good reason...
Khamot, whose white fur, blue eyes, and slightly more arched stripes than her fellow tigers are enough to distinguish her, is the queen of the Thai jungle. And like any queen, she has her castle: the ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple where she has raised and fed Golden Star for so many seasons by now. A temple with a mystical and ancient aura that attracts more than one curiosity but which few dare to approach beyond its external walls ever since Khamot took up residence there.
The tigress also stares at the ceiling of her palace, thinking about what she felt when she saw the mysterious abyss. Nothing seemed to live there, and yet...
"Mother... What was there?" Golden Star suddenly asks.
Interrupted in her thoughts, Khamot discreetly gasps before sighing for a moment. The disturbing smell she discerned at the brink of obscurity had something to do with it.
"Nothing you need to know. Stay away from this place." The tigress retorts.
"But, I... I thought a tiger that eats meat could do whatever it wants!" Golden Star protests with the self-confidence and courage that began to emerge in his soul with his hunting training.
"Golden Star... The jungle is vast. It is full of wonders to see and discover, but it is also home to things that even a tiger shouldn't see. Don't ever venture out there again, do you hear me? Golden Star's mother asks and orders with more and more palpable concern.
Khamot's tone catches the little boy's attention. What in the world is in this pit of shadows to disturb the most ferocious tigress in Thailand?
On the one hand, this encourages him to obey her... And on the other hand, it gives him a strong wish to discover what secret is hidden behind the shades of the jungle.
"... Yes, Mother." Golden Star replies before yawning and rolling into a ball against Khamot. "G... Good night..."
Tenderly narrowing her eyes, Khamot licks her child's forehead.
"Good night, Golden Star. "
The tigress yawns in turn, revealing all her fangs. She pushes out of her mind the shiver of disgust and fear she felt earlier in the day to think about the protection given by the temple. This simple thought allows her to fall asleep with serenity near her son.
Khamot's behavior towards this child might surprise the typical person: the usual logic would want a tigress stumbling upon an abandoned infant to devour it or leave it to its demise. And yet, the white huntress has adopted and educated Golden Star as if it were her own child. Her powerful maternal instinct led her, five years ago, to take in this infant child - who was then a toddler- left to his fate.
But there may be another explanation for this affection. The blood flowing in Golden Star's veins is that of the Seua Saming, a mysterious tribe with tiger-like features and abilities. And although his tiger's fangs and claws aren't sharp enough to intimidate large predators, Golden Star has their fully functional senses, tail, ears, and scent. Perhaps it is this last feature that drew Khamot to him? She herself could not say.
But in the end, the reason doesn't matter. What matters now is that Golden Star is the prince to whom Khamot has chosen to devote all her love and attention, a little prince whose safety is her highest priority in this dangerous jungle where danger lurks in every shadowy corner.
And this priority, the scent from the darkness has reminded her all too well...
________________________________________
¹
Sambar :
a deer encountered throughout South Asia.
²
Dhole :
a wild Asian canid with a brownish-red fur.
³
Gaur :
a large ox originating from Southeast Asia, and the largest wild cattle alive.
⁴
Siamang :
a large, black species of gibbon. They have a gular skin on their throat, allowing them to howl and sing over long distances.
⁵
Kopi luwak :
an expensive Indonesian coffee with a non-bitter, chocolatey taste. It is produced by roasting coffee seeds that have been partially digested by the Asian palm civet. |
The two felines' roars tear the silence reigning over the dreaded grove. On the ground, tackled by the tigress, Rakshasa strikes her with a double kick with its hind legs to her chin. Khamot growls and counterattacks with three powerful claw swipes to the body, causing the dark feline to snarl in pain. Just as the queen of the Thai jungle is about to deliver a fourth blow, Rakshasa violently slashes her cheek before standing up and leaping for her throat. But the white, arched striped tigress violently hurls the leopard to the ground before it can bite her.
Rakshasa abruptly rolls on its flank and stares at Khamot with savagery beyond measure. Narrowing its fiery eyes, the black panther ruffles its short fur while snarling and revealing its bloodstained fangs.
Khamot stands between the man-eater and Golden Star, who hides behind a rock. Staring at Rakshasa with her azure eyes, the Indochinese tigress roars with fury. This roar is indecipherable to the ears of the leopard, who knows no other language than his own. But Golden Star understands.
"Stay away from my son, demon!!!!!!! " The wildling thus ears.
