《Kreig Goes Apesh*t (An AU of Returning to No Applause)》 Chapter 1, Welcome Back! A sky of blue presented itself before him. Endless, glorious blue. The bloody red he had seen for thirty years straight had been banished, leaving only a cloudless beauty of nature that made Kreig Wiedermann, a man of 147 and a warrior of 130, want to cry. But if he turned his attention from the sky that seemed to embrace him like a mother hugging her child, he found a number of guns and various other weapons trained on him. He could recognize a few of the weapons, though far from all of them. Guns, rifles, spears and swords all geared for a fight. His grip on the bloodstained sword in his hand tightened. Once, it had been golden. Once, it had possessed a purpose beyond killing. Now, it might as well have been a club. The muscles in his body that had begun to relax at the great blue sky above now reared in anticipation. It seemed that not even on Earth would he be truly free. Not that he wanted to fight. In all honesty, he was tired. All he wanted to do was sit down and not think and accept this end to his days of fighting. But the people in front of him seemed far from interested in letting him do so. The unmistakable scent of fear exuded from their young, able bodies and he wondered how many he would have to kill before they stopped attacking. A bespeckled man in a suit seemed to hold the answer. ¡°W-, wait! Don¡¯t attack, just-,¡± the speckled suit stepped before Kreig, arms held up placatingly. ¡°Let¡¯s talk, okay? We don¡¯t need to fight, so¡­¡± Of all the men collected here, this man was the scrawniest. His suit, as large as it was, only barely hid his bony limbs. He approached closer and Kreig felt a deep-seated emotion grab hold of him. One that told him that enemies shouldn¡¯t get too close. That if they got too close, they would be able to hurt him. That if they hurt him, he might die. And if he died, so did his faith. Ants crawled alongside his back and he felt his teeth clench. ¡°Step back, Thomas!¡± A youth stepped up, his spear pointed in Kreig¡¯s direction. Logically, Kreig knew that such a weapon would seldom be able to harm him. Logically, he should have been able to handle this. But the spear was too close, and the skies were darkening, and the red was creeping up on him like a slimy mudcrawler and he could only smell the blood that clung to his armour like vengeful spirits of the past. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with-,¡± In a single, sweeping movement, the upper half of the youth¡¯s face was bisected from the lower at the height of the mouth. Kreig blinked and glanced at his sword, now held straight out. Atop the edge of his mighty sword, a pair of eyes blinked and turned. When Kreig looked back at the youth¡¯s body, he found it still standing, the opened lower jaw working and moving as though to speak. A hissing noise found its way out of the open, staring throat and the tongue flopped like a fish on dry land. Silence rung heavy across the square as the body took one step away from Kreig, staggered, attempted to right itself and then fell over, its legs still trying to move. Several dozen eyes turned on Kreig. ¡°D-, David?¡± the speckled suit whimpered, his gaze glued to the still blinking half-head on top of Kreig¡¯s blade. In a movement fueled more by disgust than respect, Kreig angled the broadsword to the side, letting the half-head fall to the pavement with a splat. Feeling nothing but cold, muddy numbness at the carnage that would undoubtedly unfold, Kreig watched with seasoned detachment how the speckled suit swung between the need to run and the desire for revenge. In the end, he simply shouted, ¡°Attack!¡± By that point, Kreig had already brought up his shield to guard against the oncoming attacks. In truth, he didn¡¯t actually need it, but he knew too little about the compatibility between the system and modern warfare to take the chance. Bullets peppered his shield uselessly, each fired cartridge falling to the ground with a little plink. Using his defensiveness to advance, the rest of the youth¡¯s comrades rushed him, each fueled by a burning desire for revenge. The first to get close enough to him was a middle-aged man wearing thick, cloth-like armour. Kreig didn¡¯t need to use a single blessing to bisect the man by the waist. A spool of organs escaped the confines of his intestines but by this point, Kreig¡¯s attention had rather been drawn to a woman standing off to the side, mumbling spells. In his head, a simple fact of war repeated itself, always take out the mages first. Moving to her side quicker than anyone could react, he decapitated her. Her still-mumbling head fell to the ground. As her comrades whirled on their feet to face him, he stepped on her skull, splattering it against his sabatons. The look of abject terror on her comrades¡¯ faces told him it worked. But perhaps not as advisory as he might have liked it. ¡°AAAAAHHH!!¡± Screaming in anger, a woman wielding two smaller knives threw herself at him. He raised his shield. Clearly assuming that he was going on the defensive, she approached, knives drawn and ready. Once she got in range, Kreig bashed his shield into her midsection, causing her torso to explode outwards in a burst of blood and guts. The only thing that still connected her unscathed head and limbs was a collection of web-like tendons and muscles. Her body, alive only because her intact brain couldn¡¯t understand what had happened, fell to its knees. Happy with his evaluation of the strength of Earth humans, he turned to the remaining three, viewing them less as a bundle of combatants and more as a chore to be dealt with. Perhaps, if he dealt with them soundly enough, there might be no objections left? After all, if he could prove to the world that attacking him was useless, they would stop, wouldn¡¯t they? Raising his hand, he gestured towards the three stunned combatants. A single word fell from his lips. ¡°Smite.¡±
Wrath of God (X)
The combatants only had a single moment, a realization fueled far more by fighter¡¯s instinct than anything else, to glance up at the sky before a series of what almost appeared to be lances of light rained down upon them, stabbing into them with all the grace and power of a pole stabbing them. These lances were far from merciful, each just so happening to land in a way so as to not pierce the brain. One penetrated through one of the men through his open mouth, through all his internal organs and finally out through his thigh. Another pinned a girl by each limb as though she were a butterfly to be presented. The third had so many lances impaling his back that he appeared more like a hedgehog than a man. They gave no sounds of pain as every organ and tendon they had was ruptured and severed. Their airways had been cut off, their eyes gouged out, their chests stabbed. The only thing they could give before dying was a single, regretful glance at their killer. Then, as life drained from their eyes, the lances quickly dissipated, letting their twisted and mangled bodies drop to the floor. Kreig watched them with endless apathy. Before he could so much as hope that this could convince the nearby police officers to drop their guns, a bullet hit him in the side of the head. Not even scratching his skin, it fell to the floor with a soft plink. He turned to his right, where he found an officer with his gun drawn, eyes pooling with tears. ¡°A-, ah¡­¡± He was young, alright. Going by the softness of his face and the look in his eye, he must¡¯ve been new to all of this. Kreig turned on him, wondering why his overwhelming show of power hadn¡¯t worked. Maybe a show of cruelty might deter them better? Usually, people retreated once they realized they had no hope of survival. So why¡­ ¡°P-, please, spare him! He¡¯s just a boy!¡± An older man, wearing the same outfit as the young boy, stepped between the boy and Kreig. His eyes shone with terror and determination. An admirable man, all things considered. Kreig almost did as he asked only because of the language he spoke. Almost. Instead, he lightly tossed his broadsword at them, successfully impaling the both of them in one strike. As they fell to their knees, uselessly gripping at the bloodstained sword, the other officers each made a choice between fighting and fleeing. Going by the bullets now peppering his face and armour, it was clear which choice most of them had decided to make. Suddenly feeling very tired of the situation, Kreig wandered over to the dying pair and slid his sword out of their chests. With their chests freed of the weapon, the both of them bled out within seconds. As for the rest of the officers, he really just wanted to get this over with. If scaring them away wouldn¡¯t work, then there was only one option left. ¡°We need back-up - Fighters, mages, whatever you can ge-,¡± the officer wasn¡¯t able to finish his plea for help before Kreig¡¯s armoured fist was firmly lodged in his chest. With the lightest squeeze of his hand, the heart exploded inside his chest. A spray of blood escaped the officer¡¯s mouth, splattering across Kreig¡¯s pale face. He turned to the rest of them. It was a bloodbath. By the end of it, Kreig seriously considered putting on the helmet again, if only to shield his face from the blood. But by that point he was already soaked, so it wouldn¡¯t help. Kreig walked easily over the destroyed and mutilated bodies, crushing skulls and bones underfoot. A whirring overhead brought his attention to what seemed to be a massive fly. Or, rather, a helicopter, if his memories weren¡¯t giving out on him. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. A flare of magic flew from the side of the helicopter, hitting Kreig head-on. A lesser armour would have crumbled. A lesser man would have died. Kreig simply stared at the magician up above, silently considering his next move. In the end, he chose that he would much rather get this over with now than later. Holding up his arms, he let a series of chants fall from his lips.
White Hole (X)
Between his hands, a small, almost unnoticeable white sphere of light hung in midair. Uncaringly, he clasped his hands around the small thing, bringing it down before his eyes. Then, with all the grace of a professional sportsman, he threw it at the helicopter. Seemingly drawn to it, the white sphere hit the mark perfectly, striking the nose of the helicopter. It swallowed it. A dozen lives were snuffed out in an instant, feeding the growing white hole, letting it burst and expand until it was far larger than the helicopter itself. And it just kept growing. From the size of a helicopter to a house, until it finally seemed to dwarf the surrounding skyscrapers. With the greed of a starving tiger, it tore into the roofs of the nearby skyscrapers, consuming steel and glass and concrete and living human beings that had nothing to do with any of this. With only a single word, Kreig stopped its gluttonous rampage. ¡°Cease.¡± And so it did. Spurred by his desires, the white hole shrunk and shrunk and shrunk until it was barely the size of a golf ball. It fell into his gloved hand and he snuffed it out. ¡°F-, freeze!¡± Turning towards where the voice came from, Kreig saw another group of young people, each more frightened than the next. Silently, their gazes hopped between his face and something just above it, likely his level. To return the favour, he glanced at theirs.
Human, Lv.57
Human, Lv.43
Human, Lv.51
Pathetic. ¡°I-, if you can understand us, please surrender!¡± The boy now shouting at him must have been their leader, despite his obvious youth. As a matter of fact, his level wasn¡¯t even the highest among them. Kreig almost sneered. If the boy had expressed it in any other way, Kreig might have laid down his weapons. The simple fact that he was encouraged to ¡®surrender¡¯ was what sealed their fates. The captain of the royal guard never surrendered. An Oracle of God never surrendered. To surrender was to die. Kreig could not allow himself to die. Elsewhere in the city, Gerald ran. He ran, and he ran, and he ran, and he didn¡¯t want to die. He was lucky War had gotten distracted by all those strange people. Otherwise he would have realized that Gerald had survived and he would have killed him. That was the simple fact of the matter. Gerald had only barely survived because everyone was distracted by War but now everything was going to hell and Gerald wasn¡¯t sure he would survive this at all. This place, this city¡­ Whatever this place was, in a matter of minutes, it wouldn¡¯t be here anymore. War would make sure of it. Glancing back, Gerald was given a great view of how a massive white sphere swallowed nearby buildings. It was like looking at a second sun. For a second Gerald felt breathless and strange, but then the sun disappeared, replaced by the endless sounds of a thousand people screaming. Gerald kept running. His breath burnt in his throat. Around him, the streets were mostly empty, but in the buildings, he could sometimes see terrified gazes peering out. He tried to ignore them. If he stopped to warn them, he would die. If he stopped running, he would die. Gerald had always been good at running. That was why he survived hopeless battles while others died. The trick was to never stop to help. If you stopped, then the people who were already dead but still moving would grab you and drag you down into the mud and dirt and beg you to stay at their side while they died but if you did that, you would also perish. It was selfish and it made Gerald feel sick but here he was again, running and running and running and ignoring all those eyes pleading for him to tell them what to do. He ran and ran until he met a group of people wielding weapons and armour. They stared at him strangely and he looked at them with equal apprehension. But none of them were directly hostile. And, for once, Gerald stopped. Because deep in his teenage mind, he still carried hope. Hope that War could be stopped. Hope that he could survive. Hope that he might yet be able to set the world right. And so, he called out to them. ¡°P-, please! You need to-, War is¡­¡± They shared strange looks. ¡°H992w? Ue 9&% sLE0+ kYG-T!3?¡± Gerald blinked at them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Clearly as confused as he felt, they began talking amongst themselves, sharing strange mumbles and odd phrases. In the end, one of them stepped up. She was a fairly young woman, a fair bit older than Gerald but far from fully adult. Her red hair burnt gorgeously and her bright green eyes fell on him. ¡°H-, hello, I h- have the name Samantha, but you-, but you¡­¡± She ummed and aahed for a few seconds. ¡°Sam. Sam name. Me - Sam. What name you?¡± Her speaking was horrible and her pronunciation was off, but Gerald could still mostly understand her. ¡°I¡¯m-, we don¡¯t have time! War is coming, and you need to stop him! Or-, or escape!¡± He bit his lip. ¡°And-, and take me with you¡­¡± Sam made a strange facial expression. The others asked her something and she replied uncertainly. Gerald chanced a glance behind himself. Only a few blocks down, an explosion of some sort rung out. He was close. Gerald gulped. As before, the group had died remarkably easy, now little more than piles of flesh and bones. A few had been killed mercifully with their necks crushed into pulp while others had received a more cruel punishment for suggesting he give up his life. But throughout it all, it occurred to him that something was missing. There was some little detail here that he had forgotten about, some grudge left unfulfilled¡­ He sniffed the air. Ah, yes, that was it. The soldier boy. Lost in his surprise at returning home, he had forgotten all about the rat of the Empire. Perhaps, had none of this happened, he might have chosen to spare the boy - to let bygones be bygones. Forgiveness was a virtue, after all. But could he really let such a dangerous creature roam his homeworld? Even more so, could he allow that little thing to tarnish his name? All Kreig wanted was to return to the life that his younger self had been removed from. With that possibility facing him, was he really about to let a simple soldier ruin it all? Kreig took a deep breath, letting the scent of fear and blood filter through his system. Above the general fear and panic permeating the area around him, he could smell a fear much deeper than the rest, one birthed of personal experience rather than impersonal catastrophe. That¡¯s where he was. An old chant fell from his lips and a pair of snowy-white wings sprouted from his backs.
