《Wheel of Woe: The Demon King's Rise (Hiatus)》 [Old] Prologue - Oh hero... The throne room is an inferno, as fire races up once magnificent banners. Arcane magic crackles in the air as the castle groans under the stress of its own mass. At any minute the entire building could come crashing down upon the two individuals approaching each other. One, a human of beautiful complexion with black hair and blue eyes. He is known as the Hero of the People: Rolland Aldera. The other is an aging giant man, his massive wings and flaming horns denote him as a demon. He is known as the Demon King of the Dark Realms; Enemy of the Kingdoms of Light; Helvair Rall. The king spreads his wings and holds his head high. ¡°Oh Hero, Rolland, you grace me with your presence. To what honor might I be graced with your company? Was the slaughter of my subjects not enough? Do you now come for me and my kin?¡± Helvair spoke with sarcasm thick enough to smother a rock. ¡°Helvair, your reign ends here with your demise. You have terrorized the kingdoms for generations with your family¡¯s mere existence. There is no honor to be had here, only justice through my sword,¡± Rolland announces this with pride as he readies himself. His black hair flows majestically in the furnace like wind that races through the room. ¡°Terrorize? I merely sought to impose our equality upon your people. Yet by some misguided fortune your saint and her church have brought about this¡­ extermination. You have come here to kill me, not deliver any form of justice save what you have been told is just. How is it, Hero, that I am the evil here?¡± Rolland pauses for a moment, body tensing as he seems to reflect on these points. ¡°All of your sort are just monsters. You do your best to sympathize with a human and then strike when they aren¡¯t expecting it. The second I call you an equal is the moment your heel comes to my neck. Despite this, I will listen once, give me one good reason to not finish this here and now?¡± ¡°I do not lie, think of this Rolland. When you came to this world, you were flung into combat. Into a war you had no understanding of. When have you ever stopped to listen to our side of the story?¡± Helvair spoke as Rolland seemed to listen. ¡°What have I ever done to you personally? When have my armies attacked their cities first? Any fighting, any raiding, was done in response to their actions¡­ or not done by us at all. We are not mindlessly unified, the actions of one do not reflect the greater whole! So why, why was there never ¨C¡° A spell flies out from the distance, the magic bolt just narrowly missing Helvair. He turns his gaze towards the other people joining up with Rolland. Helvair glares in the direction of a woman with green hair, ice cold eyes, and a flowing white robe. She holds out a blue staff with glowing orbs, aiming it at the hero and chanting in an arcane tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to its lies Rolland. The monster is only trying to confuse you with a curse! I just broke it!¡± Rolland smiles to himself briefly. ¡°Thanks Linette, go and stop the transference, I¡¯ll finish this off.¡± ¡°Rolland you idiot, we can find them AFTER we beat this monster!¡± ¡°THIS is the DEMON KING. It is my holy duty to fight him in one-on-one combat. You cannot help me further. While both are at their weakest is the time to strike. Simultaneously!¡± Linette frowns and walks around the edge of the throne room to the side door. The other party members are with her as they file into a passageway. Rolland looks back to Helvair, who now stares at the door with intent to follow. ¡°Now, where were we old man?¡± He draws out his sword and walks between the door and Helvair. The hero pushes forward with his shield up and at the ready, arming sword to the side. Helvair materializes a massive flaming blade while his human-like appearance burns away as if made of dried leaves. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s the true form of an end boss. Monstrous. Then let us see who the victor shall be.¡± The improbably large weapon swings down at Rolland.
Saint Linette rushes down the hallway with her companions. In the distant background the fighting between the Demon King and the Hero can be heard. With a blush she comments, ¡°Oh Rolland must be kicking so much ass.¡± Running beside her is a dazzling blue and yellow cat person with a large poofy tail. They wield a bow with an arrow notched, before releasing it at some unseen threat down the hall. ¡°Oh please, Linny, you know as well as I do that he¡¯s out of your league. The Princess has her eyes on him.¡± Another arrow notched; another arrow loosed. The shot sings through the air with a haunting sing-song melody. In the distance, a skeleton dressed in a maid outfit is obliterated. Linette scowls and turns an icy gaze towards the feline Bard. ¡°Like Hell I¡¯ll let that bi ¨C I mean, Princess get her hands on him!¡± she hikes her skirt a bit to avoid tripping over some steps. Clearly she isn¡¯t dressed for combat or running, yet she makes do. ¡°Though, Oro you flirt around everyone but our Hero. That¡¯s suspicious as hell! You have designs on him!¡± Oro grins back, ¡°I won¡¯t lie that I wouldn¡¯t lay with the guy, but please, I have no designs to betray. He is practically my brother. Us boys share a bond closer than love~¡± He grins at Linette while gracefully shifting into position to fire at another monster. Behind the two is a blond man with a long lance, his eyes practically rolling to the back of his head. ¡°Oh, my gods shut up,¡± he growls, ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the final battles of this war and you two are talking like school girls. Fight now, talk later.¡± He presses forward to take the frontline whilst jabbing his lance forward and low into the gut of a large piglike monster. It squeals in pain before he rips upwards and disembowels it. Oro narrows his eyes with intense anger as the lancer fights past him. ¡°Fine, fine, Viece. All business no chatter. I get it, we still need to stop the ritual...¡± She huffs and returns to the matter at hand, ¡°According to Feya, when she was sneaking about she had found the young girl being prepared for the transference.¡± Linette¡¯s expression hardened again as she picked up the pace. ¡°Red door ahead, that¡¯s our target, kill the mage inside and the demons lose their last hope.¡± Oro frowns. A party should never split up is what Rolland always told them. Yet here they were. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine yeah? Just us four? Feya is up ahead but Moe is outside with the siege general and Warn is¡­ Warn is wherever the most demons are on fire. So, you think four of us can handle whatever they have inside?¡± Viece smirks and puffs his chest out with enough hot air to fill a blimp. ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m sure we can. Rolland and Moe have the two heavy hitter demons held up, so we¡¯ll be fine. Even so, you¡¯re safe with me. Hasn¡¯t all these months taught you that? I mean, I probably can take on the Demon King myself even¡­¡± The three arrive at the red door as Feya practically materializes out of the shadows beside the door. Despite her full body, Feya moves with the grace of a deer and silence of a feather. The husky brown elf smiles to them without looking away; her green eyes are still locked on the entry. ¡°In this room. One mage. One child. Have not entered,¡± she briefs quietly. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Everyone takes well-rehearsed positions around the entrance, and each nod in affirmation of readiness. Without a word, the lancer steps back with a purple glow racing along the haft. Suddenly Viece thrusts forward and explosively bursts through the wood. Simultaneously, Linette casts a blinding light spell into as Oro effortlessly fires a singing arrow right at the heart of the enemy mage. Feya moves along the walls with her eyes closed and adeptly finds a path to the back of their target. By the time the mage has taken another breath, he is already dead. The brown, monkey-like monster stands in place with Oro¡¯s arrow lodged in its chest and Feya¡¯s dagger in piercing its back. The rogue lets the body slide off her blade before wiping it clean on a nearby curtain. At the center of the room lay an unconscious young girl with porcelain skin and silver-white hair is laid out on a ritual table. The runes around it have burned out entirely, indicating some form of success. ¡°She¡¯s a bloody demon already,¡± Oro exclaims as he notched another and aims at unconscious child. ¡°Stay your hand!¡± Feya exclaims, ¡°Is she merely cursed? Can we save her?¡± ¡°Not a curse,¡± Linette replies, ¡°the magic in these runes have already ran its course. The new monster just hasn¡¯t woken yet.¡± Viece whines, ¡°So is it an enemy or not?! Clarify so Oro and I can skewer it.¡± Linette sighs with a shake of her head, ¡°It¡¯s corrupted already. I briefly thought maybe we could save it¡­ but ¨C ¡± Oro lets the arrow fly. The tip digs into the stomach of the demonic child. Her red eyes fling open as her face grimaces with pain; the spell keeping her under having clearly broken now. She gazes right at Linette with confusion. A loud shriek of pain is quickly silenced when Viece¡¯s spear skewers the neck. Linette growls angrily, ¡°I WAS NOT DONE TALKING. I could have performed rites before we killed it!¡± Viece laughed, ¡°Rites? It¡¯s a monster. The real child died long ago. Either way, the ritual is stopped. We¡¯ve prevented the birth of a new demon king. I say we should burn the remains,¡± Viece suggests as he looks around for fuel. ¡°Monster or not, it was once a child. We do not need to burn it, though, the castle is doing that for us,¡± Linette gestures to the fire encroaching the halls, ¡°Let us quit this place.¡± In agreement, the party exits with Linette leading the way. As the smoke thickens, Viece slows and looks back. Almost second guessing the decision before Linette calls, ¡°Hurry up!¡± He frowns before turning to follow Linette away from the room. Beside the dead child there is a brief blink of light as Linette reappears. The saint coughs in the smoke as she kneels down next to the demon girl. ¡°I¡¯m not ignorant. I know you¡¯ve survived. You usually do. There isn¡¯t much time, so listen to me you little brat¡­¡±
The Hero approaches the broken, defeated Demon King. With a sneer he announces, ¡°Dark Lord, Demon King, Bringer of Silence. Helvair, those are some impressive titles, don¡¯t you know?¡± Rolland brushes off his own dented and burnt armor. ¡°When your reign has ended I will be free of this duty. Free of these people. Free to do what I want to do without someone crying for me to fight your forces,¡± he dictated as he lifted his sword, ¡°Any last words for the historians?¡± Helvair looks up with one good eye. His broken form laying limp across the steps to his now destroyed throne. Helvair replied with anger in his voice, ¡°are you, seriously, just now asking for a talk? After refusing for so long? If you really cared you would have sought that right away! We aren¡¯t mindless monsters¡­ so I request that you at the very least spare my daughter. Please.¡± Rolland kneels down, ¡°I know you have a daughter. That¡¯s where my companions went, to prevent her ascension in your place.¡± The hero flashes a brief, wicked grin at Helvair. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t all monsters, in fact, I probably could get along with you. Problem with that? The people dictate that I defeat the Demon King. Endlessly fighting you is a boring and lifeless second life, and Frankly Helvair? I like living. You should try it sometime,¡± he stands back up and puts a boot to the demon¡¯s neck. Helvair¡¯s eye widens with recognition and understanding of the Hero¡¯s true nature. The gleaming, holy sword ends him before anything more could be said. Demonic blood boils off the weapon and Rolland steps back with an exhausted sigh. ¡°You aren¡¯t even a demon, you look it, but you don¡¯t act it. This world is a disappointment,¡± he bemoaned, ¡°Nothing like the games I played back home. Three decades of hard work to be rewarded with¡­ this?¡± ¡°Really now? You¡¯ve earned your endless freedom to do as you please. Don¡¯t you know? You weren¡¯t supposed to win. Seven¡¯s system wasn¡¯t designed for conclusions as it¡¯s an endless cycle,¡± a voice whispered out from nothing. Rolland rolled his eyes and stood back up as the castle groaned around him. ¡°A great adventure and a new life, isn¡¯t that what is it you truly wanted?¡± ¡°As a famed man once said: sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I want fame, money, power,¡± he retorts, ¡°That is what an adventure is like. Three decades to earn it was a pain in my ass, Sari.¡± ¡°Well with the Demon King lineage removed, you have that I guess,¡± says the voice of Sari, ¡°I take it you¡¯re going to overthrow the world¡¯s order and make yourself the new ruler and all that stereotypical human stuff? So very boring and predictable isn¡¯t that? Why not marry and settle down?¡± ¡°I was supposed to be the demon king, I was supposed to have a harem, a giant dungeon with dangerous maids, and terrifying monsters. You know damn well why I was even in this world Sari. I¡¯ll never marry again.¡± ¡°I remember seeing that in your profile. If people knew their hero¡¯s heart, then they¡¯d have a stroke. I¡¯m surprised no one has noticed your¡­ tendencies. The fact that two of the most famous women want to marry you tickles me in ways you will never understand.¡± ¡°No one suspects a Holy Hero or questions him when a child or person goes missing,¡± Rolland says smugly, ¡°Regardless of my woes, as agreed Sari, I am free of that fate Seven dictated and now I¡¯ll ruin her world for you.¡± ¡°I said cause some chaos in the world, not ruin it,¡± corrected Sari, ¡°Just because the corrupt of this world and yourself leave a trail of death and ruin, does not mean we Gods like it. Evil tempers good, after all. So do try to¡­ be modest in your havoc.¡± Sari sighed and then added, ¡°Officially: you are now free from your duties of this world so long as the demon king is dead. Congratulations, Oh Hero, you have led your people to victory. Now¡­ I have something else to attend, so enjoy your new lease on freedom.¡± ¡°Frustrating rabbit from hell,¡± Rolland curses. He shuts up as footsteps denotes the return of his party. Standing up tall and proud, he lifts the head of Helvair and tosses it down the steps. His fellows cheer while he proclaims, ¡°The enemy is defeated! Let us return and make merriment!¡± The castle groans and a burning support falls over, ¡°Now let us make haste before this castle comes down on us.¡±
Somewhere hums a white rabbit wearing a top-hat and purple bow tie. About him, or her, lay countless cards stacked high. Sari flicks through the cards, ¡°Flick, flick¡­ flick¡­ flick¡­ ah, that¡¯s a good one!¡± A portal opens up and a gray shoebill stork struts into the parlor. It looks over the cards and then to a pile of neglected poker chips. ¡°Ah, good timing Emel. Latest joke: So, a stork and a rabbit walk into a casino¡­ the stork says, hey I¡¯m a dork! Then the rabbit replies, hey, I¡¯m a god!¡± ¡°Please, Sari, you are the God of Gambling, and other assigned duties. Not the God of Jokes, thank the Superiors,¡± Emel said as he shook his head. He perched next to Sari and looked at a scrying mirror propped next to the cards. ¡°Not YET the God of Jokes, Palvor hasn¡¯t answered my call for a friendly game of blackjack,¡± Sari whines. ¡°Not every God has a gambling problem, Sari. Anyways, I came to see what your plans are now. Rolland was supposed to lose years ago to make room for the next reincarnate, given how corrupt he is. Why did you change that now?¡± ¡°Emel, I have twisted Rolly-Polly¡¯s luck plenty of times because luck is outside of Seven¡¯s system. Fate is inside Seven¡¯s system but sometimes luck has the better hand! Now that he is free of her fate, he can do as he pleases. For better or worse,¡± Sari replies joyfully. ¡°Likely for the worse,¡± Emel groaned, ¡°Yet I hear there¡¯s a second reincarnate? She¡¯s a rising star in the arena. A lot of bets are on her,¡± Emel sighed, ¡°Can you please tell me why you have permitted two at once? The system¡¯s old state only permitted one.¡± ¡°Two? Oh, oh yes two. A rare sight! Only two. Yes, what are the odds? Definitely less likely that, say, five, or ten, or twenty or¡­¡± ¡°Sari! How many reincarnates have you permitted?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s my rules now not Seven¡¯s, she lost the bet several times now. Poor girl is addicted... she has yet to win in any game we play,¡± Sari grinned a rabbit¡¯s grin. ¡°So, I now administrate several other functions of this world too¡­¡± ¡°¡­ just how much gambling did Superior Seven do with you?¡± ¡°Enough for me to win big,¡± Sari chimed, their rabbit ears flicking with delight. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll try something to get control back. I¡¯d imagine at least a few incarnates have her blessing, given how many died with Four¡­ plenty of a chance for that.¡± Sari hums and leans back into their chair as Emel skulks off, dazed at how out of control the world was going to become. ... Elsewhere in the multiverse, a woman can be heard screaming. Her wonderful, pretty world is being so thoroughly abused and ruined! ... "I live for this," Sari sighed happily. End of Prologue Chapter 1 - The Past Intense agony. Blinding white. My world is one of suffering. A light brighter than bright blinds me. All my nerves sing with pain. An immeasurably loud chorus of voices cry out; joined by the pop of boiling oil. This is hell. My personal hell. ¡°Hot, so bright, so hot,¡± I scream out to the white void, ¡°help me, please!¡± ¡° ¨C am the hero! HELLO! The one who shall ¨C this is a ¨C WELCOME ¨C" A distant voice grows over the chaos, is it attempting to reach me? "Warning, powerful ¨C CONGRATULATIONS! ¨C the will of the people demand ¨C CAN YOU HEAR ME? ¨C in place immediately. This is ¨C NO? FIXING IT. ¨C Death Touch ¨C This is bull shit L¨C loss of life in the ¨C Did you think this was a good idea? ¨C intense electro ¨C THERE WE GO!¡± Suddenly the chaos subsumes into the background of my mental landscape, albeit still present in a hushed wave of discomfort. I double over in relief as the weight of an entire life is lifted off my shoulders. Words elude me as the sensation of shock overwhelm me, like falling into a frozen lake. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, your words are without sound, but I understand them. I¡¯ve sealed your memory as best I can. Nasty death that was, Four really did ruin that world,¡± the voice goes quiet into thought for a moment. I welcome that blissful silence. Silence is beautiful. ¡°Anyroad, let¡¯s get back to my script. Ahem, HELLO! Welcome to Seven¡¯s World. Congratulations on your chance to reincarnate without a soul purge. My name is Sari, and I am your guide on this journey to rebirth,¡± Sari proudly declares. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t remember why or how I got here,¡± I say with a soft sigh. ¡°If I return your death¡¯s memories you will once again be in pain. So I will provide exposition: You died a terrible death like many others because Four screwed their world up. Like, level ten botched. Then thrown into the mud. Then stepped on. Then driven over. Then set on fire¡­¡± Sari is going on like a broken record. ¡°I am not a broken record; I¡¯ll have you know! I am a rabbit. Open your eyes, silly human,¡± Sari declares. The world fills in around me like sand filling an hourglass. As promised, a white rabbit sits at a poker table. Stacks of playing cards and well-organized chips rest around them. A roulette wheel floats nearby, spinning of its own accord. ¡°I am Sari, the God, or Goddess, of Cards, Luck, Gambling, and Deals. Also, temporary administrator to reincarnation and partially Seven¡¯s System,¡± the rabbit speaks. I blink slowly and wonder if there¡¯s something in my last meal that made me trip this hard. Sari simply grins a bucktoothed set of pearly whites to me. ¡°I¡¯m not going to offer you tea, if that¡¯s what you are worried about.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ve died, horribly you say. Then you say I am to be reborn. Shouldn¡¯t a process like this be automated? How many people do you talk to?!¡± ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re special. The overall process is automated. Circle of life and all that. I¡¯ve brought you out of that circle to play a game with me.¡± ¡°A game with the God of Gambling, doesn¡¯t that sound unfair? The house has the odds stacked in its favor,¡± I ask the hare to be fair. ¡°Ah, yes, you see that is true, very true,¡± Sari says with a thump of their foot. ¡°That is why you get to pick a card game from your memories. Ah, before you ask, I only locked away certain memories that traumatize you. Pleasant ones are there if you just try. If you win, you get a blessing of my choosing. If you lose get a detriment of my choosing.¡± ¡°Well, there are a few I have in mind. Seeing as I¡¯m dead and have nothing better to do. Let¡¯s play,¡± I say to the rabbit with the most wicked grin possible. With a thump, thousands of cards manifest themselves on the table. Sari picks up a card and screams in shock. Pulling out a magnifying glass to briefly read the text, the hare complains: ¡°How can one card, ONE CARD, have these many rules on it? Each card is its own ruleset! This would take forever to play,¡± the god whines. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I believe you said any card game,¡± I proudly declare with a smile. ¡°This game relies on a lot of strategic thinking, abuse of mechanics, and of course, you must have the Heart of the ¨C¡° Sari shushes me as all the cards vanish. ¡°No. Say one more word and I¡¯ll¡­,¡± the rabbit hissed an unsaid threat, ¡°There is no way this is a children¡¯s card game. I admit that I have no patience. I want something fun. Something fast. Immediate gratification.¡± Eight hours later¡­ ¡°Unfair! Cheater! Scoundrel! I always knew the color blue was a color of evil!¡± The God is having a tantrum as the last cards of their deck go into the discard pile. A white fluffy hand chucks another token my way for the victory. ¡°You manipulated the rules to your favor without breaking a single rule!¡± ¡°Seven to one. That¡¯s a pitiful ratio,¡± I say with a smile, ¡°Seven boons, one curse, by your own words.¡± I kick back as I sort through my cards. Blue is such a lovely color, as is black. Especially when they are together. ¡°I can hear your thoughts¡­ stop thinking about the damned cards. I tire of you, so we shall get on with this¡­ chore,¡± Sari growls. The rabbit suddenly becomes massive, larger than any building I have ever seen. I find myself in the bowl of a massive roulette wheel. It isn¡¯t turning and I am very grateful for this. Sari is definitely intimidating like this. ¡°Now, girl, I shall bestow upon you seven gifts and one¡­ detriment,¡± Sari leans forward and they poke my head with a finger. Suddenly a massive, glowing screen appears before me. I recognize this sort of screen, it¡¯s like a video game. ¡°Yes, Seven loves those things and designed her world to use a system like this,¡± Sari replies to my thought. Watching the screen, I see several things come up on it. Mostly, the back-end coding of a character screen. It isn¡¯t written for my eyes to see, but Sari is letting me. NAME: Unknown Name, Vampire-Demon Hybrid BOONS: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, is that two curses? You said only one! Also, a vampire?! Really?¡± Sari just laughed, ¡°That Vampire curse is actually linked to the species. Seems you will inherit it from your mother¡­ but it fits you doesn¡¯t it? You hate the sun. You¡¯re also a demon for making me play that game with you. So, I picked the perfect place for you to be born into. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a good life.¡± ¡°Wait, Mother? Born? Am I a baby?!¡± ¡°Oh yes, but you won¡¯t remember any of this until you are thirteen. Something about the development of crucial body tissues and memories and social skills and¡­ well you get the idea,¡± it said with a wide, wide grin. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll know when you remember, of course. Just check your full menu screen. Now I shall be seeing you, Miss Reincarnate,¡± Sari fades away as everything goes dark around. There was no grand farewell. Just an echoing voice and some stars, ¡°Have fun and do as you please. The chaos you make will annoy Seven so much. I can¡¯t wait to see it happen!¡± I blink as I float in darkness. Am I in a womb? I shouldn¡¯t be remembering this right? Wait, no, those are stars. I turn about to look and find a planet with non-Earth-like continents on its surface. My spirit is rapidly approaching a dark, northern portion of the world. The ground is approaching rapidly Sari. Sari. Sari! ¡°SARI! DID YOU JUST KILL ME ¨C¡° The world goes black. ¡­ ¡°Savella,¡± he whispers quietly, in his arms an infant girl. Savella¡¯s last words to the world, ¡°Loria. Loria.¡± Then silence reigns the room but for a moment. Helvair grieves over his wife. /////////////////////////////////////// Deep in an office somewhere, a woman with red hair toils away at a screen. Her job was to follow the blip on the screen. Today was no different than any other day in eternity. Except¡­ now there is a second blip. There wasn¡¯t supposed to be a second blip. She adjusts her tie and glasses, going into ¡®serious mode¡¯ as she begins rapidly tapping at the glowing dot. Perhaps it was a screen error or¡­ no, wait. A third just appeared. She nearly tripped over herself as she stood up in a panic. ¡°Boss! BOSS! There¡¯s more than one blip! There isn¡¯t supposed to be more than one blip! Now two! Five! No, I count seventeen! Boss, Boss!¡± The panicked business lady ran out of her cubicle, nearly knocking another near-identical woman over. ¡°This is going to be a long century,¡± sighed a third. ¡°What is Sari up to?¡± End Chapter 1 Chapter 2 – Thirteen Years Later Twelfth day of the Fourth Lunar Cycle of the Hundredth Ninety Second Year of Helvair The grandfather clock just told us it is six o¡¯clock, we¡¯re seated at the grand dining room table and I¡¯m so excited! My dad is finally here to spend some time with me! It has been so long since we last got to spend time together. The war has kept him busy protecting our realm, but that just means he is protecting me too! So, I¡¯m not mad about it¡­ but I¡¯ll tell you a secret: I really, really wish I could fight with him! He won¡¯t let me though, just endless training on how to be a ruler, history lessons, and the like. It¡¯s been boring, but it¡¯s finally supposed to change, you know? Why? Today of course is my thirteenth birthday! Even as I write to you now, Mr. Diary, I am at the table. Yes, at the table. No, don¡¯t judge me! Lele has yet to serve dinner so I¡¯m still writing! She works really hard, don¡¯t you know? Works her bones off, Hehe. Get it? Because she''s a skeleton. Now that I¡¯m thirteen I can ¨C I look at her with a recognition. A skeleton! An actual, good to god, animated skeleton. With makeup...? I panic and turn away to stand and flee ¨C only to lay eyes on an old man in the room. Good night alive he¡¯s massive! With fiery horns and wings! Is he a demon?! Why does dad scare me? I scream out as my body begins to convulse, ¡°D-dad!¡± Shit it¡¯s coming right at me. Get away. ¡°GET AWAY!¡± I scream as I try to throw things at the monster. Attempts to grab anything fail as my muscles betray me with their convulsions. My body tumbles to the floor. I am terrified as the monster gets close. I can¡¯t be calm. That thing will eat me! I have to escape. I have to get away from this. Whatever this is home. I want to stay home. My family loves me. I don¡¯t want to die. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I¡¯m not a hallucination. I¡¯m¡­ well I had a name, I can¡¯t remember. I¡¯m supposed to be you.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± ¡°Well of course, vampires are supposed to drink blood. Not sure on the meat part.¡± ¡°¡­ that is fucking terrifying,¡± the hallucination says while staring wide eyed at Loria. ¡°I¡¯m in your body? This is meant to be my body. I¡¯ll be taking it. I think you aren¡¯t supposed to exist, or perhaps we¡¯re to merge into one mind or something like that.¡± ¡°Great. GREAT. Sari! You little shit, is this because I beat you?! I swear I¡¯ll strangle you,¡± she cried out in frustration. ¡°What? No. I¡¯m¡­ I forgot my name, but I¡¯m supposed to be reincarnated into a body. They said on my thirteenth birthday that I¡¯d come to understand.¡± ¡°Your childhood? You¡¯re still a child.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m older. Not sure¡­ how old. I came from¡­ well here, just look at my memories that I have available. If we¡¯re in the same mind I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to see them somehow.¡± ¡°My old room¡­ I think.¡± The other walks around looking for something to remember it by. "Ah, my old game system,¡± she smiles as her hand runs over the gray box with a cartridge in it. She stands and looks over at her desk, where a computer sits alongside a stack of RPG books and many little figurines of fantasy creatures. ¡°Turn that off,¡± the other insists as she rushed over and hits the switch. ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about that, lets look for my purse. My name would be in there somewhere.¡± ¡°Hey. I had a busy life! Work, game mastering, playing games, drawing, writing, and¡­ I should have made more time. Yes.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t know how! That¡¯s what Sari made me forget!¡± Loria. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Oh gods, I recall your childhood. Ours, perhaps. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The woman says as she kneels over Loria. ¡°A warrior to help dad out. Why do I know this?¡± The other sat down with a quizzical look on her face. ¡°Yes. Yes I am. Loria I¡¯m sorry. I think I stole some of you.¡± ¡°I will Loria. I think it¡¯s more a case of merging our minds, or it should be. We¡¯re too different.¡± ¡°What scares me now is, if I take over, will you die? I¡¯d rather stay dormant than kill some kid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All this happening to you because of me, I guess. Loria ¨C ¡± ///////////////////////////// Chapter 3 - Coming to an Understanding Chapter 3 ¨C Understanding This is so stressful! Some of my reincarnate friend¡¯s memories and emotions have smeared over onto me. She¡¯s still asleep and I can¡¯t get any response from her even if I try hard. My diary helped remind me of some of my own memories I had lost. Even if I have something anchor myself to reality, it doesn¡¯t fix the sensation of something, someone, inside your body. It¡¯s like being aware of a parasite but being forced to leave it inside. It makes me feel uneasy. At least we¡¯re both female, that makes things easier to rationalize. I sigh and rub my temples slowly out of frustration. There is a knock from the door. ¡°Come in, I¡¯m decent enough,¡± I speak out loud. Lele the skeleton maid enters the room, followed by a small curtsey. ¡°Good evening Princess Loria, I am pleased to find you awake. How do you feel?¡± ¡°I feel like an ogre slapped me. How long has it been?¡± ¡°Madam it has been about seven hours. Thavera guide your poor soul; you look absolutely paler than normal. Shall I fetch a doctor or your father ¨C¡° ¡°NO!¡± I yell out, ¡°Ahem, I mean, I do not wish to bother the King any more than I already have. I¡¯m fine. No doctor is necessary.¡± ¡°Princess, your father is worried that you may have had a stroke of some sort or perhaps a curse. You had quite the violent seizure. I know you hate her, but the doctor will inevitably come.¡± ¡°I know I really shouldn¡¯t avoid meat and blood as much as I do. It¡¯s my own fault this happened, so please,¡± I smile weakly, ¡°Just inform them, especially the doctor, that I¡¯ll be doing as told from now on. I require nothing, especially not from that crazed woman. Alright? You are dismissed.¡± Lele bows and turns to leave, ¡°As you say, Princess. Do not be shocked to find the doctor appear anyways. She is persistent, as you know.¡± With a heavy sigh, I check my status in the magic system by concentrating on my inner being. Bright magic circles appear in my vision to form a surface of sorts. Though the information I view is one of old days forgotten, and few save some specialists can read it. Thanks to Father¡¯s education, I happen to be able to know what some of it means! ¡°Who am I narrating to, I really should stop narrating in my head,¡± I groan out with an embarrassed feeling.