Suddenly, Rakshasa roars and leaps toward Khamot. The black beast tries to slash the tigress' face twice. Golden Star's mother backs away, avoiding the assaults. She retaliates with a swift paw swipe to the skull, making the leopard bend slightly. Rakshasa strikes her snout before backing away. The two beasts, standing on their hind legs, pounce on each other.
Golden Star, well hidden behind his rock, observes this intense duel opposing the white tigress to the black demon, a battle in which, for the first time, Rakshasa seems in a position of physical inferiority. Rakshasa, aiming at the throat, only manages to hit a few times the chest of the tigress, much more imposing than him. While the panther's blows rain down, Khamot brutally lacerates its shoulders, attenuating the assaults she is suffering. The leopard roars with pain. With a powerful swipe to the cheek, the tigress sends the feline murderer crashing against a nearby tree.
CRASH.
The black panther collapses with a snarl, blood beading down its cheek and shoulders. After a few moments, Rakshasa lifts its head, gasping for breath. Khamot, with all four paws on the ground, approaches him, furiously snarling. Seeing the striped tigress walking towards it, seeing those long immaculate fangs she hasn't even used against it yet, the Thai monster widens his eyes and puts its ears against his head.
For the first time, the man-eater feels what it's like to be the helpless prey.
The terrorized black panther gets up and leaps, whimpering, toward the distant shadows, beyond its pantry. Khamot pursues it for a few meters but stops at the border separating the moonlight from the utmost darkness. Disappearing in the dark, Rakshasa only lets the fading of leaves to be heard. The black panther flees without further ado, escaping from the kingdom it corrupted by its mere presence.
Khamot roars at the top of her lungs. Her clamor is a clear warning: Rakshasa better not return to the jungle. If it dares to set paws nearby again, the tigress won't let it run away alive.
When the silence falls again on the abandoned lair, Golden Star comes out of his hiding place and walks happily towards his mother.
"Mother!" Golden Star exclaims with his feline vocalizations.
Khamot suddenly turns her head towards him, and her expression paralyzes the wildling on the spot. With her lips rolled up and her eyes narrowed, the tigress growls. Although she is relieved and extremely happy to see her son alive again, she saves the cuddles and the snuggles for later. Something more important awaits her disobedient son.
The latter, quickly understanding the situation, half-opens his mouth and lowers his ears, then his eyes, ashamed by all he has done. He then raises the glance towards his mother.
"Mother, I-" the child begins with a weak voice.
"That's enough. Let's go home." Khamot sternly retorts.
Khamot then turns back with a firm step. Lowering his head again, Golden Star follows her. Thus, mother and son abandon Rakshasa's desecrated victims, leaving them to die in silence in the deserted domain.
********************************************************************************
Near Khamot's temple.
Having returned to the tropical meadow, Khamot sits down not far from the pond. Facing the water, she lets her shadow extend toward the dark areas of her territory.
When Golden Star puts his hand in his mother's shadow, still looking at the ground, he widens his eyes.
Grrr...
The young Seua Saming suddenly raises his head and ears before looking towards the pond. Head turned, Khamot glares at him with her stern eye; she won't let him go back to sleep so easily, and he understands it well.
Golden Star swallows and walks towards his mother with a hesitant step, while she looks again towards the water. After several steps, Golden Star stops and sits next to the imposing tigress. Ears lowered, the feral child sadly raises his head towards her.
Khamot directs her azure yet firm stare at her adopted son.
"You deliberately disobeyed me. I forbade you to go back there." Golden Star's mother scolds harshly.
"I'm... I'm sorry..." Golden Star stammers, filled with regret. "I... I wanted to know what was there... I... I didn't mean to make you angry..." He continues, not without difficulty.
"It's not about my anger! It's about you, Golden Star!!!!! The white tigress replies, her ferocity mixed with concern. "You almost got yourself killed!!!!"
Golden Star looks away again, her eyes moist and his heart tight.
"I thought... That with everything you taught me I... I was safe..." He tries to justify.
"Knowing how to hunt doesn't mean ignoring the risks!" The tigress lets out before continuing. "Even the best hunters are not free from danger. In the jungle, it lurks everywhere... And everyone is afraid of it... Everyone."
"E-even you?" Golden Star asks, looking up at his mother.
Thetiger-child's eyes widened when he sees Khamot's. He had often seen her relaxed and affectionate; today, he had seen her angry. But on this night of the full moon, he discovers a new sparkle in the tigress's eyes:
That of sadness.
"Especially me." She whispers in a broken voice.