Wings of a Dove (X)
He took to the skies, anxious to put this all behind him. ¡°What¡¯d he say?¡± Jones asked her, his voice tinged with a worry she understood all too well. ¡°I-, I¡¯m not too sure, something about some guy called Kreig going over here to-,¡± A pang of emotional pain struck her heart at the mention of the familiar name. ¡°To¡­ I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t really understand him.¡± Sam hadn¡¯t been a Fighter for all that long. Getting her life together after those aimless years following the death of everyone but George had taken longer than she¡¯d ever let on. Even now, she still wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d ever fully recover. At least her rudimentary German had come into use somehow. Though, why a German kid wearing medieval armour was here was beyond her. Jones cursed softly and she honestly wanted to do the same, but crouched down in front of the kid so as to not scare him was kind of hindering that. The city was on fire. That she knew. Those explosions just now¡­ They had been called in on an emergency. She had been busy at home, but with the city suddenly attacked by what was currently considered a disaster on the level of Famine of the East, she¡¯d had no choice. Not that they actually knew what it was. The reports of what was going on were, at the moment, vague at best. For example, no voice on the comms had seen or described the massive white hole that appeared mere minutes earlier, swallowing entire buildings before disappearing. Whatever this was, Sam sure as hell wasn¡¯t there to defeat it. Her role, and the role of her comrades, was as simple and common as a distraction. Sirens and emergency broadcasts were blaring all across the smouldering city, telling every able person that they should run as fast as they could. George hadn¡¯t told her a lot before they both split for their own stations, but the current plan was just to stall for as long as possible to allow as many people to escape as they could. After that, unless the specialist team could help, they would go in with nukes. With a creature as clearly volatile as this, they had no other choice. Sam had accepted this all. Sure, she didn¡¯t want to die or anything, but if it let a child and its mother escape, then it might just be worth it. That was what she signed up for. The only part that she despised was that she might have to leave George alone. Unless the creature decided to take down the entire city somehow. But nothing could be that strong, right? She turned back to the kid. ¡°Listen, Gerald, we¡­¡± He seemed awfully distracted. He wouldn¡¯t even meet her gaze. Looking to the sky, she understood why. Framed by the endless blue sky, she watched breathlessly as an angel descended from the heavens. They hadn¡¯t been told anything about what they would face - not if it was human or monster or spirit, but looking at the being floating gracefully like a herald of the end, she knew instantly that this was it. This was how she died. It wore an armour of deep red, parts of it glistening and glittering in the pale light of the sun. It occurred to her that this was probably not a trick of the light, but instead patches of blood that remained wet. They were simply the exact same shade of his armour. His face, too, was covered in splattered blood. Droplets of red clung to his long, black hair, dripping down on the pavement as his winged form approached. An angel of death.
Divine Human, Lv.???
His white eyes fell on her and she knew that this was it. This was the last thing she would ever see. She couldn¡¯t even bring herself to raise her sword. Not a single person made a sound. He stepped down on the ground, blood splattering from the chinks in his armour. She knew in an instant that it wasn¡¯t his. Gerald turned to her. His blue eyes trembled and tears began to pool in them. She wanted to say something to him but nothing came out. He was so young. He was only a boy, barely of age. Moving with heavy strides, the angel of death came to stand behind Gerald, only a meter or so in front of Sam. The air hummed with electric power. Gerald¡¯s eyes remained glued to her even as the angel death rose his hand towards the back of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to-,¡± The angel¡¯s hand clasped the back of Gerald¡¯s head and with a sickening crunch crushed it within his hand. The boy¡¯s face, still complete despite lacking everything behind it, stared blankly at Sam. His gaze glanced away, mouth floundering open, and then he fell into Sam¡¯s arms. The back of his head was simply gone, replaced with a cavity filled only with brain mush and skull fragments. Blood spluttered out of the half-opened neck to the beat of his still-beating heart. The warm wetness struck her face and began to mingle with her now flowing tears. Slowly, the blood began to recede. She placed a hand on the kid¡¯s back, feeling how it was still warm even though he was dead. She looked up at the angel of death. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He looked at her, and for just a second, she could sense some form of consideration, a stray thought in the back of his mind. Then, a fireball hit the side of his head. It wasn¡¯t a strong spell, certainly not one used by any proficient spellcasters, but at this moment, its purpose was clearly not to injure the angel. He turned to the side. A small group of Fighters met his gaze.
Human, Lv.343
Human, Lv.137
Human, Lv.???
Chapter 2, Peace Offering If these humans were the strongest that humanity had to offer, then Earth had certainly come further than the otherworld. But, at the same time, the existence of humans with such high levels did pose a bit of a problem. What had happened on Earth while Kreig was gone? Going only by the architecture, little had changed. There were no flying cars, no robotic servants, and especially no air balloons. It was obvious that 130 years had not passed here. Something was very strange, and Kreig was interested in knowing what. But first, he had to handle the party of humans that now faced him. The leader, if the young blond could be called that, reared a spear in his direction. Behind him, a frog-like man with a level befitting any nation-class warrior hid from Kreig¡¯s gaze. If Kreig so desired, he could easily handle this group of fighters just as easily as the rest. No abilities that a sorcerer of that level could muster would be able to penetrate the armour Kreig wore, much less his own skin. But if he did that, there would be no end to the fighting. If he killed these people, another group would simply replace them. That was how he had been indefinitely stalled in the northern regions for thirty years, after all. But he had no intentions of getting stuck in a loop of murder again. Right now, all he wanted was for this to end. But surrendering was not something he could do. Never in his years as a warrior was surrender an option. If he were to go down, he would go down fighting. However, with the appearance of a high-levelled sorcerer, such a situation could easily be manufactured. Supposing the sorcerer was a man of ability, this would all work out perfectly, and Kreig could soon rejoin society. Assured of his imminent success, Kreig placed his sword and shield on his back and prepared for the confrontation that was sure to come. ¡°What the hell is it doing?...¡± the blond spear wielder mumbled. ¡°I-, I think it¡¯s underestimating us,¡± a brown-haired woman at his side responded. The frog-man pulled his lips tight. The blond youth grinned. ¡°All the better for us. If it wants to rumble, then rumble we will!¡± With that, the blond youth had apparently riled himself up enough to face Kreig. As expected, the sorcerer remained in the back, casting various protections on his comrades. If he was anywhere near as clever as Peter had been, then he would soon begin constructing a certain spell. A spell that required time, patience, and for their comrades to distract the enemy. Kreig gladly allowed himself to get distracted. Moving like a zap of lightning, the blond youth appeared between Kreig and the lower-levelled fighting party, probably hoping to make him back off. Kreig complied. And so began a fight that pretty much played out in slow motion from Kreig¡¯s side. As might be expected from a young man, the youth fought gallantly, prodding at Kreig whenever possible, attempting to pierce his spear into any openings. For a while, Kreig tried to pretend that he was being beaten back, but that got hard when he accidentally broke the youth¡¯s spear. Empty-handed, the kid just kept fighting, seemingly fully in the belief that he was able to match Kreig in hand-to-hand combat. At that point, it only took a few minutes until Kreig accidentally shattered his arm into a pile of human mush and bone fragments. ¡°AARRRGHH!!¡± He fell down, cradling the maimed remains of his arm. Kreig considered putting him out of his misery, but by that point, the rest of his party had joined in as well. A glance at the sorcerer told him that the spell was well underway. At this point, whether he fought them on the same ground or not, the fight would still end in a matter of seconds. Not seeing any reason to hold back anymore, he plunged his fist deep inside the skull of a nearby fighter with such force that it removed the emptied cavity of a head from its shoulders. With such an excellently-sized projectile in hand, he lunged it at a nearby fighter with enough power to create a hole where his chest had previously been. After that, he was only barely able to grab and crush the neck of another fighter before the sorcerer shouted something incomprehensible and Kreig was cocooned in a transparent purple barrier. The nearby fighters all breathed a sigh of relief. After all, with this, Kreig had been immobilized. Under the power of the spell, he was stuck as he stood, incapable of moving. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Of course, he could move, but doing so would dispel both the spell and the illusion that he had been captured. Instead, he watched how the sorcerer grew silently confused before relaxing, letting the spell keep him upright. Of course, there was still the almost-dead fighter with his neck in his grip, but his life was unimportant. From here, things happened quite quickly. Since most people appeared to be under the impression that he had been soundly captured, the fighters wasted no time calling for backup in the form of emergency medical assistance. Most people Kreig had interacted with were either alive or dead with no in-between, the only two examples of the exception being the blond kid (coincidentally named ¡®Craig¡¯) and the guy with his neck in Kreig¡¯s grip. Though, even after several minutes of attempting to dislodge him, it was eventually accepted that his fate was sealed. Regardless, apparently under the impression that he could still survive, they gave him emergency treatments and blood infusions and everything else to survive. It was a pathetic way to live, but if they tried to remove him, the spell would¡¯ve been broken. Since most people assumed Kreig could neither understand nor speak English, they spoke rather openly around him about their plans. For one, it was not in their intent to nuke him and the city, something Kreig certainly appreciated despite not knowing what a ¡®nuke¡¯ was. Slowly, a facility was built around him. At all hours of the day, fighters of varying levels surrounded him. The only person who was constant was the frog-like man, who was usually there during the nights. At no time did the look of utter reproach drop from his face. And then, one day, a man boldly approached him. Judging only by his outfit and the way he walked, with his back as straight and proper as any royalty, it was clear that he was a man of authority. Depending on Kreig¡¯s actions, the man might even be his saviour. The man looked him up and down before glancing over at the frog-like man. The sorcerer nodded at him and the man turned back to Kreig. His sharp eyes bored into Kreig¡¯s. A small group of people with varying ethnicities and facial expressions approached to crowd around him ¡°We know you can move. If you can understand me, please break the seal.¡± Kreig felt the need to blink, but knowing that doing so would break the spell, he decided against it. Then, while trying to digest what the man had just said, the people around him, each one at a time, repeated his sentence in another language. This went on for a few minutes or so, which luckily gave Kreig plenty of time to think. They knew. Well, of course they did. Since the sorcerer was well over level 600, he would have been able to see Kreig¡¯s level of 999+. The concept of the sealing spell of a sorcerer being able to capture a knight with a level of Kreig¡¯s level - as magically boneheaded as he was - was absurd. But it had let him stall for time. Hardening his spirits, he took a single step forward. The purple barrier around him whined and stretched before finally cracking and dissolving into magic dust. Realizing that he still held the corpse of a fighter in his hand, he released his grip on the body¡¯s neck. It clattered to the floor. Before him, the translators each took a few steps back, their eyes widening in terror. Surprisingly, the sharp-eyed man was at least able to pretend that he wasn¡¯t afraid. But Kreig could smell it. With his senses freed, he could smell the fear that permeated the building. The very walls, roof and hallways stunk with terror. ¡°May I ask which language it was that you understood?¡± the man asked smoothly. Kreig glanced back at him. The translators around him all shared hare-like glances, each hoping that it wasn¡¯t him that they understood - that if he just ignored them, they might be allowed to go home alive. Before they could begin their translation, Kreig moved. He pointed one finger at the man. His eyes widened slightly. Then, as though he had rehearsed it before, he turned to the rest of the translators. ¡°Dismissed.¡± Predictably, they scurried off like startled rats. Leaving them alone, save for the sorcerer. Or, well, not quite. With a mournful look, the man glanced at the body lying at Kreig¡¯s feet. He met the sorcerer¡¯s eyes. ¡°Frank, would you please escort Mr Petersson to the morgue?¡± Frank, as his name was, seemed less than happy to do so, but with the man¡¯s authoritative gaze drilling into him, he really had no choice. Thus, they were left fully alone. Of course, there were plenty of cameras, but other than that, there was little direct surveillance. However, just the slightest whiff of the air told Kreig that just behind these steel walls, countless soldiers crawled like ants. But, for now, he had to admit the bravery of the man that stood before him. Or perhaps it was foolishness? ¡°I am Sir William Reiker. The circumstances we meet under may be far from pleasant, but I ask that you will allow me to make your acquaintance regardless.¡± Sir Reiker gave a broad, cold-hearted smile. Kreig felt as though lizards were crawling up his back. ¡°Will you tell me your name?¡± In a different place, in a different situation, Kreig would have given the man nothing but a swift death. Now, he simply looked over at him for a few seconds. ¡°...Kreig Wiedermann.¡± Sir Reiker¡¯s eyes shone analytically. ¡°I see. Quite an interesting name. Are you of the Yungland Empire?¡± Kreig almost struck down Sir Reiker right then and there. It was only barely that he kept himself from squeezing his neck just as he had done that fighter. The man gulped, and his eyes briefly shone with a trembling terror. Then, he cleared his throat and took a step back, out of Kreig''s immediate reach. ¡°I-, I seem to have misspoken. You must understand that we Earthlings aren¡¯t too aware of otherworldly custom-,¡± ¡°How do you know of that place?¡± Kreig croaked in a voice that hadn¡¯t spoken for far too long, in a language that was all but dead in his mind. Sir Reiker brought up his hands placatingly. ¡°There is no need for any upset here. I have come to you as a show of trust, and I wish to extend this courtesy as much as you desire. As for your question, you are not the first otherworldly human that has arrived here. Other humanoids are currently kept in a facility of sorts. Through them, we have been able to learn much-,¡± ¡°I am not of the otherworld,¡± Kreig said quietly. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Before all of this, I was an Earthling,¡± Kreig explained slowly. His throat ached from speaking too much but there was so much to say. Sir Reiker stared at him blankly before seemingly making up his mind. He folded his arms behind his back. ¡°...If this is indeed the case, then we are quite interested. However, I have not come to interrogate you. I am, if you will, merely a peace offering. One that we hope most direly that you will accept.¡± The way he said it was strange, but with the true and honest wish to return to his old life, Kreig nodded. Sir Reiker sighed and gave a strange smile. ¡°I am glad to hear it. For the moment, I¡¯m afraid we cannot let you do as you please. However, believe me when I tell you that you will be treated fairly. Within the week, your case will be brought up before any and all relevant persons. At that point, your fate will be decided. I hope that you understand that unless we decide that you are of no further harm to the Earth and its people, we cannot give you what you desire. Nor can you, for that matter, achieve it on your own.¡± Kreig nodded again, feeling strangely numb. This was it? Would they really forgive him that easily? Sir Reiker seemed pretty finished with his piece, but Kreig still had one thing he had left to ask, one question he urgently needed an answer to. ¡°What year is it?¡± Sir Reiker stared at him for a moment. He blinked. ¡°The year is 2020.¡± And then, with a goodbye and a wave of the hand, Sir Reiker left. Chapter 3, Coincidences ¡°It has to be a coincidence,¡± Sam said, pacing up and down the hallway. George followed her with his eyes. Unlike her, he was able to keep his cool and remain seated at the table, a letter cradled between his fingers. He turned back to the title at the very top. ¡®The interrogation of Kreig Wiedermann.¡¯ A coincidence. Sure. ¡°There is no way in the world that that angel is Kreig. Because Kreig is-,¡± she gave a whining hiccup before continuing, ¡°-dead! That¡¯s what we know, and that¡¯s how it is, and there¡¯s no fucking way that-,¡± ¡°What if he is?¡± George watched quietly as Sam stalled mid-step and turned to him. ¡°What if he actually is Kreig? It would certainly make sense. It¡¯s not as though they found a body.¡± Her hands balled into fists. ¡°No, but-,¡± ¡°But what?¡± George asked. ¡°They simply disappeared. Would you rather he was dead?