CLASS NOBLE LEVEL 2 XP 8/100
NAME Savella Loria Rall SPECIES Vampire-Demon Hybrid
TITLES Princess of Thavera Princess of The Dark Realms MANA BLACK, RED, .?,?
HP 44 / E?''?;?l?e?^? STAMINA 43 / ??0?¡§
MANA 1 ?¡§?? 0 / ??? WILL 0???4/¨{??
SPECIAL STATUS Special Reincarnate
ERROR RESOLVING SYSTEM CONFLICTS, FURTHER MENUS DISABLED
¡°What is going on here!? A lot of missing and much is... weird! I¡¯ve never heard of someone being broken like this,¡± I languish with a swat at the floating screen, ¡°Also, special reincarnate!? That was never there! Oh, but that¡­ lends credence to my tenant. If the system sees them then they aren¡¯t a hallucination. That¡¯s a problem. A big problem. My old magic teacher would have a heart attack at this." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. A prolonged hum accents me as I pace about. ¡°These memories of hers must be real then,¡± I declare while thinking back to magic and biology lessons. ¡°Nothing like this to my knowledge, what about my tenant.¡± With a little effort I focus in on a clearing memory: a card game, an angry lagomorphic deity, and of course the talk of reincarnation. ¡°So, my tenant went and upset a god¡­ what were you thinking? You¡¯ve brought this upon me by your own poor choices, I¡¯ll never forgive you! What did I do to deserve this?!¡± Great, just great, so now I have to find a way to explain my situation to my father. ¡°I can see it now; Loria was locked in that room to long! She went mad with cabin fever. So now we need to make her do exercises outside in the sun! I hate the sun!¡± There is noise in my room. I turn and bare my fangs at the unknown figure that has stepped out of the curtains. The doctor folds her wings and flashes a shark-like grin at me. ¡°Doctor Setara,¡± I groan, ¡°How long have you been there spying on me?¡± ¡°Since the King left you here, hours before you woke up. You didn¡¯t think we¡¯d let an unconscious stroke victim be left unmonitored?¡± ¡°I take it Lele was part of that play? To judge my reaction.¡± ¡°As sharp of a wit as ever, my Princess,¡± the harpy says in a sing song reaction as she steps dangerously close to me. The woman begins taking notes about my current attitude¡­ which isn¡¯t new. I dislike her. ¡°Madam Setara, it would be a shame if a misunderstanding happened about your presence in my room¡­ and your career were to be horrifically ruined,¡± I make threats in an attempt to drive her away. Setara smirks and starts to say something, likely inflammatory, but the door slamming silenced us both. Another person was in the room, clearing their throat very loudly. My father was entering the room. His deep, gravelly voice speaking up, ¡°Loria, I heard you were awake. I expected a frail daughter in her bed, one that I might comfort. Yet from the way I saw you two arguing like usual, I suppose my concerns were moot.¡± ¡°Additionally, please stop threatening the doctor. It is not becoming of a future queen to make up such slanderous lies.¡± The King declares. With a groan I hang my head low. I hate it when dad catches me doing something like this. A sigh of resignation escaped my lungs as provide him a gentle nod, ¡°Yes Father. The Doctor however has been in my room spying on me this entire time. Surely that is enough excuse to have her expelled. For the night? For the hour? A minute?¡± ¡°Loria,¡± he said in a stern voice, ¡°I had her watch you for your own safety. Do not use such a grievous accusation for your own feuds. This is your last warning to cease this making light of a serious issue just to get your way.¡± He looks over to Setara, ¡°Besides, if the good doctor did try anything, she would be executed very, very swiftly.¡± Setara nodded thoroughly, looking very pleased that dad shut down my attempt to get her killed, exiled, mutilated, ruined, and/or all of the above with fire on top. ¡°Yes Father,¡± I sigh, ¡°You know I hate her though. She makes me eat meat. Imagine being made to eat anything! I can¡¯t stand her for that! Meat and blood is disgusting. Sweets and even greens are far more a preference to me!¡± ¡°Princess, you would ruin my career just because I try to make you eat healthy? Reflect upon what you¡¯re saying,¡± Setara adds with a bite in her tone, ¡°also if you actually ate a proper diet then perhaps I would not be irritating you so much? It¡¯s not like I enjoy your presence either.¡± Father comes up and puts a heavy hand on my head. Patting me a few times he adds, ¡°I¡¯d never hire anyone who would hurt my precious Loria. So please behave¡­ now about this seizure. What do you recall about it?¡± ¡°As I told Lele, I need to follow the doctor¡¯s dietary orders better. Even if said doctor is a crazy, weird bird woman. I¡¯m sorry I worried you dad.¡± ¡°This is likely not just dietary in nature,¡± the doctor chimes back into the conversation. The harpy pulls her notes off, ¡°While I¡¯ve monitored her. I¡¯ve noted minor shifts in personality, vocal ques, and magical presence. Loria¡¯s also been having some interesting discussions about another being inside her head,¡± she smiled to me with dozens of shark teeth. Setara continues, ¡°Loria, as you yourself have surmised, I believe you have not consumed enough meat and blood, as per your dietary requirements. This has led to a deficiency in components and mana your body needs. As you¡¯re the first demon-vampire hybrid in modern records, so we¡¯re still learning as you grow. Little faults like this are¡­ to be expected.¡± ¡°Yes, so why am I suddenly being occupied by a strange woman?¡± ¡°I believe your magical presence has become weak enough for some form of possession to occur,¡± Setara continues as I wince, ¡°I firmly believe your stroke ¨C or something to that effect ¨C has caused you to accidently absorb a passing spirit. In short, Loria, you¡¯re sick and need help. A lobotomy might possibly fix it in most cases but ¨C¡± ¡°SEE? SHE¡¯S DANGEROUS!¡± I shout out as I go for the opening she just provided me. Father stepped up with his shoulders square and teeth bared, ¡°So, my girl has a mental crisis due to improper diets, and you immediately considered a lobotomy? Perhaps I should perform one on you first? See if it works?¡± He hissed with steam as the smell of sulfur escaped his mouth. Yes! So easily swayed to my side! ¡°N-no, I¡¯m saying that it likely wouldn¡¯t work! Traditionally, it is a solution for¡­ this. Again, she is a special case given her hybridity,¡± she said as fast and matter of fact as possible. ¡°It may go away in due time with distractions to focus her mind. If not, she may need some high magic intervention by a specialist. It should not impact her life significantly as long as we are all aware of the situation.¡± Father¡¯s intense gaze bores down on me, his eyes look like miniature furnaces, and I frankly can feel their heat on my face. ¡°Loria,¡± he starts, ¡°The Goblin King and his son are visiting soon, and we plan to have you, and the Prince, learn the core martial skills from an instructor. General Gravston personally will teach you both. He is an excellent instructor. You will also continue receive appropriate education for a ruler-to-be. I suppose this will count as a sufficient distraction?¡± I light up with joy! This is exactly what I wanted for my birthday! Becoming a warrior queen would be the best accomplishment of my life. Putting down our foes and leading our people to victory in a glorious war! My excitement must have shown as my dad grins slightly. ¡°War is not something to be proud of, it is a necessity not a pleasure. Do not forget that fact while you learn. Nor should you forget to do as you are told by both the instructor and Setara. I know how you rail against authority figures, but you are not queen yet.¡± Father Helvair states everything as a matter of fact. I guess it is fact, he is King after all. ¡°Setara, you are dismissed while I continue this conversation in private.¡± Setara bows as dad waves her off, she quickly steps out of the room. After a few moments of silence, dad speaks up. ¡°Loria, I¡¯m just worried for you, please come back to your senses, okay? I know you are stubborn, and hate being told what to do. Don¡¯t fight your recovery. I love you and I would die without my precious daughter¡¯s smile,¡± he whispers as gentle as a giant cloud. Standing here I realize that he is just like me, afraid of the world taking someone else precious from him. ¡°Dad, I won¡¯t let you down. I love and respect you more than you will ever know. I idolize you and want to help you continue your reign. The people need you father, I need you. So, I won¡¯t lose myself or my way.¡± The ceiling grew much closer as he hefted me up off the ground. His large, bulky arms wrapped around me in a firm but loving hug. ¡°Loria, you¡¯re a blessing,¡± he grins and ruffles my hair until it is an absolute mess. He chuckles and replies, ¡°Tell the other you that I¡¯m not a bad guy, despite how my look gets me stereotyped. If they¡¯re really a part of you and not a ¡®something¡¯ that we can fix, then they are you Loria. I love all of you, remember that.¡± Father sets me down, pats my head one last time, and then exits the room while closing my door. Now that I am alone, I retreat under the covers of my bed and proceed to imagine myself a great warrior queen. Soon! Soon Loria! Slowly, the world fades and I fall to blissful sleep. My head hurts like I stared at the sun for too long. ¡°So, am I in control now? That¡¯s interesting! Loria?¡± Loria says nothing in response to me. She feels distant, but asleep as if unwilling or unable to respond. ¡°Loria? Am I alone here?¡± I knock on our head, yet still no reply. ¡°Well since I have control of the actual body¡­ let¡¯s take a look at what Sari has stuck me with.¡± I make my way out of the bed to look at ourselves in her full-length mirror. As expected, I¡¯m about two-thirds the size of an adult with pale skin ¨C bordering gray. Huh, she has red slit eyes and an adorable button nose¡­ that is currently sporting a massive nosebleed. Unfortunate. She looks a bit like the stereotypical child vampire you might find in a cheap horror movie, or some anime. The clothes I¡¯m currently wearing are a faded purple night gown and adorable white bloomers. I tug at them to look at my build briefly. Definitely a female still, although my body is not very muscular; typical of a pampered princess I guess. Even so, I feel like she could knock out an athlete from Earth. Her hair is past her shoulders, not far past my shoulder blades. With a twirl around, I spot a pair of pointed ears! Just like a fantasy elf from role-playing games back home, though not quite as long. I pull my hair aside to look at them better in the mirror ¨C and trace my fingers along their edge. Real! ¡°Well, this beats cheap costume ears I guess. Well, sorry for snooping Loria, but I wanted to know what I¡¯m stuck in,¡± I whisper to myself. Without warning the world suddenly spins around me as if my blood pressure had just crashed. Darkness creeps in and we sleep once more. Chapter 4 – Reunited Friends Chapter 4 ¨C Reunited Friends The previous day¡¯s experiences weigh heavily on my mind as I perform morning routines. Vivid nightmares haunt me of things that never happened, yet when I try to grasp the memory, they escape my reach. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the nature of dreams sometimes, I suppose.¡± Everything feels grey, as if I am walking through thick mud. Likewise, breakfast was quite a tedious ordeal. Lele said nothing to me as she served me a heavy meal. Setara sat across, observing me while chewing on toast with an open mouth¡­ disgusting bird. Doing my best to ignore her, I focus on thoughts of the day to come. Soon enough I will be dressed and meeting King Relchar Dolden and his son, Prince Gelchar. Gel is the only bearable part of meeting the King. I¡¯m very happy dad has convinced the Goblin King to let his son stay with us. We go back a few years and I¡¯m not stupid enough to think it was a natural friendship. Dad is eying a possible son-in-law and the Goblin King is power hungry. So, no big shock that we find ourselves together on awkward ¡®totally not a forced date now hold hands if you feel the need.¡¯ Gel is more like a brother to me. There¡¯s no love between us beyond that strong bond! He¡¯s also two years older than me at 15. Goblins mature quickly but High Goblins, like Gel, are more akin to a human. My daydreaming and inner monologuing has swept me through the morning hours without notice. Once again I am with Lele, this time she is dressing me for presentation. The silence was painful, though not as painful as Lele pulling the corset together. I break the silence, ¡°Lele, I¡¯m undead but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t feel pain. Are you trying to collapse my ribs?! Do you expect me to go to the ER over a corset?¡± [Preparing Skill: Duality] Lele pauses and lets some of the tautness escape the lacing. ¡°Princess, my apologies, my mind was wandering. I did not mean to err in my efforts.¡± Her hands weaved a nice little bow at the base as she continues to dress me. ¡°Are you mad at me, Miss.¡± Err? I said ER. What¡¯s an ER again? ¡°Yes, I am, I thought I could trust you, but you didn¡¯t even tell me the doctor was there!¡± More silence fills the room as the maid lifts my petticoat into place before securing and turning to the armoire. Without much thought she has removed one of my nicer dresses. Planned that far ahead have you?! I¡¯m not for sale dad! ¡°I¡¯d rather go with the red dress,¡± I suddenly add to the conversation. ¡°R-red?! But miss, pink and black draws out your natural features. It would be remiss of me to deny you that when meeting someone you might court.¡± ¡°Lele. Same words as last time. Despite what my father thinks, I am not going to marry Gel. He is a friend. Now get me my red dress before I smear the makeup you worked so hard on.¡± There we go, lets hold her artistry hostage! Now you have to cooperate, Lele! The poor skeleton sighs and exchanges for the red dress. Within moments I am already presentable to the public eye. Lele speaks up once again, this time less professional and far more like a friend. ¡°To return to the prior issue. I did not betray you for the doctor. Your father ordered it. He knows how you hate her and was afraid you¡¯d act differently knowing she was there. I am sorry it hurt you.¡± I turn on my heel with a big grin. ¡°Lele, I can¡¯t be mad at you for long. You have been here caring for me since I was a child. You¡¯re practically a mother to me. Nor can I be mad at Father, he only cares for me. So, I¡¯ll just make Setara¡¯s life hell!¡± I clap my now gloved hands together eagerly as begin plotting once more. //////////////////////////////////////////////////// The carriage rolls up towards the dark, onyx castle. Within, I remain seated with my father and his advisor. I¡¯m excited to see Loria once more, yet, not in this context. The two adults are deep in conversation about political agendas and issues. I simply stare out the window in pure boredom. ¡°Son,¡± one of the adults suddenly changes his focus and interrupts my daydreaming. My father, King Relchar Doden, leans across to me with a scowl. ¡°Prince Gelchar, I want you on your best behavior, you know how important it is to make a good impression with the Demon King. You must act more princely. You must do as you are told. Above all else, you must treat the Princess as a marriage prospect and not a playmate. You are both entering your middle years before your grate wane. Now is the time to be making wives, not when you are old and comfortable like me!¡± The longwinded rant brings out a slow roll of my eyes. ¡°Father¡­ you are,¡± I pause and stop myself from calling him a fat bastard. ¡°Correct. I will try my best to do as you wish.¡± ¡°Good, good! Here, take this!¡± He shoves a black box right into my hands. With quite a puzzled look on my face, I imagine, I try to feel its weight. ¡°Inside is a beautiful necklace made with the rarest ores and gems. It¡¯s absolutely priceless! A legendary work of our people.¡± ¡°You enchanted it didn¡¯t you,¡± Advisor Teldor scoffs. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°What?! Why me? I would never do anything like that¡­¡± Like hell you wouldn¡¯t, you only don¡¯t try such dishonorable methods because you know the anti-magic field would remove any curse. ¡°No, no, this is meant to enchant her heart with the one thing every woman loves. Jewelry! The mountains know my wives never stop asking for it. Stupid bitches always kneel for me right away if you know what I mean.¡± While clenching my fists, I desperately try to resist patricide. How dare he speak of my mother that way? As if she were an object or a slave?! By the time I am done boiling over, they¡¯ve already turned their attention away towards politics once more. Father is corrupt, a cheat, a liar, and what makes all of it worse? Almost everyone look to him as some saint. Especially the lower goblins. The carriage comes to a rolling stop. Outside I see throngs of beastkin, monsters, and even some goblins. Trumpets blare, banners are raised, and all the usual fanfare of a royal visiting another royal as we exit the carriage. Throughout the entire thing, I do my best not to fall asleep. I¡¯m only playing this roll just long enough to get through this and spend time with Loria. Speaking of my friend, there she is! Standing in the shadow of the castle with her father. It¡¯s been two years since we last met and ¨C well, ah, she has grown. Quite a lot. She smiles to me and lightly curtseys. Moments of being stunned delays my half bow. Reality comes smashing back down on me as my father whispers, ¡°Bow, bow, don¡¯t look rude.¡± I do so, and suddenly father shoves me forward. ¡°Ahem, as I said, Prince Gelchar Doden has brought the Princess a fine gift as thanks for allowing our visit, please open and behold the wealth of our kingdom,¡± King Relchar bellows out in show for the enthralled onlookers. Loria offers me a brief look of apologies as I have to kneel and offer this ¡®gift.¡¯ With a cordial smile, she receives the black box and responds with a well-practiced snub. ¡°Grateful as I am, King Doden, I shall open it in the privacy of my room so that I might enjoy it in its own moment.¡± My face twitches as I nearly laugh. Loria basically ruined my father¡¯s attempt at showcasing the supposed wealth of their kingdom. That box could be thrown in a drawer and forgotten! King Helvair, however, keeps me in my place. His furnace like eyes burn into me as if they are judging my very soul. I bow my head a little lower towards him before standing. ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯m glad you will enjoy our generous gift,¡± my father says trying to slightly recover the situation. ¡°It is welcome,¡± King Helvair says with a deep voice that drips with regal intent. ¡°Please, come in, we have much to discuss,¡± he says and then waves to the people around. A vast cheer erupts from his subjects. Cheers that are genuine. ////////////////////////////////// With a laugh hard enough that my corset practically breaks a rib, I strike up a chat with Gel as we enter my private garden. ¡°Did you see his face? He looked like he might drop dead from shame! I¡¯ve never seen a green face be so red.¡± I toss the box onto a nearby bench before kicking my heels off to walk barefoot on the path. ¡°Yeah, honestly, I think if that had been done by anyone other than you, father might try to declare war. He knows his wretched place. I just wish your father didn¡¯t trust him as an ally. If the bastard would hurry up and die I could become a much, much better king.¡± Gel folded his arms tight against his chest. ¡°Gel, has he gotten that bad?¡± ¡°Yes. Worse even. He abuses his wives and children. Missuses funding. Constantly drunk or stoned. Last month he signed a tax decree while partying. Later he didn¡¯t even remember doing it.¡± That earns a blank stare from me. ¡°I can tell my father, he would act upon it, surely?¡± My mind swims as I try to picture Gel living in that environment. ¡°And do what? Depose a foreign king because he¡¯s a scumbag? I¡¯m sure King Helvair is aware and only makes do with what he must. Why else would he try to have me get lessons here with you?¡± ¡°True. Likely wants you free of that man¡¯s influence. With the war starting to worsen, I suspect he doesn¡¯t want to lose an ally yet.¡± I muse aloud on my theories while Gel simply nods to me in agreement. ¡°My father wants us to marry ¨C¡° we both say simultaneously. I laugh and hold my hands up in defeat, ¡°You first.¡± Gel looks worried, as if a dark cloud came over him. ¡°My father wants me to marry you so he can claim the throne and control both kingdoms through his bloodline. I, uh, well¡­ I won¡¯t lie, Loria, you¡¯re looking beautiful. The thought crossed my mind briefly¡­ but I can¡¯t. I love you like a sister. I want you as a friend, not an arranged wife.¡± My heart flutters at his compliments but, likewise, I reject that reality. ¡°As does mine, though I think he wishes to bring stability to your kingdom. Your father realizes that the House of Rall is a direct lineage rulership right? Like, if dad passed away and we were married, it would be me controlling everything. Not you. If he killed me, then one of my cousins would take over. So on, so forth.¡± ¡°Loria, I think he believes I would be able to pressure you into certain things.¡± ¡°Look at us Gel. We¡¯re talking politics, arranged marriages, and the like. While other kids our age are preparing for war, working to live, or learning at their parents¡¯ expense. We¡¯re privileged to be here¡­ but I don¡¯t feel like a teenager when we talk about this. I want to escape it. I¡¯ll have enough of it when dad cedes to me.¡± Gel nodded to my misery. He kicks shoes off before walking off into the grass towards the garden¡¯s pond. ¡°Want to go walk in the mud and be a kid again?