The Thai jungle queen lies down in front of her son and gently pushes him against her chest with a little paw. Snuggling up against Khamot's fur, Golden Star watches, heartbroken, as his mother gives in to pain far more hurtful than he imagined.
"I was so scared for you... I thought I wouldn't get to you in time... That this leopard would take you away from me... I... I thought I was going to lose you..." The tigress sobbed, somehow hugging Golden Star to her.
With a particularly heavy heart, Khamot remembers, because of these sensations, the time when her words had unfortunately come true: the day she lost her biological children, two tiger cubs at the dawn of their lives... A life snatched by a pack of dholes. On that bloody day, Khamot let her fury and sorrow decimate half of the said pack, without it bringing her children back. On that day, the queen had lost her two little princes, the flesh of her flesh.
But remembering this fateful event, the tigress also remembered the sunset that followed it, a sunset under which she found Golden Star, who was then just an orphaned infant.
Khamot's heart, chilled by the death of her cubs, had since been warmed by the mere existence of this feral kid, this toddler of a species different from her own. He had rekindled the warmth of his motherly love, a warmth that is slowly overriding the anger and sadness of the present moment.
"I'm so happy... So relieved... That I was able to save your life... "She whispers with unconcealed emotion, the happiness that she didn't lose a third child.
Golden Star sniffs and rests his forehead against her mother's chest. With tears running down the tigress's fur, the tiger-eared youngling feels guilt for disobeying his mother and causing her so much pain.
"I... I beg your pardon, Mother... I... I will never disobey again!!!" The Seua Saming sobs.
"I will always do everything to protect you, my son... But promise me that you will not do anything so reckless again... Promise me." The tigress begs.
"I-I promise, Mother... I'll be careful..." Golden Star replies between two sniffs.
The tigress slowly stands up, and Golden Star raises his still-wet eyes to her. Although still very sad to have hurt his mother, the child sees his heart lightened by the look she gives him. The time for admonishment and terror is over for this time, as Khamot's peaceful look shows.
"Come. Let's go home." Khamot says gently.
The tigress then starts walking back to the temple, her right flank lit by the soothing rays of the moon. Golden Star followed her, his arms and legs trembling slightly. From the chase to this discussion, the wild child has been physically and emotionally overwhelmed.
After only a few steps, he starts to drag his feet and yawn. Opening his mouth wide and revealing his tiny fangs, he lets out a little meow, similar to a real tiger cub.
Khamot raises her ears, turns her head towards Golden Star, and turns back. When she gets close to her son, she crouches down as if on an ambush hunt. With a soft growl, she receives the golden-eyed kid's attention.
"Come on, Golden Star. Hop on." The white queen whispers.
With half-closed eyes, the wildling limply walks towards his mother and weakly climbs onto her back before lying down and letting his heavy eyelids meet. Khamot slowly sits up, to the rhythm of her sleeping son's calm breathing.
With a muffled step, she returns to her stone palace to enjoy a well-deserved rest after this restless night. A night which will never know any more equal, as the lesson endured by Golden Star was engraved in the deepest reaches of his young spirit.
Once back inside the temple, the tigress lies down on her belly, puts her head on crossed legs, and closes her eyes, letting the temple ease her sleep.
For no creature, and especially not a devilish black panther, shall ever trepass its mighty walls as long as Khamot will reign here.
THE END |
*Boom*
Mila landed with both feet on the ground. She bent her knees to absorb the impact from the jump of the tree branch. Other than her ankles hurting a little, she was able to get into the park unscathed. Mila walked up to the path that led to the park's center. The park was surrounded by an eerie atmosphere at this hour of the day. The city's streetlights cast a weird shadow upon it. Some of the tree's leaves had already started to change color and drop on the well-maintained paths.
The windy path brought Mila to the big apple tree that stood tall in the park's center.
This must be that tree the guardian was talking about.
A few rotten apples lay underneath it. Mila walked up to one and grabbed it.
Something should happen, right?
But nothing did, and Mila didn't have a clue what to do next. She walked towards a swingset opposite the tree and sat down. Suddenly she got hit with a flash of nostalgia. A cloudy memory of her mom and dad taking turns pushing the swing. Mila entertained herself a little by swinging around.
"Ghost-lady, are you here?
Nothing is happening!
You lied to me!"
Mila looked up at the tree, there were some fresh apples still hanging from the branches. The apples had a distinctive purple glow like no others.
I ate one before right?