¡± ¡°-But you haven¡¯t seen him! He was-, it¡­ That angel was like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen. The things it did¡­ If you were there, then¡­¡± She brought up her arms, seemingly trying to grasp for words that just weren¡¯t there. In the end, all she could do was collapse into the chair beside George. She placed her face in her hands, but through the gaps in her fingers, George could see her staring at the letter he held. It was a simple letter, really. It had been sent out to a select few members of IOCRO or other relevant governments. George, as regional district manager, was an obvious choice. He had every say in the matter of the creature that not only appeared in his own city, but was now also detained in it. Of course, no one who put their life on the line to appear at the interrogation of Kreig Wiedermann would have to do so alone. Each one could bring a single person as accompaniment. In the cases of most, this would likely be a Fighter of some sort. At the moment, George wasn¡¯t all too sure about who he¡¯d be bringing. ¡°Are you telling me I should have placed myself in battle?¡± ¡°No! No, I just¡­¡± She groaned and buried her head further into her hands. ¡°Sometimes, you see a monster and you just know they¡¯re a monster. They don¡¯t have to have fangs, or webbed feet, or even scales. They just are.¡± She placed her hands on the table. ¡°And the moment they lay their slitted eyes on you, you know you¡¯re dead.¡± Silence stretched between them. George turned away from his sister¡¯s intense glare and glanced back down at the letter in his hands. He swallowed. ¡°What if, regardless, it remains him?¡± He turned back to her. ¡°Ten years here would be a hundred and thirty in the otherworld. You should know that. What if, somehow, he survived all of that? He survived it, and¡­¡± George drew a breath. ¡°And he became a monster.¡± Sam pulled her lips tight. In a small voice, she said, ¡°A monster is a monster whether it became one or not.¡± George watched her carefully. ¡°And if the only way to defeat it is to accept it?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s-,¡± ¡°Depending on the situation, the two of us may very well be the most important chains to shackle him.¡± George let his eyes move over to an old family portrait on the wall. ¡°We can¡¯t know if it really is him, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find out at the interrogation. Considering the situation, Sir Reiker would surely not withhold it from us.¡± ¡°¡®We,¡¯ ¡®us¡¯...¡± Sam muttered. ¡°Would you rather stay at home and mope?¡± ¡°No! Of course not, I-,¡± Her words stalled at seeing George¡¯s grin. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re tricking me! Alright, alright. Fine. I¡¯ll come with you. But only because nobody else could possibly protect you!¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± George shrugged dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ll trust in your excellent abilities.¡± ¡°Heheh, you better!¡± Sam¡¯s determination faltered once they actually got there. The facility had been constructed in a matter of hours, using every available piece of technology. It was large, its walls thicks and doors locked. Fighters and military personnel alike bustled about it, guarding it against stray passersby. Not that there were many. After the city got evacuated a few days back, most people hadn¡¯t expected it to remain standing. Most creatures that warranted a full evacuation of the city so, too, required a nuking to deal with. Unless a number of high-levelled Fighters were there to deal with it. This case was a bit different. For now, according to what George had told her, it was pretty certain that the angel had no intentions of any further violence and destruction. Of course, it could just be waiting for a chance to do away with as many as possible, but that was still up in the air. For now, the city remained in a state of subdued fear. There hadn¡¯t been any mass-fleeing, but that could just be a matter of time. IOCRO had tried not to cause any panic, but it was hard when the city got attacked by a literal angel. Sam drew a breath of the cold winter air. For some reason, her armour felt big and stupid on her. Carrying a sword around other people felt wrong. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Even worse, her level was vastly inferior to even the simple guards on stand-by outside the facility. Could she even be considered his guard at all? Compared to her, he was received with plenty of greetings and light praises, which made sense. Anybody who was anything was there, though Sam couldn¡¯t recognize a single one. Thankfully, her brother had no problem with explaining it all to her. ¡°-That would be our national director, Lance Faraway. As might be expected, he brought the strongest Fighter under his power. And that over there would be the national director of Europe, Arto Paasilinna. He obviously brought Juha H?kkinen. Showster.¡± Following George¡¯s gaze, Sam found a very pale man guarding another very pale man. One was well dressed and the other wore an incredibly showy armour-piece. Most Fighters wore a pretty standard piece of armour that could handle anything from bullets to stabs, but this guy wore something else entirely. In all honesty, he looked more like a knight in shining armour than a Fighter. But that made sense. Because it was Juha H?kkinen. The so-called Strongest Fighter In The World. To Sam, his level appeared as a triplet of question marks. This was the third such person she had ever seen. But just looking at him, she got the sense that he somehow wasn¡¯t as strong as the frog-looking guy who had faced the angel the other day. In that same sense, the angel¡¯s ??? had far overshadowed that sorcerer. Of course, that didn¡¯t make Juha a small presence by any means. As might be expected from the mascot of IOCRO, he was met by wide-eyed looks and open mouths by Fighters and onlookers alike. His mere presence had actually summoned a pretty sizable crowd to the facility. For now, the crowd with their flashing cameras was controlled by a number of guards, always keeping them just a pace or two from the facility. Anyone with the proper authority was allowed inside. As the national director of Europe started chatting with the national director of their country, George hit up some small talk with a burly man in a suit. At his side, a young woman stood defensively, a small staff clutched in her hands. -Human, Lv.165- ¡°Is this seriously the strongest Fighter you could find? I expected no less from a man of your reputation!¡± the burly man said with a guffaw. Sam suppressed the urge to stab him. Then again, just looking at him, he certainly looked more like a Fighter than the girl at his side. Speaking of that girl, at being mentioned by him, her cheeks grew flushed. Oho? ¡°Unlike you, Rolf, I enjoy greater reasoning than simply choosing the cutest Fighter you can find. You are aware that you may bring her down with you, no?¡± George shot back. Rolf merely laughed again. ¡°Hahah! Is there any shame in bringing one''s wife to work? Your compliments aside, the both of us are quite ready to face what lies ahead. Should anything go wrong, your region isn¡¯t the only one faced with atomic fallout, you know.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± George moved his gaze over the small number of people gathered. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose Irving and Jane have arrived yet?¡± ¡°Oh, they¡¯re already inside. Apparently, they¡¯re bringing everyone in party-by-party, so-,¡± At this point, Rolf got interrupted by a soldier who barely reached up to his shoulders. ¡°Oh, is it-? Alright, I¡¯ll see you on the other side, Georgio!¡± ¡°Who are you calling Georgio?...¡± With that, the two left. Sam followed the girl with her eyes, watching as the both of them slipped inside the facility. In the corner of her eye, she saw George looking at her strangely. She met his gaze. ¡°What is it?¡± He turned away. ¡°...Nothing. Sorry.¡± A soldier approached them. ¡°Guess our ride¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Wait-,¡± But he was already walking away, and since her job was to guard him, she could hardly remain standing outside. Cursing under her breath, she jogged after him. The procedure to be granted admission was both long and short. First, their identities were tested by various means. Showing her moped driving licence or her Fighter ID card was far from enough. No, they wanted her blood. It was a little scary, but after a while of having their things checked and everything else tested, they were given the green. And then, before they could even enter the waiting room, a dark-skinned man waved them over to the side. He began leading them through a hallway as he spoke. ¡°Forgive me for reaching out to you out of the blue. You do not need to introduce yourselves. However, I am Doctor Darius Falk, the head psychologist in charge of observation and research regarding Kreig Wiedermann.¡± Sam felt like saying something, but she kept quiet. Right now, she was just a guard, nothing more than a shield for George¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll keep this short. According to what we have been able to unearth, there is little doubt that the man you are to meet in an hour is none other than your brother.¡± ¡°It is?!¡± Sam exclaimed before realizing her fault and clasping her hands over her mouth. Darius turned back to watch her. Nothing on his face showed any hint of anger or upset. ¡°Indeed. Of course, the interrogation is to take place today, but what little we have heard from him has been quite enough. As a matter of fact, only his name was enough.¡± He continued, ¡°By questioning the prisoners of the Other Island, we were able to reveal quite a bit of information, though not enough to make any concrete assessments. For one, he has indeed lived in the Otherworld for around 130 years. According to an inmate who arrived approximately nine years ago, Wiedermann was, alongside four others, a warrior representing a church. Another inmate explained that this church later formed a theocracy, which fell.¡± ¡°How it came to be that Wiedermann was captured and later became captain of the Yungland Empire¡¯s royal guard is uncertain, and, even worse, the time that followed this switch is uncertain.¡± Darius opened a door to a small office and welcomed them inside. They each took a seat. ¡°As you might have recalled, Kreig Wiedermann disappeared alongside four classmates. The young inmate that arrived nine years ago was helpful enough to provide us a list of their names. I expect that you will recognize them.¡± In quiet revelry, Sam and George listened as Darius listed the names of those other boys. Then¡­ It was true? That thing out there really was Kreig? That angel of death that descended from the sky and killed in cold blood was her brother? Sam shook her head, trying to remove the cold tremor that gripped her shoulders. ¡°You may not like to hear it, but with this, we may actually have a hope of surviving this without any further human casualties,¡± Darius said smoothly. Before Sam could reply, George placed his hand before her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Kreig Wiedermann is, by all accounts, an extremely unstable individual. However, he is not inhuman. He has, by his own accord, chosen to not continue his massacre. Furthermore, he chose to cease by pretending to be captured in order to lower our guards. To give us time to think things through.¡± Darius trained his eyes on Sam. She felt so small. ¡°This means that he has conscious, logical thought.¡± Again, George kept her from speaking. ¡°How can our presence help?¡± Darius only looked at him briefly before turning back to Sam. ¡°We have good reason to believe that you two are currently the only things restraining Kreig. Our future movements are yet to be decided, but it is clear that you will have a large role to play. But, of course, we cannot force you to do anything.¡± His dark eyes burnt like black fire. ¡°Samantha, are you willing to die for the sake of the world?¡± She blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± Looking over at George, she found him equally stupefied. But now Darius wasn¡¯t speaking to him. He was talking to her, and he asked her a question. She gulped. On her lap, her hands curled into fists. ¡°If-, if it will allow a child to survive, or-, or a mother to live one more day, then¡­¡± She faced him boldly, meeting his gaze head-on. ¡°I am ready to die.¡± He smiled softly. ¡°I am glad to hear it. Whether it comes down to that is uncertain, but, of course, we hope that such things won¡¯t come to pass. For now, however, we must ask one little thing of you both.¡± Now, he turned to regard George as well. ¡°Lie to Wiedermann.¡± George¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Lie about what?¡± ¡°Kreig Wiedermann reacted to the slightest provocation by killing thousands and causing untold collateral damage. He is not an emotionally stable man. How do you believe he will react, should he hear about his parents¡¯ fate?¡± Sam¡¯s mouth felt awfully dry. She glanced at her brother. He slowly closed his eyes and nodded. ¡°I see. Very well.¡± Opening his eyes once more, he glared at Darius. ¡°And you are certain that this will not somehow backfire? Should he realize that we lied to him¡­¡± ¡°We are certain that this will not come to pass. For the moment, I hope that you will trust in our judgement.¡± He turned to look at Sam, his eyes infinitely hard. ¡°And when the moment comes, we hope that you are ready for what¡¯s to come.¡± Sam nodded. For now, she couldn¡¯t possibly understand what this would mean. But one day, she would. Chapter 4, The Interrogation of Kreig Wiedermann He had not accepted anything they gave him. They had presented him with food, water, a nice place to rest, and anything else he might want. But he didn¡¯t need any of that, nor had he wanted it. Since his time there was hopefully fleeting, Kreig had chosen not to get comfortable. If he sat down and unloaded himself, he was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to get up again, should the situation require it. His mind was far too full of questions to handle it anyways. Ten years. It had only been ten years. For the life of him, he couldn¡¯t grasp whether this was a blessing or curse. The world hadn¡¯t changed that much, all things considered. Returning to a desolate, apocalyptic wasteland would¡¯ve been even worse. Since only ten years had passed, it meant anybody he might have cared about during his time on Earth remained alive. ...Then, his family was alive? Realizing such a simple fact turned Kreig¡¯s mind upside-down. He could remember neither their names nor their faces, but he knew that he had them. A hardworking mother and a caring father. A lovely sister and a diligent brother. Yes, they had been his family, hadn¡¯t they? His previously aimless goal of returning to his old life suddenly solidified into a dire need to meet his family. If portals had opened and there were monsters here, couldn¡¯t he protect them? Family was as important as faith. Yes, if he only had his family, then¡­ ¡°The interrogation of Kreig Wiedermann is to begin in two hours. As said previously, you will be kept here while the jury take their seat there.¡± As he spoke, Sir Reiker pointed to the other side of the room, where people had already begun placing massive fancy tables and chairs. By looking only at the furniture they were to use, it was clear that whoever was to come, they were at the top of the totem pole. Furthermore, each and every one of them had decided to come, despite the obvious risk of death. In that sense, they were braver than most. Glancing over at where he himself was, almost all of the furniture and things he had been needlessly presented with had been removed, save for a single chair upon which he had been instructed to sit. As Sir Reiker explained, just before the judges arrived, he would be shackled to the chair and floor with chains of Dragonheart. Of course, since making chains of pure Dragonheart was practically impossible, the chains weren¡¯t pure Draonheart, but that didn¡¯t really matter. The important thing was that it at least appeared that he was being contained competently. The fact that he would be able to break the chains at any time was insignificant. ¡°You are only expected to speak when questioned, but you have the right to express yourself whenever needed.¡± Sir Reiker spoke calmly, standing closer to Kreig than anyone else had dared to. ¡°I beg that you recall that we are not your enemies. We hope that you will live peacefully as much as you do. Therefore, you should hold no worries regarding our judgement. Whether you are to be detained for a while or otherwise kept secure, you will at some point be granted your freedom.¡± His eyes sharpened. ¡°You have my word on that.¡± Unsure how to respond, Kreig kept his gaze on the door leading to the waiting area where the jury lingered. He knew that was their location since the room was filled with the scents of people he had never smelled before. Furthermore, all of them had a clean, white-pressed fragrance about them, with the women wearing perfume and the men carrying cologne. Even more strikingly, they all had the same scent of fear subdued by courtesy. These people were high-standing officers, surrounded by equally high-standing officers. How could they possibly show fear before them? The situation was simply so that each and every one of them was only there to show off to the rest of them that ¡®I¡¯m not scared, I deserve my place here.¡¯ Of course, far from all of them had the exact same scent. Some were less afraid, others more so. A few held a fear so different from the rest that Kreig couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat stunned. As there were many different kinds of fear, so too were there many kinds of nervousness. It was only obvious that the nervousness of confessing one''s love would be different from the nervousness of facing death. Most in the waiting room held the latter, but a few - two, to be exact - seemed to hold a strange variant of the former. A nervousness tinged by worry and just the slightest hint of love hovered about them and only them. The thought that anyone would have such conflicting emotions about this interrogation filled Kreig with confusion and uncertainty. As Sir Reiker excused himself to go escort the jury, Kreig fell into a dull silence. Unsure of how else to react, Kreig followed Sir Reiker¡¯s presence as he moved through the facility, in and out of hallways and through doors until he finally arrived at the waiting room. The emotions of the jury inside flared, especially so those certain two. For a few minutes, Sir Reiker simply stood before them, explaining his piece. And then the doors opened and Kreig was given an excellent view of how the five foremost officers froze mid-step. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. A second or so passed awkwardly as they stared at him and he stared at them, the officers clad smartly and Kreig in chains. The moment passed once Sir Reiker moved to the front and urged the officers inside. Even then, they moved with stale, wooden steps, their eyes either moving nervously about the room or focused on Kreig and only Kreig. As the judges poured inside, Kreig began feeling just a bit anxious, if only because of the myriad of eyes trained on him. To escape the gazes, Kreig turned his attention to finding those certain two. Unlike most of the smartly dressed men, the two were further in the back, somewhat hidden by the others¡¯ presences. But their emotions were so much stronger. Everyone else tried to hide how they felt, but these two were simply so overcome by their own feelings that they couldn''t give a thought to withholding it. Kreig watched with great curiosity as they came into view. A man and a younger woman. The man was, much like most everyone else, dressed in a sharp suit, distinguishing himself as an officer of some sort. If Kreig focused, he could see a small metal pin in the lapel of his suit, displaying what appeared to be a coat of arms. The woman, on the other hand¡­ When Kreig turned to regard her, he found her eyes trained squarely on his. As their eyes met, she practically jumped out of her skin. She almost even drew the sword hung by her hip, but the man at her side stopped her. It appeared that they were, much like everyone else, a pair. Every officer could be seen as a pair together with some person usually dressed in armour. A few had instead brought a young woman likewise dressed in a suit. An officer and an escort. As simple as that. Then, these two certain ones were also a pair. Considering the similarities of their scents, facial bone structure and the closeness of their relationship, they were likely siblings. This was especially obvious since almost everyone else had brought a Fighter with a level of at least 100. Of course, the two were hardly the only ones who brought someone to act as more than a bodyguard, but he found them much more interesting. As Kreig kept eye contact with the young woman, people began taking their seats, with their guards standing behind them. Nobody spoke a word. It was honestly pretty awkward, but Kreig knew it wasn¡¯t his place to say anything. Sir Reiker took a seat at the head of the tables, closest to Kreig. An older man sat next to him, holding a small gavel. It felt like a very strange trial. Sir Reiker stood up, gathering the attention of all present. ¡°Eight days ago, on the 5¡¯th of November, a portal opened in this very city. The defendant and a soldier of the Yungland Empire exited. Over the course of one hour and thirty-two minutes, the defendant wreaked havoc, wiping out several Fighter parties and destroying numerous buildings. He only stopped when sealed by the spell Greater Hold Enemy V, cast by Frank Groda.¡± He spoke broadly, making no effort to either sugarcoat or subdue his words. ¡°I wish to make it clear from the very beginning that the defendant is being kept only with his own consent. We hold no sustainable way of containing him, nor of killing him. ¡°At the moment, our only method of neutralizing him is to make him an ally of not only IOCRO, but the world as a whole. With today¡¯s meeting, we hope to ascertain that this is not only plausible, but also possible.¡± His hawk¡¯s eyes wandered smoothly over the gathered officers. ¡°With this said, I now declare the Interrogation of Kreig Wiedermann open. Attorney?¡± One of the officers, a thin man with a large afro, stood up and stepped over towards Kreig, followed closely by a young woman. ¡°Jury and guards alike, we are not here to discuss the sins of this man, nor to judge him by the standards of our society. This may be a trial that will determine his future treatment, but it is only in such a way that a doctor would determine the healing of their patient. With that said, I wish to begin this interrogation by determining the validity of the defendant¡¯s claim regarding his identity as Kreig Wiedermann, the former Earthling.¡± With that, the attorney turned to Kreig, his sharp eyes running over him. ¡°How old are you?¡± Kreig gulped. ¡°147 years.¡± A small bout of murmur rose over the jury, but a single look from the attorney was able to quiet them. ¡°Assuming you were indeed removed from this Earth at the age of seventeen and that you have remained there for ten years, this age would be correct.¡± In the span of fewer than three seconds, the attorney glanced over at those certain two, received a shake of the head from the well-dressed man, and then turned back to Kreig. ¡°How did you come to find yourself in the otherworld?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Saying all of it in front of so many people felt somehow embarrassing, but he had no choice. With all of those eyes focused on no one but him, he had no choice but to explain as best as he could what had happened all those years ago. How he and four of his classmates had awoken in marble caskets. How they had been fed strange mushrooms. How they had spent years training to become the representatives of a religion they slowly grew devoted to. And then, how it had all changed. Absorbed by his own words, Kreig could no longer see anything but the world he spoke of. The religion usurped the country. And then, war. And before Kreig knew it, he was standing trial for crimes he remembered committing all-too-well. But they wouldn¡¯t execute him. He sat small and feeble before a judge and jury who all refused to let him join his friends and God below. In front of Kreig¡¯s eyes, the room seemed to shift, changing from the barren walls and modern guards into the polished and luxurious walls of the Royal Imperial Court. A bead of sweat trailed down Kreig¡¯s back. Before him, the judge that ruled over life and death reared like a carrion-bird smelling a corpse. ¡°And then? What was your sentence?¡± ¡°Please,¡± Kreig whispered. ¡°Let me join my brothers.¡± The cold blue eyes of the judge pierced Kreig¡¯s heart like an icicle, freezing it in his chest. ¡°That we cannot do.¡± And all of a sudden countless years passed. Kreig was no longer a prisoner awaiting execution. Years of lonely punishment, only to be released back into society as though nothing happened. They put a sword in his hand and made him their soldier. He killed for their sakes. And then, as quickly as it began, the life he had grown to slowly enjoy ended. Nearby countries grew aware of his presence and demanded his execution. An execution the Empire could not physically give him. ¡°And what happened then?¡± The judge that now stood before him was a different one, his robes and face all changed. Eyes flaming, teeth bared, he turned to Kreig with a look that beckoned murder. But he couldn¡¯t kill Kreig. No one could. ¡®A thousand years in The Basement!¡¯ he¡¯d called out and the world darkened and Kreig was dragged down into a place that was as black as night even in the brightness of day. Shadows danced around him, asking questions and speaking softly amongst themselves, all mumbling and worried and gradually growing panicked. But everything was black, and Kreig was alone. Far away, he heard unfamiliar voices speaking, ¡°What is he doing?¡± ¡°Begin evacuations, call Doctor Falk.¡± ¡°Sir, we-,¡± Silently, quietly, with the certainty of a sinner, Kreig brought his hands together, determined to part the darkness and the quiet. An old, familiar prayer fell from his lips. A rumble shook the facility. The shadows began to dance with fervour, singing wailing songs as they flew through the room. But Kreig was focused on giving his heart to God. Above him, the roof of the facility gave a whine and a crack as the light penetrated through it like a flood of liquid sun. Light touched down on his shoulders, banishing the darkness. The facility, although small in comparison to nearby buildings, was nevertheless built of the strongest material available and stood at a proud three storeys. This building was filled with people, from guards to cleaners to fighters to officers. And anything and anyone in the way of the light was destroyed. Not a single shadow fell on Kreig. Through the cracks above, blood dripped. Chapter 5, I Dont Want To Die ¡°Thank you, Lord. Amen.¡± That¡¯s what he said. After all of it. Softly, barely perceivable. But everyone heard it, because nobody else dared say a word. A select few officers were still seated, determined to go down with the ship. Sir Reiker, the representative of the founders, was one of these few. Sam was not. She had already been standing, but that didn¡¯t mean she had escaped. As a matter of fact, she hadn¡¯t even tried to run. The most simple reason as to why was because George was still sitting. And although she could easily imagine dying for his sake, she could not bear living in a world without him. And so, she stayed. Hands gripping her sword harder than she had ever gripped it before, she stayed. Eyes trembling, hands shivering, she watched as his eyes slowly opened again. For once, it appeared that he could actually see them. In those white eyes of his, there was a presence that thought and considered and saw them. Only five minutes ago, there had been no such presence in his eyes. He may have been answering questions and describing the horrid life he had led, but he had not been there. He had been somewhere else entirely, and they noticed it far too late. Now, the lot of them could only watch in stunned silence as blood dripped from the roof. Some little sound came from up there, but no one knew what it was until it finally slid down from two floors up. The lower half of a man dropped down to the ground beside Kreig with a splat, a burst of blood hitting Kreig¡¯s right sabaton. It didn¡¯t even make a mark. Somehow, that acted as the starting gun. Those who had been lingering about the doors, just on the cusp of running away now threw them open, abandoning honour and bravery alike. Sam envied them. She wanted to run. She really did. She wanted to throw herself towards the door and climb over all those officers and escape before anyone even knew what had happened. But her feet were glued to the floor. George wouldn¡¯t move either. A minute or so passed. In the end, barely seven people remained in the room. Even the judge had decided to evacuate. But just as before, Sir Reiker remained, his face neutral and frozen. Sam was unsure whether those few who were left had simply been petrified with fear, or if they were just stupid. She was a little bit of both. With the attorney gone, nobody said a word. It felt strange to consider it, but where he sat chained to his chair, Kreig almost appeared a little awkward. It was almost as though he wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t bring himself to break the silence. The one who finally did was Sir Reiker, who sighed loudly and massaged his temples. Then, while everyone watched him, he stood up. ¡°Winter, will you please ask your guard to go fetch someone to remove¡­ it?¡± He jerked his thumb at the corpse beside Kreig. Winter, a white-haired woman who was still trembling even now, said, ¡°Y-, yes, sir! Randy, will you-,¡± ¡°It will not be necessary.¡± His baritone voice cut through, silencing Winter thoroughly. Everyone turned to him where he sat like a chained ruler. To Sam, it almost seemed like he had originally intended to say something else as well, but now that everyone was looking at him, he felt too self-conscious to do it. So, instead, he bent down and touched the body. Within seconds, a white fire consumed it, transforming it and the blood pooling out of it into snow. Kreig didn¡¯t seem to see anything wrong with it. ¡­It was exactly something her brother would have done. It was stupid and it was hasty but it did solve a problem. It was so alike him that she almost forgot that he didn¡¯t appear to care at all about the sanctity of human life. Sir Reiker, in stunned awe and fair, forgot to reply for a few seconds. Then, he said, ¡°...I had originally intended to save this for later, but I suppose there will be no better time. Samantha, George? Would you like to introduce yourselves?¡± Sam could feel her mouth flounder agape. Looking at how George jerked in his seat, he surely felt the same way. They were going to do that here? Now? Right after he killed at least one person and disposed of their body? What the hell was Reiker thinking?! And then she took a glance around the room. At the moment, only the most essential people remained. Since Sir Reiker had ordered for the evacuation of the entire facility and nearby areas, if she or George said something wrong and Kreig did something horrible again, only they would die. A similar situation could be manufactured at a later date, but it would take days or even weeks, not to mention the matter of evacuating several blocks again. As for Kreig himself, he¡¯d be much more understanding of evacuating the facility like this than if it was just to meet them. If he suspected that their meeting was somehow going to upset him, then he might react more harshly if they did upset him, or he might be vigilant for such things as lies. Sam clutched her hand, trying to restrain a tremor. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Okay. Alright. He might have a point, but this was still-, ¡°...Yes, of course. We would be delighted to.¡± Before she had time to pull herself together, George rose from his seat, causing Sam - who stood right behind him - to stumble back in surprise. He turned to her. Although he had always been the paler of the two of them, she had never seen his face whiter. ¡°Shall we?¡± There wasn¡¯t a flicker of hope in his eyes. In there, she saw only endless stoicism. ¡°Of-, of course.¡± Together, side by side, they stepped towards Kreig where he sat. His endlessly white eyes followed them with curiosity. And just like when he watched her before, meeting his eyes made her skin crawl with ants. Sweat beaded on her forehead but she resisted the urge to wipe it away. She couldn¡¯t show her true feelings. Everything hinged on the two of them being amicable towards him. But how could she pretend to love him when he didn¡¯t seem to care at all about the pile of dead snow at his feet? Standing before him, Sam felt like a peasant before the throne of a king. ¡°H-, hello,¡± George stammered, unable to fully take the gaze of their brother. ¡°As you may have heard, my name is George W-, Wiedermann, and this is-,¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sam,¡± Sam said, trying to show just a single ounce of bravery. ¡°Sam Wiedermann.¡± His eyes shone with recognition, though not at their faces or names, but rather at their last names. ¡°You are¡­?¡± Sam nodded deeply. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re¡­ I¡¯m your sister. He¡¯s your brother.¡± She glanced away. ¡°We¡­ We thought you died.¡± He didn¡¯t answer, but the light in his eyes shifted somewhat. In his stead, George spoke gravely. ¡°With your supposed death, we¡­ Well, as you might imagine, neither of us were exactly invited only because we¡¯re your¡­ Siblings. Rather, I¡¯m¡­ We¡¯ve both joined IOCRO in our own ways, I suppose. In that way, we¡¯re rather alike, both being men of the military.¡± Kreig nodded deeply. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I see¡­¡± The silence grew thick once more, but before Sam could muster the courage to break it, Kreig spoke once more. ¡°Forgive my quiet, I am simply stunned. I had believed myself alone in this world, but with the two of you¡­¡± He closed his eyes, and with emotion that shocked her to the core, he shed a tear. Then another, and yet one more. When he opened his eyes again, they were muddy and she could no longer think straight. ¡°How are mother and father? I hope that they will not despise me for the damage I¡¯ve caused¡­¡± ¡°N-, no, of course not!¡± Sam hurriedly said. ¡°They¡¯re-, well, right now they¡¯re resting at home, your return did give them quite a fright, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to meet them in due time, okay?¡± She lied with a fervour she had never lied with before. Not even when trying to hide her drug abuse from her brother had she spoken this fluently and confidently. She may never have been an incredible liar, but at this moment, she made up for it with guts. She had to do it. She had to make sure he believed her. Otherwise, she¡¯d die. And George too. And maybe the rest of the city as well. If a prayer alone could do that, then¡­ She shook her head. George placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Compared to such persons as Sir Reiker I may not have much power, but I will use it all for your sake.¡± Once more, Kreig hung his head down, his movement causing the chains holding him to klink. ¡°Thank God, thank God¡­¡± Tears began to stream down his eyes once more, making Sam feel slimy and disgusting. ¡°I am glad to have been given this opportunity¡­¡± His hands moved to clasp together, but Sam - in her endless stress - moved faster. She placed a hand on his, stopping him from praying once more. He opened his eyes. The armour under her hand felt cold but, worse of all, it felt sticky. Like half-dried blood. She was absolutely assured that if she lifted her hand, it would be covered in the bloody residue of countless innocents. A tremble gripped her once more and she bit her lip to restrain it, but now she was so close to him, to that angel of death. He was inches from her face, his bone-white eyes piercing into her, streaks of tears running down his cheeks, reminding her that somehow this monster - this man-slaying beast in human form - was actually supposed to be her brother. As close as she was to him now, he could slay her without even snapping the chains, though there was no doubt in her mind that he could have done so easily no matter where she was. He didn¡¯t even need to use his hands, either. He had plenty of spells and skills that could kill people in the blink of an eye. Her teeth began to chatter. She wondered in her endless terror whether or not that prayer would destroy her, should he use it. She remained with her hand on his only because she could not bear to run. Gently, he bowed his head, and tears fell onto his lap. ¡°Yes, yes. Of course. It is as you ask, sister. For your sake¡­¡± He glanced up and his eyes quickly found George. ¡°No, for the sake of you both, I shall restrain myself. So that one day, the two of you, and I and our dear parents, may all be together once more. I swear it to you, that I will do everything in my power to make this a reality.¡± Sam couldn¡¯t bear to shatter his dream and tell him that could never happen. The only thing left of their parents were a pair of body-less graves. Maybe, in a few years, should he become as mentally stable as they needed him to be, they might visit the graves together. But Sam couldn¡¯t dare to hope that. She could barely even dare to meet the eyes of her own brother. Frozen where she stood, she barely noticed how Kreig removed his hand from under hears and moved it towards her face. Needles stabbed into her whole body as she recalled the angel of death reaching out and gripping the back of a boy¡¯s skull, crushing it in his grip. Her chest felt tight and she couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t even breathe, but as she stared at the approaching hand of death before her, it suddenly stalled. ¡°...Forgive me, I realize it may have been sudden, but¡­¡± He glanced away, for once being the first to break eye contact. ¡°May touch your hair?