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± I grin and slide off my heels but regretfully have to leave my stockings on. Oh well, I¡¯ll deal with that later. As I step out from under the canopy of plants, I glance up towards the sun and wince as those memories hit me again. I move to cover my eyes with one gloved hand. [XP Gained 500][LEVEL UP][LEVEL UP] [LEVEL UP] ¡°Aren¡¯t vampires supposed to be hurt by the sun?¡± Gel chimes in, ¡°I never really thought to ask before.¡± [XP Gained 500] [LEVEL UP] [LEVEL UP] My head hurts as I hear a chime over and over. ¡°Y-yeah, but my father¡¯s half¡­ helps me. Though, recently, the suns been giving me issues.¡± [XP Gained 500, Skill Unlocked: Duality] [LEVEL UP] A voice yawns in my head. ¡°Why did she have to wake up now¡­¡± I grumble aloud. Gel looks at me quizzically and I quickly blush. ¡°Sorry, thinking of something else.¡± There is another yawn and a sound of stretching. What is in my head, a room?! [XP Gained 500] [LEVEL UP] [LEVEL UP] Why is there suddenly expe being gained?! I¡¯m not doing anything to draw that magic to me! ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright, Loria?¡± Gel questions. I shake my head and step back into the shade of the walkway. The dings suddenly stop. ¡°Good morning Loria, who¡¯s the green dude?¡± to my horror I find myself verbalizing. To Gel. A pit opens up in my stomach as the confusion over the last few seconds has overwhelmed me. Gel steps back to me with a stare of concern. ¡°Loria¡­?¡± Chapter 5 – Acquaintances Chapter 5 ¨C Acquaintances Loria Point of View ¡°Loria¡­?¡± Gel responds to the profound idiot within my mind. Why did she verbalizing her thoughts?! I attempt smother her inside my mind, like one would with intrusive thoughts. Without success, it now feels as if a paper wall divides us. Except the whole vocalizing thing. ¡°Ah, hah, not a funny joke, right?¡± He stares at my poor attempt to pass it off. ¡°What joke? What did I miss?¡± Once again the clueless tenant uses my mouth. MY mouth! With the intensity of a cat caught by the tail, I will my tenant to shut up. In the meantime, Gel wrinkles his face while simply staring. I must look absolutely insane to him right now. ¡°You¡¯ve stayed inside your room too much haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ahem, pardon me. I, uh, need a moment to¡­ to adjust my corset! Yes, that thing! Be right back.¡± His face flushes redder than a rose as I angrily retreat behind a hedge wall. The lecture begins. Apparently she isn¡¯t hearing my inner monologue now. What changed?! ¡°Listen here, miss tenant, you can¡¯t just start using my voice whenever you want! If you just start stealing my voice all willy-nilly then everyone shall think me insane!¡± ¡°I mean. They might be right? Two voices in the head and all that. I¡¯d give a certification of insane to us both when ¨C¡° I cut her off and retort verbally. ¡°No. No, no, no. I am sane. You are insane. You are in my head haunting me. So quiet! Speak in my thoughts and only there! Do not verbalize. Zip. Zill. Mute. Do not make that appear even worse to others! Especially Gel!¡± ¡°What? I am thinking in your thoughts. It¡¯s you who are verbalizing my thoughts to your boyfriend!¡± ¡°My what?! No! That is a falsehood! Slander! Lies! Impossible! All of the above! Damnit all! Just stop talking with my mouth!¡± ¡°I am trying!¡± ¡°No don¡¯t yell!¡± A very concerned Gel speaks around the wall, his voice only partly muffled. ¡°Loria? Are you okay?¡± A panicked reply escaped me, ¡°No! Just¡­ this corset frustrates me, is all. Lele pulled the ribbons too tight! So, I need to excuse myself. Catch up later!¡± A rapid exit with a damn good excuse if I do say so myself. Soon, I find myself alone within my bedroom. Door shut and locked. Well¡­ alone is not ¡°You! You just ruined my image in front of my best friend, you stupid¡­ stupid whoever or whatever you are!¡± ¡°What? Best friend? The way you were flustered I¡¯d think you both had designs. Especially given how quickly you rejected the notion.¡± ¡°No! No designs! It¡¯s high time we had a reckoning!¡± I shout while pacing circles into the rugs of my room. My cheeks flush with shame at the thought. ¡°I¡¯m game for that. We should find an agreement until things get resolved. What are your terms? I defer to you since this is, apparently, your body.¡± ¡°Good. Term one, no more talking through my mouth in public. We need to learn how we were talking inside our thoughts initially and get control over this¡­ situation. Term two, we are not to let others know of our condition.¡± ¡°I can work with that; however, I have some for you too. Term three, you¡¯re to use my name, because being ¡®that thing¡¯ or ¡®tenant¡¯ is quite insulting. Term four, we find a way to resolve this that doesn¡¯t kill either of us.¡± ¡°I can agree these additions. So, before we do anything else, let us resolve three then. I¡¯m Lori. Do you now recall your name, or have you thought of one?¡± ¡°A Latin word I like: Ultima Vita, Ultima for short, or Ul. I¡¯m basically saying I am the farthest from life, or this is my last life. That¡¯s why it sort of fits, no? My last life?¡± I pause mid step, eyes wide with surprise. ¡°You know such an ancient language?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t that old. Only like, two thousand or so years. Why, do you know it?¡± ¡°It was the language of an early civilization from long ago. I can dig that out of the library sometime if you like, Ultima. Yeah. That sounds Pretentious.¡± Her name feels weird on the tongue, but it does sort of fit her. ¡°Well now I have MORE questions¡­ and what¡¯s the harm in sounding self-important in a world that works like a video game? Oh! Speaking of games.¡± She does a 180 on the topics. ¡±Did you hear all those dings that woke me up? We should check your game menu.¡± ¡°My what now?¡± ¡°The thing with all the numbers.¡± ¡°Ah! We call that the mage, magic, or magi system¡­ the name varies by culture really. Last I checked my menu was broken, probably thanks to you Ultima. I¡¯m not sure if it will be useful.¡± I briefly concentrate and the system appears. ¡°Ah¡­¡±
SYSTEM MESSAGES: Congratulations on leveling up (x8) You have gained the legendary skill: Duality Level 1 You have gained the legendary skill: Reincarnate¡¯s Memories Level 1 You have gained the rare skill: Sun Resistance Level 1 You have gained the rare skill: Card Manipulation Level 1 You have gained the rare skill: Multi-Mana Casting Level 1 You have gained the rare skill: Cheating Level 1 You have unlocked Sari¡¯s Blessing¡¯s Features. You have unlocked Card Master¡¯s Features. You have unlocked Special Reincarnate¡¯s Features. Please remember to review the descriptions of these abilities. Due to Special Reincarnate¡¯s Features and Duality Level 1, memories of the past will gradually be reintroduced. Due to Special Reincarnate¡¯s Features, you have gained the title Filthy Cheater. Due to Special Reincarnate¡¯s Features, you have gained the second name Ultima Vita. Due to Special Reincarnate¡¯s Features, you are informed that Sari thinks your new name is stupid and that the title of Cheater best suits you. Due to Sari¡¯s Blessing, you now have 10 available uses of Sari¡¯s Wheel of Fortune! Due to Sari¡¯s Blessing, you now have 1 available key for any Special Content Crate. Please note that any Special Content Crates will need to be unlocked with keys and not draws. Please note that Sari is not required to provide drop odds nor a list of prizes. Receive gifts at one¡¯s own risk.
CLASS NOBLE LEVEL 10 XP 100/500
NAME Savella Loria Rall, Ultima Vita SPECIES Vampire-Demon Hybrid
TITLES Stolen story; please report. Princess of Thavera Princess of The Dark Realms Filthy Cheater MANA BLACK, RED, .?,?
HP 914 / 1000 STAMINA 200 /200
MANA 1 ?¡§?? 0 / ??? WILL 0???4/¨{??
Available Draws 10
SPECIAL STATUS Special Reincarnate, Vampire, Demon, Daughter of Demon King
Skills Common: [History LV.5] [Literacy LV.5] [Etiquette LV.5] [Flirt LV.1] Uncommon: [ Mathematics LV.5] [Diplomacy LV.5] [Blood Hunger Suppress LV.1] Rare: [Multi-Mana Casting LV.1] [Card Manipulation LV.1] [Cheating LV.1] [Fire Magic LV.1] [Shadow Magic LV.1] [Blood Magic LV.1] [Night Owl LV.1] [Sun Resistance LV.1] Legendary: [Duality LV.1] [Reincarnant¡¯s Memories LV.1]
Special Afflictions Boons: [Hybrid Entity] [Night Owl] [Sari¡¯s Blessing] [Card Master] [Dark Alignment] [Fire Alignment] [Special Reincarnate] Locked: [Roaming Dungeon LV.0] Curses: [Vampire] [Death by Fire] [Child] [Weakness to Holy]
¡°Wh-what?! Level 10?! I was two yesterday! I¡¯m only supposed to gain a level every five to ten years! More than that if I go out of my way for it. Wha¡­what the heck?¡± ¡°We gained tons of XP and leveled for some reason. I doubt Sari just gave it out either... what were you doing?¡± ¡°Standing in the garden with Gel, chatting about our parents, then trying to regain some sense of childhood by playing out in the mud and afternoon sun.¡± ¡°Sun. That has to be it. You¡¯re taking damage from the sun of course! Duh! You¡¯re a vampire!¡± ¡°The sun only ever bothered my eyes! Why would I suddenly become weaker to the sun?¡± A quick turn in my pace and I¡¯m in front of the mirror. There are severe sunburns from where I had been out in the sun only briefly. ¡°WHAT?! HOW? WHY? WHEN?!¡± ¡°Only thing I can think of is Night Owl negated whatever resistance. Sari did say I hated the sun. Simple fix, we level up that sun resistance! That said, we have an easy way to level up. I propose we abuse this until its resistance is high enough that we¡¯re back to norm.¡± ¡°¡­ I hate you. Yet, you are right. This is a short-cut to my goal to be strong for father.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try sunbathing at high noon tomorrow, on the roof? I mean, you¡¯ll be burned but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take our umbrella and have a way to stop exposure if needed. I do not intend to ruin my beautiful skin more than necessary. Talking aside, let¡¯s review what we¡¯ve been given.¡±
SYSTEM MESSAGES: Duality Level 1 This skill is applied to both entities within one body. Both entities share the same system status as if they were one individual. At level one, both minds can share the burden of operating the body at a cost of 10 willpower per minute. Advanced levels eventually permit independent operations, simultaneously. This skill affects all aspects of your existences. May be leveled through practice or Sari¡¯s Games. Reincarnate¡¯s Memories Level 1 You are able to access more useful memories based on the level of this skill. The high the skill level the more likely a useful memory may be acquired at a useful time. Not all memories are subject to these skills and by default may be permanently locked away or permanently available. May only be leveled through Sari¡¯s games. Sun Resistance Level 1 Your sensitivity to sun exposure is decreased by the level multiplied into 5%. For each numerical percent, the damage points received is reduced by twice that value. May be leveled through the receiving of solar damage or Sari¡¯s Games. Card Manipulation Level 1 You are a filthy cheater. You can manipulate the outcome of any cards to possibly fall in your favor. The higher your skill is, the more likely you are to narrow the probability of a favorable outcome. Leveled through use or Sari¡¯s Games. Multi-Mana Casting Level 1 You are capable of casting more than two mana types into one spell, or the combination of two spells of different mana types. The resulting spells, if unknown, must be discovered by the user through trial and error. Level of magic that may be used is equal to half the skill level times the level of the user. Leveled through use or Sari¡¯s Games. Cheating Level 1 Once again, you are a filthy cheater. You have a knack for cheating at games and strategy. Unforeseen approaches to problems may be revealed to you through the use of this skill. Leveled through use or Sari¡¯s Games. Sari¡¯s Blessing¡¯s Features The vast majority of skills you earn will be through traditional Vampire and Training methodology. After having unlocked these features: future skills will always start at Level 0 and be nearly useless to a filthy cheater like you. In exchange for this however, fair compensation is provided through Sari¡¯s Wonderful Game System! All level 0 skills will need to be earned through luck of the draw! Please note that opportunities to play are gained through your primary leveling, frustration, sweat, blood, and tears. Have fun Cheater! Note: this does not apply to skills provided by masters or deities, according to another sore loser. PS: Did I mention you cheated, Ultima? What a tacky name... Card Master¡¯s Features. Provides a cheater access to Card Manipulation and Cheating. You are able to field cards as a weapon. You are able to store magic into cards. You are able to store cards in cards. You are unable to cheat with cards you have made. Special Reincarnate¡¯s Features You are a reincarnate. You will have a natural background buff to certain skills. You will naturally attract more trouble. You will naturally find opportunities to help people. You will have access to the HERO system at level seven. You will have a fate to defeat the demon king or die trying. ERROR HERO system: ERROR-4004 - [Oops! Our bad, something unexpected has occurred. Please contact Seven Administration Team and have the Error # available upon receipt of prayer.] Title: Filthy Cheater ¨C you make your own luck. Once per day you may avoid an obvious foil. Due to Sari¡¯s Blessing, you now have 10 available draws on Sari¡¯s Wheel of Fortune! Please draw from the Wheel of Fortune and see what you get! Due to Sari¡¯s Blessing, you now have 1 available key for any Special Content Crate. Please locate or receive a Special Content Crate. Please note that any Special Content Crates will need to be unlocked with keys and not draws. Please note that Sari is not required to provide drop odds nor a list of prizes. Receive gifts at one¡¯s own risk.
A moment of silence passes as I try to understand all that just happened. ¡°That isn¡¯t even everything, just the stuff we really wanted to know. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve ruined my life or made it better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. Sari pretty much forced this onto me. I can¡¯t believe that bastard actually implemented loot boxes into a real world...¡± ¡°Loot boxes?¡± ¡°An ancient, cursed item from my own world. Hated by all, used by many. Only one way to find out what we can get... Shall we investigate those and ignore the things we don''t understand yet?¡± ////////////////////////////////// Elsewhere in the multiverse. One of the red-haired workers screams out in anguish as she flips her desk. ¡°ANOTHER! ANOTHER! It was never meant to have this many people trying to be synced into the hero system.¡± There is a groan as a different worker rolls her golden eyes. A long, loud sip from a coffee mug interrupts the frantic screamer. ¡°We designed it for one person to live out the story of a hero, or die of age and retire. It was never meant to be used by more than one person; you know? Why did you go gambling with Sari?¡± ¡°Of course, I know! I¡¯m you! You gambled just as much as me! We all did! Idiot!¡± ¡°How can you be me anymore?! You hate coffee! You don¡¯t even wear the same tie as me!¡± ¡°Coffee is nasty, and I like lime-green ties! Goes with my outfit!¡± Suddenly, even more voices chime in as another great debate begins. In no time the entire office of look-alikes are at each other¡¯s throats. ¡°I like pickle juice!¡± ¡°Suspenders are classy!¡± ¡°Pineapple on Pizza!¡± ¡°Ketchup on ham!¡± ¡°Who took my stapler?!¡± ¡°I think pies are gross.¡± ¡°Why did we remake mosquitos?¡± Only one of the women sits in silence, slowly rubbing her temple as she types out an automated reply to the HERO users:
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Ongoing issues prevent access to the hero abilities. Please be patience while we figure a solution out!]
Somewhere in the world, beneath the heavens on high, the hero Roland just stops dead in his tracks. ¡°What the fu ¨C ¡± Chapter 6 – Pride and Accomplishment Chapter 6 ¨C Pride and Accomplishment Ultima Point of View
Due to Sari¡¯s Blessing, you now have 10 available uses of Sari¡¯s Wheel of Fortune! Please note that any Special Content Crates will need to be unlocked with keys and not draws. Please note that Sari is not required to provide drop odds nor a list of prizes. Receive gifts at one¡¯s own risk.
I stare at the text. This definitely isn¡¯t Earth anymore and yet these accursed things follow me. This is punishment isn¡¯t it Sari? You know I have a gambling addiction! Alright, let¡¯s review¡­ ¡°So, to explain once more Loria: a loot box or blind bag is a thing back home where for cash, you get a random item. Except the odds of getting useless crap or common items was much higher than getting useful stuff. It got so bad around the time I died that there were laws going into place to prevent targeting of minors and vulnerable populace. Thanks for attending my Fred Talk.¡± ¡°I am not such a shut in to live in ignorance of gambling, Ultima. What I don¡¯t like is the fact that we now are depending on chance for the majority of our new skills. Not entirely, but far too much, don¡¯t you know?¡± Loria¡¯s attitude is overwhelming! I can¡¯t help it. I have to say it. ¡°Well excuse me Princess,¡± I verbalize as annoyingly as possible. Hah! ¡­ she won¡¯t get that reference, will she? ¡°You are excused.¡± Nope, didn¡¯t get it. No idea why I would expect anything more? ¡°Anyways, shall we see what we get? Might as well use it. We could get lucky.¡± We engage the Wheel of Fortune. The world turns gray and freezes around us. We both now stare at each other, each of us have a version of our real body. ¡°¡­ so, we are separate during this, like tea-time?¡± SMACK! Loria slaps my face with enough strength to knock me back. ¡°That is for insinuating Gel and I have designs,¡± she huffs angrily with a red face. Alright, just friends. Sure. I get it. ¡°Fine. Fine. I won¡¯t mention it¡­¡± for now. ¡°Let¡¯s do what we came here for.¡± Loria engages the skill once I say that. The world goes darker as the room starts to fade away. Now there is only blackness. ¡°Alright this feels familiar,¡± I mumble to myself. ¡°Did it work?¡± Loria¡¯s voice is full of concern.
SYSTEM: WHEEL OF FORTUNE!
The thud of spotlights resounds through the darkness as we suddenly find ourselves on a stage in front of a giant, colored wheel. Bright, obnoxious colors and gaudy music fills our senses. I blink and find, before us, a giant button with a counter on it: Ten. Loria just walks right up and goes to hit the button without any fanfare. No pose of luck. No prayers. Nothing! She just jinxed us to a horrible draw, the fool! ~Doot~ The massive colored wheel spins up and then slows down to an acoustical tone for each passed item. Unfortunately every item is just a colored box and I can¡¯t even begin to guess what might be won later. It stops on a Green box.
You have gained Rare: Level Up Fire Magic, Level 2! Congratulations.
Right off something good?! That''s bad! "WAIT! It''s a trap to entice you! Loria wait ¨C!¡± ~Doot~ The wheel begins to spin again as the Princess looks at me with that excited, ¡®I¡¯m winning¡¯ face. Shit, she¡¯s already infected by the bug.
You have gained Uncommon: Treat Toxin Le ¨C
~DOOT~
You have gained Common: Flirt Level 2! C ¨C
~DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT~ ¡°Loria stop!¡±
You have gained Common: Appraising Level 0. Congratulations! You have gained Common: Fire Making Level 0. Congratulations! You have gained Common: Camp Security Level 0. Congratulations! You have gained Common: Swimming Level 0. Congratulations!
She shrieks in anger that everything has been¡­ not as good as the first roll at the very least. ¡°Loria!¡± I¡¯m literally holding her back from the button, ¡°It¡¯s the way it works! It leads you in with a good win and tons of crap! You have to do something first!¡± Finally, she relaxed and responds with a crazed voice, ¡°Something first? Like what?¡± Well, it isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve done before in front of anyone else. Always in the privacy of my own home using my computer or some bathroom with my phone. I let go of her and then step in front of the button. Then I proceed to dance. ¡°HOO. HA¡­. HOO HOO HA!¡± Several embarrassing poses later, I end my little ritual by slamming my face down on the big button. If anything, to hide myself from the fact I just did that in front of anyone else.
You have gained Rare: Level Up Diplomacy, level 15! Congratulations!
With a massive grin, I gesture with both hands to the reward. ¡°SEE?! IT WORKS!¡± Loria just stares with wonder at the prize. ¡°Diplomacy, though, what¡¯s that good for? Isn¡¯t it just¡­ something someone can do?¡± ¡°N-no¡­ the higher the diplomacy, the more likely you are to convince the other party. It isn¡¯t mind control; they could outright reject it. Essentially the skill gets your point across better so the other party can see the potential of your points. It¡¯s really hard to describe.¡± ¡°Well, that seems¡­ okay? I mean, we don¡¯t exactly have need for it right now.¡± ¡°Given my position as a Princess, this is extremely useful. Dad has a Diplomacy of Level 23, if that gives you an idea of how much we just jumped. Besides, how do you know what we need to have? You don¡¯t even have an agenda. I do! So, I declare it useful. Enough yapping now, more button smashing.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. We position ourselves to either side of the Wheel of Fortune¡¯s button and proceed to chant: ¡°HOO HAA HOO!¡± We dance around the button like a bunch of crazed cultists, performing the luck dance in near synchronicity. ~DOOT DOOT~
You have gained Common: Boxing, level 0! Congratulations! You have gained Rare: Level Up Boxing, level 2! Congratulations!