Mila couldn't remember how they tasted. Maybe she should grab a fresh one. Mila walked up to the tree, reached her hands, and jumped... To no avail. The apples were hanging too high for her to grab them.
Mila looked around and saw a long stick laying in the grass.
It must be a fallen-off branch
. She grabbed it and poked at the tree. After a few attempts, an apple fell down from the tree. Mila picked up the pure appel and...
*flash*
Suddenly the atmosphere completely changed as if Mila got transported to another dimension. The sun was shining brightly on her face and the tree was full of pink blossoms. A boy and a girl came walking towards the tree. They were wearing the uniform from Mila's school - she looked a little younger than Mila.
Wait, those two look familiar to me. Isn't that the girl from the fight in the hallway? The one that wrote the love letter?
The pair approached the tree and then stopped only a hair away from where Mila stood. They seemed to not have noticed her, it was like Mila was invisible to them. Mila spoke... then shouted but there was no reaction. Confused about her situation, she decided the best thing would be to watch the girl and boy and overhear their conversation.
"So is this the beautiful tree you wanted to show me?"
The girl looked up to the tree top.
She folded her hands before her chest and leaned in the boy's direction.
"These flowers look really pretty Senpai"
Yuck... he seems totally different from the violent girl in the hallway.
The boy looked a bit flustered and then responded.
"I am glad you like it, Iona"
"Let me tell you an interesting fact about this tree. It may look like any ordinary apple tree, but appearances can be deceiving. In fact, this mere tree may be the only one of its kind. At the end of summer, its blossom will make place for fairytale-like-purplish apples. If given to someone, they are said to have the magical ability to make them accept the giver's shortcomings and see them as their true self"
Iona was attentively listening to the story.
"You are so smart Senpai, how do you know so much?"
She must be bored as well, right?
The boy blushed a little.
"Have you ever given someone one of these apples?"
"Ehmm.. ehmm.. I haven't had the need for it... but maybe one day?"
"Oh Senpai, you are such a dork"
The girl giggled a little.
"Is there any girl you want to give one to?"
Iona rocked around a bit nervously.
Please confess to her already!
The boy looked a bit embarrassed.
"Ma..ma... maybe... They... they are not ripe yet"
Iona looked down at the floor.
"Ahh... I get it. Maybe later than"
The girl grabbed the boy by his arm.
"Let's head to the ice cream store, okay?"
As they ran away together towards the park's exit, everything turned dark again. Mila shivered a little from the cold. It was nighttime again and Mila was standing in the park - alone. Still, in awe from what she just experienced, Mila looked at her hand that was still holding the apple she picked.
This apple looks so familiar... I ate one recently, right? But I haven't visited this park in
ages...
And then Mila made a sudden realization. Her mind wander off to yesterday after school in the shoe locker room.
X
"Hajime, I am starving. You got something for me?"
Hajime his hands in his pockets and turned them inside out.
"Looks like I am out of power bars"
When they walked passed some shoeboxes, Mila looked around if there was anything edible to grab.
Ehh.. a lot of shoes as suspected. I am not THAT hungry...
Then she spotted an apple in one of the boxes. She grabbed it - without stopping and ate it on her way out. She probably threw down the core near the bus stop and then completely forgot about it...
X
Mila looked at the apple in her hand and now everything made sense to her.
So this caused this whole ordeal to happen? Me eating a stupid apple cause the world to end? I mean it's just an APPLE!
A large sigh exited Mila's mouth as she made her way back to the back of the park, the place where she got in. Luckily, there was an easy way to climb out from this site. She climbed up and then carefully dropped the apple to the ground. Then she hung herself from the fence to make the drop distance as small as possible and let herself fall.
Not too painful this time around.
She walked up to the front gate and looked for her bike. She noticed the thorny shrubbery had left a big scratch in the red paint.
Oh wait, this isn't MY bike! I just grabbed it... just like that apple...
Mila started to feel a little bad for the neighbor's son but then abruptly came back to her usual self.
His daddy will fix it. It's not like he's going to end the world too right RIGHT?
"Hahahaha"
Mila nervously laughed as she stepped onto the bike and drove away to her next location. Luckily it wasn't too far from here. Mila pedaled back to the main avenue she came from - from there she knew where to go.
Ten minutes later, Mila arrived at her destination. A place she was all too familiar with after having to come here daily for three and a half years. Her school looked completely desolate at this hour. Not all that surprising... this wasn't the first time she had been at school this late at night. But that time was different since she was with friends.