¡± Her mouth felt too dry to answer. She wanted to refuse him, but instead, she nodded stiffly. She didn¡¯t want to die. She didn¡¯t want to die. Gingerly, he reached towards her, until a thought hit him and he retreated it. She released a breath. Then, carefully, he removed his gauntlet. The hand below was stained with almost as much red as was on the glove. He mumbled something about how he hoped she wouldn¡¯t mind the blood, but she couldn¡¯t concentrate on it over the sound of her breath growing quick and her heart drumming in her ears. A hand fell on her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping this wouldn¡¯t be the end. Slowly, warily, he touched her hair, tugging lightly on the red locks. She felt like dying. After only a few seconds, he returned his hand again and put his gauntlet back on. ¡°...Forgive me, I sincerely hope I have not upset you.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± She spoke with all the emotion of an automaton. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± In what appeared to be genuine care, he sighed. ¡°Thank God, I would hate for you to dislike me. It is only that, well¡­¡± He glanced at his hand. ¡°It has simply been so long since I felt anything soft. Thank you.¡± Sam resisted the urge to ask him if the brain matter of a child didn¡¯t feel soft. Acting almost only with his permission, she stepped back, still unable to breathe easily. If he wanted to, he could just stand up and walk over to her, after all. Beside her, George stood with unnatural stillness, like a wax statue. Before silence could permeate the room once more, Sir Reiker stepped into the group, speaking like the authority he was. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re getting along so well. Sadly, on account of various events, we cannot allow you to rejoin society quite yet. However, I believe that the jury has reached a decision. The judge, unfortunately, ran away, so I will have to act as final say.¡± Moving with large strides that hid his emotions effectively, Sir Reiker stepped over to his table and took hold of the gavel. ¡°Our judgement rules as follows: defendant Kreig Wiedermann will, for the coming six months, prove his mental fortitude by assisting in the destruction of portals. He will act as an extra-portal guard rather than an internal one. He will be allowed to keep weapons and armour, and during his time as guard, he will be assisted by Samantha Widermann. ¡°Outside of these situations, Kreig Wiedermann is to receive accommodations from IOCRO alongside anything else he might need. In six months, an additional hearing will be conducted to give a final judgement on Kreig Wiedermann¡¯s mental state.¡± He glanced out over the present jury, which consisted of three guards and three jury-members. ¡°Are all present in agreement?¡± Nobody answered. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± With a smack of the gavel, the interrogation of Kreig Wiedermann was thus concluded. Chapter 6, Come Fly With Me They did visit him now and then. For a week or so, there was a lot of here-and-there about where he should be kept. Kreig knew about this only because George would occasionally rant about it at times when they visited. They didn¡¯t want him in the very city centre for obvious reasons, but if they wanted him to handle portals, then they would need to have him someplace where he could easily have access to those. In the end, they went with the option of convenience and kept him in the facility. There, he got his own room, a bed, food, clothes¡­ He tried to accept it. He washed himself, he took off his armour and wore the clothes, and he ate at times. But he refused to sleep. Sleeping only made him upset, though, at times, he did enjoy simply laying on the comfortable bed to relax and feel the softness of it. The food he received was likewise of high quality, and they seemed to make a point of caring for him. Despite the fact that he was, indeed, kept in captivity. But he didn¡¯t mind. It was far better than any prison he had been at in the otherworld. Combined with meeting his siblings relatively often, he had nothing to complain of. And he only had portal duty every other day. Each time, he would dress himself in his armour and then get shipped off there by helicopter. As Sir Reiker had said, Sam was always there. Her swordsmanship was lacking, but it was nice to have company. Usually, nothing came of these portals. The in-portal team would finish their job with minor to no losses and Kreig would return to his home. On the rare occasions that a portal did open¡­ It had been a month at most. Time had passed relatively quickly as he had little to do, but now, he was quite occupied. The portal was a ¡®yellow-grade¡¯ one, which really could mean anything. The thing that made it especially dangerous was the fact that it was in a place with a rather extensive civilian population, forcing them to evacuate a large part of the city. ¡°That mall over there¡¯s gonna be upset. Probably send an insurance claim or something about the lost revenue,¡± Sam mumbled to herself. ¡°Insurance claim?¡± Kreig parroted. Judging by the way Sam jumped a foot in the air and whirled to face him, she hadn¡¯t expected him to catch it. ¡°That¡¯s-, well, uh, yeah! Didn¡¯t I tell you about this last time?... Uhh, well, lots of insurance people do portal-plans nowadays, going from routine money-lost stuff to more death-of-a-loved-one and all. IOCRO also has its own insurance stuff, but it¡¯s more for Fighters like me, you know? I¡¯ve got full dental, yanno?¡± At that, she flashed a great grin, showing off her impressive canines. ¡°I see,¡± Kreig said, absolutely clueless as to what a full-dental was. Who knew - considering that this was the future, there might very well be a program that allowed people to get entire new sets of teeth. All as part of their insurance plan. What a wonderful world. ¡°Though, like with everything, lots of people abuse all of this stuff, so-,¡± Before she had time to say anything else, there was a ripple in the portal. After seeing it a dozen times at least, Kreig now recognized the exit of the in-portal party quite well. The face of a man Kreig could remember seeing at other portals appeared, but there was something strangely waxy about it. Kreig didn¡¯t have time to realise he was already dead before the man¡¯s bisected torso appeared as well, carried by a massive reptilian hand. ¡°Drake,¡± Kreig breathed. Sam¡¯s head swivelled to him before turning back to the portals, her eyes wide and fearful. Kreig drew his sword. To his side, the extra-portal team readied themselves as well, their faces almost as pale as the dead Fighter¡¯s. The officers surrounding the area and keeping away bystanders all blanched. ¡°R-, retreat!¡± one of the officers shouted, prompting them to run, warding away any straggling civilians as they did. The terrible face of the drake reared out from within the portal, its nostrils flaring and its hideous fang-toothed mouth dripping with blood.
Big-Mouthed Drake, Lv.198
From its mouth, a hiss erupted. It stepped out fully, revealing its half-feathered, powerful form. As it was with drakes, it had no wings to speak of, despite the feathery shroud that shone in blue and purple. In the back of his mind, Kreig recalled how while attracting a mate, the males could inflate a sack on their throats to make their feathers shine brighter. He had seen it once himself, just before killing both the male and female. Considering that this one carried such a pouch, it was a male. The extra-portal fighting party began to oh-so-slightly back away, clearly realising that it was beyond their abilities. Not so for Kreig. Since this had happened a few times before, he knew exactly what to do before it could kill anyone or the Fighters could throw themselves at it. Taking his sword in hand, he leaned back, adjusted his aim, and hurled the sword at the drake as though it was a spear rather than a broadsword. With all the finesse of a professional pike-thrower, the sword lanced through the drake¡¯s neck, decapitating it fully before finally lodging itself into the concrete. A dozen stunned gazes turned towards him just as the heavy head of the drake fell to the ground. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. That was how it went. Just as he had done it the last time and just as he had done it the time before that, this was the order in which it went. He went and picked up his sword. With his duties done for the day, Kreig turned towards the helicopter that had brought him there. ¡°Brring, brring,¡± something in Sam¡¯s pocket rang. Having heard it many times before, Kreig knew that it was not a phone, but rather a communicator for the portals. ¡°Hello?¡± she said meekly, as opposed to her typical boisterous nature. ¡°A silver-grade portal?! That¡¯s-, y-, yes, he¡¯s here, but¡­¡± She glanced at him, but when he returned her gaze, she turned away. ¡°...I see. Okay. Yeah, I¡¯m¡­ Of course I can do it! I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just scared.¡± Assured that she was talking about something private, Kreig turned away and instead watched how the Fighters buzzed about the drake¡¯s corpse, trying to ascertain whether or not the Fighter in its grip was dead or alive. ¡°We¡¯ll be there. B-, but isn¡¯t that place really far away? I don¡¯t think the helicopter can-,¡± ¡°If it is speed we need,¡± Kreig said, ¡°I can surely get us there in time.¡± She looked at him for a few seconds, her eyes shining with a strange sort of hesitance he hadn¡¯t expected to see in her. ¡°You-, you can? Well, then¡­ I-, I¡¯ll fill you in on the way there, so let¡¯s go!¡± Having seemingly made up her mind, she placed the communicator back in her pocket. Considering that it was urgent, Kreig wasted little time putting his helmet back on his head and summoning his wings.
Wings of a Dove (X)
For some reason, Sam didn¡¯t seem too happy to see them. But knowing that time was short, he quickly took her into his arms and cast a number of blessings on her. He certainly wouldn¡¯t want her getting hurt, after all. Losing someone else, after everything that he had lost so far¡­ Shaking his head, Kreig decided not to think about it too much. He was home, wasn¡¯t he? From now on, he wouldn¡¯t lose anyone. Not a single person, and especially not Sam. He would make sure of it. With his protection, who could possibly hurt her? ¡°Th-, this is?...¡± Sam looked at her hands, watching the myriad of colours shimmer and move. With no time for chit-chat, Kreig flapped his wings, bringing them higher and higher until they were far above the city. In his hands, Sam shivered. ¡°The city is that way, so go quickl-,¡± Kreig brought them up to speed within seconds. The fact that Sam was screaming was just a coincidence. After a few seconds of pulling herself together, she spoke once more, though she was definitely having trouble doing so five thousand feet above the ground. ¡°It-, the portal was just a red-grade one until just now, they aren¡¯t sure why or how, b-, but,¡± she drew a deep breath, ¡°it just turned silver all of a sudden, and-, and people aren¡¯t sure why or how! S-, so, unless we get there fast, there¡¯s sure to be a massive calamity the likes of which we¡¯ve only seen with Famine of the East, or-,¡± Kreig glanced down at her, but she wasn¡¯t looking at him anymore. Staring down at the rapidly approaching city, she pointed at a certain spot. ¡°-There! Right there, go there quick!¡± Following her instructions, Kreig swooped towards the spot, heightening their speeds even further. So far, there was no sign of any destruction, meaning that the portal probably hadn¡¯t opened yet. After only a few seconds, the portal came into sight. As usual, until someone entered it, it simply appeared like a magical sinkhole in the ground, enticing those nearby to enter it. All portals were mostly purple, but the rank was apparently determined by the streaks of colour in it, this one bearing a silver spiral that flowed into the centre endlessly. They touched down and Sam quickly hopped out of his arms to meet a nearby fighter. ¡°Th-, this is Samantha Wiedermann, reporting for duty! Are you Craig the Thunderspear?¡± The man in question seemed as though he was about to answer her question, but the moment his eyes fell on Kreig, he ducked away, eyes trembling. ¡°H-, hey, what the shit is-,¡± Now that Kreig took the time to look, the man curiously lacked one arm. How he lost it was quite the mystery. ¡°Nobody told me about-,¡± ¡°Hey, hey, relax, okay? He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s not bad anymore, okay? In due time, he won¡¯t be a problem at all, so¡­¡± She turned to face the portal. ¡°You haven¡¯t sent anyone in, right?¡± ¡°N-, no! But-,¡± Sam nodded gravely. ¡°Then, there¡¯s only one thing we can do to avoid future casualties.¡± She bored her eyes into Kreig¡¯s. ¡°We need to enter this portal.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe she was actually saying it. Until now, everything had been fine and dandy, but now, they would actually enter a portal. That meant a lot of things, things she hadn¡¯t wanted to consider. Because Kreig was, well¡­ He was alright. He was horrible and he was murderous and he was everything in-between, but he wasn¡¯t evil. Right now, he was just trying to do his best to help his ¡®family¡¯, and for that, Sam felt terrible. What she would have to put him through¡­ She shook her head and tried to appear brave again. Kreig simply watched her, his face hidden by a helmet that appeared more like a death¡¯s head than anything. It hid his emotions, not that there was much to hide. ¡°C-, can you do that, Kreig? I¡¯ll come with you, so¡­¡± He nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± And that was all the answer he gave. It was all the answer she needed, too. She felt closely how a sorrowful smile crept up her lips. ¡°Okay, then¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡± Protected by his bazillion blessings, she did not fear jumping into the portal with him. And in a flash of silver, they suddenly found themselves in a magically-lit cave. The interior of a portal. The wormhole between the two worlds. She had been there a few times, and she had certainly studied it in her classes, but it certainly didn¡¯t help to suppress the feeling of dread that she always got from being in there. As though the whole world was about to collapse on her. Like she wasn¡¯t in reality anymore, but something beside it. For a few seconds, she just stood there, taking deep breaths. Likewise, Kreig made no movement. ¡°Then, le-,¡± She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence before Kreig raised a finger to his lips. Her mouth snapped shut. He pointed forward, asking her to listen. She did. Further into the cave, she heard the sound of something crunching, and of people screaming. The running of countless footsteps echoed alongside the slither of something big and heavy. A heavy rock settled in her gut. Something here was wrong. Time seemed to slow down as she spotted movement further down in the cave. But it wasn¡¯t a monster, or a beast, or even an animal. A myriad of humanoid figures approached. Once they stepped into the light, she was able to recognize them for what they were: soldiers. All dressed in simple leather armour at best, all soaked with mud and blood and sweat, only a few carrying weapons of any kind, all wearing expressions of people running from death. Few seemed to be older than teenagers. Even though they were running at her and Kreig like bats out of hell, she couldn¡¯t muster any fear of them. With the look they wore on their faces, they appeared more like frightened rabbits than actual enemies. So it was that when Kreig stepped forward and stabbed his sword into one of them, Sam couldn¡¯t convince herself that he was doing the right thing. ¡°W-, wait,¡± she said, but it had already begun. The soldiers, all faced with death on both sides, attempted to survive by clawing at him, or simply pushing him aside. A few smarter ones turned their backs on him to run towards the lesser death. Kreig struck them all down equally. Some were clearly no more than children, others already half-dead. His sword found them all and killed them. ¡°Please, stop!¡± Sam called out, but the slaughter had begun. Limbs flew through the air, heads hit the ground wearing expressions of despair, and not a single person screamed. It seemed that, in their terror, they had simply forgotten to. Or maybe they knew that screaming wouldn¡¯t help them now. Bodies fell to the floor, writhing despite their death. Uncaring, Kreig simply stepped over them. In her mind, any notion that Kreig might not deserve everything that was coming to him was soundly extinguished. ¡°No, please!¡± she finally cried, finally being able to muster strength, finally moving to do something - anything. Almost all were dead or dying, but there was one he had yet to kill, a small boy in too-big armour uselessly clutching a shortsword. Moving with tears in her eyes, Sam ran to stand between him and Kreig. ¡°STOP!¡± Sword raised, he froze mid-swing. His chest was heaving, up and down, up and down. Through the slit in his helmet, she saw his white eyes trembling. They were so distant and faraway. As though only his body was here, and his mind was elsewhere entirely. Did he even recognize her? She couldn¡¯t answer that question. Chapter 7, Home Mud. There was mud all around him. Mud and soldiers crawling in it, spilling blood and guts and flesh to make more mud. Kreig cut them all down with certainty. They were nothing but fodder, useless trash there to keep him from killing anyone else anywhere else. But they couldn¡¯t keep him here forever. He was tired of the red sky. He was tired of the mud. He was tired of the death. But if he only killed this one, then¡­ ¡°STOP!¡± His sword stopped. Before him, a woman stood, her chest rising and falling. He blinked at her. Who was she? What was she doing on the battlefield? Had she been brought as a slave? Perhaps killing her would be for the best. But his sword wouldn¡¯t budge. He knew she should die, so why couldn¡¯t he kill her? ¡°P-, please, Kreig¡­ No more,¡± she sobbed. ¡­How did she know his name? He shook his head. Something here was strange. Stumbling back, he felt his grip on the sword weaken, making it clatter to the ground. The mud below his feet swirled like a sinkpool. He felt sick, but he had nothing she regurgitate. And then the world flashed in blue and he wasn¡¯t in the mud at all, he was standing in some strange cave lit by magical torches. What in the-, Something in the depths of the cave glinted and he only just barely had time to throw himself in front of Sam and cross his arms before a concentrated stream of black acid sprayed from its throat.