¡­ we both stare at our ¡®prize¡¯ in unison. The wheel slowly vanishes, the lights flick off one by one. ¡°Boxing?!¡± she screeches, ¡°what use could I have for boxing?! What use could anyone have for boxing?!¡± I simply nod my head in agreement, while color rushes back to the world as we rejoin reality. ¡°Maybe it will be useful when someone trains us?¡± I say as my ¡®body¡¯ vanishes into her again. ¡°General Heth is scheduled to train me. He prefers swords and combat scythes. A fist would be useless against either, not without extensive martial training.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just trying to think positive, Loria!¡± ¡°Ultima, you are always positive. You need a dose of reality sometimes¡­ now let¡¯s go find Gel and apologize.¡± Unfortunately, I have to go along, since we share a body. I really wish I had my own, Sari! Is there a skill for that? Splitting? Doppelganger? PLEASE? /////////////////////////// Helvair¡¯s Point of View Not for a moment do I doubt my daughter¡¯s situation. I¡¯m not ignorant to reincarnation. The Heroes of old were reincarnated and so is the current one. That¡¯s just how it works. Yet, my daughter? She isn¡¯t the hero! Is there some other method I don¡¯t know about? ¡°King Rall?¡± a guttural voice interrupts my thoughts. I look up to the Goblin King who is seated far from my work desk, lounging on the sofa, and drinking wine. ¡°Yes, I had my thoughts elsewhere for a moment. Where was the conversation again? The hero?¡± ¡°Absolutely. As you know, the hero Roland poses a severe threat to the stability of all monstrous sovereign states and tribes. My Lord, King of all Demons, Helvair Rall. We have a plan to deal with these enemies. Even as they gather their strength now, we might yet lead a campaign against them. Weaken them before they can rally the hero¡¯s party against you.¡± ¡°The thought has crossed my mind. The western nations have been at siege with us for a long time. Breaking their trench-works would be nice but there is little that can be done. You have a plan, King Dolden?¡± ¡°Of course. Only Dwarves might compete with Goblins in the art of tunnel making. Our plan is simple. Find a battlefield where you can lure out the majority of your opponents. We will collapse the land behind them and trap their forces. While they are cut off and busy with you, my low goblins will raid and ransack their supply lines. You can, if you do not defeat them somehow, withdraw to safety and simply starve the enemy out. Force them to the negotiating table.¡± ¡°How do you intend to cut the supply lines? Hopefully not by razing villages? Doing that only gives the enemy more fuel for recruitment.¡± I steeple my fingers as the concern sits at the fore of my mind. It isn¡¯t necessarily that I am weak, but unlike my father, I have no intent of spilling innocent blood. That only leads to inherited hardships. ¡°Our intent is only to do what is needed to cut off the enemy¡¯s capability for a prolonged fight. Nothing more. Nothing less. The majority of our troops will be on the field with yours.¡± Doden grins before taking a sip from a wine glass. ¡°Very well. My kingdom will back this agenda. Yours has been a long-standing ally and having help put an end to this would be, ideal. If we can force the Holy Alliance to the table through removing their hopes of a victory¡­ then maybe diplomacy can finally be applied to this timeless war.¡± ¡°Indeed, King Rall. Now, other matters,¡± his grin widens. ¡°Prince Gelchar. You and I both seek to build our relationship as two kingdoms. I am glad you agreed with the idea of him training with your daughter. May they grow close.¡± ¡°While I admire their friendship, I do not desire to force a marriage on her quite yet. We will see how their interests in each other develop. Furthermore, I would desire such a thing to occur only after the war. I want to leave her a kingdom that has developed peace alongside its allies. That to me is more important. Prince Gelchar¡¯s fondness of her is noted, but that topic will be broached another day.¡± It does not escape my attention that the high goblin king is merely hiding his disappointment. A guaranteed wed between the houses through an arranged marriage would be to his advantage and not mine. I simply smile to him as he smiles back.
Detect Falsehoods Triggered.
Oh? Thanks for telling me what I already know. Of course, he only has his own interests at heart. Gel is a great kid and I hope to mentor him. When this fat bastard passes of age then an actually useful leader will take his place, not the other way around. ¡°To a brighter future,¡± I said with a placid, well-practiced tone. I excuse myself for the time being and make my way out of the room. My wings trail behind me like a cape as I keep them tucked up to my shoulders. Each doorway is sized for me so I do not need to duck, but I am careful not to knock over any small furniture along the way. ¡°I¡¯ve been away from the front far too long,¡± I mutter to no one in particular as the hall echoes my heavy steps. The war room looms ahead with a black marble door. Two sentries open the door, their demonic grins vanishing as they bow their heads to me. Inside, a massive lizard-man is discussing strategy with a rotund, bearded demon. Ornate officer uniforms barely fit either. Around the room is the bustle of various officers and messengers coming and going. continue to handle reports and orders. ¡°Sire,¡± the hefty demon says with a low bow. The lizard-man simply grunts and nods. ¡°General Ogord, General Heth. I bring word of what our allies propose to do through King Doden,¡± I snap my fingers and a winged imp suddenly appears with two scrolls for them. ¡°As you can see, it is mostly what we were planning to do too. So, I believe the help will be welcome. Opinions?¡± The lizard-man, Ogord, frowns at the paper whilst reading. ¡°Ssire. I think best plan, however, recommend two battless. A sssingle battle hass never ended well for prior Kingssss. I sssugest I lead one, and you the other, Sssire. Sssplitting our forcesss iss not ideal. However, by doing thiss, we can guarantee at leassst one major engagement lacksss the hero.¡± Heth joins in with agreement, ¡°My Lord, I know you intend me to train the two youth in the ways of war. I do not agree with this plan happening immediately. Instead, I suggest a series of battles that leads to two major engagements. I wish to partake in this war.¡± That is a relief, we all thought the same thing. ¡°With the additional forces provided by our allies, we can promise at least one victory. General Ogord you are a powerhouse, so I agree with your assessment. General Heth, you and your men are to remain at the capital just in case we need reinforcements. Until ordered otherwise, you and your trusted captains are to train the Princess and visiting Prince.¡± A sigh escape from Heth. ¡°Of course, my lord, I will not argue against your judgement. I stand ready to support you should this engagement fail.¡± ¡°We will march our two armies traditionally to preserve the mage¡¯s mana for transference of General Heth and his troops. Should we need you, you will use the transfer sigil to reinforce us. Prepare to embark in one week. We will meet with King Doden¡¯s military on the way through Kraig¡¯s Pass towards the lowlands. If spies detect us, let them report. We desire them to see us coming. Now go forth and commit.¡± Both men bow to me low as they can. Turning to leave the room, I purposely let my wings unfold. Intimidation and power are still very important components to ruling. My voice thunders out to those present, ¡°Victory. Then peace.¡± /////////////////////////// Elsewhere¡­ A petite woman stands up from a smoldering crater, entirely covered in soot. Her teal skin barely revealed as she wipes her forehead clear of sweat. Quickly she pats out some fire in her hair. Little wisps of smoke curl around her as she jumps out of the pit and lands like a caped hero.
SYSTEM: You have leveled up the common skill, Boxing, to level 10! Congratulations!
Suddenly she strikes a jubilant pose, shuffles around while turning in place, then flexes her muscular frame. Mad laughter echoes throughout the wilderness as she screams, ¡°YES! BOXING LEVEL TEN!¡± The elf-eared short stack stretches up and looks around the wilds. ¡°Now where did that wyvern run off to?¡± Her yellow eyes scan the horizon for any sign of¡­ ¡°Ah! There it is. Come back here you little shit!¡± Chapter 7 – Preparation Chapter 7 ¨C Preparation Loria Point of View My father is leaving, and I cannot help him. I feel powerless. Weak. Helpless. I cannot defend him. I cannot protect him. My last and only vestige of family. Still, I will learn what I can and practice. I do not know my own limits yet nor do I know how having Ultima might empower me. I¡¯ve been selfish so far, fighting against her, but perhaps she is the help I need to become the protector I wish to be? The noise of the cheering crowds drag me back from being lost in thought. Beneath the balcony I stand on, father is parading out the castle gates with his personal army. Everyone relevant is present and cheering him on towards victory. I¡¯m sure the sight before us is nightmarish to humans, elves, and their kin. Sure, there are some terrifying monsters here¡­ but they are still people. It has been two weeks since Gel arrived here. He isn¡¯t with me on the balcony, that would be improper, but I know he is out there somewhere. Gel must watching me from the crowd of nobility standing on the platforms below. ¡°Well, this is not in the least bit terrifying.¡± Ultima once again needing to commentate everything. I take a deep breath as I reply to myself, ¡°Ultima, I forget you were apparently once human. Believe me when I say they are just people.¡± ¡°Oh no, I get that. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that a 5-meter-tall skeleton, breathing fire, is nightmare fuel. He literally has flaming eyes.¡± ¡°Yet if he was not civilized, then how would he be part of an organized army? How would this city about the castle still stand? I admit he could be scary if he charged at me in combat.¡± ¡°Says the daughter of papa-Satan.¡± ¡°Ultima¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Your dad is nice, I¡¯ve seen it myself. Just, he fits some stereotypes from back home, okay?¡± Ignore her. I will just ignore her for now. ¡°Let¡¯s see, General Heth¡¯s schedule for the past two weeks has been physical fitness. Today, apparently, I¡¯m to finally start learning swordplay after this event.¡± ¡°Topic switch! Alright. Fine, I get it. So, sword play is the goal?¡± ¡°According to him, it is more important than magic craft. What do you do if you run out of mana in the midst combat? Apparently more than a few wizards die to that each battle he has been in.¡± ¡°That makes sense, but I was wondering. If we get duality high enough, will I be able to cast magic while you fight? A two-in-one thing?¡± ¡°¡­ that¡¯s actually a good idea, Ultima. For once you speak sense! Did you gain any expe for Intelligence?¡± I grin wickedly for a moment as I tease her at her expense. ¡°Oh, ha-ha.¡± ¡°Still, do you have an idea on how to train duality?¡± ¡°Not a clue. If I had to venture a guess, both of us try to do something at once? We¡¯re talking to each other with one mouth, so that isn¡¯t counting. We¡¯re exchanging access. What if I tried to handle one arm and you the other?¡± ¡°I guess that might work,¡± I say as I will the relinquishment of my right arm, ¡°Let¡¯s try it out. Right arm.¡± Suddenly my right hand begins to quiver and then move about on its own. The sensation is queer. It looks, and feels, as if some ghost or magic is manipulating the arm. Its fingers grips and releases, then the whole arm moves. The last vestiges of the army walk off as Ultima¡¯s hand continues to explore freedom of movement. I step back away from the balcony with a gentle wave of my other hand to everyone still present. Now, the privacy of my own room! ¡°Alright, this is off-putting. Let¡¯s right to grab something with both hands. The diary over there on my desk will do.¡± I walk us closer and then we both try to grab the diary ¨C hand on each side. Hers is a second slower than mine and misses the grasp. ¡°Noticeable difference. Not sure how this is useful or levelling up duality.¡± ¡°What about combat? What if you do the sword play and I do the leg movement?¡± ¡°That¡¯d only work if we restored mental communication. So we need to figure that part out first, or else I would broadcast my every move when I asked you to move me somewhere. We need to be in synchronicity.¡± ¡°Well, only way to get near that is to practice. Let¡¯s try meditating and not talking. Try to tear that wall back down we¡¯ve somehow erected between us?¡± ¡°How about¡­ a hole? I¡¯m still slightly terrified that you might replace me.¡± ¡°That fear probably is the wall, doofus.¡± ¡°Doofus?! Human fool!¡± ¡°Not human anymore!¡± ¡°Human enough to me! Little wretch!¡± Our arguing goes back and forth until we inevitably settle and attempt the whole meditation thing. Control of my deepest fear ¨C can¡¯t be hard right? That afternoon we stand in the courtyard. General Heth has had his men draw a few circles on the ground. A solid line divides the makeshift arena. ¡°Princess, Prince, as I have mentioned and shall be performing today. Melee combat basics and dueling with swords and daggers,¡± he smiles widely. ¡°Do not make the mistake of assuming this training makes you combat capable. It will prepare you for one-on-one combat. In the battlefield, ideally, you would not get in range of the enemy. That is what me and my troops are for. Yet, unfortunately, skills and magics permit the enemy to bypass warfare and engage directly. Likewise, skills and magics permit you to avoid that enemy. At the end of the day, those abilities will determine the winner in an uneven combat.¡± I stand here listening to him talk. Gel interrupts my train of thought as well as General Heth. ¡°Does this mean learning melee skills is pointless?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. What will you do when out of mana? What will you do if your skills are equal to theirs? So forth and such, you get my point Princes Gel.¡± His rotund frame moves towards one of his officers. ¡°That also means, you cannot make assumptions. I for one, am quite hefty. Vasynth here, is quite petite for a man. Enemies quite regularly make assumptions of our combat capabilities. Vasynth, defend.¡± Heth¡¯s bulky body moves faster than I expected he could. The big man practically dwarfs Vasynth as he tries to down him in a grapple. Yet, Vasynth¡¯s legs dig in as he redirects the momentum. The Heth continues to move forward, now beside the weapon rack. He grabs a wooden pike from it and smoothly jabs the blunted end against Vasynth¡¯s side. Vasynth had been mid turn to face Heth. All of this played out in seconds. Gel and I stand with our jaw¡¯s dropped. Ultima¡¯s emotions of shock flood over my mental wall. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°In short, do not underestimate your foe. Perhaps you thought I was slow due to my weight? That Vasynth was weak because he is petite? Or that if I grabbed a sword, he would have a chance to turn? Even if you did not think this, others might. Weaponize assumptions. Be aware of assumptions.¡± We nod our heads rapidly as he continues to lecture. ¡°You must learn to read your opponent¡¯s assumptions. Understand how he is acting upon them. Then put yourself where he will be. Vasynth, what did you plan to do?¡± ¡°Sir, I expected you to roll to go for the sword, as we have thus far only talked of sword play. So, I decided to turn to face you rather than increase the distance. I assumed that my distance was sufficient to react to a sword, Sir.¡± ¡°Any veteran here can tell you,¡± Heth continues, ¡°That this line of thinking translates to everything. Replace assumption with stance. Read your opponent¡¯s stance. Understand how he applies them. Then adjust yourself accordingly.¡± He summons a flaming ball into his hand, ¡°Or read your opponent¡¯s magic, understand its possible effect, and prepare your counter. So on, and so forth. Not entirely perfect but if you start with learning this mindset based on assumptions, you can apply it anywhere.¡± I raise my hand, ¡°What if you throw the fireball at me right now? I have no water magic or wind magic. How would I adjust myself to the fact I have nothing to respond with?¡± ¡°There is never a situation where you will never have an option. You could simply run. Shield yourself behind objects. Call upon an ally who has counter items. Or plan ahead to cover your known weaknesses. Perhaps a counter magic item for situations where you are in over your head. Perhaps bracing yourself to get burned but use that opening to attack.¡± ¡°That makes sense, but that also means I need to accept the fact I¡¯m going to get burned,¡± Ultima uses my mouth to speak. Thankfully, prior preaching has helped her understand how to not give us away. ¡°Yes. If you are in combat, you must understand and accept the fact that you will get hurt. Possibly killed. You manage this threat, but you will never completely remove it.¡± A few more words of wisdom are given to us and within a very short time I find myself with a wooden arming sword. The weight is close to what a proper sword would feel like, I am told. Even though we are using fake swords, General Heth has fitted us with padded armor and helmets. ¡°Armor will not protect every point of your body. It isn¡¯t meant to give you full protection. Learn your armor¡¯s weakness and exploit its strengths.¡± Soon I am in the sparring circle with Vasynth as my foe. We are going over appropriate stances and a general explanation of how not to get myself killed right away. His petiteness is probably why Heth pit him against me. ¡°Just because I¡¯m a woman, don¡¯t underestimate me,¡± I grin at him. ¡°Never planned to,¡± he says with a wry smile before moving in to strike. I parry and turn, trying to slide my blade down his. He simply spins his sword down and jabs my gut with a little force. ¡°Again,¡± he says before stepping back to start. A few hours of this has me soaked in sweat, exhausted, and only somewhat more educated in the art of swords. Ultima speaks up with my voice, ¡°That was quite educational, one more time? I just need better legwork I think?¡± Ah, that¡¯s her plan, a quick test of duality. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go once more,¡± Vasynth replies. He steps up to the line, ready to fight. I however, let my arms go from my mind. It feels weird, tingly even, as Ultima grips the weapon and does some test swings to the side. I step up to the line and we begin. Vasynth pushes forward immediately with a feint. Ultima doesn¡¯t fall for it as I take a step back at the same time. I shift my position to the right, keeping my torso aimed at him while Ultima turns her sword slightly. Vasynth goes for a swing towards our legs, Ultima deflects the blade to the side and makes her own thrust for his chest. Yet, I feel a hit to my side. Vasynth had reversed his swing back into my torso, with Ultima thrusting forward we had been left defenseless from his free blade. ¡°Good attempt, Loria. Improvement upon earlier but you assumed you had an opening. Takes time to get used to this, don¡¯t feel too bad,¡± he says with a smile. I simply nod as I take control back from Ultima. ¡°You got me good. Thank you for the lesson,¡± Ultima says, before I chime in, ¡°I really appreciate your time.¡± ¡°No need to be so humble, Princess. It¡¯s our duty to help,¡± he bows, horns poking out of his teal hair. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, Princess, it is time to quit. I have a pub with my name on it.¡± ¡°You own a pub?¡± I ask quizzically, confused. Ultima chimes in, ¡°Just kidding. Enjoy your evening.¡± I scowl mentally but then all-to-late the realization of what he meant dawns on me. Ultima actually saved me from embarrassing myself. Prince Gel walks off, speaking to me from a few paces away. ¡°Tomorrow morning lets meet for breakfast. I¡¯m a bit tired now, but I¡¯d like to socialize a bit more before we kill ourselves training.¡± He smiles pleasantly before seeing himself off. General Heth hums and then comments to me on my training. ¡°Loria, you fight too brash. Fast and hard training will not see you in the field helping your father. You must earn that skill. Both the system¡¯s skill and actual skill. Technique and understanding of technique can make or break a warrior. I do not want to see you killed because you rushed at someone to soon.¡± ¡°I understand, we will ¨C I mean, I will try better. Thank you for your education and good night.¡± I make my way to my bedroom for the evening ¨C kicking pebbles in the walkway. ¡°Geeze, don¡¯t act like a sulking child,¡± Ultima chimes in as she takes my body briefly and begins going through the stones on the ground. Like a child. ¡°I am not sulking. I just thought I¡¯d naturally be better at this because of my father¡­ if anyone is being immature, it is you right now.¡± Ultima picks up a green rock with some carvings on it. ¡°Oh, pretty. Yeah well, I happen to like rocks. I could have been a geologist you know?¡± She pockets it in my outfit. MY outfit¡­ but given earlier, I suppose I¡¯ll permit her to keep it. ¡°You? A geologist? That¡¯s rich.¡± My eyes wander up to the darkening sky as we head back inside. /////////////////////////// Unknown point of view A small imp scurries down from the populated markets and to our meeting point in a dark alleyway far from the castle. What a menace. Typical of a monster, especially a demon, it is unfaithful to even his own king. I melt out from the shadows and in behind the little troublemaker. ¡°Gah! Y-you! Do not surprising of me, e ¨C¡± I grab its throat and narrow my eyes. ¡°Not another word on that. Tell me, did you do the task I asked?¡± I relax my grip only enough to let it speak. ¡°Yes! Yes. Skimska do as told. Put rocks there. Big pretty palace.¡± ¡°Great. Now, what is all this army stuff over? Why is your king leaving?¡± ¡°Guh, no know. Not knowing. Army go marching. Marchy march-march,¡± it sputters out while making a little walk gesture with its legs dangling in the air. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Really? Are you sure you didn¡¯t see anything?¡± I demand. I know the little shit probably knows something. ¡°I know the demon king is marching out but to where?¡± It shivers in fear as it simply tries to resist my questioning. With a deep sigh, I state one last warning: ¡°Your loyalty is about to get you killed.¡± ¡°Guh! You promise money! Safe-safe and money! Not safe, no more information!¡± ¡°Fine, I was going to kill you anyways, so let¡¯s do it the hard way,¡± I sigh with frustration. Killing him outright is easier than this and an imp¡¯s memories aren¡¯t exactly the most pleasant things to sift through.
Skill activated: Vielfra?, Level 76
My jawbones break apart in multiple places with a series of pops and crackles. Thanks to it being a result of the skill, it is mostly painless. The imp pleads to me for mercy, but I quickly silence those pitiful protests. Feh. It tastes like sulfur, dirt, and rotten fish! This is why I wanted him to just talk, gods damnit. It briefly struggles in my mouth before I paralyze it with a swift crunch to the neck. The muffled screams go silent, and my tongue slides the body into my gut. Second it is done, I spit right onto the ground. ¡°I hate that taste.¡±
Skill activated: Inherited Memories, Level 39
My jaw fuse back into place. Within the memories I find what I seek. A teal haired officer shooing the imp away. Seems the imp has seen this officer there many times in his short life. Usually begging for coins, heh. I roll back through the memories even more, trying to find a path to that location.
Skill activated: Shade, Level 89
I silently meld back into the shadows, vanishing from sight and normal reality. The world becomes a place of gray shadows, and I can only see a few meters ahead of me. Traveling the path while still processing the memories isn¡¯t quite easy but I¡¯m in no rush. I take my time. The God of the Forest blesses me with the shade of his great tree. Ahead was a pub, near to the castle. They mimic normal people far too much for my liking. If you did not know what to look for you¡¯d almost think they were civilized. The sun is slowly setting from the sky above. Twilight approaches and my powers wax to their fullest now. Patience is key. Patience like a tree of the forest. Like a river steadily finding its way. Patience always pays off. Always. As long as you set things up right¡­ and there he is. Not an unsightly demon, if he were human I might even have a desire for him. He is quite slender and petite for a man, qualities one can only find in nobility who never perform hard labor. Yet enough muscle to indicate he does serve in combat for the demon military.
Skill activated: Morph Form, Level 37
Form of a pleasant looking demon will work just fine. So, with a practiced ease, I slip into reality again. Calmly I join the groups making their way into the pub, following that teal hair to the bar. Chapter 8 – Side Story: Rooted Home Chapter 8 ¨C Side Story: Rooted Home Unknown Point of View The sounds and songs of a swamp during the height of summer. Music to my people¡¯s ears. Frustrating to me. Frustrating because it reminds me that I am a prisoner here. Incapable of leaving home to see the world at large. By order of my village¡¯s council, I am to take the place of the soon to be pass village Shaman. Yet, I desire freedom to roam around. Boundless adventure to move place to place as the wind takes me. That is natural for someone like me, for I am not a tree. Why root myself in place and grow old? I just turned of age, twenty summers, nineteen winters. The exploration guild had already accepted my request to join. So why do they ruin my future? My life? I am not some bird to be kept in a cage. The elder mother of the council sits before me on a comfortable pillow, grinding away at a mixture of herbs and fungi. I, however, am bound by my wrists to a stake in the ground of the yurt. While she has ornate, comfortable robes on. I hang naked, covered in magical markings, paint, and fresh tattoos. I hate her. I hate this village. I hate this. Hate. Hate. My angry gaze catches her attention, she speaks with a croaking voice. ¡°My dear, in the hundreds of years I have lived, I have never had one scowl at me so hard.¡± I retort angrily, ¡°In those centuries, how far and wide have you seen the world?¡± She pursed her lips and answered quite seriously, ¡°Mn, most of it. Most of it I can assure you is not worth seeing.¡± ¡°Elder Pifua, that¡¯s my decision to make. You plan to bind me here like the current Shaman. I am not cattle! Not to be used for medicine or fortune telling.¡± Pifua¡¯s wrinkled face smiles softly, ¡°Yes. Someone has to do it. The others might claim religious reasons, but I know it¡¯s just a practical need. Do not worry, dear, you won¡¯t be aware of it after tonight. Your mind will soar with nature, and you can see this whole land from here. You will speak with the gods and the trees. How is that a punishment?¡± ¡°Listen to yourself you old fucking hag! You¡¯re condemning me to live a century or two in a drug induced haze! Just to get some omens of the future? There¡¯s skills for that! I¡¯ve read in books that there are wizards who can see the future. Why this? Why me?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the youngest of the tribe, sweetheart. The Seto family¡¯s child isn¡¯t due for another decade, and then it would be two more before it would suffice for this. The current Shaman is going to the beyond this year. We cannot wait. As for others¡­ you would put the fate of our tribe in the hands of the non-Elven?¡± ¡°What is the harm in that? Other elven tribes have joined them just fine! Why must we be so traditionalist?¡± ¡°It is the way, dear. Now, let¡¯s get you comfortable.¡± I grit my teeth as she finishes up the mixture. No more talking. I will not allow her to put it in my mouth. I will not eat it. She stands with the bowl in her hand and then shakes her head slowly. ¡°Open or I will force it into you.¡± I growl through gritted teeth, ¡°fuhkyu.¡± Even if she does drug me, I¡¯ve practiced poisoning myself for years. I knew this would happen someday and I made preparation. Still, I¡¯m not going to just comply with the old hag. I open my menu in my mind¡¯s eye ¨C whilst twisting my head about to avoid the drugs at the same time. I seek re-assurance that the skills are there.