How am I going to break into the school alone? |
A glowing pair of purple eyes were staring right at Mila. The eyes of a ghostly figure floating in front of Mila's window. Mila grabbed her blanket and hid behind it. Her heart was beating one thousand beats a minute. It took a couple of moments for Mila to cool down.
I am an adult now, I don't believe in ghosts anymore. I am probably still hallucinating from the nightmare before.
Mila slowly lowered the blanket from her head, trying to get another look.
Nope, the ghost is definitely still there.
Now Mila got another look at the strange creature, she noticed that it appeared to be female. Beautiful white locks ran along her shoulders, giving her an angelic appearance. Still, the ghost's most striking feature was those deep purple eyes. Mila couldn't help staring into them. The ghost noticed a pulled a faint smile with her puffy red lips. Without opening her mouth any further, an angelic voice echoed through Mila's head.
"Mila my dear, please put away your blanket. There is no need for it."
Mila listened in awe, not execution upon the celestial command.
Was that the ghost talking to me? It must be! But why was her mouth not moving then?
Mila tried to come up with a question, but she wasn't able to formulate anything coherent. Luckily the ghost interrupted her.
"Oh darling, you must have so many questions, but trust me, you have no time to spare"
"Let me break the news to you without any sugarcoating. Sweety, what happened wasn't a regular nightmare. You just experienced death."
Death? But I am clearly still here right?
"In fact, not only you died, but everyone you hold dear. The world as you know it came to an end"
Mila looked around, and aside from the mysterious figure by her window, this seemed to be her room as she had always known it. A small, messy room on the top floor of a typical suburban family home. Various clothing items were scattered on the floor. On the wall hang some punk rock group Mila listened to. Littered across the room were various items of the various hobbies Mila's parents made her practice. A badminton racket, ballet shoes, a violin bow, and a chessboard that had been set on its side. They now only serve as a look into Mila's past. Reminders of the girl her parents wanted her to become. A portrait of a happy family that never was...
"Your mind wandered off again, didn't it?"
Does she know me? Can she read my mind?
"I know you all too well Mila Kinoshita, 18 years old, female delinquent. You hang around all day with your friends, drinking or otherwise wasting your time. You only engage in self-indulgence, with zero care for others. Well, miss, this behavior of yours is what got all of us in trouble in the first place."
Mila tried to keep her head cool while the ghost was clearly trying to get a reaction out of her. Still, she couldn't help to get a bit aggregated, Mila was no longer hiding behind a blanket - she had now crossed her arms.
"Fufu... I think that was enough for now."
The ghost laughed a little and then continued with her monologue.
"So sweety, this is what I want you to do. You'll remember the big park on the east side of the city that you used to visit with your parents? Please find your way toward it and grab yourself a big piece of fruit."
Mila was beyond confused. How would going to a park in the middle of the night help her save the world? None of this was making sense.
Did one of my friends slip something in my drink? They wouldn't do that right?
"Trust me, this will all make sense once you get there."
Mila couldn't handle it anymore, she lay down in bed again and pulled her blanket over her. She decided to ignore the ghost's request and got ready to go back to sleep again. She grabbed a small flask that was standing on her nightstand and chugged it down in one sip.
I hope I forget all of this by tomorrow morning...
The ghost sighed with disappointment and then vanished.
Mila drifted off to sleep...
X
"Ring... ring... ring"
The alarm went off.
Mila's head hurt a lot, she took a sip of water and fell asleep again...
When Mila woke up again, she looked at the alarm and knew she was certainly going to miss her bus.
*sigh*
She picked up her school skirt and blouse from the ground, put them on, and hurried down the stairs. She opened the fridge in the small chance there would be something to eat in there but no. Some cans of beer and some moldy leftovers that had been there for weeks. She noticed a jar of pickles in the corner, grabbed one, and put it in her mouth.
Mila entered the living room to grab her bag. Like most mornings, she found her dad sleeping in the armchair, surrounded by empty beer cans. The TV was still left on, broadcasting a memorial for some disaster that happened a couple of years ago.
Wait a minute... didn't they air that yesterday as well? Yesterday or was that a dream?
Her heart jumped a beat. Suddenly, Mila remembered the deal and the ghost that had visited her room.
That surely was a scary nightmare...
Mila rushed towards the bus stop and caught the next bus. She would still be in school on time - at least if there wasn't too much traffic. She put her hand in her bag and grabbed her headphones and put them on. She pressed play but noticed the tape had to be rewound. Didn't she just rewind it?
"--Please take off your headphones and pay attention to your classes.