Protect (X)
The acid parted in front of him, half hitting the cluster of corpses and body parts and the other half striking the soldier Sam had tried so hard to protect. He didn¡¯t even have time to make a sound of pain before his entire body was melted into black charr. ¡°-NO!¡± Kreig turned towards the detested creature.
Wyrm, Lv.701
A rage burned in his chest. Not because the creature had attempted to kill him, or even because it had ruthlessly killed a defenceless soldier. Rather, Kreig hated it because it had dared to attack someone under his protection. For that, it deserved nothing but a painful execution. Kreg knew just how. The wyrm only barely had time to give a hiss before Kreig was upon it, stabbing his gloved hands into its eyes. It gave a roar of pain, but Kreig didn¡¯t care. From his hands, a white fire spread.
Purge of the Holy (X)
But it didn¡¯t spread quickly. With all the restraint of a professional interrogator, it carefully spread from cell to cell, lighting every non-fatal organ on fire before moving on to the next. Skin, flesh and fat all burnt into white snow, leaving the wyrm to writhe painfully on the ground, its massive tail whipping to and fro, bashing into the walls with enough might to fell a skyscraper. But the walls held fast. And the fire ate. It ate and it ate and it ate until nothing but snow remained. The battle was over. Then, all that was left was to return home. Kreig glanced up and down the cave. Which way was home anyhow? A small hand took his and he glanced down to find Sam looking up at her. Had she always been so pale? ¡°Th-, the exit is this way, so¡­¡± She stepped around the pile of snow that used to be the wyrm, heading towards where it had come from. ¡°Come along, won¡¯t you?¡± Kreig nodded. Thank God Sam always knew things like this. Without her, he may very well have gotten stuck or gone the wrong way or something, assuming there was a wrong way. He couldn¡¯t know, and in all honesty, he didn¡¯t want to, either. The less he knew about this, the better. Assured that his times of fighting monsters was soon over, he followed Sam. She didn¡¯t speak a word, but somehow, she seemed more tense than usual. He wanted to ask her about it, but he certainly didn¡¯t want to off-put her. Thus, he chose to simply keep quiet. If she wanted to talk about it, she would say something. Otherwise, it wasn¡¯t his place to ask. It was as simple as that. A soft, melodic hum brought him out of his thoughts. A bit ahead, a portal gleamed at them. For just a second, Sam paused. Then she continued walking, giving a quick glance back to make sure Kreig was following. Kreig was pretty sure the expression she tried to give him was meant to be reassuring, but it didn¡¯t feel like it. They stopped briefly right before the portal. She smiled strangely. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± With all the confidence of a man going to war, she stepped inside the portal, disappearing within its depths. Shrugging, Kreig followed. He stepped into mud. When he glanced down, he found that it was mud. Looking further along the ground, it was mud. When he looked up, he found the cityscape gone, replaced by a red sky that glared at him like an old friend. He felt his heart beat faster. ¡°This is¡­¡± It had to be a hallucination of some sort. It had happened several times before that he had suddenly found himself back here where all that was and all there ever would be was mud and red skies. This must have been something like that. Surely, stepping through the portal had simply roused a memory, surely¡­ This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Looking down, he found Sam on her knees in the mud. She sat up. Turning, she peeked over her shoulder at him. Tears streamed down her eyes as a trembling smile played at her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have you stay there. At home, you¡¯re too dangerous. The things you can do¡­ Even if you don¡¯t want to, you can kill anyone. As long as you¡¯re in it, the world will never be safe.¡± Kreig¡¯s heart sank. The red sky above seemed to chuckle down at him. Her smile trembled, faltered, and only barely recovered. She wiped at her eyes, streaking mud across it. She hiccuped. ¡°Are you going to kill me now?¡± Her eyes were so big. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I was ready to die when I agreed to this, so¡­¡± Kreig turned around. The portal was gone. But a scent in the air pulled his attention from Sam. Fresh fear. An arrow whizzed through the air and he was only able to block it by using his body to shield Sam. Well on the ground, she stumbled back, eyes filling with fear once more. ¡°D-, do it! Kill me!¡± He felt his teeth gritting together. Glancing towards where the arrow had come from, he found an archer shouting in a language Kreig didn¡¯t understand. Damn it. Damn it. Grabbing the arrow from the muddy ground, he threw it at the archer so hard his chest exploded. But it wasn¡¯t enough. People were closing in on him from all sides, ready to attack, ready to¡­ A hand took his and he found Sam on the ground, trying to force him to stab her with his sword. He jerked his hand back and she fell back into the mud, splashing it everywhere. His chest felt so hollow. ¡°Please,¡± she whined from below. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live here.¡± His grip on the sword tightened. He had to kill them, and he had to protect her. He couldn¡¯t let her die. Without her, he had nothing left to live for. Nothing at all. Reaching down, he picked her up by the arm. She groaned in pain and begged for him to just end it but instead, he threw her on his shoulder. Her entire body was trembling. Maybe in cold, maybe in fear. She was being hysterical and he couldn¡¯t calm her down while he was being attacked by these people. He just had to kill them and he could make her relax again. And then maybe they could figure out a way back home. But he had no patience for these¡­ things. He whirled on his feet, but after not standing on mud for so long, he found himself stumbling. Yes, he had forgotten how to act as he once had. It had only been a month and yet he had grown lazy and slothful with the relaxations of modern life. He had to steel his heart. Right now, he wasn¡¯t only fighting for his own life - for his own faith. He was fighting for Sam¡¯s sake, too. He had to make sure she survived. On his shoulder, the younger woman sobbed, her face pressed into his large shoulder. He had to concentrate, to remember how he had fought these past 30 years, before everything changed and he got a taste of paradise. Mind sharpening into a cool, cold dagger, he placed one hand on Sam¡¯s back to keep her safe. In his other hand, he held his shield. Sword on his back, he knew he would need nothing more to end this. The far north was not an especially bright place, despite the fact that the sun shone all day and all night, though hidden behind a veil of red. In this dim light, Kreig surveyed his enemies. There were less than a thousand. Ordinarily, such an encounter would require him no preparations or efforts. He could have killed them in his sleep without either sword or shield, but now, the situation was a bit different. He had someone to protect. Someone shouted something and arrows began to whizz through the air once more. Dodging was out of the option since moving too quickly might harm Sam. Protect (X) required two hands. He turned his body towards where the arrows were coming from and angled his shield to protect Sam and Sam alone. Arrows hit him in every conceivable area, some sneaking their way in between the chinks in his armour, others weaving into his eye-holes. Not a single arrow did any harm. The only ones conceivably able to do harm were stopped by his shield, leaving Sam safe and sound. The projectiles fell to the muddy ground. Taking a step forward dislodged the other arrows. Under the cover of arrows, the other soldiers had begun their attack, running towards him with the mad desperation of people facing death. A single slice or bash with his shield was enough to kill any one of them. In such a situation, where each enemy went down in a single hit, one might normally grow careless, but Kreig could not allow himself to lose focus. If he let down his guard for a second, a single well-placed thrust of the spear would bring an end to Sam¡¯s life. The blessings he had placed on her had surely run out by now, but he had no time to replenish them. In a flurry of movement, Kreig destroyed the nearest soldiers, watching with detached coolness how they all fell. Lost in the trance of battle, he was unable to see how Sam angled her eyes to view the battle, her face growing despairing at taking in the carnage. One by one, the people around him began to fall, each new soldier becoming less and less certain in their conviction. And when the soldiers began to turn and flee against the wishes of their superior, Kreig took the chance to end the battle once and for all. With a well-placed shield-bash to the head, the man who had been shouting orders fell to the ground, now lacking a skull. Knowing their commander had died, the remaining soldiers began to make an effort to escape, but Kreig was far too used to hunting down stragglers to allow them to. With well-practised ease, he ended the lives of each of them, letting their scents of fear guide him to them. But right as he was to end the life of the final one, a fist flew at his face. It didn¡¯t hurt, but he was shocked and hurt to find that it came from Sam. Stunned by her attack, he was unable to stop the lone soldier from running away. As he stared at his sister with pain, she hit him again. Unsure of what to do, he removed her from his shoulder and tried to place her on the ground. She simply fell. It was as though she had lost all joy for life, and head dim eyes reflected that as well. He hated to see the flare of life that used to shine to brightly now extinguished. How had this happened? Who had done this? With his enemies banished, he gently removed his helmet, finally meeting her face-to-face again. ¡°Sam,¡± he breathed. ¡°Shut up,¡± she hissed, still lying on the muddy ground. He bent down to her. Whether it was to pick her up or get on her level, not even he knew. She tried to punch his face again, but he simply caught her fist in his hand. She snarled, ¡°Let go of me.¡± But what if she tried to hurt herself again? As much as he hated it, he couldn¡¯t trust her to calm down on her own. In response to his stubbornness, Sam¡¯s face twisted into a grimace of disgust and apprehension. She spat at his face. Slowly, he wiped it off. ¡°Come on,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? You¡¯re never going back to Earth! And-, and even if you do, you¡¯ll just be considered a monster - and rightfully so! You-, you¡¯re¡­¡± She shook her head violently. ¡°If I had a choice in the matter, you would¡¯ve been executed. Nobody wanted you back.¡± She whimpered, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just have stayed dead?...¡± Despite the hurtful words, despite her scornful face and painful eyes, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to hate her. He held her hand gently in his. ¡°So long as you, and brother, and mother and father all live, I cannot leave Earth behind.¡± She gnawed her teeth, eyes burning. ¡°Well, then you can just stay here, cuz¡¯ mum and dad are dead, and in a matter of minutes, I¡¯ll probably go the same route!¡± Kreig¡¯ skull echoed with white static. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t expect that, huh? They died the day after you supposedly did! All you¡¯ll return to is a brother who hates you, together with a sister who wants you dead! Is that any life to li-,¡± His insides froze over and he unconsciously clenched his hand. Within it, a series of brittle bones all broke at once. Sam¡¯s mouth gaped open as she floundered for breath. But at watching her pathetic attempt to remove her hand from his, Kreig realized something very simple. He should have known it the moment she started acting strange, but he was petty daft, so it was no wonder he only figured it out now. Silently, he released his grip on her crushed and mangled hand. Groaning, she stumbled back, falling into the mud and grasping at what remained of her hand. ¡°I see that an evil influence has come over you,¡± he said solemnly. Her eyes widened. Reaching out towards her, he cast every single high-tiered healing magic he knew. Every cleansing spell, every poison-removing chant all befell Sam. Unlike what most might think, healing was not a pleasant experience. In many cases, the pain was somewhat dulled by the death and rebirth of nerves, but oftentimes there was no such pleasure. Oftentimes, the feeling of one''s bones mending and flesh twisting and tendons rejoining was an extremely painful one. ¡°Gg-, gaaahhh-,,¡± Sam groaned, writhing in the mud like an oversized dying slug. Mind-cleaning spells went over her inner workings with a fine comb, searching for anything to right or remove. But there was no spell cast on her, no magical serum to make her act the way she was. That left Kreig with only one alternative. ¡°...Someone has poisoned your soul with suggestions. Whether you forgive me for this is up to you, but I do hope that you understand my need to change your mind.¡± She brought up her hand, now healed as though nothing had ever happened. ¡°Y-, you¡¯re not going to kill me?¡± She gave a pathetic whimper of a laugh. ¡°I-, I really thought that¡¯d work. Please, I¡­¡± Tears streamed down her cheeks anew, mixing with blood and mud alike. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re about to do, please leave me unconscious. Or braindead. Or-, or just regular dead.¡± She shook her head violently. ¡°I don¡¯t want this.¡± Kreig¡¯s mind felt nothing but calm. ¡°With this, you will go back to normal. And all these lies will end.¡± He placed his hands on either side of her face. Her eyes were trembling, but she wouldn¡¯t turn away from him. ¡°Please-,¡±
Change Will (V)
And with that, Sam¡¯s mind went blank. Chapter 8, Wholesome Family Fun Her tense body slumped over, previously despairing eyes now growing hazy and distant. It was almost as though she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. But her head remained in his hands. It wasn¡¯t a skill he enjoyed using, but at this moment, he had no choice. Softly, he spoke the word that would begin the process, ¡°Awaken.¡± Her head rose slightly, half-dead eyes still stained with mud and tears rolling to meet his. ¡°Hello,¡± she said in a monotone voice. ¡°You are my sister. We need to get home to our brother and parents.¡± He paused for a second to gather his thoughts. ¡°We¡­ are quite close.¡± She blinked once, closed her eyes, and gave a mechanical hum. When she opened her eyes again, they were full of life. ¡°Huh? Kreig? Where is-,¡± she angled her face to view the eternally red sky. ¡°-Whoa!! How in the-,¡± And then she must have noticed that Kreig was holding her face. ¡°Uh, dude-?¡± He let her go, slightly taken aback by her attitude. Eyes and mouth wide open in awe, she tried to stand up, only to almost instantly slip on the mud. But before she could fall into the mud for the fifteenth time, Kreig caught her. Ordinarily, if he touched her, she would freeze in fear. Or she might get so shocked she¡¯d tumble out of his grip. This time, she didn¡¯t do anything like that. She just let out a breath and smiled wryly. ¡°Phew, thanks for catching me. Then I won¡¯t have to get all mu-,¡± Her eyes fell on her completely stained uniform. ¡°H-, hey! How-, when did¡­¡± Then she suddenly groaned and bucked over, clawing at her temples. ¡°Take it easy,¡± Kreig said. ¡°Everything will be alright.¡± She drew a raspy breath before standing up again and smiling. ¡°Sorry, I just¡­ My head feels kind of weird, you know? Like someone put cola in it, but¡­¡± Shaking her head, she seemed to pull herself together, puffing her chest out. ¡°-But I¡¯m okay! I just-, well, got a little shocked, that¡¯s all. This place is¡­¡± She craned her neck to watch the sky again. ¡°...This is where you came from, right?¡± He only nodded at her. ¡°And-, and I brought you here¡­¡± Her smile faltered into a regretful frown. ¡°Man, I really-,¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Kreig said in a voice he hoped was soothing. ¡°We just have to focus on getting back.¡± The smile he gave him was one he hadn¡¯t seen in many, many years. It was, simply enough, grateful. To him. ¡°Thank you. Getting back home might be a little hard, but if it¡¯s the two of us, I¡¯m sure we can get through anything!¡± Her smile developed into a confident grin and Kreig was assured that he had made the right decision. ¡°Hmm, where to start¡­¡± Lost in thought, she began to thumb her lower lip, letting her eyes run over the entire battlefield in search for clues. The only thing she found were a hundred or so newly-slain bodies, alongside a few hundred thousand long-since dead corpses. ¡°A-, aaah! Wh-, wh-, what is-,¡± She froze, clutched her hand, and then shook her head. It took a few seconds, but she did regain her smile. ¡°Y-, you had a good reason, right? I mean-, I¡¯m sure they were trying to kill you, s-, so¡­¡± With nothing else to say, Kreig nodded. ¡°R-, right! Exactly! I mean, it¡¯s not like you wanted to kill them, so, it¡¯s¡­ Self-defence. Yeah, that¡¯s it. Okay.