ACTIVE SKILLS: Drug Resistance Level 1; Continual passive application. Weak Barrier Level 1; Minor protection against cuts and piercing, 1 mana per hour.
With those two skills active, she shouldn¡¯t be able to easily inject me or poison me by a little at a time. I just need keep my mouth shut. ¡°Tsk,¡± she turns and fetches a long, wooden tool. That¡¯s a big needle? It isn¡¯t slick and polished nor does it have a fine tip. I widen my eyes and jerk my head away from her as she walks back towards me. It¡¯s a funnel for my nose! I forgot my nose! Those ice cold, elderly hands grip my hair and pull my head back. ¡°Wait wait! I¡¯ll take it properly!¡± ¡°No, you made your choice,¡± the old bitch says as she forced the long, thin section of the funnel up my nose. Gods, it hurts! It burns so much! I can feel blood trickling down my face as the cruel bitch twists it a little too hard. ¡°Hn, bones in the way,¡± she complains before putting more pressure on it. I scream as the ridge of the nasal bone cracks. The wooden instrument suddenly slides deeper into the back ¨C all the way until resistance stops it against. My world blanks out as I pass out from pain. ¡­ The world comes back to me in fits of swirling, bright images. They fade in and out of clarity as I drift in a dreamlike trance. I see things. A gathering of people. Chanting and singing of the words of magic. The smell of fresh blood. The Shaman killed by ritual and cut apart. It all floats in and out of my perception.
You have gained Drug Resistance Level 3
The world clears up around me, but only just enough. My body still is moved on its own, like a puppet by some magic caster¡¯s will. Pifua. I know its her. I can taste the witch doctor¡¯s mana with my soul. My eyes wander as I try to take in my situation. It¡¯s dusk, so it¡¯s been at least a whole day since she drugged me. Before me is the communal dining hall, the table within hosting a grand meal. The meal is already half-eaten, and I continue to consume it through Pifua¡¯s puppeteering. My eyes focus on the meal. It¡¯s the Shaman¡¯s body. All of it has been prepared as a meal and the majority has been eaten. Inside my head I scream in anger, yet my hands drunkenly move to consume more of him. I feel so full. It¡¯s sickening.
You have gained Vielfra?, Level 41 You have gained Inherited Memories, Level 18 You have received Curse: Rooted You have received Title: Shaman of the Yazenara Great Woods Tribe You have received Blessing of the Great Devourer You have received Blessing of the Great Woods You have received Class: Shadow Walker You have received message. Check messages.
This is to much. I retreat into my mind¡¯s space. Alone and scared. I have nothing to do. I¡¯m powerless. So, I distract myself with what I¡¯ve gained. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Vielfra? Level 41 You may consume the flesh of any living being and inherit their memories. The target may be consumes in whole or in part. User¡¯s body will conform to facilitate activation of skill. Upon activation, Inherited Memories is flagged for activation. You may bite through anything living, your strength will be enhanced until you succeed. Inherited Memories Level 18 Through another skill¡¯s abilities, you are capable of reading another¡¯s memories as long as the activating skill¡¯s requirements are engaged. Memories are fully available for one day to be perused through by the user. After a day, anything not committed to memory will fade away. Permanently incorporating the memories, mind, personality, skills, magics, or other elements of a soul will require a mana or XP cost. These requirements vary greatly. Under the correct ritualistic conditions you may absorb all of these things at the cost as required by the ritual. Curse: Rooted Your flesh may merge with a magic tree or magic wood. Once in place, your body will be grafted into the tree and you will become one with it. Your uses to others may vary, depending on the enchantments and plant that has been used to curse you, you are unable to move once fully rooted. Even by magical means.
Rooted¡­ the curse I didn¡¯t want to inherit. The curse that damns me. I¡¯ll never be free. I hate, hate this village. I hate everyone here. I hate everything about my life.
Title: Shaman of the Yazenara Great Woods Tribe You are the Shaman of the Yazenara Great Woods Tribe. The world pities you. Blessing of the Great Devourer Hraesvol has blessed you. Vielfra? now has unlimited use. You may consume as much as you desire with no ill effects. You are immune to any disease or food poisoning gained through meals. Blessing of the Great Woods Moderwodaz blesses you in your time of trial. You have gained the class Shadow Walker. The Great Woods will shade your movements and actions, you gain the class Shadow Walker. You may converse with trees and share their memories if they so will it. You gain the skill, Tree Friend.
Okay. Those are¡­ interesting. The world pities me, do the gods know my plight? ¡°Help me!¡± I cry out to the void. Nothing answers in this mindscape of mine. Continue to review.
Shadow Walker You are capable of accessing all Rogue and Assassin skill-sets. You have gained the Trait: Wood Walker, you may move through a forest via the trees at very high speeds, as an incorporeal mana shade. You have gained the Trait: Shadow Movement, you may move freely in the realm of shade, at a normal pace you are capable of, using shadows to enter and exit the realm. You have gained the Trait: True Stealth, you may move without emitting any sounds. Why does a Shaman have these skills? What possible use? You¡¯re stuck in a tree with the curse. Is that why they bind a Shaman, so they can¡¯t run away? In fact, I don¡¯t even see the word Shaman in any of these outside of the title. What am I even becoming? Reminder: you have received a message. Please check messages.
¡°Alright already! I¡¯m doing it!¡±
Message: Greetings next cursed one. Welcome to hell. Your skills will be cultivated and then passed down to the next individual. Through the use of the trees in our woods, myself and other past Shamans have trained the ability to move through the woods themselves. If you are reading this before you are rooted. Do not let the roots take hold! Escape! If you do not escape, then this message is for the one after you. You must do your best to cultivate those skills.
¡°What¡­¡± my voice echoes in my void. ¡°They¡¯ve been planning all this time. A way to escape. To find revenge. Now I, with poison resistance, will either get free or pass it to the next elf that has to be rooted. In a century or two. Like hell I¡¯m going to let that happen. I¡¯m getting fre ¨C AHG!¡± I am yanked out of my meditative mind space through the most intense pain yet. I look about in a panic, my neck barely responding to my efforts. Tree roots are digging into my skin and every orifice of my body. My throat is on fire as the tree reaches its way down it.
Status: Rooted, 98%, effect, immobility, anti-magic field.
Tears stream down my face as the status bar flashes into my mind¡¯s eye. It is almost over. Almost. I see Pifua preparing another dose of the drug nearby. Her face gives fuel to my rage. Like hell I¡¯m staying here! Absolutely not!
Skill activated: Vielfra?, Level 41
My jaw cracks and reinforces as my teeth sink into the root that¡¯s in my mouth. I can hear the great village tree screaming suddenly in agony. Pifua and other villagers are in a panic, trying to figure out what is happening. Good. Fear me, bitch. With a crunch, I bite through the root in my mouth. With that severed, I look at the status.
Status: Rooted, 47%, effect, stiff movement.
Bingo.
Skill activated: Wood Walker, Level 1
I slip right into the tree itself. My body phasing out of a corporeal form. Now the bastards are REALLY confused. It looks like the tree just ate me alive. ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be the other way around now,¡± I murmur aloud to myself. Except they all freeze in terror. My voice echoes through the nearby trees as if it was the woods themselves talking to them.
Skill activated: Tree Friend, Level 27
All of the trees in the wood start to move. Shifting, sliding in place. A wall around the entire village now. The magic tree I hurt, however, refuses to cooperate. ¡°You who were soaked in the blood of those before me, I will uproot you. You who are unremorseful.¡± Other trees push it over and grind it beneath their bulky roots. In a matter of minutes now, the village is entirely surrounded. Elves that fled into the woods vanish with screams as roots pull them beneath the ground. I materialize out of the trees, ending Wood Walker. The mana cost was too high at this point to continue it; I feel a strain on my soul. A hunger. ¡°Oh Pifua~¡± I say with a pleasant voice. The group of elves suddenly distance themselves as far from the woman as possible. Roots grab her and she is roughly thrown towards me. A cracking sound escapes her rib cage as she lands at my feet. ¡°Pifua~ elder, witch doctor, have I become what you want? A shaman?¡± I put my boot to her neck as she gasps for breath. ¡°Bullshit this is not a shaman¡¯s skills. You¡¯ve been abusing the blessing of the woods. You abused the woods itself. You corrupted the village¡¯s tree. Your family is to blame for all this. The village is to blame, even. Blood. Sap. On everyone¡¯s hands. I can see it all now. I can see the memories of all those before me. I can see the wood¡¯s memories¡­ and Pifua.¡± My mind races with a flood of memories, mostly from the prior shamans, but also the trees telling me what has happened. I lean down to her with a smile, ¡°and these woods have a long memory.¡±
Skill activated: Vielfra?, Level 41
My jaw breaks apart. It hurts but not as much as the torture I received at this woman¡¯s hands. ¡°I will, return the favor, yes?¡± I begin to consume her. Not like a snake, but rather, the trees rip meat off her. Piece by piece. I consume her. I keep her alive as long as I can. Meanwhile, the villagers stand in terror before rational thought informs them to flee. The trees have, hah, rooted them in place. I make them watch every moment of it. ¡°A fate you gave the prior shaman, now yours.¡± Her memories scroll through my head, and I find many interesting things. The trees give me some of their mana, and I keep absorbing everything useful from her soul and mind. It tastes foul, just like her, but I do it. She took from me, so I take from her. Roaming her memories, I head right to the start of it all. There: Pifua is conversing with someone. Their face and name are obscured in the memory, likely by some form of magic. Yet, I know it is a female vampire with silver hair. This wretched monster is teaching Pifua how to accomplish a form of vampirism. The wretch was over three thousand years old; drinking the bloodsap of the rooted to get vitality. All of it, the entire village, was a sham to milk elves of their lives. Everyone knew, and so the youngest were raised in ignorance. It was always the youngest of the tribe to go first. Then ¡®volunteers¡¯ if the tree demanded. The village is built on lies and sacrifice of the young. Anger boils out from the depths of my soul as the memories fade away into reality. ¡°Half of you are almost as old as Pifua. What, did you get jealous of high elves?¡± I scorn them as they stare back with terrified looks. ¡°So, I return that favor. Thank you for the meal,¡± I say sarcastically as roots proceed to slaughter them all. It is nearly impossible to escape the trees and within moments the terrible cries are silenced. There are only a few villagers that aren¡¯t present, all guilty. The vampire, as well, I will find her or her lineage. My mind is overwhelmed with the cries of the damned. The near endless mana and the use of my skills drive me to the brink of insanity. It has been a century since that event. I aimlessly wander. The hunger of countless souls cry out to me. I am Feya, the champion of Hraesvol. Bringer of woe. Friend of trees. Devourer of the unjust. I hunger for their sins. An aimless terror that stalks the night. Ahead of me, in my future, I see the greatest sinners of all. With a smile, I set off to join the Hero¡¯s Party. Chapter 9 – Side Story: Heart of Sin Chapter 9 ¨C Side Story: Heart of Sin Rolland ducks as a frying pan soars his way. ¡°Close, almost got me Jeane,¡± he says with a grin. She screams at him, ¡°you bastard, Rolland! You killed people! Stay away!¡± ¡°Oh honey, why would you say that to me, huh? You married me, you know? I was sure you loved me,¡± he crooned. "Why did you open my freezer? I even hid the bloody key, dear!" His wife grabbed a meat mallet and swung it at his head. He goes down with a thump. Jeanne finds her cell phone and calls emergency services via 9-9-9. ¡°Help!¡± she screams into the phone, ¡°My husband is trying to kill me!¡± Gong! Another frying pan, this time from Rolland. He sighs at the phone, hearing a muffled voice. "We''re fine here," he says before breaking the phone. ¡°Oh Jeanne. You didn¡¯t have to go and do that, you know?¡± ¡°Did you know, that across the past two decades, 17% of all female homicide victims were domestic abuse victims? If you didn¡¯t open my freezer you wouldn¡¯t have added to that statistic, Jeanne.¡± He moves her body to the kitchen counter, surrounded by some knives. ¡°Hack, whack,¡± he sings an old song as he straddles her body. Jeanne comes back to consciousness as Rolland grabs a chef knife. ¡°Single women and married women ¨C OOF!¡± A knee to his crotch quickly sends him over the side. Jeanne scrambles to her feet off the counter and goes for the fallen knife, one leg dragging behind her as she limps forward. Rolland squirms on the floor in intense pain, barely standing back up. ¡°Hey Rolland,¡± he hears her yell out to him. Just as he turns, she jabs the chef knife right into his shoulder. ¡°F-f-fuck you!¡± Up and down swings the knife, before she finally cuts his throat open on the side. "God... got me good. Nice. I will...¡± he praises his wife as blood rapidly pours from the stab wound. He knows he has seconds to speak. That eternal blackness is creeping into the corners of his vision already. He gurgles his last words, "...see you... another life." Darkness and pain overtakes him. He could swear he saw all the people he had murdered standing behind Jeanne. Alive and staring him down to the pits of hell. ¡­ Rolland finds himself floating through darkness. Ethereal and incomplete. Motes of light fly past him as he slowly sinks onto a platform of shapeless light. ¡°Well, this is it. Looks like there¡¯s no hell, huh?" Suddenly dozens of ghostly hands reach out of the light ¨C they grab him and begin pulling him apart. Faces of women and men he had murdered glaring in pure hatred. A bell tolls in the distance and the souls begrudgingly settle down. Yet, they stay clung to his body like weights. Weights, dragging a man to the depths of the ocean. Rolland screams out, ¡°Is this judgement, God? Come on, show your fucking face! You just going to ring bells at me?¡± A cold wind blasts him as a luminous ever-changing shape leans in close to him from far away. ¡°If that is what you want,¡± it says. Its mouth opens wider and a deafening bell clanging from it. Rolland cries out, his very being shaking to the core. It stops, after some time, and the entity speaks. ¡°I do not want your soul in my system anymore. I shall expel you into the void. Die the final death, knowing the souls you chained to your sins shall be reincarnated and blessed. Furthermore, I do believe your wife will make a surprisingly good recovery, too. Her fate... well it is clouded, but better without you." ¡°Really? That¡¯s all? No fire? No hell? You just do a little good as if that fixes everything huh? I''m not stupid. I know I''ve done evil. I loved it. I fucking loved it. No amount of your ''fixing'' things will change the fact that I killed them.¡± ¡°It is true that I do not act to fully reverse evil deeds. To remove them from history would be unfair to others who have suffered and not been saved. So, would I then remove hunger? Remove sickness? The difficulties of life are what make life precious to the living. Yet, people like you stamp out that blessing. That joy that is life. Scum like you are cast to the void." The deity continues to speak, mostly to the others present. "None of you are responsible for his actions. Live anew with no guilt. As for his fate. Bereft of capital punishment, banishing him to the void is my only option. I do not even want the remains of his soul to foul any world." A long arm reaches out from the light, it is covered in mouths and eyes. Rolland screams, "In the void, alone, you will be lost to time and space. Torn apart by the creatures that roam there. Begone from my sight and die your final death.¡± Rolland screams as immense pain racks his soul. Soon he finds himself falling endlessly into the dark. There is nothing. Cold. Empty. Void. ... A white rabbit sits on his chest. ¡°Hello,¡± it says with a pleased tone. ¡°Do you want a chance to kill a god?¡± Rolland furrows his brows a moment in confusion. ¡°Bloody hell, did I go that crazy that fast?¡± ¡°Oh no, I am quite real. Come with me to my parlor.¡± ¡°Said the spider to the fly,¡± Rolland laughed. ¡°I¡¯m a rabbit.¡± ¡°No shit, turn of phrase.¡± Suddenly the world shifts around them into a smoky gambling den. It might very well be at home beneath a building somewhere in London. Present in the room are many creatures of all sorts. The rabbit shifts to a pale humanoid form with rabbit ears and purple eyes. It¡¯s wearing a suit with a purple bow, and a grin across stretches across its face in an unnatural way. ¡°Welcome to my parlor, Rolland. I saw what the big guy for Earth did to you,¡± he, it, the thing smiles as it walks behind the bar. As if all is normal, the monster fixes up a drink for some of its patrons. ¡°So, like I was saying. Do you want to kill a god?¡± ¡°What do you mean exactly?¡± ¡°Alright, basic crash course on the multiverse. You see, there are deities like the one you just met. They run their own little worlds out in the depths of time and space. Each have their own little quirks. They aren¡¯t the only deities either,¡± the rabbit-thing smiled. ¡°Okay, so what, how does this relate to what you want to do?¡± ¡°Not done. So, each world is ruled by an entity that manages them, and if that god dies then that world is open to the void. The voice is, by the way, where you so happen to be in right now. We''re just inside a little pocket of reality I made for it." It gestures around the room before pointing to the monsters inside it. "Denizens of the void are lost spirits like yourself or even lesser gods. Of course, out in the void you can find islands of broken reality¡­ but we denizens want a whole world to call home, you see? That means killing a god and taking their world.¡± ¡°So, everyone horrible gets cast out here? What about people like Hitler? Are they out there leading armies of ghost Nazis or something? Or Nero fiddling on an endless tide of fire?¡± ¡°Oh no, most humans get torn apart by monsters like my customers here,¡± it says with a grin, gesturing to half the room that has been quietly watching Rolland¡¯s soul. ¡°I assure you, the more wicked you are, the quicker you are torn apart. So such... trash doesn''t last long out there. Unlike you! That¡¯s one reason I chose you. Discarded and irredeemably evil, but not so evil that you are useful. Too bright to the void. Immediately be consumed by us here. No, what I need a willing, no name killer. Scum like you. Trash. Flotsam. Detritus. Shit.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I get it. I get it. So, you think I''d even be able to go back and kill the big guy back there?¡± ¡°What? Oh no. Not at all. There¡¯s something else planned for him. No no, what I want you to do is go to another world! A god will reincarnate you as a hero." "I''m no hero, didn''t you just say that?" "There¡¯s an available slot coming up and we can slip you right in¡­ a second life to do as you please! Though, you will owe us.¡± ¡°Us¡­ so who exactly are you?¡± ¡°Sari, the ex-God of Terror, with a penchant for gambling and deal making. I sort of got banished from Two, and I¡¯m not able to trick Two even if I tried." The rabbit monster stretches its grin even wider. "So, me and my gang here plan to target Seven. She¡¯s the weakest of them all. Likes playing with her little fantastical magic world. A hero-villain cycle. Pretty twisted, right? Making two people endlessly kill each other. Really, you¡¯d be doing that world a favor to free it from her cycle. Break her hero system to tiny pieces." ¡°So let me get this straight. You want me trick a god that I am the right choice for their hero. Ruin their system by not being a hero. That way I break the bloody world fate or something. All so she can be killed by you?¡± Rolland rubs at his temples slowly. ¡°Exactly! We will happily take over from that point on. At which point you can permanently retire. We''ll do the whole god killing, but it is you who will enable us. Of course, we might save a piece of her for you. Perhaps you can become a god of, I don¡¯t know, pointless murder, abuse, and living trash?¡± Sari grins even wider to the point that it isn¡¯t even a human smile anymore. ¡°It¡¯s a hobby,¡± Rolland insists with a sneer. ¡°Not pointless at all.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Sari twists his head around and upside down. ¡°If you say so. Frankly, human lives are beneath me. Powerful ones are worth making deals with but, I don¡¯t really care what you do. Break free of her fate for you and ruin her system. Chaos. Disorder. Bring about the end of the world. That sort of stuff. Maybe if you become powerful you''ll get my attention. Become the hero the world doesn''t need." ¡°You say hero like this is some knights and magic shit?¡± ¡°Aye, that it be capitan~¡± Sari says with a pirate voice, ¡°Ye see, ya be thar fighten tha demon king. An evil beastie ye see.¡± ¡°Please stop talking like that,¡± a bird in the corner says. The shoebill stork looks up, ¡°Sari, just eat the thing. It isn¡¯t worth your time. He¡¯s just a cruel little chump, he is not even worth the time to talk about. ¡± ¡°EXACTLY! I need someone worth nothing!¡± "You''re saying that like you''ll actually succeed this time... this will be great. Fabulous. Have fun failing." Rolland suddenly interjects, ¡°I¡¯m in. If only to piss off the bird there." ¡°Great, greaaaat. Let¡¯s shake on it, stupid murderous human," Sari giggles. ¡°A chance to keep my hobby. I''ll take it. Though, keep calling me insults and I¡¯ll murder you,¡± Rolland says as he shakes a deal with his right hand. In a flash, a quarter of Rolland¡¯s body is gone. Now, Sari is holding the man¡¯s spiritual right arm and part of the torso. ¡°I do not like threats, Mister Rolland Sandera. I will take this as payment,¡± Sari says as he begins to consume the torn bits of human soul. Rolland doubles over onto the ground, screaming with the most intense agony imaginable. Despite the arm being torn from him, he still feels everything done to his soul. This was the hell he was expecting. Sari reached into the soul and tore out another piece and began smacking on it like an apple. ¡°I hope you get my point, Rolland. You made a deal with a devil. You will get your just punishment even from evil deities. You taste delicious, Rolland. So delicious. I want to finish you off right now, but, oh, an eternity of being digested within my manapool would leave me without a tool to use on Seven!¡± Rolland can only scream pain and terror to Sari. ¡°You see, it takes a few centuries to digest a snack like this, so you¡¯ll feel every second of it as a soul. In a body, maybe not, but when you dream? You will feel... that endless pain, tickling the far reaches of your soul. A gentle reminder that you do as I say or you join the rest of you. Freedom gained only by accomplishing my task. Are. We. Clear?¡± ¡°GHyyeaaess!¡± Rolland manages to spit out. Sari finishes swallowing the rest and then hops the bar to squat over the downed Rolland. Sari smiles more gently at his suffering. ¡°Good. Deal made. Just remember that little tingle of pain if you need a reminder that the clock is ticking.¡± Rolland¡¯s world came back to him as hot sweat rolled down his face. He looked to his missing side in horror and shock. He holds his wounds that feel like thousands of little needles wiggling into the missing parts. "H-How can I help you now?! Gyaahh!" ¡°Remember, this is your soul. When in a body, soul damage is less noticeable. Now, lets get you to Seven. The story is simple, you were being transferred from Earth to become the hero. Void beings attacked mid-transfer. You will arrive damaged. Seven will feel guilty about this and, boom, you get rushed into a new body.¡± Rolland moans as Sari simply grabs him and walks off. "I hope you enjoy your time playing with us real monsters, Mr. Rolland.¡± The vast emptiness is now slightly more clear to his blurring eyes. It''s now more akin to a broken world stretched across infinity. There were lines of glowing energy shooting around from place to place. With a terrifying speed, he is brought alongside a moving line of energy. Inside he can see a human man. ¡°Alright, time to swap!¡± Sari reaches in with a suddenly very clawed hand. The monstrous deity rips the human soul free of the bubble. The other man screams before the rabbit consumes the entirety of him. Rolland simply stares in horror, ¡°Here have some, monster! You wanted to be like us. Surely. The way you acted back on Earth!" Sari shoves a glowing bit of spirit into Rolland¡¯s mouth. He doubles over in pain as a golden light sews into his flesh."Wwhyyy!?" ¡°Transferred a part of that soul to you so she¡¯s fooled. Could of done other ways, but that was the most fun way. Now, in you go! Five seconds before you arrive!¡± Sari shoves Rolland inside the beam, ¡°Your motivation for this play is a monster. Roar! A scary monster attacked you. Haha.¡± Rolland merely quivered in pain but otherwise seemed unresponsive to the supposed acting advice Sari was providing. The entity simply stares before their face warps into an inconceivable blackness. Purple eyes stare at Rolland from within the endless dark of that gaping maw. Dozens of purple tongues spew forth as hundreds of rabbit teeth now line the monster¡¯s mouth. A deafening growl of a voice shakes Rolland''s very soul. ¡°How about now?¡± It grins. Rolland faints. ¡­ Not long after, the murderer finds himself laying on a marble floor. Covered in spiritual sweat from the pure terror that just faced him. The voice of a woman shrieks in a panic as the Greek-like goddess rushes over to him. ¡°Oh my, oh my, oh no. I messed up. Human, are you alright? Human? Can you hear me?¡± The dazed Rolland just stares at her golden eyes, porcelain flesh, and red hair. With no response, she panics and mends his soul with some of her own spiritual makeup. Rolland¡¯s eyes shoot open completely as he cries out in shock. ¡°Sh sh, it¡¯s okay brave one. It¡¯s my fault you were attacked. I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she lifts him and walks over to a bed that has appeared. Rolland stares at her. The goddess steps back and asks once more, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rolland simply lays there with a blank stare. Slowly she runs her fingers through his hair. "Poor, poor hero. I''m... I''m so sorry. I messed that up." Slowly he comes to and then with a start, he looks to his right arm, the spirit is repaired and replaced with a golden flesh. He still feels the tingling of Sari¡¯s slow digestion of the stolen parts, but something about this mend makes it far less painful. "Heal thy mind, mortal soul," she says with a soft glow. Rolland''s trauma lessons ever so slightly. ¡°Wh-what happened, where am I? I was¡­ alive¡­ doing alive things. Uh... Cooking. In my kitchen.