I don't want you around here for another year miss"
Said the hall monitor to Mila as she entered the school.
This all feels awfully familiar somehow...
As Mila sat down to change her shoes, her friend Hajime walked up to her.
"What's up Mila? You look horrendous today, did you get any sleep?"
"Please get out of..."
Mila stopped halfway through the sentence.
Didn't we have this exact conversation before?
She felt a little light in her head.
"Ehh... I had a strange dream today, that's all. My head is a bit cloudy"
"I have something to keep your mind off then.
Do you remember this manga I have been bugging you about, Berserker?
They are doing an anime of that, it's going to be totally rad! We have to watch it together"
"Don't really care.. as I told you yesterday"
Hajime frowned.
"That's strange, I only read about it in this morning's magazine"
Mila was confused. Maybe it didn't actually happen yesterday... but in the nightmare she had. Mila tried to remember what happened after this in her dream.
"Try not to look too conspicuous, but there is another confession scene playing out right behind you"
Mila looked around and suddenly remembered everything. A shiver went down her body. She stood up and excused herself.
"I have to go to the restroom"
Mila locked the door and sat down. She was panicking a little.
Did all of this happen before? It wasn't a dream, was it? Does this mean the world will end now? I should have listened to that ghost!!!
Even from the bathroom, she could hear the freshman girls screaming against each other, like in her dream. Before Mila knew the world started shaking again. The darkness, the ringing, the aggregating pain... These brief moments felt like ages... Before Mila knew the only thing left was the darkness... |
Mila slowly opened her eyes, her eyelids still felt a bit heavy. She could see the first sparks of the daylight had already started slipping in between her curtains.
For how long have I been asleep exactly?
Mila sat down on the side of her bed, yawning the last bit of sleep away. She looked at the clock, it was about time to head out for school. She dressed up, grabbed a bag, and made her way to the bus stop. But Mila didn't intend to go to school today. She jumped off the bus a couple of blocks earlier, from where she went on a short walk. Not long after, she arrived at the gate of the park. Luckily, she could just walk in this time, without any acrobatics.
The park's atmosphere was totally different during the daytime. The desolate, eerie vibe was replaced by a peaceful, quiet one. An older man was feeding some breadcrumbs to the pigeons, a mother was pushing a stroller, and some preschoolers were playing around the swing set. Mila walked toward the tall apple tree that towered over the park like any other day. It looked like Mila was in luck, a branch with a few, fresh apple's still on it had broken off since the last time she came here. She bends down to the ground and picked off four apples, which she carefully put in her bag. Having accomplished the task she came here for, Mila quickly made her way back to the park's exit. No time to stroll around, she thought.
Back at the bus stop, Mila continued her journey toward her school. Just before arriving at her school, she picked a pair of sunglasses and a hat out of her bag and put them on.
I hope the bike hasn't been stolen!
Luckily the red bike was still in the same place Mila hid it last night. She jumped on and quickly rode back home. A few streets from her home, Mila made a stop by the doctor's surgery. A visit that was well overdue. She then made her way back to her homestreet.
*ring ring*
Mila was standing before the neighbor's door with the neighbor's son's bike standing behind her. In her hand, she was holding one of the apples. Her heart was pounding out of her chest.
When the door opened, Mila bowed, and then looked at her neighbor.
His eyes immediately fell on the red bike standing on the pavement.
"I knew it was you again, you little.."
But Mila interrupted him.
"My apologies mister, there was an emergency late at night and I borrowed... stole your son's bike. Please take this as a token of my atonement"
Mila shows him her apple.
The neighbor looked quite surprised by Mila's unusual behavior. A short silence fell.
"That apple... it reminds me of... the apple my wife gave me when she first asked me out"
As the neighbor sighed, his anger seemed to have disappeared.
"Miss Kinoshita, I accept your apology but promise to not do stuff like this again"
"My son when into a frenzy after missing his bike yesterday morning. I had to buy him an expensive new video game to cool him down."
"I feel sorry for your son, sir"
"Don't get it all twisted, you are alright"
"How has your old man been, I haven't seen him around lately"
Mila looked down at the ground. The neighbor hit a sensitivity matter. A tear rolled down her cheek. The neighbor got a bit aggravated at himself.
"We have been neglecting you two for way too long"
He is said to himself, he then cursed at himself.
"I have only been treating you like a nuisance, while you clearly need help. How stupid!"
Mila was still silent, listening to her neighbor's anger outbreak.