¡± She took a deep breath, averting her gaze from the nearest corpse. ¡°If we stay here, will more people arrive?¡± He nodded to her. ¡°O-, okay, that might be a problem, erm¡­ In that case, all we need to do is get out of here, right?¡± Kreig supposed so. But where could they go? Going back to Earth had been a flunk the first time. Portals didn¡¯t just open wherever you wanted them to. ¡°I think our best bet is to try and find the Earth bases that they¡¯ve got here.¡± ¡°...Bases?¡± She turned to him, her face lighting up in surprise. ¡°You haven¡¯t-? Oh, yeah, nobody told you anything cuz¡¯ they didn¡¯t want you to catch onto this mean scheme. Erm, in order to research this place, they previously sent in a bunch of military people and sorcerous Fighters. With the help of the Fighters they were able to set up these two military bases. If I remember right, they were sent in here like two years ago, so that would mean they¡¯ve been here almost 30 years?¡± ¡­Military bases? In here? Somehow, the idea that the forces of Earth would go so far as to set up military bases in another world was not an especially unthinkable one. ¡°And these could help us¡­ How?¡± ¡°Oh! Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. They don¡¯t really have any contact with Earth, but since they¡¯ve been here for so long, isn¡¯t there a chance that they¡¯ve had enough time to research how and why the portals open? If nothing else, we might get a direction on where else to go.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. At the moment, it was their only lead. They really didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go. ¡°Very well then. Where is the closest base?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she said. ¡°Where?... Oh, um. I dunno. N-, not that anybody knows, for that matter! People just went in, and¡­ Their reason is mostly research, you know? The only reason we know anything at all about this place is that we sometimes get soldiers who come from the portals, but even in that case, there usually isn¡¯t anyone who knows the geography of the entire world. Some might have a map of the local area, but the whole world? Nuh-uh.¡± In other words, they would have to find the base on their own. Just two Earthlings trying to comb an entire world. This might have been possible if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Sam was mortal and would age as any normal person did. Kreig could imagine scanning the world for a hundred years or so, but by that point, Sam would¡¯ve died by natural causes. ¡°In other words, we¡¯ve gotta go and ask people if they¡¯ve seen anything weird.¡± ¡°...Ask?¡± ¡°Well, yeah! These are otherworldly military bases we¡¯re talking about, right? Somebody¡¯s gotta have heard about them! Maybe not a peasant farmer, but a king or something has to have heard something about some weird sci-fi looking military base, right? Heck, if we¡¯re lucky, we might even hear that a kingdom has formed an alliance with the base! After all, we¡¯re not here to fight or anything.¡± It was a logical course of action. ¡°Then, how could we convince them to aid us?¡± At the moment, Kreig was pretty sure most countries at least had a sense of what he was. He¡¯d seen soldiers of all possible nationalities coming for his head, so they must at least know what he looks like. That would mean that the most effective way is to use this to their advantage by threatening them with the death of them and their entire countries should they not give them the information they wanted. Quick and easy, and if they didn¡¯t know anything, he could just make an example out of them. Sam looked him up and down. For some reason, going by her facial expression, it almost seemed as though she could read his morbid thoughts. ¡°W-, well, we don¡¯t want to harm anyone, so our best bet is to pretend not to be¡­ You and me.¡± She glanced at one of the corpses on the ground, and despite the obvious aversion on her face, there was a light of innovation in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to know where these soldiers came from?¡± He hadn¡¯t actually thought about that before. He hadn¡¯t recognized the language, but he did understand that it was one he had at least heard of before. Crouching down, he picked up a decapitated corpse. The uniform was simple and dark blue, made mostly of cloth. Gloves and boots were made of leather, likely from some low-class monster. If he looked about the battlefield, he could find an officer wearing a fancier outfit, alongside under armour of strong leather. Considering that all of these were rather sturdy, they probably came from a northern country. Kreig was never the type to learn much of anything about other countries, but he did take the time to remember what uniforms they wore. You know, to make sure he didn¡¯t kill his own soldiers. ¡°Pawinia,¡± he said after a few seconds of consideration. ¡°Paw-what-now?¡± Sam answered intellectually. Kreig nodded. ¡°A northern country. Not as high up as here, though close. Its borders begin right where this northern area ends, though the capital is quite far.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Sam rubbed her chin. ¡°D¡¯ya think it¡¯s viable? Like-, could the two of us get there?¡± ¡°I believe so, yes.¡± She placed her hands on her hips. ¡°Alright then! I gots me a great idea of how we can do this. If everything goes okay, we can enter that Paw-place like heroes!¡± Despite having no idea what the hell she was on about, Kreig couldn¡¯t help but feel just a little excited as well. ¡°Now, all we need is a pair of uniforms and your helmet.¡± ¡°My helmet?¡± ¡°Well, yeah!¡± She beamed at him. ¡°We need proof that you got slain, right?¡± For a moment, he almost asked her if he looked dead to her. But then he got her drift. ¡°Ah. I see.¡± ¡°Hehehe, that¡¯s right!¡± Grinning like a lunatic, she approached one of the dead officers. Her smile faltered a little, but after steeling her spirits, she was able to loot him of his outfit. ¡°I¡¯ll be the proud officer, and you¡¯ll be the dashing soldier who finally brought the monster down, okay?¡± He could do nothing but agree. ¡°Alright! Shame there¡¯s no not-muddy outfit, but it¡¯s at least a little less muddy than what I¡¯m wearing now¡­¡± Turning his back on his undressing sister, Kreig wandered about the battlefield, searching desperately for any outfit that might fit him. Not that he wanted to take off his armour. Unlike Earth, this world could certainly hold creatures of his own rank. Willingly weakening himself, even if it was for the sake of his returning home, felt wrong. How lucky he was, then, that he could find no outfit that fitted him. The largest guy there had still been more than a head below Kreig, and his outfit had been soundly torn apart in the battle. Only slightly dejected, he turned back to find his sister dressed in an officer¡¯s outfit that fit surprisingly well. She hadn¡¯t been able to affix it perfectly since she was unfamiliar with the clothes, but Kreig could easily help with that. ¡°Let me guess, none fit you? Darn it, I should have expected that¡­ Well, assuming we find our way into inhabited regions, it wouldn¡¯t be too strange if we could find ourselves a tailor, right? There was a pouch of coins in the inner pocket of this thing, alongside a love letter and a harmonica, so we should be fine for a little while. I think.¡± Not replaying, he stepped closer to her. The old Sam might have stepped back or jerked away from him, but she only watched him curiously. Reaching to her lapel, he adjusted it until it was proper and neat. She smiled at him. ¡°Thanks!¡± Everything felt right, for once. ¡°Now, which way to that paw-place?¡± After a few seconds of thinking, Kreig pointed to the east. No other words needed to be shared. They began walking. Considering all the mud, Kreig would certainly have liked to fly them where they were going, but if anyone saw them, their plan would¡¯ve been a bust. Walking side-by-side wasn¡¯t so bad, either. It gave them plenty of time to talk about this-or-that, and it was honestly quite pleasant. Although Kreig didn¡¯t say much, Sam seemed to find the prospect of actually being in the otherworld to be a cool one. After all, it was supposed to be some sort of awesome fantasy world, right? She had read plenty about it in her classes, but actually being there was something else entirely. On that note, why was the sky red? Where was the sun? When Kreig told her that it was actually nine in the evening, Sam blanched. This was understandable, but still pretty interesting to see. And soon, the temperature grew colder. Sam seemed positively surprised by the change, especially so when they fully exited God¡¯s Light and entered Pawinian territory. Sam might have expected greenery and life or something like that, but what she was instead met with was a vast expanse of white snow. It was the far-north, after all, but going from the pleasant warmth into pure wintertime was harsh. Even worse, it was the middle of the night, so it was even colder than otherwise. Combined with their mud-drenched clothes, Sam was on the brink of freezing to death within a minute. But Kreig couldn¡¯t have that.
Fire Dragon''s Heart (X)
¡°Huh? Wh-, whoa, it¡¯s warm!¡± With that blessing, anywhere she stepped melted. Furthermore, her clothes dried. This might be seen as a good thing, but it really wasn¡¯t since it just caked the mud into her clothes, making them no less uncomfortable. Kreig didn¡¯t really mind it. He enjoyed the black sky and bright stars far more than he did that ever-red sky. Walking by Sam¡¯s side, it was even more pleasant. Chapter 9, Camping Since human territory remained far-off, they decided to set camp for the night. A small opening beneath a cliff made for a good hide-out. They couldn¡¯t exactly predict where a village might be, but so far they were following a small but well-walked path that suggested the existence of civilization. With night descending as deeply as it only did in such northern regions, neither of them felt much desire to fetch provisions before going to bed. And even if they had wanted food, Kreig hardly wanted to leave Sam alone, even if for only a minute. Likewise, he could barely imagine going to sleep at the same time as her. Or even at all. Since he had no need for sleep to begin with, he remained awake while she tucked in below his warm, dry cape. It was the only clean piece of clothing they had, not counting all the blood on it. And so, all night, he kept watch, quietly listening to all the sounds of the world. First, most closely, he heard the gentle snoring of his sister, no longer afraid to be in his company. After that, lying like a blanket on the black-and-white world of night sky and snow, he heard the soft howl of the wind, moving through branches and around stems like snow spirits dancing merrily. At times, he could hear various creatures moving here and there, taking small steps to avoid being noticed. None wandered too closely, and for that Kreig was grateful, as he did not wish to awaken his sister by accident. Night passed easily, and once the morning dawned, Kreig gently shook his sister awake. The novelty of her not twitching at the sight of him never wore off. ¡°Huh? Oh, good morning, Kreig!¡± Her pleasant voice was all he needed to get going. Now that she was awake, he was starting to regret not capturing some small creature to feed her with, but it shouldn¡¯t take them too long to find civilization, and even if it did, his excellent sense of smell would net them any animal they could want. So, they wandered. As the forest around them slowly grew thicker and livelier, their conversations also continued. Sam talked about her past, about her troubles with psychedelics and how it somehow led to her current life as a Fighter. Well, former life as a Fighter. It would be pretty silly for Kreig to put her in danger now that he could actually protect her. As the sun fell once more, it became all too obvious that Sam actually did need to eat. There was no question about it, but that didn¡¯t mean Kreig was too happy about it. Leaving her alone, in the middle of the wilderness? Impossible. But he had to. So, he set up a small fire, and prepared himself for the quickest possible hunt. In other words, he stood still, and took a deep breath. Once he located the closest prey that might feed her for long enough, he was off in a flash of movement that made the snow around them whirl. And then, within 30 seconds, he was back. Over his shoulder, an oversized but incredibly fluffy larva hung. Where she sat, Sam gave a trembling smile. ¡°Wh-, what¡¯s that?¡± Kreig placed the creature on the snowy ground and began to assemble a construct of twigs to cook over the fire with. ¡°Snow worm. Common in these parts and temperatures. ¡° He glanced over at Sam. ¡°Very nutritious.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, uh, I¡¯m sure about that, but¡­¡± She gestured broadly at the decapitated creature and made a grimace. ¡°-Is it edible?¡± Kreig felt his brows knit together. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve had plenty myself. It¡¯s a shame we have no spices to use.¡± She seemed like she wanted to argue, but then her stomach growled and she had no choice but to slump over, dejected. How strange of her. If they¡¯d taken this creature across the border, many would surely buy it as a curious delicacy. Either way, now that he had his grilling station constructed, all he needed to do was prep the creature. Since he didn¡¯t have the time to completely defur it, he chose to simply skin the entire thing and toss it all aside. Beneath, an expanse of taut flesh stretched around soft insides. People with standards often chose to remove the innards completely, but those parts contained the most nutrients, so Kreig chose to simply place it on a skewer as it was. For some reason, Sam didn¡¯t look too excited about finally getting a proper meal. It wasn¡¯t as though the worm smelled too badly, either, despite its sad lack of spicing. But for now, their main goal was really just to survive. They could enjoy a good meal once they found a village or something. By this point, the sun had fallen completely, leaving them in the dark, save for the fire and the worm. Kreig poked at its flesh with a stick. ¡°...It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°It¡¯s done?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kreig replied. The colour drained from her cheeks. Carefully, she clasped her hands in prayer. ¡°O God who is great and awesome, please don¡¯t let me die from a worm. If I survive tonight, I will be your eternal servant. Pinkie-promise. Amen.¡± She opened her eyes again. Kreig handed her one of its legs. She slowly accepted, only barely keeping back tears. For a few seconds, it seemed like she didn¡¯t know exactly how to handle it, since she kept turning it and looking it over, eventually just biting into the carapace without care. Unsure how to tell her she was wrong, Kreig cracked a leg open to show her how it was done. He slurped out the inside of the leg and she stared at him in slow realisation before quickly doing the same thing. And, as she clearly realised, it wasn¡¯t all that bad. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s like crab!¡± Not that bad at all. The actual body of the worm went mostly uneaten, but Sam was able to inhale almost all the legs, stopped only by common courtesy. Kreig wasn¡¯t actually eating all that intently, he only did it to show her it wasn¡¯t poisonous or anything, but seeing as how she left him a few legs, he really couldn¡¯t help himself. And it wasn¡¯t as though it tasted all that bad. Carefully, he ate, if only for her sake. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. As with last night, she went to bed while he kept watch and sustained the fire¡¯s glow. The former mission was more important tonight since they now had something prospective predators might actually want. And yet, the night passed peacefully. The next day, after smothering the fire with snow and leaving the worm for anyone to take (on Sam¡¯s demand), they once again left. They walked a fair distance before Kreig noticed the sound of something approaching. After a few minutes, Sam was able to notice it as well. Something large. Something heavy. Something wooden. They shared a glance before drawing to a stop. The easy clip-clop of hooves approached as the carriage came into view down the road. It was far from large and clearly carried equipment and provisions rather than people. It was only drawn by a pair of common horses who in turn were led by a nervous-looking lad who seemed to act as coachman despite being clad in a simple military uniform. Soon enough he had approached them enough for their eyes to meet. His eyes widened and he quickly sat up straight before hitting the horse to make it move faster. Once the carriage arrived at their level, he made the horses stop with a meek ¡°H-, ho there!