¡± Sweat runs down his neck, his eyes locked on hers as he tries to bluff. If she catches on he will be cast out. Cast out to meet that thing again. Here he was safe. Right? ¡°Oh, oh I am so sorry. I must inform you that you have somehow died by some sort of kitchen accident,¡± she slows down as she looks at a file. ¡°... while skydiving? No no, this is wrong¡­ what do I pay them for, can¡¯t even get me the right file,¡± she mutters as she throws a folder away into nothingness. The woman clears her throat and goes right back to her script. ¡°Ahem. Brave human, I have summoned you from Earth. Your mettle has earned you the right to be a hero on my world. I must warn you, your part to play does end in your inevitable death. However, upon completion, you will be returned here and given a third chance at a normal life.¡± ¡°Death? But why?¡± ¡°It is the cycle of this world, in order to keep balance. The wax and wane of good and evil. I shift things around to prevent too much accumulation of corrupted spirits.¡± ¡°¡­ that makes sense I guess?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m glad it does! Hero, may I have your name?¡± ¡°Rolland. Rolland Sandera.¡± ¡°Oh, brave hero, Rolland Sandera, I am Seven, Goddess of this world. I am pleased to offer you this second chance at life. So please accept and I shall bless you and send you to the summoning the world has prepared for you.¡± ¡°I, uh, will accept. What, sort of blessings?¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m glad you asked. You will start at level ten but gain XP four times faster than normal people until you are around level 90. ¡°What?! XP? Is this a videogame or something?¡± ¡°Hmn, no not quite. Though I do enjoy games, so it can¡¯t be helped!¡± The Goddess laughs, ¡°I will grant you heroic strength or heroic magic as a focus. Which do you choose?¡± ¡°Strength, I like to be close and, uh, personal¡­¡± ¡°Very well, you shall have your strength. Hero Rolland. As you progress, I will check in and provide more help should it be needed. Your mission is to save as many lives as you can. Become a shining beacon to the people of this world, and inevitable martyr.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he says with a wry smile. ¡°Best of luck, Rolland, please pray to me should you need my attention!¡± The man vanishes from the room in a circle of light. Summoned to the planet itself. There, Seven stands with soft sigh, ¡°I really hope he does okay. Seems like such a nice guy.¡± She pulls the clips from her hair and shakes it out free. Another Seven opens a door in the wall of glowing light. She steps next to herself, though this one in an office suit with glasses. ¡°Boss, I just went through the papers you sent back. We should have gotten a Ryan Smithy from America.¡± ¡°Well, this one has such a lovely British accent, I couldn¡¯t just say no. He got hurt coming here too!¡± ¡°So you sent him ahead without any sort of screening. Because of his accent. I mean, I should know you did, I¡¯m you. It still boggles my mind.¡± A wall falls down, revealing stage lights and an office space. Several other Sevens panic and proceed to clean the mess up. ¡°He¡¯s gone, don¡¯t worry,¡± the office Seven yells out to her many clones. ¡°Clutz here rushed it.¡± ¡°Clutz?! I¡¯ll clutz you!¡± ¡°You can try, but you have a meeting with one of the lesser deities in an hour.¡± ¡°Oh? Who is it again?¡± ¡°A gambling deity known as Sari. Apparently the southern nations brought him into existence. When we informed him of the situation, he said desires to meet his new boss. We tried to explain to him that all of us are Seven, but he insisted on THE Seven. So, batters up.¡± ¡°¡­ must I really? I wanted to watch Rolland¡¯s first day.¡± ¡°Yes, really. What harm can meeting a subordinate for five minutes possibly be? Just go, Clutz.¡± Chapter 10 – Side Story: The Summoning Chapter 10 ¨C Side Story: The Summoning Motes of dust float through rays of sunlight. A breath of cool air brings frost onto every surface it touches as a large summoning circle softly glows. Surrounding the circle were several thickly robed mages and priests of varying faiths. At the center of the group stands a priestess, cloaked in white and blue. Her ice eyes nearly glowing beneath her light-green hair. ¡°Oh Goddess Sette, please hear our cry for help. I, your loyal Saint, Linette Aseria, do beseech thee for a boon. Please, deliver to us, a hero worthy of our cause. A hero that will lead us to victory against the darkness that gathers in faraway lands.¡± Linette slams her staff down onto the ground with a clunk. For a brief moment nothing happens. The priests glance sideways at each other, before suddenly a blinding flash of white floods the room. Once their eyes readjust, a tall man with black hair and blue eyes stands there. Naked in his newly formed body, save for a silk loincloth. His right breast to arm has a soft golden sheen to it, as if it radiates holy energy. The rest of him was just a regular, well-toned human. Without missing a beat, she turns her head to one side with a dark red blush. ¡°Priests. Robes!¡± The man is quickly made decent, but all the while his blue eyes never left Linette''s face. She¡¯s notices this thousand yard stare and takes it as some sort of romantic interest. She never ceases blushing, turning even redder as she speaks, ¡°Sir Hero, you have been summoned in our time of need to face the Darkness that gathers. Please accept our humble request to defeat the Demon King and the menace that is his kind.¡± A few moments pass before the man speaks up. ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever,¡± he says calmly. ¡°Your Goddess sort-of filled me in.¡± The priests around look taken aback at his casual commentary of the Goddess. Yet none dare speak, as it is true the man has just come from their god. One short priest finally speaks, his voice echoes throughout the room. ¡°Please show some respect for Sette." The man blinks a few times before a look of understanding comes across his face. He simply nods to the request. Another person finally speaks. A scribe hiding off to the side. ¡°Hero, what is your name, so that we might make a record of your deeds?¡± The handsome man smiles wryly, ¡°Rolland. I have no surname here, so please bestow me one if it is required.¡± The saint nods, ¡°Aldera. Rolland Aldera sounds nice. Aldera means Old Time. So that you may bring back our more joyous days.¡± Rolland merely smirks at that. So much confidence on display for everyone here! ¡°If you would please place your hand on this crystal ball,¡± another priest says, ¡°So that we might see your traits.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Rolland says before putting his hand on it. As the priest and Rolland both look at seemingly nothing, Linette swiftly steps up. She takes the opportunity to put her hand right onto of Rolland¡¯s. ¡°My,¡± she says, blurting over the priest well before he can speak, ¡°He is most definitely the hero. Though Rolland will need training. The palace grounds may not suffice... Hero Rolland, as soon as you are adjusted, please dress properly. King Naryn desires an audience with you. I am aware this is all such a rush, but there is cause for haste. After this audience we must move you to a temple. For training.¡± Rolland simply nods, apparently still staring at his status screen. The priest who brought the ball over, thus far completely trampled by Linette, tries to stay relevant. ¡°Sir, if you focus on the concept of ¡®information about self¡¯ or ¡®my spirit¡¯ or ¡®status¡¯ ¨C you will have this appear in your mind¡¯s eye. You can interact with it through intent. It displays all your traits, skills, and needs. The Goddess is constantly tweaking things, so if you find something has changed, do not be alarmed. No one can see it unless you permit them or they have a crystal here." Linette stares daggers at the priest, and deflects the conversation once again. ¡°This can be discussed later. Please, have an escort take him to his bedchambers in the eastern wing.¡± Two guards casually approach from the sides of the room and gesture for Rolland to follow. Not long after the doors shut, the priest from earlier speaks up in protest. ¡°Saint Linette. Is it appropriate for you to house him in the same wing as yourself?! You are a saint! The eastern wing, during your stay here, is purely for you and your attendants! Furthermore, it is improper to speak over me like that!¡± Linette scowls at him with annoyance. ¡°I speak the truth of the Goddess. Of which, might I remind you, the man just came from our Goddess'' presence. Did he not? Did you not see his arm? Does that not make him a saint as well?¡± ¡°I¡­ well I suppose so, but¡­¡± The priests looked at each other and the mages shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s settled! Rolland will just have to stay across from me. It is what it is! I¡¯ll be fine, it is only a minor inconvenience,¡± she chirps happily. Taking her staff, she practically prances off in a hurry to the eastern wing. ////////////////// Saint Linette¡¯s Point of View ¡°Haaaa..¡± I sigh a breath of stress relief now that I am alone in my quarters. The hero, Rolland, he is perfectly handsome. Exactly my type! Oh how I adore everything about him. ¡°We¡¯re both saints, too,¡± I giggle. ¡°I mean technically he is a saint, right? That makes it okay, right? To... to... hold hands and... marry?" The last word is practically whispered. I waltz over to the windows to look out on the day. Such a perfect day. Everything is great and everyone is wonderful. ¡°Today could not have a smudge on it if it tried, absolutely wonderful,¡± my mind wanders with thoughts of Rolland. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I pick up a doll on my bed, puppeteering it with her usual little voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask the Goddess that he be handsome and cute? Since the dumb priests won¡¯t let you marry anyone not holy except them! Stupid priests. So, you got what you wished for? Did ya? Did ya?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes I did! Someone handsome. Someone fit. Not a dumb priest or priestess. I mean, anyone would have worked for me as long as the Goddess sent them, but heheee~ I can¡¯t wait! I¡¯m going to go on adventures with him. We¡¯re going to go kill demons and fight the demon king and then fall in love along the way and marry and have kids and become parents and then be free to do as we want because no one can stop us!¡± I simply run out of breath with my excitement. Then I wiggle my doll while voicing her once more, ¡°But Linette don¡¯t you think it¡¯s wrong to force your dreams and romantic thoughts on a man you just met? What if he doesn¡¯t swing that way?!¡± ¡°Ohhh hush you, hush hush shush. It doesn¡¯t matter. We are fated to be together. There is no way anything will get between us. Even orientation. I can fix that with the right methods, heehee~¡± ¡°Ohhh clever Linette. Clever! A lobotomy because men are just muscle? Or drugs so he can''t complain?¡± A knock on her door causes a chill to race up my spine. I jerk around towards it and yelp out, ¡°Who is it?!¡± ¡°Madam Linette, Master Rolland is ready and already on his way to see the King of this Kingdom.¡± I weightlessly bound towards the door and jerk it open. A few minutes to myself to vent my feelings does wonders! Oh Rolland, I¡¯m going to make you love me. ¡°Madam, were you once again speaking to yourself with that doll?¡± A maid says. Felicia, my loyal beast. A house cat with use. Those adorable feline ears and that long black tail! I love that she just waits for me at the door. ¡°Felicia, you heard nothing. Are we clear?!" I try to intimidate her into compliance. Like all cats though she rarely listens to me entirely. ¡°Madam, half the staff could hear your swooning.¡± Wait, what?! My flush hot as she calls attention to this even more. ¡°H-he didn¡¯t hear me did he?!¡± I am petrified in place. I could be a statue right now. ¡°No Madam, he was a hallway over. Though if you do get any louder, he may very well. I merely thought it wise to remind you to have some self control even in private?¡± ¡°Oh, shush you. You know I¡¯ve been looking for someone¡­ permanent. This is just the perfect chance. Not some old doddering priest or late-night companion. A really handsome man who I can actually marry!¡± ¡°Shall I get the drugs then? If we do it tonight we could be out of the country before the churches or kingdoms realize¡­¡± ¡°NO! Absolutely not. I want him to love me. If I can¡¯t make him, only then will I take it! Until such a time, I will try the hard way.¡± ¡°As you say Madam,¡± the maid sighs at me. Really, I can¡¯t believe they heard me. How¡­ embarrassing. I make my way to the throne room as swiftly as I can through this castle. I¡¯ve only been here a few times so it takes me a fair moment to find my way without asking for help. There, the doors before me! Rolland is on the other side talking to some oldfart king. Now to shine! Now is my time to show him a softer, beautiful side! The men in waiting open the doors for me as I pass through as elegantly as possible. Each step softer than a cloud. My back arched and my bosom out. There he is, Rolland! Kneeling, oh so cutely before¡­ ¡°Princess?¡± I practically spit out in disbelief. ¡°W-where is the King?!¡± The Princess! An Elven whore! I see now, she¡¯s got her eyes on him! I see it so clearly! That is why they wanted him summoned here! Oh how clear it is to me now, how she angles herself to him. Her eyes shift to me briefly in recognition of my question. ¡°My father, King Naryn, has left to tend to urgent matters. I am welcoming the Hero Rolland Aldera in his stead, and giving him my blessing and favor of the Kingdom of Nyn.¡± Her blessing?! I already gave him a welcome! I hurry up to his side and possessively stand guard over his right shoulder. The Princess and I glare at each other with the intensity of a thousand suns. Rolland, poor Rolland, is terrified of her. Looking away from us both! He''s shaking and sweating. Poor man! He must be so terrified of her. ¡°Well, he has been welcomed and blessed. We should leave right away. The demons wait for no man,¡± I interpose in an attempt to pull him away. ¡°Oh, the war can wait long enough to train the Hero, can it not? He has yet to even have a meal since he arrived, Saint Linette.¡± Oh, that wench! He will have a meal! In my bedroom! I¡¯ll get the maids to fetch the grandest feast. I open my mouth to speak, but she continues on. ¡°Thus, I shall host a grand feast tonight in the Hero¡¯s Honor. He may have the right-hand seat to royalty,¡± the Princess says with a coy little smirk. That. BITCH. I barely can keep my composure and not create a diplomatic incident. ¡°Worry not about training him or feeding him, Princess Naryn. He will be fine on the road, learning and eating along the way.¡± I need to get him away from her! ¡°Oh? The roads are congested this time of year and you would have to haul training equipment. You need not stress yourself, Saint Linette. I mean this. You will have plenty of time to ¡®train¡¯ the Hero whilst you borrow him for the journey.¡± Borrow? BORROW?! I do not want your table scraps, Madam! ¡°Princess, I most certainly will provide Rolland with the best of care. I¡­¡± want to kill you, ¡°¡­ am grateful for your support in welcoming him.¡± For now. Bitch. The Princess nods, and then turns to Rolland, ¡°Now where were we? Oh, yes. Rise, Sir Rolland, Hero of the world, Hero of Naryn.¡± I scream internally as the Princess essentially knights him under her banner. Rolland just accepts, that poor, innocent man. He has no idea what he has done! I¡¯ll have to educate him about his actions later. Perhaps Felicia was right, perhaps I do need the drugs! Though not for Rolland and not the type that makes one compliant. I grit my teeth through the entire meeting, my mind racing on ways to recover from this downhill tumble. As soon as we both exit the throne room, I look to Rolland with a pleasant as possible smile, ¡°I am sorry if you were overwhelmed by royalty. They can be¡­ difficult. Imagine living a boring life locked away in some castle forever. She just can¡¯t help but be boring.¡± Rolland looks to me briefly, perhaps stunned with the revelation of how dull life here would be? ¡°Saint Linette, I have only been here a few hours, but I already feel safe with both of you caring so much for my well-being. I will definitely need you to guide me through this world.¡± It¡¯s almost like he knew exactly what to say to calm me. At least somewhat calm me. ¡°T-thank you Sir Rolland.¡± ///////////////////////////////// Elsewhere¡­ Felicia puts down the ale as she sighs. While looking to the other servants, she calmly declares: ¡°Yes it is true, our Lady has found a man she desires permanently. So no, disposing of his body will not be necessary this time.¡± Another maid speaks up, ¡°Miss Felicia, can we at least neuter him?¡± More chime in, ¡°Or accidentally lock him in the dungeon?¡± ¡°How about kidnap her and keep her away?¡± ¡°What about just killing him and blaming demons?¡± Felicia slams her mug on the table. ¡°No. We must accept that Saint Linette has found another person she wants to keep. We all knew this day was coming. We have kept her happy and safe. It is time we welcome a man into her collection." ¡°He wasn''t there for her, not once! Where was he when we bathed and dried her body. For years!¡± another chimes in. ¡°Where was he when I cart all her dirty clothes away~¡± adds a fifth with a rather disingenuous smile. ¡°SHUT UP. We all agreed to stay by her side until she dismisses us! Calm your obsessions and focus on preparing this Rolland person. He must learn manners if he is to become an object of her desire. He must learn to respect the Saint as the Goddess she is to us. If she chooses him, then he must never set eyes on another person without her permission.¡± Everyone chimes in support of this statement. ¡°To keep Saint Linette happy, Rolland must remain with her forever and ever!¡± A collective cheer and drinks all around were clinked. Felicia took another drink before quietly muttering to herself, ¡°If he hurts her, though, I¡¯ll lobotomize him." Chapter 11 – Opening Moves Chapter 11 ¨C Opening Moves The sun rises on massive movement through the slopes of the highlands. Thousands of beings march with banners held high. The banners of King Rall and King Dolden over three armies converging onto one region. Midway down the slopes several men and women gather around a war table. The table itself is gently moving down the pathway, carried by many animated skeletal legs. A herald steps forward and speaks to all present. ¡°Let the records show that King Rall, General Ogdor, General Elzba, General Gimdon, and General Flellen are present for the meeting and planning of the upcoming engagement.¡± All present simply nod or mutter in agreement. King Rall steps to the foreground with a cold face. ¡°Gentlemen, this is our last meeting before the battle. On our way here, I have prepared the exact details for our engagement.¡± Helvair points to the map, ¡°General Ogdor¡¯s Lizardmen and supporting Goblins from King Dolden, commanded by General Flellen. You are known as Group B.¡± The two bow slightly to his words. ¡°You both will head northeast to the small villages that lay by the Spire Glacial Lake. Citizens need to be evacuated into the mountain pass. Set up defenses on the west side of the Spire River.¡± ¡°Group A,¡± Helvair says, ¡°Consists of myself and General Elzba. We shall head southeast and make a big show of it in the open fields there. Hopefully, the enemy forces will come and split to two battles.¡± ¡°Group C, currently in active combat, are operating under General Gimdon¡¯s direction. Group C is primarily low Goblins. For the past few days these troops have raided supply lines for the border guards. Our enemies have prepared their nearby troops to respond in force and pursue these raiders.¡± He points to the woods between Group A and B, ¡°Group C will bait the enemy into our defenses. The majority of their troops will re-organize once battles begin and then support as needed.¡± General Gimdon, a low goblin, grins like a beast. Every tooth golden and shiny in the sunrise. ¡°Yes, yes, my raiders, they report much angry humans and elves. Gathering but no supply safe. Angry. Much mad with us, haheee~!¡± ¡°Your efforts are recognized. King Dolden provided us with good men. We shall rely on you,¡± Helvair smiles. ¡°Oh yes, yes, rely on us as much as can. Be there to help, much help until end.¡± Helvair simply assents and continues to speak. ¡°The hero is far in the east portions of the enemy territories. This engagement is meant to weaken their conventional fighting force. If for some reason the hero shows up, a red flare should be cast to the sky. In the event of that, our forces will retreat to the pass and join up a solid defense line. Know that I wish not to retreat, but neither can we fight multiple fronts against the enemy with the hero present. It ends only in wholesale slaughter.¡± The generals all nod in agreement. ¡°You have your orders. Be in position before sunset. The enemy is not far from us, two days march at most. Time is short. Dismissed.¡± Everyone present clenches their fists to their chests in a salute and disperse to their assigned duties. Helvair seats himself in his chair on the skeletal palisade. His fingers stroke his beard as he sits in apparent deep thought. ¡°My Lord,¡± one of the officers says, ¡°Command has been issued to your troops. We will arrive at the southeastern fields in half a day.¡± He bows, his teal hair fluffing forward. ¡°Very well. Prepare our emergency beacon for General Heth, should we need his immediate support.¡± Helvair drums his fingers on the arm of his chair, ¡°I really hope this forces those idiots to the negotiation table.¡± ¡°My lord, if I may, why do you think losing fighting strength will deter the hero?¡± The teal haired officer questions. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Our forces with myself or any of our generals present; stand a chance against their armies. Likewise, so do theirs. However, if I were to fight their armies alone, then I would at best be bloodied. The Hero would strike me down much easier.¡± ¡°So why fight at all? Why not just barricade the passes and hide?¡± ¡°That was a thought. Yet, consider what I just said. Flip the roles. A hero without an army is what?¡± ¡°An easy target.¡± ¡°Which should lead to diplomacy as they do not wish to risk their best asset.¡± ¡°Very wise, my liege.¡± Helvair smiles slightly, ¡°General Heth has a wise junior officer, Lieutenant Vasynth. I am grateful to have you as his eyes on the front. As well as the reports of you helping my daughter in her first lesson. Such an asset as you can only be a boon to us now." Vasynth lowers his head as he receives so much praise. "You are in communication with General Heth, correct?¡± ¡°Yes Sire, I only can send a message directly every hour. However, I keep him appraised.¡± ¡°Once battle starts, refrain from using the skill. Should we be in dire straits, I need him to know immediately.¡± ¡°Yes Sire, as you command¡± Vasynth bows, a wide smile playing across his face. ////////////////////// General Ogdor¡¯s Point of View My men and I have marched northeast for several hours now. We should soon be in sight of the villages, who should be ready to leave. The runners likely arrived there an hour ago. Efficient. Fast. Our tribe must not disappoint the Kingdom. My mount plods along, the giant salamander¡¯s tail wagging back and forth. Our goblin allies trail behind us on their carts and sleds. At least we have both mounted and foot combat units. Improves our chance of victory. A rider, Ugul, approaches me from my right flank. He pulls his salamander alongside mine and the two rub each other¡¯s flanks with affection without losing stride. Planner Ugul speaks in our own tongue. ¡°[Master General, updated report on the teams sent ahead. No contact or response since they left. I think there is something fishy going on. I taste it in my heart.]¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°[Planner Ugul, is this truly a cause for concern? Perhaps they have been busy with the villagers?]¡± ¡°[Master General, if they were helping they would send a messenger. Furthermore, we are upwind, so the long-tongues do not report scent either. If there were trouble we would not know until we arrive. I suggest our mounted forces move forward. Let the slow goblins catch up.]¡± ¡°[We would divide our strength,]¡± I retort as a knot of concern builds in my stomach. Something isn¡¯t right. Everything explains a loss of contact and the only solution to it would be dividing our army up. Further scout parties would merely be picked off if there is an enemy. ¡°[Yes, but our enemy is not mounted combatants. If it is an enemy, then they would be a small raid party. Our few scouts could have been ambushed in the homes or elsewhere. Perhaps it is not a concern but I feel it prudent to split our forces.]¡± ¡°[Planner Ugul, is this personal or planner opinion?]¡± I say as I feel my frills lift in concern, red flushing through the crest down my neck. ¡°[Master General. I would not let my own personal fears guide my choice. The ancestors bless me with the mind to plan. Dishonor and shame upon me if I do not perform my duty.]¡± ¡°[Ugul, we¡¯re a mated coupled. It is fine to permit your personal feelings to inform your planning. I do not like you being in the same force as me. I do not wish to see our name wiped in a single failure of mine.]¡± ¡°[Ogord, it is my personal feeling to die alongside you. I would be no more honorable than doing that. We survive war before. We continue to survive now. No difference. My fear is there, yes, but it is one we have both overcome before. Both duties of mine tell me we should act upon this in a manner fitting of survival. So, I once again, recommend we split our forces.]¡± ¡°[Very well, Planner Ugul, I have made my decision. We will ride for the villages. If we find signs of the enemy, then we will retreat and rejoin the Goblins.]¡± I turn my head towards another rider. ¡°[Relay to Goblins. Mounted forces moving ahead. Possible concern of ambush. Will keep in contact.]¡± ¡°[Yes sir!]¡± the messenger turns back towards our rear to pass along our intents. ¡°[I should have consulted General Flellen, I know, but that would add even more time against our odds. Planner Ugul, issue my orders.]¡± I raise a banner up behind my mount, signaling a short message to follow my pace. My salamander mount trundles forward slightly faster than a horse. Ugul shouts orders to various officers and soon the entire unit is in sync with me. Like a tide of orange, blue, green, and yellow, we paint the forest pathway with our many soldiers and mounts. The faster we go the more my gut tightens in that knot. Down the hill we go into the valley below, it opens up to fields. As branches rush by, I look up and can see the Spire Glacier and the magnificent waterfall coming from the lake above. Then my gaze looks down to the villages. The smoke bellowing from distant infernos. I bellow to Ugul, ¡°[Send word, form up first ridge, prepare for potential charge, couch lances upon arrival. Raise red banners!¡±] Ugul and I both change out the banners on our massive mounts. Across my army, officers copy the color as worded orders catch up to them. As our forces crest the next hill, we can see the shallow plains below, almost a bowl. There, three separate farming villages burn. Truly, it could be called a single village, but they are distinctly separated by their cultures. Fire rises from the houses. Small figures move about, raising pikes with dead citizens on them. Not just that, but wooden T¡¯s as well. They¡¯ve crucified our scouts amongst the locals. A team of fire mages are burning everything in their way. ¡°[What are they doing?!]¡± Ugul cried out in shock. I return that sentiment as our force briefly slows down. ¡°[Purging. If we had not lost the eastern fortress, then they would not so freely access our lands.]¡± The grip on my reigns tighten hard enough that some of my scales peel free. I do not wait for orders to appropriately disseminate.