"I see it must not have been easy for you girl, living like that for all these years"
"Can I be of any help? We can contact a professional to check on him."
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that"
Mila said with a really quiet voice. She pondered a lot about calling in help. Fantasized about going out with her dad, watching a game, and going on a road trip together. She dreamed of him getting back to his past self, the dad she grew up with. She ran through the scenario many times in her head. Visiting the doctor's practice, telling her story, and getting heard. But she never went through with it. Shame, guilt, and fear of what could happen.
The neighbor tried to comfort Mila.
"It will be alright, let's keep in touch. Feel free to come in any time you want."
Mila thanked him for his offer and then head back home.
X
There sat her father, in the same armchair he always sat in. He didn't seem to have noticed Mila coming home, as usual. He was watching a rerun of an old sitcom that was popular in his youth.
He must have seen this show over one thousand times
. The father was playing a game of baseball with his family.
A perfect little family...
"Dad?"
Mila said quietly.
No reaction.
"Dad!"
She tried once more.
"Would you listen to me?"
Mila said with a vibrating voice.
He turned around in his chair, looked in Mila's direction for a second, and then turned his back towards her again and continued watching TV.
Mila didn't know how to start this conversation.
She put down her bag, grabbed one of the apples and walked toward the tv, and turned it off.
Standing right in between her father and the tv, she offered him the apple.
At first, he didn't seem to notice the apple, but then he couldn't seem to take his gaze from it. His eyes were locked on it.
"Dad? Dad?"
Mila waved her hands in order to grab his attention, but he only seemed locked on the apple only, even when it was waved through the air.
Having come this far, Mila decided to speak to him anyways.
"Dad... I brought this apple for you as a sign of a..apology."
Her eye's teared up as she tried to finish the sentence.
"I have been... how can I have been neglecting you all this time..."
She kneeled down and passionately hugged her father.
"How could I have let you become like this father"
"Mi-la"
Did she hear it correctly? Did her father really speak her name?
"Mila-chan"
Mila's father now said loud and clearly.
Tears started to trickle down her father's cheeks.
"It is nice to hear your voice father"
"My angel"
Her father responded. Even after this long time, Mila couldn't really think of anything to say to him. In some situations, there are just no words.
After sitting there for what felt like hours, Mila left her house for the neighborhood restaurant and ordered some ramen which she and her father ate. After dinner, they watched a couple of hours of television, and then Mila brought her father to his bedroom and tucked him in.
"Good night dad" |
*ring* *ring*
Mila rushed herself down the stairs. She ran towards the door. Before opening it, she brushed her hair out of her face with her hands.
"I told you not to ring, you woke up my dad!"
"Calm down princess... my bad"
Hajime grinned a little.
"Don't worry about your hair, it looks pretty fly as always"
He could see me adjusting my hair through the window, a little embarrassing.
"Princess? you sound even more corny than usual"
"Booyah! Let's bounce"
A pink vintage scooter was standing on the street curb.
"Alright, what do you think of my ride? Sick isn't it?"
"Did your girlfriend lend that to you?"
"You... eh girlfriend..? I don't have one."
Hajmi stumbled over his words and then added.
"I borrowed it from someone"
"You better bring it back after you are done with it"
"Alright... alright miss Kinoshita, I didn't know you'd care about stuff like that"
Hajime sat down on the saddle and turned down the engine.
"Let's hop on"
X
"So Mila, where are we heading tonight? You didn't tell me anything"
"A place you despise"
"Let me guess, my aunt's Ryoko's house? I surely despise her, that's for sure"
"Wha..what?"
Mila giggled a little.
"You silly, I mean our school"
"Will we do some more ghosthunting?"
"Perhaps"
Hajmi accelerated the little scooter to its maximum speed.
"Hold on tight, we'll be there in a whim"
X
It was alright at midnight once they arrived at the school. They jumped off the scooter and parked it next to the school's fence.
"Can you catch my backpack?"
Mila threw her backpack over the fence and Hajime caught it. He had already climbed over it.
"What is in that ugly backpack anyway?"
Mila smiled.
"You'll find out soon"
Using a credit card, Hajime was easily able to open the school's side entrance. The two of them entered the derelict hallways together.
"So where is this scary ghost of yours at?"
Hajime said jokingly.
Mila looked at him with a serious face.
"I wouldn't be so happy about this if I were you"
"Ah, so we're really going ghostbusting? Rad!"
"Please quiet down Hajime, this is serious!"