¡± A pair of bright blue eyes looked down at them. He looked Sam up and down before turning to Kreig. ¡°I, uh¡­¡± He quickly shook his head before jumping down from where he sat, landing with a perfect salute. ¡°Hostler Herzmud reporting!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Sam glanced at Kreig. ¡°I-, hello, I¡¯m-, God, fuck, my German sucks, err¡­¡± Kreig looked down at her and softly sighed. Mentally, he recalled the name written on Sam¡¯s letter. ¡°My apologies, Hostler. Officer Tapferkeit hit his head during the battle. He speaks only gibberish.¡± ¡°Ah, uh¡­ That¡¯s a shame, Officer.¡± He quietly scratched his head, eyes clearly trailing to Kreig¡¯s unusual armour. ¡°And you¡¯re-?¡± ¡°Simple infantry. Private J?nsson.¡± He nodded broadly. Kreig figured that if he tried to read his mind, the boy would surely be repeating their names over and over to remember them. ¡°Apologies for coming so late, there was a mistake in counting and they had me sent out after you. But I¡¯m sure you already knew that, unless the hawkbat got shot down.¡± Kreig glanced over at Sam, trying to ascertain whether she understood him or not. Her blank stare told him that her mind was as empty as could be. ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid we did not get the memo. However, I doubt it will be needed anymore.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?...¡± He smiled sadly. ¡°I¡¯ll assume the battle went as usual, then?...¡± Sam held out a hand and stammered, ¡°Not so!¡± Her accent was off but her words had the desired effect as Herzmud quieted. ¡°We-, he¡­ uhh¡­ He War kill!¡± With that bold statement, she gestured at Kreig. Herzmud blinked at him. ¡°...He killed War? The War?¡± Kreig nodded. ¡°I had trained many years for this moment. The battle was big. All soldiers apart from the honourable Officer went under.¡± Somehow, the gaze the young man sent him seemed far from believing. Even less so enthusiastic. Convincing the boy was technically of no consequence - if they needed to, they could just kill him and steal his carriage. But Sam probably wouldn¡¯t like that. So, instead, Kreig brought a knuckle to his chest plate and rapped it against the thick metal. ¡°This is his armour.¡± With that, Herzmud¡¯s gaze finally left his face and returned to the armour. ¡°...Is it really?...¡± Kreig nodded at him, trying to put an expression of why would I lie to you? on his face. ¡°By the Gods.¡± Kreig had, admittedly, expected this to rouse some form of admiration or excitement in the boy. But nothing like that came. Instead, he simply began to pace back and forth in front of them, pausing only to shakily pet his horses a few times. Picking up on his mumbling was possible, but the things he said were near-intelligible anyways. For one, he seemed awfully worried about the global state of things, going so far as to say that the economy would collapse for some odd reason. Other worries included, but were not limited to: his horses, his job, his life, the lives of his parents and fifteen brothers, the national relationship between Pawinia and its nearby states, the princess getting married off to a lowly soldier¡­ All sorts of things that Kreig really couldn¡¯t bother to care about. Sam must have been equally annoyed, since she soon reached out a hand to grip his shoulder, making him jerk out of his mumblings. Her eyes were fierce as they connected with his. ¡°We.¡± She pointed at her and Kreig. ¡°You.¡± She pointed at him. ¡°Horse.¡± Finally, she pointed at the carriage. ¡°Oh, you-, you want to-? Well, erm, of course! I just¡­ well, then again¡­ but also¡­¡± Sam shook him violently. ¡°Horse?!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, of course I¡¯ll bring you!¡± To really drive home his point, he began nodding passionately, as though believing she didn¡¯t understand words, which she sort of didn¡¯t. Before Sam could make their relationship to the young hostler any stranger, Kreig quickly said, ¡°Thank you, Hostler Herzmud. Alone in the wilderness, we had little time left.¡± He smiled sheepishly. ¡°Well, considering you took down War, I doubt a few nights in freezing cold could take you out.¡± Saying so, he hopped back onto the front of the carriage. Following suit, Kreig stepped aboard, helping Sam on by holding onto her arm. Surprisingly, the carriage only creaked a little under his impressive weight. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of supplies back there, but it¡¯s mostly hardtack and ammunition. I passed a town not too long ago - you two don¡¯t mind stopping briefly, do you?¡± ¡°Not at all, Hostler,¡± Kreig answered smoothly. ¡°We¡¯d love a warm bed and a nice meal.¡± ¡°Heh, you can say that again.¡± He paused for a few seconds. ¡°Also, since we''ll be together for a while, how about dropping the titles and stuff? Only grandpas call each other like that, you know?¡± ¡°...I see,¡± Kreig murmured. In truth, he had only once before stepped foot on Pawinian soil. They were lucky the country apparently spoke German, or they might have both had to use the excuse that they hit their heads. ¡°Then, simply Herzmud?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a pretty strange one for infantry,¡± Herzmud said with a chuckle. ¡°You talk like a captain or something, so, eh¡­ Look, we¡¯re both just little guys, so how about calling me Hans?¡± After a second or so he must have realised what he said, since he suddenly turned around with a flustered expression. ¡°N-, not as in physically little or anything! I mean-, you¡¯re large enough to pass for an ox, so just¡­¡± Kreig waved it off. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Before all this, I was also¡­¡± Carefully, he shook his head. He glanced at the back of the Hostler-, no, Hans. ¡°...If you wish, then¡­ You may call me¡­ Kreig.¡± ¡°Kreig?¡± Hans repeated. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Right as Kreig was starting to believe he might have to kill the young hostler after all, the boy suddenly burst into a guffaw. ¡°Hahahahahah! Well, isn¡¯t that a bit ironic! War killing War, huh?¡± He hummed to himself. ¡°If that thing was to be brought down anyhow, having his final demise be as a joke might be best.¡± Kreig wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. Even if he actually was a simple soldier named Kreig J?nsson who just defeated War of the North, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to say any words in response to such a thing. So, instead, he turned to look at his sister. Her eyebrows were squished together in attention and concentration. He certainly would have liked to explain things to her, but English as a language was both dead and forbidden. In the Yungland Empire, speaking English would usually net one a heresy charge - in other words, execution. So far, Hans didn¡¯t seem to have noticed the language Sam spoke as being English. This was a very good thing. It meant that there was a possibility that Pawinians could not recognize English. It had been many years since the Holy Wars, after all. Then again, the country was situated right next to God¡¯s Light. It was a gamble, but even if they lost, killing Hans was still not out of the equation. ¡°Sam.¡± She perked to look at him. ¡°Have you understood anything we have said until now?¡± She smiled meekly. ¡°Well, er, no, but¡­ I¡¯ve tried! Promise!¡± ¡°...I see.¡± Seeing the look on her face, there was only one thing he could do. ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± She lit up at his praise, her smile transforming into a grin. ¡°However, I must warn that we would do best to speak English as little as possible. Hans does not seem to recognize it as anything but gibberish, but more well-learnt people may see through it.¡± She nodded resolutely. ¡°My German shall soar! Yessir!¡± He sighed. She truly was herself. ¡°Now, as for our future plans¡­¡± Chapter 10, Hans During their time riding with Hans, it became pretty clear pretty quick that he was not one who enjoyed sitting in silence. Likewise, he didn¡¯t enjoy having his two passengers speak amongst themselves in a foreign language. But, as far as Kreig could tell, it wasn¡¯t as though he could bring himself to speak out about it, either. All and all, there was little doubt in Kreig¡¯s mind that Hans was, at the moment, pretty confused. It didn¡¯t take many minutes before he started trying to converse with his horse, and at that point, Kreig decided that enough was enough. ¡°Hans?¡± The boy almost leapt off the boot, startled mid-sentence. His head whipped around to face Kreig. ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± ¡°What is the nearest village?¡± Kreig asked in German. Hans visibly relaxed at the simple question. ¡°Setzburg. It¡¯s more of a town than a village, but it¡¯s as northern as a place can get. I was going to stop there for a few days, but then the stablekeeper noticed me talkin¡¯ to the horses, so I just¡­ Well, as you can see, that was the right choice.¡± The smile on his face didn¡¯t look all that triumphant. ¡°Guess the Gods really do have a hand in everything, huh?¡± Kreig couldn¡¯t bring himself to answer such a sacrilegious statement. ¡°There is no shame in befriending the horses. They are your companions as much as your fellow soldiers are.¡± Hans frowned. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be too sure on that one. It¡¯s not like they can talk back or anything, and once someone fires a shot or something, most of them just try to run anyways. Humans aren¡¯t cowardly like that.¡± Kreig would have liked to disagree¨Cmost humans would rather run than die¨Cbut doing so might alert Hans to his conflicting motives. ¡°A good warhorse is braver than most men.¡± A shrug. ¡°I haven¡¯t really had anything to do with those. Anytime I try to talk to ¡®em, some high-nose private hostler comes around and nags about how they¡¯re the prized possession of lieutenant what¡¯s-his-face and that if I so much as touch it, I¡¯ll lose the arm.¡± His frown grew deeper. ¡°And then the damned horse snorts at me like I¡¯m an idiot. An idiot¨Cme!¡± ¡°I doubt the horse meant it personally,¡± Kreig tried to say soothingly, but it had all the effect of throwing coins at a dragon. ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Hans huffed. ¡°Nothing against horses in general, but some of these things are worse than people. Here I am, working hard to keep them clean and healthy, and all they can think about is kicking me in the head. You know, five years ago when I was still a boy, a horse went an¡¯ kicked me so hard I almost died. One moment I was petting them on the side, and the next everything went black. I only know they kicked me ¡®cuz that¡¯s what the high-browed wizard scoffed at me when I came back.¡± From what Kreig could understand of the grumbled story, wizards were still the very same arrogant sort they always had been. Then again, if they¡¯d taken Hans to a barber for the kick, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been here to pick them up. ¡°At least you survived.¡± ¡°Yeah, for all the good that did,¡± Hans said bitterly. ¡°Maybe if I¡¯d gotten brain-damaged I could have stayed at the ranch as a farm-hand, and I wouldn¡¯t have to get dragged into this stupid, pointless war.¡± His brows furrowed. ¡°Oh, uh, thanks for that one, by the way. You know¨Ckilling War and all that. Very swell.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re welcome.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. From that point on, Hans continued rumbling and grumbling about his life and how things had gone. Apparently, he had a rather common life-history, being the fourth son of a farmer and thus being given the grand choice of either helping his older brothers on the farm for pennies on the dime, or to leave and find his luck elsewhere¨Cmost certainly in one of the emerging cities. At the time, he¡¯d gone with the latter choice, but the only reason he hadn¡¯t taken it back and tried to return home was that it would probably be an awkward reunion. Likewise, when he got summons to join the army, he hadn¡¯t been able to refuse. At least he hadn¡¯t been forced into the infantry or the like. Caring for horses was what he enjoyed doing, although he did admit that being on the battlefield one time or another might be interesting. It would give him an excuse to return home, especially if he lost a limb or his mind. Not that a horse couldn¡¯t do that for him, but if he returned with injuries from a horse, he¡¯d get laughed out of the village. And then, all of a sudden, speaking in the roughest German she could muster, Sam asked, ¡±What about lying?¡± Both Kreig and Hans turned to look at her with blank faces. ¡°W-, well, I just mean, you know. What keep you from lie about horse bite, say it was war?¡± It took a few seconds for Hans to pull himself together enough to answer with a somewhat straight face. ¡°For one, I may not have been in a war, but I don¡¯t think my main mode of injury there would be to get bit by a horse, secondly-,¡± ¡°Not horse bite,¡± Sam said with the kind of enunciation you¡¯d use to explain something very simple to someone who didn¡¯t have a lot between their ears. ¡°Other¡­ hurt. Pain. Bone crack. Leg go bang. Yes?¡± ¡°Secondly,¡± he said with the same tone she had used, ¡°the war is over. You ended it.¡± He looked at Kreig with gratefulness in his eyes. ¡°It was a very good thing, but with the war ended, I don¡¯t think the king will be all that interested in starting another one. This war has been going on for longer than probably any of us have been alive, and although almost a dozen nations took part in the preventive measure, it drained us the most. Our army is depleted, yeah? Really, if anybody should know that, isn¡¯t it you?¡± A hint of suspicion gleamed through Hans¡¯ voice and Kreig clenched his fist. He glanced at Sam and found her silently sweating. Once their eyes met, her eyebrows shot up and she gave a hasty shake of the head. She turned back to Hans with an almost desperate smile. ¡°Heh, uh,¡± she pointed at her right temple. ¡°Dummkopf?¡± He blinked at her and turned to Kreig. Apparently, the strange look he gave him was meant to be one of camaraderie, because he quickly gave a wry smile and a shrug. ¡°Got bit by a horse, I¡¯m sure,¡± he said under his breath. Kreig wasn¡¯t sure if he should agree or not, so he simply abstained from answering at all. Their journey continued. Luckily for them, the town of Setzburg was within a day¡¯s travel, so by Hans¡¯ estimates, they should get there before it became too hazardous to use the roads. To pass the time, Kreig spoke with Hans as best as he could, trying to get as much information out of him as possible. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much to get. He had only visited Setzburg in passing, and he wasn¡¯t even originally from the northwestern parts of Pawinina. The numerous times he complained about the cold and the weird animals up here was enough for Kreig to understand that part. Soon enough, the sun set. Normally, moving in the wilderness at night was a deadly gamble, but Hans made the striking argument that if they had the man who beat War on their side, nothing out there could possibly endanger them. Except the cold, of course. At night, the frigid temperatures of the north became even more hostile, usually to the point where any exposed limb could get frostbite within minutes. But, according to Hans, the town was only an hour or so away, and the carriage was certainly warm enough to keep them warm until them. Kreig, on the other hand, wouldn¡¯t take any chances. When Hans¡¯ back was turned, Kreig silently cast Fire Dragon¡¯s Heart (X) on both him and Sam, ensuring that they remained alive to reach Setzburg. And as per Hans¡¯ promise, before the dark had fully fallen across the lands, a small but robust town reared on the horizon, the outline of a hilltop fortress being visible in the lack of stars around it. That hilltop stirred something ancient inside Kreig. Somehow, it felt familiar. ¡°You should¡¯ve gone through here on the way to the battlefield, but,¡± Hand glanced sympathetically at Sam, ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t remember that.¡± Quickening the pace of the horse, he pointed a finger at the black outline of the fortress. ¡°That over there is the place that named the town. It¡¯s a bit of a ruin right now since nobody bothered to rebuilt it after the invasion of the, uh¡­¡± He furrowed his brows. ¡°Give me a second, I think my great grandpa told me about it, uh¡­¡± His face lit up in realisation. ¡°Oh, right! Invasion of the White Roots!¡± He looked at Sam again. ¡°I¡¯m not too knowledgeable on that stuff, but my grandpa was in the war. Pawinia was still under Imperial rule back then, so when those two fought we got dragged into it.¡± He shook his head with a look of distaste. ¡°We should really be glad that that kingdom isn¡¯t around anymore.¡± ¡°Theocracy,¡± Kreig said softly. ¡°It was a theocracy.¡± Hans shrugged dismissively. ¡°Theocracy, kingdom, whatever. That was almost a hundred years ago.¡± He hummed. ¡°Shame about the fortress, though.¡± Softly, so quiet Hans couldn¡¯t hear him, Kreig said, ¡°Sorry.¡±