Skill Activated: Commanding Presence Level 42
¡°[Enemy ahead. Couch lances. Run them through. Salamanders burn.]¡± For the moment, my entire mounted army moves as a single entity. Thundering forward the next hundred or so meters, only gaining charging speed right before the enemy. The mounts we ride hiss in steam and smoke as gouts of flames burn before their path. Several foes flee in terror from the onslaught. After all, what use are light raiding infantry against this? Against me? Against my fire and my spear? I bellow to the enemy, ¡°You will rue the day you did thissss to these villagesss, to our King¡¯ss people!¡±
Skill Activated: Commanding Presence Level 42
¡°[Turn. Repeat into flank of fleeing foes. Leave no one alive.]¡± Again, the tide of colorful salamanders and lizard-men flow across the fields. A flood of justice as we run down everyone in the route, burning anything that moves. I release my skill over my soldiers and they disperse to hunt freely. ¡°[Master General, is it wise to kill all the enemies? We should spare some to interrogate. Calm your rath, my love.]¡± ¡°[Planner, a fair point. Round up the survivors, pass orders: if any are alive, disable and capture them. I will not be sad if they are accidentally maimed.]¡± My troops continue to round up the enemy raiding party. Most of the dead are mercenaries and a few officiated mages. It seems they do not send their best out to fight us. That would explain the dishonorable conduct. I settle my mount into place within one of the smoldering villages whose name I know not. If not for the damage, this place would be beautiful. I take in my surroundings briefly. Spire Glacier stands tall over us, its lake and falls nearby. Not far from here is where we need to set up defense in the next few hours. My thoughts are very swiftly interrupted by one of my officers. He has a prisoner brought my way, a female human mage. Half her face is burned slightly but otherwise she will live. My men throw her to the ground as I squat to talk to her. She recoils from me and trembles in fear. ¡°Why would elvessss and humansss do this? Why do the other people of the world support thisss?¡± She simply soils herself from fear. If me being polite is fearful for her, then I¡¯ll try the hard way. ¡°ANSSWER ME GODSSSS DAMNIT,¡± I hiss letting my tongue flick out at her. ¡°Please don¡¯t eat me! Please. Please. Oh, Gods on High save me,¡± she pleads, with no reply. ¡°Anssswer me or I will kill you,¡± I insist, though I don¡¯t plan to do so anytime soon. ¡°Ah! Ah, au¡­ you¡¯d know, monster! You attacked our towns! Our villages! Killed everyone, men, women, and children!¡± ¡°Woman, we,¡± I gestures to my army, ¡°Have done no sssuch thing. Yet you, have.¡± I point towards the smoldering pile of corpses her kind had set alight. The bodies pinned up to crosses and posts. ¡°W-warnings a-and revenge! You. Not you, but, your king. Slaughtered so many!¡± ¡°What exactly do you mean, human?¡± ¡°The De-Demon King¡¯s Goblins and Skeletons. They. Came¡­ and killed many. Over the past few wuh-weeks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt, lady. We jussst started thisss operation lesss than a week ago. If any monsterssssfolk attacked you, it wasss not under our Kingsss orders. Perhapsss another flag? Of a goblin king?¡± I narrow a suspicion in my mind. ¡°W-what? No, t-the demon king¡¯s¡­ banner was raised over the cities and towns that were burned. No others. Why are¡­I¡­ I lost my son to this. Why? Your kind, you monsters. Why, why can¡¯t you be normal like beastkin?!¡± ¡°Taking the life of other innocentsss doesss not undo the hurtsss causssed.¡± I stand up and tell the soldiers who have her under guard, ¡°[Get her treated. Handle her with care, this human has suffered trauma and is not being rational.]¡± I then look to Ugul with a flare of concern on my scales ¡°[Someone has been raiding the civilians of our enemies. With our King¡¯s banner and no one else''s. An act our King explicitly prohibits. While I know there are many clans and tribes of monster-folk, I doubt anyone would so brazenly do this.]¡± Planner Ugul looks off to the side, before speaking once more. ¡°[Master General, this smells of foul play by someone. I suggest we withdraw immediately.]¡± ¡°[Planner, we cannot. Our allies are soon to enter the field and we would leave them to their deaths. No, we cannot leave right now. Have our men dig in as planned.]¡± ¡°[Yes Master General. I will pass on word to Group A as to what has happened. We should be close enough that a rider can make it in less than an hour if unburdened.]¡± ¡°[See to it. The sooner everyone knows of this event, the better.]¡± Ugul bows and makes their way to arrange the message. I simply stare east towards where our enemy will be coming from. ¡°[What are they up to¡­]¡± Chapter 12 - Battle of the Spire Fields Chapter 12 ¨C Battle of the Spire Fields General Ogdor¡¯s Point of View It is morning and our men have worked throughout the night to entrench along a series of hills facing east. While it might be true that our forces are best suited to calvary, it would seem our allies have vanished in the woods. Our messengers report of enemy forces moving throughout the woods and contact with Lord Rall has not been re-established. Any messengers sent, fail to arrive, or at least report back. My scouts have found evidence of saboteurs in the region. Our surviving ¡®guests¡¯ have provided a better identification for our enemies. It would seen that the loose alliance of nations have found agreement on a title. The Alliance of Velia, Forces of the Light. Supposedly goblins and skeletons raided several villages for many weeks now. They¡¯ve been using the colors and markings of House Rall. Now is this true? I have not one idea. What I do know is that Lord Rall would never do such an action that would unite our foes so thoroughly against us. Such attacks merely inflate volunteers and retributive thoughts amongst the foes. The King¡¯s plan was to attack the supply lines and soft military targets. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding between the goblin troops and the ordering officers? What¡¯s more, an anti-magic field has been dampening the region as of midnight. Someone very powerful is preventing non-physical means of communication or ranged scrying. In short, what few mages we have are relegated to close range casting. I strum my fingers on a table. Across the tent is Ugul, stretched out and sunning in the morning rays. I voice my thoughts so far, ¡°[I do not like this. We can¡¯t report, we can¡¯t scout, and we can¡¯t scry. Our allied goblins have not arrived and have likely died to the enemy forces in the woods.] My planner, my beloved, rolls over to face me. ¡°[We would have to move as a force to escape. So, I suggest we stay until the afternoon, then leave at night. At the very least until our dead villagers are properly buried.¡±] My tail slaps the ground behind me a few times out of frustration. [¡°We¡¯re giving up on the King¡¯s plan. I hate this, but my gut says we have to. If the enemy arrives in significant force, we will commit to a brief fight before a mounted retreat. If the sun sets before then, we mount and leave. Pass the word.¡±] Planner Ugul leaps up and salutes, ¡°[Yes sir Master General.]¡± They take one step out the door before a trumpet calls out in alarm. I nearly knock my table over as Ugul turns back to me, ¡°[Enemy already here, will still pass orders?]¡± With a nod towards them, I begin to gear up for combat then make my way outside my tent. Profoundly proud. That is how I feel about my men as I pass them in the trenches made merely hours ago. From them, we can ambush the enemy as they top the hills. It¡¯s the best we can do without the goblin army to help. Surprise the foe and gain kills before fleeing. I make my way up to the observation platform atop our earthworks. ¡°[Report,]¡± I simply state to the watchmen on duty. The horizon seems empty, yet the skinny watchman looks winded from having blown the horn so much. Sickly even, of fear. Perhaps from the stress of impending combat? He must be a rookie. The trooper simply points towards the empty horizon. ¡°There isss enemy presssence there, sssir.¡± I furrow my crest a little at his use of common tongue. My concern is crushed when dust suddenly billows up and the far away terrain twists then lifts up. A wall to stop our advance? Wait a second, that much movement of rock and soil by magic will¡­ ¡°[BRACE FOR QUAKE!]¡± I yell to the camp. Mere seconds later the shift hits our position with a deafening roar. I feel something pierce my back at the exact moment the tremor hits. With the speed of a war-beast, I turn to find the rookie with a bloodied weapon. A moment later, the platform gives way and my awareness ends. Moments later I am back to my senses, lifting myself out of a pile of rubble that was the platform. I can feel blood running down my back as the sounds of cries for help arise from collapsed trenchworks and structures. Though soon they are overwhelmed by the sound of battle from within the camp. ¡°[They snuck in somehow?]¡± I pull my sword free of its scabbard with my one working arm as I rush to the nearest fight. Only to find our own men fighting each other. I step in to try and break the fight apart. ¡°[Sir, I did not start this, Torriq has already killed Aldwa! Help me! He has gone mad!]¡± The hostile Torriq swings down and nearly takes Aldwa¡¯s neck if not for a swift parry. I step in and knock the traitor to the back of the head. Once he falls, I look towards Aldwa with a color of concern on my ridges. ¡°[This is not the only place this seems to be happening. Pass the word for all sane troops to make way to the command tent. Try not to kill our own, they are clearly bewitched.]¡± Suddenly a sword comes up from below and into Aldwa¡¯s gut. He simply looks down in shock before falling back. I bring my own sword down into Torriq¡¯s heart as swift retribution before even having a second thought. ¡°[What madness is this? Even unconscious he moved.]¡± Making haste I rush to the command tent, yelling out my orders as I arrive. Soon a small gathering are following me towards the command tent. Yet, having to kill our own out of necessity is taking its toll on our morale. The madness seems to have impacted half of our troops. My heart jumps as we reach a sane-guarded war tent. Planner Ugul yells out jubilantly seeing me hale and whole. ¡°[Master General! I am very glad you are alright. Our men are fighting each other to the death.]¡± ¡°[Unfortunately. I, several of us, have tried knocking troops unconscious. They are still capable of combat. We had to kill our own just to get here. Myself, I was back stabbed by the watchman who rang the alarm.]¡± ¡°[Master General, this is the work of a mage. I recognize the spell from my readings. It is True Marionette. Yet, I¡¯ve never seen nor heard of it employed on more than one or two victims. This is our entire camp.]¡± ¡°[A mage who can do that and lift several square kilometers of terrain. Coordinated casting. So, either it¡¯s a very powerful enemy mage squad working in tandem or an enemy army of mages. This is madness.]¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°[Our own mages are unable to counter the spell. Two have died trying. We have one left who refuses to approach the insane.]¡± ¡°[Shit. Have them cast protection on us in case the foe tries to puppeteer more of us. Then, we retreat from this bowl of death. Send the flare to alert King Rall, even if this isn¡¯t the hero, it is a foe we cannot deal with.]¡± In the distance, I see another flare. Not ours but from the south. The Demon King. ¡°[That color¡­ They¡¯ve engaged the hero? Or someone like this foe. Send the flare anyways. We flee for the mountain pass. Clearly this is unwinnable.]¡± ¡°[Master General, of course. We will gather the mounts. It will take time. The puppeteered individuals are actively moving to cut us off from access. They are organizing on that side of the camp. Our own have begun to gather here and I am afraid there may be no other choice.]¡± ¡°[I know, Ugul. I know.]¡± I whisper to them and pat their shoulder. ¡°[SOLDIERS!]¡± I bellow out as my frilled ridges flare red with anger.
Activate Trait: Fearless Leader Activate Skill: Motivational Speech Level 37
¡°[Our brothers and sisters have been controlled by a very powerful group of mages. It is impossible to save them, they are already dead. Those are animated bodies with no soul. Know that killing them is not a sin or a crime. You are doing their bodies the honor of death and justice for the indignity!]" Ugul looks at me, as does a few others along the frightened mage. They know I¡¯m only saying this to make it easier. They aren¡¯t dead at all, but we have no other choice. ¡°[We move to secure our mounts and make for the mountain pass. We will meet with the Demon King there.]¡± There is a murmur of depressed yes-sirs in response. I know how they feel, we¡¯ve been here almost entirely for no reason but to die. Those bastards who killed the villagers were punished at least. Speaking of which¡­ ¡°[Ugul, the prisoners. If I recall we only had three survive the night. Where are they now?]¡± ¡°[Master General, the prisoners were immediately slain by their guards when they were turned insane. It seems the mages have no qualms for friendly casualties.]¡± This just gets better and better. I simply nod affirmatively and move towards my tent. ¡°[We move in two minutes,]¡± I order. Ugul follows me and helps gather some documents, and other items of importance, with me. Soon we are making our way through the camp. Occasionally we come across a buried soldier, sane, still alive. They¡¯re swiftly dug out and brought into our group. As we approach the enemy formation in front of the stables, we form an offensive line of a few hundred lizardmen against what appears to be twice as many enemies. ¡°[Remember!]¡± another officer bellows out, ¡°[They are no longer the kin you knew. You must steel yourself and run them through.]¡± I mentally note to promote that man when we get out. If we get out. The two lines of troops charge at each other, our own keeping a tight formation to make better use of our fighting strength. The controlled seem to be extremely coordinated, though they move like a group of automations. Slow and telegraphing their attacks. Combat is swift, our only weakness being hesitation to kill faces we knew. People we once sat and ate with. No effort is made by the foe to take advantage of their numbers. It is like the mages take pleasure in our murdering of kinfolk. At the end of everything, my last kill is a young soldier. I had spoken to him not two weeks ago. My heart hurts as much as my body aches. ¡°[Don¡¯t,]¡± Ugul whispers to me. I shake my head to refocus. ¡°[This is harder than any fight I¡¯ve had.]¡± ¡°[I know. It is for all of us. Be proud your troops, following you into such a terrible thing. Now, let us quit this place.]¡± We make our way to the giant salamanders. Our wonderful war beasts are still very much alive and, despite my silent concerns, not hostile. It takes no time to bridle the colorful lizards. ¡°[We need to leave, but before we do. Ugul, please us your Animal Speech skill to convey to the remaining Salamanders: burn corpses, flee to woods, make way home.¡±] Ugul lowers his head and utters a series of guttural moans and grunts. The salamanders not saddled up are let loose and they begin to purge the camp of the bodies we are leaving behind. I¡¯d do it myself, but I can¡¯t stay here longer. Not with an enemy mage in the area. They¡¯re sure to notice the loss of ¡®their¡¯ army. As we turn to exit, a laughter fills the cauldron-like valley. Our men turn about looking for the source. ¡°Up here!¡± a voice says with a clearer tone. All of us look skyward and there stands a halfling. One halfling. ¡°Hey, I sort of forgot to bring an army for the battle so I hope you don¡¯t mind that I borrowed some of your toys?¡± I tighten my grip as anger boils up in my gut. I yell out in common, ¡°Have you no honor? Thisss wasss not a fight. It wasss shameful. Asss were the villagersss deathsss. All of thisss!¡± The mage lays down lazily in the air, ¡°Oh I know it was, but I had fun so that¡¯s all that matters. Did you? The rush of emotions were amazing I bet. Yet you had to be true to yourselves! Monsters to the end. Killing your own without hesitation. I. Am. So. Proud. Of. You!¡± Someone nearby hurls a spear up in the air ¨C it falls short. The mage goes on to speak, ¡°Please, you know you can¡¯t throw this high. I¡¯m ju~st out of reach, you know? Unless som ¨C¡° The mage rolls over to one side as another spear flies past with a red trail of mana. ¡°That. Unless someone has a ¨C ¡° followed by another. Suddenly two cracks of lightning come from the sky and strike both spearmen dead. ¡°LET ME FINISH. Unless someone, LIKE THEM, have a skill. In which case, boom! Lightning.¡± The mage stands up and begins to wander towards the north. ¡°Anyways, what I really came here to do was offer you something.¡± ¡°What could you offer that we would ever want?!¡± ¡°Free swimming lessons from yours truly, the world¡¯s greatest mage, Warnana!¡± ¡°What?¡± I and others say stupefied. ¡°Do I really need to repeat myself? F- R- E- E- swimming lessons. In ice cold water~!¡± the mage points her finger towards the massive glacier on the other side of the valley. The entire glacier holds back a massive, near freezing lake. Not to mention the ice itself, more than enough water to flood the valley. ¡°[RIDE! RIDE NOW FOR HIGHER GROUNDS OF THE WOODS.]" A brief light emanates from the fingertip of the mage, like a beam of red light. She says her skill aloud, "Voiceless Magic Casting, Heat Ray, Level 70." It strikes the glacier and the ice instantaneously explodes outwards, much of it liquefies midair though large chunks rain down even as far as here. A deafening roar fills the air as we now make towards safety. ¡°You won¡¯t make it. Well, maybe some of you will make it with a skill or something. I promise not to strike them down if they somehow make it! That¡¯ll be someone else¡¯s problem.¡± Warnana is right. I can and so can a few other riders. Not everyone here has the skill or trait or level to make our salamanders faster. Ugul being one of those, as a planner, they have not trained for mounted combat as much. We don¡¯t have time to slow down and transfer safely, not everyone would be able to fit on the Salamanders either. [¡°Ogord, I said already I will die alongside you¡­ but I do not want you to die alongside me. I can try to jump onto your mount. If I fail, that¡¯s it.¡±] [¡°No! Stay mounted. We can make it just fine! To abandon my troops to save myself would be dishonorable.¡±] Ugul rides closer, up alongside my mount. Before I can talk them down, they¡¯re already grabbing onto my saddle and attempting to transfer over. Already I can see our encampment washed over with the glacial water. We won¡¯t make it. Some of our men, and I cannot blame them, have used their skills to rush ahead of the group. Much to Warnana¡¯s delight. ¡°Haha~ good! Save yourselves! Be true to that little voice that screams out now, SURVIVE!¡± Those riding near me begin shouting at me. ¡°[General! You must survive! You are valuable! Do not die! Use your skills!]¡± My heart sinks lower and lower. This is wrong. This is so wrong. Warnana joins in with their cries, ¡°Come on~ run! Run faster! Survive! That cold water can¡¯t be good for reptiles!¡± ¡°[No one will blame you. You did all you could.]¡± Ugul whispers, or was it shouting? The roar of the water is too close now. I can feel the spray of cold on my back and hear the yell of slower riders vanish under the waters. I shout at the top of my lungs as I commit to a decision, ¡°[GODS DAMNIT ALL!]¡± Chapter 14 - Calm before the...? Chapter 14 ¨C Calm before the...? Loria¡¯s Point of View Another morning, another jog. It¡¯s been four months since my father and his men left. Reports from the front tell us that all is going well. My training has gone well as it can in such a short time. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to fight in these conditions, but it would be better than how I was before. That said, an increase in Duality has helped me and Ultima finally overcome the internal communication issues. We finally understand what¡¯s going on with each other without the need to verbalize. Similar to what we initially had when everything was chaotic. A wall divides us now, but one we can look over, talk over, or find privacy with if we really want. It¡¯s the best way I can explain it. Sort of like¡­ when you try to remember a dream. Except that dream is remembering you back. The wall is sometimes there, sometimes not, depending on what either of us want¡­ [Ah phooey! I¡¯m self-monologuing again.] [Speaking of Duality. Do you think we¡¯ll ever find a way to split us apart?] [I¡¯m not sure but, if the war really does end or at least a cessation of conflict? Then we will have the freedom to find out.] [I get that, I mean, General Hard-Ass wouldn¡¯t let us escape training as long as there¡¯s even a scent of war.] ¡°A scent of war? As long as the word exists in a dictionary¡­¡± I verbalize to ourselves. It¡¯s been a learning experience, but Ultima has really taught me a lot about the world she came from. Having an adult in your head is, weird, but helpful. Especially with private lessons. Cheating? What? No. I don¡¯t do that. I just already know, okay? [It¡¯s cheating.] [Hush.] [I would but you keep monologuing everything.] [I can¡¯t help it! Stop peaking over your side of the mind!] With that argument closed, we wrap up our morning exercises and head towards the training yard to meet with Gel. Sword practice has gotten really fun lately, I¡¯ve been besting Gel, thanks to Ultima. While we journey there, I let Ultima take the helm while I reflect on things. It¡¯s good to let her stay familiar with moving my body. Duality really helps in combat when we split our duties. Thanks to that, and the sun exposure, we¡¯ve really grown a lot in a short time. Ultima walks us into the courtyard. [Uh, Loria. Where is everyone?] I look back from my menu to the empty courtyard. We walk around and check the dressing rooms and nearby observation booth. Not a single soul. ¡°Did I miss a memo or something?¡± Our senses kick off and we whirl around onto the footsteps rushing towards us. ¡°Princess!¡± a young messenger comes up from where I had been, panting. ¡°I¡­hah¡­ been chasing you. Entire time. Message.¡± ¡°Around the inner castle while I made laps?!¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± he replied still very winded. I¡¯ve barely broke a sweat. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just stop and wait for me to run back by?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry Princess.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the message then, boy?¡± ¡°General Heth has received news of the front. The King is returning soon and victorious! General Ogdor and King Rall have bested the enemy in combat and forced a treaty. Furthermore, Prince Gel was recalled home for celebrations. The whole capital is in celebration right now.¡± My heart races at the good word. ¡°Such a swift victory? The plan worked. That¡¯s¡­ a relief,¡± I say, feeling some tension melting off my wear heart. ¡°Boy, take the day off, this is a good time to celebrate¡­ actually, what is your name? I¡¯d like to know you so next time you won¡¯t have to chase me.¡± The young messenger lowers his head bashfully, ¡°My name, my Princess? I, uh, ah, Willorn.¡± His face is turning violet with a blush across his dark green skin. Come to think of it, he¡¯s about my age isn¡¯t it? [You¡¯ve broken some boy¡¯s heart, Loria.] [Not my fault if he reads me wrong! Not every compliment from a girl is doting!] [To boys it can be! Either walk it back or own it.] ¡°Willorn? That is a fine name. I¡¯m appreciative of your efforts to bring me a message, as I said, take the day off.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Ah?! Ah! I.. I tha-thank you Princess. J-just my job.¡± ¡°Are you new to the castle, to being a messenger?¡± I¡¯m practically face to face with him now and I can see that he is shaking¡­ out of fear and nervousness? I guess this is probably the closest he¡¯s ever been to a girl, and royalty too. Yeah, Ultima is right, he¡¯s about to faint. ¡°No, I mean, yes! New to the castle, not to running word. My father was a messenger and raised me to learn shortcuts of the capital.