"Alright... alright miss, please show me the way"
Mila grabbed Hajime by the hand and dragged him along through the school's various hallways. As soon as they entered the cafeteria, Mila stood still. She scanned the big empty room with her eyes. But there was no one to be spotted. She put her hands around her mouth and yelled.
"Risako? Risako! Are you here?"
A long silence followed. Mila called again but to no avail.
Hajime sighed and sarcastically added.
"So where is that ghost you promised me?"
Mila had no idea why Risako wasn't showing up. She started sweating a little.
Hajime must think I've gone crazy. Maybe I am. What if it was all a dream?
She sat down on a bench, covering her face with her hands.
"Mila, what is going on?"
"Hajime, I had a crazy dream recently. Do you remember that day when you had to bring me to the school nurse?"
Hajime knotted.
"Promise you are not going to laugh at me, okay?"
Hajime sat down on the cafeteria bench next to her.
So she proceeded to tell Hajime the whole story, from the earthquake at school, her talking to the angel, getting the apple, entering the school, the ghost girl, and her placing the apple back in the locker.
After Mila was done telling, she sighed.
Hajime was sitting there in silence.
"Please leave your opinions to yourself, I don't need your judgment"
"That was quite the dream you had there princess.."
"I usually forget all the details as soon as I wake up, or at least most of them"
He looked at Mila and smiled, he then gave her a hug.
"It's alright Mila, it's alright. If you say so then I believe you".
Mila suspected he thought otherwise.
"It was pretty unlike you to be at school that early anyway"
Mila picked her bag up from the ground, grabbed an apple out of it, and held it up in front of her.
"This is one of those apples from that tree I told you about"
"I want you to have this one... since you are always there for me. Even when I am so stupid."
She said as she put the apple into Hajime's hands and then looked away.
"Mila please look me in the eyes"
They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours.
Mila then put her lips on Hajime's and they made out for a short while before Mila pulled away. Her cheeks had turned all red. She grabbed her bag and started walking towards the door, avoiding eye contact with Hajime.
"Mila?"
But before Mila could reach the door, she suddenly stood completely still. The ghostly silhouette of Risako had appeared in the doorway. A voice suddenly echoed through the room.
"P..please don't leave. Your kiss made Risako cry!"
Hajime's mouth dropped open.
"You... were right."
"Hello Risako, nice to see you again"
Mila said while looking at the ghost girl.
"Risako can see everyone, but everyone can't see Risako"
Neither Mila nor Hajime knew how to respond to that. Mila grabbed her bag and held it in front of her.
"I have a present for you."
She took out the last apple and slowly started walking towards the ghost.
Risako reached her hands in front of herself.
Inch by inch, Mila moved in closer, until she stood within arm's reach of the girl.
"Please accept my apology for not believing you the other night."
Mila put the apple in Risako's hand. To her surprise, the apple didn't pass through. Risako's appearance had suddenly changed. She could no longer see through her.
"Could I touch your hand Risako?"
Mila briefly held her cold hand, she could feel a faint heartbeat.
"Risako feels strange."
Mila proceeded to touch her hand, but Risako backed off.
"Your hand is... so warm"
Risako responded.
She turned around and looked at herself through the mirroring doors of the cafeteria. Risako then started crying.
"W..why does my hair look so m...messy"
"R..risako can see R..risako now"
Hajime had also made his way toward the girl and whispered to Mila.
"It looks like she is no longer a ghost dude... that apple did something to her"
Mila didn't know how to respond. She didn't expect this to happen, but maybe she should have...
"Let's try to get outside, okay Risako?"
"Outside.. outside???"
Risako crawled up into a little ball.
"You must be quite scared after being stuck here in the cafeteria for so many years"
The girl knotted.
"Risako likes the school a lot"
"You are a student here, so you can always come back right?"
"You have to.. legally speaking"
Hajime whispered.
"Ssst, Hajime"
"Let's walk towards the door we came in first right?"
The three of them walked back on the same path Mila dragged Hajime in.
Having arrived at the door, Hajime opened it and walked outside. Mila grabbed Risako's hand again and step by step, they made their way onto the schoolyard. Risako hugged Mila and started sobbing again.
"Thank you... thank you"
Risako forcefully shook Mila's hand up and down. She then asked.
"But where do I go? My parents will be surprised... They will be scared! They must think I am dead!"
"Calm down. You can stay with me for a while, Risako. We will figure this out"
With her bag now completely empty, Mila felt like a literal weight had been lifted from her shoulders. With the wind in her back, she moved back home, towards a better future. |