¡± He helpfully gives context to the situation. Hmn, good at finding shortcuts huh? I¡¯ll keep this in mind if I ever want to sneak out. [A sneaking princess is clich¨¦. Please don¡¯t.] [Shush.] ¡°Willorn, thank you once more. I must be off to get out of these sweaty clothes and clean up for my father¡¯s arrival. Please see to it that you take the day off when you can. As a reward.¡± ¡°I-I, just. Doing. Job.¡± He says practically falling over himself to flee from me. Ultima busts out laughing in my mind¡­ she is just as weird as boys. I turn and simply make my way off to my room, leaving the starstruck messenger behind to his other tasks and, hopefully, a well-earned break. Sometime later we make our way to General Heth in the war room. Our finest dress. Our finest perfume. The maid really did a good job for me as usual, as expected. ¡°General,¡± I said in my capacity as a royal and not a student, ¡°What news has been brought to us today?¡± ¡°Princess Rall. The King¡¯s message was sent from my subordinate. Reads as follows, ¡®Victory on field. Capitulation of enemy. Negotiations underway. Arriving soon. Expect diplomats.¡¯ Our outriders have yet to report back the specifics but there is a contingent making its way towards us from the Goblin Kingdom.¡± ¡°The Goblin Kingdom? Is that why Gel was recalled¡­ perhaps to be present for father¡¯s arrival there?¡± ¡°I suppose that is indeed the case. Regardless, the kingdom is the quickest route to the capital. King Rall chose the pass to prevent the enemy from realizing we had the goblins finally aligned with our interests.¡± [This sounds fishy as hell.] Ultima says within my thoughts. [Agreed, but, it does fit the general gist of father¡¯s plan and General Heth doesn¡¯t seem concerned.] [Ask anyways. Assumptions are bad. Why don¡¯t we have more messages?] ¡°You mentioned,¡± I begin aloud, ¡°Your outriders had not yet returned. They are harpies or similar peoples, are they not? Why not send reports?¡± ¡°I thought the same thing, actually. A cold front has moved in, our weather mage mentioned. They have tried to clear the way so any flying beasts or peoples can have a route. With the high winds being rough, any message would have to go by the ground, which is far slower. We expect reports this evening. If something is awry we will know by then.¡± [Makes sense. Heth has a good explanation for anything, that¡¯s why he¡¯s a general I guess. Back home, there were high altitude winds that could change things on the fly. I suppose flying peoples would have trouble.] [True. I¡¯m still concerned though. Until I see my father, I always will be. I want to protect him. Not wait for news of him.] With a low sigh, I agree with him. ¡°I defer to your expertise, General. Still, ease my mind and keep the outer reaches of the province on standby. Just in case the enemy tries something from the pass. It is possible Father¡¯s return could be a betrayal by the enemy.¡± ¡°I assure you Princess that all is well.¡± ¡°Do it anyways. That is an order, not a comment.¡± ¡°Yes my Princess¡­¡± General Heth seems rather pissed at being told what to do by a young girl. I understand that. Yet, his faith in my Father¡¯s victory is too solid. We¡¯ve seen the humans try tricks and they teach those tricks to the elves and others. I¡¯m not a general, I don¡¯t have experience, but I do know I¡¯ll sleep better tonight if there¡¯s vigilance in our bordering territories towards the pass. [Just in case. It doesn¡¯t hurt. Back in my world, there were enemies in a big war that would try to surrender, only to reveal an explosive. Many wars actually had this occur. They might have tricked your father, as unlikely as you might think it.] [I¡­ don¡¯t like the idea that my father can fail. That is exactly why it is my duty as a princess to prepare for the situation in which he has failed. Heth, I think, is running on a high of an easy victory.] [I really wish I had played more war games back home. I barely know what we¡¯re doing here beyond the basics. If this were a movie, right about now we¡¯d hear word that the enemy approaches from our flank. I reaaally think we should do more than just watch but, that¡¯s about all I got to go on Loria. Sorry.] [Ultima, I can¡¯t expect us to have a grasp on this, even with your¡­ maturity and life experiences. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the nobility courses have beaten the childhood out of me¡­ I am still just a girl to these people. I rarely lean on my authority as a royal. I¡¯d rather not force him to move troops and prepare for a surprise, until I know I need to do it. Abuse of authority loses trust, my teacher would always say.] We both sigh in our thoughts before returning to General Heth. He is staring, I must have zoned out far longer than expected while chatting with Ultima. I simply nod to him, ¡°Thank you for letting me rest easy tonight, General.¡± The best I can do without apologizing for stepping on his feet, I suppose. The rest of the evening is me observing General Heth¡¯s arrangement of security, welcoming events, and other military matters. Once his plans are set, I proceed to arrange the King¡¯s side of things. Ideally, the King will enter the main route through the capital. Diplomats, if present, behind him. A welcoming ceremony and feast to celebrate our victory but, also, welcome our foe to consider our peace genuine. After that, a short political meeting with some of the houses of nobility. We express our intents and invite them to the celebrations. With our plans laid out, we all eventually leave the war room to go on our ways. [For a war room, that really sees more use than just war.] [The old Demon Kings were¡­ far more militaristic. The name has stuck. We¡¯ve even used it for my sixth birthday, actually.] [That is¡­ weird. All the military matters in the room still go on?] [Yes. I fondly remember all the officers leaving their desks to sing for me. Good memories.] [Too weird. Too weird. I¡¯d have a dining hall set aside for events. That feels like sensitive information would be easily seen by outsiders. Still, the idea of your sixth birthday being held in a room full of pencil pushers¡­ not so fond for me.] [Ideally, yes. Father sits with traditional use of the war room as a catch all. If orders for combat are sent, officers are at hand even if you¡¯re hosting a cocktail party. Anything¡­ secretive, they hide with guests. I assume.] Once I reach my room, I change into something more comfortable and begin to write the day¡¯s events down. In my peripheral I see Ultima going over our stats. We make small talk but, really, we¡¯re just killing time until something happens. Prologue - Oh Hero... The throne room burns. Magnificent banners tumble to the ground as the raging inferno dances through the rafters. The bulk of the castle groans under its own mass, load bearing pillars cracking with loud pops. At any moment, the entire structure might come crashing down upon itself. Within the chaos, two are locked in mortal combat in spite of the environmental dangers. Arcane magic cracks through the air, arcing from one sword and to another. A human male before a massive, bearded demon with fiery wings. The human barely dodges to one side, an enormous claymore cleaving into where he just was. The demonic figure growls out, his voice deep. ¡°Oh Hero, Rolland, you grace me with your presence. Your people are all the same. You choose to slaughter innocents rather than fight honorably. Is the blood of the city now not enough? You come for my daughter now, too?¡± ¡°Lord Helvair Rall, your reign ends with your demise. Your people terrorized the kingdoms for generations with your mere existence. Despite your claims now, these people have a blood price to pay for their ancestor¡¯s actions,¡± Rolland scoffs. ¡°Terrorized with our existence? We have done naught but what your fellows do. Diplomacy, trade, and proper warfare. The Western People¡¯s Alliance wholesale slaughters the innocents of my realm for something that happened hundreds of years ago! How is this just? How is this right? If I must die to atone for my ancestors, so be it. Yet keep that blade away from my people and family!¡± Rolland pauses for a moment as his body tenses. ¡°All of your kind are supposedly monsters. They tell me if you talk that you are merely biding your time to strike.¡± The hero steps forward with a sudden thrust of his arming sword. Helvair shifts and redirects the momentum with the flat of his claymore. ¡°Despite that,¡± Rolland continues, ¡°I am a kindred spirit of your people. So, plead now, tell me why I should not fight? What do you have to offer me?¡± Helvair warily speaks. ¡°I would beg that you let live the survivors of my people. Even if it is as an exiled colony, they would be free. Despite what your masters claim, innocents need not suffer further. We¡¯re fighting only because greater powers tell us to do so.¡± ¡°Your people slaughtered plenty of civilians, you know? I¡¯ve personally seen the aftermath.¡± ¡°If a murderer kills, do you sentence the village? A single criminal shouldn¡¯t bring judgement to all.¡± Rolland smiles warmly, ¡°Truly a fair point, wise king. However, you have to ¨C¡° A spell bolts out from a hallway, slamming into Helvair¡¯s face and nearly knocking him down. People rush into the room, at the head of them a woman with green hair and ice-cold eyes. ¡°Do not listen to its lies Rolland, the monster must die! It is only trying to confuse you with a curse that I just intercepted!¡± A smirk plays out across the hero¡¯s lips, ¡°Thanks Linette, go and stop the transfer of power. I¡¯ll finish the old man off.¡± ¡°Rolland, you idiot, we can find his daughter after we beat him! She would still be unconscious!¡± ¡°This is the Demon King, Saint Linette. Do you remember that? It is my holy duty to fight him in one-on-one combat. You¡¯ve repeated that mantra to me for months now. Do not help me further! Strike down his daughter. Go!¡± Saint Linette frowns and then moves swiftly towards another door. Her escort of party members keeping pace with her along the way. Soon she disappears beyond the threshold, further into the castle. Helvair lunges towards the door with the energy of an angry father. ¡°Where were we, old man?¡± Rolland suddenly shoulders him off to the side with a full body slam. He raises his shield and bashes it forward before bringing his arming sword in for a strike. Helvair¡¯s human like appearance burns away as his claymore bursts into flames, the metal dripping away from the intense heat. ¡°Rolland. Out. Of. My. Way,¡± the demon stomps forward once more but Rolland simply steps between it and the exit. ¡°There we go, the true form of an end boss. Monstrous. Let us see who is more of a beast, Helvair. Will I be victorious or you?¡± ///////////////////////////////////// Saint Linette¡¯s Point of View I rush down the hallway, flanked by my companions. In the distance, I can hear the fight between my dear Rolland and the monstrous king. ¡°Oh Rolland,¡± I sighed, ¡°He must be kicking so much ass.¡± With a glance to my side, I spot the blue and yellow Oro standing out against the dense smoke. Ah! Smoke, yes, almost forgot!
Magic Activation: Purify IX
I protect our lungs from damage while Oro so ungratefully comments. ¡°Oh please, Linny, you the Princess totally has her eyes on him.¡± He notches an arrow before aiming at something in the smoke. ¡°Who dresses a skeleton in a maid outfit,¡± he huffs as another arrow gets notched. I could murder him with my glare. I will murder him. Rolland is to love me, not that royal whore! ¡°Like hell I¡¯ll let that bi ¨C I mean, it is unlikely I shall let the Princess have her way with his fate.¡± I hike my hem of my white skirt up while racing upstairs towards the target. ¡°Yet, Oro, I do believe I¡¯ve seen you flirt with everyone but Rolland. That¡¯s suspicious, I¡¯m sure you have designs on him!¡± Rolland! You will be mine! I''m going to make sure of it! He grins at me, ¡°I won¡¯t lie that I haven¡¯t studied his beautiful body when we bathed. He¡¯d make a good lay, but please, I have no designs to betray him! He is practically my brother. He¡¯s one of the few who treats me like the man I am!¡± Another arrow is loosed down the hallway at something. ¡°My gods would you two shut the hell up,¡± growls Viece, ¡°I can smell the lust from here.¡± The blond lancer jabs his lance into a big pig-man wearing a chef¡¯s outfit. It squeals in pain as he thrusts back and forward a few times before dispatching it to the side of the hall. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± I sigh in frustration, ¡°All business and no chit-chat. According to Feya, the ritual is not complete. She¡¯s there but needs out help stopping the transference.¡± My jaw tightens a bit as I prepare for the encounter to come. ¡°Red door, ahead, that¡¯s our target.¡± The fire burning throughout the castle is working its way next to the door. ¡°You sure we¡¯re fine? Just us four, counting Feya? Moe is outside cleaning up and Warnana is¡­ wherever Warnana is. Likely where the most monsters are burning.¡± Oro chimes in, always concerned about our ability to function without Rolland. As usual. We slow our movement while approaching the door. Before I can talk, Feya steps out of the shadows while keeping her green eyes locked on the door. ¡°Yes, I am confident we can. With Moe and Rolland keeping the stronger demons at bay, this should not be much of a challenge.¡± Despite the fullness of her body, she moves with the grace of a deer. I¡¯m envious of that wood elf bitch! ¡°What are we dealing with?¡± ¡°One mage. The child unconscious. Already dispatched guards outside.¡± I simply nod to her and raise my staff. Everyone takes well-rehearsed positions around the doorway, like we have done oh so many times since meeting Rolland. Everyone nods in affirmative. ¡°Breach and clear,¡± I breath out. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The door is blown open with by Viece; wood splinters fly alongside his lance. As soon as I can see inside, I cast two spells.
Magic Activation: Light of Sette IX Magic Activation: Greater Illusion VI
The room is flooded with holy light while Oro effortlessly times his shot to my casting. Feya had already vanished into the room with her eyes closed. The next moment I can see, she has buried a dagger into the mage¡¯s back just as Oro¡¯s arrow hits his chest. Viece¡¯s lance is in the foe¡¯s gut, twisting once before withdrawing. ¡°Clear,¡± Viece yells out as the mage drops to the ground. Feya wipes her blade clean on nearby bed curtains while Oro recovers the arrow. I on the other hand, have moved to the demon king¡¯s daughter. She lays in her bed with a magic circle hovering above her body. ¡°It is the Princess, I can confirm,¡± Feya says as she walks to my side. I study the child¡¯s face. ¡°Pity she lived such a lie, being told she was a demon,¡± I tell the others. Not entirely true, she is a demon but I have need for her. ¡°She is still part human, so we could ¨C¡± Viece simply stabs his spear right down her belly, straight into her chest. A loud shriek of pain escapes the briefly conscious princess, her face contorting with pain. I turn in anger once the her lungs empty of air. Viece smiles while commenting: ¡°Problem solved. Corrupted human girl killed. Let¡¯s leave.¡± ¡°I was not done talking Viece. I could have at least performed funeral rites before you butchered her!¡± ¡°Rites? It¡¯s a monster. The real child died long ago. Either way, we stopped the ritual. The demon king¡¯s lineage is ended.¡± Viece spat on the girl¡¯s bed. ¡°Assuming Rolland succeeded,¡± Oro adds, ¡°we should burn the remains.¡± ¡°Oro, no need as the castle will do that for us. Let''s quit this place before we join her pyre,¡± I say with an emotionless stare, "Feya has already left." ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Viece whines while Oro follows us out into the smoking hallway. Feya steps out of the shadows in the room and simply looks directly at the real me. My illusion continues following the other two while I finally step into the room for the first time. ¡°[No, you cannot have the girl,]¡± I say to Feya in her own tongue. Really now, that¡¯d be a nightmare for all of us. Feya shrugs and then makes her way out of the room to follow the others, ¡°[She¡¯d taste bad anyways, I suppose.]¡± I lean over the dead body of the princess and whisper into her ear, ¡°I¡¯m not ignorant, I know you can hear me. You¡¯ve survived as you have before. There¡¯s not much time, so listen to me you brat." /////////////// Helvair Rall¡¯s Point of View The hero approaches me with a sneer etched onto his face. Rolland, you idiot, you¡¯re about to fall to my trap. ¡°Dark Lord, Demon King, Bringer of Silence, Heir of Damnation. Helvair Rall, those are impressive titles, don¡¯t you know? Do you have any words to leave for Historians?¡± The hero doesn¡¯t know the one title I covet the most: father. My one good eye glares up at my opponent as I angrily shout. ¡°Are you seriously wanting to hear me out now? After so many innocents slain?!¡± Rolland kneels down next to me, with a hint of a cruel smile. ¡°The Goddess Seven? She told me it was my fate to be defeated by the Demon King. Yet here I am, victorious and free to do as I want.¡± ¡°You are a bastard, Rolland.¡± The Goddess won¡¯t let him escape that easily. Especially if Loria gets my title. I can already feel my magic fading from me and transferring to her. ¡°Oh, am I? I mean, we are killing your daughter. Shame it isn¡¯t me doing it, though.¡± I hiss out in anger, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, you bastard!¡± ¡°You wish you could, Helvair.¡± He looks up and then nods towards his companions returning to the room. ¡°They¡¯re just in time to witness my victory,¡± he whispers to me with a smirk. ¡°Bitch won¡¯t ascend, you¡¯re good to go!¡± A blond man shouts whilst holding up a bloodied spear. My gut bottoms out as dread fills my very being. Loria is dead. ¡°Good-bye Helvair,¡± he says to me. I feel the heroes blade hack into my neck, the cold air stinging my flesh as the room tumbles around me. I¡¯m sorry Savella, dearest, for not saving our Loria.
System: Title Demon King Transferred to Loria Ultima Rall
/////////////// Rolland Aldera¡¯s Point of View Well then, the old man is finally dead. Over the next few hours, we escape the burning castle and make our way to the Alliance¡¯s camp outside. Many a cheers and celebrations begin over a war I never really cared about. Silently, I slip off into the dark of the night for some ¡®me time.¡¯ Let¡¯s see if I can find something to vent my frustrations on.
Skill Activation: Hunter XIX
¡°This world has been a disappointment so far,¡± I mumble as I follow footprints in the loamy ground of the pinewoods. Where¡¯s the fun in this? They barely acted like demons! They¡¯re no different from the humans or elves, as a whole at least. ¡°Really now? Disappointed in your own success? Free from Seven¡¯s fate of defeat. So, to celebrate you whine about how unfair life is?¡± ¡°Sari, the entire point of all this,¡± I gesture to the distant burning castle as it falls further into a heap of rubble. ¡°Was for me to have fun. I¡¯m bored out of my mind half the time.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re free to do as you please; much to my advantage. Now tell me, what new direction will you take this world, Rolland? What do you plan to do to cause the chaos I so desire?¡± ¡°As a famed man once said: sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I want money, fame, and power. I could give two shits about anything else. Isn¡¯t that why Adventurers do their job? It is only fair I get a slice of that pie. When that bores me, I¡¯ll become the new demon king. Then I¡¯ll show them the real meaning of that title! Build a monster-girl harem in a dungeon. Hire dangerous maids and terrifying monsters. I¡¯ll burn this world to the ground while having fun doing it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised no one has noticed your¡­ tendencies. I am highly amused in ways you will never understand over the fact that two of the most famous women want to marry you.¡± ¡°No one cares, I¡¯m the Holy Hero. As long as I do what the Church and Alliance wants me to do, they turn a blind eye to missing persons. Nothing too big for them to care about. Now though, I¡¯m free to act as I want.¡± Come to think of it, I¡¯ve gotten away with so much I¡¯m shocked the Saint hasn¡¯t stepped in. ¡°Please do be modest with murderous rise to power. You do want something left to conquer, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll try not to destroy the atmosphere or something like that,¡± I grimly laugh. ¡°Alright! As temporary administrator for Seven¡¯s system: I declare you free from the duties of a hero. Your fate is your own as long as the demon king is dead. Congratulations, Oh ¡®Hero.¡¯ For you have led your people to victory. Now¡­ I have something else to attend to back here. Have fun sweety~!¡± God of luck my ass; more like god of monologues. Suddenly, my skill highlights some footprints leading away from the burning capital. Bird feet, so it¡¯s likely a harpy. Deep claw marks mean it¡¯s probably walking exhausted. The harpy likely has a broken wing. Oh, how I love to hunt! Quietly, I follow the path out into the woods. //////////////// Somewhere Else A white rabbit sits at a table in a bar, surrounded by gambling and alcohol. Its top hat sits crooked on one head as it flicks through cards from plastic packaging. ¡°Flick, flick¡­ flick¡­ flick¡­ ah, that¡¯s a good one!¡± A large, gray shoe-bill stork struts up to the table. ¡°Sari, what are ¨C¡° ¡°Ah! Good timing, Emel my good friend. Latest joke on my mind: A stork and a rabbit walk into a casino¡­ no wait, it was a bar¡­ and the stork says, hey dork! Then the rabbit turns with a glare, hey, I¡¯m a god! Then the stork gives up all his money and leaves.¡± ¡°Please, Sari, you are the God of Gambling, and lately other assigned duties. Not the God of Jokes, thank the Superiors,¡± Emel says with a shake of his head. He perches right next to Sari and looks into a scrying mirror near the cards. A human is straddling a bird woman as she silently screams. ¡°Heavens, you watch dreary sights.¡± ¡°Not YET the God of Jokes, Palvor hasn¡¯t answered my calls for a friendly game of cards,¡± Sari says with a whine. ¡°Oh, come now, Rolland is doing a fine job.¡± ¡°Not every god has a gambling problem. I still cannot believe you convinced Seven you were actually a god from her world. For a Superior, she is remarkably gullible.¡± The bird clears its throat and continues, ¡°I had come to ask how Rolland was doing, but I suppose I have my answer.¡± ¡°Just killed Helvair Rall and he¡¯s already going for survivors. My heavens! I suppose right about now, Seven has to be so confused! Rolland lives and Helvair can¡¯t even be found inside her system anymore. Oops!¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re succeeding?¡± ¡°Absolutely! The game is only just beginning. Seven now knows something is going on. I suspect she really is regretting gambling with me. She also likely just noticed the other reincarnates.¡± ¡°Other¡­reincarnates?¡± Emel tilts his head, ¡°I recall only Rolland. What have you been up to?¡± ¡°Seven lost more games with me and temporarily gave me control over reincarnation. I broke her rule of one-hero at a time, and instead of making more babies, I brought about new heroes!¡± Sari pulls out a laptop from thin air and points at a screen of illegible symbols. ¡°¡­ just how much gambling did Superior Seven do with you?¡± ¡°Enough for me to win plenty of her assets,¡± Sari chimed as their rabbit ears flick with delight. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll try to get control back soon. As soon as she notices the other heroes she¡¯ll probably try to bless them and undo the damage Rolland has caused.¡± ¡°Why did you even bring in potential threats?!¡± ¡°My game, my rules! I do not need to explain myself to you! Though given how many people died when Four fouled up? I now have so many souls to call upon!¡± Sari pulled a small orb from nowhere. Inside it is a small group of several human souls. ¡°Want one? They¡¯re salary workers. Sour, slight kick, plenty of salt.¡± ¡­ Elsewhere in the multiverse, a red-haired businesswoman stands up screaming. Just how did her wonderful fantasy world get so broken?! End Prologue